Marta is a Mexican-inspired coffee and pastry cafe founded by Denise Arellano at 2804 Adams Ave in Normal Heights, San Diego, replacing the longtime Twiggs Coffeehouse in the 92116 space in 2025. Arellano named the cafe after her paternal grandmother and built the concept from a culinary background that includes New York training under chef Kyle Knall at Maysville and James Beard-nominated pastry chef Caroline Schiff at Gage & Tollner, followed by a line position at Michelin-starred Valle under chef Roberto Alcocer. The pastry case stocks cardamom and chocolate conchas, Cochinitos shaped in the traditional piloncillo-spiced pig form, heart-shaped Orejas (the Mexican take on French palmiers), and a rotating croissant program. Espresso drinks anchor the coffee side alongside matcha lattes, house-made chai, and a Mexican Mocha built on house-made chocolate syrup, and the Strawberry Paru Matcha Latte has emerged as an early signature. The dining scene along Adams Avenue's western end near the El Zarape Restaurant block shares the same Mexican culinary identity that runs through Arellano's baking program. Arellano grew up in the border towns of Calexico and Mexicali, where her family operated Mexican grocery stores across three generations, an origin story that anchors the cafe's menu in regional pan dulce tradition rather than trend-driven pastry. The interior redesign replaced the former Twiggs layout with modern green tile, custom ceramics from San Diego and Los Angeles artists, and planned installations of barro verde, a traditional Oaxacan ceramic with a glossy green glaze. Natural light fills the minimalist room, and the patio offers outdoor seating on Adams Avenue. The sustainability-focused retail scene along this stretch of Adams includes Earthwell Refill, where the refill-and-reuse model reflects the same artisan, small-batch ethos that defines Arellano's baking approach. The Adams Avenue Street Fair each fall brings festival traffic past the storefront at the corridor's western gateway near the University Heights border.