The Brew

Such good coffee (contraband) and homemade almond milk. I am SO sad this place is closing in a few days. They also have a nice area to hang out and study and chill vibe. I will miss this place.

Closing today. Sadly.
Fun place in a great neighborhood.

Great Coffee? — check! (they have cortados!)
Cute and hip? — check!
Great service? — check!
Location? — check! (there are couple of boutiques and shops around)
All-​in-​all, this place satisfies all the needs of a cute and charming coffee shop. Though it’s hip in design, the coffee is delicious, well-​made, and unpretentious. Like another reviewer mentioned, I can’t believe this place doesn’t have lines out the door every time. But, maybe that’s a good thing ;)

Cool little coffee shop on Polk. I had to meet a tech near by for some repairs but I was a bit early so I decided to hang out at this coffee shop. Great WiFi and easy to access. The young lady working at the place is really sweet and professional. The overall set up of the place is nice. Lots of outlets if you need to charge up your laptop. I’m a real fan of this place, ordered a strawberry smoothie and it was wonderful.

I have no idea why this place isn’t constantly packed, but thank god it’s not – this is the best coffee shop to work at in the neighborhood. Solid wifi, good drinks, really nice baristas, and, unlike any of the other coffee spots nearby, I never have a problem finding a seat near an outlet.
If you come frequently, fill out your stamp card and get every seventh drink free.

Cute little coffee shop! I was in the neighborhood and stopped in for my chai tea fix. The had two options: spicy or sweet. The barista explained that the «spicy» part of it was ginger, so this ginger-​lover was all in! I ordered two iced spicy chai tea lattes with soy milk, one with an expresso shot AKA a dirty chai. They were both fantastic.
Even though I couldnt stay, the coffee shop seems comfortable and the walls are filled with handmade art. They also ring you up using a mounted ipad. This place is the perfect combination of hippie and tech plus good quality drinks!

Best iced coffee I’ve had (including from Sightglass). Get the iced coffee with their home-​made almond milk. The only complaint is the cost ($ 4), but it is SF artisan coffee.
Also a great spot to work, meet people for coffee, and comfortable setting. They have a few boardgames in the back and a little back room as well.

Enjoying a homemade almond milk on a wonderful afternoon in SF. They add honey to their almond milk which is ok in a mocha but could deter others. It is definitely sweet. I’m pretty sure that’s why that one reviewer said his latte tasted funny. Not sure if they only do to go cups as I was never asked but did stay and it seems others also have to go containers. Though that saves on water, it’s definitely a bit wasteful. Their specials, such as spicy chai, almond milk and frozen espresso, sound interesting and I would come back to try them.

Made a quick stop into The Brew on Polk while waiting for Belcampo to open and while their cold brew wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, I was certainly intrigued by their special menu board that was outside with various concoctions of coffee options. This was definitely a nice quiet spot to hang out away from the ridiculousness that’s Starbucks up the street, and while Saint Frank is a great place to go to, the line was a little too long. This is a great option if you’re looking to chill out, hang out on your computer, and avoid the crowds on the main part of Polk street.

Almond milk latte was delicious. Their other concoctions sound interesting. Worth checking out if you’re in the area.

One of the places I miss most about my old SF neighborhood is The Brew! It’s delicious Contraband coffee, the baristas are friendly, and they often make their own great almond milk for the non-​dairy folks. Sometimes the line can be long but it’s always worth the wait!

Cute coffee /​tea spot on Polk. Comfy enough to catch up with a friend, get work done, or just relax. (Wish they served wine!)
Prices are a little steep for my liking — $ 3.75 for a small decaf coffee. I can walk down the street and get 3x as much for way less. It also took quite a while and there were not other orders in the queue, but I do appreciate the pour-​over effort.
Also have a really unique variety of coffee drinks, plus a solid tea selection if that’s more your jam.

A cute little coffee shop on the corner of Polk & Filbert. I stumbled upon there while craving for a Caramel Latte. They didn’t have any flavors, but the guy recommended I try their Cubano coffee. It was amazing. I’ve been going back there ever since for the coffee.
They have free WiFi and it’s not as crowded as the nearby Starbucks, so I always get a place to sit. The baristas are super friendly. And you can take a stamp card when you buy a coffee — collect 6 stamps and you get a free drink.
I’m taking off one star only because of the ambiance — no complaints on the coffee.

The smell in this place was so overpoweringly awful I began to develop a headache as I sat there drinking my not so great espresso. «What is that smell?!» I kept thinking, wondering why it wasn’t dissipating. It smelled like some chemical agent had been smeared all over the floors and ceilings. I was honestly worried it was carcinogenic. My lungs burned and my nose wrinkled in disgust. The pleasant smell of coffee and steamed milk were enshrouded in a cloud of seemingly toxic ethers whose source could only reside in a chemical plant in some superfund industrial waste land. Could the barista not smell this?!
I will seek a new place to have my morning cup of caffeine.
Phew!!!

This coffee place is just blocks away from my old apartment — whenever I’m back in the neighborhood, I love to stop in for an almond milk cappuccino at the Brew. While there are various other «high-​end» coffee places on Polk Street, we still come back to this hidden gem. It’s laid-​back and provides for a more «chill» ambiance, while still delivering solid coffee.
Don’t get me wrong — I love the other coffee options on Polk Street. But don’t miss out on this place by being distracted by the «glitz and glam» the other places may offer. This place is great!

The Brew is a cozy, consistent, & coffee-​centric place to meet with a friend, work, read, or simply grab a beverage.
Regarding the menu, they have a good selection of teas to choose from in addition to quality coffee. Their presentation is thoughtful & clean. They even make their own almond milk!
I particularly like going here to spend a few hours to either have meetings &/​or get some work done. It’s a quiet place & not too full of itself like some coffee shops can be. They have reliable wifi, comfortable seating options, & subtle background music.
The only thing holding me back from rating them 5 stars is though the staff is generally very friendly & accommodating, there have been a couple occasions where the barista was a little snooty & off putting. For the most part though I’ve experienced great customer service here.

Band together.
Limited Contraband drip of the moment is from Yemen where a sign told me towns came together to harvest coffee and export to the world. Nice work team.
Mocha Haraazi was as minimally acidic and smooth with hints of chocolate as promised. Didn’t need milk but splash of nonfat made it even better. $ 4.50 was steep but worth it.
Just as smooth was a cocoa, almond milk, banana and peanut butter smoothie. 20oz for $ 5 is quite the deal and it’s quite delicious.
Having been in business for a few years the neighborhood is clearly supporting this friendly, relaxed and free WiFi offering café.
Way to band together Russian Hill.

Wonderful service and wonderful cappuccino. Staffs are very friendly. I find it that their service is much faster than the nearby Buckstar they even to do the pour over drip. I wish there are some type of specialty foods to offer.
got to try Dirty Chai. Amazing!!!

The Brew sells «Contraband» Coffee via pot (2.5). unfortunately, only drip versions (3.5) available after 10.
ambience rustic with seating scattered thruout. food/​coffee counter in the center
eats: (mushroom) nucha empanada (4)
–delicate casing, not thick like others
–mix of mushroom pieces, ricotta cheese, onions, sauces.
–much better than thick argentine ones, also as good as pica pica’s
crumbs:
–great eats elevates the brew to 4 stars.

The cold brew iced coffee is delicious. I stopped in once again on Sunday morning because I wanted to avoid the mile long line at Starbucks and was pleasantly delighted to find this place super empty (ya, on a Sunday right?).
There was an instrumental piano CD softly playing in the background. I took a moment to enjoy the acoustics while I sipped my coffee. Great start to a Sunday.