Cafeography
San Francisco · Financial District & Embarcadero

Cafés in Financial District & Embarcadero

Ferry Building coffee and the Saturday farmers market, Montgomery Street espresso counters and cafés by the piers.

Photo: Nkem Ukoha, Pexels License

The Financial District is built partly on fill: after gold was found in the Sierra Nevada foothills in 1848, the shoreline near Montgomery Street was filled in and pushed out to the Embarcadero.1 Montgomery Street, the "Wall Street of the West", is still its center, and the Transamerica Pyramid was the city's tallest building from 1972 until Salesforce Tower passed it in 2017.1 Montgomery Street and Embarcadero BART stations serve the district.1

On the water, the Ferry Building opened on July 13, 1898. A. Page Brown designed it in the Beaux-Arts style, and its 245-foot clock tower has four dials, each 22 feet across.2 The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 damaged the Embarcadero Freeway that had blocked it since the 1950s, the freeway was torn down in 1991, and the restored building reopened in 2003 with a marketplace on its ground floor.23

Local tip: On Saturday, come early: the farmers market opens at 08:00, and Red Bay Coffee in the Ferry Building an hour before.

At a glance

46Cafés listed
16With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
18:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: The Posh Bagel, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–18:00 · Sat 08:00–16:00 · Sun 08:30–14:30).
  • Closes latest: Imperial Tea Court, until 18:00 (Mon–Tue 10:00–18:00 · Wed Closed · Thu–Fri 10:00–18:00 · Sat 09:00–18:00 · Sun 10:00–17:00).
  • Most listed streets: Montgomery Street (5), Ferry Building (3), Embarcadero Ctr (2).
  • Most common features: wheelchair access (15%), takeaway (11%), bakery café (7%).

Cento Coffee Systeme D

  • 140 Sutter Street
  • Mon 08:00–14:00 · Tue–Thu 08:00–16:00 · Fri 08:00–14:00 · Sat–Sun Closed
  • Card payment
  • Wheelchair access
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Caffe Ambrosia

  • 101;145 Montgomery Street
  • Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 · Sat–Sun Closed
  • Card payment
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Coffee Bar

  • 101;145 Montgomery Street
  • Mon–Thu 07:00–14:30 · Fri 07:00–12:00 · Sat–Sun Closed
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Le Regency Deli Cafe

  • 18 California Street
  • Mon–Thu 06:30–14:00 · Fri 07:00–13:30
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Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in San Francisco.

Coffee chains in Financial District & Embarcadero

Coffee at the Ferry Building

The marketplace has about 50 restaurants, shops and food sellers, most open seven days a week.2 Red Bay Coffee, founded in 2014 by the artist Keba Konte, serves an all-day café menu from 07:00 to 18:00 daily and has an outdoor patio with views of the bay.4 Imperial Tea Court, a traditional Chinese tea shop and salon, stocks more than 100 teas and seats guests at six rosewood tables.5 It is closed on Wednesdays.

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market sets up outside the building all year: Saturdays 08:00–14:00, and Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00–14:00.6 SIGNAL Coffee Roasters also has a counter in the building, and El Porteño one at 1 The Embarcadero. Behind the building, Golden Gate Ferry boats leave for Sausalito, Tiburon and Larkspur, and San Francisco Bay Ferry serves Oakland, Alameda, Richmond and Vallejo.2

Weekday counters on Montgomery and Sutter

Most cafés here follow the office week. Caffè Bianco at 39 Sutter Street opens at 06:30 and closes at 17:30, Monday to Friday, and Le Regency Deli Cafe at 18 California Street also opens at 06:30 and closes by 14:00. Caffe Ambrosia on Montgomery Street, Cento Coffee Systeme D at 140 Sutter and Local Roots at 70 Leidesdorff Street are all closed at weekends.

For a weekend coffee, The Wild Fox at 123 Battery Street opens 08:00–14:00 on Saturday and Sunday, and Red Bay Coffee in the Ferry Building opens every day. Delah Coffee has a branch at 450 Sansome Street and Sana'a Cafe one at 33 Drumm Street.

North along the piers

North of the Ferry Building, F line streetcars run along the Embarcadero from Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf.3 The Exploratorium, founded by the physicist Frank Oppenheimer in 1969 at the Palace of Fine Arts, moved to Piers 15 and 17 in April 2013.7 Its Seismic Joint Café opens Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00–17:00. Back from the water, Maison Nico at 710 Montgomery Street is a bakery with outdoor seating, open from 08:00 Tuesday to Friday and 09:00 at weekends.

Sources

  1. Financial District, San Francisco, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. San Francisco Ferry Building, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Embarcadero (San Francisco), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Red Bay Coffee, Ferry Building Marketplace, accessed October 2026
  5. Imperial Tea Court, Ferry Building Marketplace, accessed October 2026
  6. Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Foodwise, accessed October 2026
  7. Exploratorium, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Financial District & Embarcadero, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Open by 6am

FAQ

Financial District & Embarcadero cafés: questions

When is the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco?

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market runs outside the Ferry Building all year, on Saturdays from 08:00 to 14:00 and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 to 14:00. Inside, Red Bay Coffee serves daily from 07:00 to 18:00, so on a Saturday you can have a coffee before the stalls open.

Which Financial District cafés in San Francisco are open on weekends?

Many Financial District cafés, including Caffè Bianco, Caffe Ambrosia, Cento Coffee Systeme D and Local Roots, close on Saturday and Sunday. Open at weekends are The Wild Fox at 123 Battery Street, 08:00–14:00, Red Bay Coffee in the Ferry Building, 07:00–18:00, and the Exploratorium's Seismic Joint Café on Pier 15, 09:00–17:00.

What coffee and tea is sold inside the Ferry Building in San Francisco?

Red Bay Coffee, founded in 2014 by the artist Keba Konte, serves an all-day café menu from 07:00 to 18:00 and has a patio facing the bay. Imperial Tea Court, a traditional Chinese tea shop and salon, stocks more than 100 teas and has six rosewood tables; it is closed on Wednesdays.

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