A trip to Italy sounds great... but until then, how do the coffee shops in North Beach stack up for espresso? I've heard that this was the spot on the west coa

A trip to Italy sounds great... but until then, how do the coffee shops in North Beach stack up for espresso? I've heard that this was the spot on the west coast to get good coffee (long before good coffee was much of a concept in most of the US). Anyone know a spot that gets it right?