Excelsior Coffee

"This family-run coffee shop opened its doors in 2019, but it already feels like a neighborhood staple that’s been going strong for decades. This friendly yet usually quiet caffeine stop brings standout espresso drinks—and ube brownies, donuts, and other pastries from Ube Area—to the Excelsior. As a neighborhood fixture, they also host latte art throwdowns, local food pop-ups, and the occasional block party." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong

"Lea Sabado and Andre Higgenbotham opened this Excelsior neighborhood shop in 2019 with a healthy following of motorcycle fans excited to see a Black and brown-owned business in a very white coffee scene. The shop makes a mean chai, but more relevantly this is the only specialty shop in the area with strong but not overly dark roasts." - Paolo Bicchieri

"Excelsior Coffee is a neighborhood cafe built for locals and motorcycle enthusiasts. It offers a full range of espresso drinks, pourovers, cold brew, and classic drip coffee. The shop features pastries from local bakeries and breakfast burritos by Chef Toby Shimizu. The space is decorated with a black and gold theme, including vintage motorcycles on display. Excelsior Coffee also hosts events like motorcycle meetups and car rallies, and has a mobile coffee cart for offsite events. The owners, Lea Sabado and Andre Higginbotham, share a passion for vintage motorcycles and have created a welcoming and diverse community hub." - Becky Duffett

"Excelsior Coffee revved into a Mission storefront in 2019, bringing “dope coffee to dope folks.” The space is black and gold with a vintage motorcycle on display, true to the interests of the owners and the neighborhood. In addition to “Clutch” espresso beans and mean lattes, the shop features some of the buzziest pastries in town, including Astranda cinnamon buns and Rize Up sourdough." - Becky Duffett

"Two things to know about me: I drink a lot of coffee. I also drink a lot of coffee from this Excelsior spot. The nearly two-year-old cafe makes a damn good latte, which you can get alongside delicious ube brownies from Ube Area and bags of beans to go. They also frequently collaborate with local pop-ups, like Rize Up Sourdough, and exceptional cinnamon roll makers Astranda Bakery. What I love most about Excelsior Coffee is their engagement with the neighborhood community - they recently hosted a socially-distanced block party complete with classic cars, motorcycles, and food from spots like Senor Sisig and Mama Soco Birria." - lani conway