Hearth Coffee Roasters

Far and away my favorite croissant-​based pastries in SF. (Even over b. Patisserie.) Plain, open faced with whatever cheese/​meat on top, the sacred no-​longer-​being-​made boar, etc. All perfect. Also damn that bread pudding is redic. Lattes & caps on par with Ritual, Four Barrell, Blue Bottle etc.

We enjoyed a «prix fixe menu» dinner at Hearth. The food was delicious and carefully crafted to make a really enjoyable meal along with a wine pairing. The vegetables were so incredibly fresh and flavorful and the handmade pasta, especially, was perfectly cooked.
The space is also really beautiful and the staff friendly and helpful. My former company also orders their espresso and coffee beans from them and they are a huge hit in the office. I look forward to visiting again soon to try their brunch!

Best pastry, hands down in San Francisco goes to the apricot cheese Danish here! I. cannot. get. enough. Flaky, crispy, salty, and buttery with a layer of powdered sugar on the outside. Soft, smooth, melt-​in-​your-​mouth tart and sweet on the inside. The cheese on the inside is f-​in amazin. Sometimes the godsend baker nestles a perfectly ripe blackberry in the middle. I want to punch someone every time I take a bite of this delicious pastry. Because I have anger issues. But also because my tastebuds are crying from joy.

Came here after having brunch. I wish I had saved some room though as their breads looked amazing. But just stopped here for a little pick me up of caffeine. They had some cool looking drinks on the menu. They’re kind of pricey though as a cup costs about $ 4-​$ 6 (for about a grande size for comparison). The coffee I had I was told contained chocolate and some house made caramel. The drink itself wasn’t outstanding or memorable. It was good coffee, but nothing particularly unique. Also not much coffee flavor present. The ambiance of this place might make it good for studying, but it’s also pretty warm in here so keep that in mind. Cool place though, I’ll have to come back and check out the breads!

Hearth has lovely ambiance and some of the best pastries. The croissants, especially when fresh from the oven, are amazing, and the fancier selections have definitely won my boss over :) I’ve always had a great interaction with the baristas. I’ve only had their tea so far, but it’s really good and the bag lasts through three or four cups of hot water which is great — it’s a little pricey, but you’re paying for the quality and being able to re-​use it is very nice.
Having tried their dinner option: Holy. Cow. This is the best place for a first date; amazing food, wine pairings, nice ambiance, and quiet enough you can actually have a conversation. I was really impressed and definitely coming back. The food was simple, creative, delicious, and very well presented. The wine pairings were similarly well thought out and after having been burnt out on white wine at my last job I was really happy to have tried the two whites with dinner which were wonderful.

This place is honestly a joke. It’s like the most brilliant caricature of an insufferable SF coffee shop that it borders on performance art.
First it’s oppressively hot in there because they bake their outrageously priced bread on site. Second, literally everything takes 10 minutes longer than it should to ensure it’s extra fussy and precious.
Third, how can I spend over 8 $ on a small coffee and bagel w/​cream cheese and have the indifferent employee hand me a scalding hot bagel in a paper bag with the cream cheese in a side container for me to spread myself? Wait… you won’t spread it for me and don’t have plastic knives? Perfect!
I’ve lived in this town for over 15 years and rarely Unilocal,but there are too many hardworking coffee shops closing down to make way for this type of bad theater. Don’t waste your time or money on a ticket.

Cappuccino — Great! Properly made and exactly what I was hoping for.
Brie en crout — Sooo good. Buttery and delicious — the brie was such a fabulous addition, along with the occasional flake of sea salt. Just superb.
Prosciutto croissant — Simply amazing. Flaky, not as buttery as the brie en crout. It was a solid, hearty choice for a quick breakfast.
Will eat there again!

I’ve had Hearth in my morning coffee rotation for the past few weeks, but I just gave their dinner service a shot last week. Now that I’ve had the whole experience, I feel qualified to leave a review — and I’m incredibly satisfied with both the morning and evening options.
First off, their pastries are amazing. I’m generally a sweet pastry fan, but their brie en croute was just as satisfying as their Almond Orange Blossom Croissant. I enjoyed the coffee as well, both the cold brew and the warm.
Their dinner service was a great deal. A three course meal for almost half the price of what you’d pay in many other SF restaurants — and easily as tasty and well presented as anywhere else in the area. The menu is limited to one set of items every week, but it’s posted online so that you can decide if you like it or not before visiting.

Lovely spot in the Castro. Great coffee and friendly baristas. Be aware that there can be an interesting crowd that hangs out in the plaza out front (I had a homeless guy come stand on the opposite side of the window seat I was at for several minutes). The space itself was very cool though, and a calm place to work.

This is at best a quite place to do work or read a magazine over the weekends. Food and drinks menu is underwhelming.
The staff is comically useless. There is a new guy who works there who thinks his accent is the only skill required to deliver proper customer service. He asked me to move away from the window to sit at the kitchen bar because I’ve only ordered a $ 15 glass of wine and not a full dinner. Another colleague of his argued about the wine menu she apparently doesn’t know (there are 3 wines, one of them is pinot, it’s written on all posted menus, you can’t aggressively tell me you don’t carry pinots).
Not going back.

For two people who don’t normally enjoy the flavor orange, we sure tucked into two of Hearth’s most citrusy pastries.
We agreed that their ricotta brioche was only ³⁄₅ stars. A fried, puffy ball with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar, this dessert was unspectacular even with its orange zest-​dotted cream-​filled center.
While we barely finished our respective ricotta brioche halves, we eyed one another’s almond orange blossom croissant halves, secretly wondering, «Are you gonna finish that?!» Sweet, almost syrupy almond paste, coated the inside lavishly. And to our delight, we tasted only negligible hints of orange.
The lady behind the counter was eager to describe & assess each of the amazing looking pastries on display. It made our task of choosing which to share an easy one. We’ll be back!

Walked in mid-​afternoon. Three people in the front of the store. One welcomed me. Another told me that they had just closed early due to a lack of customers. I asked what the usual schedule is, and the third tried to help me with that, but I couldn’t quite understand her, so I asked for the schedule in writing, like on a to-​go menu.
I was told by the second that the hours are on the front door and that I had to leave. She was gracious but also kind of mean about it — both combined, as if to say she was cool and sophisticated but I was just causing trouble.
First of all, if you’re closed, why leave the door open — or if you’ve just started closing perhaps offer me something to go, or if all the food is already put away, be nice and invite me back. How difficult would it be to say, we’re open 7 – 9 tomorrow — hope to see you soon! Not very. In fact that might be what one of them was trying to tell me, but if I couldn’t quite hear it, not a big deal for the other to say the same information again and show some kindness about it.
The one individual being exceptionally condescending was not at all called for. I’m trying to be a customer — i’m not just there to get something from them or waste their time — and their schedule is a little confusing — different closing times on different days. So take a little responsibility, and just make sure to be clear.
I tend to give high reviews for restaurants and cafes, and if I find one I like, I’m often a loyal repeat customer. But this one individual had me pegged as not worth her time — I don’t think she read me very well — and it’s just, as the saying goes, «no way to treat a guest».
It’s interesting that they told me when I walked in that they had closed early for lack of customers. I was hesitant to post this review, but I see that others have also had some rude customer service experiences. Some reviewers also report great service.
Maybe the owner, manager, or people who work at Hearth will take this review into account with the others and sort out the communication style so that it’s more consistently positive. It would be great for this location to take its place with others in the neighborhood and do well.

I don’t know why this place is rated $$ – I got a hot Chai latte and it was priced along the lines of most cafés. They also have beautlful croissants that I didn’t have the chance to sample – baked fresh and smelling like a French boulangerie, yum.
The staff are charming and personable, and the WiFi is free and works great. Take a moment to chuckle at the WiFi network named «Hearth move your stupid plant» as you surf the net.

I hate to leave this review as the baked goods are delicious but the last few times I have been here the service has been terrible and the coffee just as bad.
First I will relay my last experience and then the current one.
The last time I was there I ordered a large Americano. It literally took 22 minutes to make it even though the place was relatively empty and when I received it it was luke warm at best and in a tiny cup. I think by this time coffee shops would know that anything less than 12 ounces for a «large» will not make your clientele happy. Plus since its an Americano it needs to be bigger as its just a cup of coffee.(One or two espresso shots and hot water). When I asked for my tiny luke warm cup to be heated to a proper temperature, I got attitude.
Today I went in around lunch time. There were two ladies ahead of me but ushered me to the front of the line as they hadn’t decided. The was a blonde woman making coffee (?) with her back to me. I waited… and waited… and waited. She never finished making that cup of coffee as she kept putzing around and never once acknowledged my or the ladies presence. After waiting 6 minutes at the front of the line I walked out in disgust.
In all my visits, which were more than these two, a major weakness in this establishment is that the person taking orders is the one who makes coffee.
But the worst part is the rude blonde woman who seems to hate her job.

Wow first 5 of 2016 and we didn’t even get to order anything from here as it was closed. But why the 5? Well, we just had watched the first episode of season 6 of Downton Abbey at the Castro Theatre and we wanted to get some warm tea to soothe our tummies and well my gal pal was ailing from an illness that called for a tea. Well it was very close by to the Castro Theatre but alas it was closed until January 6. So we stood outside to figure out where to go and I started to hear the door open. Eli asked if we wanted to try out some coffee they brewed with their new machine called Ground Control. Well I’m not a coffee afficionado, but I’m game. So he welcomed us in, he had two other colleagues in the back. He gave me a huge helping of coffee and wow was it smooth. The coffee itself was a little acidic a bit citrusy, but it was smooooooooth like a baby’s bottom, but more like fine liquor but no burn. The machine itself was spiffy. I asked if I could take a photo and they did though they asked me not to take a photo of the mess in the back as they were closed :)
The place is nice and clean with a bit of industrial rustic modern chic vibe to it. I would’ve loved to sit and just hang out here, but perhaps another time. They didn’t have to let us in and give us a free cup of coffee and they did. That deserves more than 5 stars in my book. Kudos Hearth. I will be back and I will definitely tell my friends (that means you Unilocalers) to come grace your place and try out Ground Control. *cue music «Ground Control to Major Tom”*

A delightful place to hang out.
I have to say that the small drip coffee for $ 3.50 was very expensive and only so-​so.
However, for a breakfast with the most delicious and amazing pastries I have had since God knows when was a real treat. I had a prosciutto and manchego cheese pastry and this creamy delicious one with powdered sugar — both were insanely delicious, flakey, perfect. Loved it — and I’m not a pastry guy.
Also noticed they have a bar with beer on tap and wine — will pop for that sometime soon.

3.5* overall
Now I’ve had the latte made by different baristas on a few occasions, it’s safe to say while I like the flavor, the coffee is not my favorite. The latte tends to be on the watery side. The crema quickly wears out about half way down the cup. So it’s not how the baristas pull the shots or steam the milk, but the coffee.
The pastries are stellar. The Pain au Mocha is a delicious twist of the boring chocolate croissant. I love that espresso flavor. The Almond Blossom Croissant is irresistible.
I do love the space, which is more simple and sterile. Lots of chairs and tables that almost remind me of a classroom. It’s in a great location which might justify the higher prices of their coffee. Latte is $ 4.50 is the higher than the nearby Weaver, Blue Bottle at Eureka and Espressamente Illy.

You would think this place would be bustling considering its prime location in front of the F terminus in the Castro. After all, Orphan Andy’s is on the same block and so is the Glass Coffin, I mean Twin Peaks. However, late one Saturday afternoon as I was waiting for Jamie W. to meet me, I sauntered in and much to my surprise, there was only one forlorn guy nursing his cup of caffeine at a table near the restroom. I was thinking maybe he forgot his Depends until I took a closer look and saw he was likely in his early thirties. Where was everybody? Maybe it’s the heartwarming name, Hearth, that seems to recall every Room & Board catalog I ever received in the mail. Rebranding could help perhaps.
I always liked the word ‘Genitalia’. But this is not a place that evokes genitalia. That would be The Café down a bit on Market. The name ‘Hearth’ does fit as the eggshell walls and blonde wood produce a more neutered vibe like the furniture floor at IKEA after it’s closed. Owners Ariana Akbar and James Kafader have experience making their own beans and running a shop from the late Brown Owl Coffee in Parkside, and it showed in the smooth richness of the $ 4.50 Café Latte I had there (photo:
). They serve quite a lunch menu, but you can’t really tell since they’re on index cards clipped decoratively on a piece of wire on the wall. And of course, there were plenty of baked goods that called my name like sirens. Good thing I’m tone-deaf…for now.
COFFEE — 4 stars… a smooth brew at the heart of its latte
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… IKEA with earmuffs
SERVICE — 4 stars… friendly server paid attention to all the right details
TOTAL — 4 stars… it’s not Genitalia… it’s Hearth

Coffee here is awesome! I love the look of this place. Very simple and clean lines, nice and bright too.
The coffee here is better than Reveille, another good coffee shop a couple blocks away on 18^th. Had some sot latte after my Soul Cycle class and it was delicious! I also got an almond croissant that was the perfect accompaniment. Mother of Jesus that croissant was so good!
The place is pretty spacious and was quiet. I imagine it would be a good place to camp out and work for the day.

If you are looking for a coffeeshop in the Castro District with some peace, quiet, and simplicity, this is the one. There are benches in the front and rows of tables in the back for patrons to get some work done or meet up with a friend. This is not quite the place for extended stays if you are looking for WiFi and electrical outlets. The service is wonderful and the coffee is strong. Their pastries are freaking amazing as well, especially the Brie en Croute. Get there earlier than later if you want pastries, though, because they sell out FAST.
ADDITION ON 4÷24÷16: Hearth recently started serving a prix fixe dinner menu, which was interesting, considering I had only known this place as a coffee and pastry location. Their heavier foods (like potatoes) were decent, so my boyfriend and I decided to give the dinner menu a try… with the wine pairings of course. The baristas are not used to being waitresses, but the food was pretty good! We started with an octopus salad, followed by calamari pasta, and ending with quail eggs cake. I like that Hearth is a successful business always trying new things. Definitely give their brunch and dinner menu a go! It’s quite lovely.