Remember when specialty coffee was a novelty in San Diego? I do. Zumbar Coffee & Tea (founded in 2003), Bird Rock Roasters (which opened their first cafe in 2006), Coffee & Tea Collective (2012) and Dark Horse Coffee Roasters (2013) felt like outliers when I started touring coffeehouses on my annual trips. Both for the quality of their beans and ambition. Good coffee has become much easier to find, especially in certain cities and neighborhoods. Oceanside, Encinitas and North Park are now particularly stacked with great coffee options, but not many neighborhoods lack compelling coffee options at this point. Flavorful, often creative tea drinks have also become more readily available, particularly in neighborhoods like Kearny Mesa and Clairemont. I’ve visited dozens of San Diego coffee and tea bars over the years. These are my favorite San Diego coffee and tea bars based on trips since 2022. I’ll continue updating this guide.

UPDATES SINCE APRIL 9, 2025
Additions: Heave Ho Coffee, Morning Dew, Trident Coffee

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters – 10 San Diego County Locations ↓
Must Order: Cold Brew, Single Origin Espresso, Spiced Mocha Latte

Bound Coffee – Oceanside ↓
Must Order: Bergamot Black Tea Latte, Cold Brew Orange Clove Syrup, Matcha

Camp Coffee Company – Oceanside ↓
Must Order: Molasses Vanilla Latte, Nitro Cold Brew + Coconut Cold Foam

Fourtillfour Cafe – Leucadia ↓
Must Order: Spiced Orange Cold Brew (Seasonal), Rose Honey Latte

Heave Ho Coffee – Chula Vista + Coronado ↓
Must Order: Sweet Corn Iced Macchiato (Seasonal), Whipped Americano (Seasonal)

High Tide Coffee – Oceanside ↓
Must Order: Espresso Paloma (Seasonal), Cold Brew

Little Joy – Del Mar ↓
Must Order: Flat White

Lovesong Coffee – North Park ↓
Must Order: Soda Pop King, WildChild

Lullabar – Carlsbad ↓
Must Order: Guava Cream Matcha

Morning Dew @ Jaguar Paw – Barrio Logan ↓
Must Order: Money Trees, Passionfruit

Necessity Coffee – Encinitas ↓
Must Order: Date Capp, White Whale

Paru – La Jolla ↓
Must Order: Iced Ceremonial Matcha Latte

Omomo Tea Shoppe – Del Mar ↓
Must Order: Bamboo Oolong w/Banana Cream, Uji Green Milk Tea Creamomo

Queenstage Coffee House – Encinitas ↓
Must Order: Cold Brew, Matcha De Olla

Revolution Roasters – Carlsbad + Oceanside ↓
Must Order: Coffee Soda, Salted Rosemary Cold Foam Cold Brew

Seven Seas Roasting – Solana Beach + South Park ↓
Must Order: Ginger Sage Latte

Steady State Roasting – Carlsbad ↓
Must Order: Cascara Sparkling Tea, Cold Fashioned, PSL

Superbloom @ The Mission Bay Beach Club – San Diego ↓
Must Order: Matcha Chai Latte

Trident Coffee – Coronado, Imperial Beach + Pacific Beach ↓
Must Order: Cold Brew Flight