Yesterday Bert and I were out and about...
This new coffee shop was our last stop in a long morning of exploring...
Our pre-pandemic Saturdays used to consist of going out for coffee super early and searching for murals or street art. From late March, we hadn't left the house together until early May when the beaches were opened again. With our masks on,we stopped by a new'ish coffee shop that opened right before the pandemic hit. It is on the cusp of gritty City Heights and the fancier neighborhood of Talmadge. Walk a few steps north, and you will hit the gates of Talmadge. Walk a few steps south, and you are in City Heights with Tire World and many Vietnamese eateries about.
Prices were reasonable which was intentional. Many other places charge at least a dollar more for their drinks.
It is very clean inside. White walls with lush greenery from their houseplants.
Keep in mind that any of my coffee posts will now feature paper cups because of covid-19. Many coffee places don't want to be dealing with washing cups and touching people's germs, so for now, all coffee are in paper cups, which I really don't like but understand the need for it.
I met the owner, Marlyn and one of her baristas, a young college student named Breana.
No seating inside, so we enjoyed our drinks outside...The larger one was Bert's, a mocha. The smaller one was mine, a lavender cappuccino. Their barista was kind enough to downsize it for me. Some other places refuse to do so. Thank goodness they aren't tightasses and are flexible with requests like this. I can't deal with drinking more than 8 oz of anything, especially with milk or even substitute milks (real milk = not good later on, ha ha). Both drinks were made well; the latte art wasn't as defined but it might've also been due to the use of substitute milks.
The folks here were super friendly and welcoming. Looking forward to when I can enjoy the coffee sizes I normally like (macchiatos and cortados; nothing more than 4 oz.) in ceramic or glass cups again.
I hope they do well at this location. It's nice to see another good coffee options in City Heights. Parking sucks around here and we ended up parking several blocks away in Talmadge.
Article:
"New coffee shop brews up business in the midst of a pandemic" KPBS, May 24, 2020
I also read thru their IG that one of their other baristas is none other than Manny (sorry I don't know his last name). He used to work at Por Vida Cafe and also Westbean's Liberty Station location.
Gem Coffee
4412 Euclid Ave
San Diego, CA 92115
gemcoffeesd.com + IG is: @gemcoffeesd
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