La Jolla's beloved Pannikin cafe shuttered last month after more than a half-century in business, but ownership will reopen nearby as a new coffee shop named The Flower Pot Cafe & Bakery.
Pannikin Coffee and Tea first opened in 1968 in one of the cottages at the Green Dragon Artist Colony above La Jolla Cove, where owner Bob SinClair started roasting coffee from a peanut roaster and blending teas to sell wholesale from his home. Bob and his wife Gaye eventually opened seven Pannikin locations throughout San Diego, including in downtown, Point Loma, Encinitas, Del Mar, and two downtown locations. In 1971 the original Pannikin Cafe relocated to what was once a home on Girard Avenue in downtown La Jolla. In 2007, Pannikin La Jolla was purchased by longtime employee Amanda Morrow, who operated the cafe with partners Gloria Serna and Dan Grunow until it closed on April 9, 2022 after being unable to reach an agreement with the building's landlord.
Following an outpouring of support that included customers and friends donating $85,000 via GoFundMe, the Pannikin La Jolla team will soon replicate the look and feel of their former cafe in the former site of Rubio’s Coastal Grill on Fay Avenue. Dubbed The Flower Pot Cafe & Bakery due to the expiration of the license to use the Pannikin name, the new concept is currently operating as a pop-up in the cafe space near the entrance to The Lot movie theater in La Jolla until its new building is ready. Like Pannikin, expect a menu of house-made pastries, coffee & espresso drinks, and a welcoming neighborhood feel.
Flower Pot Cafe and Bakery is expected to open this June at 7530 Fay Avenue in San Diego's La Jolla. For more information, follow The Flower Pot Cafe on Facebook.
