Caffe Trieste

Caffe Trieste opened in 1956 at 601 Vallejo Street in North Beach, and it is known as the first espresso coffee house on the West Coast. It was founded by Giovanni Giotta, known as Papa Gianni, who came to the United States from Italy in 1951 and took over a small café called the Piccola to create it. He died in 2016, and the café is still a fixture of the neighbourhood. It has also had branches elsewhere in the Bay Area over the years, but the North Beach café is the flagship.

Its history is a big part of its appeal. Over the decades the café has welcomed poets, writers, composers and artists, among them Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Richard Brautigan and Kenneth Rexroth. Francis Ford Coppola is said to have written much of the screenplay for The Godfather while sitting here. For decades the café has also been known for opera singers on Saturdays, and its website has a section on Trieste music, so check what is coming up if you would like to hear a performance.

The menu centres on espresso drinks, and the café sells whole bean coffees in several sizes, including a San Francisco Variety Pack of four coffees and larger bulk bags. Next door at 609 Vallejo Street, the Annex retail store sells coffee and related goods from Monday to Saturday.

The café suits anyone interested in the literary and Italian history of North Beach, and it is an affordable place to sit with a cappuccino and watch the street. If you cannot find a seat, take your coffee to go and walk the neighbourhood. Opening hours have changed in recent years, so check the current times before you make a special trip, especially in the evening.

North Beach is ideal for exploring on foot, and Caffe Trieste makes a natural first or last stop. Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill rises above the neighbourhood, and a coffee here makes a good break before or after the climb. Reading up on the Beat writers before you visit adds a lot to an hour spent at one of the tables.