Contraband Coffee Bar
| Address: | 1415 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA |
| Phone: | +1 415-839-7388 |
| Site: | contrabandcoffeebar.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 6:30AM–9PM 6:30AM–9PM 6:30AM–9PM 6:30AM–9PM 6:30AM–9PM 6:30AM–9PM 6:30AM–7PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
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Lyndsy Livengood
im pretty picky when it comes to coffee and espresso drinks. im especially picky about the milk and its temperature. whenever i go out of town its always a process to find a decent cup of coffee. so before this trip to SF i did some digging and found this location listed with high ratings and excellent customer feedback, which led to me think this place might actually be worth my time...upon arrival i thought the place looked okay... decent amount of customers for it being 2pm on a Saturday. while waiting in line i started to look around and could not find a list of non-cow milks. (i am vegan by choice, the diet choice just works better for me, anyways,) looked everywhere for the milk list, a good two or three minutes while waiting in line. finally i saw a little handmade sign, advertising fresh made almond milk (its not my milk of choice but its better than soy so it worked). so its my turn to order, i ask for a soy latte with peppermint (my local coffee shop makes their own peppermint bark oil...sooo tasty) anyway the employee tells me that they dont carry any oils or syrups, no big deal i just order a soy latte to go. she doesnt ask for a size or anything, she didnt even smile. so it was $5 even, i hand her my card, while doing so i ask for the latte to be "not too hot" (non-cow milk burns at a lower temperature and most baristas dont have a lot of experience with non-cow milks) so i just simply asked for it to be cooler as to not have to explain and seem rude or snooty, she said no problem and ran my card. the shop itself was clean and had a good vibe going on, i didnt like the flow of traffic with customers, have your sugars and lids by the pick up side, makes no sense to cut back in front of waiting guests more than need be. my latte came up, i scrambled to locate the to go lids, grabbed one and left. made it about two blocks away, heading back to the car, and took the first sip of my latte. it was so gross, so hot, burnt tasting, absolutely flavorless, the espresso tasted old, like maybe it was ran through once for a different drink and they didnt change the grounds before making mine. it was so bad, i spat it out! i was so sad, so disappointed, maybe my barista was new? or training? didnt appear so, but benefit of the doubt? But i was and am so disappointed, i cant even call this place mediocre, flavorless, burnt espresso, milk burnt (which is a disgusting taste, that sticks), unfriendly staff that takes no pride in customer satisfaction, this place is a joke. not worth the time i spent finding it online. i didnt try taking it back, i had already seemed to annoy the staff with my first visit. so all in all i threw away $5 plus $1 tip at Contraband Coffee Bar. i give you ZERO STARS!!!
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Robbin Arcega
Im not a coffee person, but they do have a few good options for tea drinkers. That said, the coffee that they have is so intricate that I am happy to take a sip of the blends that they have up their sleeve. In terms of tea, I believe they serve Five Mountains loose leaf. They have all the tools to brew the tea nicely, but because its a coffee shop, theyre all being used for, well...coffee. That said, they do put the loose leaf tea into a paper bag and pop it into hot water for you. They do not control for water, though, so if youre ordering a green tea that requires a cooler temperature, know that it will not be at its optimal taste because of the lack of temperature control. Still, its nice that they offer it. The red teas tend to hold up the best against that super hot water. They also have two chais: a pirate chai, which is a matcha chai with spices, and I guess a regular chai. I prefer the pirate chai because its not something I can get anywhere else, and its got a kick to it that you cant get in normal chais. Plus, its matcha, which I prefer. All in all, Contraband is a great place to go when youre waiting for brunch at MyMy or Olea, or if youre going to another brunch spot and you dont want their coffee. Just note that because everything is made to order, it will take a fair amount of time. Also, dont be the jerk that blocks the bar area. A lot of people tend to wait there because they think its Starbucks and their drink will be out in 20 seconds. This is not the case, so take a seat and wait for your order so that youre not in the way.
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Jenn W
I arrived here at about 7pm and was immediately told by the guy behind the counter that theyd be closing early - at 8pm. It was a Tuesday and the hours were supposed to be 9pm. The music was loud even though there were only three parties there and we couldnt hear ourselves talk. I was hoping to get a snack with my coffee, but there were no more pastries or empanadas. Since it was late, I decided to order a hot chocolate and my friend got a tea. The barista yelled at us several times when the drinks were ready - he couldnt be bothered with bringing the drinks over to us or even being polite even though no one else was in the store. The hot chocolate was okay - tasty on top, but powdery and sludgy at the bottom. Once 7:50pm rolled around, the same worker began putting up chairs and ushering us out. It wasnt even 8pm when he rushed us outside - and he was totally rude about it. Im pretty sure he only closed early to be able to leave ... so dont expect to stay to close even though those are the hours listed. Im never going back.
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Zed star
This coffee shop is a short walk from the Nob Hill Hotel where we were staying for a few days.The lattes we ordered on our first visit were quite well made by Brett the barista and tasted very nice.The shop has wi-fi, very long bar height community tables,plenty of power outlets,some trendy art for sale on the walls ,a clean his/hers bathroom and some outdoor seating.I came by here every morning for a latte or cappuccino and every time irritating country & western music was being played.The male staff we encountered are a drull lot and couldnt crack a smile if their life depended on it.I usually didnt stick around long as I didnt like the nerdish vibe.There is a bare minimum of food for sale and they know how to make nice coffees..thats it.We had breakfast most mornings at Mymy cafe right next door...the food there is excellent.
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Sebastian Fiedler
In a city like San Francisco with a high density of coffee shops you wouldnt think that a neighborhood like Nob Hill would lack - coffee shops! Insiders know about the little Peets inside the Grace Cathedral but thats pretty much it. Head towards Larkin and California and enter Contraband - a modern coffee bar with all the things that make San Francisco coffee unbeatable - tasty lattes, espressos, and pour over made with South American beans. (Hot) sandwiches are also on the menu but I havent tried those. 4 stars for the great coffee and the minimalistic interior, the large window front with the sun reflecting from the beautiful buildings across the street. Young crowd, good vibe. Contraband, you nailed it.
