Sunday, June 21, 2015

Cafe Catalog of the Bay Area

In ten days in San Francisco, I managed to visit ten great cafes all over the Bay area. I've ranked them here in order of my favorites - the ones with the best coffee and best writing atmosphere. A big thank you to my San Fran friends, who saved me much time and trouble researching, and took me to these wonderful places.


1. Reveille, Castro District  
The is my favorite cafe in San Francisco. It's small. It's crowded. It's popular. It's delicious. I have the fondest memories sitting at their bar counter and nothing seems to compare with those. 




2. Hearth, Castro District  
The best place to work in the Castro. Posh atmosphere, great lattes, wifi, and abundant seating. What more could you want?



3. Local Cafe, Berkeley 
My favorite place in Berkeley. This cafe is hip, but not pretentious, and makes a fantastic vanilla latte with homemade syrup. 




4. Four Barrels, Mission District  
This hipster place is the spot to see and be seen. Abundant indoor and outdoor seating, awesome espresso, and a drip station make it rank high on my list.



5. Thoroughbread, Duboce Triangle
A fantastic bakery with indoor and outdoor seating. I had an amazing cookie and scone in their lovely outdoor patio and wish to revisit it someday. 



6. Arbor Cafe, Oakland
A very hip and trendy place in Oakland. The huge space is often packed with an even huger crowd. This place would have been number one if it wasn't for the attitude it gives off. A bit too pretentious, but still a great place to work. 




7. Ritual, Mission District  
Another digital nomad attraction in the Mission. This place is brand new, spacious, and stark. 



8. Borderlands Cafe, Misson District
Abundant seating in a a bookstore/cafe atmosphere. 



9. Bernie's Cafe, Noe Valley
A fine option for writing and hanging out in Noe Valley.



10. Arizmendi, Misson District
Arizmendi is one of the best bakeries in the city. It is always busy, especially during lunch, so this is not a place to bring a laptop. However, the amazing pastries and pizza up its ranking on the list. 



11. Marin Coffee Roasters, San Enselmo
This was a wonderfully spacious cafe with a fantastic vanilla latte and pastries. It's on the lower end of the list because it is way outside of San Francisco (we stopped on the way to Point Reyes). 



12. Philz Coffee, Castro District
Philz has some great coffee, but it is a small place and always crowded, so it ranks low on the list for now having seating or a working atmosphere. Still a great place to chill outside or grab a cup to go. 

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