Paper Son Coffee - FiDi
Coffee shop · Rincon Hill ·
Asian-inspired coffee drinks, inventive pastries, and outdoor seating
Asian-inspired coffee drinks, inventive pastries, and outdoor seating
"More than a TikTok typhoon for 20-somethings, this two-outpost coffee project opened at the end of 2023 as an homage to Alex Pong’s family history emigrating from China, and it stands out in San Francisco for quality and a clear point of view. Highlighting Asian American and Pacific Islander roasters, it’s common to find the Peninsula’s Moonwake Coffee Roasters alongside Berkeley’s Hydrangea Coffee Roasters, and the pour overs are excellent when it’s not too busy. Pong developed a few signature drinks worth ordering—try the creamy, thick Thai Tea Cloud with an einspänner-ish texture, or the scintillating matcha passionfruit soda. Tano, the ultra-popular bakery with a permanent residence inside the downtown location, supplies Korean salted bread, mochi cookies, and legions of cream puffs filled with flavors including lemongrass and passionfruit. Each outpost has a distinct vibe: the Dogpatch location is still a residence inside Neighbor Bakehouse, effectively a window with outdoor seats, while downtown shows more of Pong’s personality with Gundam figurines, Yu-Gi-Oh! cards taped to the La Marzoco, and lots of young people eating and drinking seemingly all the time. Insider tip: head to the Dogpatch outpost on a weekday for a top-tier pastry and a Paper Son coffee without a line; for the full line-inducing experience, hit the downtown spot Wednesday through Friday when Tano is on-site, and don’t bother on weekends—the downtown location is closed." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Paper Son’s iced matcha latte should be immortalized in textbooks as the certified blueprint. (Green print? Sorry.) It walks the tightrope between sweet and earthy and is easy to chug, though you’ll want to take slower sips to make the cup last. At both of their SoMa and Dogpatch cafes, they also have hojicha on hand, in case you want something a little less caffeinated." - julia chen 1, patrick wong
"Alex Pong’s Paper Son pop-up is a crowning achievement in the city’s vast coffee game, merging his Asian American heritage with his top-tier espresso and pour-over skills. The espresso passionfruit tonic is a bubbly love letter to the fruit notes coffee snobs love, and Paper Son’s riff on Thai iced tea, the Thai Tea Cloud, is as well-bodied an iteration as they come in San Francisco. The team opened a second location downtown at 303 Second Street N102 that’s open Monday through Friday, thanks to the city’s Vacant to Vibrant program." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Paper Son makes a strong case for your next morning pitstop. They not only have great coffee drinks with Asian-inspired flavors (like a frothy pandan aerocano and a fizzy Guava Pillow with guava puree foam and Li Hing powder), but they also have fantastic pastries. We always endorse getting a chewy black sesame chocolate cookie or a miso everything scone to go with a cup of whatever you’ve ordered." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong
"Paper Son in SoMa has an impressive lineup of coffee drinks tinged with Asian flavors. Yes, the Vacant to Vibrant coffee shop has the usuals—espresso, cortado, and drip—but you should make the trip here for the pandan aerocano that’s frothy and slightly fizzy, and the bubbly Guava Pillow with guava puree foam and Li Hing powder. But the drinks aren’t the only thing worth showing up for—the pastries are just as good. Made daily by a Jina Bakes alum, our favorite of the similarly Asian-inspired cookies and bread is the miso and everything bagel scone so soft it gives your teeth a massage. Keep an eye on Paper Son’s Instagram for daily specials and note that pastries are only available Wednesday to Friday and you can't get them at their Dogpatch location. There are a few two-tops both inside and outside that are usually free even during morning rushes—if they aren’t, there’s a public outdoor seating area across the street. photo credit: Patrick Wong" - Patrick Wong
