Posh tech cafe The Summit will close its doors on January 28. Decried by some as a "masturbatory business fantasy," the creatively-minded Valencia Street space served coffee and pastries to "free thinkers, craftsmen, artisans, entrepreneurs, and the public." Only Blue Bottle, Ritual, or Four Barrel trained baristas were asked to apply for a gig at the "democratically-priced" cafe. more ›

Spotted in the the Talent Gigs section of Craigslist: a call for actors to star and support in "a TV Pilot about a clairvoyant female cafe owner that helps singles find true love." [sic] Hard to tell if the producers here are shooting for a Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place-style situational comedy or if will be more of a Touched by an Angel spiritual drama, but the core pitch is solid. We are, after all, well-known for our abundance of both café owners and clairvoyants around here. more ›

There must be something in the air between artists and cafes these days. SFist spotted this flyer the other day, which was plastered on every block in the Tenderloin/Tendernob area. Apparently, a 3 x 4-foot painting was stolen from an art exhibit at Cafe Royale (800 Post) in May, and the artist/curator, Emilia, would like everyone to know that she was not paid her alleged curating fee of $400 from January through May for organizing the show. (Incidentally, that sounds like an awfully large sum of money for a cafe to fork over.) more ›

SFist talked about C.W. Nevius' article a couple of weeks ago regarding Little Bird Coffeehouse's "Kafkaesque journey" to obtain a permit for outdoor seating on the sidewalk, which named Lower Nob Hill community organizer David Overdorf as the instigator for the delay. (Overdorf is also the coiner of the term "Kafkaesque journey" in reference to this case.) more ›

Update (3/21/11): The conflict has been resolved! more ›

Bar Bambino, the little 16th Street Italian joint that could, is opening a second location. And, according to Inside Scoop, that new location, smack-dab in the under-construction ODC Theater at 17th and Shotell, will get a new name: Pronto by Bar Bambino. more ›

Contraband Coffee, which was set to open in Nob HIll at Larkin and California in the former John Barleycorn space in July, has experienced some speed bumps with regard to their permitting. more ›

We've been avoiding posting about the sweet happy hour deal at Cup A Joe Coffeehouse for fear of it getting too popular, but we need your help to keep the deal going (read further). more ›

Sheer heresy, right? To ban laptop power connectivity at your favorite cafes? Well, that's just what some cafes in New York City, according to a article, are doing in an effort to get squatters to shift it. See, many customers (including some of you right this very second) buy a cup of coffee, then set up shop at a cafe for hours and hours in between small sips -- basically, running a business or obtaining a pointless college degree from a cafe for mere pennies. Which, really, isn't a good thing for the cafe, whose power and free wi-fi most of you gobble up on a daily basis. They're businesses, not libraries. (Fine. Your SFist Editor must admit to, at times, running this site at SOMA's Epicenter Cafe or The Creamery. Guilty as charged. But we do wolf down at least three onion bagels with cream cheese while squatting, so, you know, we're not that bad. Anyway.) more ›