Official Search for The Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco (To Read and Study In)

Photo from Bloomberg.com

The other afternoon I found myself with a bit of free time and a sudden yen for a good cup of coffee. I thought it would be a great chance to try out a new coffee place and sit down to wade through some more of Anna Karenina (a huge, doorstop of a book to lug around!). So, I decided to Google "Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco to Read In." To my surprise, I couldn't find any comprehensive list. Of course, there are other places to read: parks, public transportation, shopping lines, BART stations, and even libraries (at least I think you're allowed to read in there). However, I have turned my attention to java huts in particular because if there are two things San Franciscans love, they are coffee shops and books. How is it possible then that I couldn't find a list of the best coffee shops in the city to sit down and read? Someone must do something about this, lest the world see us a illiterate non-coffee-drinkers.

Thus, I'm pleased to announce the official opening of The Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco (To Read and Study In) Quest! Similar to my ongoing Bookstore Quest to visit and document every independent bookstore in the city, my coffee shop quest stems from a personal passion/borderline obsession. This passion of course, is caffeine... and reading.

By no means do I consider myself a coffee connoisseur, but I do know the difference between a good cup of coffee and a bad one. I also know good reading ambiance when I see it. Hence, my personal ideal coffee shop to read in would have the following characteristics:

1. Good coffee-- You have to buy something to sit down, you might as well get something good!
2. A rather quiet setting-- I don't mind people chatting quietly with friends, but I like to avoid the noisy rush hours.
3. Ample lighting-- I prefer plenty of natural lighting, but decent lamps will do.
4. Comfy seating-- Enough said.
5. A 'No Rush' policy-- There's nothing worse than sitting at a cafe or restaurant and feeling like you're being 'rushed out' the moment you finish your meal. I like places that have friendly service but leave you alone to do your business.

Furthermore, every quest has to start somewhere. I'm getting my leads from none other than the forum where everyone's their own brand of expert: Yelp. To begin, I've been looking up coffee places rated 4 stars or above with a decent number of ratings. I jot down all the Yelp info in my little notebook and I'll rate them as I go along. Very scientific.

If you have any suggestions, please pass them along!

P.S. While I didn't find a comprehensive list of the best San Francisco coffee shops to read in, I did find a few interesting links. Enjoy!

• The Top 10 Best Boutique Coffee Shops (in the country)
• SF Weekly's The Best Place to Read the Sunday Paper (2003)
• Mister Archer's Top Coffee Shops in San Francisco