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Omar Mamoon
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Croissant and a cortado: the perfect morning.
Grand Coffee was opened in 2010 by Nabeel Silmi, a former bartender who has worked in restaurants like Foreign Cinema, Rose Pistola, and Oakland's now-shuttered Hibiscus. Located on Mission in between 22nd and 23rd Streets, you get the eclectic mix of hipsters, techies, and blue-collar workers crammed into a 250-square-foot space, all seeking the same thing: to satiate their caffeine cravings. It’s a scene in so many ways, symbolic of the ever-changing neighborhood.
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Omar Mamoon
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Pastry spread at Grand Coffee courtesy of Knead Patisserie.
I don’t really want to disclose the hidden gem of a cafe that is Grand Coffee — it has been my little neighborhood go-to ever since it opened and remains so five years later (they celebrated the anniversary just last week). But the world deserves to know about the following delicious magical moment in time:
Every morning Tuesday through Sunday around 8 a.m., Grand Coffee gets a delivery from
Knead Patisserie, a small bakery housed in the back of
Local Mission Eatery just a few blocks away. The pastries are delivered quite literally fresh-from-the-oven, often still on the very sheet tray from which they were baked on. There are a variety of delicious treats like custard tarts and savory cheesy herb rolls. But the thing to get is the croissant. It’s, dare I say,
better than Tartine’s.
The croissant is shatteringly crunchy on the outside, fluffy, still-steaming, and piping-hot on the inside, and buttery throughout. The thing weighs almost a pound, and can easily be shared between two people. It’s best-paired with a cortado — which is two shots of Four Barrel espresso topped with a touch of steamed milk. It’s a small enough amount of liquid to save your precious stomach space for the croissant, yet powerful enough to get your day going.
The croissant and cortado at Grand Coffee is a perfect start to your day.
Grand Coffee,
2663 Mission, 415-206-1238.
Follow @streetfoodsf for all things delicous and @doughandco for all things doughlicious.
