San Franciscans have always adored their coffee. Folgers was founded in the city in 1850s. One of the first artisan coffee companies in North America, Graffeo Coffee (@graffeocoffee), has been roasting in North Beach since 1935. And James Freeman, founder of global juggernaut Blue Bottle (@bluebotte), started selling hand-poured coffee, created in his Hayes Valley garage, at the Ferry Building farmers market in 2003.
The enthusiasm for artisanal coffee keeps picking up steam. With beautiful new spaces opening, these local coffee companies are cultivating community and brewing delicious drinks one cup at a time.
Equator Coffee at the Round House has some of the best views in the city.
Photo Courtesy of Brand
Equator Coffees at the Round House
Founded in 1995 by Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell, pioneers of direct trade coffee sourcing, Equator Coffee has become known for its award-winning coffees and distinct cafe spaces. Now inside the iconic 1938 Round House diner on the city side of the Golden Gate Bridge, order an Equator single-origin pour-over or vanilla almond shakerato and take in the panoramic views from the cafe, or take one to-go and walk the pedestrian path on the bridge. Golden Gate Bridge Plaza, 415.603.0366, equatorcoffees.com
Saint Frank Coffee
Joining its original Polk Street location, Saint Frank recently opened a grand and gorgeous new downtown coffee bar designed by architect Amada Loper in the MIRA building. This is the place to order a single-origin espresso in a ceramic cup and sit and savor the layers of flavor. Pastries are baked by its partner cafe Juniper (@enjoyjuniper) with croissants, muffins and choux crafted from seasonal ingredients (think summer berry danishes and cinnamon orange sticky buns). 120 Folsom St., 415.881.8062, saintfrankcoffee.com
Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters
The name may evoke a rambunctious Miley Cyrus song, but Wrecking Ball is serious about roasting and serving delicious coffee. Founded in 2011 by Trish Rothgeb, who now holds multiple certificates for assessing and grading coffee bean quality and teaches coffee professionals around the world and is credited with coining the term third-wave coffee. Rothgeb also offers coffee workshops at her SF cafe, including a Sensory Exploration class. 2271 Union St., 415.638.9227, wreckingballcoffee.com
Kopiku Indonesian Coffee
The menu at Kopiku on Lombard features an array of choices—from butterfly pea lattes to matcha pandan lattes, with a selection of Indonesian bites and snacks. Specialty drinks at Kopiku are made with coffee beans sourced and roasted by its company, Beaneka Coffee and Roastery. Beaneka was established in 2020 with a mission to increase the income of farmers in Indonesia by shortening the supply chain, uplifting social mobility and giving more resources to sustain highquality coffee harvests. 1443 Lombard St., 628.629.5380, beanekacoffee.com
Latte art is always a hit.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao
Scullery
At first glance, Scullery, which sits in the Tenderloin, might not command your attention. Brown paper menus—showcasing coffee selections and open-face sandwiches—line one of the venue’s walls. Don’t let the austere setting fool you. It’s a find. Standout pours include the burnt caramel latte made with recchutti; pair it with a sandwich like the Welsh Rarebit or Spicy PBJ. We loved a recent seasonal drink: malted mocha lightly sweetened with raw sugar, with a whimsical bit of latte art (think cute baby faces or a bear). 687 Geary St., 415.440.4497, scullerysf.com
Paper Son
This Dogpatch-based company features a multi-roaster lineup that prioritizes local roasters like Berkeley’s Hydrangea (@hydrangeacoffeeroaster) and San Jose’s Moonwake (@moonwakecoffeeroasters), serving a creative drink menu focusing on Asian flavors. The name refers to the immigration story of the founder’s family. The menu features classic to special and milky, with terrific pour-overs on Sundays of current favorite coffees. Specialty drinks include the Guava Pillow (a tart coffee soda), the frothy iced Pandan Aerocano and cardamom cappuccino. Don’t miss picking out some Paper Son branded merchandise with adorable designs by MJ Kim, also known as Stresstochuckle (@stresstochuckle). 2343 3rd St., Ste. 100, papersoncoffee.com
Ritual Coffee
Photo by Brett Putnam
Ritual Coffee Roasters
Ritual Coffee Roaster’s two SF locations, including in the Mission District and Hayes Valley, are excellent picks for coffee lovers. Founded in 2005 by Eileen Rinaldi, Ritual focuses on relationship sourcing. Its team visits coffee-origin countries with an emphasis on supporting small farms each year to foster partnerships. Back at the cafes, the baristas brew up top-notch pour-over brewed single-origin coffee and espresso drinks. Multiple locations, ritualcoffee.com
Abanico Coffee Roasters
This Mission District cafe is the place to go for an inspired coffee menu brewed with beans from El Salvador native, owner and Q-grader Ana Valle. Valle’s memories of a cafecito, inspired by her abuelita, is lightly sweetened with condensed milk. Favorites include pinolillo made with cacao, purple heirloom corn, cinnamon, allspice, anise and lightly sweetened with piloncillo syrup, and the iced café de ollas. 2121 Mission St. 415.896.4678, abanicocoffee.com
Mokhtar Alkashali is the genius behind Port of Mokha Coffee.
Photo Courtesy of Mokhtar Alkashali
Delah Coffee
As the popularity of Yemeni coffee grows across the country, the Bay Area is one of the best places to experience the art and craft of coffee from Yemen. Some of this attention gained focus when award-winning author Dave Eggers wrote a captivating biography of Mokhtar Alkashali, growing up in San Francisco and starting his own coffee company, Port of Mokha (@portofmokha). To experience Yemeni coffee culture in San Francisco, Alkanshali recommends heading to Delah Coffee, founded by Omar Jahamee and his uncle Majed Jahamme. Now with four Bay Area locations, including two in SF, Delah features light roast Jubani with cardamom, ginger and cinnamon. Delah’s baked goods include savory pastries, saffron milk cake, baklava and knafeh cheesecake. Multiple locations, delahcoffee.com
Excelsior Coffee
On Mission Street, Excelsior is named for the neighborhood with a commitment to the community. In bold yellow letters with lightning bolts, the name gives a clue to what to expect inside. In addition to coffee, guests will love motifs here that include motorcycles, tattoos and sweet pups. Order a horchata latte and Ube pop-tarts or a black coffee and an empanada by The Secret Lab (@the_secret_lab). The company regularly participates in local car and photography events. 4495 Mission St., 415.347.7333, xlcrsf.com
SF has a rich community that brews delicious sips daily, like this cup at Ritual Coffee.
Photo by Brett Putnam
The Coffee Movement
The two The Coffee Movement cafes (Inner Richmond and Chinatown) are places to order coffee-tasting flights that highlight unique beans side by side or the same coffee prepared in three different ways. Cappuccinos and espresso tonics are prepared by a team of experts who have competed at national barista competitions. They brew and stock their retail shelves with beans from coffee roasters like Dak (@dakcoffeeroasters), Black & White (@blackwhiteroasters), Saint Frank (@saintfrankcoffee), Manhattan (@manhattancoffeeroasters) and A.M.O.C. (@amatterofconcrete). This spring, the brand opened on weekday mornings inside Side A (@sideasf ) restaurant and vinyl listening bar. Multiple locations, thecoffeemovement.com
SPRO Coffee Lab
With four locations in the city, SPRO serves Orange Blossom lattes and cold brew drinks that have ingredient lists that read like craft cocktails. Smoke & Mirrors pairs espresso with smoked agave, rose petal syrup and edible gold dust. SPRO’s globally focused, multiroaster lineup has featured coffees from L.A.’s Be Bright (@bebright), Boulder’s Prodigal (@getprodigalcoffee), Houston’s BlendIn (blendincoffeeclub.com), Sweden’s Swerl (@swerl_coffee_ roasters) and Copenhagen’s April (@aprilcoffeecph). Our favorite decadent bite to complement the coffee: the strawberry guava mochi waffle or the lemongrass chicken banh mi. Multiple locations, sprocoffeelab.com
