Pirate Cat Radio

Hard to say how good the bacon latte should have been since the large man behind the counter struggled to make it. At each step he paused, read a crumpled piece of paper, paused, wandered off, and came back a few times noting that they were first out of maple syrup, then that they were out of other key ingredients.
All this went on in a cloud of pot smoke that was wafting in from the radio room adjacent the café. I’m pretty sure the guy making my drink was just too high to know what was going on.
I was left with a sad excuse for a cup of anything;
Don’t waste your time supporting these lazy hippies.

I am a sucker for some things and apparently bacon in my coffee is one of them. In the end the bacon latte wasn’t all that, in fact I suggest you order a latte from your local café and sprinkle Bacos on it, same thing.
The café is small and in a desolate area but the employees are friendly and they do run a radio station from there which is cool and which makes this place special.

After reading about the infamous maple bacon latte, I was dying to try it. A year later, I had the long awaited latte. At $ 5, I consider it pricy and since I’m not a big fan of sugar in my coffee, the latte was too sweet for my taste. The bacon fat helped a little to balance out the sweetness, but the artificial bacon bits sprinkled on top is not my cup of tea.
Overall, it did not meet my expectations, but it was a nice idea. For the meat candy aka bacon lovers, I suggest skipping this.

BACON IN MY LATTE!!!
(4 stars)
You’ve been scoutmobbed! I’ve had bacon in all kinds of form such as chocolate covered bacon, bacon wrapped hotdogs with creamcheese, etc. but definately NOT in my latte. Needed my boost before heading to the Beach on a beautiful Saturday morning and remembered that I had my scoutmob deal of (50% off) for this place. SCORE!
It’s on the outskirts of the mission, not in an overly crowded area, and hidden between the residential homes. Parking can be tough but was easy for me. The place is small, indoor seating and outdoor seating with live radio (liked the music that was playing). Unique local art or featured art that decorates the walls.
HEFFER-​STYLE STATUS
Pastries — Had none. They get their pastries fresh in the morning so whatever is out, is out. No bagels left, No plain pastries left, and only 3 pastries not to my palate liking were shelved for display.
Maple Bacon Latte ($ 5/​scoutmob $ 2.50) — Latte with nautural maple syrup and itty bitty bacon bits sprinkled ontop. It was SO good, i think i could have been find without the bacon and enjoyed my latte with maple syrup (so sweet and delicious). The itty bitty bacon bits seemed more for decoration and barely added any flavor. wish there was more flavor extracted from the bacon, i think i’d enjoy it more. But still enjoyed this drink and will classify this as one of my favorites.
Will I be back? HELL YAH!
Until the next review…

Pirate Cat is a pretty awesome place, most famous undoubtedly for their Maple Bacon Latte. Bacon fat and espresso — two of my favorite things. Their other coffee drinks are pretty stellar, too, though. Enjoy this unique experience and definitely try their artery-​clogging infamous drink.

So what do you wash down a maple apple bacon glazed donut … of course a maple bacon latte!!!
I can now say I had one — it was pretty good but odd — I felt strange drinking it and then chewing on bacon fat… HOW BIZARRE!
Bourdain destination spot completed!

Maple bacon latte:
a) so right, yet oh so wrong
b) so good, yet so bad (for your arteries)
c) concoction made up of bacon fat, maple syrup, whole milk & espresso
d) so rich the fat just coats your mouth
e) all of the above
Pirate Cat Café:
a) local radio station & haven for an eclectic mix of DJs, hippies, wanderers & latte lovers
b) confusing/​hypocritical with the bacon fat AND vegan bacon bits & pastries
c) crawling with hipsters (& my curious, highly impressionable dumbass) who are all willing to part with $ 5 for above-​mentioned latte
d) 2 cool 4 any-​fucking-​thing (nevermind school) vibe
e) all of the above
Answer key: e), e)
Just goes to show: people will try anything if it’s the perfect combination of cool & uncool.

Honestly, I think I’m not cool enough to hang out at Pirate Cat Café. That’s why I had to go with Mike T. With his smart guy glasses, adventurous maple bacon fat latte ordering, and music knowledge they agreed to let me in, reluctantly.
Seriously though — how cool is it that you can get some delicious vegan donuts alongside coffee made with bacon fat. Cool and hilarious of course. And while you enjoy your snacks you get to watch rad radio shows and listen to good music. Pirate Cat Café definitely has it going on.
Word.

BREAKFAST. In a BIG ASS cup.
What a better way to start my second day in San Fran than with some bacon, coffee and my beautiful daughter Anabella?!
MAPLE BACON MUTHAFU*KIN LATTE ($ 5)
Strolled down the Mission district on a gorgeous Monday morning with my daughter in tow… headed towards the sounds of indie rock and the smells of caffeine and pork.
Friendly BaristO takes my order and even snag a Vegan Strawberry donut ($ 2) and brownie ($ 2) for my little one, hot chocolate ($ 2)
for the wife.
I had a highly stimulating philosophical conversation with my 2 yr old about the finer points of bacon as she nibbled her donut…
The Latte arrives and my eyes light up like a kid in a bacon store…
I can smell the tasty bacon bits and enjoy every sip… I must agree with Ciara G that I could have used A LOT more bacon… I should have brought over a bacon donut from Dynamo! OH… and unless youre vegan… avoid the vegan donut… even my daughter wasnt so thrilled… I had to fake a smile and muster a lie between my teeth of «yummmm its good» so Anabella would try it…
Nonetheless…a killer concept… and my favorite part? The oh so cute bacon grease droplets floating around my cup before I finished it off to reveal all the glorious little bacon bits… www.yelp.com/biz_photos/K8Sg7­ogbEIIaX9wejJtO7g?select=eJccyHGj01Y55iwah2qVWw
… and yeah, you bet your ass I licked up all those remaining straggler bacon crumbs…

Mike, a friend from out of town, told me about this place and wanted to go, so we went. Café and radio station in the same location = brilliant. I really love it.
The maple bacon latte was very interesting. I had mine with real milk, not soy, so I think mine was creamier than Mike’s (his got a little «chunky» at the bottom). You can feel rendered bacon fat they put into it seeping into your body so I doubt I’d have one twice a week or anything, but the novelty definitely hasn’t worn off yet. The vegan donuts were also quite good to be honest and I generally don’t down a lot of items prefaced with «vegan».
I’d go back here and get a coffee and listen to the radio for sure. I highly recommend checking this place out if you are down in the mission.

BACON maple latte? How can you say NO to that? Especially since it only comes in one size — a ceramic mug equivalent of a Starbucks grande.
But try not to mention Starbucks. Or Facebook. Or Twitter. Or any corporatized slash social networking mass media thingamajig out there. I inadvertently broadcasted to my friend that I was, in a frenzy, furiously updating all of my online statuses since hello?! BACON MAPLE LATTE?! The public has to know that I’m just about to drink that and since I’m a shameless self promoter (at times), why the heck wouldn’t they wanna know?
And while I was twittering and facebooking and foursquaring my little life away, I answered a call on my Blackberry. Much to my chagrin there is a very prominently displayed sign saying «NO CELL PHONES» and even much more to my chagrin, the topic of the radio conversation they were having (yes, Pirate Cat Radio doubles as a small independent radio station AND coffee shop) was the LAMENESS of people who did just that.
Guess I’m the lame enemy. No bother though. I am NOT an enemy of the smoky characteristic taste of bacon, sweet maple or the rich, slightly bittersweet taste of espresso, and that’s all that counts. If it compels me enough to be a paying customer, so be it.
Tip: Get a Bacon Maple latte TO SHARE. There is approximately a teaspoon of bacon grease goodness per mug. Your innards will thank you.

After reading Dave H’s review back in Feb and seeing that my buddy Craig R. also had it bookmarked I just had to have this Bacon Maple Latte that blew up over night on the Unilocal world bc of Bourdain’s recent visit to Pirate Cat.
Did it live up to the hype and my high expectations? Honestly it fell short. The latte was good but I wanted more bacon umph. It needed a double shot of bacon fat AND a giant stick of crispy maple glazed bacon to stir it up with. I got barely any hint of bacon except for the chewy bits that were floating on top. And the floating bits were «baco bacon» type bits and were not the best in my opinion.
The joint is CASH ONLY with a lot of evolution talk going on. The piano is tuned and they don’t mind if you do a quick jam. A good selection of locally baked goods were available. Most of the cookies I saw were vegan or gluten free. They also sell Empanadas (chicken, beef or veggie). My buddy got one and it was ok. They heated it up for a good 10 minutes but when he cut into it is was not even warm. Service was friendly and chatty but super slow. She really took a lot of time making our drinks but is it worth it to loose customers as 2 parties that came in after us ended up walking out.
Worth a try once to at least say you have had it? YES of course. But I would not go out of my way to return next time I’m in SF.
***side note*** I am sure having a fun time at work though recreating the Bacon Maple Latte to my bacon umph standards using only the finest, wonderfully crisp Nieman Ranch Bacon.

Famous for the bacon maple latte featured on No Reservations, PRC serves fair trade coffee with regular milk (or soy milk) only. That is truly annoying. However, I didn’t deduct a star because they have Mission Minis cupcakes ($ 1 each), free wi-​fi and a power outlet. The tables are rickety and the place isn’t the most comfortable but it definitely has charm. I found myself fantasizing about being a DJ again and eating mini cupcakes in between songs. You can find an application to be a DJ on their website.
It’s definitely better than my old radio station. We had an old couch; they have a red velvet couch. We didn’t have food; they have coffee, Mission Mini cupcakes and tofu sandwiches. Our place wasn’t decorated; theirs features a red door, edgy but cute logo, black and white stripes sloppily painted on the walls.
It’s tiny with a room capacity of 12 people. You can see the DJ in the studio and people (friends of the DJ, the next DJ, musical guests) drift in and out.
I saw the Sour Flour guy here, offering to sell his bread there — it’s funny that the guy behind the counter said he’s not buying bread from some random person off the street. They have standards. I wouldn’t call this a full fledged café but for a DJ hangout spot, I like it.
Cash only

Yes Pirate Cat Café, I am one of «those» who saw you on Anthony Bourdain and am curious about your infamous maple bacon latte!
I also tried the «Monkey-​atto». Both were delicious! Although I have to say, the maple bacon latte is one of those things I’ve tried, burst my curiosity bubble, and probably wouldn’t get again. I felt like I was drinking coffee bacon soup towards the end O:)
I highly enjoyed my Monkey-​atto though. It tasted like a machiatto with chocolate and banana flavors — yum yum!
Most of their drinks are $ 4 and $ 5 unless you get a basic coffee or espresso. Everything is made to order and may take some time.

I can’t decide if the café’s a front for the studio, or the other way around. Thing is, I’m pretty sure that no one’s listening to this radio station, and I’m equally certain that this café isn’t making any money, since it’s pretty curiously managed (they seem to always be out of everything, and sometimes it’s impossible to get service since the barista is in the booth hosting a radio show).
Regardless, this place is pretty darn cool, even if I don’t fully understand it. Perhaps one day I’ll have the bacon maple latte and all will be revealed.

Sucks that I have to give two consecutive 1-​star reviews to SF establishments.
Like everyone else, I remember this place from No Reservations. I was actually in the area getting elote (Mexican corn) from Dona Tere right across the street which you should all definitely try.
So let me tell you about their ridiculous ordering-​serving system. You go up to the counter, order your drink, and the guy writes all the orders on a pad of paper. They don’t take down any names. So let’s say you order a Bacon-​Maple Latte and so does the person after you and even the person after that person, they could all very well take your drink when they just call out «1 Bacon-​Maple latte.» This actually ended up happening to THREE people in our group at separate times. I’m not going to pull out the race card but yes, we were the only Asians there. Hey,… it’s just fact.
So when I realize that the short man behind me took my drink. I walked up to the counter and this is how our conversion went:
Me: Hi, I was wondering if my bacon-​maple latte was ready yet?
Man (behind the counter): Yes, it’s $ 5.
Me: I already ordered and paid. *looking at his order list where everything was crossed off*
Man: Okay, it will be ready. *looking down at his order list where everything was crossed off*
Me: But the man who ordered after me got his drinks already… you know the shorter gentleman.
Man: YEAH, that’s because he ordered TWO drinks, a maple-​bacon and a cayenne. Just wait. Yours will come out (copped major attitude).
Me: (wait wait wait)
And then finally, 15 more minutes and my drink comes out. And this is after waiting like 20 – 30 minutes initially.
Who the F serves people out of order like that? So basically anyone can just come up and take whatever drink and the workers wouldn’t even know? There is no effective tracking system here. And that’s precisely why some local coffee shops fail and corporate coffee shops like Starbucks succeed. Good service is crucial.
Let’s talk about the Maple-​Bacon latte. Now don’t worry. If it’s good, I can suck up my pride despite my anger and admit that it’s still good. But everyone in our group who got it agreed that it tasted extremely watered down with little to any maple-​bacon flavor. I actually threw it out after drinking just ¹⁄₃ of it.
I really do love San Francisco on most occasions. I love the culture and some of the people. But when they start getting pretentious, then you really do take away from the experience and just give the South Park writers more ammo for another episode. PIOUS.

Their maple bacon latte is deliciously sinful, and proof that a higher power exists.
Pirate Cat Café’s latte is a sweet, frothy cup of joe, full of the essence of bacon grease. It’s rich and full of character, and comes in a single size: huge. (If I didn’t feel so guilty drinking it, I’d have gotten one myself instead of sharing.)
Besides coffee, the café sells locally-​baked goods. I savored a semi-​sweet mini red velvet cupcake and a rather dashing chocolate cookie. Since I was jet-​lagged, I shot an espresso, too. Good service.
Pirate Cat Radio broadcasts live on the premises — their studio is visible through a window — which makes relaxing here surprisingly intimate, an experience that must be completed with a bacon latte.
Appreciate quality radio programming? Send a donation to score a t-​shirt, compilation CD, or branded condom (okay, maybe not the last). Be sure to tune in via radio (in the Bay) or on the web at
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It is quite obvious that DJ Monkey is the «Coffee Professor» at this grungy, hole-​in-​the-​wall of a coffee shop. We ordered two cups of Maple Bacon Latte to try. The first cup was made by Monkey himself using efficient, precise, and calculated movements starting with the grind and ending with the froth. This cup was amazing and made the long taxi ride out from SOMA all worth it. Beautifully deep, savory, bacon-​y aromas. I could’ve stuck my nose in the cup all day.
The second cup was made by a substitute barista. Still good. Just not poetic.
We also ordered a cup of the Anarchy-​ato – their surprise, barista’s choice, coffee du jour. Monkey’s choice for this day was an Indian inspired curry coffee. Strange and interesting – in a good way.
I ended up grabbing a cup of tasty Cayenne Mocha to-​go. Just wanted to make sure I was sufficiently wired for the rest of the day.
Are the wild coffee concoctions an acquired taste? A little.
Are they completely awesome? Fuck yea!

Wow, what a cool little café!
After reading a fellow Unilocaler friend’s review of this place, I was intrigued by the interesting lattés they serve up, such as the «Bacon Maple Latte» and «Coconut latté» so this definitely sounded like a quirky, cool place worth checking out.
Located in a not so glam area of San Fran off 21^st st, this eccentric café is not hard to miss. The décor is somewhat Goth. The décor actually reminds me somewhat of the movie «The Nightmare before Christmas» so if you’re a fan of that movie, than you’ll really like this place. It also has its own radio station in there which you can see to your right when you walk in, behind a glass window, where they play random types of music.
From the moment I stepped in, I was greeted by 2 friendly guys at the front desk. I took a moment to look over the list of lattés they serve, which are written on a chalkboard on the wall, however, I knew exactly what I was going to have. Yes, the «Maple Bacon Late» now I am not a fan of bacon however, with the maple and what not, I had to try it.:) They also have donuts there as well and yes… even a Maple Bacon donut.:)
This drink is a little pricey $ 5.00 however; it is for the extra little labor that goes into it. While waiting for my drink one of guys working there and I chatted about the place and what not, very upbeat and cool guy. It took little less than 10 minutes to make it, though I was not in a hurry and it was worth the wait.
The drink was nice, (could have been a little sweeter) though the nice settle hint of maple was present and yes bacon… lol
They have a guest book you can sign in, you can pay $ 5.00 to become a member, you get a card and you get a percentage off your drinks for Instance 3.00 drink would be 2.00 and I guess they also serve beer there in the evenings and you get a special on that as well. Being that I do not live in the area so I opted out on the card, however I do believe I will drop by again sometime with a friend and try the «Coconut Latte».
Precaution: if you are going any time after noon time, consider bringing someone with you… ;)
Oh yes and I tried the maple bacon donut! Delish!

On Sunday, Crème Brulee guy made me come to this area to sample his new Lavender flavored dessert at 21^st and Bryant, so on my way back I decided to hit this café
and Dona Tere’s market across the street for an early dinner. Love their logo.
I ordered the Bacon Maple Latte.
At $ 5, it’s their most expensive drink (takes more steps to make), all the other drinks are in the $ 3 – 4 range.
This is a mostly a vegetarian/​vegan café, so you’ll see a display case with a few snacks like bagels ($ 2), vegan tamale ($ 4), tofu sandwich ($ 6), cookies ($ 2), plus vegan donuts ($ 2) from Pepple’s Donuts (
). Similar to Dynamo Donuts, they also have a limited stock of maple bacon donuts (I’ve been told this is a vegan item, no idea how it’s made).
Since Anthony Bourdaine came all the way from NY to try it, I figured it was about time I sampled it too. Don’t you know REAL men eat bacon-​flavored anything. I’m kidding. Save your arteries, eat more veggies! Do as I say, not as I do.
I had avoided trying this drink before, because I had this picture in my mind of a thick layer of melted bacon fat being mixed into a cup of coffee. The actual product is more conventional than I expected. It’s a double espresso latte, mildly flavored with organic maple syrup and homemade bacon, and teenie tiny bacon bits sprinkled on top. Really nice.
The maple bacon aroma is strongest right after it’s just made, then it mellows down. And drinking the last scoop of foam in the cup is a real treat, because of the tiny bacon bits floating on top. The café space is pleasant and relaxing. I’d advise to stay and enjoy your cup of coffee while listening to the radio broadcast. FREE WiFi!
It took me a while to process this, but it does seem a little bit odd to be served a food item that has meat, prepared by a vegetarian staff person (but not everyone that works there is vegetarian). Well, you wouldn’t know that unless you asked. But now you know because I just told you.
I’ll confirm something mentioned by someone else, yes, the DJ staff I’ve seen is attractive. She was interviewing the band Wolves & Thieves. No, I didn’t take her picture. Because I’m not a stalker and not gonna provide any pics to prospective stalkers either. And contrary to what others have posted. DJs do provide their playlists (thru separate blogs — what’d you expect, it’s underground radio).
Do you want to be a radio DJ? for $ 30/​month you too can have a weekly radio program at PCR. Reruns of WKRP in Cincinnati come to mind, although the music and vibe are different.