Coffee shops are ten cents a dozen in San Francisco.
Seriously, there are over 300 coffee shops in the entire city, that’s about 6 per square mile!
Why are there so many? SF is a world leader in the third wave progressive coffee movement, a movement that aims to produce high-quality coffee as a craft product, like craft beer or wine.
This is great news for us as San Franciscans love their coffee. We’ve narrowed our list down to the best, and then the best of the best to bring you this list of coffee shops you must visit before you die.
Alarm Clock Coffee/Coffee Alarm Clock
Réveil Coffee started in 2010 when brothers Thomas and Christopher Newbury started selling coffee out of a repurposed delivery truck. Six years and four locations later, Wake up serves some of the tastiest coffee and espresso drinks in San Francisco. After moving to Mission Bay just six weeks ago, Cafe Réveille is already generating a lot of buzz on Yelp and social media. With bright colors combined with modest, artsy decor, Cafe Réveil is a great place to grab a coffee, have breakfast/lunch, or spend a little time working remotely. (Note: Cafe Réveil is also open for dinner and drinks every night.) All the beans are roasted in-house and their mocha is one of the most popular items on the menu. Wake Coffee has other locations in Jackson Square, The Castro, and North Beach.
Wake Up Cafe (Mission Bay) – 610 Long Bridge Street, San Francisco, CA
Golden Bear Trading Company
Just down the street from the UCSF Parnassus Medical Center is the Golden Bear Trading Company. This unassuming cafe sells breakfast food, spirits, and coffee-snobs-approved beverages. This little cafe is a must for coffee lovers in the city and was featured in Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat. Sam, the passionate owner of Golden Bear, is known to say that if you think his coffee isn’t the best, he’ll give you another cup for free. Challenge accepted Sam!
Golden Bear Trading Company – 1401 6th Avenue, San Francisco, CA
Andytown Coffee Roasters
On quiet Lawton Street in Outer Sunset is Andytown Coffee Roasters, known for its Snowy Plover iced espresso drink. It’s a concoction of iced espresso, sparkling water, and brown sugar syrup, topped with delicious homemade whipped cream that gives Cool Whip a run for its money. This drink is just one of the reasons for the often long lines out the door. (That, and the fact that Andytown includes a café, roastery, and bakery all within its 600-square-foot store!) Don’t skip the soda bread and Northern Irish scones. Added bonus: it’s only a few blocks from Ocean Beach.
Andytown Coffee Roasters – 3655 Lawton Street, San Francisco, CA
Graffeo coffee roasting company
Founded in 1935, Graffeo Coffee Roasting Company is one of the oldest artisan coffee roasters in North America. You’ll find Graffeo just down the street from Washington Square Park in the heart of North Beach, San Francisco’s famous Italian Grotto. Graffeo is not actually a cafe; it’s a toaster. You can only buy their deliciously roasted beans or grounds. It’s worth it.
Graffeo coffee roasting company – 735 Colon Avenue, San Francisco, CA
papa november
Papa November is a coffee truck permanently located on the corner of 15th Street and Kansas in San Francisco’s Design District, across the street from the Design Center and Design Within Reach. While there is no seating, the cafe makes up for it. Serving Stumptown coffee, the truck rotates a selection of beans each week. They also sell homemade pastries that change daily. What should you order in Papa November? The Claris – cold milk cream with espresso. Obviously, there are no seats in Papa November’s coffee truck, so grab a cup to go to the office or get ready for a day of furniture shopping.
papa november – 215 15th Street, San Francisco, CA
Ritual Coffee Roasters
Ritual Coffee Roasters sparked a coffee renaissance in San Francisco after opening in 2005. Based out of The Mission, Ritual has expanded to include four locations, including Bayview’s Flora Grubb Gardens and Napa’s Oxbow Public Market. Our favorite is the Hayes Valley outpost at PROXY, a modified shipping container that’s positively hipster. Get caffeinated with their delicious Gibraltar coffee, San Francisco’s version of a Cortado, and head to Chantal Guillon for a sweet pairing.
Cafe Ritual at PROXY – 432b Octavia Street, San Francisco, CA
Coffee Philz
No list of San Francisco coffee shops would be complete without Philz Coffee. scratch that. San Francisco It wouldn’t be complete without Philz! Phil Jaber owned a convenience store in The Mission District and wanted to leave a great legacy for his son, Jacob. In his quest to create the perfect coffee, it took him seven years to get his first coffee blend, Tesoro, perfect. Philz is a San Francisco staple with 14 locations in the city and another 15 in the Bay Area. (Philz has also expanded to Los Angeles, and has his eyes on Washington, DC; we’d say he’s going to leave quite a legacy.) The Mint Mojito Iced Coffee is one of the most popular items, along with the Mocha Tesora, but you really can’t go wrong with anything here.
Coffee Philz – 3101 24th Street, San Francisco, CA
Home
This hip and trendy cafe located just off 19th Avenue and Noriega is known for its communal tables, comfortable atmosphere, and eclectic espresso creations. Popular with students and a hipster crown, the menu is written on giant sheets of paper on the wall. What should you order at home? Without a doubt: the lavender latte. If lavender isn’t your thing (or you’re afraid your coffee will taste soapy, a valid concern, even though it’s Delicious with a capital D), try the sea salt caramel and coconut vanilla coffee.
Home – 1222 Noriega Street, San Francisco, CA
The mill
The Mill is the love child of Four Barrel Coffee and Josey Baker Bread in the bustling Divisadero Street corridor between NoPa and Alamo Square. The Mill serves delicious, velvety espresso drinks, coffees, artisan toast and granola (they change seasonally with weekly specials) baked by Josey Baker Bread, pastries from Neighbor Bakehouse, cookies from Anthony’s and donuts from Dynamo Donuts. If your taste buds haven’t exploded yet while dreaming of the goodness that is The Mill, get ready for it: The Mill has Pizza Night every Monday from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm and a Soup and Cheese Night at grill on Wednesdays, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Seriously, is this place heaven in San Francisco? Yes that’s how it is. We recommend ordering an espresso drink with a Pistachio Blackberry Croissant.
The mill – 736 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA
blue bottle coffee
Another Bay Area (Oakland, to be precise) original, you can never go wrong at Blue Bottle Coffee. With unique locations around the world (Blue Bottle recently opened a store in Tokyo), coffee lovers flock to Blue Bottle for delicious handcrafted beverages, especially its famous iced coffee drink: New Orleans Iced Coffee flavored to chicory and the creamy Vietnamese Iced Coffee. Our favorite Blue Bottle outpost is undoubtedly the semi-hidden Linden Alley store in Hayes Valley, which operates out of a garage and is surrounded by graffiti. A perfect stop before or after a day of shopping in the many Hayes Valley boutiques.
blue bottle coffee – 315 Linden Street, San Francisco, CA
mist lifter coffee
Fog Lifter Cafe is a quaint little cafe located in the heart of Ingleside. Popular with neighborhood residents and SFSU and CCSF students, this unassuming hangout serves delicious coffee roasted by Blue Bottle and Sightglass, as well as smoothies, pastries, breakfast stir-fries, panini sandwiches and more. This shop specializes in pour over coffee.
mist lifter coffee – 1901 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco, CA
Troubled coffee company
Trouble Coffee Co. is the little coffee shop that could. Originally located in a small shop on the outer reaches of Outer Sunset, Trouble Coffee sparked the San Francisco artisan toast craze with a $4.00 cinnamon-sugar toast on thick bread. (Hey, the name is just starting to make sense to us, because you’ll be in trouble with your bread, calorie-wise, and possibly financially, too.) Founded by Giulietta Carrelli, Trouble has expanded its small coffee shop (and coconut club) with two new locations in Bayview and Oakland, along with its toastie offerings.
Trouble Coffee Co. and Coconut Club – 4033 Judah Street, San Francisco, CA
coffee san francisco
This hipster-chic cafe is located at the top of Polk Street on Russian Hill. With high ceilings, abundant natural lighting, clean lines and a minimalist white and oak interior, Saint Frank will make you feel like you’ve been transported to Copenhagen. As you may have guessed, Saint Frank is named after our beloved City. The menu is small and the coffee is lighter (Scandinavian style). Our favorite creation at Saint Frank is the Almond Macadamia Latte.
coffee san francisco – 2340 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA
Cafe Piccino
Piccino is a modern Italian trattoria with a cute cafe attached to it. This little cafe serves up Sightless coffee, hot baked rolls and other homemade pastries that you are sure to love. Open until 10pm, it’s the perfect stop after dinner at Dogpatch for a cappuccino. While the coffee bar doesn’t have seating, you can find a bench in the pleasant Woods Yard Park across the street.
Cafe Piccino – 807 22nd Street, San Francisco, CA
coffee bar
Nestled between the Mission District and Potrero Hill is Coffee Bar, one of our favorite places in San Francisco. This cozy yet modern cafe features a two-level shop with sidewalk and patio seating, and serves coffee and Mr. Espresso drinks. This unique spot offers breakfast and lunch items, including sandwiches, salads, and of course, sweets. Come to this relaxing cafe for their Havana Latte – YUM!
coffee bar – 1890 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA