Caffe Cento

Was glad to discover Caffe Cento while attended a conference at The Fairmont… there are seriously no other affordable options close by (and I didn’t want to venture far for fear having to walk up the insane hills). Sandwiches, soup, coffees… fast grab and go options that don’t break the bank. The Caprese sandwich was pretty good, as was the egg salad.

Nice little coffee shop close to the Mark Hopkins where we were staying (the shop is attached to the Fairmount). Had a good latte and pastry. Husband a a good breakfast sandwich.

The only coffee shop within walking distance of the Fairmont and Mark Hopkins. They people here are fast and friendly. The café has a few tables and chairs inside & out to accommodate a couple dozen people during the breakfast rush but that’s it.
The coffee is good but the food selection isn’t as great. It’s just good. They do however, serve sandwiches and salads if you’re in a rush and need something chop-​chop.
I come here everytime I’m staying at the Fairmont or MH across the street.

Great coffee! The place is very popular! After 8 am there will be a long line for breakfast. The blueberry scone was excellent too. All this plus free Wifi! If you will be around for a few days, make sure you get your frequent visit card punched to get a free coffee!

Came here for a quick breakfast stop from the Fairmont Hotel. I ordered a iced chai latte and a chipotle chicken panini to split with my friend, and she also got a wet mocha latte. It was very quick and we got our food right away. The chai latte was pretty good, a little watery for my preference and I tasted more milk than chai, but it was still okay. My friend loved her latte and the panini’s did justice. The employees were nice and they had a great set up!

Illy coffee is the best, pastries all fresh. I recommend sitting outside to watch the cable cars come bye. This place is connected to the Fairmont but remains hidden.

It’s almost in the Fairmont Hotel garage but Caffe Cento offers great coffee (American and Italian) and early in the morning a nice selection of pastries that would cost twice the price up one floor in the elevator. We stopped there regularly during a 5 day stay at the Fairmont.

I was a little apprehensive about purchasing one of their pre made sandwiches, but the cashier assured me that they are freshly made the same day. At $ 8.28 for the roast beef one, it better be.
The ingredients are clearly stated on the wrapping paper — bay spinach leaves, horseradish, aioli and ripe tomatoes on a hoagie roll. So glad they don’t put a slice of cheese on like everybody else does.
Since it was lunchtime, I also grabbed a banana ($ 0.92) and a Coke ($ 1.61). There’s a nice long counter towards the back I ate at. Sure enough, the roast beef sandwich was flawless; way better than any other ready made sandwich I’ve ever eaten.

I’m reviewing Caffe Cento in San Francisco.
Date of visit: May, 2014
The reason I was here was because it was during my short little getaway in San Francisco, the kind of getaway that I was trying to see the city in a tourist’s eye.
The coffee and the pastries were good, but that weren’t really the point though. The nice thing about this shop is how early they opened and the location.
I was there 7 in the morning and I got to sit by the window people and cable car watching. The Nob Hill really offer a different perspective when looking at the city.
On top of that, the staffs working there are really nice and friendly.
In conclusion, you don’t come here just for the coffee, although I think illy coffee is pretty awesome. Instead I would come here to enjoy the entire place, walk around the nice neighborhood of the Nob Hill, and come in sit down and relax.

5 stars for Opening the Earliest on the hill! 5 Stars for the friendliness and utmost care and concern for the customer to have a lovely day. I certainly did after visiting Caffe Cento. Very clean, friendly, good looking baristas, delicious baked treats and breakfast goodies. Outside seating makes for good people watching.

Nice coffee shop located in the Fairmont Hotel, right along the cable car line. Note, there are no outlets by the tables here. The only outlet is by a couch, so keep that in mind if you’re planning to work on your laptop for long periods of time. Free wifi with decent speed was much appreciated though. There was plenty of seating for groups of 2 – 3 and one large couch space in the corner.
There is a nice selection of teas with the usual suspects as well as genmai and peppermint teas, although no white tea.

* Shame on me *
What was I thinking — with all of the great cafes around SF what was I thinking grabbing a macchiato at the café of a hotel??? Doh!
The espresso was too light of a stop, so it was on the watery and bitter side. Granted, I normally prefer things on the dark stop side of things, but still, this was WAAAAY too light. Photo:
Glad to have discovered some other cafes on the trip, which I will review soon!

I love lattes and the inch high foam on top of my chai latte was like a cloud that floated on top of my drink.
Sitting by the windows I could see trolleys passing every 5 minutes. What a great people watching place!
If anyone’s planning on walking here, beware that it sits on the hill in either direction. But the music and atmosphere is well worth the hike compared to chain cafés.

As a gold-​card carrying Starbucks addict, I don’t give these stars lightly! But when my app said Starbucks was 3 blocks away, I thought to try this in my hotel, the Fairmont. Atmosphere is light and airy and clean. The woman behind the counter was helpful and pleasant even when we changed our minds several times. I loved my latte! The pastry counter was beautiful but I couldn’t indulge in the fresh looking almond croissant because of the big dinner the night before. They also have cool gifts on the shelves. My favorite was a San Francisco cable car filled with individually wrapped Ghirardelli chocolates. This is a great place to stop for a latte, a small bite, or a classy gift.

Hooray for Illy coffee!
The barista here is «almost» snooty but the coffee he prepared was really excellent. He seemed to be serious and really know his coffee so that did not really bother me.
Lovely selection of Macarons which are great with the coffee.
Free Wi-​Fi can’t be beat plus there are enough outlets to charge your phone.
I got a double Macchiatto (mac·chi·a·to) — think of two shots of espresso with just a dash of froth milk, in a cup. Very Italian, none of the sweet kind the competition serves.
I need to learn more about coffee.

I first came here on Christmas Day after visiting the amazing Gingerbread House display in the lobby of The Fairmont.
I am a huge fan of Illy Coffee and am always on the lookout for places that serve it. You can’t go wrong with it. I drink it black. No complaints. Absolute perfection.
Today, I went here to try out their pastries and I was in awe! Their croissants are gigantic, which allows for the heftier price of about $ 3.80 an item. Their pastries are made in The Fairmont Pastry Kitchens, so you know you’re going to have an excellent quality item. I opted for the Lemon Poppyseed muffin, which was flavorful, moist and the most perfect muffin! Seriously.
Free WiFi is just a major plus! Love this place. This is the ultimate coffee shop. With Cable Cars going past every few minutes, Caffé Cento is almost magical!

Illy coffee! This café is connected to the Fairmont Hotel on the bottom floor or you can access it through the street as well.
I am obsessed with Illy Coffee as I feel they yield the best lattes! Anyhow, this little café was so cute and quaint. Seems to be popular among locals as the line was quite long, but worth the wait.
I got my latte and a chocolate croissant (to die for) and I was super happy!
Staff is quick and friendly which is always a plus! They also have more pastries which I’d like to try upon my next return.

Love x 3! It was fantastic to have this little treasure right in our hotel while staying at the Fairmont! First off, they serve Illy coffee which is great.
Grabbing a Almond Mocha and a hot chocolate for our little one before hopping on the Cable car down to Union Square during our Christmas Jaunt to SF was just fantastic!
Ghiradelli chocolate in the mocha and Illy coffee, match made in heaven. I liked that they had Naked Juices as well and an assortment of breakfast pastries, etc. even some that were gluten free!

I couldn’t believe the breakfast coffee from Fairmont Hotel was below my expectations and I had to go out of my way to search for something better.
At least I was lucky, I didn’t have to go too far. It was just right outside of fitness center. I loved their fast service and that tasty coffee at very reasonable price.

You know when you see a place in pictures and it doesn’t live up to the dream? It’s like you’re expecting a certain look and feel… and when you arrive it just isn’t so? I hate that.
From the pictures I was expecting Caffe Centro to be heavy on the Florence vibe, but what I got was an overwhelming feel of a Walmart in Arkansas.
Caffe Centro feels rushed. The Espresso in my latte was pulled bitter. The only good things were free wifi and a crispy fluffy chocolate croissant.
Although CC was not my favorite moment in San Fran, at least it was sunny sitting outside watching cable cars go by. I love how San Fran is romantic in that «Rice a Roni San Francisco treat» kind of way…
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