When Twiggs shuttered both locations—Park Blvd in University Heights, Adams Ave in North Park—in October 2023, many locals, me included, were blindsided. The coffee shops operated for about three decades successfully—granted, changing owners several times and more recently a few years before the sudden end.
New shops replaced both storefronts. The one on Park simply took over the space, with so little changes that one might not realize that Twiggs ever went away. But over on Adams, the new coffee shop is a complete makeover. The change isn’t just dramatic; the place stands apart from every other coffee shop in the five-community locales of Kensington, Hillcrest, Normal Heights, North Park, and University Heights.
Marta is bright and austere; cozy. Even the website is plain. The approach makes Marta pop against the backdrop of neighborhood cafés. Inside, the oversize windows let in lots of light and make the shop feel larger than it is. The expansive view of the surrounding street makes the neighborhood feel unusually intimate, particularly as pedestrians of all types pass by—walkers, runners, bikers, scooter riders, skateboarders, and dog walkers among them.
I used Samsung Galaxy S25 to capture the Featured Image on Oct. 17, 2025. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 64, 1/1600 sec, 115mm (film equivalent); 9:36 a.m. PDT.