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Younger North Beach hangout speaks much Italian and shows the "calcio" (soccer) games on Italian RAI TV (even if most of the staff would rather air infomercials). Several customers will be reading Italian newspapers at any given time. Italian pop music plays in the background. The walls are decorated with humorous black & white glamour photos of espresso-drinking models. Many tables - indoor and out on the Columbus Ave. & Grant St. sidewalks. They serve pre-packaged Miscela d'Oro GranCrema coffee from a three-group La Spaziale. Their espresso has a thinner, blond-to-nutmeg-colored crema (it varies) and a clove-like flavor with smoke, occasional sweetness, and no bitterness. "San Francisco" magazine crowned their espresso as the best in the city in an August 2002 cover story, which is a perplexing exaggeration. Yet they do make a good cup. Served in ACF cups branded with their lipstick logo. [CLOSED as of Dec 2012.]
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