Excelsior Coffee

San Francisco’s Excelsior Coffee Is a Favorite of the Motorcycle and Coffee Fans | Eater SF

"On a Saturday morning I drove into the heart of the Excelsior District and found a gleaming black-and-gold coffee shop with a dozen motorcycles parked out front — a new-school coffee spot in an old-school neighborhood that’s become known for roasting and brewing great coffee and for being deeply tied to the motorcycle scene. Riders fuel up here on the signature Clutch Espresso and breakfast burritos before heading out for weekend adventures; the owners, Lea Sabado and Andre Higginbotham, bring their passion for vintage motorcycles and cars into the space and even sold personal vehicles (Sabado sold her 1964 Ford Falcon) to invest in a La Marzocco espresso machine that Higginbotham services himself. They offer a full range of espresso, pourovers, cold brew and an old-school $3 drip for regulars, plus horchata, matcha, and hojicha lattes; pastries include offerings from local bakeries and Chef Toby Shimizu of Pacific Smoke supplies banana bread and breakfast burritos featuring kalua pork and other Guamanian flavors. After years using beans from Alex Roberts of RoastCoin Oakland, they now roast their own in collaboration with Rai Littlejohn of Deathless Coffee, favoring a “slow and steady” roast that caramelizes sugars and produces a medium body with chocolate tones — shots that wake you up with a jaw-cracking hit and then a smooth mouthfeel. The interior’s black-and-gold design, vintage motorcycles on display, community events, mobile coffee cart, and plans for a happy hour all reinforce a welcoming, unpretentious neighborhood cafe that’s equally a motorcycle hub and a serious coffee shop." - Becky Duffett