I spent a whole day doing some "coffee shop hopping" in San Francisco with the
Good Coffee guys from Japan. (FYI: These guys know a lot about coffee,
A LOT, which almost made me feel bad about running my own coffee website....) So I'd like to introduce 6 must-visit coffee shops in San Francisco! Good Coffee kindly let me use their beautiful photos, so all credit goes to them for those.
Click each name of the coffee shop to see the shop address and information.
Needless to say, these guys have the most famous coffee shop in San Francisco. They just opened
one in Japan last week. The line to get a cup of coffee at Blue Bottle in Japan is now......
4 HOURS. Guys, four hours. Their first store was in Oakland, but if you're just traveling in the San Francisco area, then there are several locations you can hit – I went to the one in the Ferry Building this time. I really enjoyed their iced coffee.
I finally got to go after so long! This place has been chosen as one of
the most beautiful coffee shops in the world and so many other sites about good coffee. They roast their coffee in the back of the shop with a huge roaster, so the whole place smells fantastic.
I had their Americano and it tasted sooooo good.
Ritual was chosen as one of
America’s best coffee shops just last year and of course I've always wanted to go! They’ve even got mason jars decorated with their logo that you can buy as your togo cup.
They're also famous for their toast and bread. One slice of toast is
freaking $4, but you'll know why they charge such a seemingly crazy amount (I can get a loaf of bread for less!) once you try it. I had their awesome $4 toast and it was so deliiiiish. Their coffee goes really well with the toast, too.
Looking good, right? You gotta try it.
I went to their new shop in the Mission district (their main one is in SOMA) and it was classy and cute. Their espresso was light and very easy to drink! The milk was great, so I think you all should drink a macchiato if you go. :)
These cute tiles welcome you at the door.
This place was chosen as one of the 20 best coffee shops in America last year. This coffee shop is stunning. It’s super clean, stylish, and hip. And it has a “Scandinavian" feel. I think their coffee is also in a “Scandinavian” style, which was a light roast. It's probably best if you drink the drip.
My impression of San Francisco coffee shops is that they don't let people take up seats for long. In Seattle,
coffee shops are mostly for studying, working, and long chats with friends, but the coffee shops in SF are centered on
coffee consumption – really enjoying the experience of drinking a good coffee. I'm so used to sitting around working on my computer that I was kinda surprised, but it was a good surprise. They focus on the coffee!
P.S. If you are traveling in Japan and want to find good coffee shops, they have a great list of coffee shops you should visit while you are in Japan.