What’s brewing? 10 Peninsula coffee roasters for beans and beverages

Seeking a warm beverage as we approach the colder months? Consider visiting a roaster for your next cup of coffee. With no shortage of coffee shops on the Peninsula, you might wonder what differentiates a roaster from a coffee shop. The difference lies in roasters being one step closer to the journey from coffee seed to cup. 

While both coffee shops and roasters can sell a variety of beverages and food items, roasters focus on the art of roasting, supplying coffee and selling coffee drinks from their own beans. Coffee shops may source their coffee from various distributors, while roasteries often source their own green coffee beans directly from farms. 

Ready to experience what your local roaster is brewing? Here are 10 roasters on the Peninsula to explore next.

Ikon Coffee, South San Francisco

Ikon Coffee prides itself in having a team made up of “happily caffeinated coffee enthusiasts.” Founded by Marcel Costas, the business began as a wholesaler before vending at local farmers markets to build brand awareness and gauge customer interest, including the Burlingame Farmers Market. 

Ikon Coffee roasts and sources based on sweetness over color. The team evaluates flavor profiles using the cupping method and analyzes for acidity, flavor, aftertaste and cleanliness in order to unlock the sweetness of a particular bean. Ikon Coffee sources coffee from around the world and updates its offerings every 90 days as harvest seasons shift. Currently, harvests from Central and South America are arriving now. 

Customers can purchase their beans online and experience their specialty coffee at their two locations. Their South San Francisco roasting facility opened a small grab-and-go cafe during the pandemic, which is currently open by appointment only. In 2023, Ikon Coffee opened a full service cafe in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood, which includes a breakfast program featuring French and South American pastries. 

Ikon Coffee, 220 S Linden Ave. Unit K1, South San Francisco; Instagram: @ikoncoffee. Roastery open by appointment only.

Groovy Goose Coffee Roasters, San Carlos

Coffee and community are at the heart of the colorful Groovy Goose in San Carlos, owned by husband and wife team Nathan and Siera Conte. Nathan is local to San Carlos and Siera has worked in the coffee business for nearly a decade, both sharing a passion for hospitality and service. These experiences merged to form Groovy Goose, which opened in 2023. 

The business, named after their son’s nickname “Goose,” roasts single-origin coffee in house from countries like Costa Rica and Ethiopia. Groovy Goose’s approach to roasting is a thoughtful process, taking great care to ensure its coffee highlights the unique characteristics of each bean. The business offers a full range of espresso-based drinks, including lattes, espressos, cappuccinos, flat whites and cortados, as well as seasonal drinks such as a pumpkin pie latte and pecan pie chai. Their food menu includes items like a biscuit, pesto, egg and cheese sandwich, acai bowls, and almond croissants from Amour Bakery in Belmont.

Groovy Goose Coffee Roasters, 1221 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos; 650-486-0522, Instagram: @groovygoosecoffee. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Papachay Peruvian Coffee, San Carlos

Owned by couple Max Gambirazio and Juliana Vieira, Papachay specializes in high-elevation coffee sourced from Peru. Papachay harvests about 40,000 pounds of coffee beans shipped to their roasting facility in San Carlos each year. 

Having studied horticulture at College of San Mateo in the late ‘80s, Max planned to pursue a career related to growing plants. He got his start by selling Peruvian green coffee beans via phone book and out of his van to wholesalers before purchasing a 30-acre coffee farm in Villa Rica, Peru, which sits 4,100 feet above sea level. Papachay prides itself in providing the Peninsula with Peruvian coffee, which grows in a unique rainforest environment and recently completed its yearly harvest season from June to September. 

Papachay roasts in small batches customized to the taste and preference of customers. Coffee bags are available online and in store, including their bestselling medium roast, a dark French roast and mixed beans for making cold brew at home. From their San Carlos storefront, customers can order drinks such as drip coffee, espresso beverages, cascara tea, peaberry by the cup and savories such as empanadas from South San Francisco-based Cocina Milonga and pão de queijo cheese bread, in a nod to Juliana’s native Brazil. While closed on weekends, Papachay vends at the Mountain View Farmers Market on Sundays. 

Papachay Peruvian Coffee, 1431 Old County Road, San Carlos; 650-593-1999, Instagram: @papachayperuviancoffee. Open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Andytown Coffee Roasters, Menlo Park

Founded in San Francisco by former baristas Michael McCrory and Lauren Crabbe, Andytown Coffee Roasters opened its first Peninsula location in Menlo Park in 2023 at the Springline retail and housing development. 

Andytown offers a variety of blend roast coffee, single-origin coffee and decaf coffee bags, available online and in store. The specialty coffee roaster works with a network of importers, exporters, producers and farmers to source bespoke regional flavor profiles and ensure sustainable farming practices by producers. At Andytown’s cafes, offerings include drip coffee featuring its Wind & Sea blend and its signature Snowy Plover, made with sparkling water over ice, espresso, brown sugar syrup and housemade whipped cream. Pastries and breakfast sandwiches are also available to order. 

Andytown Coffee Roasters, 1302 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; 650-590-4821, Instagram: @andytownsf. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Yard, Redwood City

Located in the oldest home in downtown Redwood City, The Yard roasts its own beans using a sustainable Bellwether machine. Open since June, The Yard serves a variety of espresso-based beverages and hosts community events utilizing the property’s patio and historic home, including food pop-ups and open mic nights.

Current blends include Ethiopia Single Origin Organic – Shanta Golba, Guatemala Single Origin – Manos de Mujer, Decaf Organic Swiss Water Process and the Offerman House Blend, which mixes African and South American beans for complementing flavor profiles. The coffee shop offers light, medium and dark roasts of each variety of its regular beans, as well as a medium decaf. All varieties and roasts are available to be used in drinks, and bags of beans can be ordered at the counter. Baked goods from Bloomies Bakery are available for purchase alongside beverages.

The Yard Coffee, 1018 Main St., Redwood City; 650-590-4821, Instagram: @theyardrwc. Open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Emerald Hills Cafe & Roastery, Redwood City

Emerald Hills Cafe & Roastery is rooted in the belief that coffee tasting notes are limitless. Co-owner Edwin Gonzalez Jr. explained that Emerald Hills builds on his great-grandmother’s legacy in coffee. Having harvested coffee at plantations within Guatemala and Mexico, his great-grandmother passed down her knowledge to her family. The family opened Emerald Hills Cafe two years ago and specializes in single-origin coffee beans and espresso signature blends. Raw coffee beans are sourced from Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia and many other countries. 

The owners invite coffee enthusiasts and non-coffee drinkers alike to appreciate the spectrum of tasting notes when visiting Emerald Hills. Their signature blends include the medium roast Café Nut with its chocolatey sweet notes, medium-dark roast One-Eighteen with balanced sweet and smoky notes and dark roast Coyote with its classic smoky coffee notes. These varieties are freshly roasted and available at their shop along with pastries and breakfast items. 

Emerald Hills Cafe & Roastery, 3203 Oak Knoll Drive, Redwood City; 650-362-3175, Instagram: @emeraldhillscafe. Open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Connoisseur Coffee, Redwood City

Connoisseur Coffee has been roasting beans from its Redwood City location since 1984. Owner Shawn McMillan sources beans from 25 countries, and customers can see the roasting up close when visiting the roastery on Middlefield Road, including a 1950 roasting machine from Austria. 

Coffee is roasted to order for both customers and dozens of wholesale clients in the area. The business offers 14 signature blends for sale plus many other varieties, with a French Italian blend dark roast being their bestseller. Their rustic, wood-laden roastery includes a coffee bar that offers freshly roasted coffee, specialty drinks and a variety of loose-leaf teas.

Connoisseur Coffee, 2801 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; 650-369-5250, Instagram: @connoisseur_coffee_company. Open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Craftsman Coffee, Pacifica 

Starting as hobbyist coffee roasters, Kirk and Judy Hayes opened their first brick-and-mortar coffee shop in March after previously operating Craftsman Coffee from a vintage 1961 Citroen HY Van. The van is now parked inside of their Pacifica cafe, which sells espresso-based beverages, non-coffee drinks and pastries from Rosalind Bakery on weekdays and Blackjet Bakery on weekends. 

Craftsman Coffee leans toward a light-medium spectrum for most of its beans to bring out an ideal balance of sweetness, body and the distinct flavors of origin. A few varieties available from Craftsman Coffee include its Portola Stroll, which pairs Ethiopia and Colombia origin beans, and its signature Reserve Blend, which is described as a “scrumptious mouthful of dark cacao with a happy bite of blueberry cherry pie.”

Craftsman Coffee, 1750 Francisco Blvd., Pacifica; 650-590-4821, Instagram: @craftsman_coffee. Open Tuesday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Soul Grind Coffee Roasters, Pacifica 

Located by Linda Mar State Beach, Soul Grind was opened in 2018 by owner Eddie Sassin and business partner Ramin Vahabi. Prior to opening Soul Grind, Sassin worked in the coffee business for a decade in San Francisco, launching the Caffe Central concept with his partner Vahabi. With a passion for surfing, the ocean, and the California coast, Sassin decided to create his own concept influenced by his vision and lifestyle. Having lived in Pacifica in the ‘80s, Sassin seized the opportunity to open Soul Grind in the coastal town, a coffee-centric business that also offers an array of breakfast and lunch choices. 

Soul Grind does all its roasting in house, and Sassin veers toward a full-bodied roast across their menu of specialty coffee and tea beverages. Offerings include a single-origin pourover which rotates weekly, the Cliffside specialty latte with a mix of vanilla and caramel, and classic espresso beverages such as an Americano, Gibraltar and macchiato. Customers can pair their drink with one of their toasts, quiche, a sandwich or weekend brunch items such as lemon ricotta pancakes or the Riptide omelet.

Soul Grind Coffee Roasters, 5400 CA-1, Pacifica; 650-898-8660, Instagram: @soulgrindcoffee. Open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Plantation Coffee Roastery, San Carlos

Plantation Coffee Roastery is a mom-and-pop business selling freshly roasted coffee beans, House of Bagels breakfast sandwiches, pastries and Marianne’s ice cream. Locals gather inside and on their sidewalk patio on Laurel Street over cups of coffee at this neighborhood fixture. The cafe features free Wi-Fi and several outlets, ideal for a working session. 

Plantation Coffee Roastery has been in business since 1981, when the original owner first began roasting beans on a German-made coffee roaster situated prominently inside the cafe. Sue and Young Cheong, who immigrated to the U.S. from Korea in 1990, have been at the helm of the business since 2000. Their coffee bean blends include their popular house blend, Mocha Java and flavored beans such as hazelnut and vanilla, which are available in half pound and 1 pound bags. 

Plantation Coffee Roastery, 784 Laurel St., San Carlos; 650-592-3710. Open Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Correction: The hours for Connoisseur Coffee and the spelling of Juliana Vieira’s name have been updated.

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