Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
$
No sign of a shop here—just an industrial-chic fold-up garage door and a gag-
gle of caffeinated hipsters gathered expectantly below. But
Blue Bottle Coffee
5
(315 Linden St., at Gough; www.bluebottlecoffee.net; closes at 6pm daily ; cash
only)
in Hayes Valley is a revered coffee brewer in a city where tongues are dis-
cerning. The mandate here is to return to the flavor of the coffee bean, eschewing
flavored drinks and pesticides. Beans are prepared in a roaster with a 6-pound
capacity. Need I point out it's organic? And strong? You'll find it (but no seating
or food) beside Dark Gardens, a custom corset maker (really). The beanery has
also opened a small cafe with about a dozen seats south of Market near Union
Square (66 Mint St.;
%
415/495-3394). There, check out its $20,000 Japanese
cold-drip brewing machine with halogen flames and glass orbs—it's like some-
thing Captain Nemo would use.
$
Phil Jaber and his son Jacob have the elevated sensibility of winemakers, but
they apply their sophisticated palates to five-star coffee blends instead, which they
sell at the Mission's
Philz Coffee
(3101 24th St., at Folsom;
%
415/875
-
9370;
www.philzcoffee.com; daily 6am-8:30pm; MC, V).
Cups are brewed to order from
a wide array of unusual blends (some two dozen; the Turkish Coffee is made with
mint and cardamom), and couches are deep and soft. It operates a second loca-
tion in the
Castro (4023 18th Street, at Noe;
%
415/875
-
9656).
$
Smoking in restaurants is no longer legal in California, so North Beach's
Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Café
(566 Columbus Ave., at Union;
%
415/362
-
0536; daily 10am-11pm; MC, V)
won't live up to its name. What you will get,
though, is a thoroughly local, long-running establishment situated on the south
of Washington Square and popular with people-watchers but not so many
tourists. There are plastic tables on the sidewalk, but inside, among the Italian art
posters, is where it's at, as the servers plop down homemade Campari, intensely
filling focaccia sandwiches ($8; try the meatball one), and a mean cappuccino, the
house drink (although the homemade Campari is an acquired taste).
$
You'll find it at a perfect location for soaking up San Francisco atmosphere:
on a corner along the Powell-Hyde cable-car line. That makes the quintessential
cafe,
Nook
55
(1500 Hyde St., at Jackson;
%
415/447
-
4100; www.cafenook.
com; Mon-Fri 7am-10:30pm, Sat-Sun 8am-9pm; AE, MC, V),
a terrific place to sit
at an outdoor table and soak up Nob Hill's distinct ambience—”So,” you'll sigh
to yourself as the car's bell clangs, “this is why I came to San Francisco.” Menu
selections are clean and basic (lots of small plates for $7-$8: artichoke bottoms
with goat cheese; olive tapenade and hummus on ciabatta), and not only is the
wine list long for a cafe, but it offers most choices by the glass (about $7). Salads
($5-$8) are good here in a way they almost never are at similar cafes. Now and
then, the cafe books live music acts at night. The only downer is getting there; it's
at the top of a hill. But if you need a simple, light meal with atmosphere, it's hard
to do better.
$$-$$$$
A classy cafe that's close to Union Square (it's northeast of it),
Café de
la Presse
(352 Grant Ave., at Bush;
%
415/398
-
2680; www.aqua-sf.com/cdlp;
Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30-9:30pm, Sun 11:30am-4pm; MC, V)
does the
