The cafe has opened inside the flagship brick-and-mortar location of luxury consignment brand The RealReal (opens in new tab)<\/a> at 253 Post Street in Union Square, which itself reopened this month after a nearly three-year closure.\u00a0<\/p>\n For now, the cafe is open on the weekends, with plans to host a grand opening and expand to seven-day-a-week service in early April. The three owners \u2014 Claudia Campos, Daniel Ortiz, and Octavio Vargas \u2014 say they\u2019re ready to take center stage in San Francisco\u2019s competitive coffee world. \u201cWe saw an opportunity to tell our story in coffee,\u201d Campos says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Painted Leopard has sopent most of its life as a roaming pop-up. The company, known for its edgy, social media-friendly designs, first appeared at the Presidio\u2019s Tunnel Tops park, and has since served at Mission District sandwich shop Dolores Deluxe (opens in new tab)<\/a> and journalist-run Oakland hub Local Economy (opens in new tab)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The cafe isn\u2019t an afterthought in The RealReal\u2019s two-story flagship, which features local art and racks and racks of high fashion. There\u2019s wi-fi for the remote worker perusing designer watches on their lunch, aesthetic plants, and couches and tables throughout. The owners say the new physical space will allow the company to showcase much of what makes it special.<\/p>\n Campos said that the limitations of running pop-ups have meant most of their coffees have rarely been available. For instance, Campos and her colleagues believe the Cometa (opens in new tab)<\/a> \u2014 a limited-time anaerobic processed coffee \u2014 shines brightest as a pour-over. But their pop-ups have generally featured only espresso drinks.<\/p>\n At first, the RealReal menu will also be limited; pour-overs, cold brew, and rotating specialty drinks will land on the menu after the grand opening.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the brown sugar latte, a Painted Leopard favorite, is on offer. That drink includes housemade brown sugar that highlights the brand\u2019s Dulzura beans (opens in new tab)<\/a>, which boast Fuji apple and cacao nib notes.<\/p>\n No bites are available just yet, but Campos said pastry partners are on the way. She wants to focus on pairings that highlight the tropical notes of Painted Leopard\u2019s more experimental roasts like the single-origin Abejas, a honey-processed natural coffee. A proper light roast, Vargas described it as carrying notes of tamarind and wine.<\/p>\n When The RealReal was planning its reopening, Campos says the brand sought out a San Francisco- and woman-owned coffee company to be part of its return. The re-opening comes at a strange time for Union Square, which is balancing the return of major global brands with an influx of local small businesses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Campos\u2019 mom lives in the Osicala region, known for its coffee origin Monte Cacahuatique in Moraz\u00e1n, El Salvador. A cooperative there supplies Painted Leopard with its beans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Growing up, Campos and Ortiz \u2014 who are cousins \u2014 would travel to visit family in the area. It wasn\u2019t until 2021 that Campos and Ortiz began brainstorming business plans. They met Vargas along the way. Ge now handles roasting for the business at the East Bay\u2019s roasting facility 444 Collaborative (opens in new tab)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Campos says she and the team want to keep growing and telling their story. It was at the SF Coffee Festival in November 2023 where Painted Leopard formally launched, and Campos says that\u2019s really been the only venue to showcase all their coffees.<\/p>\n This new cafe is set to give the trio a brick-and-mortar stage for Painted Leopard\u2019s second act. \u201cWe truly want to help the farmers, as they put a lot of work in,\u201d Campos says. \u201cWe really envision ourselves as a centeal hub for all coffees from El Salvador.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Rows](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772549290_714_-S3840x2560-FPNG.png\"\/)
Source: Courtesy Painted Leopard<\/p>\n