As a port city, San Francisco has long been a coffee haven. The city is steeped in coffee history, from James A. Folger offering the first packaged ground coffee to Gold Rush miners, to the beatnik-led café culture of the ‘60s, to the craft-coffee revolution of the early aughts.
Folklores Coffee Traders on Fillmore Street is my neighborhood coffee spot, and it bridges the gap between our aspirational coffee lives (third-wave artisan roasters, single-origin pourovers, oat-milk lattes aplenty) and our real coffee lives (close to home, friendly baristas, cheap and cheerful drip cups). Originally established as Zo11 Coffee Traders by Alex Assefa, and rooted in Ethiopian coffee culture and hospitality, the café is now under new proprietorship by owner Gideon Woldetsadik and his wife. The herb-laden salmon scramble with goat cheese, sautéed fresh peppers, and potatoes is another favorite. Folklores is a low-key and friendly, but tiny, operation. Be prepared to wait, and admire the colorful Pollock-reminiscent paintings on the wall, done by local artist Chris Duke.
