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Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMAMon-Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
"This is my happy place... the place I go to when: 1. I want to tune the world out and tune myself in 2. I want to stare into wide open…" read more »
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hands down, the absolute BEST americano in the city. i love to go to both the hayes valley and soma locations with my favorite mug for a cup of that perfectly balanced, almost chocolately goodness as often as i possibly can.
and the soma location is especially wonderful because i can pair my perfect cup of coffee with a fluffy waffle or a bowl of oatmeal on occassion. :)
highly, highly, highly recommended.
I'm not really a big coffee drinker and I normally drink coffee only when I am studying but after going to the other location in Hayes I found myself craving for their New Orleans Iced Coffee.
I thought it was just right- not too strong nor was it too sweet. My bf ordered the Kyoto Iced Coffee and I had a sip and WOA baby!! Way way too strong but I guess that's the point lol I think I'll stick with the nola iced coffee and maybe next time stay and try their food. The line can get pretty long so you have to be patient.
After reading an article about the "Third Wave of Coffee" in GQ on my flight to the bay area, i was excited to give this place a shot on my short trip.
Walking into this place was like walking into my high school chemistry class, has it been a little more "hip". They had bunson burners. Making coffee. Is this really the 3rd wave? Anyways me and my Dad ordered two coffees to go, which took like 5 minutes, to which i was thinking, oh, this is gonna be mind blowing coffee goodness, as anything that takes this long should lead to a religious experience. Upon receiving my coffee though, i must admit that i did not see the face of the Lord in my brew. Now don't get me wrong, it was really really good, of course better than Starbucks, but maybe only slightly better than Peet's. If this is the 3rd wave, id say it's choppy and head high at best.
BUT, i did order the Bacon Brioche, and holy hell i don't know what wave we are on of Brioche but this thing was massively tasty. Congrats to whoever is making the pastries that Blue Bottle sells. I would come back just for that.
OMG the New Orleans Iced Coffee is so delicious! Went in to grab coffee after lunch w/ some co-workers (they had been there before, I hadn't) I was entrigued by their menu. Kyoto coffee, New Orleans Iced Coffee, it all sounds so great! I'll be back to try the Kyoto coffee for sure, the cashier mentioned there were was a chocolatey aroma to it and I love chocolate! It was also fun to watch the way the coffee was brewed while waiting. They were fast and friendly here, come try their awesome coffee!
I cannot express myself well enough when it comes to describing my love for the Kyoto and New Orleans iced coffees; suffice to say I am addicted and do not wish a cure haha. Though the coffee is more or less on the pricey side, it is well worth the cost...HIGH FIVE BLUE BOTTLE!
This is no rock concert. And i say that because of the line. When patrons are waiting in a line that runs outside and around the corner of Jessie St. I'd consider this the most anticipated Cup o' Joe one could ever imagine. So make the most of your order. Get the espresso, French press, or the esoteric drippings of the imported Japanese siphon bar. Or try one of each. For something sweet, the melon cup with cottage cheese is tasty. Conversely the poached eggs on toasted brioche is an impeccable savory must order. Good things come to those who wait. Blue Bottle will not disappoint.
Awesome coffee. Best location. Typically too crowded but I guess that's what happens when a place is good... The New Orleans coffee has some kind of chemical in it (crystal meth, perhaps?) that makes you feel giddy and loopy for about an hour afterward. Extra points for all the Jules Verne coffee-making equipment. Food is tasty too. (Now if they could get their act together in the Ferry Bldg, I would be a total convert. What's the deal with the luke warm lattes over there? Do I need to ask for it to be "hot"?)
I have been visiting Blue Bottle on a regular basis for almost a year. At other places, I have to dilute my drinks with cream and sugar to balance out the bitterness of the coffee, but at Blue Bottle, the brew is so fantastic that I will drink it black. (Get the kyoto iced coffee!!!) However, the coffee's not the reason why I'm writing this review-- it's the food!
Last week, I finally had enough time to sit down and actually eat lunch. I'd always wanted to try Blue Bottle's food, but they don't make it to go, and there's hardly ever an open space to sit. However, 2 people left as soon as my friend and I walked in, so we sniped those seats and decided to get a full lunch. I ordered the gruyere grilled cheese on french country bread with whole grain mustard and prosciutto. All of the ingredients were top notch and could put the food served at other surrounding cafes to shame! I think the people across the table were laughing at me because I was enjoying the gooey gruyere cheese so much that I practically made eating it an erotic act!
If you have enough time in your lunch break for a slow meal, go to Blue Bottle! And if you're lucky enough to grab a seat inside, don't be one of those people that lingers forever and prevents other people from having a chance to eat!
This is my second time here and I again was not impressed.
I still have yet to go to the infamous 'Blue Bottle Garage' that is supposed to have the best in SF. I had a macchiato, but it wasn't anything special. And my initial impression was that it was overly bitter.
The bitterness scale was: 2.5 out of 5
The flavor scale was: 3 out of 5. (being generous here).
Overrated, hipster infested, yuppie coffee shop, staffed with snobbish baristas.
I can't believe the superiority complex this one barista had, with a snide and arrogant tone he said to my friend "You do know this is different than Starbucks, Starbucks is just ruining coffee for everybody" whether or not my friend was knowledgeable in his coffee, it's just the fact that the barista felt that he had to make a comment and deliver it in such a disgusting way as he did.
The coffee was alright, the facility was impressive but the customer service is unacceptable.
Great cafe with the excellent Blue Bottle brand of coffee served. Tasty snacks for brunch (sweet and savory) available for a steep price. I do like the "siphon" coffee that is specially prepared, if only for the novelty effect. It's fun to watch it being prepared on the side counter with bunsen burner type heat lamps.
I also like the location, almost as if secretly tucked away next to the ghetto, this cafe is in a trendy and newly gentrified area of downtown.
With hipsters galore, the line for this cafe can be pretty long. That's the only real drawback. It's way too popular.
Absolutely great coffee and espresso! Service was not too great however the coffee is unmatched in this city. Philz coffee is next closest but they don't have espresso.
Perhaps the best coffee purveyor in the city. I'm happy with this convenient location of the cafe. A small selection of food is served with the same quality inspiration as their coffee. A great stop for affordable gourmet lunch. My fave is the Ortiz bonito tuna roll sandwich. Ortiz is one of the best Spanish tuna producers.
A Seattle gal wandering the streets of her not-home city looking for OUTSTANDING coffee can turn ugly. Especially if said girl is undeniably hooked on the bean, but won't drink a subpar roast. Snob. I know. Three cheers for Yelp's iPhone app! Hip Hip..... (you know the rest).
Blue Bottle Coffee Co. was PACKED when I walked in. At first I thought a group of some kind was having a morning happy hour because the buzz and energy in the room was alive! But after a few minutes in line, and a couple of great conversations with the chatty strangers on either side of me, I came to the conclusion that Blue Bottle brings out the happy chat in a person - even pre-caffeine!
The space is on the big side of small - you dig? - but laid out in a really awesome flow with lots of places to sit. High ceilings make it feel super airy. The small menu shocked me with the delish choices - and I was soooo craving steel cut oats so lucky me for wandering in! A tart jam, some brown sugar, and a wee bit of cream were all served on the side so I got to choose my own adventure bite by bite. Service was super friendly, and a sweet little busgirl scooted around and around and around the place like a super fast smurf cleaning up behind folks and smiling at anyone who made eye contact. They should make a breakfast quiche in her honor and call it QT Pie.
Extra shout-out to SF yelpers who made the decision easy once I found Blue Bottle reviews on the iPhone. Great coffee. Great place. Y'all were right on!
I'll join the cattle call of people that sing the praise of this place... it's out of this world, no seriously the siphon coffee is really that good, like really... there's no bitterness to the coffee produced in the siphon, there are more complex notes and a smooth and even flavor from the start to the end of the scientific like serving vessel that it arrives in.
Here's where the pain begins, the bloody lines are ridiculous! Come early and maybe if the gods smile upon you you'll get a seat. Don't come too hungry, the portions are small but quite good and they do run out of stuff so if you've had your heart fixated on a blue bottle breakfast you may be somewhat dissappointed if you didn't come early. Oh yeah, siphon coffee isn't an all day thing, so again, come early...
So I finally came back. I have to say I LOVE this place! I came at a less busier time (not during breakfast time) ... and it was equally clustered but definitely breathable this time around. The baristas were very nice and gave us a taste of their famous siphon'd iced coffee.
This place, when not busy, is very open and airy, and a great place to relax with a delicious cup of coffee that you will ever sip on ... in this region anyway. This location has slightly better parking and is a little easier to find than the Linden st kiosk location plus takes credit cards and has more stuff to buy! Recommended for anyy time of day!
Honestly this place does have great coffee and the environment is definitely one where you would… Read more »
Okay! So seriously!! You guys really need to try Blue Bottle!!! Today, I went by for coffee and was in a slight hurry!!!! I looked at their menu and could not find a quick cup of joe for the life of me! So I ordered the Individual Drip Coffee which is... yes, individually made at the time of your order!!!!! They pour hot water into a porcelain vessel that holds the filter and coffee and it drips down into your cup! Yeah, I had to wait but it was worth it!!!!!!
Damn, this stuff is AWESOME!!!!!!!
Deal is, this place is all about quality. They treat their coffee like fine wine. And if you walk in wanting their coffee, they assume you've heard how good the quality is, and thus they don't hurry the process by any means. So tough nookies, you're going to have to be patient. I've never seen the staff at a coffee shop so at ease and completely in tune with their craft. A cup of coffee is damn easy, but a quality cup of coffee is damn hard.
Good freakin' morning sunshine! This Blue Bottle brew lives up to the hype!! I've been hesitant… Read more »
Visiting from WA, came to check it out after hearing hype in specialty coffee circles up there.
Strength - pour over coffees and alternatives to espresso. These guys are really pioneers here.
Weakness - espresso. Despite having La Marzocco machinery, my 1.3oz espresso was sour and too concentrated. Try 'Coffeebar' for that.
Interesting spot though!
5 stars for the drip coffee, which is dark, strong, and smooth, yet manages to have a really subtle earthy aftertaste. -1 star for the sense of annoyance I feel at waiting in a long line where I end up listening to the conversation of yuppies who are way too pretentious about their coffee.
They got rid of the rude fembot and hired someone friendly to take your order and their coffee is devine.
I've taken a couple out-of-towners and the presentation and quality are wonderful in addition to fairly traded and organic coffee.
Get the Ice coffee.
I will never go back. I had one of the best espresso con panna but the fembot was such a bi#$@. I… Read more »
On advice of the Barrista I had a New Orleans iced coffee...soooo good! Not too sweet, hint of chicory, smooth smooth smooth. I gave a friend a sip, and she promptly ordered one at the next BB we encountered (at SFMOMA).
LOVE this place and their funky science lab-ish process!
Five stars for coffee is a given (see earlier Yelp). What's also good are the eats. I wasn't expecting anything special from my Diestel turkey sandwich on a sweet acme roll. Countless places in the city make them.
But I bet only a few top them with shaved celery.
And I'm pretty sure only Blue Bottle packs 'em to go in a coffee filter.
Super hyped, super delicious. I made it to the Hayes Valley garage a while back and found the coffee… Read more »
Best coffee in the city? I think not. Coffee was burnt and could not be drunk. Most expensive cup of coffee I've ever drunk. I came back a year after to try and change my opinion. It didn't.
Add +1 star for their espresso machine, which is really beautiful.
This is more of a coffee stop than a coffee shop. But it's my favorite that I've found here in SF so far.
I drink an Americano and theirs looks and tastes fantastic. My americano here is consistently creamy, fruity and rich. It's a bit out of my way to get to their semi-hidden Mint street location but worth it.
Haven't sampled anything besides the espresso, but really that's all I need.
1. Small. Minute. Tiny. I have been to other places in the city that are literally in a garage in an alley, so I'm not complaining. Just don't come in expecting a couple of couches and 25 outlets and you'll be fine.
2. The New Orleans style iced coffee is as close to perfection as it can get. Mmmm.
3. Close to BART which makes it really easy to grab on the way to work.
Here's a recap of my conversation with the cashier:
Me: um, do guys have a "secret menu"? [air quotes included]
Him: no, we do not have a "secret menu". [insert mocking air quote here]
Me: oh, okay.
Barista: wait, do you mean the gibraltar?
Me: YES! I want one, no wait, two!
It's a beautiful shot of liquid goodness, jam packed full of caffeine and flavor.
The line was insane, and the space was filled to capacity (and spills over to the outside). Crazy!
In my last review, I said the service was slow and inexperienced. That hasn't changed. The place is still chaotic.
But my expectations have changed; I'm more concerned with the quality of the end product than the long lines and occasionally confused staff. And it is top-notch coffee.
Recommendation: don't go here in the morning, if you can help it! Same coffee later in the day, but far less hassle.
The service was a little slow, the staff didn't seem to know what was up. But this level of service… Read more »
We stopped in here twice before leaving town - first time I ordered the NO style iced coffee (delish) and the second time I caved & ordered one of the self serve siphon pots. It was neat to see the whole siphon pot process in person. I know there are dozens of videos on YouTube, but the idea is to be able to DRINK the coffee, not just look at it.
It was worth it just for the experience - very good coffee, I grabbed a bag of 11ft ceiling for the road.
The interior is very pretty, with large windows, but the streets/alleys you need to walk down to get there leave a lot to be desired, but hey - it's not Blue Bottles fault, and I made it out alive.
Ridiculous. If you want to wait for half an hour while an artiste makes a cup of drip coffee in slow motion, this is the place for you. This is just the latest in the seemingly never-ending line of SF coffee shops/bakeries, etc. where they try to elevate a simple cup of coffee and a pastry to a cultural event, while suggesting they are doing you a big favor to wait on you at all. At the end of the half-hour wait, you get a so-so cup of coffee -- not much aroma, no real flavor notes. Not bitter, exactly, but certainly not rich or comforting as a cup of coffee should be. The strawberry-raspberry brioche was nice, though.
Caution: This review may only contain information regarding the purchasing of beans. For your safety, please start scrolling down to preview other four star zealous reviews to obtain content of the cafe experience. Please do not hesitate to read a two star review, for you may be deceived into thinking you will have the time of your life.
"It's 5pm and I am in Soma, so might as well grab a pound of beans at Blue Bottle," I murmur to myself.
I circle the block 2-3 times and find a meter after all.
I rush into the cafe and dang, they have no beans!!!
"Oh you ran out of beans already?" The barista says, "Yeah it's tourist season right now, so Winter it might be easier then."
"I see." I feel so beaten and crushed.
Moral of the story: Never come in the evening expecting to buy beans.
The rest of the verdict: if you have been drinking coffee since of the age of 12 like I have, then you might leave with an ecstatic expression on your face.
My wife and I walk here and enjoy their New Orleans Iced Coffee on our day off together. The coffee is always good, the staff is nice and the place has a nice atmosphere. Their whole bean coffee is a little pricey, but it is worth it to treat yourself to some good home brew every once in awhile. If you've never been then I highly recommend it.
The coffee here is AMAZING and really delicious!
I had a regular latte that had cute foam art. I was immediately converted.
It was really cool to watch the siphon coffee being made. If I had more time, I would have sat around and just watched them make pots and pots of it. Instead, I had to flee somewhere else to pick up some muffins for friends.
But next time, Blue Bottle, I will park myself by the bar and be endlessly fascinated with the siphon coffee and have some of your tasty offerings. I'll totally ignore the fashionable connoisseurs who will look down their noses at me because I'll be busy pressing my own nose against the glass to watch. :D Now all I need to do is find some time.
If only I can own my own siphon, I would. But for $20,000 a pop, I'd rather just settle and treat myself out.
If ever in the City, make sure you stop in and get to sip amazing and great drip coffee. It's all that.
Must try: Affogato.
KYOTO-STYLE ICED COFFEE
Kyoto slow drip creates hints of bourbon
SIPHON POT
water travels up to create a pure brew of single origin coffee
NEW ORLEANS-STYLE ICED COFFEE
cold brewed with chicory
AFFOGATO
ice cream made with bourbon and cornflakes, doused in espresso
# of visits: 32
Had the Kyoto style iced coffee recently because it was already late in the day and they stopped serving siphon pots. wah, I'll have to postpone that to next time.
The iced coffee was soooo good though. Very strong, but not bitter, super smooth, with light hints of caramel and spice. After a glass, I was totally wired for a couple hours. lol! o_O
I would have bought some whole beans for my automatic espresso machine at home, but I already have a ton of beans to go through. Definitely next time though!
A friend told me that this place supposedly has amazing coffee due to a special $20,000 machine from… Read more »
If you ever want to feel like you're back in the Bayou, in a magical land with French influence that inspired characters like Ignatius J. Reilly, don't come here.
But if you want an extremely tasty iced coffee named after the city of Cajuns and creole, this is your must-stop in San Francisco. I'd say one of the best iced coffees I've ever had... EVEN after my ice had melted (this is huge. it always tastes gross within 30 minutes).
I want to come back again to try their drip coffee and espresso. And to hang out in the cute courtyard between the Old Mint and restaurants. And watch someone order the Kyoto Iced Coffee so I can get a tutorial on how that crazy glass machine works.
You haven't seen the last of me, BB.
The Kyoto style iced coffee is like a caffeine IV. It's so black - not so much bitter - just a very heavy black coffee. If you like black coffee (and iced), this is it.
Personally, I did not *love* it, despite the fact that I do enjoy occasionally enjoy my coffee black. Probably an excellent coffee choice for a bad hangover, but as someone who has never had a hangover, I can't say for sure.
I had a sip of my coworker's New Orleans style iced coffee and that was heavenly. It was sweet, but at the same time, didn't cover the coffee taste. A nice afternoon coffee choice for sure.
Baristas were nice and shop was clean. Nice location, too, with plenty of outdoor seating in the adjoining plaza to enjoy on those rare days the sun comes out.
Will try to come back to this one more often, as it is the closest location to my work. Would love to try their baked goods one of these days, too!
I was never a picky coffee drinker -- I was even satisfied with those K-Cup individual instant coffee servings they used to have.
In my first couple of months after moving up to the Bay Area, a friend of mine drove me around SF and one of the places happened to be here.
Wow. I thought good coffee was Starbucks or McDonald's new double-roast coffee... those didn't even compare to the flavor of the coffee I had here.
Needless to say, I've been a picky coffee drinker ever since. Their espresso-based drinks (lattes, mochas, iced coffees) are very very good. Their drip is great too, but I've since discovered Philz and I tend to favor their coffee more now. Either way, though, this place is worthy of the full 5 stars.
By the way, have you noticed that this cafe, as "cute" as it is, kinda reminds you of a high school chemistry lab? Maybe it's the stools.. maybe it's the coffee siphons that remind you of chemistry equipment.. I don't know! 0_o?
Reluctantly, this is the best coffee I've ever had, espresso and drip coffee.
We came here yesterday to try the coffee in the siphon pot and the food. We ordered the Ethiopian coffee, and it was surprisingly delightful and didn't need any sugar or milk! The flavor was subtle, but good and had a natural sweetness and creamyness to it. No bitterness at all. Amazing. By far the best coffee I've ever had. I don't think I ever imagined that I would be drinking coffee without sugar or milk!
My boyfriend ordered the polenta with prosciutto, which came in a big bowl and was intense. Creamy, subtle, very filling, and great saltiness from the prosciutto. I ordered the creamy tomato soup with a puff pastry on top of it. Yummmmm. Creamy and came out piping hot. Very flavorful and went well with the pastry that would even out the intensity of the soup. It also went well with the polenta.
All in all, great coffee and food. Again, I still don't like the smugness, but I can't help but give it 5 stars for the excellent products they have.
Btw, our bill (siphon pot for two, polenta, and tomato soup) came out to be about $26. Yikes! Oh, we also got a second pot of the coffee for free because apparently they made another one for a customer who said they didn't order it. So they just gave us the extra pot.
Ok, ok I had to increase my rating...though I'm still not a fan of hypersmugness!!!!
I finally had…
Read more »
Yummy! I'm not a big coffee fan but during a team offsite, after lunch @ Chez Papa we treked on over to Blue Bottle coffee to see what the fuss was all about. The line was out the door so I knew that they had to have some GOOD coffee in order to create this following. I opted for the Iced coffee since it was a beautiful day outside and I wanted something to keep me cool.
The coffee was amazingly smooth and delicious. I will definitely bring my husband here since he's a huge coffee fan. Will definitely return. I loved it.
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