Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Five Generations of Italian Tradition at Café Barbera

A new, traditional Italian coffee shop has just opened in Hillcrest, filling the gap caused by the untimely closing of Café Vergnano 1882 last January.

Café Barbera, located on Fifth Street just a few doors down from Hash House a Go Go, opened on May 31st.

The Caffe Barbera Company was founded in Messina, Italy, in 1870 by Dominico Barbera. Five generations later, the company distributes its products in throughout Italy, as well as in thirty countries over five continents.

The café is sleekly modern in red, black and white. Behind the shiny pastry case, filled with yummy looking treats, is a beautiful Ariete espresso maker. The soundtrack is, of course, Italian opera. It’s a comfortable space that’s dressed up, but not formal.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25682/

The coffee menu has both the traditional drinks and fancy ones. I ordered a simple espresso ($2.50), which had a thick, rich crema and not a trace of bitterness. Delicious.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25683/

The food menu includes a few breakfast items, salads, and panino imbottito, or stuffed panino. I chose the Panino Classico, ($9), made the traditional way, on a small bread roll, with Italian ham, provolone, lettuce, tomato and mayo. A crisp, fresh green salad accompanies all panini. It comes undressed, fruity olive oil and basalmic cruets are on each table.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25684/

The sandwich components were high quality, the ham had just a bit of flavorful fat around its edge and wasn’t too salty, the provolone was sharp and piquant. It wasn’t overstuffed, but it didn’t need to be. The roll was great, enough crust to give it some chew, but not so much that the middles shot out when you took a bite.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25685/

John’s ham and cheese croissant ($8) came with a large orange juice and a cappuccino (espresso is an option). I didn’t taste the sandwich, but it looked pretty good, and he enjoyed it. It’s a great deal for the money.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25686/

After we had eaten, one of the owners, Phillip Arcidiacono, stopped by to ask how our food was and to thank us for coming in. Nice touch.

We asked about the panino, since in the USA, UK and Canada, the term “panini” usually refers to a pressed and toasted sandwich. He laughed and admitted that people do expect to see grill lines, but they are staying true to their Italian heritage by serving it the traditional way. He added that they will be putting more items on the menu, including pasta dishes, as they gain traction.

Coffee beans are also available for purchase.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25687/

Cafe Barbera

3614 Fifth Avenue

San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 683-2233

Hours (during their soft opening)

Sunday through Thursday - 8:00 am – 8:30 pm

Friday – Saturday - 9:00 am – 8:30 pm

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Next Article

Angry Pete’s goes from pop-up to drive-thru

Detroit Pizza sidles into the husk of a shuttered Taco Bell

A new, traditional Italian coffee shop has just opened in Hillcrest, filling the gap caused by the untimely closing of Café Vergnano 1882 last January.

Café Barbera, located on Fifth Street just a few doors down from Hash House a Go Go, opened on May 31st.

The Caffe Barbera Company was founded in Messina, Italy, in 1870 by Dominico Barbera. Five generations later, the company distributes its products in throughout Italy, as well as in thirty countries over five continents.

The café is sleekly modern in red, black and white. Behind the shiny pastry case, filled with yummy looking treats, is a beautiful Ariete espresso maker. The soundtrack is, of course, Italian opera. It’s a comfortable space that’s dressed up, but not formal.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25682/

The coffee menu has both the traditional drinks and fancy ones. I ordered a simple espresso ($2.50), which had a thick, rich crema and not a trace of bitterness. Delicious.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25683/

The food menu includes a few breakfast items, salads, and panino imbottito, or stuffed panino. I chose the Panino Classico, ($9), made the traditional way, on a small bread roll, with Italian ham, provolone, lettuce, tomato and mayo. A crisp, fresh green salad accompanies all panini. It comes undressed, fruity olive oil and basalmic cruets are on each table.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25684/

The sandwich components were high quality, the ham had just a bit of flavorful fat around its edge and wasn’t too salty, the provolone was sharp and piquant. It wasn’t overstuffed, but it didn’t need to be. The roll was great, enough crust to give it some chew, but not so much that the middles shot out when you took a bite.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25685/

John’s ham and cheese croissant ($8) came with a large orange juice and a cappuccino (espresso is an option). I didn’t taste the sandwich, but it looked pretty good, and he enjoyed it. It’s a great deal for the money.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25686/

After we had eaten, one of the owners, Phillip Arcidiacono, stopped by to ask how our food was and to thank us for coming in. Nice touch.

We asked about the panino, since in the USA, UK and Canada, the term “panini” usually refers to a pressed and toasted sandwich. He laughed and admitted that people do expect to see grill lines, but they are staying true to their Italian heritage by serving it the traditional way. He added that they will be putting more items on the menu, including pasta dishes, as they gain traction.

Coffee beans are also available for purchase.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/05/25687/

Cafe Barbera

3614 Fifth Avenue

San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 683-2233

Hours (during their soft opening)

Sunday through Thursday - 8:00 am – 8:30 pm

Friday – Saturday - 9:00 am – 8:30 pm

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.