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    Paper Son Coffee

    4.3 (131 reviews)
    Open • 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Order Paper Son Coffee Takeout or Delivery

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    PAPER SON COFFEE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Paper Son Coffee

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    Pop up taste test
    Jenny C.

    I really, really wanted to like--but was sad I stopped by--Paper Son. I gave it two chances after seeing the great Yelp reviews and noticing the crowds when I walked by, but I left disappointed both times. The place is very small so feels cramped when a crowd comes in. The coffee was alright, but nothing particularly memorable. What really let the experience down was the service. The cashier seemed like she didn't want to be there that morning, and unfortunately it showed. When I asked about the ube croissant, she curtly explained that it wasn't one of their products but part of a weekend pop-up. Later, when I asked for another butter croissant, to add to my order, she responded that I had already taken the last one from the display case, which came across as unnecessarily dismissive. I didn't realize I bought the last croissant so I added another cinnamon roll. One thing I did appreciate was that they dedicate a small corner of the shop to hosting pop-up vendors. It's a nice way to support local businesses and adds something unique to the space. Overall, I wanted this place to live up to the hype, but the combination of average coffee and unfriendly service left me very disappointed and confused how this place scored well? :(

    James S.

    Solid coffee in the area with some Asian inspired options. Staff is very friendly. Seating indoors a bit limited, but they have a couple tables outside too. Overall 4.5 stars, with place getting 5 stars on wed, thur, fri -- the days they have Tano baked goods. Ube salt bread is amazingly good. By far my favorite, with the normal salt bread and the mushroom pastry as my number two options. Currently one of my morning go tos wed to Fri.

    Matcha Passionfruit Soda
    Jade L.

    I ordered a matcha passionfruit latte from here for my daily caffeine fix, thinking it was a unique flavor combo. It arrived without a straw, so the drink contents weren't mixed super well. I found the matcha a bit grainy and not super smooth with all the passionfruit flavor concentrated at the bottom. The matcha was above average quality though, which I could tell from the dark green hue. Things that would elevate this drink to the next level are the addition of real passionfruit seeds, matcha that's more thoroughly whisked, and either a straw or stir stick to better blend the ingredients.

    Guava macadamia croissant
    Andrea C.

    Experience: Arrived about 15-20 mins before opening and was 3rd or 4th in line. Opening was prompt and we were quickly let inside to order. Ordering experience was a little weird. I came with my boyfriend and we ordered together. We ordered four salt bread, one guava croissant, and two sesame cookies. The guy taking our order said it's only two salt bread per person. I gave him a confused look (since we had two people) and he just shrugged and said "I can give you two." So...okay. We ended with two salt bread which may have honestly been a blessing in disguise. Pastries and drink: I ordered an oat milk hojicha latte. Wasn't great and something about the flavor was off, slightly sour aftertaste. Now for the pastries. The salt bread was lacking in flavor and too dense in my opinion. It was somehow greasy but dry at the same time. The sesame toffee cookie was just okay. The flavors just didn't work for me. The guava macadamia croissant flavor wise was great. The macadamia nut cream and guava jam were both really tasty and had just the right amount of sweetness. The filling was only piped into one side of the croissant so the first few bites were extremely dry without enough of the filling.

    Guava Pillow
    Rachel S.

    This was a cool coffee spot! I stopped by for a meeting and it was pretty crowded for a Monday mid-morning. They have a lot of different offerings and unique coffee options - so I opted for the guava pillow to try something new! We managed to snag a table and our orders came out pretty quickly. I think the coffee-soda concept is really cool and it was fun trying it out for the first time. I could taste the coffee inside which was offset by the bubbles! The guava foam on top was smooth and tasty as well. All in all this is a pretty cool coffee shop and very popular! I am curious about their other drink options, but alas was only visiting SF for the weekend. I did find the price a bit steep for a soda drink but am glad I tried it.

    Rose L.

    Very aesthetically pleasing cafe and cute spot in FiDi. I got the hojicha latte and the pour was very pretty -- the latte itself was good and I enjoyed it unsweetened ~$7. The decor was fab and they have Ube Salt Bread on Wednesdays from Tano. Small menu, small space but every inch is well utilized. It does get crowded quick so come early at 8am or wait.

    Guava pillow: coffee soda with a guava foam. It's bubbly, slightly tart and tropical (it's subtle).
    Elma C.

    5 stars for: - innovative coffee and tea drinks - innovative pastries - helpful staff I ordered the guava pillow that a staff member recommended and enjoyed EVERY SIP: coffee soda with a guava foam. It's bubbly, slightly tart and tropical (it's subtle). The drink looks like a cloud sitting on soda coffee. 5/5

    John P.

    Arrived on a Wednesday around 8:30am to a line out the door but don't let that scare you off. It moved quickly and I was in and out within 10-15 minutes. I came specifically for the pastries, and wow, was that the right call. I also grabbed the Pandan Aerocano to drink, and I'll be honest, I couldn't really taste the pandan at all. It got the job done caffeine-wise, but flavor-wise it was just okay. I'd probably try a different drink next time. The pastries, though? An entirely different story. I went a little overboard and ordered basically everything, and I have zero regrets: -Japanese Curry Potato Salt Bread -Black Sesame Salt Bread -Jasmine Lychee Cream Puff -Everything Cream Cheese Salt Bread -Mango Sticky Rice Butter Mochi -Ube Filled Salt Bread -Sticky Toffee Red Bean Banana Bread -Strawberry Shortcake Cookie -Sesame Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Every single one was delicious, but if I had to pick favorites: the Ube Filled Salt Bread, Strawberry Shortcake Cookie, and Mango Sticky Rice Butter Mochi were on another level. I'll 100% be back to work through more of the menu and find my go-to drink. This place is the real deal.

    Connie N.

    Had some time in the morning before work - showed up at 8:19 and there was already a small line (for the Tano pop-up). Moved pretty quickly and they have a limited amount of seating inside and outside. Drinks were great - iced latte (simple or pandan syrup) and guava pillow (I love a sparkling moment with my coffee and this had a great guava flavor as well). They have my favorite SJ roaster Moonwake Coffee stocked at the counter! There is a constant flow of people in the shop so can feel crowded and noisy, but the staff are patient and kind!

    Pa Pandan Aerocano
    Sandhya G.

    Went for a coffee run with a friend and tried the Pandan Aerocano. I think I was attracted to it by its unique name and wanted to taste pandan in an iced drink but couldn't taste pandan at all. It was still a very good drink with a unique flavor twist to regular coffee! They have a cool vibe inside and friendly baristas!

    Matt L.

    Always will support an Asian based cafe. In the menu, you can see the creativity in taking the familiar and adding a twist: a Thai tea cloud, coffee soda with guava foam, passion fruit and matcha. The inside is small but well designed. I want my living room wall to look just like Paper Son's. Thai tea cloud - 3/5 - the drink unfortunately did not have anything unique in its execution. The foam sat too firm on top of the drink and all I had was a Thai tea drink with some foam to sip on at the very end once the Thai tea was finished. With ice, the quantity probably came out closer to 6oz, so the drink didn't last very long. Tip - if you're a blackbird user, there are deals that might incentivize your visit (e.g. 20x blackbird points).

    Thai Tea Cloud
    Maddie I.

    the staff is sosososososos nice. bc of the bakery add-on. lines are a bit long. 10am line is approximately 20-30 mins. they sold out on multiple pastries by 10:40 when i got to the front of the line. very cute decor. nice seating, but limited. lots of light! got the thai tea cloud. it was ok. it wasn't that sweet, which imo thai tea needs to be to bring out the tea flavor. it was kinda flat. all i was getting was the cardamon cream flavor. next time i would try an espresso drink.

    Jessica A.

    We were craving some coffee with asian-fusion inspired pastries and saw that Tano was recommended. It's a little confusing because we originally were looking for Tano and didn't realize it wasn't a standalone bakery and that it was a pop-up within Paper Son Coffee. The shop was small and though the furniture appeared sleek, they were far from ergonomic. The metal chairs were ridicuously uncomfortable and the table was too small. We were readjusting in our seats and ended up spilling one of our drinks. Thankfully, the staff was understanding and kind enough to remake it. We got the cortado and pandan latte. The cortado was a bit bitter for my taste and the pandan latte's flavor was a bit subtle but good. We would not likely stop by for just the coffee again.

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    Alexander F.

    Thanks for stopping by! We have Tano pastries Wed-Fri.

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    Alexander F.

    Glad you enjoyed everything!!

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    Alexander F.

    Yay!! Thanks for stopping by!

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    Glad you enjoyed!

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    Thank you!!

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Paper Son Coffee

    How do you make reservation for the tastings?

    https://komakase.coffee/ We host Komakase in our downtown space!

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