@SPACEBAR Cafe

What people go for here

SPACEBAR is a veteran-owned La Mesa café, bistro, and performance room where organic coffee, açaí and pitaya bowls, breakfast bagels, panini, vegetable-forward meals, wine, and evening plates share space with local art and live culture. Daytime works well for a meal, conversation, or a laptop session; music, poetry, and comedy turn the compact room into a livelier gathering place. Plan extra time during events and call ahead when a specific schedule matters.

• Açaí bowl
• Lox bagel
• Brown rice and quinoa bowl with grilled vegetables
• Grilled chicken panini
• Dragon-fruit bowl with kale-mint-pineapple smoothie

Worth knowing: When a performance fills the room at once, the small team can need more time for counter service and food orders. Daytime can be calm enough for work, while music, poetry, and comedy bring higher sound levels and a fuller room. Warm owner hospitality is the dominant pattern, but a smaller set of visits describes slow or inattentive counter service.

The coffee

Long-running independent community café founded as an internet café in 2009; the owners say the coffee has been 100% organic since opening, while the current bean roaster and origin details remain private.

SPACEBAR’s coffee program is documented more by ethos than technical detail. In a 2026 San Diego Troubadour profile, owner Frank Moody said its coffee has been 100% organic since day one, and the writer independently praised the coffee. The current official site advertises expertly brewed coffee, tea and smoothies.

The room

Cozy, relaxed and deeply community-oriented by day, with a dimmer, lively performance-room feel during music and comedy events.

An early-opening neighborhood café whose room also functions as an event venue

The space

Moderate

Inside

Cozy indoor café-and-event seating with a stage/performance area.

When it fills up

Ordinary café service is relaxed, while popular events can fill the room; the long-running Friday open mic is described as consistently packed, with performers arriving early for slots.

Noise

Relaxed during ordinary café periods, lively to loud during jazz, live music, comedy and open-mic events.