The Buena Vista Cafe
The Buena Vista Cafe
The bar that brought Irish coffee to America in 1952
- Hours
- Mon-Thu 09:00-23:00, Fri 09:00-24:00, Sat 08:00-24:00, Sun 08:00-23:00; kitchen closes 21:30 (official site, checked Oct 2026)
- Budget
- Two for $34.50
- Address
- 2765 Hyde St (at Beach St)
In 1952 the owner here and a travel writer recreated the Irish coffee served at Shannon Airport and introduced it to America. Sit at the bar and watch the bartender line up a dozen stemmed glasses, warm them, then drop in sugar, coffee and Irish whiskey and float lightly whipped cream on top, all in a blur. Watching that is half the visit. The whiskey warms you up fast, which is exactly what you need after a windy cable car ride. They also serve breakfast and food like clam chowder.