{"id":483569,"date":"2026-01-01T00:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T00:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/483569\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T00:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T00:42:10","slug":"unison-coffees-omakase-experience-leaves-it-up-to-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/483569\/","title":{"rendered":"Unison Coffee’s Omakase Experience Leaves It Up to You"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think of global coffee powerhouses, cities like Tokyo, Seattle, and Melbourne may pop to mind first. But San Diego\u2019s coffee scene<\/a>, while not as numerous as Shanghai, or as unique as Vienna\u2019s UNESCO-recognized scene, is percolating in its own right\u2014notably, with Unison Coffee\u2019s omakase experience<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two Saturdays a month (two seatings per day), guests take their seats at the sleek blonde wood counter at Pizza Kaiju in Barrio Logan<\/a>, the space that hosts Unison\u2019s coffee omakase ritual. Omakase means \u201cI leave it up to you,\u201d allowing the person behind the counter carte blanche to create four unique drinks over an hour or so. Unison\u2019s setup is serious but unstuffy, with plenty of gadgets and gizmos that hardcore coffee fiends probably recognize, but may boggle java newbies.<\/p>\n

For the first course, Unison partner Aaron Gajo places a surprisingly light and bubbly beverage in front of me as an aperitif. It\u2019s not coffee, but a tea drink made with black tea from local brand Este<\/a>\u2014a hint of raspberry, sparkling water, and kokuto (Okinawa black sugar with a deep, spiced flavor). It\u2019s designed to invite guests into the space and experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo pause is the point,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The next piece of equipment looks more like it should be in a chem lab\u2014a siphon that uses an open flame to create a vacuum, which over time draws the steeped coffee grounds from the top globe through the filter into the bottom globe. (It\u2019s certainly theatrical and the coffee itself tastes delicate and delicious. But between waiting for the water to boil and a slight mishap with the vacuum seal that led this to take far longer than 10 minutes, I can\u2019t say I\u2019m anxious to replace my Cuisinart Grind & Brew for everyday home use.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Third course: Gajo serves a simple pourover of local roaster Modern Monk Coffee<\/a>\u2019s cofermented beans (green coffee beans are fermented alongside other ingredients like fruit, herbs, or yeast strains to emulate wine or beer). Finally, a s\u2019mores-inspired concoction arrives, complete with a graham cracker garnish over a chilled layer of whipped oat milk, a hint of liquid smoke and saline, some vanilla, espresso, and his own toasted marshmallow syrup. Maybe I have a child\u2019s palate for fun drinks, but I\u2019ll admit this fun finale was my favorite.<\/p>\n

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Partner JB Verances explains that the drinks themselves change every month, but the four-course format is a constant\u2014specifically designed to cleanse your palate, showcase different techniques to serve coffee, different methods for roasting coffee, and highlight how the cocktail and coffee worlds can draw inspiration from one another. Every tasting seats eight guests, and while they\u2019re currently booked out through March, Unison will release its April schedule on January 1, 2026 on Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t snag a seat at the omakase experience, Verances encourages people to come by Pizza Kaiju during the scheduled timeframe to try Unison\u2019s regular bar menu, which is open to the public during the ritual. \u201cIt\u2019s a way to introduce people to what we can offer in our experience,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eventually, the partners hope to open a brick and mortar that offers beans from multiple roasters\u2014something Verances says a lot of local shops have moved away from in favor of roasting its own beans: \u201cWe want to kind of revitalize that again and be able to be a multi-roaster, where we\u2019re not a roaster ourselves, but being able to work with Das G\u00fcd Coffee<\/a>, or Modern Monk, or any other roaster down here in San Diego and support them. So that way we can feel the community aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtesy of Kingfisher<\/p>\n

New Year\u2019s Nomin\u2019 Eve<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already put together a killer list of things to do on New Year\u2019s Eve<\/a> this year, but allow me to add a few particularly delicious-soundling last-minute ideas to the list. Kingfisher in Golden Hill<\/a> is doing things family-style with seven shareables over four courses plus a champagne toast (reservations are required<\/a>), and Finca in North Park<\/a> will also hop on the four-course prix fixe train with goodies like steak frites, fresh ravioli, and yes, a group toast to 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Beth\u2019s Bites<\/p>\n