San Francisco is bursting with cafés of all kinds, uncluttered ones, with cats, matcha specialists, or offering delicious pastries. I had time to explore a few of them during the 2 months I have spent here and I am going to share my favorite ones with you in this post. As a European, I absolutely love cute coffee places, especially when spring arrives because there is nothing that I enjoy more than sitting in the sun on the terrace of a café with a nice drink. I could stay there for hours, just enjoying the day with a friend, and this is probably something that I miss a bit here. There are for sure a lot of cafés but I feel like people don’t take the time to enjoy their drink. There are not a lot of terraces, it is usually inside and people are mostly studying or working on their computer. So this was a bit of my quest when searching for cafés to try, which one would be the best to just relax and chill.
To bring a bit of history to this post, San Francisco's café culture has deep roots that trace back to the city's Gold Rush days, where makeshift saloons provided a social haven for miners. As the city matured, European immigrants brought their café traditions, fostering a café scene akin to those found in Europe. In the mid-20th century, San Francisco's cafés became the stomping grounds for the Beat Generation, fostering intellectual and artistic exchanges. During the hippie movement, cafés transformed into hubs for political discourse and communal gatherings. The tech boom of recent decades brought a new wave of cafés, emphasizing artisanal coffee and trendy atmospheres. Yet, amidst these changes, San Francisco's café culture remains a vibrant reflection of its diverse population, with establishments representing a myriad of cultures and traditions. From the bohemian hangouts of North Beach to the sleek, modern coffee bars of the Mission District, cafés continue to serve as vital spaces for connection, creativity, and community in the City by the Bay.
Earth Tone Café
So the first one that I would recommend is the Earth Tone café. This place is located on Irving Street, right next to the Golden Gate Park, 15 minutes away by feet from the Japanese Tea Garden. This place is really small but there are two tables inside where you can sit and one outside. I really like the design of this place with the floral cushions and fabric on the armchair and also the lamps on the ceiling that are really giving this earth vibe that we are searching for. So due to its proximity to the park, you can definitely take your drink away and go sit on the grass on a sunny afternoon or why not walk around the amazing plants in the Japanese Tea Garden.
For the drinks, they have a really nice menu with coffee, and matcha but also more original drinks. I took a Thai tea, called cha nom, with non dairy milk. It had a really beautiful orange color and the taste was amazing, sweet but not too much. My friend really enjoyed the matcha (it is always hard to find a good one) and we did not take any pastries even if they looked amazing, but it is a good excuse to come back. They also have a purple yam latte which looked pretty cool but I was not sure of the taste so I did not take it but I would love to try it next time.
Location: 1097 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122 (south of Golden Gate Park)
Instagram: @earthtonecafe.sf
Price: $6.88 for the Thai latte
Blue Bottle Coffee Company
This one has many locations all over the city center and I heard that it is also in Los Angeles, New York, and in Japan which are quite cool places so it should give an idea about the café itself. But let’s not lie, we all need a chain of café where we can go wherever we are downtown because we know that it might be just around the corner and because we are tired of Starbucks and their overpriced drinks that are not even that great. This café has a really uncluttered atmosphere with neutral colors, mostly blue and beige. The coffee is really good and so are the pastries. The first time I took a Saffron coffee, which was nice and I was surprised because this spice actually goes well with coffee but I do not think I will try again, it was good but not my favorite. I usually now stick to the cappuccino because, in my opinion, this place is the best for classics. Regarding the pastries, I tried the matcha brownie/mochi which was super nice, a bit small, and a disturbing texture though. I also tried the sticky bun with cinnamon, nuts, and caramel in it and I strongly recommend it, the everything croissant was also good.
Also, one thing that might feel irrelevant but they have a water dispenser with glasses next to it and this is something that I have never seen in Europe. Usually, if you want some water you can of course but you have to ask the staff, here you can just help yourself and refill your water bottle and I really enjoy it.
Location: 115 Sansome St, San Francisco, CA 94104 (one of them)
Instagram: @bluebottle
Price: From $5-6 for a drink and $3-4 for a pastry
So these are the cafés I recommend but of course, there are plenty and maybe better ones in this city but these ones are definitely worth the shot if you happen to be in the neighborhood.