Breakfast sandwiches and matcha lattes flavored/colors with butterfly pea flower and dragonfruit

I'm an every day coffee drinker, but a different sort of caffeine craving led me to Encanto this week. Specifically, to the stretch of blocks along Imperial Avenue and its trolley tracks, between 61st and 69th Streets— now collectively known as San Diego's Black Arts + Culture District.

That designation took effect two summers ago, around the same time husband and wife entrepreneurs Tommy and Daneyel Walker were fixing to open their neighborhood coffee shop, The Mental Bar, right in the center of it. I can't speak to whether that was a coincidence, but it certainly was no accident.

A coffee shop where people may gather and sip

Indeed, so much about the Mental Bar feels intentional. The Black- and Veteran-owned cafe is set up to be the Southeastern community's "third space," with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, but the overall business is bolstered by online sales. Its web site markets a range of custom-roasted coffees, named for surrounding neighborhoods (such as the Encanto Uganda single origin) or black recording artists (including the Three Six Mafia Peruvian decaf, and the Wu Tang chocolate and caramel "Cowboy Blend"). Whole and ground beans are also available in the cafe.

And while the food menu presents as So Cal coffee shop typical, with the likes of toast, breakfast burritos, and breakfast sandwiches, subtle variations show a conscious effort to make the menu just a tick healthier than the usual. Maybe the sandwiches are made on multi-grain, maybe you get turkey bacon instead of regular, maybe your lox bagel or avocado toast order comes with a generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Avocado toast with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar

According to the cafe's press materials, the Walkers have a background in personal wellness, including yoga and reiki, and specifically wanted to add a much-needed coffee hub and nutritional presence to the neighborhood, "where outlets for exercise, exchange, and healthy food and drink are scarce." So, on the one hand, the shop plays host to community events such as monthly market, "Shop The B.L.A.C", where African-American vendors sell crafts, clothing, and artwork.

And, on the other, it does things like slip you a bit of superfood with your caffeine order.

Now, this is a sensitive topic, so I'm going to say this up front: you don't have to add anything, you can take your coffee black. Stick your regular coffee shop order: with or without sugar; oat, almond, or cow's milk; microfoam or flat. I stopped by recently for a nitro cold brew, no milk, no sugar, just tiny bubbles ($5).

But part of the thinking behind the name Mental Bar, is that most of these drinks can be made with a nutritional boost, like we've come to expect from juice and smoothie counters. So you get something like the Cali Americano, blended with creamy avocado ($3.50, or $3.90 iced). Or the Sunset Latte, spiced up with cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, and turmeric ($5.40).

A blue match latte, thanks to butterfly pea flower

What drew me in was the photo-friendly punch of a pair of brightly colored matcha lattes. The powdered green tea drink is typically whisked into something a vibrant, leafy green. But for the summer at least, The Mental Bar has started adding superfood powders to its matcha lineup. Dragonfruit powder in the Sky Matcha packs a load of vitamins and turns the thing bright pink. Butterfly pea powder powers the powder blue Mystic Matcha, said to enhance memory function (both drinks $5.60 for 12oz, $6.10 for 16oz).

In terms of nutritional boost, I can only confirm these tasty beverages left me well caffeinated for the day — and as an NPR-listening liberal, dragonfruit is always something I need more of in my life. When it comes to the Black Arts + Culture District, the more significant boost may be what The Mental Bar gives the neighborhood: a comfortable place to meet for coffee.