San Francisco Cafes
Coffee and Relaxation
San Francisco has better cafes than almost
anywhere else in the country. Taking a little time out of your day to relax and
enjoy a cup of java is a great way to spend your vacation. Bring a good book and
check out cafes near your hotel, including Union Square, or venture out to the
neighborhoods where the best cafes are.
Mission District Cafes:
Muddy's - 24th Street @ Valencia
Part of the popular Mission District
Muddy Waters chain -- Muddy's is an oasis of wireless access and delicious
mochas in the heart of the Mission District. Large, warm, and comfortable
- Muddy's is a great choice to see how the San Francisco locals live in the
Mission District. The cafe has both wireless access and rental computers.
Get a free
coffee maker and gourmet
coffee delivered to your home monthly...
Union Square Cafes:
Cafe Francisco's owner
writes, ".. My cafe, Cafe Francisco, has a history of beatniks and artists
of all mediums that reads like a who's who of San Francisco. You can still find
Lawrence Ferlinghetti sitting at the front window table sipping a cup o'joe now and again,
and if you ask him, he'll tell you the history of the neighborhood. He's lived there
since God created North Beach (pre-City Lights Bookstore-if you can believe
that!)." 2161 Powell Street
Starbucks
The McDonald's of coffee; you probably have it in your town too. You know what you'll get,
and it'll be pretty good-just boring. There are a ton of them in S.F. too. Andy's rating=C
They have some good food like fresh baked muffins; they're mostly around office districts
in the Financial District where juiced up office slaves inhale this stuff like crazy. A
Bay Area chain without too much character but very reliable. Not an especially cool or fun
place to hang out and read either. Andy's rating=C
North Beach Cafe's:
Savoy Tivoli
Tosca
Used in Sharon Stone's lovefest "Basic
Instinct", Tosca is a really cool café in North Beach. The
red leather upholstered dark arena is only disturbed by the loud bass booms from the next
door vile pick-up bar. It's always dark and waiters wear short white waistcoats. The
cafe's specialty Fis a coffeeless cappuccino-- steamed milk, brandy, and chocolate. A
truly cool SF landmark and not to be missed. Andy's rating=A-
Café Roma
Touristy but very Italian in North Beach and an easy
walk down Columbus Street from Tosca (see above) on your "Café Crawl." The Real
World girl applied for a job here and was thankfully turned down live on T.V. Lots of
international types hang out here. Andy's rating=B+.
In North Beach, this is the authentic Italiano place to hang out.
Boasting "Espresso, Cappuccino, Vino, and Panini...", Greco is where you will
find San Francisco's most notorious Italian citizens sipping caffeine and discussing
politics. Highly recommended by long-time San Franciscan F.G., they actually import coffee
beans roasted in Italy and have an awesome espresso machine. You will feel like you've
really travelled to Italy. There are nice outdoor tables on Columbus and they serve
sandwiches too. Andy rating=A
423 Columbus near Stockton 397-6261
Get a free
coffee machine and
gourmet coffee delivered to your home monthly...
Richmond / Sunset / Castro
Alvin's
Alvins has a cool location on the booming /
yupifying Sunset District close to many other breakfast spots. Alvin does all his own
coffee roasting to ensure the best flavors. The cafe features coffees from Arabic
and Armenian to Rocket Fuel. The shop has huge windows that slide
open to allow for flow-through, a very european environment. Our personal favorite
coffee is Aida, from the House Blends selection. The relaxing atmosphere of
the cafe makes it a great place to hang-out, relax, and meet locals.
1708 Irving Street
415-661-2888.
The Zephyr
"Espresso Caffe & Art Gallery" located in the Richmond district is a huge cafe frequented
by students and people looking to plug in a laptop. They feature local artists and a
full sandwich menu including beer & wine. The cafe has a warm, cozy feeling
including a lounge area with couches. The lounge area is limited to parties of four
or more. As a place to hang out, relax, and meet friends-- the Zephyr is becoming a
fast favorite in this quieter section of town. Zephyr - 3643 Balboa @ 38th Avenue -
221-6063
Marina
The Grove
This place is awesome to hang out at. The SF Underground staff photographer
used to live at this place with his own memorial table. Great food, really cool teakettles
made of iron, the kind of atmosphere that begs you to stay & stay. Major minus is the
yuppie infestation at this place which is of course, in the Marina.
They have now even had to post signs requesting patrons to hang out no more than an hour.
That's how fun it is to stay there. A good place before a movie or after dinner. Andy's
rating=A-
Coffee Roastery
There are only a few of these and they're pretty cool. You can hang out, meet people, read
and have fun. The best part is the bags of coffee you can sit on just like a bean bag
chair. Great coffee, cool workers, good food. The Roasteries are on Chestnut Street in the
yuppified Marina and the nearby Union
Street District. Andy's rating=B+.
2331 Chestnut Street 931-5282 / 2191 Union Street 922-9559
Peets Well, it's a Bay Area chain with
character. A pretty cool place and relatively inviting to hang out at. Originally in the
East Bay, there are not a lot in San Francisco. They have really dark, strong coffee and
the stores smells really good. Probably the best place for that "dirty sock"
coffee. Andy's rating=B
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