Torque Coffee

Torque sits in a 1930s Art Deco building on El Cajon Boulevard in City Heights, a former live music venue that sat empty for two decades before Andy and Nanelle Newbom moved in. Fifteen-foot ceilings, north-facing windows, a matte black Primo Ranger roaster running in the back. The house philosophy is light roast, fruit-forward, radical equity for the farmer. Espresso lands sweet and bright. The kitchen runs waffle tacos that pair with the lighter cups better than they should. Order the espresso as a cortado if you want the version of San Diego coffee that bets entirely on light roast. Order a waffle taco and a single-origin pour-over if you want a long Saturday under the high ceilings.