In late September, Starbucks closed its San Carlos stores at 1187 San Carlos Avenue and 1135 Industrial Road. They were part of a cut of 250 underperforming stores across North America, and KRON4 counted at least 13 of them in the Bay Area. Only two cities on that list lost two stores each, San Carlos and Santa Rosa.
So the morning coffee run now goes to the independents. Most of them roast their own beans or make their own food, and most of them close early. If you're buying coffee in San Carlos this fall, the better question is when you're going, ahead of which shop you prefer.
Two Corners Went Dark in Late September
ABC7 reported that Starbucks gave September 26 as the last day for its closing stores and said the date could vary from store to store. Both San Carlos addresses were on the list.
The two stores served different parts of town. The San Carlos Avenue store sat downtown, on the main walking route between Laurel Street and the Caltrain station. The Industrial Road store sat on the east side, among the light-industrial blocks, auto shops and big-box retail. Since late September, neither space has a reported replacement.
On the downtown block, the closest alternative was already a few doors away. According to the San Mateo Daily Journal, the closed Starbucks was less than 100 feet from Groovy Goose at 1221 San Carlos Avenue. The paper's profile describes the cafe as busy, but it says the shop's success can't be directly tied to the closure.
Three of the Four Still Standing Roast Their Own
San Carlos has four independent coffee stops, spread from Laurel Street to Old County Road, and three of them roast beans in town. A chain store ships its beans in, so this is a real difference in what you're drinking.
Plantation Coffee Roastery, 784 Laurel Street. In its October 2024 roundup of Peninsula roasters, The Almanac reported that Plantation has roasted on-site since 1981 and that Sue and Young Cheong have run it since 2000. The same piece mentions House of Bagels sandwiches, pastries and Marianne's ice cream on the counter. It sits on the 700 block, the stretch of Laurel with parklets and outdoor seating.
Groovy Goose, 1221 San Carlos Avenue. Nathan and Siera Conte opened it in August 2023, according to the cafe's own story page. In 2024, Daily Coffee News reported a Diedrich roaster in the shop and scones, croissants and muffins made in-house. The Daily Journal adds that ingredients for its avocado toast and breakfast sandwiches arrive every morning and that pastries are baked daily.
Papachay Peruvian Coffee, 1431 Old County Road. The Almanac reported that owners Max Gambirazio and Juliana Vieira source their coffee from Peru, roast it at a facility in San Carlos and serve it alongside empanadas and pão de queijo.
Mints & Honey, 1524 El Camino Real. This is the one of the four that doesn't roast, and it puts its focus on food. Its About page describes scratch-made food, coffee and tea, with bread and goods from local bakers and vendors. It's the closest of the four to the White Oaks side of El Camino.
The Groovy Goose story also includes an early sales tactic. When the shop first opened, Nathan Conte would stop people leaving other downtown cafes, ask what they had ordered and offer to make it again for free, the Daily Journal reported. "I'd say 'You can taste and compare, because I know what we have is better,'" Conte told the paper.
The Map Changes at 2 p.m.
What a chain store gives you that most independents don't is long, predictable hours. The table below lists the hours each cafe posts on its own website.
| Cafe | Address | Roasts its own beans | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groovy Goose | 1221 San Carlos Ave | Yes | Every day, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Mints & Honey | 1524 El Camino Real | No | 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Tuesdays |
| Papachay Peruvian Coffee | 1431 Old County Rd | Yes | Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed weekends |
| Plantation Coffee Roastery | 784 Laurel St | Yes | Check with the shop before you go |
After 2 p.m., Mints & Honey and Papachay are both closed, so nobody is pouring independent coffee near El Camino on the White Oaks end or out on Old County Road. On Tuesdays, Mints & Honey doesn't open at all. On Saturdays and Sundays, Papachay is closed, so the east side has no independent coffee until Monday.
Downtown keeps the longest schedule. Groovy Goose posts hours until 5 p.m. every day. Plantation is a few blocks away on Laurel Street, and its current schedule is worth confirming with the shop. Two chains also remain on Laurel Street: Peet's at 677 Laurel Street, Suite B, and Paris Baguette, a café-bakery at 622 Laurel Street. So a late coffee in San Carlos now usually means a trip to the few blocks around Laurel Street and San Carlos Avenue.
East of El Camino, the Morning Ends Early
The Industrial Road closure changed the east side most. The independents on the list above are all downtown or along the El Camino and Old County Road corridors, and none of them is on Industrial Road itself. For anyone working in that area or running errands there, Papachay on Old County Road is the nearest independent. It's open weekday mornings until 2 p.m. and closed weekends.
Meanwhile, the same stretch of Industrial Road is getting new retail. Boot Barn opened at 1119 Industrial Road, a few doors from the old Starbucks, and held its grand-opening weekend October 23 to 25, the Daily Journal reported. By then the store had been in a soft opening for about a week. So the east-side shopping trip now has a new store and no coffee stop next to it.
Nothing has been announced for 1135 Industrial Road, or for the corner at 1187 San Carlos Avenue. No new tenant has been reported for either space.
Weekend Mornings Run Through Laurel Street
With Papachay closed on weekends and the Industrial Road store gone, weekend coffee is now centered downtown, which is also where the town's weekend events happen.
The San Carlos Farmers' Market runs on Laurel Street every Sunday, year-round, according to the City of San Carlos events page. The market got a new layout on May 3. Vendor booths moved back from the curbs and spread into the Wheeler Plaza parking lot, Cherry Street reopened to traffic and parking, and the city added seating, umbrellas and games, per the city's downtown revitalization updates. In August, the city added more Adirondack chairs on Laurel Street. Downtown now has more public seating than it did a year ago, and that's useful if you're carrying a coffee from Plantation or Groovy Goose.
Two dates on Laurel Street before the end of the year:
- Diwali Downtown, Saturday, November 14, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The city lists performances, music, crafts and food from local chefs. The Adult Community Center also holds its own Diwali celebration on Friday, November 6, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and registration is required, per the city's event listing.
- Night of Holiday Lights, Friday, December 4, 5 to 8:30 p.m., on Laurel Street between San Carlos Avenue and Cherry Street. The city lists children's activities, arts and crafts, holiday performances, lights, snow and Santa on its event page.
Groovy Goose's posted hours cover all of Diwali Downtown. Night of Holiday Lights starts at 5 p.m., the time Groovy Goose's posted hours end, so on December 4 it makes sense to check which Laurel Street cafes are open that evening before you go.
Changes like the empty corner at 1187 San Carlos Avenue and the new tenant on Industrial Road affect how a block lives day to day, and that affects what homes nearby are worth. Robert Pedro has worked the San Carlos market since 1994 and can show you how recent sales near downtown and the east side are pricing this fall. Ask for a valuation of your San Carlos home.
