Sextant Coffee Roasters

As a Melbourne local I have very high expectations for coffee, and coming into America, I was definitely nervous! When I Googled coffee shops close to my hotel, Sextant came up and I was not disappointed. On my way out for a drive I stopped by for a cold brew and Morning Bun which were both delicious (thank god). A really nice selection of kombuchas and other cold drinks as well. Cute warehouse-y location and was nice and quiet given 9am on a Sunday!

Really great coffee! I loved the balance flavors of coffee in this place. Coffee is perfectly creamy with right amount of bitterness. Tried their latte, cappuccino and mushroom croissant. Loved them all. If you are in the neighborhood, you need to try this place for sure! Ambience is excellent with indoor and outdoor seating. Friendly staff.

Solid coffee with great gluten free pastries! I recently hosted an event and I bought a large container of coffee. Their service was super fast and they had it ready in 15 min. They have a variety of Asian flavored desserts as well as the usually croissants and cookies. They also have a few gluten free options, I recommend the banana walnut cookie

Solid caffe latte with just the right combination of espresso notes, milk and crema. I love places that roast their own beans and enjoyed viewing the roaster on site while breathing in the rich aromas of roasted coffee beans. Service was average though the barista did share he was a highly satisfied regular patron before taking the job. That’s always a good sign. What makes this establishment special is a secluded courtyard in the back that allows one to bask in the sun while enjoying private space - right in the heart of busy, industrial SoMa district. Chart a course to Sextant and your sails will be filled.

Highly rated for a reason. Great coffee and great service. We really enjoyed the organic food options. Indoor space is very nice with lots of room to sit and work. The patio outside is very nice as well.

A bit uncoordinated, but decent coffee. Seems like early in the morning is not the best time for everyone. The menu wasn't completely updated (lots of items were shown to be out of stock when they weren't) and the pourover was missing! Got a drip coffee though, and it was ok. A bit void of flavour minus a sharp acidity. Hopefully the beans I bought will be better.

Came here when waiting for my costco tire appointment. Not a great retail experience overall. They use digital kiosks to order your drink. I ordered a speciality drink -> golden latte ($6.75)-> with oatmilk (+$1) -> plus tip -> $10.50 - yikes thats expensive. It was a frictional user experience to use the kiosk because when i realized my drink was $9 before tip, i wanted to see the line items receipt but couldnt figure out what fees and tax was being applied. i tried to edit my order, the app took me back to the homescreen, then wouldnt let me edit, then the two employees who were standing there were trying to help me, i didnt want to be weird about getting a cheaper drink, so just placed the order. I went to the back to wait for my drink. Its got a nice area to hangout, but it smells like urine in the corner. I moved to get away from the pee smell, got my drink, drank half of it, and was thinking to myself: i dont think there is coffee in this “latte”. I asked the barista if there was coffee in it and she confirmed there was not coffee in it. I mentioned to her that its disappointing to pay over $10 for a “specialty latte” at a coffee roaster. She asked me if the kiosk mentions that in the description? I said i didnt think so. She didnt seem to believe me and walked over to the kiosk. She was surprised it was not mentioned, and she shrugged and said sorry and started to walk away. I asked her for an espresso and she gave it to me which i really appreciate. Was going to give this place a two star review because it was expensive, frictional, smells like pee outside, but the employees were cool so three stars. I really dislike shady charges or lack of clarity of when it comes to “what are the individual line items?”Maybe other folks in SF are more comfortable with that but i am not… yet. Tbh if i just ordered from a person from the first place, i doubt i would have these issues.

Great quality of third-wave roaster and coffee shop directly working with farmers across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Colombia. My favorite coffee here are Americano and Cappuccino. Their pastries from local shops are really good too.

truly a gem in the heart of soma! their beans are excellent, sourced from ethiopia and roasted right there in house! there aren't many roasters, especially black owned roasters in the bay. kinani is sooo knowledgeable about coffee and the industry as a whole. the drink menu is a decent size, there's a little something for everyone. coffee, matcha, chai, dirty chai (or the wired gandhi as they call it). there's also canned beverages and warm pastries available. the space is cozy, with seats nestled along the brick wall. and there's a peaceful backyard - my favorite place to enjoy my beverage.

Cool classy vibe with vast ceilings. You'll see. Far more spacious than your average SF coffee locale. Emphasis on African beans. Mostly a self-service kiosk that requires a bit of focus the first time. Excellent flavor in everything. Do not neglect to try a ginger cookie when they are available.

This is a cute spot and definitely gives the coffee roaster vibes in its name. Owner and employees were friendly. You order from a tablet but it seems that is just mainly for payment so they can focus on making the drinks. There is surprisingly plenty of seating indoor and outdoors. No outlets, but you can definitely come with your device charged and it is quite comfortable. Matcha latte was mid maybe a 2-3/5, did not really taste matcha and tasted mostly like milk. I didn't try the coffee but I would recommend that you stick with those.

This place was cute! Great service, ambiance was nice. Fair amount of seating, outdoor patio option. If you want to come here to work, however, theres a lack of outlets. My drink with tip came out to $10.95 for a smol little iced matcha. Kinda expensive not gonna lie.......also I love matcha, its how I gauge new places. The matcha here was not too flavorful nor did it rly have that matcha taste? I wanted to like it, but maybe I just got the wrong thing. Perhaps their other coffee options are better. Nonetheless i dont think this place is bad by all means, I just need to try other things on the menu.

City prices prepare for you just about everything. So, when you go outside SF, nearly everything seems like a bargain. Ok, maybe not the $18 Erewhon smoothies in SoCal. Anyways, I was surprised that Sextant's Matcha Latte is $9...before tax and tip: https://tinyurl.com/3wep2trs. OOOF. It was worth it tho! If you're a matcha drinker, then you know how hard it is to find a solid matcha latte that isn't just green colored milk. Maybe I've been going to the wrong places but in my experience, more than 60-70% of cafes serve watered down matcha lattes. While Sextant is a third-wave coffeehouse specializing in Ethiopian coffee (house roasted beans), they make a damn solid Matcha Latte that's hand whisked to order. Strong vegetal flavor, not too bitter and the oat milk adds creamy body and kiss of sweetness. It gave me the calm alertness that I crave. And, while not something I can afford on the daily, I rather spend $9 on a matcha latte that I enjoy 1-2x a week than $6 on one that I have to toss. Service is top-notch from Miguel. Even though you order from a kiosk, he welcomes you in and asks if you have any questions. And...they have a quaint back patio that I was able to take a 45 minute call without disrupting others. And....they're dog-friendly. Happy that they're expanding to The Mission soon!

Excellent beans, coffee, food and service. Ethiopian beans (pour over and latte) were exceptional. Also the store is close to Costco, has a nice interior and a small place out back if you don't want to be indoors. Only weird thing was the bathroom. All automated, and the light around the mirror flashed nonstop. Could also have been cleaner for as early as we were there.

Got the frosty Gandhi latte! It wasn't on the main menu but on the iPad when you order. Tasted like vanilla frosted chai. I think it was good! Oat milk costs extra Nice vibes to hang out or co work. Not too crowded on a Sunday morning.

Stepping in, I found the tablet a bit confusing to use (you have to "not select something" to get the regular espresso + tip seemed pretty much predetermined without the ability to change it), but thankfully things were cleared up once the barista took my order. I got the espresso because their pour over options were ranging in the $8 range (to me, that's pretty high unless it's a gesha). When asking if they could provide a cup of sparkling water on the side for the espresso as some places do, they said that the only way would be to purchase sparkling water on the side. I was okay with this as some cafes are either oblivious to why you would need sparkling water with espresso and others just don't offer it for free. In other words, this is not the first time. The espresso itself used the "Maiden Voyage," which I admit had pretty packaging. The notes listed on the bag were "rich cocoa, cherry, caramel, and blueberries." Throughout the rich and thick espresso, I definitely detected berry notes as well as the rich chocolate. It was a decent cup. In terms of seating, I preferred the indoor because of the height of the wooden chairs that worked with the high tables. The place was brightly lit from the natural sunlight as well. I definitely think they could do something about the outdoor seating though because it seemed a little depressing and not super tidy.

- It's a nice coffee shop. It's cozy inside. - Ordering from a tablet. - Latte seemed a little bitter. - A solid 4 out of 5

Good find while in the area. The coffee is delicious I highly recommend it the roast they do is very good. I had a morning bun and they have some great pastries. The menu doesn't have prices and the bathroom was a little dirty. They play pretty loud music so it might not be the best place for a quiet conversation. Nice staff and overall great coffee.

Love the coffee -- had the wired Gandhi and it was delicious. The espresso was good, the syrup in the drink was good.

Amazing coffee shop!! The staff are very warm and welcoming and the coffee is amazing!! The barista suggested the wired gandi with peppermint and it was the best coffee ive ever had! Highly recommend this place, the ambiance was amazing :) Coffee art was super cute too :)

Two words: Ethiopian. Only. As a home coffee roaster, my preferences for varietals lead with African, and of course Ethiopia is the colloquial birthplace of coffee. I love me a blueberry-filled Yirgacheffe or Sidamo. Sextant exclusively serves Ethiopian origin coffee, and even the black pour over (no cream or sugar here, please) delighted. Very much digging the black coffee and espresso here. We'll be back!

Deeeelicious iced latte and cold brews! And why not pair it with a yummy pastry while you have plenty of space to hangout in their charming cafe. Kind and quick service is also a bonus!

My brother mentioned Sextant was his favorite coffee spot in the city so of course I had to stop by with him during my trip to SF. We biked to this spot on an early Saturday afternoon and it wasn't too busy. The spot was cute, definitely had an industrial vibe going on, as well as maybe some renovation. You order at the kiosk and the baristas prepare your order. I ordered a mocha with oat milk. The coffee art design was super pretty on each of the drinks, as pictured below. The drink was a bit lighter than I was expecting, as I usually like my coffees with a bit of a kick and more flavor, but it wasn't too bad. We also ordered some pastries, the turkey and cheese croissant, guava danish pastry, and chocolate chip cookie. The pastries were super all super crisp and you could see and taste the individual layers. For the guava danish pastry, the filling was all located in the center so for 80% of the time you're really just biting into plain pastry as opposed to the fruity, creamy part (the best part). There's a small patio outside in the back which is nice on a sunny day.

They don't accept cash or alterations. I wanted ristretto (short) shots, a very common order and was told "the machine automatically makes a double shot. Also with the default tip my macchiato came out to nearly $10. Honestly I could live with these three issues, The cash and automatic big shots are minor annoyances and SF is an expensive city. The biggest problem after all of that is the coffee; my drink was over the top bitter. In my youth I was trained by Italian master baristi and know that quality coffee should be bitter sweet. Two stars because the barista was nice

Solid little coffee shop. Interior is open and surprisingly spacious and it feels like it would be a fine space to sit down to do a bit of work or have a chat. Pour over list didn't really have anything interesting, just an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe which feels like every beginner's intro into specialty coffee. Considering they are also a roaster, I was expecting more variety on offer. Pourover tasted exactly like what I'd expect, light and a touch fruity although, and I admit this is a minor nitpick, I wish it was served in a carafe and a separate cup seeing as how it was made into a carafe. I get the vibe after ordering that it was more espresso focused but too late to change my order now. Also a weird thing I noticed, they don't seem to have any simple syrup in the coffee bar, only flavored syrups and agave syrup so if you want to sweeten up a drink a smidge with something neutral, you don't really have that option. Ordering was a breeze and the barista was friendly and chatting with a customer but didn't let that get in the way of ordering. If you abhor the idea of talking to people, they also have a terminal to order from.

Oh wow - came here to try the Wired Gandhi and it was amaaaaaaazing. So delicious! It's a chai with a shot of espresso and milk (I went with oat milk). I kept smelling it because the aroma was so good . Would definitely come back. And as an introvert, I appreciated ordering by tablet. Service was friendly and professional.

Friendly staff with an order-yourself tablet. I ordered a Matcha Latte which was very flavorful. The barista could have whisked it a little longer to remove some clumping but it did the job regardless.

Went there during the Folsom Street Fair and the entire staff was friendly and non-judgmental. My cafe au lait came out fabulous.

Ice latte with Oatmilk ($1.00 extra) with a small tip and service fee was almost $9.00. I get that things cost more these days but ordering through an iPad with no communication or service from staff seemed odd.

Got lucky with a local coffee shop within two blocks of where we were staying. Darker wood rustic feel which with sots life of green plants to make it feel so welcoming. There is a back patio with a few seats that look like a few more would fit. When the weather is great, this is a good option. The sun was out after the morning fog dissipated, so the skylights sharing the sunlight were appreciated. The ordering is done though tablets and the baristas get right to the fulfillment. The stream of people was easy and consistent the Wednesday morning I was there. Everyone was relaxed and enjoying the day, work or not waiting for them. The music was pleasant with just the right liveliness for the day and not overpowering in volume level. Sat with a pretzel sticky bun and two iced teas reading my book at a two-top table. So enjoyable on my day off. The only thing I would like to see is more food offerings. Highly recommend.

I'd always driven by this place and wanted to try their coffee. It wasn't busy at all on a Sunday morning. When you first walk in there is a menu on the board but the barista suggested we use the tablet kiosks for self-ordering to see their full menu. He also gave us a recommendation to try the Wired Gandhi, Sextant's iteration of a dirty chai. And so I did! The coffee was pretty delicious. My bf also got a regular latte which he enjoyed as well. We split a sticky bun from their pastry counter which was chock full of nuts and dried currants. While tasty, it wasn't the freshest so I'd give it a solid 3 stars. I did notice when we were finished, another kind employee asking other customers if they wanted their pastries heated up though, and I think that would have benefited it well. There are a few small tables for indoor seating and one outside as well, but it wasn't too crowded so I think it should be relatively easy to grab one. I did love the loft-like interior. It was quiet cozy and well-lit inside. Parking wasn't a problem either. You'll have to street park of course, perhaps a block or two away, but it wasn't nearly as crazy as some other neighborhoods in the city. Highly recommend trying the Wired Gandhi!

Been coming to this spot for a few years now. The staff are very welcoming and kind. Today I got a flat white but my go to is usually the wired Gandhi. They had a good selection of pastries today from croissants to cookies to danishes. You order through a kiosk that shows you the prices of drinks which is moderate prices and it has been pretty much the same price since they started. This place is great for catching up with friends or having a quick caffeine break. Plenty of seating. You can work here but have your tech fully charged and then you can work with no issues. Strongly recommend this place, I love to see businesses run by people of color thrive!

Lovely coffe shop, friendly staff, nice outdoor patio. A little expensive for a coffee and especially croissant. But has a unique taste in their Ethiopian coffee, so O feel its worth it, and its interesting that they also have the coffee roasting machine. Also got a good cafe ambience, feel free to work there, its really nice experience. Staff are very friendly and very skilled and professional in doing their work. Highly recommended if you are around that neighborhood.

The cafe is on a somewhat industrial looking Street, with ample sunlight and a shelf on the side selling various knick knacks. I ordered a cappuccino, decaf and the foam on top was absolutely luscious. They are two tablets on the counter that you can order from, and the menu does a really good job of explaining what each drink is and what's in it. A great neighborhood stop!

Update: since the owner has chosen to respond to my review, I'll update it: my review literally says "dirty chai" for $10.50 and I waited 25 minutes for it the last time I went to Sextant. It's really sad and embarrassing that the owner doesn't even take time to read reviews carefully and he is flat out lying when he says "it usually takes 5.5 minutes." Note that he did not respond to my other issues with the parking or his not helping the barista. A good owner/manager steps in when there is an obvious issue affecting customer service, rather than trying poorly to patch holes in a plummeting yelp rating.

The coffee was good but just basic, I feel like it wasn't worth the 9 dollars I paid. I get that everything is more expensive now but it's kind of expensive for some basic iced vanilla latte. With this being said, it's a cute shop with an outdoor area, perfect for if you need somewhere to work!

Ask to use a restroom barista says yes if you purchase something this is ridiculous Please was so slow and it would not heart anyone if I use freaking restroom

I stopped by here recently on an early Sunday morning. The interior has a great ambience, with a rustic vibe and a few places for seating. The staff was also super friendly, and were really happy to answer any questions I had about the drinks. I ordered a cappuccino and a morning bun. The cappuccino was great; smooth and creamy, with pretty strong dark flavors. They definitely kicked hard, cause I was feeling the buzz for hours. The morning bun was also good. It was still quite crispy, with sugar rolled throughout the pastry, but not in an overwhelming fashion. I'll probably come back to try some of the other unique drinks (Wired Ghandi, Golden Latte)!

Beautiful place. Best Chai I've ever had! Amazing customer service. It's also Black Owned

What a coffee shop to say the least. This place is large on the inside, in SOMA (located conveniently about a block and a half from Costco), and gets a lot of sunlight. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here from the aesthetic to the coffee. I took the time on a Sunday morning at 9 to come in and grab coffee with an old friend. I ordered a Mocha and she ordered a Wired Ghandi and we liked our drinks that much that we had to have the other try it. Both were superb and did not let us down. I ended up drinking my Mocha in record time since it was delicious. I also felt bad ruining the coffee art, but it was so good. If you need a great place to catch up, drink great coffee, and have a seat outdoors (2 tables outside) or inside spread out, feel free to come here. As was expected, they did ask for vaccination records ahead of sitting, which we were happy to provide! Definitely worth it to come back and enjoy this coffee shop again!

They are out of almost everything on the menu. One barista who was way in over his head. Complicated ordering process. The one coffee they had was ok. My recommendation would be to keep it basic. Ditch all the tech, make sure there is enough drip, pastries and do an actual pour over(not machine). Offer cream and sugar. Remover who your customers are and what they want and your business will thrive.

The Wired Gandhi was really delicious but I was shocked at the serving size given that the Wired Gandhi with oat milk was $9.66 pre-tip. I've never paid that much for a coffee and I can't fathom why a coffee should ever be that much. I went to the coffee shop with the intention to study (needing wifi and an outlet) but the cafe didn't have wifi or outlets. The cafe has a unique vibe and is industrial feel which I think would be great for a coffee date/meeting with people but the chairs are not comfortable and a lot of the tables are wobbly (so not good for studying). Music was too loud too which made the zoom meeting I was taking there tough. Nice place and good drinks but was too expensive and just not the vibe I was looking for with studying.

Coffee is mediocre. Worse than anything i'd make at home yet slightly better than a dusty nespresso pod found in the office pantry. I only go here if i have very limited time to spare and I have no other option. Far better coffee at Vega (maybe called Suspiro now) a block and half down or Sightglass on 7th. Like many enterprise SaaS startups, Sextant has a bunch of overengineered touches that neither make any economic sense nor deliver any benefit to anyone involved. They have an unnecessarily complicated process to order on an ipad--come on guys, just saying "drip coffee, no room" and touching a credit card is far easier than 25 selections on the ipad, opting for a custom tip amount (did you really earn a tip dispensing a cup from the batch?), asking me to sign up for Belly (who knew it still existed), and the inevitable question back to your employee asking how do i order that thing that i can see and i'm now pointing to in the back left.."no not that one, the savory one in front if it, yeah, that's it...i don't see that on the ipad, can i order it? Oh let me update the menu, is that the one with or without the leek?..." 10 minutes later you're able to order that thing that you can see and exists in the physical world....now that the ipad menu has been updated. Then i have to ask your crew for a coffee sleeve (apparently that's ok as an off ipad menu item). Bathroom by qr code is also really dumb. No idea how it makes anything easier/better/more sanitary than a mechanical key.

The mocha (3/5) here was alright (a little bland), but loved the peppermint latter (5/5) with almond milk. They use my favorite -- califa almond milk: barista edition -- here and the light peppermint syrup makes the latte so tasty and just the perfect hint of minty!

Loved this coffee place! I've tried a lot of mocha lattes in my life and Sextant has the BEST one. Perfectly sweet, not too bitter like other mochas, and perfectly balanced. Their baked goods were pretty good too. Definitely check this out for your morning pick-me-up

Cute coffee shop located in SOMA. I read about it in a coffee shop book about third spaces and wanted to try it out. You order on a tablet which was fairly easy, though I think I prefer an actual person. I got an iced vanilla latte with oat milk. It was decent, a tad bit sweet for my taste. Service was quick and very friendly. There is ample seating inside and a court yard in the back and the vibe is rustic and inviting. Definitely a place you could WFH, read or chat with friends. I wanna try their Ghandi drink, which seems to be their specialty. Overall a good experience. I will be back!

Great service. They have a POS ordering system for us introverts that let's you order from their menu without having to interrupt the baristas. The baristas were super nice, they gave my puppy a cup of water since I forgot my doggy dish. Had a latte and a morning bun. Coffee was great, bun was okay.

Very nice vibes here! I stopped by a few weeks ago while I got my car serviced. It was walking distance so I decided to try it out. You order through a kiosk and the drinks were made right away. They had a limited selection of pastries. The latte was standard. No outlets so make sure to your laptop is charged! The walls and layout of the cafe was very nice though and it was a perfect spot to take some of my calls for work.

Nope, not this place. The most money I've spent on getting coffee. To get a splash of milk it's a $1 extra. What's most bizarre is you have to put your order in on an iPad with a confusing menu while the barista stands there and stares at me while I fumble through the choices. Why not just have a system where a real human sentient person takes my order? Say no to the encroaching robot take over. But truly overpriced.

I walked in to this place around 9:30 on a Wednesday and was able to order asap! You order on these tablets at the front which is fairly convenient and efficient. When I was there, there were still pastries left, but I didn't try one. I got an iced oat milk caramel latte - it ended up being more expensive than I wanted but it was pretty good. They had outdoor and indoor seating- I could definitely see myself bringing my laptop or a book and spending a few hours here!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!! DEEEELICIOUSNESS!!!! I had a chocolate with expresso and two yummy cookies (made by a local business). Customer service A+!! Attentive, personable customer service oriented. Positive energy and vibe from the two guys behind the counter. You could see and ascertain from the positive exchange between the employees and customers that this place has repeat happy customers. People and place has a positive, friendly and energetic vibe. Aesthetics! I love the aesthetics and vibe of this place. I found myself walking around to check out the goodies, the stuff on the wall, and furniture and back patio space. It's a place that is inviting, has a place where you can go alone and chill, or gather with others over coffee, tea, chocolate and pastries. I love this place for all the aforementioned reasons that I personally asked who the owner was and told him how much I love this place. I wish this place was closer to my hood. (I came here while doing errands).

love this place. them white boys can make a latte you guys should definitely come here

This place is overpriced. Their coffee better have special powers. Almost $8 for a latte and it's turns out to be a 12oz!? I was shocked. And the space is honestly dark and depressing with barely no seating. Even the ambiance doesn't make up for the price.

Waaaaaaaay over priced and I lived n SF for sooooo long, so it's not that I am used to prices from anywhere else. $5 for a small Luke warm regular coffee is not kwel. They must know they are overpriced therefore they have no prices on their menu

A few weeks ago, I met some friends at 10 AM on a Sunday to grab coffee. At least, we met outside this place. We didn't go inside because it was closed. No sign, no notice, just closed. We waited for 15 minutes just to make sure, but no staff came by. During this time, at least a dozen people came by and tried to get in. One guy even said he ordered a coffee online. Either way, we went to another cafe and do not plan to come back here.

Holy sh$!t this place is overpriced. I got a small (8oz) matcha latte with oat milk, $8 before tip! It was fine, but not worth it. The floor could have used a sweep too - it was 9.30am and covered in crumbs from the day before. Def not returning.

If you need a little drug induced energy before your Costco run, Sextant is right around the corner with great espresso and a DIY order kiosk. The one staff person holding it down was so chill and friendly considering he was running the whole place! Will definitely be back!