San Francisco probably has one of the most stunning settings of any city in the world. Nowhere else do you climb up and down so many hills that you literally don’t even need a gym membership to keep fit. Well, if you’re a pedestrian that is. Most people have cars of course. But as with any other city in the world, taking above ground transportation is always the best way to get from A to B because you actually get to see what’s on the surface as opposed to zipping across town in an underground metro.
After leaving Flywheel Coffee Roasters I hopped on the handy 71 bus that goes all the way from East to West and back, handily taking me from Flywheel pretty much directly to the next stop on my list, Andytown Coffee Roasters. Nestled in what can only be described as perfect San Francisco suburbia, Andytown is the cutest cornershop coffee house. Set up and run by husband and wife pair Lauren and Michael Crabbe, Andytown only opened its doors in March this year but already exceeded the owners’ expectations. When they decided to enter the world of specialty coffee with their own business, Lauren and Michael didn’t anticipate how quickly they’d become a magnet for coffee hungry peeps in search of a high quality caffeine dose.
When I arrived Lauren and Michael hadn’t rolled in yet so I took a seat and let Sandra and her team guide me around the place. Famished as I was I accepted their offer of trying their home made soda bread with cheddar and bacon as well as their signature coffee cocktail, the “snowy plover”. This particular drink that comes in a pint glass consists of two shots of Espresso topped with Pelegrino soda, a tiny bit of brown sugar and a dollop of whipped cream. Needless to say it was both surprising and rich at once. The snowy plover is a tiny bird that lives down by the dunes only a few blocks down and as it’s an endangered species Andytown Coffee Roasters made it their mission to raise awareness of this little ball of feathers by dedicating a drink to it.
When Lauren and Michael arrived they joined me at my window seat to give me a bit more background on the place and shared with me some interesting info on the local beach, which is apparently super popular amongst surfers from all over the globe due to its high rolling waves. “You should totally walk down there and go for a walk along the shore. It’s amazing to have this beautiful place so close and even on a grey day like this it’s absolutely breathtaking,” Michael said.
Andytown’s location in the Western part of San Francisco has definitely raised the bar in an area where there was no specialty coffee roasting before. The guys saw an opportunity and jumped at it. Now, people from all walks of life come in to chat, get a bag of freshly roasted beans or a coffee and grab a seat on the terrace outside to enjoy the quiet neighbourhood life.
Although their location is a bit off the beaten track for most visitors to San Francisco, there’s nothing better than ordering a fragrant cuppa Joe to go and heading down to the beach to go for a long walk. Luckily, San Fran’s public transport systems is decent enough that you won’t have to go far to get a ride back to town. Truly a great spot to venture to!
