21 editor picks in San Francisco.
21 cafe places in San Francisco we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in San Francisco | Cafe across every city.
Cafe culture in San Francisco is inseparable from its third-wave coffee roasters and its old North Beach espresso bars. Sightglass Coffee, Ritual Coffee Roasters and Four Barrel Coffee built the modern roasting scene, while Caffe Trieste and Cafe Zoetrope keep the North Beach Italian tradition going. The Mill on Divisadero and Tartine Bakery bridge coffee and the bakery counter.
Tartine Manufactory in San Francisco is Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt's larger Mission site, with bread, pastry, plates and a wine bar under one roof.
OrderThe morning bun and a country loaf to take home.
TipSkip the queue at the Guerrero Street original; the Manufactory has the same bakes plus a sit-down kitchen.
Outerlands in San Francisco is the Outer Sunset's surf-side cafe and dinner room, with house bread, a tight California menu and the fog rolling past the door.
OrderEggs in jail: thick toast with an egg cracked in the centre, griddled.
TipWalk-in only for breakfast and lunch; the dinner room takes reservations for parties of 4 or more.
Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco is the Morris brothers' SoMa roastery cafe, with a mezzanine over the rooftop roaster and the Owl's Howl espresso on tap.
TipThe 7th Street flagship is the best room; the Mission and Ferry Building outposts are quicker but smaller.
Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco is one of the city's third-wave originals, with the Valencia Street flagship and a sharp single-origin filter.
TipThe cortado is the regular order; the Hayes Valley kiosk has the fastest line on a weekend.
Saint Frank in San Francisco is the Russian Hill cafe and roastery known for direct-trade Latin American lots and a quietly precise cortado.
TipThe pour-over flight rotates weekly; ask for the lightest lot if you want to taste origin clearly.
Andytown in San Francisco is the Outer Sunset roastery cafe known for the Snowy Plover, a fizzy espresso-over-soda drink that became a city signature.
TipThe original 43rd Avenue location is the best pour; weekends are quieter at the 18th Avenue outpost.
Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco is Francis Ford Coppola's flatiron corner cafe in the Sentinel Building, with a small Italian kitchen and house wine on tap.
TipThe sidewalk tables on Kearny are the seat to want; the cappuccino is the right midday order.
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.
TipMorning bun and croissant come out at different times; ask the counter when the next bake is due.
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.
TipSit 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.
TipToast 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.
TipNo wifi by design; bring a book or a friend, not a screen Cash or contactless, both fine.
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.
TipStand-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.
TipSaturday 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.
TipSit at the long bar to watch the line of pre-warmed glasses come down; the back tables miss the show.
Old Skool Cafe in San Francisco is the Bayview supper club run by formerly incarcerated young chefs, with a strong soul-food menu and a music programme.
TipOpen Thursday to Saturday only; book a week ahead and bring cash for the tip jar.
Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco is the Morris brothers' SoMa roastery, running a Probat UG-22 on the rooftop, with a tasting bar and a long single-origin.
TipSaturday cuppings at 11:00 are open to the public.
Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco is one of the third-wave originals, with the bright Valencia Street flagship and a tight, recipe-driven single-origin.
TipThe Ritual cortado is the regular order; the Hayes Valley kiosk has the fastest line on a weekend.
Saint Frank Coffee in San Francisco is Kevin Bohlin's Russian Hill roaster, known for a direct-trade Central American programme and a precise classical.
TipAsk about the producer relationships; the staff travels to farm visits every year and remembers details.
Andytown Coffee Roasters in San Francisco is Lauren Crabbe and Michael McCrory's Outer Sunset roastery, with the cult Snowy Plover drink and a small bakery.
TipThe 43rd Avenue original is the best pour; the soda water for the Snowy Plover is house-carbonated.
Linea Caffe in San Francisco is Andrew Barnett's Mission and Fillmore espresso bar, with a Probat in Healdsburg, a short pull and a strict 5-second espresso.
TipAsk for the macchiato; the texture-and-volume ratio is the kitchen's signature pour.
Four Barrel Coffee in San Francisco is the Valencia Street roastery with a long Probat showroom in the back, a no-wifi policy out front and a tight.
TipSaturday cuppings are walk-in friendly at 11:00; ask the bar staff for the day's lot rotation.
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