It was a convenient spot for coffee that shifted into a ritual over the course of two decades. Nearly every morning, Jerry Cain and Scott James would walk into Peet’s in the Castro, where the couple would have a daily moment of connection with each other and their community.
The cafe chain represented a certain kind of stability and a place for Cain and James to steal a few moments together before work. But at the end of January, when its parent was acquired (opens in new tab) by Keurig Dr. Pepper, their beloved Peet’s closed.
Now the two start their mornings at Epicurean Trader across the street. They like it, but it’s not the same. “It’s very small,” Cain says. “Peet’s was large enough to house 30, 35, at a time. That was how I saw many of my people.”
Peet’s joined the ranks of several popular Castro coffee spots to go dark in recent years. In September, the beloved “Bearbucks” on 18th Street closed; it was also a victim of corporate cost-cutting. In the coming months, Castro Coffee Company (opens in new tab) will close and move from its decades-old location next to the reopened Castro Theatre to a new home in the neighborhood. Looking further back, Sisters Coffee Shop closed in January 2025 after a two-year run, while Reveille and Weaver’s Coffee & Tea both closed in 2021.
Source: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
These were more than just places to scratch the caffeine itch. In fact, the quality of the coffee hardly mattered to regulars.
James said that on more than one occasion, he and Cain learned about the death of a friend because they ran into a mutual connection at the dated-looking Peet’s.
“It’s certainly dying,” Cain says of the cafe culture. “We rely on it. We want a 7 a.m. watering hole.”
Morning delight
Morning rituals have long been a part of the fabric of the Castro. As food writer and historian John Birdsall writes in “What Is Queer Food?,” the Castro had a booming morning scene in the late ’70s. Ordering quiche lorraine (a dish so popular it became shorthand for gay men of that era) was a hangover ritual at the Duo, which was once located on the corner 18th and Castro streets. In the ’90s, Cafe Flora was a hot spot for locals. Cain and James both note that when they moved to the area decades ago, smoothie bars dotted the streets. These days, gyms rule the roost.
But there are a handful of Castro residents trying to preserve — and build back — the neighborhood’s morning scene.
Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Giovanni Liguoro owns Poesia Cafe (opens in new tab) on 18th near Castro Street. He’s a bit of a coffee snob, but in the neighborhood, the label is less blemish than badge of honor. “In the Castro and San Francisco, the cafe culture is very deep,” Liguoro says.
When he arrived in San Francisco from Italy in August 2022, his neighbors were splitting their coffee budgets between Peet’s, Starbucks, and local cafes like Spike’s and Castro Coffee Company. With the spate of recent closures, he saw an opportunity. He spent weeks collaborating on custom-roasted beans from Oakland’s Mr. Espresso (opens in new tab) and introduced a latte of the month — butterscotch vanilla in February; matcha pistachio last month. He’s making cold brew for the first time.
The changes seem to be working: Over the last six months, drinks accounted for an increasing portion of sales, about 40%, and the cafe’s dining room is regularly full with laptop warriors and locals just hanging out. Liguoro is pleased to see Poesia evolve into a neighborhood hangout. “This is where we are now,” he says.
Good to the last drop
One block away, Spike’s is also bustling. The independently owned coffee shop hosts a near-constant gaggle of older gay men and dogs, who loll around the seven seats. Barista Austin Miller has worked at the 19th Street cafe for 15 years and has lived in the Castro for 20. He says Spike’s is packed every morning with writers, bankers, teachers, and dog-walkers because the shop, which does not offer Wi-Fi, has always prioritized its role as a gathering place. “We’ve held down the fort as a local coffee shop that’s also a social hub,” Miller says.
Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Longtime resident Jacob Paronyan hopes to become a steward of the Castro’s coffee culture. He recently signed a lease on the Cafe Flore space on Market Street, where he plans to open an all-day restaurant called Parasol at Flore. He’ll renovate the space over the next year, but his first goal is less ambitious: “Just open up for simple coffee and croissants,” he says, “just to give people the space back.”
Paronyan says neighborhood cafes are difficult propositions. A hoard of regular customers who buy a coffee and a pastry is great, but the revenue may not be enough to cover the high San Francisco rent.
“Part of the cafe culture is that no-pressure environment where you can just come hang out,” he says. “And that has to be balanced against, you know, making enough money to stay open.”