Lafayette Coffee Shop

I was confused with this place! Soup was good, salad was just lettuce and LOTS of dressing and one slice of tomato, eatable but not happy with it! We ordered the prime rib & New York steak and they were both perfect, loved it! But it came with mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables and those were not good at all! Rice pudding & jello were horrible! So overall I only enjoyed the bread & butter and steak all the other extras were simply fillers that did not taste good! I would not go back but at least I tried it!

This is a hidden gem. Good value for the price. My favorite is the prime rib. It’s one of those old coffee shops. They even have the old school type cash register. I hope this place remains the same. You’ll see older people from around the neighborhood. The older customers are usually on a fixed income, so it kind of tells you why they have the decent prices. It’s a neighborhood joint. The best kinds are always the local neighborhood ones. The reason for the four star and not the five star is that it is definitely a «divey» kind of place. However, I think that’s how they keep the prices down. Of course, you can upgrade the place, but that will come at the cost of higher prices to recoup the upgrade costs. And then where do we go for a large prime rib dinner for only $ 14 and change?

If you are looking for a local place with friendly service and diner style food, then this is it. Very good price and even better food. My wife and I loved it.
It is not high class or touristy. An old style hard working class kind of joint. The staff is very friendly and make you feel welcome.
Definitely a spot we will visit when we return again.
Like most small places here Cash Only!

One of the «go to» places if you are on a limited budget. No transhiptechers will be seen, it’s an actual place, not a «destination».
SFClassic.

A true throwback café with great food at an even better price. A local told me bout this place and said it ain’t a touristy restaurant but it’s one of the last ol school cafes of the downtown san fran area. And that’s exactly what I wanted! Great food and a lot of it for bout $ 6! Give it a chance and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Super good deal for a pretty big dish of food. I like the burgers, they’re less than $ 6 and huge, and the mashed potatoes are good. The lady that works here is a real sweet heart. I live on the same block and put off going here for a few years because I never expected to find such good food in the tl but I’ve been back twice this week and will be coming back

This place is definetly a hole in the wall, and very homey!!! First walk in and it smells sooo good!!! Only went in for a coffee to go and everyone was super nice!!! The owner was awesome and made me a coffee with sugar and cream and when I went to check to make sure there was enough sugar in it, she said no I already put enough!!! Hahahaha IT WAS THE BEST CUP OF REGULAR COFFEE I HAVE EVER HAD!!! Thank you lady!!! This place is a must go to… at least for a cup of coffee :)

This food is so good, the main reason why i like the food and business here is because you could order breakfast all day ! I love there Filet of Sole but i only get it when I’m in S.F.
Positives: Serves Breakfast all day, good food, very friendly and the workers are very easy to get to know
Negatives: the location of this diner is literally a block away from the T.L. (so that means the neighborhood is kinda harsh), not open 24hrs, should be a fusion diner that should serve Chinese food as well, like having Dan tat as a special dessert for take out or it should be a permanent item on the dessert menu!
Overall: ⁸⁄₁₀ Would definitely stop again when I’m in S.F.

The very definition of hole in the wall. It is perfection. This is a place for regulars. Newcomers too, but this place was made for regulars.
This is the type of place you come to get a cheeseburger.
You also can’t beat the staff. Mae is tough but sweet. I really enjoyed my visit here.

Sure, this place looks rundown, but when your craving prime rib come here, and you’ll be served a big piece cooked medium rare and when you look at the menu to see how much it is you’ll be surprised and think am I dreaming?
Sure the service is ok but its better when they have a shift change at nighttime, the waitress who works there is funny and she makes you feel like your at home.
Highly recommended to my friends.

Dirty, ugly and cheap. Had no expectations, but there were not met. Sat in a booth with ripped seats and watched the owner yells at homeless guy who wanders in. That would be the ambiance.
Had the chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes with veggies.
Chicken tasted days old. Gravy was interesting with touch of ginger, the potatoes were real and not mix, but the corn was from a can.
Did not feel ill for almost two hours. Felt better after two days.
Do these places actually get inspected? For your own safely, don’t go alone especially after dark.

*** CASH ONLY ***
The ‘loin is way trendy now for the hipsters.
So, if this was a secret they would be lining down the street. That should be the first hint.
Classic American Coffee Shop are dying in San Francisco. So, I REALLY wanted this place to be GREAT. But, instead, it is just a little bit scary.
I try, really tried, to ignore that the place hasn’t been decoration updated in more than a generation, but, here’s the thing. Not that for off one the last time the floor has been washed.
As for the menu. Well, someone has made an effort to try to maintain a classic Coffee Shop menu. That is admirable. So, only more disappointed is that the chef and staff are just not up to it.
It would be amazing. But, instead, it is just a tiny bit, just wondering why we didn’t run when we could. And, now are just hoping this doesn’t lead to an emergency trip to ER at 3 a.m.
OH, and safe for after you meal to experience the restroom experience. Was the Health Department asleep on this?
I really wanted this place to be amazing. But, I meant a different kind of stunning.
Oh, and, no. You do not have to have the experience personally.

I had pot roast with mashed potatoes and corn. Really good! Good prices too, will definitely go back!

We stopped by here for just a quick snack. We were in a group of 15 and they made arrangements for us to sit together :) just grabbed some classic fries and ice cream

Some standout items at Lafayette Coffee Shop:
French bread toast (already buttered for you) — warm and crunchy
Roasted chicken — fall off the bone tender, well seasoned, accompanied with mashed potatoes and gravy
Prime rib (Ask for it however you like it cooked. I like mine medium rare) — You can taste the seasoning throughout — salt, pepper, hints of garlic
Spaghetti and meat balls — Pasta sauce has just the right amount of sweetness with a good amount of garlic flavor.
Baked Salmon — tender, flaky, simply seasoned, accompanied with lemon and tartar sauce.
Steamed Trout — This is Chinese style in seasoning and preparation which means soy-​based sauce, with green onions and ginger. Also, unless you tell them first, your fish will still have the head on it, so if this freaks you out, have them remove it.
Pancakes — light, not heavy or dry. Add pats of butter and syrup as much as you want.
Bacon and Eggs — They are pretty good at cooking these items just how you would prefer.
Items you may want to stay away from:
Burgers — I have found these to be dry and bland.
Ham — Dry and salty.
Sausage links — Too salty and pretty greasy, too.
Filet of Sole — This is battered in a lot of egg, mostly and not very «meaty». Visualize a fish omelette, if you will.
Tapioca Pudding — This is sickeningly sweet. Just stick with the Jello for dessert.

The location has a bit to be desired. But if you can see past the rough exterior you will get a fine meal. This is a «greasy spoon» type of restaurant and I like that!
I had the hot turkey special and they used real ingredients. Nothing frozen, which is appreciated. Next time I will pass on the Wonder bread. It is awesome seeing a kitchen that has a cook manning the grill in front of you and slicing fresh turkey from the bird they roasted that day.
If I am having a quick lunch in that part of the city again I will make sure to stop in for the special.

I’ve wanted to try this place for years. One of my favorite things about this place is the old neon sign out front. Looking up at it I am transported to an Old San Francisco when this area was flush with theaters and fedoras. The Lafayette is a little time capsule currently lodged between two of the roughest Hyde
Street corners which probably accounts for it’s ridiculous 1960 prices. (You can get breakfast for two for $ 10 +tip)
The place is old and worn, but clean (It lacks the musty smell of old fry grease and rodent that is omnipresent in most bygone holdovers in the nabe), and the food is simple and decent. The clientele is an eclectic mixture of neighborhood regulars so it’s not uncommon to participate in a restaurant-​wide multi-​table conversation. I love that folks in the Loin have fewer social boundaries than in stuffier neighborhoods although this can be a turn-​off to those inclined to hibernate in a bubble.
Admittedly this is not a destination joint, but if you live in the area and are looking for an inexpensive, go-​to, no-​frills breakfast, this is it. and if you happen to need a phone charger… well… they’ll be more than happy to outfit you at the impromptu flea-​market on the corner.

Good cheap eats. I enjoyed having breakfast here. I had the chicken fried steak and eggs. The steak is good, and the potatoes, wow some serious awesomeness. I did throw some extra black pepper and hot sauce on it, but that’s because it made it perfect. I enjoyed listening to other people’s conversations here. It is the Tenderloin so its something out of Jerry Springer or Intervention. It’s daytime soap opera at it’s finest.
I had no problems with the zombies that lurk about, and the inside is safe and I even forgot my bag (gym clothes) on the chair, sprinted back to get it 10 minutes later, and she held it for me behind the counter, nothing missing. Wow, left a bag in the tenderloin and it stayed safe? I am one lucky guy, or this is a great establishment. I’d like to think the latter. If you haven’t eaten here, and think you can survive a zombie apocalypse, adventure this way and grab some breakfast, it’s really great and affordable.

It’s like the diner from Seinfeld if Jerry and friends were crackheads living in Brownsville or Hell’s Kitchen or something.
Lafayette is a strange oasis from what is often open-​air drug dealing (and using) right outside (I’ll never forget the first open-​air crack deal I ever saw was just down the block at Hyde and Turk — the buyer was holding the rock up in the air complaining about the size. At like noon.) It’s an old-​school lunch counter originally built somewhere near a hundred years ago, in business since then, and barely holding together at the seams.
So why go?
* You’re stuck in the TL and want a decent but inexpensive meal. The food isn’t amazing, but it’s decent. As with most good diners breakfast is better than everything else. The main thing is the price. I consider $ 10 with drink and a decent tip to be basically rock bottom for an American diner. At the Lafayette, sometimes you’ll get away with $ 8 or less.
* You’re stuck in the TL and don’t want Indian or Vietnamese food.
* You want to eat in the most unpretentious restaurant in America.
* To crack yourself up picturing Guy Fieri cruising in with his camera crew and putting his arms around random drug dealers outside («Wo-​oah! Pow! Hey-​o!») Then trying to get a shot of the CostCo ingredients going into the food only to turn around and see his crew getting mugged by a crackhead with a shiv.
Go at least once to see how the other half dines … or if you are the other half go to get a decent $ 6 lunch or dinner.

The restaurant offers good value for your money. The neighborhood ambiance is bad. I do not feel safe walking to the restaurant at night. The staff is friendly. I really enjoyed the prime rib dinner. The servings were generous, and meat was cooked just right. I also enjoyed their roast turkey dinner during Thanksgiving. The dinner specials come with desert, salad, and soup.
I tried coming in for breakfast, it was pretty good. The French toast is pretty good. I also tried the sausages and eggs breakfast. It was well made and the scrambled eggs were soft and fluffy. The breakfast comes with toast, jam and butter.