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Judy Situ

5 Best but Overlooked Local Coffee Shops and Cafes in San Francisco

In fast paced, innovative, and hipster city like San Francisco, there are bound to be tons of popular local sit-down coffee shops. Many local places such as The Mill, Blue Coffee,and Four Barrel Coffee have long established themselves as the most “Instagram-worthy” cafes. They are notable not only to locals but to tourists as well. However, there are also very many exceptionally notable, yet easily overlooked local cafes that deserve more recognition. These places have gained popularity in their specific neighborhoods for years and their time to shine has long been overdue. Here are my 5 picks of the San Francisco’s best local cafes:

Home Cafe

Where: 1222 Noriega St (b/t 19th Ave and 20th Ave)

  • Perhaps the least overlooked among the 5 but it is small, humble, and not usually at the forefront of people’s minds when they think of cafes in S.F.
  • Produces a feeling of inclusivity, homeyness (no-pun intended), and comfort
  • Highlight Drink: The London Fog. It is an Earl Grey latte drink.
  • Highlight Food: Toast. Pick any of their thick hong-kong styled toasts and you will not be disappointed.
  • Highlight experience: They have WiFi! They also play a lot of RnB throwback music so if you loved the 90s and early 2000s, you will definitely enjoy the music
  • Perfect place to study, get work done, or simply catch-up with friends
  • Con: Depending on the time, it will be difficult to find a seat. I usually end up finding a table around weekdays, anytime from 2pm and later.

The Temporarium Coffee and Tea

Where: 3414 22nd St (b/t Ames St and Guerrero St)

  • Located kind of on the edge of Mission and super easy to miss because of its size but very adorable.
  • Extremely welcoming and run by one man by the name of Avery.
  • Highlight drink: Macchiato
  • Highlight food: Hawaiian mochi
  • Highlight experience: Warm welcome and delicious pastry.
  • Con: It is a very small coffee shop, very limited seating, and not the best place to go to if you plan on getting work done.

Cup Coffee Bar

Where: 6 Monterey Blvd (b/t Diamond St and Joost Ave)

  • A cute family run cafe also not very known because it is in, not-as-well-known neighborhood.
  • Not very hard to miss if you are walking along Monterey to head to or from Glen Park Bart Station. They have a giant coffee cup display right above their door with their logo and cafe name “CUP” in orange on the coffee cup display.
  • Highlight drink: Cappuccino. All their espresso drinks are made with love and 2 shots.
  • Highlight food: Any of their sandwiches really, but their Lox Bagel is probably my favorite.
  • Highlight Experience: The sweetest people you will ever meet. A great place to get work done, chat with friends, or make new ones with the owners. Also, Wifi is provided.
  • Con: Closes at 2pm so that’s the only negative, but they open at 6am on weekdays to they are more of a morning cafe anyways.

Greenhouse Cafe

Where: 329 W Portal Ave

  • Greenhouse Cafe is probably the only sit-down cafe in its neighborhood, West Portal. For this reason, it is typically only frequented by those who live within that neighborhood.
  • Easy to pass by because it blends in with its surroundings quite easily.
  • There’s outside seating in the back! Perfect place to enjoy your food with friends on a nice sunny day.
  • Highlight Drink: Latte. Their regular lattes are fantastic but I have also heard good reviews on their matcha latte. It has a strong matcha flavor.
  • Highlight food: Their Wraps. Their wraps are huge so its probably not the best choice if you plan on simply getting a snack. If you plan on getting something small, they have a plethora of pastries and goodies in front of their counter to choose from.
  • Highlight experience: They have Wifi! A great place to get work done, relax, get a meal, or catch up with friends. It may look small from the front, but there is more seating further back of the cafe.
  • Con: It can take a while for the food to come out. Latte art will be a hit or miss. If you’re one of the lucky ones, the art will be phenomenal but don’t expect to get one every time.

C+M Coffee and Milk at War Memorial

Where: 401 Van Ness Ave #110

  • Probably the most hidden out of all the cafes on the list because this little gem is inside the War Memorial Opera House.
  • Good place to sit down and chat with friends. It is perhaps not the most ideal place to study and work but still doable.
  • They have a huge display of goodies: pastries, fruit cups, juices, salads, and sandwiches.
  • Highlight drink: Macchiato
  • Highlight food: Toast. They have 3 kinds of Toast (with almond butter, with avocado mash, or with ricotta). Absolutely delicious and perfect for breakfast.
  • Highlight experience: They was Wifi! The service is really warm, kind, and attentive.
  • Con: Their food and drinks are slightly on the pricier side.