Meagan McCall
Google
Personal opinion, but I think Rikka Fika has some of the best specialty coffee in San Diego.
I was initially drawn to this café after learning of their Summer Passion Soda ($6) an icy fizzy drink with bright flavors of fresh passion fruit, lemon, and lime, with a touch of honey for a refreshing, lightly sweet-and-tart creation. As I was craving an espresso tonic, I asked if it was possible to add a shot of espresso to make it a Dirty Summer Passion Soda, and the barista said yes but suggested I try both the passionfruit soda and the espresso shot on their own first before combining them together.
For the espresso they used their house blend HIBI, sweet and balanced with a hint of fruitiness, and I appreciate when espresso can be deliciously smooth on its own. A shot of espresso is $4, and you can also upgrade for single origin espresso for $1 extra.
Although my drink didn’t have any milk, I appreciate that they don’t charge extra if you substitute oat milk instead of cow.
I’m glad that I took her advice and had them separate first because they were both individually great as standalone drinks, and the combination was also extremely pleasant and exactly what I was looking for.
There was a line when we arrived, but it moved rather quickly, as we arrived at 2:35pm, ordered 2:40pm, and drinks were ready by 2:44pm. The staff were efficient and helpful, and the atmosphere was minimalist and modern. They sell their retail bags and have them displayed on a wall next to their La Marzocco espresso machine. We were easily able to find street parking nearby, and they had a decent amount of seating inside as well as a restroom.
I’ll definitely be returning for coffee when I’m back in San Diego, and next time I want to stay to get my drink in one of their for-here cups, A few other drinks that I didn’t get to try that looked delicious from their menu:
STRAWBERRY CAFFÉ LATTE ($6.50) Espresso + housemade fresh strawberry compote + 6 oz milk
RIKKA MOCHA ($7) Espresso + 70% single origin dark chocolate + 6 oz milk
COLD BREW YUZU FIZZ ($6.50) Cold brew + house-made yuzu lemonade + fizz