Caffe Italia in downtown San Diego's Little Italy district has operated as the neighborhood's first espresso bar since 1992, pulling shots with Italian-imported Miscela d'Oro beans from a courtyard cafè inside the La Pensione Hotel at 1704 India Street. The twice-awarded Best Sunday Brunch Waffle Bar from the San Diego Reader pairs with a gelato program featuring locally made flavors, a dessert-and-coffee combination that parallels the Italian sweets tradition at Pappalecco down India Street. Italian panini sandwiches, salads, Venice Toast, and a full espresso menu fill the breakfast-through-lunch window, while Thursday-through-Sunday evening hours extend service into the Little Italy dinner corridor. The courtyard fountain and sidewalk seating under the La Pensione's archways place the cafè directly on the India Street pedestrian flow between the Little Italy arch and the cluster of Italian restaurants and delis anchored by Mona Lisa Italian Foods to the south. Two separate espresso bars inside the space handle the volume spikes from Little Italy Festa weekend, farmers market Saturdays, and Convention Center overflow.