Steps is certainly appropriately named because there are plenty to climb to get here. The reward is a spacious area infused with an arty vibe and ah yes, a good Iced Latte (Photo 10). Walking west on Howard, the sidewalk sandwich board reminded me of the cafe's presence. To be honest, my trips to SFMOMA have been fewer and far between. As a modern art luddite, I was happy to discover there was an option for caffeine that didn't require museum admission. The iced latte was a higher-than-average $7.20, but that premium also included the aesthetic ambiance, the wide open stepwise seating, and perusing unique installations like Jacob Hashimoto's "Giant Arc" (Photo 4). COFFEE - 4 stars...smooth and refreshing AMBIANCE - 5 stars...spacious modern museum vibe SERVICE - 4 stars...attentive with TOTAL - 4 stars...step by step RELATED - Exploring the eastern side of SoMa? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/yQ6L4OOHyx read more

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This spot is always a must visit whenever I'm at SFMOMA. It's my first stop before heading into the exhibits. I need that caffeine boost before roaming the galleries. My go tos are a latte on low energy days, an Arnold Palmer when it's hot and I want something refreshing, and an Arnold Palmer with green tea if they're in the mood to make it. They also offer a nice selection of bites, from a turkey sandwich to an ube coconut cookie. Definitely grab a snack here because food and drinks aren't allowed inside the museum. The baristas are incredibly sweet and accommodating. They take your order quickly, make your drink just as fast, and the whole place has a cute, relaxed vibe overlooking a small public art installation. I'm already thinking about what I'll order the next time I'm there. read more

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Came in to get a snack while visiting the museum. I had an okay experience. Nothing particularly stood out. There's now Jane downstairs, so I think they need to step up their coffee game. Located inside the SFMOMA, 2nd Floor. read more

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Steps is on the second floor of SFMOMA , around the corner from the ticket counter. Just above the gorgeous staircase rising from the Howard Street entrance. Steps is very consistent. I've always enjoyed the coffee drinks here. Usually I get a latte but today I just wanted a Cortado. Delicious as always. Illy coffee helps. Fortunately, it's always prepared well. The prices are in line with San Francisco's coffee shop market. But most places don't have professionally curated art exhibitions. It's not the very best of what you'll see at SFMOMA, however, it's generally something accessible and interesting. There's a good amount of seating. Full during peak tourist season but you can grab a table and just chill most of the time. read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - Look for the sign. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Baristas got zero passion and interest of whatever they are serving. Prime location inside of moma but such a waste of the space. The espresso was overly extracted with only bitterness in my cappuccino. No one cared. It was just a convenient caffeinated drink for us before heading for an exhibition.. but man, given we are in SF, we do need this place to step up or a better coffee shop right on site. read more

You can't take drinks or food into the exhibits, but it's nice to have a quick pick-me-up right before hitting the exhibits. Lots of coffee options and some unique pastries. Good amount of seating inside of the shop and right outside. They have artwork inside: Art for Recovery and The Firefly Project. Our table inside had some hairs on top, so probably needs to be wiped down a little bit more frequently. We ordered a cortado and a nitro brew read more

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Ordered an iced latte with vanilla and oh man. Flavor was off and not balanced well. Very artificial tasting and had to throw half of it away it was that off putting. Staff was nice and service quick. read more

Tucked away inside the SFMOMA, Steps Coffee feels like one of those rare gems you stumble upon and instantly want to keep secret--but also kind of want to tell everyone about. The setting is serene and understated, with limited seating that somehow always seems to have just enough space. There's a steady flow of patrons, but no long lines--likely because it's hidden inside the museum, away from the usual city hustle. That sense of calm is matched by a solid menu of coffee, tea, and other drinks (all full bar quality, by the way). I wasn't in need of a caffeine fix this time around, so I went with a hibiscus agua fresca. Light, floral, refreshing--no notes. While waiting for my drink and a friend, I wandered around and found myself drawn into a beautiful exhibit featuring local artists' takes on San Francisco sports teams. Between the art, the quiet buzz of conversation, and a communal puzzle on one of the tables, the vibe here was part gallery, part study nook, part neighborhood café. Honestly, exactly the kind of balance I wish more SF spots struck. The staff was warm and helpful when I had a few questions about the menu, and I felt genuinely welcomed--never rushed. I walked, so can't comment on parking, but if you're already at the museum or in SoMa, it's worth the detour. I'll definitely be back--for the drinks, the art, the ambiance, or maybe all three. read more

Nice atmosphere for catching by a quick bite if you are hungry to hold you down while exploring the museum. This was my first stop on Sunday afternoon. I read and looked at the art outside of the 2nd floor of the SFMOA where the cafe resides. I came for for a random purchase on the Too Good to Go App. I probably won't buy again as the pastries we're just ok tasting and didn't really stand out too much. Perhaps they wanted the coffee to stand out? Nice place to enjoy art made by rotating student art inside cafe and some seating areas where you can chat or just sit and enjoy coffee and pastry. They gave me 3 pastries in my bag for about $5.24. It tasted fresh and was an easy pickup. I enjoyed the colorful atmosphere which is what this cafe has going for it. Other than that I wouldn't come out of my way for just for it. It is a nice complement with the Musuem which is why it works well together. I dot. Normally buy food in museums. read more

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We came here rolling deep as we had a 30 minute break from our work conference. We initially were struggling to find this place as it is tucked away in the Modern Art Museum but finally, putting our 5 heads together, we persevered. Survive and Advance baby. They were out of cold brew so I called an audible *BLUE 80, BLUE 80* and got an iced americano with an extra shot. When my drink came and the barista shouted "iced americano with an extra shot" One of my coworkers was like "Damn you got 3 shots?!" I responded with a smug and arrogant "Oh you saw that? You weren't supposed to see that........." ahahahahahha. I never know how to respond to stuff like that so I just like to stay loose and have fun with it. In a complete act of vulnerability, I will tell you that I don't drink coffee for the taste at all. I just like how it makes me feel. I think if anyone tells you they like the taste of black coffee they're either lying or a straight psycho. It's more of the fact that I know this taste will get me LOCKED IN. Getting milk based drinks just kinda takes away from the locked-in-ness. Hey, I just got back from the locked in factory and nobody knew you.... All this to say, I smiled upon the first sip of my iced americano, because I rarely taste the concoction of espresso and water and think "damn this is actually kind of tasty." They really know what they're doing in here. They did, in fact, know about SFMOMA Steps Coffee at the locked in factory.... IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov__ read more

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Coffee here was okay. What I didn't appreciate was being lured here by the museum staff who mentioned it's open through the back entrance around the building. And when you get here, you find out it's not open and have to wait - so I guess that's their ploy to get you to buy a cup of coffee while you hang around. There's plenty of seating and you can sit on the giant steps leading up the coffee shop. That said, with so many coffee options in the city, this wouldn't have been my first choice. read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - Steps - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Really bad coffee. Got a cappuccino and the milk was burnt with no texture, the espresso tasted like the machine hasn't been cleaned, and with oat milk is coated me just below $8. Go somewhere else. read more

Came here for an afternoon pick-me-up before exploring the museum! Got a Cortado, which was tasty but more bitter than I was used to. My friend got a matcha latte and added a little bit of sweetener and vanilla in hers. She liked it a lot! We sat for a long time by the table with puzzles. I think it's really cool that there were activities to do in this café. There is an exhibition on the wall with portraits from students in San Francisco. You could do the puzzle or also coloring pages. I wish there was a better pencil sharpener. The pastries looked delicious; I tried one of the ube cookies which was chewy and hit my sweet tooth. The line grew throughout the afternoon, and I imagine it must be busy in the morning as well. Service didn't take too long. Overall, I would recommend the spot for a quick break during the museum. read more

Just stopped here to have coffees and chat. Coffee was mediocre, but loved that nobody bothered us when we stayed and chatted until closing time. The shop was nicely decorated and featured highlights of students from the School of the Arts. Nice wind down to a visit to SF MOMA. read more

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I did not recognize anybody at SFMOMA today. This is a newer cafe in the museum. It was a nice place to spend time at perhaps it's in central Europe. It feels as if I have no reason to not be at work still. I decided to try the black sesame horchata hahah USA problems..costs $8 for this special drink..it was drank. read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Tried their croissant, chocolate brioche, and pistachio brioche for takeout and all tasted good. The cafe is conveniently located right inside the museum. read more

Great place! You still get to see art even if you don't pay for a ticket to the museum! The Jamaica is alright compared to the coffee and this place is a little expensive. Iced latte with vanilla and caramel is very good. Along with the iced chai latte with vanilla or a matcha latte with caramel, there's plenty of great options to choose from! read more

Yeah dont come here, for $7 this is what you get. Expensive for starbucks quality. Dont get tricked like me. read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - Expensive latte - presentation starbucks level, taste similar. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Don't sleep on their okonomiyaki danish! It's super unique and the pastry part is super crispy. Other than that, I did not have the opportunity to try anything else but would love to try the coconut ube cookie and onigiri! My friend got an iced latte and she said it was standard. Service was quick and smooth. Will come back! Cheers. read more

A hidden gem! Steps is located on the 2nd floor of SF MOMA. You do *not* need to pay museum admission to access it though. It's a nice place to get some work done due to the plentiful tables, and availability of wifi and outlets. The artsy decor is fun and unique. The espresso drinks are solid. A couple drawbacks I'll note-- - no reusable drink ware. Just disposable (compostable) stuff - no drinking water (aside from bottled for sale). Bring a full water bottle; the alternative for free water is asking for an empty cup to fill up at the warm water fountain by the restroom read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - Part of the spacious seating area - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Delicious coffee and tea and Japanese pastries on the second floor of MOMA. A good place to relax with a book or people watch and look at some of the adjacent art. You can get in without paying admission. Service was very helpful and went the extra mile. read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Steps coffee offers illy coffee, simple baked goods, food and boba! Yes boba. For the sake of the exhibitions, food and drinks don't go beyond the ticket checkpoint. The cafe is located on the second floor (same floor as the tickets). read more

normal overpriced museum food nd matcha was jus aight the coconut ube cookie was hella good .. almost nutted but i spent $13 for both these so there aINT SHT TO SMILE BOUT. we left nd as we were waiting on the street SOME RANDOM AZZ WHITE MAN COMD ROLLING DOWN THE STRET ON AN ELECTRIC SKATEBOARD nd he's like "excuse me" and my friend looks back (ROOKIE MISTAKE IN SF) he then starts to ask my friend "can i die?" "can i die yet?" GTFO MY FACE KID!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anywy if ur a tourist be careful around thsi area coz once u make eye contact w these specimens its nothing but prayers for u #iheartSF read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - matcha w coconut ube cookie - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Coffee is simple yet is easy to mess up IMO. Somehow this place managed to mess up a classic. I'm not sure what coffee they use or if it's their own, but it was burnt and bitter tasting in my latte. I was so sad, but I'm not one to return things if at all. We also got a cookie to share and a savory pastry that seemed like it would've been unique and tasty. There is an Asian fusion to the food and flavors it seems. We got the Ube Coconut cookie and it was good, super sweet, but good. The savory pastry was served cold (didn't seem they warm any food up) and that was pretty much this pastry's death. We took a couple of bites and tossed it :( I also tossed my latte. It kills me to be wasteful. The service was not friendly but just there. Also be advised this may be the family friendly spot of the cafes and restaurants, because it was rife with toddlers running around screaming. (Also didn't help our experience). My recommendation would be to take the elevator to the 5th floor Terrace cafe and have a better experience all around. Now we know. read more

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I went to the SFMoMA Steps Coffee the other day after spending the day at the museum. Was feeling like getting a little boost of caffeine! The girl working there was super nice and complimented my jacket. The guy who made my latte was also great and made it fast. It tasted good, was a more classic one with not much sugar in it which is nice. I'm sure they have sugar you can add to it if that's your thing. I would of took more pictures but there was a lot of people and didn't want to accidentally get them in the pictures. But it's a cute cafe within the museum, you don't need a museum ticket to get into it though! They had a lot of seating, some people were there working on their laptops too. There was some art in it as well which was a nice touch! If your a member of the museum this is one of the cafe/restaurants you get a discount on, so definitely use that if you have it! (I had just signed up to be a member and forgot to use it). Will definitely be back my next visit to SFMoMa! read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - Hot Matcha Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great spot to grab a coffee and a pastry and take in some free art. The Diego Rivera "Pan American Unity Mural" from CCSF is currently on display. read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - Pan American Unity Mural - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

This coffee shop has an artistic interior that matches the museum it's attached to. I just got a green tea, but it was nice to have a spot to grab something before walking around the museum, but there WAS one catch... the museum doesn't allow you to bring any drinks into the exhibits, including ones from this cafe. It makes a lot of sense because I wouldn't want anyone to suffer the embarrassment of spilling coffee all over priceless artwork. That's a good reason to cry over spilled milk, to be honest. read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - Interior - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is a nice spacious location on the 2nd floor of the SFMOMA. I ordered via TooGoodToGo which this location offers pretty regularly. For $5.42 I received a palmier, croissant and 1/2 sandwich. Unfortunately I had to throw out the sandwich because it contained meat which I don't eat. I probably wouldn't try to buy through TooGoodToGo again knowing there's a chance I'll get a non-vegetarian sandwich. read more

SFMOMA Steps Coffee - TooGoodToGo (palmier, croissant, meat sandwich). - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

$6.5 for some pretty terrible tasting premade ILLY cold brew is criminal. Staff was cool and nice tho.

As is often the case with coffee shops located within museums, the coffee is quite bad

The atmosphere was great and the staff were super nice, but the coffee options were fewer than Starbucks. 12oz was the largest option.

I love this place! Excellent coffee and pastries. They also have Caffeine-Free beverages. I appreciate that SFMOMA opened this space to everyone: you can just walk in, have a rest, enjoy a coffee, while being surrounded by art. You don't need to buy museum tickets. It's super convenient. I will definitely recommend this place to folks who work in the area and tourists/convention attendees who visit SOMA! read more