Dave Eggers Launches Artistic Cafe at San Francisco’s Pier 29

UPDATE: San Francisco’s literary icon, Dave Eggers, has just announced plans for a groundbreaking café at Pier 29, part of the innovative Art + Water project. This café promises to redefine the coffeehouse experience, serving as a vital hub for artistic expression and community engagement.

The café, envisioned to launch in late summer or fall 2026, aims to become a culinary and social hotspot on the Embarcadero. It will not only cater to coffee lovers but also foster a space for revolutionary ideas, much like the traditional coffeehouses of history. Eggers is teaming up with renowned coffee expert Mokhtar Alkhanshali, known for his success with the Yemeni café Mohka House in Oakland, to bring this vision to life.

In a statement, Eggers emphasized the café’s unique ambiance, describing it as a place to “luxuriate in a space filled with rugs, pillows, tapestries, silver, copper, and gold.” Alkhanshali added that Eggers recognized the absence of coffee options in the area, motivating this ambitious initiative to transform the local scene.

The Art + Water project covers a massive 70,000 square feet and will provide ten established artists with free studio space in exchange for mentoring twenty emerging artists. This model aims to break away from traditional art schools, offering education without the burden of debt. The initial program will feature work from Oakland musician and filmmaker Boots Riley, highlighting the project’s commitment to creativity and community.

The partnership with the Community Arts Stabilization Trust secures a substantial 30,000 square feet for visual artists, creating opportunities for talents like Paul Madonna and Taraneh Hemani. The project will also serve as a “satellite” gallery for artists who have been priced out of other spaces in the city.

Applications for the nonprofit’s inaugural fellowship will soon be available on Art + Water’s social media channels. Free classes and gallery exhibitions are set to enrich the local community, making this initiative a beacon of hope and creativity.

As excitement builds around the upcoming café and the Art + Water project, the local community eagerly anticipates a new era of artistic collaboration and culinary delight at Pier 29. Stay tuned for more updates as this transformative project develops.