The Cafés of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of America's Original Café Society (Cafes of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, & Tastes of) [Paperback]

A. K. Crump (Author), Stephanie Green (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2004 | Series: Cafes of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, & Tastes of

Café culture has long played an integral role in San Francisco's history and cosmopolitan lifestyle. This delightful guidebook leads travelers and residents alike on a deliciously caffeinated tour of over 340 cafés in the city and East Bay. Each listing includes an address, phone number, and short write-up, giving readers a taste of each spot's unique ambience. Nearly all entries are pictured in full-color photos that capture the feel and atmosphere of a café. Some entries come with a story - the Caffe Proust, for example, is paired with an account of Marcel Proust's café experiences. There are also recipes, menus, vignettes, and profiles of local artists, café owners, and, of course, coffee-lovers, including Francis Ford Coppola, comedian Will Durst, and former mayor Willie Brown. Organized by neighborhood, the book offers a lovely walking tour of San Francisco's unique charms.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A delicious new book, packed full of lots of information and lots of full-color photos. -- Narsai David, KCBS Radio Food & Wine Editor

Celebrates these treasures in living color ... and enlisted the aid of some big names in putting together this pretty book." -- Debby Morse, San Francisco Examiner

FOUR AND A HALF STARS! The book makes me want to go out and explore -- Martha Bakerjian, About.com / Sanfrancisco.about.com

About the Author

A.K. Crump is a well-known cafe and chocolate expert, who finds these two subjects part of life's great pleasures.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: TCB Cafe Publishing; Second Edition edition (October 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967489881
• ISBN-13: 978-0967489889
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,967,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars San Francisco coffee scenes, May 26, 2004

By 

Matthew M. Yau "Voracious reader" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cafés of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of America's Original Café Society (Cafes of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, & Tastes of) (Paperback)

What a great, interesting book! I came across this guide at the counter of a local cafe that is actually featured in the book. The book organizes coffee houses and cafes according to neighborhoods of San Francisco. In each of the neighborhoods are featured cafes, their stories, menus, and even some of the recipes. I know some great cafes must have been missed and omitted since coffee houses in San Francisco come and go and there are a plethora of them (not counting Starbucks, of course) that accentuate neighborhood identity. It would be a strenuous project to keep up-to-date of all the newcomers in the industry (so I'll expect, maybe, a yearly edition?). A great headstart and a perfect coffee-table book for barista connoisseur and just the daily dosers!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where has this book been all my life?, September 22, 2003

By 

Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cafes of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of America's Original Cafe Society (Paperback)

Well, damn. I mean, I LIVE here, and why haven't I seen this book before? There are unique cafes everywhere in San Francisco's cosmopolitan Bay Area, and what can be more cosmopolitan than discovering a new one, sitting at streetside between the fog rolling out and rolling back in, sipping a latte, and indulging in a little People Watching? I love it. There are more than 300 wonderful color photos, a directory to the more than 340 cafes profiles, lots of vignettes, tidbits, gossip items, and even some recipes.
What's not to love?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun book, August 22, 2009

By 

Sleep Deprived (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cafes of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of America's Original Cafe Society (Paperback)

This is a fun little guide boook; it has a fair balance of cafes throughout the Bay Area. I can think of a lot of shops that were not included, but you have to be able to hold the thing....Mostly I like it because my daughter works in one of the cafes featured, and there are TWO pictures of her in it!