san francisco

San Francisco, California Coffee Guide

With how boujee California can get, I had decent expectations for the San Francisco coffee scene.

*spoiler* it did not disappoint

I was only in San Francisco for a couple days, so I had to plan out where I was going to get coffee before-hand (nothing new) to try and fit in as many stops as possible.

If you’re curious how my brain works in deciding what coffee shops to try when I travel, especially with limited time, I did a whole post on what I look for. The points I made there helps me not waste my time or money on coffee shops that aren’t that good.

Ultimate Berlin Coffee Guide

Where to find the BEST coffee in New York City

Home Coffee SF

You may recognize Home SF from my Best instagram photo spots in San Francisco.

First Impressions: I was SO excited to go here after seeing it on instagram (I mean look at that latte art)! They have multiple locations but I went to the location near the 16th Ave tiled steps which I talked about here. The cafe itself has their own unique aesthetic filled with cute decor.

Atmosphere: It was a medium-sized cafe with some seating. Most of it was filled with people on their laptops getting work done (we love to see it)! It’s located in a more quiet neighborhood so I could easily see myself being productive here.

Final Thoughts: 10/10. It was such a unique spot with lots of character. I managed to get a spot at the window and the lighting was everything. If you ever go to SFO you MUST stop here.

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Golden Goat Coffee

Golden Goat coffee was actually my first stop when visiting San Francisco. I ventured off from my hotel down some side streets, passing everyone headed into work.

First Impressions: It’s a hidden shop right off an alley way. If you didn’t know of here previously, you would’ve just noticed a little fold out coffee sign off the main street. I could tell lots of people were here for coffee before work *local spot*

Atmosphere: The place itself is super small and I’m pretty sure they only do takeaway. But the employees were super nice and I’m pretty sure I saw one of them go off and give out coffee to the homeless around the area which was super nice to see.

Final Thoughts: 10/10 for quality, and location. This spot isn’t far off from the main strip, so it’s perfect to take a pit stop for a takeaway coffee before sightseeing.

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Ritual Coffee Roasters

Originally Ritual Coffee wasn’t on my first list of coffee shops to try, but a friend mentioned it was on their faves list so I had to make it a point to stop by. I went to Soul Cycle in the morning then made a pit stop here to have for my walk back to my hotel.

First Impressions: They had a wider array of a menu with more specialty coffee (makes sense since they roast all their own coffee). To be fair I can’t remember exactly what I got here but I think it was one of their specialty pour overs & it was super flavorful.

Atmosphere: Ritual has multiple locations but this one was definitely more geared for takeaway. There were a few tables in and outside but it was pretty full when I went.

Final Thoughts: 9/10. I could see myself ordering their beans online to have at home as they definitely know what they’re doing. This spot just didn’t stand out to me as much as the first two I mentioned.

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Saint Frank

First Impressions: Saint Frank was a cute little shop off the main strip in Soma with the most gorgeous gold and teal/green aesthetic… what dreams are made of.

Atmosphere: Super, super cute decor and over aesthetic. There were some tables and such but it seemed that most of the cafe itself was where they roasted their coffee. Also something to note, the exact location I went to ( the one in Soma) wasn’t in the most quiet neighborhood, so I’m no sure if I would go here to get any work done. Nonetheless, the coffee was worth it.

Final Thoughts: 8.5/10 for coffee, I think I was adventurous when I went and got a slightly flavored latte over a normal one. If you know one thing about me I normally drink black coffee… If I was to go here again and get sweetened coffee I’m sure my rating would then raise a significant amount.

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Remember to check out my other city coffee guides here for other inspo 🙂

Thanks so much if you’ve read this far. I appreciate the support so much.

Lots of love,

Want location ideas for your instagram feed? or photo spots that are anything but the Golden Gate Bridge? (because trust me, there are a lot)

Then keep reading!!!

Before leaving for the west coast, I can’t lie-

one of my biggest google searches was “instagram spots in San Francisco”

– or searches dedicated to my other upcoming travel destinations. I had no clue before-hand that putting together a list of your ultimate instagram aesthetic spots was a thing, but I’m so happy it is.

The ones I looked at months ago I found so helpful so I hope this helps or sparks some interest in you!

This past February on my west coast travels, I embarked on a 4-day mini trip to San Francisco, California. Being such an odd time in the year to travel, especially in the states, it made going to the touristy spots much easier to get good photos. Also, with me not being a fan of weather above 65-70 degrees F, if I went to California any later in the year I would die of heat exhaustion.

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Related Posts:

The Best Photo Spots in Berlin

Brighton Beach, New Zealand Photo Diary

Palace of Fine Arts

I was blown away by the architecture and how the area itself made me feel like I was off in some distant country. There was so many spots here perfect for photos and a cute little pond and pathways that wrapped around the main dome.

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Alamo Square

gotta love that shadow of my boyfriend haha

Of course when I went here the “famous” colored buildings in the square were under construction but it still was a great view of the city.

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16th Avenue Tiled Steps

To my surprise the city actually has multiple tiled staircases, and as you can guess, they’re all gorgeous. It took some time to get here with public transportation (and lots of uphill walking, but I guess you have to expect that in San Francisco).

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*random fun fact time* the steepest residential street in the WORLD is NOT in San Francisco!! It is in Dunedin, New Zealand. I have a travel guide featuring it here.

After heading to see the mosaic steps I’m sure you’re going to be tired and just want to sit down; this brings me to my next destination.

I have the perfect place for you.

Home Coffee Roasters

Me being the coffee obsessed person that I am of course I had to include a cute cafe in here (full San Francisco coffee guide coming very soon)!

In the mean time check out my past coffee guides for New York City, Berlin & Portland, Oregon.

The baristas here are SO talented and make it easy to get adorable photos. My mind was blown when I saw the latte art on mine and my boyfriend’s. They also have a long list of really unique flavored coffee beverages!

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The Streets – Lombard Street

Sounds simple but the city itself has so many unique streets. There are many hidden steps and alleyways cutting through parks and such.

One specific one I will mention (because it is the most popular one), is Lombard Street. Even if you don’t go to take photos, per say, it’s such an odd street with its unique characteristics. This spot is normally pretty crowded, but I saw so many people taking that to their advantage to take creative photos.