Back in December of 2013, we reported on Lower Haight brewery and café BLACK SANDS. It is now softly open, though just serving coffee and pastries. They are pouring De La Paz coffee and offering pastries from Jane, plus a few small food items like a chorizo and egg breakfast torta and granola. Plus, there’s a bottle shop too! Perfect for picking up a tallboy as you pedal the Wiggle home. Their beers are still in the process of fermenting (SMASH Nelson, Son of Man black IPA, and Empire saison), and the kitchen isn’t quite ready to offer lunch yet (from a kale salad to a fried chicken sandwich!), but all that should be coming very soon—they’ll be adding kitchen service a few nights during the week and pouring from the full bar too. Naturally, we’ll keep you updated. 701 Haight St. at Pierce, 415-534-5194.
Brothers Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal must be out to win the busiest brothers award this year: opening tomorrow is a second location of their LA CAPRA COFFEE in SoMa. To recap, they partnered with Hanna Suleiman of Caffè Greco to create their own Italian-inspired roast, and this will be their second café. This location is a bit more spacious, with an open kitchen and additional seating.
The format is the same: baked goods and pastries from Starter Bakery in the morning, and for lunch, you can pick up salads (like smoked duck, quinoa, or a Cobb) and sandwiches (including egg salad, roast beef, and smoked salmon). Since this location has a type-two hood, look for some additional sandwiches and hot items in the future, like Cubanos and tartines. In a month or so—once their beer and wine license kicks in—there will be some mezes to pair with too. Hours are Mon-Fri 7am-6pm. 360 3rd St. at Harrison.
Thanks to tipster Jason B., we learned that Inner Richmond café RO CAFE has moved from its original location at 5th Avenue and California to a spot on Geary Street in Laurel Heights that used to house Nani’s. According to Yelpers the new location still serves owner Havin Gavgasi’s famed salads and strong Turkish coffee, just with some additional elbow room. 2739 Geary St. at Wood.
The interior of Black Sands. Photo from Instagram.
