Leveraging more than 80 years of coffee excellence and experience, Illy Caffé will open its newest Espressamente Illy Caffé in San Francisco, continuing its mission throughout the U.S to serve the highest quality Arabica beans nature can offer, with a dose of authentic Italian coffee culture.
The new Espressamente Illy Caffé, scheduled to open November 24, is located within the landmark Metro Theater building at 2055 Union Street. Situated in the vibrant Cow Hollow neighborhood, the caffé is operated by the Prima Cosa Group, which also owns and operates Espressamente Illy Caffés at 2349 Market Street and 124 Battery Street in San Francisco. For Illy Caffé North America, San Francisco continues to be a top city for the dedicated Illy-branded Espressamente Caffés, along with Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Toronto.
“Illy Caffé North America has continued to innovate retail environments that create unique touch points for our partners to serve and sell Illy coffee products,” says Barry Sheldon, president and COO of Illy Caffé North America. “The branded Illy Caffé is the pinnacle of our offering, developed with a belief that a coffee bar is a place that should engage all of the senses and inspire creativity along with serving high-quality food and the perfect cup of coffee.”
The 1,600-square-foot caffé has seating for 49, featuring low and high seating in addition to intimate and communal areas. An authentic Italian caffé experience is driven by trained baristas who expertly prepare coffee drinks including traditional espresso, latte and cappuccino, brewed coffee, and specialty drinks featuring botanicals.
Beyond Illy Coffee preparations, the Caffé offers a wide selection of food including specialty menu items unique to the Illy brand such as the Illy Frisée Salad featuring Illy coffee vinaigrette ($8) and the illymisu, a tiramisu made at the caffé with a shot of Illy espresso ($6). Different options of panini and salads based on recipes inspired by Joyce Goldstein use local Bay Area vendors for fresh ingredients including produce by Green Leaf, bread by Acme, dairy by Clover Farms, and bakery delights by Semifreddi’s.
The decor incorporates red tones plus thoughtful and modern design based on the concept developed by renowned Italian architect/designer Luca Trazzi. Decor includes the installation of the 96-cup Illy Art Collection "chandelier" conceptualized by art director Carlo Bach, featuring Illy cups designed by celebrated film directors, such as Francis Ford Coppola, Pedro Almodovar, and Julian Schnabel, paying homage to the building’s history as a theatre.
The restored Metro Theater building, which also houses an Equinox gym, opened as the Metropolitan Theater on April 23, 1924, and was built by Samuel H. Levin as a key location for his company, San Francisco Theatres Inc. Restored in 2013, the 2009 landmarked building has preserved features such as a sprawling floor-to-ceiling mural by Anthony Heinsbergen.
The Espressamente Illy Caffé is located at 2055 Union Street and will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. with free WiFi available. Throughout the scheduled opening week of November 24, customers may enjoy a complimentary Illy espresso, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, November 27.
