Whether you’re a downtown worker bee looking for a place to laptop park or a total espresso obsessive, here are four of the latest cafés, carts, and bars to open around town that are ready to caffeinate you.
A third location of the local café group has opened in the ground floor of the St. Mary’s Square Garage. FiDi workers are able to snag a shot of Mr. Espresso off one of the La Marzocco Strada machines, or go for a pour-over of single origin coffee. There are also treats from Starter Bakery, Sandbox Bakery, Anthony’s Cookies, and larger lunchy items. Open Mon–Fri 6am–5pm. 433 Kearny St. at Pine.
Any local who harbors an espresso infatuation knows the name Andrew Barnett, the founder of Ecco Caffe. He has now partnered withAnthony Myint of Mission Chinese, Commonwealth, and Mission Bowling Club to open this ristretto-sized espresso bar in the back of Duc Loi Supermarket. Barnett is roasting their coffee at Highwire’s facility in Emeryville, using beans from some of his favorite growers from around the world (you’ll be able to buy beans to take home). No drip or pour-over here; just espresso o’clock, all the time. If you’re hungry, check out the salads (with awesome toppings) from GreenSalads.org, and waffles from Lt. Waffle, a Brussels-style yeasted waffle stand (there’s a savory pastrami waffle too). Opens today (September 18th); hours are 8am–3pm daily. 3417 18th St. at San Carlos.
Sightglass Coffee Cart
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market-goers will notice there’s another coffee game in the mix: The Sightglass crew is now at the Saturday market with their own cart in the back plaza, next to Cowgirl Creamery. They’ll be offering their beans, plus espresso and pour-over coffee to help you deal with the morning crowds.
You don’t have to feel like an outlet or seat hog at this new café designed for downtown laptop workers. You can fuel up on coffee drinks from Stumptown while waiting for your documents to print (there are even scanners and ergonomic seating); food is coming soon. The space costs $2 an hour, which is tracked using their smartphone app. There’s also some outside seating. Open Mon–Fri 6am–10pm, Sat–Sun 8am–10pm. 180 Montgomery St. at Bush.
Marcia Gagliardi is the founder of the weekly tablehopper e-column; subscribe and get more food news and gossip at tablehopper.com. Follow her on Twitter: @tablehopper.
