Cafe La Onda

I can’t believe this. I’ve been looking for a place to move to in the city, and I found this place at 16^th and Dolores that I was pretty sure about, but the deciding factor was this fantastic-​looking café just down the street. I went back for a celebratory cappuccino after paying my deposit on the place, and I couldn’t find the café anywhere! I walked up and down 16^th and eventually decided I must have hallucinated a café this good. Now I find out I wasn’t hallucinating… but that doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m crushed. CRUSHED! And I never even went inside.
Anyone have a suggestion of another café nearby?

hold on, let me wipe away a tear…
oh café la onda, you are already missed. this delightful little café, bastion of all things warm and cozy, home of struggling artists, has been a haven for me these last few weeks as i scribbled away at my little notebook, toiling away at my scrappy novel.
it was with a heavy heart that i walked out that door yester-​eve knowing that never again would la onda beckon me back in. it felt like a break-up…one of those inevitable ones where things just weren’t meant to be mostly because of timing and what not, but there was really nothing at all wrong in the relationship. you bid each other a tearful goodbye and turn and walk away, a lump building in your throat all the while.
you knew it was coming. there was just no other way. but where is the closure? the fights, the anger, the hate… none of that. it’s just artificial. a break injected just to break your heart. and so you keep walking, reliving each moment you had together in your head.
what table did i first sit at? did i drink coffee or tea that first night? was that the time i met the cute scruffy guy? remember the time i drank two espressos and wrote 4 pages in a sitting?
the question then is, do you look back and steal one last glance? what would it matter? even if that wistful glance were returned the end is inevitable.
what’s done is done. and so, café la onda, i bade you my farewells and tonight i’m here, in my room, thinking about you, missing you, and knowing that you were loved and that memories of you shall keep burning, in my heart, forever.
RIP. *sob*

Oh man! Tell me that’s not for real! I just shrieked so loudly I woke the neighbors (and not in a good way). I will definitely be there to pay my respects on Sunday … I LOVE La Onda.
At least they gave us warning. I’d hate to go there and see it closed without any notice at all.
RIP La Onda. You were so great.

Edit: So like, the day after I posted this review, I found out it was closing. I have decided to never review anything I like again. If you know of a place to work in SF that is anywhere near as good as La Onda, I would love to hear about it. I promise I won’t write a Review of Death.
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La Onda is one of my favorite coffee shops ever, and it’s my favorite place to work in San Francisco.
I don’t really like working in my office because it’s in Berkeley and I’m not. I don’t really like working at home all day, because it’s really hard to feel like you Went To Work and Got Stuff Done when it’s dark and you are still wearing pajamas.
La Onda is kind of like an office, only it’s full of hipsters with iBooks instead of crazy work people, the furniture is more comfortable, and they’ll feed you. The tables are big enough for working and most have a lamp and several outlets. The wireless is dependable. If you sit in the front, you can watch people walk down 16^th street, which is probably infinitely more interesting than any work you or I will be doing.
Basically, I could go on for a while about how much I love La Onda.
So when my friend asked me where he could hang out for a few hours in the Mission, I was like LA ONDA LA ONDA LA ONDA LA ONDA!
And then, as I often do when I overenthusiastically recommend things to people, I started to get nervous that maybe he wouldn’t actually like it.
A few hours later…
Me: Did you go to La Onda? DID YOU DID YOU DID YOU DID YOU?
Friend: Uhhh… no. I fell asleep in my car.
Me: Awwww.
Friend: No, it was awesome. I slept really well.
Me: But but but it’s my favorite coffee shop everrrrrr.
Friend: I stopped in and got this lemonade.
Me: Is it the BEST?!?
Friend: No… I think it’s CountryTime.
Me: Uhh… yeah I don’t usually get lemonade at coffee shops.
Friend: This is, like, glowing in the dark.
Me: I think La Onda is better for hanging out than eating?
Friend: Yeah. Wow. I can’t believe how well I slept in my car. That was amazing. I should sleep in my car more often.
Me: Uhhh… good.
So…uh…I still contend that La Onda is better than falling asleep in your car, but as you can see, opinions may vary.
Also, as it turns out, the lemonade DOES kind of glow in the dark.

I bear unfortunate news. I was at La Onda tonight, and beside the register sat a stack of small handbills advertising «A Goodbye Party» for Café La Onda. I asked the barista if it was true. It is. La Onda is closing Sunday. The party is from 6 – 10. Then it will be gone forever. If you love this place like I do, go pay your respects this week, because rumor has it it’s turning into a beer and sausage bar.

I’ve been spending a lot of time here lately since I’m no longer able to leech Internet from my neighbors :(but I love it here. It’s cozy and reminds of someones grandma’s house with random political posters thrown on the walls. The food is good and they sell alcohol! They actually play decent music (example being del, jurassic 5, & the decemberist) what else can you ask for from your local coffee shop?

Let’s just say that cute, perfectly disheveled hipster dude who works here on Saturdays could learn a thing or two about customer service.
Grunting an exasperated «whatcanIgityou?» and shuffling to the expresso machine to make my double soy latte doesn’t exactly give out a «We heart our Customers» vibe. Neither did the «I’m not even even supposed to be working today» sign on their tip jar. Did I offend? (sniffing pits). Nope.
But I can deal with less-​than-​enthusiastic service, as it’s the $ 2.55 double soy latte that’ll keep me coming back, along with the fact that they play cool music and have free wifi. Booyeah.

i forgive café la onda for being so slow in making my coffee cuz when i do get its its always good. love the atmosphere – seems to be great for everybody from studying students to peeps with kids. kids you say? why yes. i have seen kids in there a couple of times and there didn’t seem to be any volume problems. sweet!
check the posters on the walls. great collection of anti-​war and protest gems!

If you can find a place to sit, then you’re in for a long comfortable work day. The décor is quite cozy and I like the shabby living room aesthetic. Though, I would be careful which table you choose as there’s one in there that’s a bit wobbly and a wobbly table plus liquid beverage and laptops is not a good combination.
I only gave it 3 stars because while the venue itself is great, the drinks there aren’t much to rave about. The lemonade is too tart and when they add extra flavors, those other fruits don’t really stand out. The chai and coffee is eh, good but nothing spectacular.
But it’s not a horrible place. The staff is friendly but you might want to double check who’s working there as they usually choose the music to play over the speakers. One time it was this odd Euro-​new wave and I was not feeling that.

What?
What?!
Closed??? I left for a only month and then I see «CLOSED» tacked onto my favorite bay area coffee shop. I’m so bummed, like one of those movie «I never got to say goodbye» moments. I mean I’ve had this cabin fever for weeks now, compounded by sleeping on the floor the entire time and only buying food from a local mexican market… I don’t know if I can handle La Onda (laonda) being closed.
You can see by the other reviews exactly how much this place meant to so many.
*original review*
This is my SF coffee.
The vibe, seating and coffee… all my style.
Once again, another rare five but I was content. What else can I say?
Been here a couple times. Dark yet comfy.
Wood tables, various seating, chipper baristas, coffee in real cups and mugs, beer, food, crosswords, laptops, people…
I sat down for an hour. Had a few bananas, read the paper, did the puzzles and relaxed. Kinda like Sureshot in Seattle.

Much less of a scene then Ritual.
Great seating in/​out. Beers on tap. Inexpensive assortment of delish sandwiches. Nice employees.

Nice spot to sit and get some work done when I just can’t concentrate at home. They have a small but decent menu with food I’d actually want to ead and they have beer (and wine)! I also love the eclectic mix of little tables and lamps they’ve got.

While getting to know my new neighborhood this past weekend, I happened across this wonderful café just 2 blocks from my new digs. This place feels like home to me. Their damn couches and chairs are nicer than my own at home! Why can’t more cafes be like this? Their menu is full of great choices, including vegetarian & vegan choices which I appreciate greatly. Their soy chais and lattes, I might add, are fantastic. And note: if you’re a single person looking for a great date place (instead of a bar or restaurant) for great food, great drinks (including wine), comfort… just a great place to hang-​out and have great conversation, Café La Onda is the place!

I’m not sure it’s the Holy Grail of coffee shops, but it certainly has just about everything I’m looking for in one:
1. soy milk;
2. ceramic, mis-​matched cups;
3. a good mixture of couches, chairs, & eclectic seating;
4. cool stuff on the walls and on the stereo;
5. people both chilling with laptops, reading, and talking to friends;
6. proximity to my house.
Yep, it’s awesome.
UPDATE: VEGAN PIE! Oh heaven.

Atmosphere: 10 out of 10. (Somewhere in between the goodwillishness of Philz and the slickness of Ritual.)
Coffee: 9 out of 10. (Word: bigger cups, dammit!)
Staff: 10 out of 10. (They were genuinely polite and pretty warm. Must have been drinking decaf, or had meds adjusted properly.)
The only thing that I think that could make this place even better is to just tweak the coffee a bit– like if they snuck it in from Ritual (which had great coffee but a crappy vibe). Otherwise, great space. May take my vote for favorite coffee place over Maxwells, but Maxwells has super mega cups, which is nice.

Quirky coffee shop with mismatched furniture and a diverse clientele, just as it should be. I love coming here and losing myself in a book or a writing project. The atmosphere is just right and the staff is friendly.
A tip: try the licuado. It’s a smoothie with milk and honey. The honey gives it a subtle flavor but a really velvety, soothing texture, unlike any smoothie I’ve ever had. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t crave these fortnightly.

Everything needed in café, from the bare bone essentials like coffee, to the luxuries, like tons of big plushy chairs. Café La Onda is an excellent place to write that essay for class, chat with friends, grab a quick bite to eat or finish the great american novel. A note, not a place for people on the right annex of the political spectrum, as the posters declaring ‘No blood for oil’ and the like will surely make a republican cringe.

Being a vegetarian with vegan tendencies, I always appreciate seeing vegan food available on menus. I think that’s what drew me into this café in the first place. They also offer beer and wine, yet another plus. The place is dimly lit, a stark contrast to the bright sunlight radiating down on The Mission on a nice day. There’s a good flow of people coming to and fro’, as the café provides an adequate place for many to kick back, read a book, talk with friends, work, or pretend to work. Take your pick – there’s an assortment of desks, tables, chairs to sit at. Usually, I’m left picking the last available seat.
Yesterday, I got the rocking chair.

A pretty fabulous coffee shop — plenty of space to hang out, so it’s cozy without feeling cramped. Free wi-​fi, so come here if you’re looking for a place to mooch internet. The café mocha is fairly good, but the chocolate cake is TO DIE FOR (I’m having flashbacks when I think about it).

If Café La Onda were a man, I would be in trouble. I met this café/​bar on Tuesday, went back for more on Wednesday, and was there first thing on Thursday. You could say I am head over heels; or, maybe I am just confident. I love the ambiance, the eclectic mishmash of furniture, the tattered posters on the wall. This is the kind of place I could lose myself in and stay for hours on a whim. At this point I don’t know which is more exciting: deciding what to eat/​drink or where to sit. To me, everything on the menu looks scrumptious and every chair unique. The vibe is chill, the music good, the staff nice. I swear that even the air is better there. Café La Onda, formerly known as Café Macondo, seamlessly becomes everything you want it to be in a day: morning coffee with paper, afternoon book with sandwich, and evening drink with friends.