Coffee, hookah and cigars in a chill Gaslamp lounge (now closed)
Latest recorded visit2007-09-25
“Was def the best cafe/lounge in SD, and one of the chillaxed spots in the gaslamp.”
Roger, Google Maps review (2007-09-25)
Coffee & Tea
Gran Havana Cigar Factory
Gaslamp, San DiegoClosed
Roger rated this Gaslamp cafe/lounge a full 5 stars, calling it the best cafe/lounge in San Diego where he'd come for coffee, hookah and cigars since 2003 -- until the city forced the owner out for a hotel project that was never built, leaving the site a parking lot for years.
Per Roger's 2007 review, the city forced the property's owner out for a planned hotel development that was never built; the site had sat as a parking lot for years by the time of the review. Marked permanently closed on that basis -- no independent status source is available.
The call
This page is kept as part of the dated record. The order notes below describe the place as Roger recommended it, not as it operates today.
What to order
Coffee
Best for
Coffee, hookah and cigars in a chill Gaslamp lounge (now closed)
“Was def the best cafe/lounge in SD, and one of the chillaxed spots in the gaslamp.”
A regular since 2003 for coffee, hookah and cigars. Said the city pretty much kicked the owner out of his own property for plans to build a hotel, and the site had been a parking lot for over two years by the time of this review with no hotel development in sight.
A low-key rooftop whiskey-cocktail bar above a Gaslamp hotel; Roger says the list is smaller than Whiskey House or Aero's but the Old Fashioned or Sazerac still hits, alongside tasty tater tots.
A family-owned Gaslamp taqueria Roger calls a great substitute for El Gordo, with more generous portions and carne asada, adobada, and birria all on point.
From the order notes
Carne asada · Adobada · Birria
Go for
Tacos near the Gaslamp · A family-run alternative to El Gordo
A needed cafe/lounge for the Convoy area with puffles, coffee concoctions, and tea, which Roger reviewed during its soft opening — plenty of space with outlets, in a hip, modern remodel of the old Big Joy space.
From the order notes
Puffles · Coffee concoctions · Tea beverages
Go for
A Convoy-area coffee and dessert stop · Working with outlets nearby
Roger caught this Hillcrest donut-and-coffee shop mid-construction at the old Wienerschnitzel site and liked the fresh, hot donuts and strong-brewed coffee at the outdoor patio.
