San Francisco continues to be a key part of my coffee education. I’ve visited the city on an annual basis since 1995. Initially, it was fun to luxuriate in bohemian coffeehouses like Caffe Trieste in North Beach. By the mid 2000s, I started focusing on specialty coffee and found the Blue Bottle stand at the Ferry Building Farmers Market and their side street Hayes Valley kiosk before the company expanded in the U.S. and Asia. Ritual Coffee Roasters and the formerly controversial Four Barrel Coffee both captured my imagination in the Mission. That neighborhood is also where I first tried Philz Coffee, which became a major player in the Bay Area, Southern California and Chicago. The Mission was also the launching pad for Linea Caffe, which Bay Area coffee icon Andrew Barnett expanded to a Potrero Hill roastery.

In the past decade, San Francisco coffee culture has grown deeper and more inclusive. Notable roasteries and cafes like Andytown and Saint Frank have bloomed. Coffee bars have also distilled the city’s global flavors, both in the ways green buyers source beans and baristas craft signature drinks. Learn about my favorite San Francisco coffee stops since 2021.

UPDATES SINCE AUGUST 30, 2024
Additions: Ballast Coffee, Cafe Shoji, The Coffee Movement, Golden Goat Coffee, Out There Coffee Roasters, Outset Coffee, Sextant Coffee Roasters, Telescope Coffee

Abanico Coffee Roasters – Mission ↓
Must Order Drinks: Cafe Morro

Andytown Coffee Roasters – Financial District, Mission, Outer Richmond, Outer Sunset + SoMa ↓
Must Order Drinks: Snowy Plover (Original Bird), Pumpkin Spice Plover (Seasonal)

Ballast Coffee – West Portal ↓
Must Order Drinks: Barako Crush

Cafe Shoji – SoMa ↓
Must Order Drinks: Cold Brew, Matcha Einspanner

The Coffee Movement – Chinatown, Inner Richmond + Mission ↓
Must Order Drinks: Cocoa Cappuccino, Coffee Cream Soda (Seasonal)

Excelsior Coffee – Excelsior ↓
Must Order Drinks: Ube Matcha Iced Latte

Flywheel Coffee Roasters – Financial District + Haight-Ashbury ↓
Must Order Drinks: Cold Brew, Espresso

Golden Goat Coffee – SoMa ↓
Must Order Drinks: Honey Peach Espresso Tonic, Orange Cinnamon Cappuccino

Motoring Coffee – Pacific Heights ↓
Must Order Drinks: Cold Brew with Toasted Black Sesame Syrup, Espresso

Out There Coffee Roasters – Pacific Heights ↓
Must Order Drinks: Cold Brew with Cinnamon Orange Cold Foam (Seasonal), Cascara Spritz (Seasonal)

Outset Coffee – Financial District ↓
Must Order Drinks: Ube Cold Brew

Paper Son Coffee – Dogpatch (Residency @ Neighbor Bakehouse) + SoMa (Vacant to Vibrant Pop-Up) ↓
Must Order Drinks: Guava Pillow, Pandan Aerocano

Ritual Coffee Roasters – Hayes Valley + Mission ↓
Must Order Drinks: Mi Amor (Seasonal), Tropicana (Seasonal)

Saint Frank Coffee – Russian Hill + SoMa ↓
Must Order Drinks: Competition Style Cappuccino (Limited Edition), Flight, Iced Filter Coffee

Sextant Coffee Roasters – Mission + SoMa ↓
Must Order Drinks: Cold Brew, Matcha Latte

Spro Coffee Lab – Civic Center, Mission/Castro + Mission Bay ↓
Must Order Drinks: Cool Hunter, Espresso

Telescope Coffee – SoMa ↓
Must Order Drinks: Espresso, Cherry Vanilla Cold Foam Iced Coffee

Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters – Pacific Heights ↓
Must Order Drinks: Espresso, Filter Coffee, Iced Cappuccino