Trouble Coffee Company

Just gonna be real. I remembered that this place existed from This American Life and I needed to have a taste of the story.
This place is super simple. Toast, coconut, coffee. Looks like they now do some baked goods sourced from other places, but you’re likely here for one or more of the three choices.
Latte + cinnamon toast = $ 8.
Latte is gentle and enjoyable, and the cinnamon toast is thick cut, with generous helping of butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Probably not something I will consume regularly, but this was my first time having cinnamon toast and it wasn’t a bad experience.

The coffee was not very good, had a burnt/​old flavor. Probably from being overheated. The toast was ok, a bit dry. Tiny space, has a few stools inside and big log in front. Ok as a neighborhood spot, wouldn’t make a trip to it, as I did. It’s just ok.

The thing about hipsters is that they’re like the cool outsiders. So what happens when an innocent non-​hipster civilian get in on the cool outsider side?
The answer is HA, or as the hipster go with a nod and a low «hey»
I just wanted some coffee whilst waiting for my table at Outerlands. Go to Trouble and asked if they do iced coffee. «Yes.» Do you have flavor shots like vanilla or hazelnut?” No, we only serve puritan coffee.“
Well I walked out with nothing. I guess this civilian’s taste buds are not pretentious enough to handle puritan coffee.

Best breakfast in the city.
The toast is thick and perfectly laden with rich butter and sumptuously sweet cinnamon sugar. Instead of being fussy with you lattes and espressos, just grab a regular old cup of joe to accompany this little slice of heaven.
Right after your toast is up, devour it on any one of the many perches just outside the shop or while you walk down to the water.
It’s literally the perfect breakfast.

Came back to try the awesome cookie — catered by Goody Goody Cookies! Cookies are reasonably priced at 2 for $ 5. I love the coconut chocolate chip, popcorn cookie is stale, regular chocolate is good too.
Note to management to seek out ways to improve the customer experience. The food is good and the location is amazing with the outdoor parklet and beach literally blocks away, but service (or lack thereof) really taints the overall good vibes. Happy workers bring happy experiences. The cookie were yummy, but the service, not so much.

«Big Tim, the human piece of toast.» — Jurassic Park (1993)
This may seem like an odd review, but their coffee is only so-​so. I’m sure you are thinking «then why the heck is she giving them 5 stars?!» Let me tell you something… They know what the heck they are doing when it comes to toast. Yes, I said toast.
Ben G told me I had to come here and get a slice of cinnamon toast. I don’t question Ben when it comes to all things bread (if you know him, you understand). So I made the drive and walked in to this little pocket of a coffee shop and ordered a slice of toast and a medium coffee.
As I watched, they sliced off ¹⁄₆ of the prettiest Pullman loaf of bread. I watched as butter was slathered and sugar and cinnamon were coated on world’s largest slice of bread. As it baked, the perfume of snickerdoodles filled this tiny shop and my stomach started to roar with hunger.
They handed me the golden bread shaped idol and my cuppa Joe and off I went. A small station of cream and sugar was set up at the edge of the shop and I doctored my coffee and was on my way. I was sold at first crunch into the most succulent piece of bread and I was returned to my childhood and I have been aching to go back there ever since.
Toast + waves crashing = bliss
I’d eat there every day if I lived nearby. Damn, now I need a slice.

We made a big detour to trouble coffee to try the «famous» cinnamon toast, which was a pretty big disappointment. There was really nothing super special about it, and the barista even put so much on that a lot of it wasn’t «wet» in the butter. The coffee was also pretty average; I got an almond milk latte, and it needed some help. The space is also very small, so plan on taking your food/​drinks to go. There are better places nearby Golden Gate Park, and I certainly wouldn’t make a special trip out here based on the reputation that the cinnamon toast has built up.

This is a horrible location and a pretty terrible place to go to. I thought the café at Oakland had bad service but this place here is even worse. The staff gets all the orders wrong and the small venue is cramped and not a good environment. The music is noisy and they don’t allow computers here. What kind of places forces you to leave if you want to study and get some work done on your laptop? I’d be more ok with it if the staff weren’t so rude about it. I’m very disappointed.
I did enjoy the peanut butter and honey toast they serve at Trouble Coffee locations but this experience ruined it for me. Moreover, $ 4.50 is quite overpriced for a piece of toast with peanut butter and it’s even less worth it with bad service and bad ambience.

I came here with my friend and neither of us had been here before. We had a few questions about the menu (since it was nowhere to be seen), and the cashier was very rude in answering them.
Our coffees were decent but not necessarily worth the price, and certainly not worth the bad attitude.
My suggestion is that there should be a clear menu up somewhere, and the staff should be more helpful and willing to answer customer questions. Probably won’t be going back here, which is a shame because it’s conveniently close to the beach

Grabbed a cappuccino to go, the place is teeny tiny. They have a cool seating area outside made from tree limbs, comfy. The coffee was good, I’d like to try some of their toast it looked really good. I found the service to be friendly, a little surprised by the low ratings on this, could it be because it is small and busy??? Hmmm just saying…

1 star for their absolutely rude cashier. Their menu had very limited options and I’ve never been here before. I was with my mom so I wanted her to have a good idea of her choices before we ordered. I was on Unilocal looking at their clearly extended menu. First encounter:
Me– Hi!
Cashier– Can you get off your phone, while you are ordering
Me-I’ve never been here before, I’m checking out your menu. *shows phone*
Cashier– Well can you not do THAT, while we do THIS? I can help you *does not tell me drink specials*
Me-​What is a Gibralter? *as seen from Unilocal photos from phone, not seen anywhere else in store*
Cashier-​one ounce milk, one ounce coffee (?) our menu changed *still does not provide help*
Me– …can I just get a latte?
Left with a latte and an unpleasant experience.
Latte is average.
I understand how constantly being on your phone may be perceived as rude but being spoken to like that from a cashier was way out of line. I wasn’t texting someone else or on my phone having another conversation. I am entitled to being informed about your establishment… little did I know about your costumer service…
TLDR– rude costumer service
I

Don’t even try to order anything unless you know ahead of time what is on the menu… because they won’t tell you.
Home, also in the Outer Sunset, has good toast, and an actual menu.

Folks, there are lots of other coffees and toasts in SF. So please don’t trouble yourself with this particular shit shack.
Can this place please go out of business so all those RUDE hipsters find someplace else to mope and be bitchy? This way, a more deserving business can set up shop in this space. By the way, I’m not just talking about Trouble’s bad attitude. Their products were fine, but very average. The coffee tastes like coffee you could get almost anywhere, and their toasts are burnt. You want toast, go to the Mill.
But I’m here to talk about the overall experience you’ll have here: Seriously, service is non-​existent, and the general attitude and vibe of the place is, generally speaking… garbage.

Yes, the toast is boss — but the coffee is only OK and the space isn’t very inviting.
We showed up on a Saturday afternoon for coffee and toast — nowhere near closing time. As we walked up, they began locking up the shop. We asked — what gives? They told us that they decided to close the store for a while to clean. No particular reason whatsoever. Totally bizarre and not exactly customer-​friendly. But whatever — the boyfriend HAD to have the toast. So, we came back about 20 minutes later and ordered a black coffee, a latte, the cinnamon toast, and the peanut butter honey toast.
I was immediately annoyed by their sign to stay off of your phone. Like, I’ll text or browse the web if I want to — LOL! Angry hipsters… I was also very turned off by the super loud, aggressive music and the attitudes of the workers, who seemed to think they were at a punk rock concert and not serving customers. It’s just not a place where you can really sit and enjoy your snack and coffee because it’s so loud and you’re basically sitting in on the employees gossiping and such the whole time.
The coffees were totally average and they keep ALL of their coffee «gear» (i.e. lids, napkins, etc.) outside, which is so weird.
However, yes, the toast is amazing. The peanut butter honey was definitely my favorite. I guess if I was around here and I HAD to have the toast, I’d come back. But there are better places out there…

One of the more quintessential up-​to-​the-​minute San Francisco coffee shops became more than a good Instagram opportunity yesterday when I tried my very first Trouble toast.
What I like most about the place is the simplicity. Rather than cater to a variety of taste pallets, they just please everyone with toast. Classic and easy.
But of course I had to go beyond their standard toast and splurge for honey and peanut butter. If you like honey, this is your jam. If not, just ask for PB.
If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t been in Trouble yet, get out of the Mission and head over to the sunset.

I don’t quite understand why some people seem outraged over the fact that their toast is just toast. I mean there’s only a couple ways to dress up toast. It’s toast, what do you expect?
There are also a couple arguments that this place is too hipster for average people. Well, I mean I’m pretty much an average dude, and I didn’t feel like some sort of an awkward outcast. It’s a coffee shop for Christ’s sake. How ostracized could anybody make anybody feel?
Really, the last argument I want to address is people’s remarks about food & beverages being overpriced. I actually don’t think it’s that bad. Let’s keep in mind that we are talking about a business that is located in San Francisco, literally a stone’s throw from the beach. Prices are bound to reflect that geographical location.
I mean, I don’t know, people seem to be REALLY upset that the coffee is just coffee, the toast is just toast. In reality, this is just a fun coffee shop that serves extremely thick pieces of fresh baked toasted bread. The cinnamon and sugar with butter tastes like cinnamon sugar with butter, and the toast with peanut butter and honey taste like toast with peanut butter and honey. There’s no way around it.
The excitement of this coffee bar is driven by novelty. I mean it’s delicious and everything, but you get almost exactly what you expect. The same applies with the coconut. It’s fun, it’s delicious, and it’s really silly, but it’s just a coconut.
Their prices are average, perhaps the toast is a little on the pricey side, but again, it’s not like they’re forcing anybody to buy anything.
I think this place is great, it’s just kind of fun.

The outer sunset is my hood, I’ve been here since 1991 and really the outer sunset didn’t change till trouble coffee came. I’m not hatin, just statin. I’ve been coming here since it first opened some time ago since I live a block away, and really I love their coffee. The only thing is that, its kind of pricey. But I guess it’s expected since their coffee is really good. I get their black coffee and lattes a lot. The coffee is fragrant, aromatic and earthy from the roasting. It’s not heavily acidic or watered down like some of the other coffee shops I’ve been to. Also I think their lattes are made with two shots of espresso instead of one. This makes their latte taste more like coffee than milk/​cream. It’s a good thing because a lot of coffee shops have it the other way around.
One more thing! (lol jackie chan adventures reference for yall 90’s kids) I can’t submit my review until I talk about their famous cinnamon toast of course! All you need to know is that it’s heavenly, but you might need to see your cardiologist if you eat too much of it since it’s packed with butter. They melt so much butter in the middle but it’s so delicious. I try to limit myself to having one once a month but sometimes it’s so good I definitely have more than the recommended amount.

Just a few nights ago at a friend of mine’s bday in Cole Valley, a few people complained about being invisible. You know, when you hit a certain milestone age, you just don’t seem to matter, or be noticed anymore anywhere. But that’s the beauty of it. I like being invisible, so that no one pays attention to you, so that YOU can observe. This is a good place to observe hipsters sporting facial hair here. Grab a seat outside, and count how many men are wearing a beard of some sort, 10 out of 10. It’s infested with hipsters with facial hair, and robust looking young female companions, with one or two occasional joggers in their stretching positions while sipping a coffee.
My companion ordered us two lattes. They were served like European sized cappuccinos, smaller but as they ought to be. They make them with patterns that you now see in most boutique coffee shops. He gave me the heart shaped one and he kept the flower one. I swapped it hastily. «Keep your heart. I like my flowers.» I took a sip to mark my territory with my rouge lipsticks on the rim of the paper cup. Their espresso drinks is very very good. Their outdoor waiting area, reminds me so much of Omotesando Koffee in Omotesando district near the fashion district of Tokyo. Please, someone must know what I’m talking about, and that was pretty much what I had thought the moment I stepped into that small coffee shop. It is quirky and pretty, if they didn’t have the heavy metal music, I’d think I was in Japan.
Really great espresso drinks. People watching is fantastic. Like you are in an episode of Portlandia. Chat with your friends about your coffee drinking experience in Japan and how that drift wood reminds you of the décor in Omotesando Koffee. Stay invisible. Near the end of N Judah line. Take a bite of that cookie so dense that you know one bite will do you in.
But don’t stop here, keep on walking. You have an entire ocean in front of you.

Oh Trouble. I knew you were trouble when I walked in…
After visiting The Mill, I have unfortunately acquired a taste for expensive toast, which prompted me to check out Trouble. According to the NPR story, Trouble is purportedly the OG of SF’s artisanal toast trend. (Though I can’t help thinking, didn’t thick toast originate in Asia?!)
Trouble is a tiny space that gets crowded even on weekday mornings. They have one paper copy of the menu, no website, and little seating besides logs outside and minimal counter space inside, because anything more would be too mainstream. In fact, they apparently shun technology with a grumpy no-​pictures rule; I took care to take my food pics in secret so as not to get chastised. I managed to get multiple pictures in multiple settings with multiple angles including cross-​sections :)
I got the PEANUT BUTTER HONEY LAVENDER TOAST ($ 4) because the cinnamon one sounded too sugary. The design of the honey drizzle compared to latte art, and the toast itself was scrumptious: the peanut butter went unexpectedly well with the honey, and the subtle hint of floral lavender added a nice overtone. However the quality definitely fell short in comparison to the in-​house craft bread at The Mill, where you could really taste the freshness, the baking expertise, and the thought put into the creation of each bread. I also noticed that the bottom side of the toast was quite burnt.
The ICED COFFEE ($ 4) was not bad, and there was even soy milk at the bar. It came in a neat stamped cup branded with Trouble, but the portion size was very Troubling, approximately a Starbucks short.
There were a number of kinks: the cashier who handles (cash-​only) payment also prepares the toast; instead of real napkins they only have paper towels (the coarse ones that you usually find in the bathroom for wiping hands); the milk and sugar shelf is so tiny that you run into Trouble trying to juggle toast while adding milk to your coffee.
After reading some reviews about their hipster attitude, I braced myself for abrasive criticisms when I asked for a straw for my iced coffee. It turned out thoroughly amused when the barista made a clever pun and announced the request as «the last straw».
I feel bad giving 2 stars despite their punniness, the originality of the store as a whole (including the notable Trouble etch-​a-​sketch décor), and the owner’s NPR story which is indeed quite amazing. But at the end of the day everything still overpriced, especially with respect to The Mill where there’s better (and non-​burnt) toast, better coffee, a far more spacious and nicer interior, and I actually end up paying less. I guess irony is, after all, part of hipster culture :3

Came here after listening to a podcast and reading a couple articles about the owner and the shop. I was so inspired by her story and the meaning behind the name of the shop I had to come! (If you don’t know what I’m talking about you should google it! Supa interesting).
Since I don’t live in the Sunset anymore it’s hard for me to come out this far, but I happened to be in the neighborhood and definitely had to stop by. Holy shit Judah is getting more and more gentrified it’s hard to recognize it now adays. But that’s a different story.
I knew I had to get my hands on some cinnamon toast and an iced coffee. I was so excited! Although $ 4 is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on ONE PIECE OF BREAD WITH SOME CINNAMON AND BUTTER I politely handed the barista the amount without a speck of regret, because I was just so happy to be here after learning about the history of this place and getting to experience it first hand.
My boyfriend was literally horrified at the cost of the toast and after tasting it said he’d had much better bread at other places, but to me it was much more than eating cinnamon toast on a log. It was about appreciating the moment, and since there is no wifi and no tables, you are kind of forced to interact with the people you are with and who are around you, and just appreciate the moment a bit more than you would at SBux or some shiz. And because there are tons of hipsters literally eating coconuts with metal spoons outside of this place, strangers are always striking up conversation because of it. Which (if you read the article) is the reason why she has coconuts on the menu in the first place.
As I enjoyed my ice coffee and toast on the log outside of Trouble Coffee, I realized I couldn’t wait for the next time I would get to do just that. I think even though items are slightly overpriced, you get so much more out of the experience than just good snacky food, but a moment to appreciate the environment Trouble provides, even if it means no wifi to post your coconut IG pic.

I discovered this place when I showed early for a tattoo appointment with Jesse Tuesday next door. Turns out the owner is his bestie. I love friends doing things like this, puts a good vibe right into the concrete sidewalk. I ordered a large latte and was told ‘i’ll only make one size’. Great! I also love people being so serious about their business. And it was delicious. And she was very friendly as the others have said. Friendly in the southern way of just easily chatting with you as if you’ve vaguely known each other for years. This place is a great respite from the likes of Ritual and Philz, a true diamond in the rough. Hit it up on your way to ocean beach.