By Candice Woo
On the cusp of the first anniversary of Bica, their small but mighty eatery which opened last July on Adams Avenue, co-owners Manny Da Luz and Charlie Knowles are reflecting on a year that has defied expectations.
Both born in San Diego 鈥 Da Luz in Point Loma, where his family was part of the neighborhood鈥檚 tuna fishing and canning industry, and Knowles in the South Bay/Imperial Beach area 鈥 the chefs spent most of their culinary careers cooking out of town, though Knowles logged time in a few local kitchens including The Lodge at Torrey Pines.
After nearly a decade working in San Francisco restaurants, Da Luz landed in Los Angeles, meeting Knowles at Tender Greens while helping to open the chain鈥檚 Santa Monica location in 2011. An early champion of farm-to-table cookery, Tender Greens was also the launching point for a number of other well-known chefs, including the duo鈥檚 longtime friends Tara Monsod of Animae and Wildflour鈥檚 Phillip Esteban.
Knowles eventually went on to oversee Tender Greens鈥 outposts in the Bay Area and Da Luz stayed in Los Angeles, spending six years at all-day superstar Gjusta in Venice.
The friends kept in touch over the years and at the tail end of the pandemic both decided to move home to San Diego, starting up a supper club together called Cops and Robbers and forging relationships with the fishermen at Tuna Harbor Dockside Market and the growers at Hillcrest farmers鈥 market, whose seafood and produce would become the foundation of Bica鈥檚 menu.
Though the Normal Heights cafe is more than thriving now, there were doubts at the beginning, including landlords uninterested in leasing to first-time business owners and a worry that diners might not embrace the cafe鈥檚 less mainstream seafood preparations that showcased the likes of mackerel, sardines, and pickled mussels. Before they鈥檇 scored a liquor license Knowles remembers overhearing a customer scoff at the combo of fish and coffee, and Da Luz says he wasn鈥檛 sure if they鈥檇 bring in more than $500 a day.
Turns out they needn鈥檛 have worried: Bica quickly exceeded sales goals and a pop-up dinner they held a few months in attracted a line of people that stretched far down Adams Avenue.
For most of the last year, the focus has been on daytime service, with coffee drinks fueled by Encinitas鈥 Necessity Coffee and a succinct-but-satisfying menu featuring olive oil-poached local albacore that anchors what might be the best tuna sandwich in town, ricotta and seasonal fruit jam tartines made with plush and sturdy slices from local Companion Bread Co., which mills its own grains, platters of house cured and smoked fish, and other specials.
Da Luz says that the cafe鈥檚 unique model 鈥 which lands somewhere between a coffee house and a full-fledged restaurant 鈥 has enabled them to use top-notch ingredients to craft restaurant-quality plates and offer them at a slightly lower price point.
With a new ability to pour wine and beer, they expanded to dinner in April. Served Thursday through Saturday nights, the rotating plates are overseen by chef Luis Contreras (an alum of Juniper & Ivy) and usually includes a fish crudo, velvety hummus, and toasts topped with mussels escabeche and garlic aioli or heirloom tomatoes and white anchovies as well as hot dishes like ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms and grilled swordfish with salsa verde.
The cafe also stocks pantry essentials, aka bottles of wine and tinned fish, along with loaves of Companion Bread and other gourmet items.
As much as the food is a draw, so is the feeling of community that the owners have worked to foster in the space. It has become a hub for members from all corners of the hospitality industry, who choose to spend some of their valuable off-time on the cafe鈥檚 shaded patio.
Da Luz, who lives nearby, and Knowles, a South Park resident, consider Bica an extension of their living rooms and can often be found greeting customers, sitting down with friends, or waving hello to neighbors passing by.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something magnetic that鈥檚 been created here that keeps people coming back,鈥 said Da Luz.
In their efforts to further widen the circle, Da Luz and Knowles have made the cafe a homebase for groups ranging from the Adams Run Club to the Yearbook Creative Club and turned Mondays into industry nights where they share their platform with guest chefs and local pop-ups. Cambodian/Filipino outfit Ming Oun鈥檚 Kitchen are regulars and upcoming sessions will spotlight Marcella Pizzeria and Kingfisher chef David Sim.
Though their popularity has them fielding calls for expansion, the partners say they want to grow their business on their own terms. That might include more locations for Bica, which means 鈥渓ittle cafe鈥 in Portuguese, as well as a wine bar that dives further into Da Luz鈥檚 Portuguese heritage and perhaps even an Asian restaurant that explores the background of Knowles, who is half-Vietnamese.
Whatever the future brings, the chefs want to continue to operate with the same spirit of camaraderie that鈥檚 propelled them thus far.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really proud to call San Diego home,鈥 Knowles said, 鈥淥ur dream is for all of our friends to be able to open their own restaurants and we will do whatever we can to help them.鈥
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Dinner service: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays
Where: 3569 Adams Ave., San Diego
Online: 619-750-0121
Online: bica-sd.com