A Coffee Oasis Springs Up in South Park

For her second cafe, Communal Coffee founder Jen Byard looked to her own neighborhood of South Park, where she lives with her husband and three sons. It began with a vintage 1959 Shasta travel trailer, restored and customized into a fully functioning coffee bar fueled by a La Marzocco espresso machine. Then Byard found a permanent place to park it on a 2,000-square-foot open lot on Fern Street, vacant for the past 15 years, that has now been transformed into an Instagram-ready outdoor cafe and gathering space for the community.

Open Monday through Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Communal Coffee works with famed San Francisco roaster Sightglass Coffee for its array of espresso and coffee drinks, including its well-photographed flower latte flight. In a few weeks, a special house blend made just for the cafe will be available. The menu features a rotating selection from Nomad Donuts as well as other pastries, breakfast dishes, and light bites. Lunch items, including salads and sandwiches, will be added later.

Communal Coffee’s original North Park cafe is paired with a retail shop and in-house floral bar, and the South Park location will also have a retail area stocked with branded merchandise, coffee supplies, and housewares in addition to a selection of grab-and-go fresh bouquets and stems from local florist Native Poppy. There’s also a kid’s play corner and a stage, which will host events, live music, and movie nights throughout the year. A partnership with neighboring wine bar the Rose will allow the cafe to regularly serve beer and wine on Friday and Saturday nights starting later this spring.

A grand opening is scheduled for this Saturday, March 17, to coincide with the quarterly South Park Walkabout. Starting at 6 p.m., the cafe will be offering complimentary coffee, bites, and raffle prizes. The Rose Wine Bar will be on hand, as well as Nomad Donuts with a large-scale doughnut wall.