Ballast Coffee

Coffee shop · West Portal

Ballast Coffee

Coffee shop · West Portal

329 W Portal Ave, San Francisco, CA 94127

Highlights

Modern, low-key neighborhood destination with coffee, tea & granola, plus Wi-Fi & a leafy patio.

329 W Portal Ave, San Francisco, CA 94127 Get directions

@ballastcoffee

@infatuation

"Wifi: Yes Ballast Coffee is the ideal work station in West Portal. The quiet, airy cafe makes great iced and hot drinks (plus ube and calamansi-infused coffee), and serves mochi muffins from Third Culture Bakery. There’s plenty of space for you to finally start penning your magnum opus—the sun-filled patio, back room with a garden view, or bar and communal table up front. They also have strong internet, but make sure you come with your tech fully charged—there aren’t a lot of outlets. " - lani conway, julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez

31 SF Coffee Shops For Getting Work Done

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@infatuation

"Ballast Coffee is a quiet, airy cafe in West Portal that makes great iced and hot drinks (plus ube and calamansi-infused coffee). They also serve pastries and mochi muffins from Third Culture and Starter bakeries. This spot has reliable internet and plenty of tables for a morning of work, or quick catch ups with friends you haven’t seen since chunky dad sneakers became a thing. There’s a sun-filled patio, back room with a garden view, and a communal table up front. If you are here to start penning your magnum opus, just make sure you come with any tech fully charged. There aren’t many outlets. photo credit: Melissa Zink" - Lani Conway

Ballast Coffee - Review - West Portal - San Francisco - The Infatuation

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@eater

"This unsung West Portal business has fanciful drinks to spare. The signature ube drink comes as a latte or a cappuccino, but worth mentioning also is the Barako Crush — a cold brew shaken with calamansi and San Pellegrino." - Paolo Bicchieri

Where to Find The Best Lattes and Cold Brew in San Francisco Right Now - Eater SF

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bluubonic

Google

A charming painting-clad coffee shop with plenty of options, Ballast specializes in Starbucks-style sweetened drinks, with a particularly delicious iced Ballast latte including condensed milk. The texture of their drinks is impressively consistent, but the espresso leaves something to be desired, so I wouldn’t recommend a cappuccino or unsweetened drink here. Since they’re open late and have lots of seating, it’s a great place to meet up with people and study.

A. W.

Google

I always get drinks and pastries at this coffee shop! Their mochi muffins and veggie quiche are really good. Just tried their avocado toast, and I could tell it was made with care and fresh ingredients (lemon juice/arugula). :)

Edison Huang

Google

Found this unassuming coffee spot in the neighborhood. We ordered their ube ballast cappuccino, barako crush (iced), and an ube mochi donut. We were surprised they have a cappuccino option. The drink ended up a bit too sweet for us though. Other than that we love everything about the place.

Chad Santo Tomas

Google

Lovely neighborhood cafe in West Portal. Really the only good cafe in the area with an awesome and friendly fan base and a lovely owner. The highlight of this cafe is that it sells Filipino coffee, Barako, which is a lot stronger and robust than arabica that you find at ritual, blue bottle, etc. They stock pastries from third culture and starter bakery, BUT they've been having pop-ups with other local Filipinx food vendors. It seems to be on a monthly basis,but their IG has updates on pop ups and collabs. Overall a great and lovely cafe. and YES there is WiFi and indoor and outdoor seating!

Pilar Morais

Google

If I could give this place 6 stars I would. It’s a a lovely bright and clean space and the owner and staff make you feel so welcome. Now down to the important stuff. The coffee. It’s great and they serve the lovely Barako bean. This is a must try. You cannot find it elsewhere in San Francisco. I cannot wait til the start to sell he beans so that I can have it at home too. The pastures are also Devine. They include, dynamo donuts and this amazing Mochi muffin which I have to add I gluten free. This place is a must try even if you don’t live in the neighborhood. All the reviews cannot be wrong. 5 stars all the way!

Neal Benson

Google

Rad little coffee shop. I didn’t Think that I got the full experience of this coffee shop because it’s during COVID-19. Stopped by with a friend to grab a coffee. Masks are obviously required. Social distancing is required. But I will tell you that the staff is super friendly I got my coffee quick and they were very kind. You could grab a bag of coffee to go you to grab a treat while you’re there. I really thought that they had these red little cups to that you could pick one up. We ended up sitting outside for a little bit while I drink my coffee. The inside looks really nice and I’d love to come back and try another cuppa coffee

E Lee

Google

Quiet neighborhood coffee shop. They have their own beans. I enjoyed my cold brew. Service was quick and friendly. The inside was quiet with people working on laptops. The back patio was nice to talk in. There is also a parklet.

Dru Looks

Google

Great place for coffee and you should try their donuts 🍩 Most people hang out here with their laptops. There’s is also an outdoor space at the back. There’s artwork 🖼 on the walls for sale. Meter parking available. I’m not sure if there’s always only one person working here it can get a bit of a wait if there’s a line.