Cole Coffee
(1) 510 – 653 5453
6255 College Avenue
Berkeley, California 94618

www.colecoffee.com

Open Hours: 7 am – 7 pm daily

We visited Cole Coffee (formerly Royal Coffee) on the recommendation of our local coffee clan at Abraço here in NYC.  This was their “go to” place when they lived out in Oakland.   They make an excellent drip and you can choose from several different varieties.  They offer some baked goods, excellent fresh sandwiches and a simple set of poached eggs.  Outside the cafe, there is a retail store to purchase all kinds of freshly roasted beans.

The real appeal of Cole Coffee- outside the delicious brews of course- is the nice outdoor seating and the excellent social scene.  It was quite obviously the spot for the locals.  There was a great mix of singles and families, straights and funkys, groups of friends who arrived together and groups of friends who met there.  If I lived in the area, I would surely be one of the hangers out!

Acme Bread Company
(1) 415 – 288 2978
1 Ferry Building, Market Shop #15
San Francisco, California 94111

www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com

Open Hours:
6:20 am –  7:30 pm   Monday   – Friday
8:00 am – 7:00 pm   Saturday – Sunday

Founded in 1983 out in Berkley, CA by Steve Sullivan, Acme Bread was a pioneer on the Artisan Bread Culture.  Now 26 years later with two bakeries in Berkley, one in Mountain View and one  in the Ferry Building downtown San Francisco, dedicated customers are still enjoying the flaky joy that is warm bread.

While visiting this commercial handmade bread company,  it is hard to make a choice once you reach the counter!  There is a perfect  selection of the sourdoughs that San Francisco is famous for (it is because of the humidity and climate that the starters take so well).  Acme uses French and Italian techniques and only organic flour to create their magnificent selection of Viennoiseries ( croissants, Danishes, Brioches) and Breads  (Ciabatta, Focaccia, Baguette, Sourdough, Swetbread, Rye, Pumpernickel ……).

The Ferry Building itself is a wonderful foodie enclave.  If this were in another, more commercial city it would be housing all sorts of chains (read Au Bon Pain, Starbucks, Sharper Image, etc ..).  I was expecting another lost, culturally significant locale- a la Fanual Hall in Boston or the South Street Seaport in New York.  I was so happy to find all local food producers and a climate that defines San Francisco eating: width, breadth taste and locale.  Bravo.