Cafe Bassam — Restaurant in San Diego

TRAVEL BACK IN TIME ! My wife and I go back a long way with Bassam the very courteous owner of this iconic cafe. I remember the very first time we came here for lunch about 10 years ago...everywhere I looked there were beautiful old furniture pieces, fun bric-a-brac, ornaments, Cafe Bassam signs, unusual water vessels, huge assortment of teas, even a grand piano. And classic music from a bygone era would waft throughout the high ceilings of the cafe which is situated on the ground level of a high rise apartment building. IT WAS LIKE A TIME WARP ! And of course we met Bassam the owner who impressed us with his kind words and attention to detail. YOU NEVER FORGET KINDNESS ! We have since been back many times for lunch, maybe just a latte or even a delicious milk shake once...always fabulous sandwiches, well made coffees and friendly service ! Quite often we did not get to see Bassam himself but his young female assistants looked after us very well. In fact the last time we had a chat with Bassam was 4 years ago ( almost to the day ) when we brought our 3 year old grand daughter here for lunch before heading to Balboa Park nearby. Baasam gave our little one a chocolate kiss in a pretty box. That put a smile on her face ! On Saturday at the very top of our to do list was HAVE LUNCH AT CAFE BASSAM ! After parking our wheels in a metered parking spot around the corner at 12.30pm we walked inside...not much had changed....the grand piano was still in the front corner. And then I spotted Bassam sitting at a small table doing some paper work. Wearing a facial mask I walked over and said hi...and immediately a huge smile appeared on Bassam's face, he stood up and we shook hands like old friends...a very touching moment for me. My wife was just as warmly greeted by the wonderful gentleman. We had a lovely conversation with Bassam and then we ordered our lunch. It was a very hot day so Iced Lattes were first up followed by a TURKEY MELT Panini ( to die for ), a SUN-DRIED TOMATO PANINI ( yummo ) and 4 of the sensational DATE COOKIES ( love 'em ). Lily, Abby & Michelle...the trio of young ladies behind the service counter took care of everything with consummate ease. In the meantime Bassam showed my wife his hat collection on stands and shelves at the side of the cafe and my wife found one she liked....a black Clint Eastwood style wide brim model. Bassam even said to me...your wife looks good in that hat ! We found a nice spot at a high counter top furniture piece with 2 very comfortable bar stools with backs. Bassam brought over an elegant bottle of Evian natural spring water with 2 glasses for us to enjoy. Soon after our tall Iced Lattes arrived courtesy of Abby and tasted truly revitalizing on such a hot day. WHOO HOO...and then Abby brought out our fabulous looking panini sandwiches with stacks of fresh fruit on the side. I got hungry just looking at them. We split our sandwiches in half and both tasted very well made full of fresh quality ingredients. We just loved the parmesan melted on the outside of the bread for that added zing ! The sides of fresh fruit were so fresh I could smell them....gotta love fresh fruit ! Good thing we put an hour and a half on the meter because we ain't finished yet. I had to try one of the Date Cookies which had a very delicate date flavor with a shortbread like exterior. I asked Lily to box the remaining 3 for home. We thanked the 3 lovely girls behind the counter and Bassam who...

My favorite coffee shop in the whole Bankers Hill / Hillcrest / Mission Hills / North Park area (and believe me, I have tried them all!). I am confident I could expand this assessment to include even more of San Diego, but these are the neighborhoods I frequent most often on my walks. What I like about this coffee house is that they do the simple things well. If you want a nice espresso-based coffee drink or a cup of tea, this is the place. If you want to sip your drink in a place with unique and artistic character, whether inside or at one of the sidewalk cafe tables, you’ve come to the right place. And, even if you prefer the sterile and glaringly bright interiors found in the cookie cutter coffee chains, visiting friends might appreciate this coffee house, so put a bookmark on the map and thank me later. 🤭 Anyway, people of all ages and backgrounds can be found here, and you are welcome whether working on your laptop or meeting with friends. Because of the proximity to Balboa Park (just a few blocks from the trailheads at Upas & 6th) and the Maple Canyon bridge/trail, it’s also a nice place to get your caffeine fix before hitting the trail, or while winding down afterwards. (It’s also adjacent to a dedicated bike lane, which makes it easy for a cyclist to drop in, and you can keep an eye on your bike from the sidewalk seating.) And, while I don’t often dine here, on the occasions that I have, the soups, sandwiches, and pastries were tasty. Plus, they also have a nice little selection of wines and beer, which visiting friends and I have taken advantage of on many a lovely San Diego afternoon. So, support a unique local business and...

First time here was for a first date. The coffee was great. The date was unfortunately a bit lackluster. I always try a cafe au lait when I go to a new coffee shop as my baseline. This was was just the right amount of foamy and a good even coffee flavor. I like my coffee a touch sweeter but that's personal preference and I was able to add some sugar to make it to my liking. The shop is very eclectic and sort of feels tucked away and special. I would definitely come here to relax and read or write for a few hours. They did have a food menu that I didn't peruse in detail but looked balanced and interesting. They had a decent tea selection as well which I appreciate since I prefer tea to coffee on most days and finding cafes with a selection at all is impressive. My only caveat is the seating seems very overcrowded. I think it's definitely meant to be part of the charm but it's a bit hard to maneuver around. They did have some outdoor seating though so that may be a bit roomier - it was raining the day I went so not an option. Overall it was a fun little niche and I will be back to...