If you are trying to find the best specialty coffee shops in San Francisco, then you have come to the right place. San Francisco is a large city with many coffee shops to choose from, so it can be difficult to decide which one to go to. Because of this, a list of the thirteen best specialty coffee shops was created.
Good specialty coffee shops are hard to come by. Thankfully, the San Francisco shops below all serve wonderful specialty coffees just for you. You’re sure to find your new favorite stop somewhere in this city!
1. Four Barrel Coffee
First on the list is Four Barrel Coffee. Four Barrel Coffee is unique in every aspect of the word. They do not use a lot of modern technology to increase the speed of their coffee making, and instead, they rely on highly skilled workers to make it. They admit to being an old-fashioned coffee shop, and that is what makes their specialty coffees even more special.
The owners of Four Barrel Coffee know how important it is to have high-quality beans. They do not want to use the cheapest, most convenient coffee beans they can find. Rather, they frequently import their beans from Latin America, Indonesia, and East Africa to retrieve the best coffee beans they can find.
Not only does Four Barrel Coffee care about the quality of their products, but they also care about ensuring that all of their employees and friends are well off. They know the importance of every individual in the coffee-making business, so they want to make sure that everyone is taken care of. Multiple months a year are spent maintaining friendships with people who help them make some of the best coffee in San Francisco.
Four Barrel Coffee can be found at 375 Valencia St, San Francisco.
If you can’t visit personally, you can also shop online on their site for their select portfolio or find them on Amazon.
2. Sightglass Coffee
Second on the list is Sightglass Coffee. Sightglass Coffee is a small business that is owned by siblings. These siblings get their coffee beans directly from harvested lots. Sightglass wants the best beans for their customers, and that is exactly what they do. Even from the beginning, when these siblings sold coffee to their neighborhood from a warehouse, customers could tell their coffee was superior to others in the area.
Although Sightglass Coffee started merely as two people selling coffee from behind a garage door, it has since flourished into one of the best specialty coffee shops in San Francisco.
Sightglass Coffee can be found at 270 Seventh Street, San Francisco.
If you can’t visit personally, you can shop online or even get some of their black roast on Amazon which is a Central and Southamerican blend with Dark Chocolate, Brown Sugar, Vanilla notes.
3. Caffe Trieste
Third on the list is Caffe Trieste. Caffe Trieste has been making specialty coffees since 1956 when it was also the first espresso coffee house on the West Coast. It was Caffe Trieste that was responsible for the Espresso Movement. Caffe Trieste combines specialty coffee with music. This wonderful pairing makes it a famous destination for many celebrities.
Making specialty coffee is an art, and Caffe Trieste proves that to be true. Caffe Trieste was first known for having some of the best coffee in the city, but it is currently known for having some of the best coffee in the country! The combination of the coffee and the atmosphere is superior to many other coffee shops. There is nothing like Caffe Trieste in San Francisco or anywhere else.
Caffe Trieste can be found at 601 Vallejo St., San Francisco.
If you can’t visit Ceffe Trieste, you can shop online on their site or on Amazon you would find their Trieste Original, top selling medium and light roast double blend.
4. HOME Coffee Roasters
Fourth on the list is HOME Coffee Roasters. Annie Cheng and In Hwan Heo opened their doors in 2015. This fairly new business was built upon the roots of treating people with kindness. Annie and In treat their customers as though they have known them for years. They want their coffee shop to feel like a sanctuary, so they prioritize their customers.
Annie and In have a knack for treating people with compassion, and that is evident when walking through their doors. This couple wants customers to feel as though they are at home when they come to their coffee shop, and that is exactly what they do.
Since its first opening, HOME has expanded to three locations, all located in San Francisco. No matter where you are in San Francisco, you will be able to find a HOME near you and get a taste of their specialty coffees.
- The first HOME Coffee Roasters can be found at 1222 Noriega St, San Francisco.
- The second HOME Coffee Roasters can be found at 2018 Clement St, San Francisco.
- The third HOME Coffee Roasters can be found. at 455 Grant Ave, San Francisco.
If you can’t visit personally, you can buy some of their roasts on their site.
5. Equator Coffees
Fifth on the list is Equator Coffees. Equator Coffees has been serving specialty coffees since 1995. Brooke Mcdonnell and Helen Russell are the two founders of this company, and they felt as though they had a responsibility to serve San Francisco with quality specialty coffees. They started off in a garage, and they have since expanded to 2 storefronts.
Brooke and Helen place a large emphasis on quality. They believe that their coffee can always be better, so they are always finding innovative ways to increase the quality of their products. With one sip of their coffee, you will be able to taste the freshness and know that it is made with only the best ingredients.
- The first Equator Coffees can be found at 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco.
- The second Equator Coffees can be found at 222 2nd Street, San Francisco.
If you can’t visit personally, you can buy on their website or Amazon.
6. Ritual Coffee Roasters
Sixth on the list is Ritual Coffee Roasters. Ritual Coffee Roasters was founded in 2005 by Eileen Rinaldi. Eileen has worked hard to build her enterprise. She works to help her employees build their careers and to serve her customers the best coffee around.
Eileen has five values for her coffee shop: Be nice, have fun, be inclusive, have integrity, and challenge the status quo. These values are evident when going into the shop. You will always be greeted by friendly employees and fellow coffee lovers. Ritual Coffee Roasters aims to improve the coffee experience for all customers with these values, and they do just that.
Ritual Coffee Roasters get their beans from high-quality farms, to which they pay a substantial amount to ensure they get the best of the best. While Eileen holds to her belief that coffee can always get better, it is difficult to imagine that it gets much better than Ritual Coffee Roasters.
Ritual Coffee Roasters can be found at 1026 Valencia St, San Francisco.
If you can’t visit, you can get their roasts from their website.
7. Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters
Seventh on the list is Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters. Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters was founded by Trish Rothgeb and Nicholas Cho. Both experienced professionals, Trish and Nicholas combined make quality, delicious specialty coffees. They are both well known in the community because they are both passionate about their craft and the coffee industry.
Trish is known for traveling around the world and teaching all things coffee. Her expertise in coffee is evident and she helps teach others her skills. Nicholas is an award-winning barista who is a core member of the specialty coffee community. As you can see, Trish and Nicholas have very different skills from one another, so when combined, they make an unstoppable team.
- The first Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters can be found at 2271 Union Street, San Francisco.
- The second Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters can be found at 1580 Folsom Street, San Francisco.
If you can’t visit, you can get their roasts from their website.
8. Saint Frank Coffee
Eighth on the list is Saint Frank Coffee. Saint Frank Coffee was founded in 2013 by Kevin Bohlin. The only thing the owner of Saint Frank coffee love more than San Francisco is specialty coffee. Kevin knows how complex the art of making coffee is, and he does not want to diminish that. He gives full credit to the very core of their coffee: the farmers. The farmers are the start of their quality coffee, so he does everything in his power to support and celebrate their work.
Saint Frank Coffee produces specialty coffee like no other coffee shop. At Saint Frank, employees work to have their coffee be admired by the public to make the farmers and the customers proud.
Saint Frank Coffee can be found at 2340 Polk Street, San Francisco.
If you can’t visit, you can get ahold of their roast from their website.
9. Linea Caffe
Ninth on the list is Linea Caffe. Linea Caffe aims to serve customers the best specialty coffees while still helping the environment. Linea Caffe is currently partnering with progressive, organic farmers that also strive to be environmentally friendly. They do everything in their power to protect the Earth, and they are working to help the environment rather than harm it. When drinking Linea Caffe’s coffee, you can feel good knowing that you are supporting their efforts to help the world.
- The first Linea Caffe can be found at 3417 18th St., San Francisco.
- The second Linea Caffe can be found at 1125 Mariposa Street, San Francisco.
If you can’t visit, you can get their roasts on their website.
10. The Coffee Movement
Tenth on the list is The Coffee Movement. The Coffee Movement was founded by Bryan Overstreet. Bryan is from Sydney, Australia and he noticed that the culture in coffee shops in Australia and America were much different. He wanted to bring a little bit of Australia’s coffee culture to America, which is exactly what he did.
Bryan opened his own coffee shop in San Francisco, where he hoped he could build a strong community of coffee lovers. Bryan has been successful in his efforts, and if you ask anyone about the Coffee Movement, they will tell you about the friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
Bryan Overstreet and Reef Bessette are the two owners of the Coffe Movement, and they both work to serve the best specialty coffee they are capable of. As long as you get there before 4:00, you will be able to get a taste of their wonderful specialty coffee.
The Coffee Movement can be found at 1030 Washington Street, San Francisco.
11. Mazarine Coffee
Eleventh on the list is Mazarine Coffee. Mazarine Coffee was inspired by the Bibliothèque Mazarine, which was the first public library in France. While many find it surprising that a coffee shop was inspired by a library in Paris, it actually makes perfect sense. According to Mazarine Coffee, the library is a symbol of “culture, democracy, and taste”. Mazarine Coffee hopes to be remembered for the same attributes, as they strive to serve the best specialty coffee and food in San Francisco.
The menu at Mazarine Coffee is always changing. They modify their menu based on the customers, so they are only serving what the public enjoys. Nothing is permanent and nothing is off-limits. Creativity is key at Mazarine, and customers enjoy having new coffees to try regularly.
Mazarine Coffee can be found at 720 Market St., San Francisco.
12. Andytown Coffee Roasters
Twelfth on the list is Andytown Coffee Roasters. Andytown Coffee Roasters was founded in 2014 by Michael McCrory and Lauren Crabbe. In the beginning, they had one 600 square foot area. While this was manageable, Andytown quickly expanded due to local support from customers. Currently, they have three locations all in San Francisco.
Andytown is women-owned, certified as a San Francisco Green Business, and a Surfrider Ocean-Friendly restaurant. Andytown is proud of all these accomplishments and continually seeks to improve its business. Andytown is never satisfied with where they are at, and they are constantly looking for ways to better themselves and their community.
- The first Andytown Coffee Roasters can be found at 181 Fremont Street, San Francisco.
- The second Andytown Coffee Roasters can be found at 3655 Lawton St., San Francisco.
- The third Andytown Coffee Roasters can be found at 3629 Taraval St., San Francisco.
13. Flywheel Coffee Roasters
Thirteenth on the list is Flywheel Coffee Roasters. While this coffee shop is last, it is definitely not the least. Flywheel Coffee Roasters was founded by Aquiles Guerrero. Coffee has been a part of Guerrero’s life since he was born. He lived on a coffee farm in Nicaragua, and since then, he was been fascinated by coffee. His life has been dedicated to coffee and he first opened his shop in San Francisco in the late eighties. The only thing better than Flywheel’s backstory is its coffee!
This family-owned business is known for its specialty coffees. Their employees are extremely important to them. Flywheel Coffee aims to take care of all their employees, and they train them from the ground up.
Flywheel Coffee Roasters can be found at 672 Stanyan St., San Francisco.