Café
Tartine Bakery
Tartine Bakery on Guerrero Street has baked bread, croissants and morning buns since 2002 and is open daily from 7.30am to 6pm with café seating.
Ritual Coffee Roasters Valencia
Ritual Coffee Roasters opened its first café on Valencia Street in 2005, in a former furniture store with parklet seating and light-roasted coffee.
At a glance
- Type
- Specialty coffee café
- Area
- Mission District, San Francisco, United States
- Price
- $$ · Mid-range
- Opening
- Open daily
- Official site
- ritualcoffee.com
Good to know
- Parklet seating
- Gardens
- Order ahead
- Open daily
Why we recommend it
Ritual Coffee Roasters calls itself a San Francisco original since 2005, and its Valencia Street café in the Mission was the first. It is a fully independent, woman-owned coffee roasting company and describes itself as a pioneer of the West Coast style of light roasting. Since 2007 it has bought coffee directly from farmers, and every batch is roasted in small quantities and tasted. The roasting happens at the company's headquarters at 1050 Howard Street in SoMa, a red and white former door hardware factory that Ritual moved into in 2009, where a vintage German Probat roaster does the work. The roastery is currently closed to the public, so the Valencia Street café is the best place to experience the coffee.
The café occupies a former furniture store, which explains the large, cavernous room. A remodel in 2013 gave it a bright, airy feel, and outside there are gardens and parklets designed to look like sunken ships, which make pleasant places to sit with a coffee on a sunny day.
The full menu is on the website, where you can also order ahead to collect your drink without queueing. If you are new to light-roasted coffee, ask the baristas which beans they are brewing that day and try a filter coffee alongside an espresso to compare. The staff can also suggest beans to take home if you have a favourite brewing method. For a quick question about the café, the website has a contact form for each location. Ritual also has cafés in Hayes Valley and the Financial District, in Napa and at SFO airport, so you can pick up a last coffee before your flight.
Opening hours run from 6.30am to 7pm Monday to Thursday and from 6.30am to 8pm Friday to Sunday. That makes it a useful place for an early start or an evening coffee when many other cafés have closed.
The café is at 1026 Valencia Street in the Mission. It suits coffee lovers, people looking for somewhere to read, and anyone exploring the neighbourhood on foot, and it pairs well with breakfast at Tartine Bakery, also in the Mission, at 600 Guerrero Street.
Ritual Coffee Roasters Valencia FAQs
What are the opening hours?
Monday to Thursday 6.30am to 7pm and Friday to Sunday 6.30am to 8pm.
When did Ritual open?
Ritual has been in San Francisco since 2005, and the Valencia Street café was its first.
What style of coffee does Ritual roast?
It describes itself as a pioneer of the West Coast style of light roasting.
Is there outdoor seating?
Yes. There are gardens and sunken-ship parklets outside.
Can you order ahead?
Yes. You can view the menu and order ahead online.
Where else does Ritual have cafés?
In Hayes Valley, the Financial District, Napa and SFO airport.
Does Ritual buy coffee directly?
Yes. It has bought coffee directly from farmers since 2007.
Who owns Ritual?
It is a fully independent, woman-owned coffee roasting company.