My on going, updated in real time list for the best coffee shops in San Francisco for digital nomads!
Criteria: must have Wi-Fi!
Brownie points if there’s outlets!
RULE OF THUMD
When visiting an independent coffee shop to pop a squat and work away, purchase something every two hours!!!
The List
The neighborhoods are organized aphetically, as are the coffee shops in the them.
I want your feedback!
If you have a favorite coffee shop that I didn’t cover in SF, please lemme know in the comments below! It’s gotta have Wi-Fi and brownie points if it has outlets too!
Castro
The Verve
This minimalist hipster spot feels spacious but actually has quite limited seating. There’s one cramped communal table with about 8 seats, some quasi comfy looking couches (with folks carrying their laptops on their actual laps) and some standing counters, with folks working on their laptops here standing up. There’s only 1 outlets and good luck finding it unoccupied!
Excellent quality food, think avo toast, some sandwiches, chia pudding, a salad option, biscuits, and delicious pastries. All bread and pastries are sourced from Firebrand Bread in Oakland. The coffee is sourced internationally and roasted in Santa Cruz.
The pace is filled with digital nomads; working on their computers anywhere they find space. The food is good enough to hang all damn day but the seating is too cramped for my liking.
*** To Note: Their avocado toast in SC (original location) is the BEST one I’ve ever had!!! They use different bread in SF and it’s *slightly* different but still one of the better avo toasts in coffee shop in the city.
Dogpatch
Farley's Coffee
Farley’s has all the feels of an independent, charming, cozy neighborhood café. They source their coffee from a handful of countries and roast and blend it themselves in Oakland. Their tea selection is provided by San Francisco based Five Mountains Tea. In addition to a fully stocked coffee and tea selection, they have all sorts of pastries, empanadas, fruit, chips snacks, juices, and a monthly special salad. Everything is sourced from local purveyors (yaya!) and the pastries are from Firebrand Bread.
There’s free, no password Wi-Fi that’s good for 2 hours. After that you’ll be blacked you out from joining the free Wi-Fi for 6 hours!
This spot is full of character and digital nomads. No plugs and minimal savory food make its better for a work session than a pop a squat and work all day vibe (which doesn’t seem to be what they want anyways).
Fun fact: There’s also a fully loaded magazine corner, with 400 titles across their two locations, available for purchase or just browse while ya enjoy the spot. In the SF the magazine corner is in the back in the back and a board game and bookshelf is in the front.
Note: Oakland location (Farley’s East) has a much more extensive food lunch and dinner menu of hot and cold paninis, healthy salads, homemade soups and baked goods.
Financial District
The Station SF
Corner coffee shop spot filled with lots of natural light and lots of food options. Coffee is from Sightglass and pastries are from Goody Goodie. Have breakfast menu, salads and sandwiches. Some bar stool seating, lots of individual tables and some communal tables in the middle. Not a single outlet to be found so come fully juiced up! Playing Latin pop every time I’ve been. Doesn’t have a ton of character but it works for getting some solid work done.
Hayes Valley
Mercury Café
Corner neighborhood café serving De la Paz, good quality food and tons of outlets! Bright, airy, and unpretentious. The Wi-Fi here has always been too slow for me to ever get much work done but I like to think I keep catching it on a bad day. It’s exactly the kind of independent spot I want to be supporting! And the food is solid, using mainly local and organic ingredients (yaya!). Space is full of individual table seating and digital nomads. Start your day here with a pastry and easily work through lunch.
Note: They’ve been serving De La Paz coffee since they first opened 10 years ago, and they were bought by 4 Barrel 6 years ago.
Haught-Ashbury
Flywheel Coffee Roasters
Family owned coffee shop in a former bike shop with a minimalist industrial aesthetic. It’s pretty dark inside with loud music and have some outdoor patio seating as well. There are outlets!!! Coffee is sourced internationally and roasted in SF. Pasty options are all local, from Dynamo Donuts, and Sugar Plum Bakery. No savory options at all but there's a Whole Foods next door and Golden Gate Park is across the street if ya wanan take a quickie lunch break and come back. Coffee here is strong! Seating is a mix of a long wooden bench, chairs, and backless bar stools. I’ve always seen it filled with digital nomads and its def a solid spot to work away all day. And bonus points if you score an outlet!
Mission Bay
Reveille Coffee Co
Chic, modern, airy, and bright industrial space with very crammed together tables. Fully stocked coffee bar, smoothies, juices, bowls and salads, pasta, sandwiches, veggies, wine and beer. The coffee is sourced internationally and they roast it in SF. Pastries are from Starter Bakery and Neighbor Bakehouse.
They serve some of the better quality, fresh food I’ve had at SF coffee shops. Only drawback is that you’re elbowing your neighbor while you eat it. Absolutely adore the amount of natural light in this spot. Perimeter is lined with individual table seating and there’s some counter action too. No Outlets and filled with digital nomads. The wide range of food items makes it a solid spot to work away here all day.
Note: All Reveille location turns their Wi-Fi off on weekend.
There’s 7 locations in the Bay Area: North Beach, Mission Bay, Lower Haight, Berkeley, Castro, truck in Jackson Square. Mission Bay, Lower Haight and Berkeley have full menu and the other menus are limited.
Mission District
Craftsman and Wolves
A contemporary patisserie in a minimalist space. Think all your classic coffee shop items but with an elevated, upscale twist. An ever changing all day breakfast pastries, cakes, breads, confections, confitures, sandwiches, bowls, deserts and booze too. Very limited but scrumptious options at a time. For indoor seating, there are 3 communal wooden picnic tables and some window counter action and a few outdoor tables too. All indoor seating is low no-back stools ~ not the best for cranking away on your computer all day. But if you’re desperately craving a soft cooked egg inside asiago sausage green onion muffin… this is your spot! Full disclosure: it’s this pastry, called the Rebel Within, that got this spot on my list! It’s simply that unique and good. Coffee is from Bellwether in Berkeley, tea is from Smith and all food is made in house.
2 locations in SF (Mission& Bay View) and a stand at the Ferry Building Farmers Market.
To note: the Bayview location does not have Wi-Fi.
Haus Coffee
This precious spot seems like such a secret little gem and I almost don’t want to write about it! The space is everything a digital nomad needs…. meaning lots and lots of outlets and extension cords. The décor is minimalist and combined with lots of natural light makes the space feel spacious and airy. It’s filled with individual table seating and there’s always lots of it when I’ve been by. There’s a lovely and huge patio in the back. Always have chill tunes playing. Only food option is toasts ~ but lots of them ~ from Firebrand Bread ~ with a rotation of different local breads and spreads. Coffee is from De la Paz. Perk: its open til 9, which is quite late for SF standards!
Stanza Coffee
This super charming café was formerly hookah bar and kept a lots of the same décor, making for a quirky, refreshingly different spot. Not a ton of natural light inside but filled with individual table seating, outlets, and a nice sized outdoor patio with seating too. This place is exclusively serves coffee roasted outside of SF; they’re all about outstanding coffees from award winning roasters based in cities around the country. But they do support local machinists, bakers, and tea-purveyors. Pastries are from Pepples Organic Donuts, Thorough Bread and BATCH Baking. Menu has all sorts of savory options salad and sandwich options too.
If you wanna juice up that computer, work outside, or pop a squat in a dimly lit chill and laid back location ~ this place is for you.
To Note: Stanza’s original Haight location opened in April 2012; it serves wine, and exclusively features Counter Culture Coffee.
Atlas Café
It’s a cute neighborhood coffee house meets a Cali neighborhood diner. Fully stocked coffee bar and all sorts of breakfast, brunch and dinner items, think bagels, salads, sandwiches, soups, pizza, beer and wine. Coffee is from Stumptown and pastries are from City Baking. Filled with individual table seating, some outlets and a decent sized outdoor patio too. This spot officially takes the prize for the best hours, open from 6:30am-10pm, the latest independent coffee shop spot I’ve found in SF yet! You’ll get a Wi-Fi code from the cashier that they ask you only use for 2 hours…. so do that are buy something every 2 hours that you enjoy this charming corner spot.
To note: there’s live music 8-10pm Thurs & Fri and 4-6pm Sat.
Nob Hill
Nook
Cute and cozy corner café on the smaller side. Fully stocked coffee bar, with coffee from Equator, and all sorts of boozy options too. In terms of food there’s and all sorts of breakfast options, lots of salad, sandwich and small plate lunch and dinner options. Filled with small table seating and a handful of tables on the sidewalk outside. No plus so come fully charged! Can watch the cable cars cruise on by from the window. Open until the late side in SF (9pm) but I’ve heard in turns a more into a wine bar at night.
North Beach
Reveille Coffee Co
This corner spot with lots of natural light is much smaller than its Mission Bay Counterpart with a limited food menu….but they have outlets! 2 tables and the rest of is counter top seating on bars stools that line the perimeter.
See Mission Bay location description to learn more about their coffee and food.
Beacon Coffee & Pantry
Has great Wi-Fi and outlets!!! Coffee is from Andytown in SF, pastries are from Firebrand Bread in Oakland, and all the rest is made in house (think chia pudding, avocado toasts, kale salad). They kindly ask that you purchase something every 2 hours that you camp out here and I support their very fair request. Some table and some counter/bar stool seating and 1 communal table. Breakfast served til 11 then lunch menu starts until closing at 6. Simple menu but definitely enough to get you through the workday. Very comfy spot playing upbeat tunes softly from the speakers and it’s very pleasant to be a digital nomad here.
Pacific Heights
Jane on Fillmore
Adorable, cozy, always packed spot with a unique individual table interior filled with retro tabletops and whimsical flower walls. Don’t be fooled by the line out the door! There’s generally seating here, at least upstairs. But this spot is def all about getting that easy parking and good seating. It’s a café and bakery with an emphasis on fresh and healthy foods, think lots and lots and lots of salad options, paninis, sandwiches, and smoothies. They source their coffee internationally and roast in Utah; all the pastries are made in house. Everything I’ve ordered sounds better on the menu than it actually tastes… but I’m still making my way through it. Major plus: the upstairs is all lined with outlets!
The vibe is a more of a I-just-got-out-of Pilates-and-am-grabbing-a-bite-before-I-go-to-yoga than a digital nomad heaven but if you don’t mind super duper long coffee lines then it’s a decent work spot, especially if ya needa re-charge that computer!
Note: The Larkin location does nothave Wi-Fi!
Russian Hill
St. Franks Coffee
Clean and modern, with lots of natural light in minimalist space. They source their coffee internationally and roast in SF. This bright bi-level space has great light. They practice relationship coffee, which means they personally know the farmer and farm they source from and negotiate the price directly with the producer.
In true SF fashion, they make their own house made macadamia nut milk (try it!) and house-made seasonal syrups. Food is just sweets, pastries from. In terms of seating, there’s some bar stool counter action by the window, individual seating in the front and a few big communal tables in the back in addition to 1 big communal table upstairs. No plugs so come fully juiced. Definitely a very pleasant digital nomad spot, where you’ll easily stay until you get hungry for something savory or run out of battery.
SOMA
The Creamery
A bistro, coffee shop and full bar all wrapped into one! I’ve spent a whole lot of time here simply because I live on this block. Fully stocked coffee and booze bar with breakfast and lunch/dinner menu items. Individual indoor and outdoor table seating. No plugs at all so come fully charged. Wi-Fi can be a bit spotty at times. Generally blasting chill classic rock tunes. Open until 8pm on weekdays, which is on the later, side for SF. All coffee is sourced from Equator Coffees and Teas. Solid spot for food, coffee, booze and to get some solid work done on that computer!
Contraband Coffee Bar
Industrial, airy, minimalist, modern corner spot with lots of natural light and outlets. They takes their coffee *very*seriously and have lots of unique options like their sage and rosemary latte! They roast their own coffee in Oakland and source internationally. Food is all pastries, most sweet with a savory option or two as well, all from either Neighbor Bakehouse or Third Culture Bakery. When they have lots of pastries left at the end of the day they often sell them at 50% off. Solid comfy spot for getting caffeinated and getting work done (even juicing up that comp!) though the minimal food options will probably prevent ya from sticking around all day.
Sunset
Snowbird Coffee
Dimly lit and cozy, they serve their own roasts and a rotating selection of national coffees with some pastries and sweets. A few tables in the front are great for computer work and the rest in the back are set up with a funky pole in the middle and not so computer friendly. Also have 2 big comfy seats in the back. Lots of nice natural light in the front, with 1 outlet. If you’re looking for good coffee in the sunset with Wi-Fi, this place is for you!
Presidio Heights
As Quoted
White, modern, hip, minimalist and very Instragramable. This very white interior space gets lots of natural light and is bright and cheery. Coffee is from Anytown Coffee Roasters and the food is a mix of organic pastries, salads, open-faced sandwiches (on house-made gluten free bread of course), bone broth-based soups, smoothies, and there’s even a beet latte! The food is meant to appeal to all the free-ers, have that be free from dairy, nut, gluten, soy or anything else ya can think of and be sourced as locally as possible (yaya!). They have plugs!!! The front is lined with indicial table and low, backless stools, with 2 big communal tables in the back. The vibe is slightly more mom friendly/I just got out of an exercise class but its def a good option to pop a squat and gets lots done, and the deliciously fresh food will assure your fed well (albeit not cheaply) while doing so.
Have ya enjoyed this post? I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a comment below and if you're at your favorite coffee shop in SF for digital nomads, take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #wavesinthekitchen cause I'd love to see it! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!
Let's makes waves in the kitchen!
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