Four Barrel Coffee

Update: A recent revisit to Four Barrel completely changed my mind about the place. It was lively, full of an unpretentious crowd late on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The service was friendly and surprisingly fast despite the line. I had a macchiato, and I realized that Four Barrel really shines with their espresso. By that I mean their espresso...alone or with a tiny amount of steamed milk as is the case with a macchiato. The flavor was nutty and nuanced in a way that I rarely experience with coffee. Unfortunately for them, this subtle flavor doesn't translate well to lattes or mochas or other mixed espresso drinks well, at least not in the coffee volume they use. This led to a previous assessment that their coffee was weak when it's actually quite lovely on its own. I suppose I'm stuck with choosing my coffee location based upon the precise type of coffee I want, for now, until someone solves for all in a more delicious way. Four Barrel wins for straight espresso and macchiatos, bu... Read more

good,I like it

The staff at this place has always been very friendly and the coffee is alright, but I think I am over it. They seem to be caught between wanting to be a pick-up-window-like kind of a place like Blue Bottle and a sit-down coffee shop. I mean, no wi-fi?!! Really?! And those limited and super uncomfortable seats with those tiny tables. Why have all that space then? The thing about charging $4 for a latte is that one needs to provide either an experience (a la Starbucks) or extremely good coffee (for example, Blue Bottle). So to keep those sky high margins Four Barrel is going to have to at least focus on one. Just being "hip" isn't going to cut it in the Mission where every other business is already (or at least pretending to be) starting at that level.

It's a beautiful space and the coffee was pretty good. But there's no wifi, no outlets, and no food. If you're looking for an ultra tendy, "nightclub during the day" kind of place, this is a good bet. I was looking for a bagel and a place to get online, so it didn't work out so well for me...