Tartine Bakery in San Francisco is Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt's Guerrero Street original, with a queue that has not let up since 2002 and a morning bun.
Tip: Morning bun and croissant come out at different times; ask the counter when the next bake is due.
Address: 600 Guerrero Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Reveille Coffee in San Francisco is the small chain anchored in North Beach, with a corner room at the Columbus and Pacific triangle and a strong maple latte.
Signature drink: Maple latte
Tip: Sit at the Columbus side window; the foot traffic to City Lights makes for the best people-watch.
The Mill in San Francisco is the Josey Baker Bread and Four Barrel Coffee partnership on Divisadero, with $4 thick-slice toast and an open bread bakery in the back.
Signature drink: Cinnamon toast with Four Barrel coffee
Tip: Toast is the order regardless of what else is on the board; the rye-buckwheat is the move.
Four Barrel Coffee in San Francisco is the Valencia Street roaster cafe with a long Probat showroom in back and a no-laptops, no-wifi policy out front.
Signature drink: Pour-over
Tip: No wifi by design; bring a book or a friend, not a screen.
Linea Caffe in San Francisco is Andrew Barnett's two-counter Mission espresso bar, with a 5-second pull style that won out before the third wave settled.
Signature drink: Espresso
Tip: Stand-up service only at the 18th Street counter; ask for the macchiato instead of a cortado.
Caffe Trieste in San Francisco is the North Beach Italian cafe that has poured cappuccino at Vallejo and Grant since 1956, with Saturday opera on the back wall.
Signature drink: Cappuccino
Tip: Saturday at 13:00 for the opera and accordion set; arrive at 12:30 for a seat in the back room.
The Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco is the Hyde Street corner where Jack Koeppler perfected the American Irish coffee in 1952, pouring 2,000 of them a day still.
Signature drink: Irish coffee
Tip: Sit at the long bar to watch the line of pre-warmed glasses come down; the back tables miss the show.
