This article is part of Fresh Cup’s ongoing coverage of the2026 World of Coffee, heading to San Diego from April 10-12. We’ll continue to bring you stories, updates, and insights before, during, and after the event. See all coverage here.
In the past, we’ve been lucky here at Fresh Cup to have some firsthand knowledge of the cities hosting the Specialty Coffee Association’s annual expos, now known as World of Coffee. In 2024, the host city was Chicago, a spot I’ve lived in on-and-off for a total of seven years. In 2025, it was in Houston, a city our publisher, Garrett Oden, knew well.
We both wrote coffee guides for each event, giving folks a few cafe recommendations based on our personal knowledge of each city. But with this year’s World of Coffee taking place in San Diego from April 10-12, we knew we needed your help.
Last week, I made a video asking for recommendations, and we got over 100 responses. Here’s what we learned:
First off, folks have already done extensive work mapping San Diego’s cafes on the website sandiegocoffee.co, which lists over 150 cafes across the area. The map was born out of the r/SanDiegoCoffeeBeans Reddit group, so if you want an exhaustive map of everything San Diego has to offer, this is the resource.
The map provides details such as whether the spot roasts its own coffee, offers food, or serves decaf. From their website, I learned that Pannikin Coffee is one of San Diego’s oldest coffee shops and roasters — it opened in 1968.
There were a few spots posters mentioned over and over:
Most people mentioned Torque Coffee, a fun throwback for us here at Fresh Cup (one of the earliest articles we published when we relaunched in 2022 was a profile on their brand’s pricing model). @michelleowens12 called Torque “the best shop” and recommended grabbing their coffee at Relic Bakery. “@relicbakery (is) right by the convention center – they serve Torque and it’s the best pastry case in town!!!”
Lots of folks mentioned Coffee Cycle Roasting, a bike-themed roastery with two locations — @erocka88 saying they were “SD’s best.” They also noted Finjan Coffee Co. “for authentic Turkish coffee.”
Some responders pointed to longstanding San Diego favorites, like Cafe Moto and Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, with @brcr.pts.jeff calling the La Jolla location “the OG.”
Provecho! Coffee Co., Mostra Coffee, Cafeina, Jaunt Coffee Roasters, Ultreya Coffee & Tea, Yipao Coffee Roasters, Seven Seas Roasting Co., Scrimshaw Coffee, Flor & Seed Coffee Roasters, The King’s Craft Coffee Co., Acento Coffee Roasters, Marta, and Fuzz Coffee all got multiple mentions.
We noticed that many spots also roast their own coffee — some people mentioned roasters without permanent retail locations, which we love to learn about, but left off this list. But spots like Rikka Fika carry coffees from international roasters.
Goldchild Coffee also received a lot of love, and its founder, Jeff Rambo, was the 2025 American Aeropress champion. They have a whole page on their website dedicated to World of Coffee.
@coffeeloveorasters in LA called Seven Seas Roasting Co., “a San Diego staple.”
Genteel Coffee Co. let us know in the comments that they’ll have “special slow bar take overs during WOC at the cafe with @fincasantaestela @studiotigre.la and @mercadosinnombre.”
Mnemonic Coffee, which received multiple shoutouts, also calls itself a zero-proof drink space: its menu is full of stunning signature drinks.
Along with Relic Bakery, spots like Wayfarer Bread and Little While received shoutouts from readers for their outstanding pastries.
A few folks mentioned shops just outside of San Diego, like Necessity Coffee in Encinitas and Steady State in Carlsbad.
But what was especially touching was how many SD-based businesses shone a light on other coffee roasters. Almost everyone mentioned in this article named at least a handful of other roasters and cafes that people should frequent.
Wherever you end up, let us know! We wanna hear about your favorite San Diego spots! Have fun at World of Coffee and don’t get too overcaffeinated!
Photo by Andres Garcia on Unsplash
