Azucar

This isn't the standard-issue coffee shop hiding croissants under a sneeze guard. Azucar's doing actual Cuban technique: guava and cheese pastelitos with real lamination, meat pies (empanadas, really) where the filling's seasoned like someone's abuela is in back, scones that pull from European pastry tradition but land with tropical twists—sour cherry pistachio, ginger pumpkin, coffee toffee. The display case facing Newport catches morning light and makes you reconsider whatever you thought you wanted for breakfast.

The coffee program runs Cuban-style, meaning cortaditos with that specific ratio of espresso to steamed milk and sugar that hits different than your standard latte. It's a small operation—a few sidewalk tables, modern-sleek interior that doesn't try to cosplay Havana—but the pastry work is legit enough that people visiting San Diego hit it three times in a weekend and carry boxes onto planes.

Expect a wait Sunday mornings when the brunch crowd converges, but the line moves and gives you time to figure out what you're ordering from the pastry case. The vibe's more neighborhood coffeehouse than tourist trap, despite the location—locals treating it like their regular spot, families splitting pastries outside, the occasional person who left their drone on a chair and came back to find the staff had tucked it behind the counter.

Practical note: it's next to an optometrist on Newport, easy to miss if you're not looking. Parking's the usual Ocean Beach puzzle. Go early for the fullest selection, or accept that popular items disappear by mid-morning. The guava-cheese situation is non-negotiable—if it's there, you're getting it.