Buena Vista

The Buena Vista Cafe is not where Irish Coffee was invented, but where it was first introduced to the USA. Push past the tourists and grab a seat with the locals at the bar, and watch a human robot at work. A dozen glasses are lined up rim to rim, and the barman smoothly strafes them with liquid, not bothering to lift the spout of the jug between pours. Coffee and cream and whiskey – my God, all that whiskey! – splash everywhere. “Jeez, how many of these do you make a day?” He says 2000 on average, though his record is 5700, and claims the Buena Vista serves more whiskey per year than any other bar in the world. “What sort of whiskey do you use?” He dead-eyes me, pissed at all the interruptions. (It’s Tullamore Dew.) He’s even more pissed when – having already paid for my Irish Coffee by card – I decide I simply can’t leave without having another.

Add a Comment

Step inside the Buena Vista Café and you would swear you were back in Ireland but for the engaging view of the SF Bay and cable cars visible all around you. The tables and bar are packed with patrons enjoying one of the best Irish Coffees available outside the Emerald Isle. The owner of the Buena Vista is credited with making the first American Irish Coffee in 1952 after his quest to duplicate this heavenly concoction. Locally brewed coffee, Irish Whiskey, C&H sugar cubes, and fresh cream (aged 48 hours and frothed) that literally floats atop the glass make this a favorite among locals and tourists alike. Hold out for a spot at the bar and be mesmerized by the long time bartenders who can create 20-30 of these masterpieces before you can blink.

Add a Comment

Catching the aroma of Irish whisky and fresh-brewed coffee is an intoxicating experience unto itself; but, a sip of this signature drink from the historic Buena Vista Cafe is what continues to draw visitors back to this corner of Hyde and Beach. Since its perfection in 1952, Buena Vista's Irish coffee has been revered as the best in America. Today, this classic remains unchanged; it’s still served in a specialty glass with frothy cream floating like a cool velvet fog, and everyone still can’t get enough of the way the creaminess subdues the heat, or how the uproarious caffeine is superbly complemented by the refined purr of an imported whisky.

Add a Comment