Caffè Trieste and North Beach espresso culture

Caffè Trieste opened in 1956 at its Vallejo Street location and is credited with being one of the first espresso houses on the U.S. West Coast. The café became a gathering place for Beat poets, writers, and musicians in North Beach and played a role in popularizing Italian-style espresso in San Francisco. It remains associated with the city’s mid-20th-century literary and coffeehouse history.