Bica Coffee Shop
Coffee shop · San Diego
3569 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116
Highlights
Seasonal cafe with artisanal toasts, sandwiches, and pastries
Seasonal cafe with artisanal toasts, sandwiches, and pastries
"Between the shelves of tinned fish and the tiny tables lining the sidewalk, Bica can feel more like Lisbon than Normal Heights. While this spot is more cafe than restaurant––counter service, no indoor seating, and a few customers typing away on laptops––their menu outshines standard coffee shop offerings, and the patio tables are nice for lingering. Sip a honey sea salt latte while you wait for your ricotta tartine, creamy and satisfying with a smudge of fruit jam and a drizzle of olive oil. Don’t get too attached to any one dish because the menu changes weekly, though the tuna conserva sandwich is a mainstay. And for good reason: Arugula and green olive tapenade add a bite of piquancy to the hefty helping of local albacore." - candice woo, cora lee, ligaya malones
"A shaded patio serves as the dining room for this Adams Avenue cafe whose all-day menu is a showcase for seasonality and local seafood. Locally sourced bread provides the foundation for toasts topped with avocado and market produce or ricotta and fruit preserves and area fishermen serve as inspiration for specials that might include olive oil-cured mackerel or bluefin tuna aguachile. The picnic table energy is even more heightened during the warmer summer months." - Helen I. Hwang
"Two local chefs, alums of casual standouts like Tender Greens and LA’s Gjusta, are behind this daytime cafe with an ultra-seasonal menu whose dishes change on the regular. Tartines of local sourdough bread might be topped with ricotta and fresh fruit preserves or soft scrambled eggs and salmon roe, sandwiches could be filled with housemade porchetta or tuna conserva, and salads and soups rotate depending on prime produce. Keep an eye out for occasional dinner dates, too." - Helen I. Hwang, Candice Woo, Eater Staff
"Whether it’s a tartine (open-faced sandwich) or a traditional sandwich offering, you can’t go wrong at this popular cafe that prioritizes seasonality with its sandwich toppings and fillings. Oil-poached local albacore features in a standout tuna sandwich and a cold cut sandwich gets showered with escarole and giardiniera." - Candice Woo
"A bright new addition to Normal Heights opens Saturday, July 15 with the arrival of Bica, which means 'little cafe' in Portuguese. The daytime restaurant is one of a number of projects that San Diego natives Charles Knowles and Manny da Luz are hoping to bring to their hometown. Open from early morning to late afternoon, the cafe will begin the day offering drinks from local roaster Provecho! Coffee and Paru Tea along with pastries from Prager Brothers Artisan Breads and housemade baked goods like citrus olive oil cake and Portuguese custard tarts called pastel de nata. The food will be available for takeout, but there’s also a shaded side patio for dining in." - Candice Woo
