The city of San Diego, California is home to the 2026 World of Coffee event, North America’s largest gathering of coffee lovers, coffee professionals, and coffee culture creators from every step of the chain. It’s a tradition on Sprudge that we use these events as a perfectly wonderful excuse to explore different cities around the world. Traveling for coffee is a portal into distinct cultures and places, and we firmly believe that in order to get the most out of an experience like attending World of Coffee, you need to grab this opportunity with both hands, set aside time outside the Convention Center halls, and take in the sights and flavors of the city around you.
This guide today is part of a local expert series, which began in Copenhagen in 2024 and continued on to Houston in 2025. To dive into all San Diego has to offer, we turned to a SoCal born leader in the coffee community who has lived and worked in the San Diego area for most of the last four decades: Peter Giuliano. He’s a student of coffee, a gifted public speaker, a talented writer and noted free-thinker who serves now as the Executive Director of the Coffee Science Foundation. His Substack publication, Pax Culinaria, was nominated for a Sprudgie Award, and I have personally learned a ton about the world of coffee (lowercase) in conversations with Peter going back to the earliest days of Sprudge.
I was delighted to interview Peter about his city, San Diego, and to get some tips and advice from him on how to make the most out of a World of Coffee visit. This story should be looked at as just one jumping off point—we’ll have heaps more coverage on Sprudge in advance of the event, and Peter’s site, Pax Culinaria, will be publishing even more on what to do and see and enjoy in the city in the coming days. More than anything else, a call with Peter G on the topic of San Diego is like immersing oneself into the city in one cool motion: there’s birds chirping outside over the phone, and you can almost feel the sunshine on your shoulders as he talks.
Hi Peter. I want to start by asking you about San Diego culture. What should people know about this place before they visit? What makes San Diego unique and distinct as a city?
There are three things that define San Diego. Outsiders typically only know about one of them. I will talk about these in order of importance.
Number one, San Diego is a border town. It is truly, deeply influenced by its proximity to Mexico. A huge portion of San Diego’s culture comes from Mexico. The biggest drink at the coffee shops is the “Mexican Mocha” and its many interpretations. This is something I used to serve at coffee shops when I was a barista, all the way back to the late 1980s. And this influence is present in San Diego’s food scene, too. We’re famous for fish tacos, and Mexican food in general. I don’t think people from abroad necessarily know this about San Diego. It is in many ways a Mexican city in America, as much Mexican as it is American.
This reality is in tension with the second major cultural facet of San Diego, which is that it’s a Navy town. There’s a huge naval base right across the bay from downtown, and what that means historically is San Diego has a huge influx of working class sailors in this city. This is part of what makes San Diego so distinct from somewhere like Los Angeles. LA has all the artistic pretensions of being a show business town; San Diego has no show business to speak of, and that cultural footprint is instead replaced by the existence in the military. My girlfriend in high school was a Navy brat. And the biggest Marine base in the country is at Camp Pendleton just to the north, which also impacts the city. The armed forces is a huge cultural facet of life here.
And the third thing is beach culture, which is the one thing people from outside the city might already be aware of. It’s what people expect when they come to San Diego, and it’s very true. Beaches are a way of life here: surfing, jogging, just hanging out. Our beaches are our public squares. San Diegans, by habit, head to the beach at the end of the day to watch the sunset, or eat a burrito, or spend time with their partner. Those three things—Mexican culture, Navy culture, and beach culture—it’s a strange mix that makes San Diego what it is.
How about movies and music from San Diego? What are some of the highlights? I know it’s not Anchorman—that move is more like an impression of San Diego, as opposed to being the real thing.
The greatest movie ever made about San Diego is Fast Times At Ridgemont High. The school in the movie, Ridgemont High, was actually Claremont High School in San Diego—it was written about that place. And there’s so many San Diego things about that movie. Jeff Spiccoli, the character, is a very true depiction of a San Diego person from that time period. I knew Jeff Spiccoli types growing up.
For bands, there was a great alternative band called Pinback that was from San Diego, and they were in heavy rotation in the 90s. Probably the most successful band in San Diego from the last thirty years is Blink 182, who are from Rancho Bernardo.
And of course there’s Top Gun, which was filmed in San Diego, and speaks to the armed forces culture I mentioned a moment ago.
Let’s move on to some recommendations. What does a perfect day in San Diego look like to you?
The best half-day you can spend around San Diego looks like this: get a car and drive north on the 5 (we always say “the” before freeway names in California) to a place called Del Mar. You can take the Carmel Valley Road exit towards the beach, and there you’ll find a spot called Roberto’s Taco Shop—get a carne asada burrito or a fish taco. Right next to it is a Bird Rock Coffee, which is one of the great roasters in San Diego. Both of these overlook the Torrey Pines Natural Reserve, a beautiful estuary that opens onto one of the nicest beaches in San Diego. Torrey Pines State Park, just down the road, is a treasure. Once you’re there you can hike, walk along the cliffs and see whales breaching, and take in the coastline. It’s the perfect way to spend a half a day in San Diego: you get Mexican food, you get great coffee, and you get to enjoy the beach.
What are some of your favorite coffee spots?
One of the first specialty coffee companies in the U.S. was Pannikin Coffee and Tea, started in 1968 by a guy named Bob Sinclair. Bob was very clearly inspired by Peet’s, which had begun just a year earlier in Berkeley. By the time I was in high school Pannikin had 7 locations around San Diego, and this was in the late 80s; Pannikin was to San Diego what Starbucks was to Seattle, or Coffee Connection was to Boston. There’s one Pannikin remaining in Encinitas, and when you go visit, it just looks like a funky beachside coffee shop—you can’t tell that it has the legacy that it has, but I assure you it does. I worked at this very cafe from 1988 to 1994.
Pannikin gave birth to a roasting company called Cafe Moto, which is another alma mater of mine. They have a roastery and coffee shop in Barrio Logan, which is right near downtown, an easy shot from the Convention Center. I definitely want to send people there—I think they’re really good, and very uniquely San Diego in style. Torrey and Kim Lee own it, and Torrey’s dad founded Pannikin; they have deep roots in the coffee scene here.
Every Bid Rock Coffee Roasters location is solid. They have three cafes downtown, and each one is worth a visit.
In Old Town, there’s a place called Flor & Seed. I’m really passionate about the Southern California tradition around Mexican coffee, and cafes that are looking to Mexico as opposed to Italy and Europe as hubs of coffee culture. Flor and Seed has a horchata latte that’s the main drink as opposed to a flavored latte, for example. This is where I would send someone for that experience.
Where should I eat lunch near the Convention Center?
Fish tacos are a must. One place is Karina’s Ceviche Bar and Tacos—it’s a Mexican seafood place that’s a makeable walk or short cab ride from the convention center. I will personally be going there for fish tacos or Mexican shrimp cocktail during the event. Definitely eat Mexican food in San Diego; there are too many places to mention. Any place with the suffix -Berto’s will be classic San Diego Style food (like Alberto’s, Roberto’s, Royberto’s, etc), but your chances of getting good quality food in any Mexican place are very very high in SD. Do read my essay on the subject.
If you like seafood, you’ll find it in San Diego. There’s a convenient place called the Fish Market, which overlooks the harbor, and it’s not far away from the Convention Center. It’s a very nice grilled fish kind of place.
Across the harbor there’s a place called Mitch’s Seafood, which is less expensive, and a little better, but it’s definitely a cab ride as opposed to a walk. You could do that for dinner, too, as a casual dinner option.
One other place for Mexican food is called Pōkez, which is a beloved veggie-friendly place that’s been around forever. It’s in the downtown zone and it’s a great option if someone in your group needs veggie choices.
San Diego has a huge vegetarian and health food culture, so this is something people should check out while they’re here. The story of San Diego “hippie culture” is fascinating, thanks to places like the Self-Realization Fellowship in Encinitas, which was founded in the 1950s. It’s why Encinitas has the highest per capita concentration of yoga studios in the country. In downtown there’s an old school guru-style vegetarian restaurant called Jyoti-Bihanga that serves a kind of San Diego interpretation of Indian vegetarian cuisine, and it’s worth checking out.
What bars should I check out while I’m in San Diego?
There’s a place called The Casbah which is by the airport, and it is *the* San Diego live music venue. I would definitely send people there.
I also love this place called The Waterfront, which is the oldest bar in San Diego. It’s a little rage-y for me now, but it’s a really fun time. That’s where all the restaurant people go after their shift, which I know is something younger coffee people and baristas are part of as well.
Another thing that’s appealing maybe to that younger crowd is 5th Avenue, which is sort of famously where Navy guys go to get shitfaced. It has a lot of loud bars, but there’s also this great place there called Star Bar that’s just more like an old dive bar. When I was growing up in San Diego it was known as an LGBTQ friendly space. It’s still really great.
Over in Old Town, the Aero Club is another great old dive bar. It’s not *in* Old Town proper but it’s near the area. It’s a really fun dive.
And in downtown you can go to the dive bar they filmed in for Top Gun, which is called Kansas City Barbecue but everyone just refers to it as “the Top Gun bar.” They make a big deal out of being a filming location for the movie.
One last question: I like to book an extra day for these trips to take in a little culture. What are some of the cool cultural things to do around the city?
The San Diego Zoo is perhaps the most famous thing here, and it’s really great. Balboa Park is amazing with its museums and gardens, and Point Loma is great too, really scenic and with a panoramic view of the entire city. You can book whale watching tours from San Diego harbor for that ocean life, or check out Chicano Park in Barrio Logan- it has a huge collection of chicano murals painted on the freeway underpass (trust me- it’s awesome!). Or rent a car, drive north, and visit beaches.
My number one beach is a place called Swami’s in Encinitas. It’s right by the Self-Realization Fellowship, and it’s the best surf spot in San Diego. The Self Realization Center itself has a beautiful meditation garden which is free to visit- and it has the best ocean views on the coast.
Thank you Peter!
