I know this review isn’t going to be too popular with some people, but I’ve never been one to go along with the masses; besides a good dogfight is good for the soul.

Ritual Coffee on Valencia was one of my go-to places for coffee and some writing time. The space was warm and inviting, the coffee always perfect, and the staff friendly. It was a community spot for folks to come in out of the chilly San Francisco weather, sit down with friends over a cup of coffee, or with a notebook and pen, or computer. It’s what a coffee shop should be.

Fast forward to 2015. Ritual Coffee underwent a massive remodel in 2014. This was my first time back since. Whoever designed the interior space or thought this was a good idea should be taken out and shot.

The new Ritual is cold and sterile. The design makes you feel miniscule and dwarfed immediately making you feel unwelcome. Most of the tables are gone though with the chilly atmosphere, one doesn’t want to linger, and my guess is that is exactly what they want. They want their customers to come in grab a cup and go. No more lingering, no more community feel. The customers are no longer welcome to sit and be a part of what made Ritual Coffee great. The redesign is a concept to get the customer in and out as quickly as possible, to serve more is to, afford the increasing rents of the Mission.

The pastry and baked goods were terrible. Either they were days old or the baker doesn’t know what they are doing. The croissant literally crumbled when I touched it (see picture) what ever happened to moist, flaky, pastries? I couldn’t even eat it as it just kept crumbling. Oh, and let’s talk about the price. Two pastries and two coffees came to twenty-two dollars, yes twenty-two dollars! No thank you, never again.

Simply put the design doesn’t fit. It has nothing to do with the neighborhood it once supported. It’s as if Ritual Coffee has turned it’s back on the community and the people who supported it, all for a quick buck.

Online at: https://www.ritualroasters.com
Reservations Accepted: No

Food: 1 Paw
Service: 1 Paw

Overall Score

With love from my dog bowl to yours….Happy eating.

Shata

I have found it! At long last there is a bakery deserving of the highest praise. Unfortunately, it’s not in Boston. It’s in San Francisco and believe it or not it’s in the Castro.

I’ve eaten pastries throughout the UK and the Netherlands. I’ve eating in some of the best bakeries in Montreal and pretty much in every city I visit in the United States, and Hearth is one of the best. They roast their own coffee right there in the shop and bake all of the pastries fresh every morning. Take for instance my first morning there.

I ordered a cappuccino and their Brie en Croute. The coffee is so perfectly blended, and the beans so expertly roasted, I for perhaps the first time in my little doggy life, didn’t need to put cream or sugar. It’s that freaking good. The Brie en Croute is what dreams are made of. Picture it. Brioche dough that has Brie inside of it, then all of that is wrapped up in croissant dough and baked to a golden, flaky perfection. As it comes out of the oven, green onions and sea salt are sprinkled over the top.

The décor of minimal, white walls, beautiful wooden tables, it’s classes and elegant without being sterile, or uninviting. There’s no loud music playing like in most coffee shops, and the staff…well, they are fantastic.

Do yourself a favor and get to Hearth. You’ll never go back to the other places around the city. Trust this little doggy. She knows a good thing when she sniffs it, and Hearth is it!

Online at http://hearthcoffee.com
Reservations Accepted: No

Food: 5 Paws
Service: 5 Paws

Overall Score

With love from my dog bowl to yours….Happy eating.

Shata