Caffe Trieste, San Francisco

Nowadays, Caffè Trieste is a renowned chain of four coffeehouses and one retail store. It's true to say that this West Coast institution has espresso in its veins and Italian spirit in its soul. Founded in 1956 by Giovanni Giotta, affectionately known as “Papa Gianni,” this humble café was the first to bring authentic espresso culture to the Pacific coast.

Giotta arrived in the U.S. after World War II, emigrating from Rovigno D’Istria (which is now part of Croatia but back then was part of Italy). He missed the café life of Trieste so much that he decided to recreate it right here in California. And thus, Caffè Trieste was born.

The original spot in San Francisco’s North Beach quickly became a neighborhood favorite. “It was all Italian people,” Giotta once reminisced, “but I managed to introduce cappuccino to the American people.” Soon, poets, philosophers, and dreamers of all stripes filled the air with conversation as rich as the coffee itself.

By the late 1950s, Caffè Trieste had become the unofficial headquarters of the Beat Generation. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and Alan Watts all gathered here to sip espresso, trade verses, and debate the universe. If you listen closely, you can almost hear their echoes swirling through the steam.

The café's fame didn’t stop at poetry, though. Over the years, it has graced countless films, books, and magazine spreads. Legend has it that Francis Ford Coppola penned much of his now-iconic Godfather screenplay right here, probably over a strong cappuccino. Indeed, from North Beach to Hollywood, Caffè Trieste remains the kind of place where inspiration—and caffeine—never run dry...