Pink Owl Coffee
1816 Second St, San Rafael, CA
Crema's Take
“Pink Owl Coffee has carved out a special place in San Rafael with genuinely creative drinks that go beyond the usual—their Caprese is legendary, and they nail classic espresso drinks like cortados with real care. The charm isn't just in the cup though; visitors rave about the warm, welcoming vibe, thoughtful furniture, and baristas who actually seem happy to see you, making it the kind of spot that becomes your everyday coffee shop within days. It's a rare find that balances excellent craft coffee with a genuinely fun, unpretentious atmosphere perfect for lingering with friends or settling in with a book.”
What to expect
Google Reviews
You won't find Caprese like theirs anywhere else. 10/10. And they have cortado coffee too. For me, it doesn't get better than that ❤️ lovely pieces of furniture to complete the mood!
Pink Owl Coffee is a delightful gem! The vibez are super cute and so so fun. The place just has a charming aesthetic and the staff are fantastic. The baristas were super friendly and genuinely kind. Just a positive atmosphere to be in. There are so many comfortable places to sit and relax. We thoroughly enjoyed settling in and savoring our delicious drinks and pastries in such a pleasant environment. A quirky little spot I highly recommend if you're in San Rafael!
I spent a week in San Rafael and after my first visit, this became my everyday coffee shop. The espresso drinks are excellent, the service is fantastic, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. I wish I could stay!
We made a stop at this cute coffee shop to escape the traffic jam while returning to the city from Sonoma on a rainy afternoon. It turned out to be a fantastic decision. Our beverage choices were the eggnog mocha, a delightful latte infused with the flavors of white chocolate and eggnog, and a pumpkin spice latte, featuring the rich taste of pumpkin syrup with a hint of pumpkin pie 'dust.' The drinks were served at just the right temperature, allowing us to savor them without the risk of getting scalded, and they provided the ideal warmth on that chilly, wet day.
I grew up in this town. This place hasn’t been around for a crazy long time but it’s done a lot better than other business that have come to this plaza. Unfortunately, their expansion onto 4th street seems to have ruined their quality control. When this place first opened, I was excited to finally have a good, cute coffee place nearby that was actually good. When I went recently, I tried three times and everyday, a different coffee. They were all…not great. My guess? You need an adult with those teens. Because they don’t know how to make coffee. One drink we got was the Shaken Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cold Brew. You’d expect this to taste at least somewhat sweet, especially if it’s properly mixed in and has enough oatmilk…both of the same drink order were bitter and tasted like burnt coffee mixed with like what looked like 2 tablespoons of oatmilk and a very small layer of brown sugar stuck to the bottom. Every with the lack of oatmilk, the coffee tasted worse than starbucks. (I am the type of person that doesn’t go to starbucks). The Ube latte…is a purple version of what I just described, burnt tasting coffee. This time it had more oatmilk added. Tasted zero Ube, it gave nothing but the color purple. I had a Cortado one day. All I could taste was the dark bitter taste of the coffee, which I think is not of great quality, not a lot of that silky milk mix that cartados are supposed to be. Had a pastry, you could tell from the staleness of the pastry bread that it was not fresh and had probably been sitting there for a few days. I tried my best to give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it’s someone’s first day. Maybe it was just a fluke but 3 trips there ordering 2 drinks at a time and every single drink was disappointing. Train your workers better.
Crema Reviews
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