Mission cafe review: The Summit SF

The Summit takes the idea of a modern coffee shop to a new level.  Large windows soar up from the ground to the ceiling, flooding day light onto dozen’s of coffee shop patrons crouched over their laptops.  The exposed wood frame ceilings, skylights, concrete floors, sunken grey couches and slate tables add to the clean and modern design.

Moving toward the back of the cafe are three large communal wooden tables which cafe patrons sit at in groups of two or three and treat like temporary offices.

At the coffee bar they served up Blue Bottle coffee and a few pastries.  When I went they had several donuts with fillings like custard, chocolate, and quince.  Besides donuts, they had bagels and few not so appetizing looking pastries like bacon & cheese scones and sausage rolls.  I got a donut and a cappuccino, as seen below. The cappuccino rich, smooth, nutty, and had a velvety texture.  The only espresso I think I like more is from Ritual.  The cappuccino came with the same signature foam heart on top – which has got me thinking that either every barista is trying to make a pass at me or perhaps this is some sort of trend (probably the latter).