The next installment of Cinema Crudité takes place on Sunday, November 23 and will feature the 2022 satirical thriller The Menu, served alongside a classic American-style cheeseburger (that will be to die for!) and wine available to order. The series, hosted on Bica’s patio, has already showcased films such as Big Night, each paired with themed fare that reflects the restaurant’s interest in food, culture, and communal experiences. The events do not require reservations, and doors open an hour before the film begins at 7pm, giving guests time to settle in with a drink before the screening.
Cinema Crudité is only one example of how Bica has broadened its identity since opening in July 2023. What began as a daytime café offering smoked and cured fish, tartines, pastries, and coffee has steadily become a full-fledged neighborhood hub. The restaurant now hosts weekly industry nights on Mondays, with natural wine, cold beer, and rotating chef pop-ups that highlight culinary talent from across San Diego. Bica also serves as the home base for the Adams Avenue Run Club and the Yearbook Collective, a group dedicated to visual art, photography, videography, and other creative disciplines.
Bica has also become a gathering place for local creatives, parents, and neighborhood groups, hosting a growing roster of community-driven events that go far beyond food and drink. Next month, the café will welcome the return of Lovely Mess, a moms-night-out series featuring holiday wreath decorating, appetizers from Bica, wine, and an atmosphere built around connection and laughter. The $88 ticketed event on December 11 invites moms to take a night for themselves - no kids, just camaraderie and craft - highlighting how Bica has evolved into a cultural hub as much as a culinary one.
Bica’s growth is rooted in the same ethos that guided its beginnings. Chefs Charles Knowles and Manny Da Luz, the duo behind the Cops & Robbers supper club, opened the café with a commitment to local sourcing, approachable food, and a relaxed environment. What has emerged since is a space that feels distinctly lived-in: part café, part wine bar, part creative studio, and increasingly, part neighborhood cinema.
The upcoming Cinema Crudité screening of The Menu is expected to draw a crowd, both for the film and for the restaurant’s now-recognizable mix of casual food and thoughtful programming. Bica remains one of the city’s most organically grown gathering places - less a concept built for attention than a venue shaped by the people who show up, week after week, for whatever the team dreams up next.
Bica is located at 3569 Adams Avenue in San Diego’s Normal Heights. For more information, follow at @bica_sd on Instagram.
Bica’s growth is rooted in the same ethos that guided its beginnings. Chefs Charles Knowles and Manny Da Luz, the duo behind the Cops & Robbers supper club, opened the café with a commitment to local sourcing, approachable food, and a relaxed environment. What has emerged since is a space that feels distinctly lived-in: part café, part wine bar, part creative studio, and increasingly, part neighborhood cinema.
The upcoming Cinema Crudité screening of The Menu is expected to draw a crowd, both for the film and for the restaurant’s now-recognizable mix of casual food and thoughtful programming. Bica remains one of the city’s most organically grown gathering places - less a concept built for attention than a venue shaped by the people who show up, week after week, for whatever the team dreams up next.
Bica is located at 3569 Adams Avenue in San Diego’s Normal Heights. For more information, follow at @bica_sd on Instagram.
Originally published on November 20, 2025.
