A new coffee shop is bringing a little delight to the neighborhood.
Ingleside resident Kim Ramos soft-opened Charm Coffee on Aug. 10 in the former Kaisen Don space on Ingleside’s Ocean Avenue. The block of Ocean Avenue hasn’t had a coffee joint since Fog Lifter Cafe transformed into That’s Amore Woodfired Pizza a few years ago.
Ramos has set out to level up Ingleside’s coffee game with a focus on sustainable and ethically sourced products and by using third-wave coffee, a movement in coffee that highlights the quality of beans from individual farmers with lighter roasts, for a more refined experience.
“I was driving home and I was like, I really wish there was amazing, specialty coffee on Ocean,” Ramos said. “I love Philz and I think Java is a great space but I was like I think we need something else.”
The shop's name stems from one of Ramos' favorite artists Clairo, an American singer-songwriter who recently released an album titled “Charm.”
Kim Ramos, right, and her best friend Natza Marin work the counter at Charm Coffee. | Anne Marie Kristoff/Ingleside Light
“I just want to be a sweet neighborhood spot, have really yummy coffee and enjoy a good little vibe,” Ramos said.
With five years of coffee shop experience under her belt, Ramos wanted to start out with the classics and curated a traditional menu for the soft opening with hot and iced options like drip or americano, espresso, macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, latte and mocha drinks that range from $4 to $6 and come with Clover Sonoma whole milk or an option to switch to Minor Figures oat milk for $0.50. It is also made with San Francisco-based coffee roasting company Linea Caffe’s coffee like their reserve espresso and Big Calm decaf blend.
As for strictly iced options, Charm Coffee serves espresso tonics, cold brew and a sparkling americano that start at $4.75 and end at $5.25. For non-coffee drinkers, they serve matcha lattes, steamers, hot chocolates and song teas that cost $3.50 to $6.50.
In addition to drinks, they sell pastries from Black Jet Baking Company like morning buns, sprinkledoodle cookies, conchas and more. Costs range from $3.00 to $5.25.
“We saw there was a new coffee shop and we are coffee fanatics and then they were using Linea coffee which we frequent over on Potrero and we were like this is so cool,” first-time customer Donna Cummings said. “Everything is so local and we like to support the businesses on Ocean Avenue. We use the other cafe as well. It's just refreshing to have a new business.”
Customers in Charm Coffee's well-lit and cozy storefront. | Anne Marie Kristoff/Ingleside Light
The quaint storefront has natural wood tables, chairs and bench seating, framed photography shot by Ramos and framed coffee and flower-inspired pinterest art along both walls, a large mirror with a wooden shelf and an open-concept cashier and barista station. The shop and its sign, which was painted by San Francisco artist Dom, has accents of pink and red throughout.
Following their grand opening, which may be as soon as next week, Ramos plans to start serving breakfast and deli sandwiches that her father, Alejandro, will help make and start serving additional specialty drink options like chai, banana-based caramel lattes and strawberry matcha lattes.
Her mother, Griscelda, will also be helping out on the weekends in addition to her best friend of 10 years, Natza Marin, who is already working alongside Ramos.
“This has been her dream in the making for a while,” Marin said. “I genuinely believe in her talent and I knew there was talent. Everything I've learned is from her and it's really good to see how much she's evolved…how much care and love she genuinely puts into her coffee. She has a lot of pride behind everything she's done so far. I'm really happy for her.”
Charm Coffee
Address: 1939 Ocean Ave. Soft Opening Hours: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday Instagram: @charmcoffeesf
Anne Marie Kristoff (she/her) is a recent graduate from San Francisco State University's journalism program. She enjoys writing about the arts, entertainment and nature.
