The first time I had this in 2016, my impression of Irish coffee was changed forever and I never had one other that at Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco.
How it all began (according to Jack)
The whole love affair with this legendary “Irish Coffee” started way back in 1952, on a chilly night of 10 November. Jack Koeppler, who owned the Buena Vista, threw down a challenge to this fancy travel writer named Stanton Delaplane. Jack wanted to recreate this thing that was served in Shannon Airport over in Ireland. Well, Stanton was all like, “Sure, why not?” So, they got to work right away, experimenting and stuff.
All night, both of them kept stirring and sipping cautiously and they eventually realised two annoying issues. The taste was “not quite there,” and the cream just wouldn’t float. Stan got really disappointed, but Jack wasn’t discouraged at all. That restaurant owner went all out in his quest for that elusive concoction, he even took a trip overseas to Shannon Airport.
Upon Jack’s return, the experimentation continued. Finally, the perfect-tasting Irish whiskey (Tullamore Dew) was selected. Then the problem of the bottom-bent cream was taken to San Francisco’s mayor, a prominent dairy owner. It was discovered that when the cream was aged for 48 hours and frothed to a precise consistency, it would float as delicately as a swan on the surface of Jack’s and Stan’s special nectar.
The Irish Coffee
The recipe for the Buena Vista Irish Coffee as introduced by Stanton Delaplane in November 1952 has not changed over the years. It is still made with Tullamore D.E. W. Irish Whiskey, Peerless organic coffee (I am pretty it didn’t start with organic coffee), C&H sugar and heavy cream.
The whiskey is the key to Irish coffee, made to the official recipe from Joe Sheridan, who invented the drink (and joined the cafe later), “Cream as rich as an Irish brogue, coffee as strong as a friendly hand, sugar as sweet as the tongue of a rogue, and whiskey as smooth as the wit of the land.”
The Buena Vista is the largest single consumer of Irish whiskey in the country — 18,720 liter-sized bottles a year. The Buena Vista is the cathedral of Irish coffee in the United States. These days they also serve many variations, including one that uses Bailey Irish Cream instead of whiskey.
The Cafe and The Food
The decor has not changed over the years, but with the famous Irish coffee, it is constantly packed. There’s no reservation, and you just wait in line. But everyone’s a tourist so they would come, have the coffee, take the photos, and then leave. So the tables turn very quickly.
Every where you turn, you will see newspaper cutting about the cafe, historical photos of famous folks that have been there, and other memorabilia from the long 100+ years history (founded as a saloon in 1916 to be exact).
Whether you are trying their signature Buena Vista burger with Monterey Jack cheese, applewood smoked bacon and fries (absolutely yummy!), or the clam chowder with or without the bread bowl, or the appetiser of potato skins with covered with cheddar cheese, bacon, scallions and sour cream, you are assured that the portions are generous, and the food will be delicious.
But at the end of the day, it was the Irish coffee we came here for. And you should too.
The Buena Vista Cafe
2765 Hyde St (@ Beach), San Francisco, CA 94109
Tel : +1 (415) 4745044
Visited Oct 2023
#thebuenavista @thebuenavista #sanfrancisco #irishcoffee
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