For many of us, surviving San Francisco requires thick skin, a rent-controlled apartment, and a real healthy dose of caffeine. Getting into the SF coffee scene is like joining a very caffeinated cult; you just have to pick your flavor. These are our picks.
Hedge
434 Shotwell St, San Francisco, CA 94110
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A Mission District sleeper hit that trades the typical industrial warehouse aesthetic for something much more intimate and refined. The espresso here is pulled with scientific precision, and the atmosphere might actually convince you to put your phone away for five minutes. If you want high-end specialty coffee without the exhausting tech-bro bustle, consider this your sanctuary.
The Coffee Movement
- Nob Hill (Flagship): 1030 Washington St, San Francisco, CA 94108
- Inner Richmond: 1737 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
- Mission District (Inside Side A): 2814 19th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
What started as a literal garage project in Nob Hill has evolved into a multi-roaster masterpiece. The team constantly rotates beans from the best roasters on the planet. Expect clever tasting flights and a minimalist aesthetic that makes you feel ten times more sophisticated simply for standing in the queue.
Linea Caffe
- Mission District: 3417 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
- Potrero Hill (Roastery): 1125 Mariposa St, San Francisco, CA 94107
This is an espresso bar for people who treat roasting like fine art. The Mission location is tiny, hyper-efficient, and consistently serves up some of the cleanest, brightest light roasts in the city. It's the ultimate "on-the-go" flex; grab a shot, a piece of perfectly curated toast, and feel like a local who knows exactly where the good stuff is hidden.
Saint Frank
- Russian Hill: 2340 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
- SOMA (Mira): 120 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Named after the city itself, their Russian Hill stunner serves up blonde wood, high ceilings, and serious Scandinavian vibes. They lean hard into direct-trade relationships that actually mean something, resulting in a menu that's as ethical as it is delicious. It basically feels like an art gallery where the primary medium is caffeine, and the results are consistently stunning.
Neighbor's Corner
499 Douglass St, San Francisco, CA 94114
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Tucked away on a quiet Castro slope, this spot feels like the neighborhood's collective living room. It's the perfect pit stop when you're wheezing from a hilly San Francisco walk, offering Japanese-inspired treats and a cozy, big-windowed atmosphere that makes you want to cancel your afternoon meetings and stay.
Abanico Coffee Roasters
2121 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
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A woman-owned Mission gem that beautifully celebrates Salvadoran coffee heritage. Their signature drinks, like the Café con Morro, bring distinct flavors to the specialty scene that you absolutely won't find anywhere else. Colorful and fiercely community-focused, it's proof that "Third Wave" coffee can actually have a soul.
Grand Coffee
- Original: 2663 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
- Grand Coffee Too: 2544 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
A local legend operating out of a literal hole-in-the-wall on Mission Street, alongside the slightly larger "Grand Coffee Too" nearby. It is unapologetically unpretentious, deeply rooted in the community, and serves an espresso that will wake you up faster than dodging traffic on 24th Street.
Motoring Coffee
1525 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123
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This is where Cow Hollow's car culture crashes into high-end caffeine. It's a bizarre but brilliant hybrid space; part social club for classic car enthusiasts, part top-tier cafe. Even if you don't know a carburetor from a croissant, the energy is infectious and the coffee is undeniably smooth.
Home Coffee Roasters
- Richmond: 2018 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94121
- Sunset: 1222 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122
- Chinatown: 455 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108
Behold, the undisputed kings of the "Instagrammable Latte". From Birthday Cake lattes to wildly creative foam art, Home beautifully defies the city's serious coffee snobbery, yet the quality of their beans remains top-shelf. Bright and cheerful, it's the perfect antidote to the city's more stoic coffee temples.
Ritual Coffee Roasters
- The Mission: 1026 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
- Hayes Valley: 432b Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102
- SFO Airport: Harvey Milk Terminal 1 (Ticketed passengers only)
Note: The 1050 Howard St roastery location is currently closed to the public.
These are the pioneers who basically taught San Francisco how to drink specialty coffee. Their Valencia Street flagship remains a mandatory pilgrimage for anyone who genuinely cares about sourcing and roasting. Sharp, professional, and arguably the most influential roaster in the city.
Sightglass Coffee
- SoMa (Main Roastery): 270 7th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
- The Mission: 3014 20th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
- Divisadero: 301 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Their SOMA headquarters is a massive, bi-level industrial dreamscape where you can watch the entire roasting process while you sip. Yes, it's a very tech-heavy scene, but the quality of their single-origin pour-overs is high enough to make even the most jaded programmer look up from their laptop.
Sextant Coffee Roasters
- SOMA: 1415 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103
- Mission: 539 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
A SOMA warehouse specializing in incredible East African beans, beautifully honoring the founder's Ethiopian heritage. It manages the rare feat of feeling both spacious and intimate, serving coffee with a depth and spice profile that completely stands out in a crowded market.
Paper Son Coffee
- Dogpatch (Inside Neighbor Bakehouse): 2343 3rd St, Unit 100, San Francisco, CA 94107
- FiDi: 303 2nd St, Suite N102, San Francisco, CA 94107
A Dogpatch and SOMA standout that brilliantly blends specialty coffee with Asian-American influence. From their playful decor (yes, look for the Gundam figurines) to their highly creative menu additions like salt bread, it's a modern SF classic that proves the coffee scene is still evolving in the best ways possible.
Andytown Coffee Roasters
- Outer Sunset (Original): 3655 Lawton St, San Francisco, CA 94122
- Outer Sunset (Beach): 3629 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116
- Outer Sunset (Roastery): 3016 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116
- Transbay/Financial District: 181 Fremont St, FL 7, San Francisco, CA 94105
- Outer Richmond: 800 Great Hwy, San Francisco, CA 94121
- Mission (Inside Gus's Market): 2111 Harrison St, San Francisco, CA 94110
- Jackson Square: 747 Front St, San Francisco, CA 94111
- Glen Park (Inside Canyon Market): 2815 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131
This is the coastal-cool headquarters of the Outer Sunset. Famous for the Snowy Plover (a fizzy, creamy espresso cloud in a cup), Andytown feels like a local surf shop that just happens to roast world-class beans. Whether you're shivering at their fog-drenched beachside original or catching views at their sleek Financial District rooftop, the vibe is always "approachable excellence" served with a side of Northern Irish soda bread.
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