Portland-Style Coffee Shop to Enter the East Village

Adding their take to San Diego's expanding coffee culture are two Portland transplants, Sandra Scheller and Jason Serres, who say they are inspired to open the kind of coffee bar they've been missing since leaving the Pacific Northwest. The Bean Bar will open in the East Village, across from the San Diego Central Library, by the end of the month.

The partners, both artists, are collaborating with obr architecture to craft an intimate 1,050-square-foot coffee house that'll include a slow bar for one-on-one barista interaction, pour overs and coffee cupping, as well as a traditional espresso bar for more expedient service. Both will be fueled by a Dutch-designed Kees van der Westen espresso machine called The Spirit, that Serres likens to "an old Corvette engine."

After tasting coffee up and down the West Coast, The Bean Box chose Vancouver-based Forty Ninth Parallel as its exclusive roaster; other offerings will be sourced locally, including tea from Coffee & Tea Collective and pastries from Sugar & Scribe.

There's space for a roomy outdoor patio that'll be added eventually, along with dedicated parking for bikes. Open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, the Bean Box also plans to host monthly art shows.

The Bean Bar
1068 K Street
San Diego, CA 92101