Cafe Francisco

My first time here, dogsitting in the neighborhood, thought it would be nice to sit outside with the dogs and a mocha. Ordered a large mocha «for here» ($ 3.95). They put it in a paper cup. When I say to the barista «I asked for it for here» he shrugs as if to say «you can’t sit here and drink it out of a paper cup?» but when I persist he grudgingly hands me a glass into which I transfer my mocha myself.
When I get outside to drink it, I find that it doesn’t taste of coffee and it doesn’t taste of chocolate. It’s an off-​white color like it’s 99% milk. I go inside, tell the barista I don’t taste any coffee or chocolate, I get the same bored shrug. He hands me a plastic squirt bottle of chocolate to adjust the chocolate. I then ask him how many shots of coffee he puts in the large mocha, he says two. I ask him whether they use a South American coffee (which tends to be weak). His response is basically he doesn’t know (and he apparently doesn’t care). I ask what brand they use and he tells me. I say «I haven’t been here before, wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m used to Peet’s Coffee which is very strong.»
By this point he’s apparently so bored I don’t even get a shrug.
Wow, I feel all warm and fuzzy like a truly valuable customer after that experience.
I had to clear my own table to be able to sit outside. Nobody cleared the pile of filthy dishes, napkins and cups off the table next to me the whole time I was sitting there.
I really wanted to like this place because it’s in a great location. Fail.

Their tuna sandwich is great. And they put a lot of B on their BLT+A. Staff are nice and friendly.

Fantastic, non-​Chain-​like breakfast stop. A must stop if you want to feel local. Good French Toast, great service, but a bit pricy. — would definitely recommend

Stopped by today for a California Frittata for $ 9.95, and a Large Iced Coffee for $ 2.65.
The California Frittata looked really nice, and I liked having the toast and fruit.
The dish is baked. It came with a side of Pico de Gallo.
I’m not sure what it was; but, unfortunately, the California Frittata did not taste as good as it looked. In fact, I had to use the extra favor of the Pico de Gallo on it to counteract the off and sort of bitter taste on the back end of the dish. I’m still not sure what caused it; but, it was a 2 star dish for me.
At the time I time I ordered, I was debating between the California and the Mediterranean Frittata. Hopefully, the Mediterranean tastes better.
Overall, I liked the place and the atmosphere. I thought the prices were fair.
So, when I get the chance, I’ll give them another try and hopefully adjust my review.

The best Caprese salad in the world! Amazing, delicious, always very fresh salads and sandwiches. Super quick and friendly service! I go there everyday!

I love Café Francisco because tourists generally don’t go here, and when you work near the wharf that’s a big deal. I love you, tourists, but I gotta have some room to myself sometime.

If you like eggs/​frittata made in a plastic containers in a microwave oven, this is your place.
If you like; when you ask for a glass of water (which you have to); to get someone to open the faucet and give to you lukewarm water, this is your place.
If you like unpleasant faces with not a hint of smile, this is your place.
This place could be a gem! Just with smiles, a pitcher of fresh water and lemon, at least ONE BURNER stove, and some soap and water!
Bummer!

I would give them 0 stars if I could. Went there in the morning before 8:30 and they said they couldn’t serve me.

One of my favorite places. The Francisco Bagel is my go to for breakfast and now the Greek salad is my favorite for lunch. Great atmosphere.

Café Francisco is good if you need something in a pinch. The coffee is pretty standard, but I’m a fan of the hazelnut blend they have out. I typically grab lunch here and the salads and sandwiches are a little basic and a little overpriced.

I come here all the time because of the location and prices. Unfortunately the staff is only sometimes happy and cheerful but usually appear to be very irritated to take your order, I never know what I’m going to get. The place is not clean, the tables are sticky and the floor is usually very dirty if you really look at it. But why do I keep coming back? They have good coffee and definitely toast the bagels perfectly.

I really had more hopes for this cute coffee shop. I have been there dozens of times and unless I get a simple iced coffee, latte or pastry, I am very disappointed. I don’t think it is so much the people that work there, but instead the ownership. There always seems to be a help wanted sign in front; therefore, I can assume they are short staffed. This makes sense when you have to wait an insane amount of time for a toasted bagel and given to you by employees that never smile. The food is mediocre to say the best. Please get it together!

I’ve seen Café Francisco many times from the bus rides. What a great Imperfect Place. It’s funky, dusty, old pixes on the walls, flowers in Perrier bottle, nothing makes sense. No design effort to the table setting, flies buzzing, I like it. Not much personality or spunk. There’s nothing fast pace to it even with laptops with busy fingers. It’s a dive to be alone, I like it. I think it was ham sandwich I ordered. Fantastic french bread. No one hired a decorator. I LIKE IT. Definitely not a place for super-​criticizers. I like it. It’s so imperfect. They get five Stars for it.

This review would be zero stars if possible. I work next door, and know that the staff here is incredibly unfriendly and usually don’t come in here for that reason. Sameera is particularly rude and often appears depressed.
Today, after having food poisoning and being unable to eat for a few days, I went in to order toast. Sameera informed me, with a smirk, that they don’t make toast. IT IS ON THEIR MENU as a side item to nearly every soup and salad they serve. My boss orders toast regularly. It is simple to make. They make toast. Needless to say, I will not be coming back and will encourage my colleagues and office to stop ordering from this restaurant.
The café is really cute and could be a great place if they would hire friendlier, more accommodating staff.

This might be our new favorite breakfast spot. Decided to change it up one Saturday morning and headed to Café Francisco for breakfast and coffee. We both ended up ordering the Francisco Bagel with lox which.was.delicious and maybe the best I’ve had in awhile. The whole wheat bagel was perfectly toasted with the perfect amount of salmon, cream cheese, red onion and capers plus a delicious tomato to top it all off. The outdoor seatings is an added bonus. Highly recommend.
Side note: Before we went, I’d read quite a few negative reviews about the staff but quite honestly, they were nothing but friendly and accommodating during our visit.

Always looking for a good sandwich in the neighborhood — did not find it here. Ordered the San Fran; the sourdough bread was fine, the avocado was good, but the chicken was rubbery to the point of being inedible. There are much better options in North Beach.

I’m glad to see other reviews about the unfriendly staff. I live close by and have only had 1 friendly experience from a staff member. Every other time I’ve been (which was pretty often) they look upset when I walk in the door and someone has to get up out of their seat to take my order.
I’ve only ordered one food item — the yogurt with fruit and granola. They charged me $ 9.75 for an under average breakfast with maybe a spoonful of yogurt. I haven’t ordered food since then. I will say I enjoy their coffee but I swear asking someone to make you a drink makes you feel like such a burden.
Thankfully there is another coffee place around the corner with friendly staff so I will continue to just take my business there.
Café Francisco — hire some happy girls or ones that don’t give you glares when you walk in!
Not to mention they charge different prices every time i go in which just gets annoying if I only have cash on me.

Most unfriendly staff! We have been going almost every morning for about a year. We never got a smile from anyone! Actually the persons behind the counter appear to be depressed! Lol!
We also stopped by a few times for Happy Hour. Prices are good, food average, for San Francisco.
Today we had a bad experience during «happy hour! We ordered food and wine. The food came without silverware by a person who was cleaning at that time. He sprayed window cleaner INSIDE the restaurant and went on cleaning all the windows, pulling tables and chairs in the middle of the room. The wind was blowing through the open door spreading the window cleaner everywhere. Some happy hour! Never again!!! We took photos of the «cleaning hour»!

Service is sloooow and can be snarly (1 star at best).
Food is fine (3 stars).
Coffee is fine (3 stars).
In truth, they are the only real option in our immediate neighborhood for that quick grab-​n-​go, so they have sufficed for months in my book. That said, I *wish* they weren’t the closest place to my apartment. Every time I go there, I can always count on mediocre service. I keep going back in the hopes that I get the one nice staffer (~1 in 3 chance) because I really want this café to get their act together.

This is a delightful little café to grab breakfast or a sandwich and chill. They have a few tables outside lining the sidewalk, which makes it a pleasant place to sit in the shade on a sunny day and relax.
Their sandwiches are all creative concoctions and super fresh — made-​to-​order before your very eyes by the speedy staff. Their beer is cold, the options cover a wide range of tastes and the counter-​service is friendly.
The indoor space can get pretty warm, but has plenty of seating and a very cozy feel to it. Highly enjoyable — so much so that I hit it up twice in one week!

If you are visiting the neighborhood and walking to the Fisherman’s Wharf from North Beach or the other way around, Café Francisco is conveniently located on your way. Save yourselves a few bucks and skip the tourist traps on either end and grab something to eat at Café Francisco! My favorites are the falafels (sandwich or plate), the Mediterranean and Prosciutto Plates.
With the Mediterranean plate you’ll get to taste their falafel, dolma and hummus which by the way is made fresh and from scratch.
The wine selection goes well with the food on the menu.

One of my favorite little cafes in SF! My husband, dog and I go here at least once a week, if not twice. It is such a staple for us in SF. The food is simple but always delicious, the atmosphere is so relaxing and the prices are so affordable. The service is usually very friendly. One of our favorites is the West 52^nd sandwich (egg salad with avocado) and I love that they give you fresh slices of grapefruit with the sandwiches — very healthy and always ripe — i didn’t even think I liked grapefruit but now I do! We love watching the world go by sitting at one of the outdoor tables listening to jazz from the 1930−1950s — so relaxing we can stay for hours and usually do. They also have a great happy hour with $ 3.50 bottled beers and $ 5 wines from 4−7pm!
Love this place! Simple but fantastic!

This café is reminiscent of Italy and the beauty of enjoying a cup of coffee with friends. I came here on a Saturday night after an exhausting day wandering around North Beach. I was pleasantly surprised by the turkey sandwich (with mushroom sauce) on focaccia bread. The atmosphere is very calming.

Don’t– just don’t.
I had the «frittata”– which was nothing of the sort. Eggs baked within an inch of their life, almost to the point of inedible.
My friend ordered egg whites, and was told they couldn’t do it. What?!
The ONLY good thing– ONLY– is that the pico de gallo was good. Otherwise, keep walking.

Happened upon this by accident. Lovely little café with a nice selection of lighter meals. Very good coffee and a nice change to the standard American chains.

I end up going here with startling regularity because of its proximity to my apartment. The coffee’s decent; not terribly overpriced, but not a steal either. For the food, I pretty much stick to breakfasts. The bagel sandwiches are pretty good, if a bit pricey for what they are. I’ve ordered the frittata a couple of times and haven’t been impressed — takes awhile to prepare (and I’m not here for a leisurely dining experience), and isn’t that good.
Still, a serviceable coffee/​food spot in a pinch.

Lovely local hang out spot. Had the Mediterranean plate (huge portion) with dolmas, salad, falafel, hummus… Everything was fresh and delicious. Very reasonable prices for the area too. Absolutely recommend it for breakfast/​lunch/​brunch or afternoon pick me ups that won’t break the bank

Here’s the thing, Café Francisco has pretty delicious sandwiches (the roast beef and San Fran are my fave), however, their service is constantly slow. I just don’t know what it is because I see 4 people behind the counter but it still takes 20 minutes to make a sandwich.
We found that it’s best to call in but you’re lucky if they answer their phone.
If you have some leisurely time then this is a good chill spot, but if you’re super hungry and in a hurry I would go elsewhere.

Not at all memorable. I don’t even remember what we ordered, but I didn’t care too much for it (some kind of boring salad). Coffee wasn’t good either. If coffee at a coffee shop isn’t good, I can’t give it more than two stars.
It was also overpriced for the portion size.