Ballast Coffee

As a SoCal native I WISH I could have their ube latte every day! I've been looking for something similar to my favorite ube latte in Hawaii and I didn't expect to find it on a trip to SF but was SO pleasantly surprised. Warm, beautiful art on top and the perfect mix of both coffee and creamy ube flavors, neither overpowering the other.The avocado toast was ALSO amazing - it checks off all of the things I look for on an avo toast and was super filling.Came here on a gloomy day to get some work done with a friend and was greeted with a warm and welcoming ambience - the cafe is small and bustling with a decent selection of seating in the back and some artwork hung as well - it's a great meeting spot/place to do work.

3.5/5 A cute cafe to work from home from! Bring your own cup for 25 cents discount!They have more space than expected with a back room and backyard patio area. They have 2 communal tables that have outlets, a longer area of 1:1 tables, and a countertop area. Wifi is good enough with video calls being a bit splotchy but doable. We ordered the Ube Ballast Latte (3.5/5 - good balance of coffee and ube taste), Smoked Salmon Toast (3/5 - I fear there was no smoked salmon and was just the salmon flavored cream cheese), and Black Sesame Butter Mochi Donut (1/5 - this was giving playdough in flavor and texture but this isn't technically made from them).

Good coffee, but probably won't be returning. Detailed breakdown below:**Service, 4/5** Friendly staff. Just docking a star because I ordered a flat white because I dislike foamed milk, but my drink still came out like a latte with a half inch of foam. **Price & portion, 4/5** Seems like the sizes of coffees here default to what looks like 6 or 8 ounces; so the prices seem OK at first, but you're getting about half of what you might expect at other coffee shops.**Taste, 5/5** I enjoyed the beans used for my drink -- toasty, rounded, and rich with no punchy acidity. **Other notes** Keep in mind the smoked salmon toast is a bit misleading. There is no pieces of smoked salmon; instead, they use a salmon cream cheese.

I come here to get the ube latte which is very pretty with a rich purple hue.The café also serves empanadas and mochi muffins and donuts from 3rd culture bakery. It seems to be busy a lot, I think it's a popular place for people to come and study. The 9pm closing time is a huge plus because this city has so few late-night coffee places open. I love walking around West Portal after, it's such a cute main street that seems like it's from a different time.

Awesome spot! I stopped by on a Saturday morning around 9:30, and tons of seating and tables across multiple rooms and a backyard. Plenty of outlets and free WiFi as well. Great spot to either work or catch up with friends!I got a cortado, and it was great. Definitely more milk than I would expect from a traditional cortado, but the texture was great. The coffee was also perfect in terms of balance with light notes of acidity. Definitely give this shop a try!

So I have to admit I'm not a coffee connoisseur, and I love Starbucks peppermint mocha, so take my review with a grain of salt. Stopped by with some friends to grab a drink on a cold windy day. It's a cute coffee shop with a few more tables in the back. Since I love mochas I wanted something sweet that I didn't have to add sugar to. The ube latte was perfectly sweet (maybe a tad too sweet) and I thought it would be purple but it wasn't. The staff was nice and the latte was pretty. It was still a bit chilly inside at the back but it still seemed to be a nice place to sit and chill.

Nice little coffee shop, on West Portal. It's inviting with plenty of seating indoors & outdoors. Also good to know they are open a little later than some other coffee shops around town (In Noe Valley, for example). Restroom is available, as all places serving beverages should have. I like their Morning Tide blend. Parking is hit or miss, depending on time. It's easy to come here by MUNI with so many lines stopping at West Portal.

Absolutely adorable little cafe to do work! There's free wifi with plenty of seating (along the main room, in a study room, and an outdoor garden patio in the back!) there's quite a few outlets as well. Service was quick and fast and the drink was delicious! I got the ube ballast latte with oat milk and you could really taste the ube. A lot of places the coffee overwhelms the ube but I could taste both! I'll definitely be back to study again. It can be a little noisy with people talking and some light ambiance music but not bad if you have your AirPods or headphones in!

Good coffee and pleasant staff. There is a nice variety of seating options, including a darker and quieter back room, perfect for computer work. Unfortunately, there is no place to hang your coat. The front door is frequently propped open, making it cold enough to address the lack of a coat rack or wall hooks.

cute cafe with nice drinks and okay pastries. Baristas are rude and lack customer service. They are constantly chatting with each other or scrolling on their phone, when you ask for assistance they roll their eyes at you. I hope this cafe trains their current employees or finds better help.