20 Apr Boavida: Charming Portuguese Cafe-Market-Wine Bar in Outer Sunset
Just two blocks away from the beach of San Francisco, Boavida Café feels like a peaceful getaway for the residents of Outer Sunset amidst extended shelter-in-place orders and the coronavirus pandemic hammering San Francisco.
Inspired by the small coastal towns of Portugal, everyone who walks into this coastal-chic corner is immediately charmed by the calm authenticity of the place. Employees, customers and passerbys always seem to greet each other or sit down for a spontaneous chat over coffee. No wonder this is one of the customers our drivers like to visit the most.
Feels Like a Small Village in Portugal
Boavida in Portuguese means “good life” and this café-market certainly lives up to its name. The 500-square foot establishment has managed to create a bright and cozy dining area and a cute little place outside perfect for customers to hang out while social distancing.
The big windows that let in lots of sunlight, exposed wood and strings of patio light bulbs hung across the ceiling all play a role in transporting diners to the childhood village of Andrea de Francisco, the founder.
As a child, Andrea used to spend every summer in Portugal with her father. She remembers the ambience in the village, where people would make a day out of going to the market. They’d buy sliced ham and baguette and then sit down for a cup of espresso with a random friend while the kids ran around.
After closing the first business she owned in 2017, Andrea was tired of the food business industry. But when Streamline, a coffee house in the same space closed its doors, she couldn’t miss an opportunity to fulfil her childhood dream of owning a café by the beach.
For us, what shows Andrea’s true entrepreneurial character is her decision to replicate the entire market experience of her childhood – not just the café.
The grocery section and later the wine store she opened boast a variety of essentials that are usually hard to find at bigger chains, especially during the pandemic. These are available at a reasonable price for delivery and pickup.
Delicious Food That’s Secretly Vegan
The menu is health-minded, with a full array of coffee drinks, smoothies, tea, snacks and packaged bites that fulfil every guilty pleasure craving (many of these are secretly vegan!). It also offers complete meal options like açai bowls, sandwiches, salads, waffles and avocado toast.
Pantry items in the grab-and-go market include homemade bread crumbs, paper towels, baking powder, soy milk, eggs, coconut milk, canned tuna, toilet paper, coconut chia pudding and bags of coffee beans.
Half the pastries sold by the shop are homemade, like the sweet banana bread. There are also homemade items like loaves of gluten-free bread made by Young Kobras, the gluten free sourdough bakery, also located in Outer Sunset.
In September 2020, Boavida announced the opening of the Boavida Bottle Shop in the café’s old dining room. The new shop offers a wide variety of Iberian wines and snacks.
They Offer Smoothies, Too
A big cup of a refreshing, healthy smoothie can easily be a replacement for an entire meal, or just an easy way to sneak in extra greens or supplements without having to sacrifice taste.
An all time favorite is the Green Goddess, which consists of a fatty blend of avocado, almonds, vanilla, and agave that’s sweet with a hint of an earthy flavor.
All of Boavida smoothies are available with an optional shot of CBD, perfect for a calm start of the day.
Wholesale Food Supplies Made Easy
To help Boavida maintain its homemade-wholesome style, Cheetah is here to ensure they get their weekly supplies of produce, condiments and artisanal Portuguese ingredients.
Working with Andrea and her staff has always been a delight (knowing there’s a cup of espresso waiting for us upon delivery doesn’t hurt). And we’re happy to hear that the feeling is mutual:
Contact us to join the thousands of restaurants in San Francisco like Boavida that rely on Cheetah to power their businesses with food supplies.
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