Bica's little cafe brings a taste of Portugal to Normal Heights neighborhood

• It's a small space that stays busy with sidewalk seating and a shaded, dog-friendly patio.
• You'll probably end up having a nice conversation with a stranger.
• Born "in the spirit of San Diego's tuna fishing community," Bica's menu rotates based on what's in season and at the farmer's market.

Best bite: The popular tuna conserva ($16) is not your average tuna salad sandwich.

• It's made with local, line-caught albacore tuna, a salty, tangy green olive tapenade, roasted red peppers and arugula on well-toasted country loaf from Prager Bros.
• The tartines are open-faced sandwiches on thick pieces of toast with sweet and salty options, including one with ricotta and fig jam and another with grated tomato and white anchovy.

Drinks worth sipping: The refreshing shrub soda of the day (strawberry ginger) was a delightful complement to the tuna sandwich.

• The Vietnamese iced coffee was sweet and creamy with hints of fall spice flavors.

The intrigue: Bica hosts a weekly social run club, usually a 5k at 7am on Fridays if you want to earn your latte.

• There's also a 7k on Wednesdays at 6pm.
• Look out for their BYOB tapas-style dinners too.

If you go: It's open daily from 6:30am-4pm on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights.