North Beach is a coffee forefather in the Bay, the first neighborhood to bring espresso machines from Italy to locals. But these days it’s a varied landscape for coffee, with old shops like Caffe Trieste serving vibes and dark roasts while Hole in the Wall keeps it quirky as hell. Beacon Coffee & Pantry manages to do it all: Well-made coffee, bountiful indoor seating, and a prime location on Columbus Avenue.

Wrecking Ball’s Trish Rothgeb is known for her well-balanced espresso drinks and precise, technologically advanced pour-overs — plus, she coined the now popular “waves of coffee” terminology. The Berkeley location of her business closed, so the Cow Hollow outpost will have to be as great as two coffee shops.

There is nothing as fine as sitting on the foggy Balboa Street while the alchemists at Coffee Movement’s second and greatest location crack out the army of coffee ordered each morning. The flights are affordable, a chance to try one well-sourced coffee in three ways or to try three well-sourced coffees in one way. Plus, there are rotating coffee concoctions such as the Earl Greyhound (filter coffee, grapefruit, Earl Grey tea, tarragon, elderflower tonic, and lemon balm).

Powered by a trio of trans activists, Fluid Cooperative Cafe resides inside La Cocina Municipal Marketplace and uses Queer Wave Coffee beans. The buzzy little counter is the first thing to greet you when you walk inside and your menu options range from iced cafe de olla to a creamy latte made with Okinawa black sugar.

It was only a matter of time before the Bay Area joined the growing movement of cafes run by Yemeni and other members of the SWANA diaspora. The first in the area is Delah, a SoMa delight that stays busy through the late night with cardamom-infused pots of coffee kept warm by tiny candles.

Sextant founder Kinani Ahmed works directly with Ethiopian, Kenyan, and Colombian growers, making for high-end but affordable beans to-go. In this chunk of the city, Sextant is alone in offering terrific coffees and delicious pastries from Firebrand Artisan Breads.

Yo También Cantina stocks Grand Coffee, also on this list, helping owners Isabella Bertorelli and Kenzie Benesh make Hugo Street a coffee haven. Bertorelli used to work at the Wooly Pig, the café that was in the same location just a few years ago, and the couple’s cafe holds the same great reverence for neighbors and fans. The parklet, both gorgeous and accessible, is the perfect place to enjoy the signature Oatly Lavender Cold Brew for $5 with a breakfast cookie.

Abanico Coffee Roasters brought its specialty coffee drinks and freshly roasted beans to the Mission in 2021. Owner Ana Valle is originally from El Salvador, where she grew up sipping cafecito with her grandmother. Now she’s sweetening cafe con leche with condensed milk and dusting iced cafe de olla with cinnamon in this bright, airy space. 

More than 11 years into its journey, Grand Coffee opened a second location a block away from its mini cafe on Mission Street. The shop also serves its coffee at the Grove at Yerba Buena and keeps customers buzzed during Ramadan. Next door to Alamo Drafthouse, the small businesses’ new shop is spacious and bright, and working through a two-person Chemex at the tiled bar is a delight: This second location was the greatest coffee shop for the community in 2022.

Across the street from El Rio is one of San Francisco’s most low-key and high-impact coffee shops. Not only does the minuscule shop bake all of its own pastries, but it also makes a few coffee drinks that can’t be found anywhere else. The Thai Breakfast starts with a base of cold brew before adding oat milk and banana; for $6, the item is as signature a Bay Area coffee drink as the now-defunct Trouble Coffee’s coffees served in coconuts.

Opened in June 2021 by Dee and their cat Boots, this Bayview shop has gained a loyal fanbase for items like the Hella Black toast on San Francisco bakery Rize Up’s bread and the housemade orange marmalade. Plus, it bears repeating, the co-owner is a cat.