Cafes are delightful excuses to sit for hours, observing the people and location around you. In Europe, cafes are more common than grocery stores. Here, in the United States, you have to look a little harder for the atmosphere and laid back attitude that permits customers to just hang out.
If you are visiting San Francisco, please, please, please do not go have breakfast and a coffee at Starbucks. You can do that at any airport, anywhere in the world. Here are a few of my favorite cafe spots for breakfast, lunch, a coffee or a beer.
Atlas Cafe opened in 1996, deep in the Mission District. This laid-back cafe offers yummy salads, sandwiches and beverages. It is a go-to-the counter kind of place, with a big chalk board menu and a back patio that provides a lovely spot to hang out on a sunny day in the Banana Belt. They also have free Wi-Fi and strong coffee.
Cafe Flore is a long-time San Francisco establishment. Opened in 1973, Cafe Flore is located in the Castro District, on Market Street. There is a large area for outdoor seating, with plants, heat lamps and umbrellas. It is a great place to enjoy a drink or some hour d'vouers. There are also two different stations at Cafe Flor, one for drinks and one for food. The mojitos and sangria are great and you can by-pass the food line and head straight for the drinks if you so please.
Cafe Gratitude is the sort of place that may not thrive in just any location. With two locations, one in Marin County, and one in San Francisco, the raw food/vegan/ organic restaurant has done very well in the Bay Area. The cafe demands that you order everything by its title in the menue. Curry bowls are called I'm Plenty, Couscous is referred to as I'm Joyful, and Beet Salads are I'm Alive. If you are in the mood for some positive reinforcement, something a little unusual, and food that is down right great for you, stop in to this communal headquarters. Be sure to leave your cynicism at the door.
Dolores Park Cafe and Duboce Park Cafe. The sister cafes are located on two of the most adored parks in San Francisco. Dolores Park and Duboce Park are great for picnics, but if you don't have your basket, blanket and to-go silverware set, head to either of these corner hubs. The food is fresh, smoothies delicious and the outdoor seating extends out into the sidewalk.
Blue Barn salads, soups and grilled cheeses are so tasty, that it may require a trip to the Marina just for lunch. The tiny shop, with and exterior that looks like a barn, offers big bowls of salad and custom grilled cheese. This is a great place to sit at the counter and slowly enjoy a mid-day snack. They also serve blue bottle coffee, a San Francisco favorite.
Last, but certainly not least, La Boulange has locations throughout the city and offers wonderful french pastries, salads, breakfast and coffee drinks. Look for the orange awning and the turquoise walls, big wooden tables and a French motif. This is a place where you could surely sit and read all day.