Thanks to a new location open in Burlingame, Equator Coffee now has cafes serving just about every corner of the Bay. In the city, the SoMa shop remains closed but you can still get your fix of seasonal single origin pour overs and espresso drinks at the Fort Mason outpost or the newly opened Round House cafe. No matter where you snag a drink you can feel good supporting a woman-owned, LGBTQ-founded business. 

The North Beach location of Caffe Trieste has been around for more than 50 years, serving Italian-style espresso to the masses. It's host to a crowd of neighborhood regulars, who prior to the pandemic could be found discussing, art, poetry, music, and more on the sidewalk outside. Just up the street Caffe Trieste has also opened a retail store for beans and more.

Saint Frank is known for its pour-overs and espresso drinks, most made with beans from independent producers. Its Russian Hill location and its SoMa roastery (1081 Mission) are open and pulling tasting flights of espresso and serving specialty lattes.

You’ll have to cross the Bay to check out Red Bay’s sweet new headquarters but if you’re just looking for a bag of  medium roast, single-origin from Brazil or a Vietnamese cold brew, then you can head to the location at the Ferry Building. Steel yourself for long lines during the Saturday morning farmers market. 

Nob Hill cafe the Coffee Movement is open for takeout from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, including wild concoctions like its 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.  

Fifty/Fifty’s location on Geary near USF is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for takeout and notes that its “floor tiles are 2’ x 2’ so if there are 3 squares between you and the next person,” correct social distancing has been achieved. They’ve also added a white wooden parklet so you can enjoy your coffee al fresco.

Both locations of Rise & Grind (785 8th Avenue in the Inner Richmond, and 2598 Folsom Street in the Mission) are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, and at 9 a.m. on the weekends, with a full menu of coffee drinks as well as a cafe menu of toasts and sandwiches.

All three Sightglass locations are open for takeout, including 270 7th Street in SoMa, 3014 20th Street in the Mission, and 301 Divisadero Street just off Page Street. Both are serving takeout and pastries.

Berkeley’s Souvenir Coffee has expanded into San Francisco, opening a coffee shop in the space that’s been home to a few coffee spots in the last couple years. Owner Jeremy Bled says he wants to “let the neighborhood tell us what they want” and to evolve accordingly. For now, that means house-label beans including a new, “lighter-roast” Divisadero Blend, and pastries from five-generation-old SF bakery Les Gourmands.

Longtime Mission District standby Linea has two locations: its compact spot at 3417 18th Street, and a cafe and roastery in Potrero Hill. Both serve drinks made with their house-roasted beans, as well as espresso, filtered coffee, and cold brew.

Abanico Coffee Roasters brought its specialty coffee drinks and freshly roasted beans to the Mission earlier this year. 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. 

Mission Bay-based mobile cafe Spro Coffee Lab set brick-and-mortar roots down in the Castro in mid-2021, bringing a lengthy menu of complicated espresso drinks to the neighborhood. The drink options are divided into the following categories: simple, fancy, and over-the-top — and with ingredients like muddled strawberries, peach bitters, and a flamed orange twist, they certainly live up to the designation. 

Bernadette Melvin is running her Noe Valley institution with a skeleton crew these days, so be patient and don’t crowd the coffee bar — she’s serious about social distancing. Her strong coffee is made with Spinelli beans, and the spacious benches outside her shop are a solid option for socially-distant sipping.

This Taraval coffee shop also operates as a grab-and-go market (with staples, beer, and wine), a smoothie bar, and a salad and sandwich spot. Don’t let its diversification fool you, though, its coffee drinks are top notch, and available (for an extra $2) with CBD.

Java Beach’s locations at 1396 La Playa Street and 2650 Sloat Boulevard both serve strong, 1990s-throwback coffee, and its sandwiches and salads are solid lunch contenders, too. The whole menu is available for takeout and online ordering is available as well, with the option to grab your drink via a walk up window at the La Playa outpost.

Mission Blue’s excellent coffee drinks are made with Saint Frank beans (tea is from UK cult brand TeaPigs), and its lavender latte sends folks to its Visitacion Valley door. It’s also got a gift shop that specializes in goods from local artists and makers, including jewlery, ceramics, and paper products.