Bay Area/ San Francisco
Published on January 13, 2025
Castro's Sisters Coffee Shop Shutters After Less Than 2 Years Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

After less than two years, Castro's Sisters Coffee Shop (506 Castro Street) quietly closed last week.

The shop closed without warning — furniture, fixtures, and equipment have been removed.

Sisters Coffee Shop opened in April 2023 in the former Earthbar space near the corner of 18th. Sisters Coffee Shop's original Mission District location at 920 Valencia Street remains open.

Hoodline reached out to co-owners Karen and Melody Ruelas but they did not respond to a request for comment.


Sisters Coffee Shop at 506 Castro St. is now closed. |  Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

 

The approximately 800-square-foot retail space had been listed for rent since October. At the time, Hoodline reached out to Sisters Coffee Shop to find out the shop's status but did not receive a response.

According to Mission Local, the sisters got their start helping their family-owned food stand in the Richmond selling Mexican snacks like mangonadas (Mexican snow cones).

The cafe offered a selection of coffee, tea, juice, boba, paninis, bagels, tamales, and their signature drink Mexican hot chocolate.


Inside Sisters Coffee Shop. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

 

Neighborhood residents will recall that before Earthbar, Artis Coffee briefly occupied the space, and before that, The Body Shop.

From 1971-1981, the space was the home of two gay bars The Midnight Sun (1971-72, 1974-1981) and City Dump (1973).

In recent years, the once-booming Castro coffee cluster has fluctuated, with the closures of multiple cafes including Weaver's Coffee & Teas, Ritual Coffee, Eureka Cafe, and H Cafe, along with the addition of Poesia Cafe, Epicurean Trader, and Fisch & Flore.


The Midnight Sun at 506 Castro St (1981). |  Photo: Max Kirkeberg/SFSU

 

The closure of Sisters Coffee comes just after longtime pet food store Jeffrey's Natural Pet Foods announced it will shutter on January 25.

Despite the closure of Sisters Coffee, the 500 block of Castro Street only has a handful of storefront vacancies including Sunglass Hut (511 Castro), Hamburger Mary's (531 Castro), and Under One Roof (541 Castro).

A new tenant for the Sisters Coffee space has not been announced.