Coffee shops are my happy place. I like to go to them and work on my computer or read a book, and get some coffee and maybe a pastry. The ambience of a coffee shop is very important to me. Here are some of my favorite coffee shops in SF.
Sightglass
270 7th St in SoMa • sightglasscoffee.com
This is in SoMa, half a mile from the Civic Center. It's a beautiful building, with a large balcony on the second floor looking out on the floor where coffee is prepared, and toward the plate glass buildings that cover the front of the store. They're a roaster, on par with Four Barrel and Ritual.
Flywheel Coffee Roasters
672 Stanyan St in Haight-Ashbury • flywheelcoffee.com
Flywheel is at the end of Haight Street facing Golden Gate Park. They roast their own beans inside. They have pourovers. The coffee cakes and protein bars are delicious. They're open until 7pm which is later than most coffee shops in the area, and there tends to be plenty of seating available in the last couple of hours that they're open. A porch is in back. They're next to Whole Foods which makes it convenient.
Four Barrel
375 Valencia St in The Mission • fourbarrelcoffee.com
Four Barrel is classic. It's in the the mission near the 16th Street Bart Station. Bring a book - they don't have wifi.
Rise & Grind
785 8th Ave in Inner Richmond • riseandgrind-sf.com
Rise & Grind is on the north side of Golden Gate Park, near the museums and the roller skate rink. I lived on the south side of Golden Gate Park and would ride my skateboard there while I was learning to skate. It quickly became a personal favorite, because I enjoyed talking to the people who worked there, and they have excellent coffee and interesting food including matcha waffles and chia pudding.
Cafe La Boheme
3318 24th Street in The Mission • cafelabohemesanfrancisco.com
Cafe La Boheme is near the 24th street BART station, not far from Dolores Park. It has a lots of tables, chairs, and benches and often has space to work when other coffee shops in the area don't. They have a full menu including sandwiches, soups, salads, beer, and wine. I like this one because it's different from the other coffee shops on this list, and variety is good. It's less of a third wave style coffee shop and more of a traditional cafe.
What are your favorite coffee shops?