San Francisco has some of the country's best coffee shops. Here are seven of our favorites. (Photo: Stocksy)

San Francisco has some of the country’s best coffee shops. Here are seven of our favorites. (Photo: Stocksy)

San Francisco

7 Great Places to Sip Coffee in San Francisco

If you’re someone who needs a serious caffeine fix to get your day started, look no further than these seven great coffee shops in San Francisco, brewing up cups worth buzzing about, as well as some nice breakfast items, too.

Trouble Coffee

Coffee and toast obsessives flock to this tiny storefront in the Outer Sunset for potent cups of French roast coffee made with Intelligentsia beans and thick slices of Pullman loaf covered in butter, cinnamon and sugar. (Fun fact: Trouble is the originator of San Francisco’s artisanal toast craze.)

Order the “Build Your Own Damn House” and you’ll receive a trifecta of goodies: a slice of cinnamon toast, a young Thai coconut; and a cup of java. There’s limited indoor seating, but don’t let this deter you — there are communal benches outside and the Pacific Ocean is just a five-minute jaunt away.

Trouble has a second, even tinier location across the city in Bayview, as well as a spacious storefront in West Oakland.

The Mill

This sunbathed cafe on Divisadero is a collab between San Francisco coffee roaster Four Barrel and the mastermind behind The Mill’s exquisite breads, pastries and toast, Josey Baker (yes, that’s her real name). Four Barrel Coffee sources its beans from third-generation farmers in Latin America, Indonesia and East Africa.

Baker grinds the whole grain flour for her loaves in house–they range from sourdough country bread to black pepper-parmesan–and covers thick slices with toppings like herb chicken salad, local jam, apple butter, and housemade “nutella.”

Philz is the official go-to for Facebook employees, and it’s not hard to see why. Although there are no lattes, cappuccinos or espressos at Philz, there are 20 customized drip blends made from beans roasted in the company’s plant in nearby Oakland.

If you want to get a little wild with your caffeinated beverage, order the Mint Mojito Iced Coffee, made from cold brew, fresh mint leaves, whole milk and raw sugar. There are 12 Philz locations (and a Philz truck) in San Francisco, so you can secure a cup of the Mark Zuckerberg-approved java no matter where in the city you find yourself.

Saint Frank

Saint Frank founder Kevin Bohlin believes that coffee is every bit as complex as the world’s finest wines and spirits, with unique terroir and varietal characteristics. Bohlin’s stunning specialty coffee bar in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood–all light wood, white tiles, and natural light–is the place to enjoy coffee meticulously sourced by Bohlin and roasted by Ritual Coffee Roasters.

Don’t overlook Saint Frank’s housemade almond milk and the shop’s coffee sodas, made with chocolatey espresso and tonic.

Sextant

The owner of Sextant, Kinani Ahmed, is a first-generation Ethiopian and works directly with farmers across Ethiopia, Kenya and Colombia to source flavorful and complex coffees. His SoMa cafe and roastery has a moody industrial vibe, complete with exposed brick, beams and plenty of seating.

If you’re learning a new programming language or writing a business plan for your tech startup, know that Sextant has free Wifi and serves a rich Red Eye (drip coffee with a shot of espresso).