Equator Coffees & Teas

Great staff, great coffee and good vibe. All drinks are crafted with an attention to detail and quality. A++

I have the ultimate privilege of working right across the street from Equator. Before they moved in, I was going to Blue Bottle, but the day Equator opened and I had one of their lattes I vowed to never go back to Blue Bottle!
The coffee is amazing, the staff is wonderful, and the vibes are on point. Every morning I look forward to seeing the baristas and I know without the shadow of a doubt that my coffee is going to be made just the way I like it.
To those of you who say its too expensive, I have two things to say:
1. You are paying for QUALITY ingredients.
2. You can get 16 oz iced/​hot cups here. Blue Bottle will charge you the same brice for a latte but it’s half the size.

I went back for their coffee… it was delicious and didn’t cost me $ 14.
+1 star!

Coffee is okay — I wasn’t very impressed for the price. The vibe of the café is cute and hip.
Service is great. Not much too eat so just keep that in mind.

Super lindo y con una propuesta diferente
Un café con ricos sándwiches, todo orgánico
Las paredes tienen unos murales espectaculares

Great coffee, vibes. Service was friendly as.
Vanilla iced espresso is delicious, baristia knows her coffee and took the time to tailor it!

Really friendly people working there! The place on market gets a lot of natural light that filters in the café and the flowers on the tables make a nice touch.
The Americano I got there was not acidic at all, it was nice and smooth!
I also got an AB&J (almond butter and jelly) open faced which was good, but I think at $ 6.50 for one slice… it’s a tad bit overpriced.
For getting work done, I can’t see myself getting any serious work done here, but it’d be a nice place to get some leisurely reading done!

Do not buy the quinoa cabbage salad.
It’s extremely bitter and hard to eat. I choked down a couple bites and threw it away.

Spectacular…
I ordered a vanilla latte with cashew milk… wow delicious!
The foam art is high quality which matches the high quality of their espresso beans. I’m also impressed they have cashew milk. Super creamy and delicious… really complimented the espresso really well.
The place feels a bit small but it’s really open and has a good vibe. Will definitely return!
This place has been added to one of my favorite coffee shops in the bay.

Equator is a really nice and quaint coffee shop on Market across from Blick Art Materials.
They serve coffee, tea, wine, beer, cocktails, salads, parfaits, and even heavier eats.
There’s indoor high chair seating and outdoor tables in a little mini patio area.

One of the best tea lattes I’ve ever had. I got the honey orchid tea latte (pretty sure that’s what it was called) and it came beautifully garnished with rosemary on top. Just the right amount sweetness and creamy and wonderful. I’ve been to Equator a few times and that’s still the only thing I’ve gotten because it was so good.
Of course it was egregiously expensive and a pretty small serving, but I think that just (unfortunately) comes with the territory of these type of coffee shops.
My friend got one of their specialty drinks with whiskey in it, and wow, that too was incredible.
Great for a splurge but don’t think I’ll make it a regular stop.

At some point I’ve said, «Do you have anything larger than your large cup?» I get my latte here almost every morning and that large cup never make it to work which is just a block away!
Like I said, I come here almost every morrning for my latte. So soon as they see me, they’d start making my latte and to double check that i still want the same thing, they’d just state my order for me, I don’t need to tell them what I want anymore, all I have to do is pay!
If you ever wonder how I want my latte and why I can’t stop sipping it, this is the specific: single origin (a buck more-​worth it), regular milk and large. Simple syrup, optional. Boom!

It’s certainly refreshing to see an established roaster like Marin-​based Equator take a chance with one of the dicier areas of the city. When I passed by it on a Market Street streetcar, I thought it was a mirage since I wouldn’t have expected a welcoming café like this next to the Warfield Theater. Good things, however, appear to be coming to the neighborhood in threes between this place, Chai Bar by David Rio across Market, and Montesacro Pinseria Romana Enoteca on Stevenson. Each brings a much-​needed freshness to an embattled area where police sirens and primal screams reflect more of the norm. There’s no denying the rejuvenation that the Mid-​Market corridor is starting to experience thanks to the likes of Twitter and Über nearby.
There is patio seating cordoned off carefully from the passing foot traffic although this hasn’t stopped the occasional local denizen from gawking awkwardly at the customers. The seats are concrete blocks, so I assume the proprietors are not looking for people to loiter for very long (photo:
). There actually isn’t much seating inside, just some stools against the left window counter and a standing counter to the right. The walls are covered with images of jungle foliage painted by local artist Mona Caron (photo:
), who painted the fanciful Market Street Railway Mural on Church Street. There’s a surprising diversity of food items for sale: five different kinds of arepas, three salads, even fried chicken (photo:
).
I was there just before a Unilocal event at Montesacro and ordered the $ 4.75 16-​oz Vanilla Latte (photo:
). It was smooth and not too sweet with an even richness that proved satisfying before my anticipated pinsa gorge. I like the idea behind the proposed «suspended coffee program» which encourages patrons to buy an extra coffee for someone less fortunate. That’s the kind of practice that will help it build goodwill in an area that isn’t used to showing it. By the way, there is indeed a restroom if you don’t mind the labyrinth of making your way down to the basement of the Warfield building through the main lobby next door. Equator has really established a discernible foothold in this war zone, and I just hope they don’t give up.
COFFEE — 4 stars… Blue Bottle-​like richness in their lattes should draw in the caffeinated hipsters
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… an oasis with tropical palms on the walls
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… certainly nice enough
TOTAL — 4 stars… kudos for opening a café at the unenviable corner of 6^th & Market

Equator’s cold brew coffee with a dash of Remedy’s cashew milk is the best way to end the work day and to bring in the weekend.
There’s been a number of coffee and cafes opening up in the area recently — but Equator is probably the only one — that has directly inspired me to make an expedition just to try their well sourced tea and coffee brews.
If you’re not familiar with Equator — I highly recommend you making your own pilgrimage soon. Equator is committed to using superior ingredients and the best machinery in all of their extraordinary products. Thomas Keller has exclusively brewed and served Equator drip coffee at The French Laundry in Yountville, CA for a number of years now. Equator even carries some specific and unique chef blends like French Laundry’s Estate blend and Jardiniére’s Organic Fair Trade Blend. You know that you are drinking a quality product when world renowned chefs are excited to promote it — beside their food masterpieces.
In addition to coffee and tea — Equator also carries food options. They have healthy Remedy bars to go, as well as organic yogurt parfaits and well sourced salads and sandwiches.
If you value excellence when it comes to your drinks and food — Equator knows what’s up.
Trust.

Tried out Equator Coffee & Tea on Market. It’s not too far from The Hall in the Tenderloin.
I tried out the Classic Shakerato $ 3.75 — it’s an espresso with some ice shaken in a cocktail shaker. It was ok, tasted strong.
I hope they can make me an iced latte shaken up! Let’s all demand for it ok? I know Bica in Oakland does that and it’s yummy.
B. got just poured coffee and he thought it was strong. He had to add milk.
Pastries from Sandbox Bakery — I didn’t get any.
Some places to sit inside, and there’s tables/​stools outside.

Ive been an equator fan for a while now as they supply TKRG’s restos; French Laundry, Bouchon, Ad Hoc, etc. coffee is always top notch but today was a tea day. The menu is setup high so i had to look around for a bit to find what i wanted. I think that translated to me looking lost to the cashier. But when asked a straight up black iced tea was the choice. Solid smooth and refreshing. Workers are friendly and the space is urban with rustic nature art. The guy working the front patio is doing his hardest to pull people in old school, like the last if the Arabbers

On my quest to try a different coffee shop every time in the Union Square/​FiDi area, today we ventured down Market to 5^th/​6^th to try Equator Coffee which opened less than a week ago. Walking in you’re first greeted at the door and handed a menu by a very friendly gentleman and then enter into a very hipster shop with no seating and a live dj playing music in the corner. Quite the way to start the day.
In addition to standard coffee bar options, they also have fruit squashes (handcrafted muddled fruit sodas), shakeratos (shakened sweetened flavored ice espressos), arepas, noshes, salads, yogurts and sandbox baked goods. Great selection and I especially enjoyed the classic shakerato.
On top of liking what they offered for food, drinks and atmosphere, I really appreciate the addition of a nice establishment like this to the mid-​market area. I feel that with more businesses like this in addition to the upcoming mall, this area could go from being a sketchy neighbor to the tenderloin to a classier extension of the union square, upper market area. Hopefully this trend continues.
Overall, Equator was great and I plan on coming back in the future. In this part of the city for coffee, morning snacks and a dose of early morning dj to wake you up, this is «as good as it gets.»

Equator made me do it! When I heard that Equator had opened up in Mid-​Market, I braved the «other side» to cross over past 5^th Street. I know that Mid-​Market is currently hopping, but no one ever really enjoys that walk, even in broad daylight.
The space is close to Show Dogs and The Hall and is small but beautifully open. Murals on the walls, baristas front and center. It won’t be the kind of space where you can sit and work, although there is some outdoor seating. The people who work there are incredibly welcoming and are happy to recommend drinks on their extensive menu. I was eyeing the Scratch Caramel Shakerato (made with whipping cream!) and happily opted for the drink.
I’ve always loved Equator for their mellow, smooth brew, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Not a hint of sourness or acidity that I dislike so much in coffee. I gulped down my smooth smooth Shakerato in record time and found myself wishing for more…
I’m looking forward to coming back for their Cold Brew and there are plenty of fruity and tea drinks for non-​caffeine addicts as well. I was surprised at their extensive «Nosh» options, which I’m sure would be great for those working nearby.

I LOVE that new things are showing up on mid-​Market! Whispers of more coffee shops have been abound, and when Equator opened it’s doors for the first time this morning, I got the warm and fuzzies that this whole area is about to change (warm and fuzzy probably isn’t how most people would describe mid-​Market either). In any case, Equator’s space is beautiful with high ceilings and very friendly staff. I had their single origin brewed coffee, which was just OK to be honest. What I should have done was asked for one of their pour overs instead. Lesson learned for next time. Their menu looks extensive, and I’m always partial to a place that sells delicious looking pastries. I love the energy from Equator, I’ll be back to explore my pour over options soon.

Know why your yard is empty of boyz? Bc my $ 4.50 Scrizzatch Caramel Shakerato #ididntmakethatworduptheydid brought ‘em all to MY yard. Beezy.
Thought I was just here for coffee… till I saw the other food /​tea /​beer & wine (!) havin’ parts of the menu. Dang.

When asked if I wanted to head over to Equator for coffee,
I willingly agreed since I was in serious need of caffeine.
I mean how rare is it to find coffee from the Equator (wenk wenk).
As we walked into this newly open establishment on Market Street,
we were warmly welcomed at the entrance
and asked if we had been invited to their soft opening.
We had not, but the folks were nice enough to let us in anyway.
I’m also thinking they must of realized the blank zombie look on my face meant I was gonna try to force my way in regardless, jump behind the espresso machine, and make my own short cappuccino.
Problem avert.
Their short cappuccino was nice. It was a robust and full bodied espresso with hints of dark chocolate and when combined with a silky warm microfoam milk (organic right?), it went down very smooth.
*I also liked that it was free :)
More importantly, now I can say I’ve had coffee at the Equator (kinda).
Well, until the day I actually go to the Equator for a coffee break,
I will gladly settle for this Equator on Market.