coffee shops for writing? (San Francisco, Fillmore: to rent, home, neighborhoods)

[migol84]

San Francisco, you never fail to give me a good quality cup of coffee, but its so hard to find a decent actual coffee shop where the music isn't too loud, you don't close too early, its not too crowded, the ambience isn't overbearing and the seats aren't too uncomfortable meanwhile maintaining your integrity of serving great coffee. I may be nitpicking but I honestly haven't been able to find a nice coffee shop where I can sit down and zone out while trying to write my script. There's always something distracting me. The table is too wobbly and the seats are too awkward. The music is too loud (Led Zeppelin in a coffee shop? Really?). There isn't any space for me to sit down. There are ZERO outlets for my laptop as it is required for my writing. I dunno, there's just always something bothering me, distracting me, keeping me from writing.

I can't write at home because my living situation is not suitable for it.

If any of your natives or city-data forumers have any insightful comments it would be much appreciated. It may not, after all be the coffee shops themselves, but just the fact that I have writers block and I don't want to admit that.

I just need help right now.

Just to give you guys an idea I've been to Rituals Coffee Roasters on Valencia, Coffee Bar between Potrero hill and Mission. Philz near 4th and King, 24th and Van Ness. Four Barrel. Blue Bottle in Ferry Bld, and Mint Bld. And I've also been to a few other coffee shops around different neighborhoods trying to find my niche that will inspire me to write and all places I've mentioned I have frequently had these experiences. A friend suggested anywhere on top of a hill. Thoughts?

[jade408]

Panera.

[gatorman]

D&Ds.

[peninsular]

Have you tried Arlequin/Hayes Valley, Reverie/Cole Valley or Beanery/Inner Sunset? First two have nice patios. Coffee is not Blue Bottle/Four Barrel level, but at least they don't hate you for coming in, as they do at Ritual.

[peninsular]

A few other spots I might suggest - Farley's/Potrero Hill, Liberty/Bernal Heights, Trieste/North Beach, Peet's (yes, Peet's)/West Portal and Java Beach by the Zoo.

[Huckleberry3911948]

people dont go to coffee shops to write. they go to coffee shops to be seen writing.

[Isebiel]

Jane on Fillmore in Pac Heights (might be too crowded for you)

Borderlands Cafe in the Mission

YakiniQ in Japantown

Though my favorite spot, personally, is La Boulange. There are lots of them around.

[eureka1]

What Huckleberry said. If you want quiet go to a library.

[gnomatic]

Originally Posted by migol84

Just to give you guys an idea I've been to Rituals Coffee Roasters on Valencia, Coffee Bar between Potrero hill and Mission. Philz near 4th and King, 24th and Van Ness. Four Barrel. Blue Bottle in Ferry Bld, and Mint Bld. And I've also been to a few other coffee shops around different neighborhoods trying to find my niche that will inspire me to write and all places I've mentioned I have frequently had these experiences. A friend suggested anywhere on top of a hill. Thoughts?

All the hipster coffee joints like Ritual, Blue Bottle, Four Barrel will be too popular and noisy for what you are looking for. You need to look for a small lesser known neighborhood cafes, away from the main streets.

In SOMA try Epicenter next to the Whole Foods.
In North Beach, try 401 Columbus, Cafe Capriccio.

[Isebiel]

Oh whatever. Most of my friends are professional writers. Many of them get their work done in coffee shops. It's a lonely job where you have to make yourself do the work, and it's hard to work from home, which is often full of distractions both voluntary and involuntary.

That said, most of my writer friends do not live in San Francisco, where the coffee shops are pretty much always crowded and noisy. The only ones who do write at Borderlands Cafe on Valencia (it's attached to the Borderlands book store).

Oh, various branches of The Grove can be nice, too. But still noisy and busy.

Alternately, you might want to work into renting a share in a co-working space. They're mostly in SOMA.