Coffee Bar
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission1890 Bryant St
(between 17th St & Mariposa St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 551-8100
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
82 reviews
Neighborhood: Glen Park
"And the winner of the egg puff award is....Eggettes. They have the crispiest egg puffs and the insides are still tender and spongy (must be…" read more »
143 Reviews for Coffee Bar
I love Coffee, and I love it well. I feel like it loves me back, too. Especially when I give it a little shimmy with some soy milk and let it come sit outside with me on a big open patio. If I lived in San Francisco, I bet I'd be meeting Coffee here pretty often....we could indulge in the free wifi together and relish the abundant indoor and outdoor seating. I think I was destined to love Coffee Bar aside from the fact that they have friendly baristas and good brew--- plus the snazzy window-framed photographs that are so freakin' amazing. Brown paper rolls for menus, genius. I'll be back. Someday...
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This is the greatest coffeeshop in San Francisco. There are lots of clean wide spaces, plugs and natural light. This is the premier place to go if you're looking to hang out and work all day. There's some nice eye candy here too, especially if you are into nerdy independent contractor types (like me).
I love this place.
Great crowd of people here, and a generally friendly staff. I use Coffee Bar for my daytime studying needs, because the light is fantastic and the coffee is excellent. Also, their pastries (they don't make em, they get them from somewhere) are pretty good. Best chocolate croissant I've had in awhile.
But the dinner crowd makes it hard to study there at night. And the food was not very good. My dinner plate was very ambitious, some sort of lamb with some couscous and some sort of vegetable all mixed together on a plate. Tasted okay I guess, but presentation was poor and the whole thing just kind of had a tv dinner consistency to it. I had a sandwich for lunch and after I ate it I wasn't hungry anymore, and that's about all I have to say about that.
So, 5 stars as a coffee shop, 2 stars for food. Seeing as how it's called Coffee Bar and not Coffee Restaurant or Food Bar, I'll only dock one star for the food. See you soon, Coffee Bar.
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Super-friendly staff that doesn't mind if you go with a loud friend who insists on staying for HOURS while you try to hide in a corner.
The entire place is gorgeous, the staff rocks, the music's good. The food portions are a bit sparse, but we only think so cos we're Americans.
LOVE it. Could spend an entire Sunday here- and they wouldn't mind!
Yeah, the reviews made me go to this place, plus the fact that I was taking classes across the street.
I ordered the turkey sandwich, which was exactly that. Turkey. And some cheese. No lettuce, tomatoes, fixin's of any kind. Pretty disappointing. The salad on the side was okay, but just leaves and dressing.
$11 for a sandwich and a bottle of water. Ouch.
Coffee Bar does what every coffee shop wants to do here in San Francisco, but they do it very, very well.
Do you want great coffee? Check. Would you like delicious - may as well apply to your thighs tempting - pastries? Check. Would you like a savory and tasty salad or sandwich for lunch? Check. Would you like a glass of well picked out wine with your lunch? Check. How about a beer because you don't work in an office(jerk %$#@! I'm jealous) ? Check. How about music that doesn't make you want to stab your eardrums with the stirrers? Check. How about some diminutive munchies like cheese or salami to nosh on while you read? Check. How about free wireless and enough space to think and sit and are stylishly done, but not pretentious? Check.
Lastly, how about service that does not make you receive your AARP card while the staff gets the order finished? Check - reasonably fast service covered.
The coffee there is amazing. The staff is extraordinarily kind, funny, patient and informative. I have not once come in there and had a staff member give me a fresh, hot cup of bad hair and tarnished tiara day.
The drip coffee there is excellent. And, on the rare days that San Francisco reaches above arctic temperatures you may sit outside and hang with the neighborhood pooches with our latte.
Go get some coffee and stop staring at your screen, now.
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A comfortable place with decent (if pricey) food, excellent pastries, and decent coffee. Calm enough vibe to prevent you from too deeply noticing that it's a yuppie study hall. Nice staff. A few surprisingly interesting beers rotate through their selection. I wish they were open a bit later.
So I'm visiting SF for a couple of days and staying with a friend just 2 blocks from Coffee Bar so naturally we headed here to get a glass of wine while waiting for his girlfriend to come over so we could decide on dinner. I was with my GF so the 3 of us walk in and wait to order a glass of wine at the bar. The guy helping us was friendly and knew about the wines so he could intelligently answer our questions and supply recommendations. I really wanted wine, but the coffee smelled so good I almost changed my mind.
The few stools at the bar were filled so we walked up the half staircase to look for a table. I was stopped and asked if we would be dining. Being in the restaurant business I can understand holding tables for diners but I explained we were just having the glass of wine and would be willing to get up if in the next twenty minutes they needed all seven of the empty tables. We were offered 3 ottomans that were arranged around a low coffee table. We ventured outside instead.
We probably would have stayed for a second glass of wine and/or some small bites if we had a table. But since it was cold outside we ventured on to our next locale.
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The one day of the year I actually drove to work, I decided that I mind as well take advantage of the extra mobility and go for a drive to lunch. So Joe and I hit coffee bar, a small yet trendy cafe located somewhere in between Potrero and the Mission in rather industrial setting. Outside in the sunny patio there are a few tables and chairs where we found a smattering of locals enjoying a quick coffee/ meal during their lunch break. Inside the cafe is industrial as well- with a modern twist- there is an upstairs area too, but the counter and food ordering station is downstairs near the entrance. We ordered some delicious sounding vegetarian dishes- myself going for the butternut and chard soup while Joe opted for the tomato and roasted pepper sandwich. I also ordered a latte, Joe decidingly swearing off coffee for the afternoon (yeah right). The coffee came out first, a beautiful creation indeed made from Mr Espresso beans, keeping the same style of milk froth swirling artistry as my two other coffee producing favorites (aka Blue Bottle and Ritual). And what's more is that the taste lived up to the look. Our food arrived soon after, the soup was not what I expected in the least. Normally when I think of butternut squash soup, a puree comes in mind. However this soup had a clear and fragrant broth filled with chunks of sweet squash, carrots, and chard. Joe's sandwich was also a hit, served alongside a deliciously dressed green salad. All throughout the meal, Joe was eyeing my latte, and by the end of it decided to get an espresso (actually to be completely correct, a macchiato) for himself. And I was even more delighted to find that he had ordered two slices of a blueberry bread (they serve pastries from Patisserie Phillipe) as an accompaniment. What a great way to sop up the last bit of frothed milk in my nearly empty cup!
My only complaint is that the prices are a bit steep, but then again this is San Francisco, so it's practically a given.
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I love this place from 9-5, but once the dinner bell rings, the coffee drinkers and laptoppers among us have to haul ass elsewhere. That kind of sucks.
Coffee 4 stars
Delicious baked goodies 5 stars
Healthy alternatives 5 stars
Service 1 stars UPDATED to 2 stars
Weighted average = 3 stars
UPDATE BELOW:
*If you want to skip the rant, I sum it up at the bottom*
Ok here is the thing. Yeah it is a bit on the yuppie hipster side, and it is pricey. These are things I can over look because it has some of the best coffee I have found in that area, and the food is delicious
The biggest problem is the blonde chic. You will be able to spot her a mile away. Tall lanky, SO boho hipster that she can't smile because that would be so uncool. yuck.
The first time I visited she was cold and slightly rude, not a typical atmosphere for a coffee shop, but I thought "meh it is my first time and maybe it was a rough morning for her".
The second time I visited she made it clear that dealing with us (customers) was SOOOO tramatic that it made her hate life. I thought, "Wow! her attitude about life sucks" and I kind of pitied her.
Then I went a few times when just the guys were working - super nice, fun, and helpful (The reason that service gets a star at all). The kind of thing you normally expected out of an establishment and I thought "cool this place is that hipster type coffee shop that serves up high-end offerings, but welcomes all types - YAY"
And then she reappeared, serving only those she liked in the line (who knew she could feel!). I normally tip big, but whenever she is working I don't because I have worked in several coffee shops and I know that the tips are usually split amongst all.
Basically, she is some either that is just a plain old rude little girl - OR has major probs in her life and doesn't know how to not let if effect her at work. Either way, check out the Coffee Bar for amazing fruit, granola, and yogurt cup, almond toast, strong coffee, good sandwiches, and such. Just avoid her if you see her, you never know if one wrong question might make her start throwing things!
UPDATED!!!!! EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT.
Ok, since I work 4 blocks from here, I have not stopped visiting the Coffee Bar despite the aforementioned chic. To my surprise I have NOT seen her there on 3 subsequent occasions. Instead I have encounter a super cool brunette who is friendly AND helpful... how exciting. The people seem to really be working on creating a friendly atmosphere.
I am upping my initial 2 star rating to 3, if it appears this is not a fluke then the Coffee Bar with rise to 4 stars where it belongs.
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Love this place, they make the most beautiful lattes !
They know how to steam the foam in a silky fashion....
This is probably my favorite cafe in the city. It gets great sun and air and is just the most relaxing place ever. Wait but I didn't really want anyone else to know about this place... oops.
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Universal Cafe and Atlas better watch out, there is a new brunch place in the neighborhood.
The boquerones, shaved funnel, and orange plate was such a pleasant surprise. Also nice touch was the Patisserie Philippe croissant. And we just came in for coffee with our Sunday paper. The only drawback was the wait. They still need to figure out how to serve restaurant-grade food at cafe speed (see Atlas).
I'll be back to have some more food and wine and to enjoy the comfortable couches, the rich speakers, and the book on sneakers in their stack of neat coffee books...
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This quadrant of the Mission boasts a few very stylish eateries (and drinkeries) that also happen to serve up excellent fare. I'm thinking of Universal, Blowfish, The Slow Club and even Circolo.
And Coffee Bar.
The setting is gorgeous. Spare but somehow comfortable. Perhaps it's the sunlight streaming through the big front windows, or the patio out front.
The coffee is first rate, and the food is good too.
And, free WiFi. Always lively but never crowded, it's a great place to work.
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I love their coffee, including clover which I'd never tried.
I love that soy is one of the options on the condiment bar.
I love the abundance of places to sit, work, chill, etc.
I love all the succulent plants outside.
I love the option of outdoor seating, not enough of that in SF!
I love how the menus are written on brown paper and chalkboards.
I love the picture of the Muni station framed in window frames.
I love free wifi.
I love how it turns into a happening place at night to drink wine and listen to music.
I'm sure I'll love the food once I try it.
I love coffee bar!
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I will update this with: the people here are good as gold. I stupidly left my wallet in my coat the other night and ordered an Americano... they recognize me as this is now my new favorite cafe, and told me to pay the next time I come in.
Good people, lovely atmosphere, good espresso, wonderful food. Patronize this place, really. It deserves to exist.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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07/05/2008
It's a bit upscale in my taste... but that doesn't really mean it's in any way bad.
It looks like a… Read more »
This place is great - there just about every day. I enjoy the coffee - my dog loves the gougeres (actually they are quite good - don't think their "for the dogs").
The staff if very friendly. A great neighborhood place.
(I'd give it a 5 star - but it's just something I don't do).
Johnny O. has been hyping this place up to me for quite some time now. I finally found a free day in my schedule to spend some leisure time in SF and hit this place up. Let just say I wasn't disappointed in the least. The Papua New Guinea Clover Coffee was outstanding. So rich and full bodied. Their pastries, especially the apple strip, is outstanding too. The music piping throughout the coffee shop is nice and relaxing. All the baristas are hella cool folks. While your waiting for your coffee you can nosh on some dried fruit and admire the mechanical process of the clover machine; I want one now.
I love Coffee Bar! It's places like this that make me want to throw off the chains of Russian Hill's old-school ways, move to the Mission and hang out in cafes with hipsters all day. Mac in tow, I'd write the most FUCed reviews this city has ever seen.
Coffee Bar looks like an art gallery. Reminiscent of a private loft, it has tall white ceilings where fixtures bounce light and paintings spew color into the room. All of the seating faces in, so eye candy is always on exhibit. Why is it that cafe people are more attractive than the general populace, anyway?
In addition to our espresso drinks we ordered four of the small plates, and nothing disappointed. We had tuna in olive oil on canneli beans and tomato, the cheese plate, artichokes with aioli and the charcuterie plate. This ain't yer average coffee food! In fact, I'd say it's the best I've had.
The owner Luigi, whose pops owns the infamous Mr. Coffee in Oakland, was working behind the counter and served our food. Gotta love a business owner who's passionate, hands on and feeds my addiction at the same time.
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my favorite things to eatat cb are the tangy rocket salad and the cold turkey sandwich on ciabatta. the espresso drinks are consistent and delicious.
this is a wonderful spot for working or studying.
the manners of the staff people vary incredibly. but i disregard that... the photography and lighting more than make up for it.
My third visit to Coffee Bar and I feel comfortable bumping them up to five stars. Three of the four dishes we shared today were absolute home runs - the cheese plate with three types of cheese and quince paste, the meat plate (mmm, meat!) and baked artichokes were all fantastic. The tonno in oil was ok but paled in comparison to the other dishes.
My iced chai paired well with the patio and the sunny afternoon. Throw in a couple of puppies out front, a friendly staff and cute hipster girls milling about and Coffee Bar is a fantastic place to waste away a Sunday with friends.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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02/02/2008
Coffee Bar is my kind of place. I love the wide open space, the art, the music...but that would be… Read more »
Fantastic loft-like space with local art on the walls. Seating is upstairs [wheelchair accessible!] and outside too. Free wireless. Lots of outlets along the wall. Big and small tables, plus a few couches. During the day, great natural lighting. At night, not so much. Studying at Coffee Bar in the evening is a strain on the eyes if you're not seated at the large table on the far left corner. I've not yet tried Coffee Bar's food [sandwiches and salads], but the iced tea and coffee are great. For coffee enthusiasts who might be interested in this tidbit, they serve Clover coffee. The wine and beer in the evenings puts the "Bar" in "Coffee Bar."
Great Thursday/Friday spot! From 6 in the evening, delicious plates are served by Radio Africa & Kitchen [http://radioafricakitc...], a nomadic restaurant. Chef Eskender Aseged often brings the dishes from the kitchen directly to your table himself, and there's a DJ mixing up some African music for the evening. The edamame hummus with green olive oil is a MUST TRY!
Love is patient and forgiving. With an occasional missed order or a forgotten drink [they are totally wonderful and make up for it when they realize it], I am still forgiving and absolutely in love with this place and the people who work here. The owners are very cool - warm and inviting faces whenever I stop in. Everyone else working here is great too [*cough* eye candy *cough*]. The patrons sharing the space are friendly too. Aside from being a little closer to where I live [it's ~13 miles round trip] and longer hours [although their closing hours aren't too strict], it doesn't get better than this.
Coffee Bar is my latest great find, and while I would like to keep it a secret, I'm all about sharing too. I'm usually here on my own, so if anyone wants to join me, holla! Parking in the area hasn't been too difficult, and there are buses running along 16th, Potrero, and Bryant. If I was ever to move out of my current living situation, I'd want to move to Potrero Hill because of awesome spots like this one.
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Nice coffee place. Good quality coffee and teas. Big and spacious.
Free wifi and plenty of outlets. If you want to sit outside, there are sunny spots for you too.
It's the perfect "work from home" office space.
I noticed that the majority of laptops here are Macs... it's good to feel at home.
Have to try their food next time.
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This is the spot. If you are looking for a place that is cooler than cool, but a place that is not so cool that even a non-hipster can still feel comfortable, then coffeebar is the place for you.
Every time I come here I continue to be amazed at the quality of the ambiance. I really like a place that has a lot of foot traffic, friendly workers, free wi-fi and plenty of power outlets - coffeebar hits on all fronts. The only reason that they are four stars instead of five is because I wish that the tea were loose leaf (I am not a coffee drinker).
Aside from my one concern on the tea (as long as I come in the afternoon I get iced tea anyway) it is a great spot. I will even go out of my way to schedule meetings at this location so that I can hang out here for a portion of the day.
Look for me!
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Only a buck ninety for a tall delicious iced coffee.
I'm so happy I discovered this spot. It's a great space. Excellent for grabbing a cup of coffee or glass of wine with a few friends and/or doing a little work on the laptop. The natural light is great, the decor clean & sophisticated. The clientele is friendly and hip (but inviting). Food is pretty solid though a little on the light side.
I want to give this place 5 stars but the blonde working behind the counter is often cold and snobby. Everyone else (owners & workers) are awesome and friendly. The music can be a little loud but overall I love it here.
There are plenty of seat-level power outlets here. No scrounging around on some nasty floor begging your neighbor to spare some space.
Not that you'd ever have to. My laptop magically consumes less power in this place. I am completely unplugged right now, as a matter of fact.
The ambiance is very comfortable. I don't have to feel like I'm not cool enough to be here. It's the perfect place to wait for my coworkers to arrive at the office after I've locked myself out.
The only minus is that their (free!) WiFi network is called "linksys". I'd rather they named it to something like "CoffeeBar". I don't want to add every "linksys" in the world to my "trusted wireless networks".
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***Update... White Sangria party tonight!***
I love this cozy, open place. When I can read five pages of a book in less than a minute, you can say I am fully comfortable. I was fully engrossed in their bookshelf after a satisfying snack sized sammie, OK, I weigh about 115, so you might need to order two if need be. The staff are charming, sweet, and ready to walk upstairs to check every seat to make sure the cappuccino sitting on the counter for a minute wasn't going to waste and gets home to its owner. Free wifi, decent hours, great natural lighting, couch. All I need. A little pricey, maybe slightly underdeveloped plates, but fantastic menu.
Alright, truth is, when I mentioned that my sammie was on the skimpy side, my assertive friend Hallie rescued me. My plate returned with the waiter who happily gave me and extra helping of what I craved more of and is often hard to convince most to replenish, their perfect Prosciutto. So bonus, extra star to make up for the lack of others' assertiveness. This day I learned that if you don't like something, YELL! lol
This is one of those places that irrefutable demonstrates how superior locally owned, independent establishments are to corporate chains. I came here for the first time for a friend's graduation party. He had done much of his studying here for in the past few months, and all of the employees seemed to know him by name and come by to chat with him. I have not yet sampled their coffee or tea, but they do have a decent beer selection. Their food is delicious and reasonably priced. While it was very loud due to several parties happening last night, the space seemed really accomodating. It's pretty sizable, tastefully decorated, and comfortable. There is free wi-fi. They have a DJ spinning live music thursdays and fridays, which is pretty awesome. I'll definitely be back here often!
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This has recently become my favorite place in the city to sit with my laptop and sip coffee.
+ Big windows let a lot of light in
+ Clean, chic furniture
+ Plenty of power outlets
+ Plenty of parking
+ Good wireless connectivity
+ Decent coffee and desserts (haven't tried their food menu)
+ Good beverage selection
+ Outside seating available
+ Excellent music all the time
I ah-like! Why not? It's a-naice!
Coffee Bar can't accept being loved.
Don't get me wrong, there were lots of things I liked about it. Beautiful, airy, very European decor. Nice range of seating. Good coffee. I so wanted it to be my spot. It's a stone's throw away from my shithole of an "office" where I "write."
And yet . . .
Decent food, but on the pricey side. $6 for a green salad that was only greens and dressing and a piece of, frankly, dry bread? Ouch. Where are YOU buying your organic greens? I also found the service inattentive. Standing at the bar for a good 5 minutes while 2 people behind the counter answer the phone, talk about a plumbing problem, and munch on a toasted croissant? Lame. Getting my order wrong and not refunding me the $1 I was owed when I had to bring the food back up to the counter? Lame. (I didn't ask, because that would have made me feel like That Asshole Who Really Wants Her Dollar Back.)
I work across the street so I'll be back, probably, but this is not the Ritual respite I wanted.
This is my new spot! I'm coming here to study, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and study some more. I like the open space, the vibe it brings, the people who patronize this place and its wine/beer list. So, yeah, I do take a break from studying for some wine/beer and that's why I'm a fan. Don't ask me if I can study afterwards.
This place is so cool! The space is great - lots of seating inside (though it does get crowded), and an outdoor area with tables that will make your friends with dogs happy. My mocha was delicious, and the pastries seem very good too, judging by the croissant sample I tried. I live across town, but I will definitely try to stop by again.
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While my car was in the shop, we needed to kill some time and I needed to get caffeinated so we came to Coffee Bar. Wow, it's the prettiest cafe I've been to in a long time. Pretty in an industrial, loft-like way, of course, considering the location.
All the seating is upstairs. Couches, small tables, bar seating and one large table are well placed. Lots of natural light from all the windows but the light fixtures and photo art they have up are perfect for the space and the sound system and music selection were excellent. Even the sound snob was into it. There is also patio seating out front. Seriously, I want to live there.
Jason, the owner, was cool and made me an Americano that woke me up right away. Woo. Then he showed me the lovely pastries that had just been delivered. I love him.
And for the ladies, well, and the gay men: at 8am on a Sunday morning, except for me, there were only men in there. What a nice way to start a busy Saturday.
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I love this space.
If I can turn this place into my loft space, I would be in heaven.
Great place to come for a coffee. I wish it were open a little later on some nights. Its a great place to come instead of a bar or an all night Starbucks.
Coffee is pretty good too and so are the sandwiches. I'll be back again soon!
I am a coffee (and coffeehouse) snob. As a friend from Chicago who called me yesterday noted, I'm almost always in a cafe when he calls me.
Today I have been working all afternoon from Coffee Bar and it is rapidly going to be one of my favorite cafes in the city, especially for productive afternoons working or meeting with people. My other favorite cafes - Ritual Roasters on Valencia and Blue Bottle Cafe on Mint have their appeal (though Blue Bottle which I think has by far the best coffee in the city and perhaps in the country, doesn't have wifi), Coffee Bar is probably the best of the three for being productive and especially for business meetings.
I don't get the complaints of some Yelpers about the coffee or the prices - yes, these are not bargain prices, but neither are they particularly high (and the $3 for a Clover cup of coffee prepared quite well is actually a bargain). I had a cappuccino with a Madeline when I first got here - both were excellent and then now I'm enjoying a magnificent Clover coffee and one of their great small plates (anchovies over shaved fennel and oranges - a perfect afternoon light meal).
When I see a new cafe beyond the coffee which is of course key, a personal measure of a place is the size of the tables. Small, traditional "cafe" tables usually create a space with few people sharing tables, are not conducive to laptop use or spreading out and working. In contrast a cafe with larger tables, easily shared, and with one or more great big group tables is a cafe whih is designed with working in mind. And further, a cafe with tables than physically can accomodate groups is a cafe where people are that much more likely to talk with each other.
Coffee Bar has by far the best and largest selection of shareable group tables I've seen in a very very long time. Three large tables each designed to easily accomodate 8-12 people around them on the large, comfortable benches, as well as a large couch seating area and a row of large tables along another wall which can easily also accommodate multiple groups. Plus two large bars along the edge of the balcony which are well designed for individuals with laptops to use and work at.
Overall a space that also due to the very high ceilings is extremely well suited for groups to work together, while also working very well for individuals. Unlike Ritual Roasters which often suffers from a lack of available tables and tends to be very loud due to the relatively small space and cramped layout, Coffee Bar's two levels plus outside space (and I think a further private room) make for a much quieter space where multiple groups can be talking and working at nearby tables and I can still hear myself think, could even take a phone call if I needed to.
In terms of the crowd Coffee Bar seems to appeal to a slightly older crowd (I'm sure the wine and beer help here, as well as the location). I would guess that most of the people in the space a the moment (about 40 people or so) are in their mid-30's. A professional and graduate student crowd vs. the more hipster crowd at Ritual Roasters. And I don't know how the crowd changes on the weekends, but at the moment at least there are a lot of women working in groups or by themselves and about a 50/50 ratio of men to women.
I don't live near Potrero Hill (I live in Noe Valley) but Coffee Bar is great enough that I fully plan on shifting my patterns to work here many afternoons.
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Great coffee, really nice and airy and great for working/studying. These guys take coffee seriously, and I respect that. They made a beautiful leaf on the top of my latte.
Free wifi of course. Thumbs up!
Been meaning to stop in here for a while, and this morning was a "two coffee morning"... Great cappuccino: dark, rich espresso, nice crema, properly sized cup (not huge). Friendly, attentive staff.
My only knock is that if you're really a "coffee bar", you should have sugar _on the bar_ as you would find in any proper cafe in Europe. Not all the condiments, just sugar, so that if I sit at the bar (as I did) and they slide my coffee down in front of me (as they did), I don't then have to get up and make my way over to the "condiment bar" just for a packet of sugar. It might sound like a minor point, but it puts a minor dent in the coffee bar experience. Going to the condiment bar is always a bit of a downer; makes me feel like Starbucks. Get a few proper sugar boats.
Otherwise, I like the space and the feel, minus the assh**e on his iPhone speakerphone in line -- so lame. Good stuff. PS, for detailed coffee ratings, check out coffeeratings dot com, it's pretty neat if you're really into espresso.
Coffee is amazing, Never over-crowded.
My partner likes vanilla lattes. They don't have syrups. I respect the "all-natural-ness" of this place but they people have a bit of a tude.
