Finding a Great Cup of Coffee in San Francisco
San Francisco always seems to have that chill in the night air and there is no better way to take it out than a nice cup of warm coffee. If you live in the area, you are probably all too familiar with the local haunts, but when you are traveling, you are going to need to know where to get a quick cup of coffee and hop on the Internet as well. Here are a few gems that we have found.
If you are looking for strictly coffee and internet, Muddy’s Coffee House (24th Street at Valencia) seems to be the place. The coffee is respectable, but not outstanding. The key to this whole place is the fact that they have Internet access and actually rent computers to the customers if they need them. There are plenty of coffee houses that are going the route of banning computers, so take advantage of this one while you still can.
Staying in the Mission District, the only other place that seems worth a stop is Ritual Coffee Roasters (1026 Valencia). This is far and away the most popular coffee shop in the area and it is everything that Muddy’s is not. They do not allow laptops, so don’t bother setting up. The traffic flow in this place is constant and they cannot afford to have campers who are doing nothing more than stealing free Internet time.
Ritual has true baristas working behind their counter and there is not a concoction that they are not capable of making. The set up is pretty impressive and the atmosphere is more like being at a night club than a coffee shop. This is easily the one place that you have to at least go to when you want the best coffee in town.
Heading over to North Beach, Caffe Greco (423 Columbus) is one of our favorite spots. This is a true Italian Café. All the beans are imported directly from Italy and the espresso may just be the best in the city. Just make sure you sit with your back to the wall because you never know who is going to walk into this place.
There are a few others, but Ritual and Caffe Greco seem to be the best. If you end up at Muddy’s, be careful because the area is not exactly the greatest, but when you need free Internet, you gotta have it. If you are inclined to wander around town and want a few more spots to hit, think about Zephyr (3643 Balboa at 38th Avenue) and Alvins (1708 Irving Street). Both will give you a respectable cup of Joe and get your on your way until your next fix is available.
brewed on Oct 22nd, 2009
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