WELCOME BACK
TO THE
NORTH END CAFFE

During the 1990s there was a small coffee shop at 1402 Grant Avenue in San Francisco. There was nothing particularly special about the coffee shop itself. You could get an espresso and a pastry or a sandwich and a glass of beer pretty much the same as you could anywhere else. What made this place so great was the community of people who chose to spend their time there. It was an eclectic bunch to be sure. There were poets, and musicians, lawyers, hippies, and punks, filmmakers, dancers, magicians, race car drivers, and rocket scientists.  Ne’er-do-wells, and politicians. San Francisco’s mayor Joe Alioto once came in to read poetry. There were chefs, actors, professional surfers, computer programmers, airplane mechanics (who swore they put commercial jets together with giant tubes of model airplane glue), professors and doctors. I saw a customer inquire of the man seated next to her what he did for a living and the man (who was a cardiologist) replied, “I mend broken hearts.”  These are just some of the many characters who were known to congregate at North End Caffe. Each of them unique. Every one of them contributing something to the character of the community to which we all belonged. I cannot imagine where I will ever find such an amazing group of people ever again. Although the North End Caffe no longer exists the community it created lingers on. People have relocated to every corner of the globe, but many still manage to stay in touch with one another, some of them have to because they are married now. This site is not a substitute for the caffe, but it is one way to stay connected and informed. We will post photos of friends, announce events, praise the accomplishments and include some of the stories and poems written by the former patrons and employees. If you would like to be kept in the loop just leave your e-mail bellow and we tell you about all of the gossip and goofing around.