Fourtillfour (Leucadia, CA)

Where: Fourtillfour, 1114 N Coast HWY 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
Open: Daily 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
What: Batch brew of Four Coffee 002, a blend of Guatemala & Honduras coffee beans
Roast: Medium-Dark
Tasting notes: Chocolate, nutty
Price: $3.15 with cup discount
What I’m listening to: Tokyo Police Club, “Be Good”

I applaud Fourtillfour for thumbing their nose at conventional wisdom. Their branding relies heavily on the coolness of vintage auto culture. They have an outdoor cafe with a decent size parking lot—a true Leucadian luxury, and yet, they've chosen to turn their parking spaces into another seating area. A nod, I assume, to the walkability of the neighborhood and their belief that neighbors will be driving their success. The bold yellow umbrellas along the Coast Highway pop against the matte black fence like the Harvest Moon in the September night sky.

Filling the endcap where Moonage Food Co. was parking their truck as recently as late 2020, Fourtillfour is one of the newest coffee shops to open in coastal North County. The transition seems to have included quite a bit of black paint. The color scheme throughout is matte black on matte black on matte black. The darkness makes the occasional splashes of orange and mustard attract the eye like a hummingbird to the generic fire engine red feeder. The classic red Porsche in the parking lot and the Baja'd out Volkswagon inside the fence attract me in much the same way. I find myself peering in the windows as if they were art student dioramas. I don't know why. I'm not really a car guy. Some things just ooze inherent coolness.