Long-Awaited Dark Horse Chula Vista Approaches Opening

Dark Horse Coffee Roasters’ first South Bay storefront is “right around the corner”, says company co-founder Bryan Charlson. The popular local company expects to open the doors on the long-awaited Chula Vista location in the coming weeks. The new bar will be housed inside a 2000-square-foot space at F Street and Third Avenue in the Park Plaza at the Village center.

The new shop’s menu will include the roaster’s traditional lineup of drip, espresso, and its specialty drinks such as The Champ and the salted maple latte. As a collaboration with Dark Horse’s sister company Mutual Friend Ice Cream, the Chula Vista location will feature rotating soft serve ice cream flavors made with the roaster’s single-origin beans. Dark Horse’s Skinny Donuts treats and retail items will also be available.

Charlson says a Chula Vista location has been on Dark Horse’s radar for some time — when the company put out an Instagram survey asking where they should open a shop, 80 percent of responses were in favor of this South Bay city.

Chula Vista marks Dark Horse’s fifth San Diego County location and sixth overall. The roaster opened its first Orange County location at the Steelcraft food hall in Garden Grove in 2019.