Mom & Pop

Having met in Japan (千葉県) in 2012, Rom and Allyson were inspired by the Japanese aesthetic and sometime thereafter fell in love, moved to San Diego, and opened Kuma Cafe in the Downtown Columbia district. Kuma Cafe opened in August 2016. It is our re-imagination of a cafe you might wander into on a Shibuya afternoon. Shibuya City is a special ward in Tokyo where all walks come together for the day’s work and play. The famous Shibuya Crossing reflects the masses that feel the need to relax from the hustle and bustle of the day to sip coffee while scrolling through the news or to grab a sandwich or fruit bowl before going to a client meeting. This is the inspiration for Kuma Cafe. Since opening, we have been serving our interpretation of the workingman classics, breakfast specials, and vegetarian toasts with great attention to detail. Thank you to our neighborhood for three and a half years of loyal service.

The Shop

Grab & Go or Sit & Savor

We encourage you to take your lunch away from your desk. Allow yourself to get away and enjoy a moment of relaxation over an artisan coffee, and then munch on a bacon and egg sandwich of=r eat a hearty lunch featuring locally sourced salads, fresh sandwiches, vegan options, and healthy treats. For the sake of spontaneity, we offer rotating weekly specials, homemade soup du jour, and a variety of toasts including one of our personal favorites avocado toasts. Enjoy our patio seating where the is plenty of fresh air and friends have been known to host the occasional Saturday morning kickback. Kuma is happy and takes delight in hosting a customer meeting on our patio, serving a busy professional hustling off to work with one of our smoothies, or a vacationing family fueling up on the way to the next fun activity.

 Kuma is in business to serve our guests. They come to us for a break and some delicious food. Each has a story and is on his / her way to the next chapter. Kuma has been a part of the writing of those stories by adding a smile and good service to wonderful faire and a relaxing setting in which to prepare our customers to move on. See our "Customer Stories" tab to get to know some of the reasons we love our work.