Culture and Coffee in the Heart of Barrio Logan

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Hello, beautiful mamas. Today, I want to share with you my favorite organic, fair trade, solar-powered, local small business coffee shop. It is definitely the one I frequent the most for its incredibly comforting friendly taste and nostalgia. 

front view of cafe moto barrio logan

Cafe Moto. I have been coming here for about six years, just before my kids came along. I found it and I knew I wanted to embrace this place for more than just their incredible coffee. And it is incredible, I promise. 

You see, thirty years ago, Barrio Logan was my first home here in the United States of America. Newton Avenue was our street and Chicano Park was my park. I love coming back here, again and again, soaking up the nostalgia and watching my daughter learning her first steps in the same park I ran and played in while my mother dreamed of a better future for us. This place that is filled with culture and community you won’t soon forget. This place that has evolved but has never lost its heart. Barrio Logan.

Chicano Park is home to 79 historic murals, making it San Diego Historic Landmark #143. Barrio Logan hosts many cultural and arts events, and Azteca Dancers are a sight to see and hear. Now it’s home to pretty incredible businesses like SaludHola Swim, Por Vida, Cafe Virtuoso and that brings me back to Cafe Moto

Let me tell you a little bit about how Cafe Moto came to be. It all started with Bob Sinclair. He opened up one of the very first Coffee Houses in San Diego, The Pannikin. He eventually created Cafe Moto, that his stepson Torrey Lee and his wife Kim Lee built the vision for, all on their own. A few decades later, and here we are enjoying the very rich flavor of this environmentally conscious, family-owned cafe. This is a view of the roastery in the back. The quiet before the storm.

Remember that when you enjoy your cup of coffee here, you’re not only helping farmers, you’re helping women farmers. I truly admire all the hard work that has been put into what Cafe Moto is today. I love supporting this local business for all that it is. So you’ll most likely find me and my family here… a lot. 

yuli's family

Our Favorite Blend.

cafe moto bag of coffee beans

Thank you so much for letting me share this place with you. I’ll try not to write about coffee too much but I kind of can’t help myself 🙂 

17 COMMENTS

  1. I love this! I love how you went back to your roots, I’m not a coffee drinker but I would definitely visit for the murals and the culture and maybe try a coffee from here! Great piece!

  2. Culture in the Heart of Barrio Logan that would something that will certainly mesmerise you 🙂 I used to be an addicted coffee drinker but now I like tea more haha thank you for sharing your words 🙂

  3. How neat that you grew up and created memories, where you now are re-creating them again. This coffee shop looks like a great place to grab a cup!

  4. I love supporting establishments like this because they really help the local industry flourish. I think it’s an awesome place too, love that you can just hang out and enjoy your cup of coffee!

  5. This is a wonderful feature of a local small business. It is great whenyou can support local businsses and farmers while enjoythe fruits or coffee of their labor!

  6. My friend found this place on the Internet. We took a trip to Nicaragua back in February 2016 to visit a few cigar factories and buy cigars. At one of the factories we not only sampled some cigars, we were offered coffee. The cigars were very good but the coffee really added to our enjoyment. After purchasing some cigars we asked the owner about the coffee. He told us that it was grown locally and could be found in stores around town. Upon our return home, my friend researched the Internet to see if Nicaraguan coffee was available. To his surprise they were. Our love for Cafe Moto began. We make the 2 hour journey a few times a year to buy Nicaragua coffee from them and will do so, as long as it is available. But before stopping in at Cafe Moto, we get breakfast at Salud. Great tacos.

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