Buena Vista Cafe (Irish coffee claim)

The Buena Vista Cafe on Hyde Street claims to have introduced Irish coffee to the United States in 1952 after a travel writer helped popularize the drink; the cafe still serves its signature Irish coffee and is a longstanding Fisherman’s Wharf institution. The establishment’s preparation of Irish coffee and its long-serving bartenders have been photographed and shared widely in travel and food media. The cafe’s origin story is documented in contemporary accounts and has been discussed in histories of the drink; some details of popular accounts are debated among historians.