Lauren Crabbe’s chain of coffee shops are a surfer’s delight, right up there with Java Beach and Trouble Coffee Co. The Snowy Plover, named after the endangered bird of Pixar fame, is a thick, creamy, and fizzy treat. With housemade whipped cream and rotating varieties for various holidays (yes, there’s a pumpkin spice latte version in the fall) the Plover has become, in many ways, the Outer Sunset’s signature coffee drink.

This Irving Street shop is a welcome addition to the lineup of Sunset coffee shops, though it’s certainly more a takeaway spot. No matter, as what can be taken away is unlike anything else in the city: fruit lattes. The avocado option – we suggest ordering it “strong” with an extra shot of Caffe Umbria espresso – is a top tier pick (though co-owner Heng Qiu says he is partial to the pineapple rendition).

This James Beard Award-nominated outfit is known primarily for its baked goods (not to be slept on) but the coffee drinks are of the utmost craft, too. The egg coffee might be the top contender: Wrecking Ball espresso interspersed among egg custard. But why compete? Try the sparkling yuzu americano, the sesame horchata latte, or matcha cappuccino, too.

The cold brew at this shop is worth a try (honorable nod to Flywheel’s cold coffee, too) but it’s the Richmond Chill, the businesses’ riff on a Vietnamese coffee, that folks will mention. The list of options and unique takes is staggering: a torched creme brulee latte, a malted milk chocolate Whopper latte, and even a mint cold brew that may just be a wink toward the iconic Philz option.

This one is for the floral fans out there. The team at the Inner Sunset’s Yo Tambien Cantina, when they’re not hosting experimental vegan pop-ups, sell Verve coffee with a delightfully light lavender syrup and splash of oat milk.  

Coffee Out There owner and founder Erica Ash describes this latte’s taste as “fruity pebbles.” The shop is a window kiosk in Indigo Vintage on Haight Street and taking one of the eponymously named Indigo Lattes on a walk through the Haight, or into Golden Gate Park, is a wonderful way to spend any afternoon.

If the Bay Area is home to pioneering minds in coffee, then SPRO must be the ones keeping the pioneers of the pioneers caffeinated. This “coffee lab” has a Spark Social outpost and one near Mission Dolores Park, both of which dish out truly wild coffee drinks. The Cold Fashioned, one of many mocktails and latte riffs, features cold brew, orange bitters, gum syrup, flamed orange twist, luxardo cherry – on the rocks, of course.

This Swedish drink, a simple pairing of espresso and tonic water, experienced a renaissance in the mid-2010s, but it was Saint Frank owner Kevin Bohlin who is credited with bringing the beverage to the Bay and, subsequently, the states. A spritely drink for one of those rare warm days.  

If this coffee shop sounds familiar, it’s possible the Instagram algorithm has put their handiwork on your feed whether you realize it or not. Co-owner Annie Cheng’s lattes are visually stunning, and the birthday cake latte is a particularly bright choice amongst their vibrant offerings.

In addition to its very good cold brew, Mazarine has a very excellent nitro coffee on tap, a smooth, creamy-textured coffee that’s been infused with nitrogen and pulled from a tap. For something a little different, try the “raf,” an iced combo of espresso, half-and-half, and cinnamon. (And always order one of the cafe’s very hefty sweet or savory toasts.)

It's a chain, but it's OUR chain, San Francisco. Plus, who can deny the surprisingly refreshing minty indulgence of an iced mint mojito? Philz ever-expanding stable of locations (and trucks) can satisfy your sweet coffee beverage craving better than a frappuccino ever could.