Libby Jane Cafe

Brenda Buenviaje and Libby Truesdell never do anything halfway. Brenda’s French Soul Food is an unequivocal gem and so is Brenda’s Meat & Three on Divisadero. Both places require an insatiable appetite of which I have no shortage, believe you me, yet sometimes a little something is nice, a nosh if you will. That’s how Jamie W. and I were feeling on a Saturday morning after devouring hefty cheeseburgers, fried green tomatoes and duck balls (…yes, duck balls) at Belcampo Meat Co. the night before.
We maneuvered through the crowd that was congregated in front of Brenda’s in order to get to this sliver of a café. Even in our twee peckish state, there was plenty to gorge on in here. How can you not with such goodness in front of you? We decided to share a couple of their specialties. First up was the $ 2.50 Cream Biscuit which was decadently tasty especially with the homemade strawberry jam slathered over it like a tidal wave (photo:
). A half-​dozen of these would have been nice, but we had to remember we were just peckish, not starving.
The second item was a more savory delight, the $ 6.75 Cajun Flatbread with Andouille sausage, jalapeño, scallions, tomato and cheddar cheese (photo:
). Let’s face it — it was an excuse to have a slice of pizza in the morning. The large cup of Ritual coffee was just what I needed to slosh it all down. In the meantime, the more impatient Brenda’s patrons came trickling in to see what they could nibble on before getting seated two doors down. Jamie and I were just fine with our quality baked goods in the window café table because we know Brenda and Libby never do anything halfway.
FOOD — 4 stars… homemade baked goods to make the peckish gleeful
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… charming little spot for no more than eight people so prepare to take away
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… nice considering most of the questions they get are about how much longer is the wait for a table at Brenda’s
TOTAL — 4 stars… a worthy destination on its own because Brenda and Libby don’t cut corners

Brenda’s next door is owned by same person and is all the rave. This place has good hot chocolate and thats it. I usually go between 1−3pm (they close at 3) weekdays. I’ve been 3 times and always disappointing. Staff treats customers poorly and talks bad about them, with customers right there. The «hot soups» seem to have been out all day. Sandwiches are never fresh either. All around disappointing

The food was ok. I have eaten here or at least purchased food here twice and have not been overly impressed.
The main problem here is the staff. They are not concerned about explaining the weak menu or the process. The waitress could careless about use. The soup was good but to get it is a pain in the rear.

Just gross. And a total «wheel em and deal em» template ripoff café capitalizing on whatever the bourgeoisie see in that mediocre Brenda’s chain. $ 7.25 + $ 1 tip for slimy, cold, reheated gumbo served grocery store style and a crawfish pastry straight out of an EZ Bake Oven. Pastry was served from a hot drawer, and I just know there was a 7 year old girl under there kneading the dough. The filling in the pastry I found flavorful, and it was the ONLY good point. This was my honest chance for this enterprise who I really, really, really wanted to like. But their crap is next-​level overhyped. Anyone who comes here has no clue what kind of bad, knock-​off quality this is. Go to Walgreen’s for lunch before here.

Cute place to grab a quick cup of coffee or a Southern-​inspired snack! Libby Jane’s soups (yes, the gumbo!!), sandwiches, and baked goods are from the same kitchen as Brenda’s French Soul Food next door. They also sell Brenda’s homemade jams, sauces, pickles, and other items. I stopped by on a Thursday morning because it’s close by my work and I needed to kill a little bit of time.
I tried the crawfish pie ($ 3.75) — a little pricey, but delicious! The outside was flaky, and the inside crawfish filling was flavorful, warm, and had a kick from the cajun seasoning, without being overly spicy. I actually liked this better than the crawfish beignet at Brenda’s next door! They keep their baked goods in a warming drawer, so it’s already warmed up before you order. How convenient! I would pay for this again.
Service was super friendly and the girl that was working welcomed everyone that came into the café. There is one small table for two in front, with a longer, higher table on the side of the café with a couple more seats. I need to go back and try the stoner cookie and the bacon, cheddar, and scallion biscuit!

Cute little café for your morning drive by caffeine run. They have all sorts of great pastries from Brenda’s next door. I like that their pastry selection has that cajun flair as well (nice departure from the usual coffee cake and croissant offerings else where). I grabbed an ice coffee and crayfish hand pie on the go. They keep all their pastries toasty in a warming tray so you don’t have to wait an extra 5 mins for them to heat it up. YAY :)

This is the spin-​off deli station from the famous Brenda’s soul food (which is just next door– what a great spot to kill time when you are waiting to get in the Brenda’s) .
The interior is super cozy and cute, and there are outdoor benches offered for you to enjoy some sunshine.
I didn’t get any food as I am getting ready to get into the Brenda’s, but I had great experience here:
First, I was thinking to get the watermelon ice tea. I was not sure if it is too sweet or not, and the server offered me some sample — how sweet ! You don’t expect this from a deli.
Then I decided to get my iced green tea — they don’t have it originally but she just brew it and made it icy for me — how thoughtful!
What’s plus:
If you don’t have time to wait for the Brenda’s, swing by!
They serves Brenda’s soup and sandwich — quick solution !

If you want something to go and can’t wait for a table at Brenda’s, walk two stores down and you’ll find Libby Jane Café for to-​go sandwiches and other assortments.
I ordered a turkey sandwich with pepper jelly and it spicy as it was delicious! It was around $ 6, which is pricey considering it’s just meat and jelly between two pieces of white bread. But it was so good and I didn’t want a lot of food anyway.
This café also has soups and pastries, and sells jams.
Brenda’s also takes food orders over the phone, but if you want something a bit lighter and cheaper, I suggest checking out Libby Jane Café.

Sometimes, I just want food really fast. I can get that here.
Mainly, I’m here for the sandwiches or soup. They have super nice looking dessert pastries that I have somehow avoided. It’s willpower, I think.
Not cheap but it’s yummy food from the same kitchen as Brenda’s next door, just without the wait.

Very quaint and warm. The café au lait was awesome.

I like that this is next door to Brenda’s (same owner) so you can grab a coffee or whatever while you wait for your table at Brenda’s. They have a small place and a small menu, but it includes coffee, sweets, soup, and delicious watermelon iced tea!

Libby Jane Café is a new coffee shop by the people of Brenda’s French Soul. It is located a couple of doors down from the original Brenda’s.
In this small space they sell Coffee, soft drinks, their Ice tea, soups and gumbo from Brenda’s, biscuts, sandwiches and jars of Brenda’s Jam, pickles, relish etc. Pricing is I believe same as the main restaurant but they sell different things as well.
I had a drink and one of the biscuits with fruit jam it was amazing the jam was incredibly good. I will be back!

Guys, get thee to Libby Jane Café. They have bacon biscuits that are SO. AMAZINGLY. DELICIOUS. Never have I ever had biscuits that warm, flaky, and decadently buttery.
You also get a free jam/​jelly to go with said biscuit, for the low price of $ 2.50! I asked for the hot pepper jelly, but was mistakenly handed the pimento cheese, which was the best mistake anyone could’ve ever made, because it went superbly with the biscuit (and was really really really good). Also the dude working there was unbelievably nice and friendly (hi David!)
I’ll be back for those crawfish pies!

Came here to pick up a quick bite to eat on my lunch break since I’ve heard my boss rant and rave about this place for months now. I must say, the offerings are impressive and the pricing is within my budget. I ended up with a large bowl of gumbo which set me back $ 7 and change. It was delicious and I consider myself a gumbo-​snob with family roots in Louisiana and Texas. It wasn’t the best gumbo I’ve had, but it was adequate and hit the spot (after I applied a few ounces of hot sauce).
The pre-​made sandwiches looked appetizing, but I was in the mood for something warm given the weather. In terms of speed and cost-​benefit ratio, this place has it down pat.

This hole in the wall coffee shop is awesome and really is a staple of the area that it’s in. We ordered the caramel cappuccino and it was absolutely fantastic. I do feel sorry for the lady making the coffee because 10 people had ordered and she was all by herself, but she killed it and did it effortlessly like a boss!
I feel as if Libby’s is an awesome place to experience san francisco culture and even more perfectly located while waiting for availibility next door :)~

We ended up here after a failed attempt to do brunch at Brenda’s. We were drawn to this place because they serve food from Brenda’s French soul food next door, the soup was cold and the sandwiches were a bit soggy.
The girl at the counter did toast my husband’s sandwich and the service was not as cold as the soup. I mostly enjoyed the peanut butter cup and cup of coffee, over all really just OK.

This review is for Libby Jane’s STONER COOKIE.
While waiting to eat at Brenda’s, we were encouraged to go check out Libby Jane for coffee and other treats. I don’t drink coffee, but I eat COOKIES! I love cookies!
I saw the Stoner Cookie and almost got all kinds of Cookie Monster up in Libby Jane. The Stoner Cookie has potato chips, M&Ms, pretzels, Butterfinger, Cracker Jacks, Froot Loops, and Malt Liquor. I REPEAT! The Stoner Cookie has potato chips, M&Ms, pretzels, Butterfinger, Cracker Jacks, Froot Loops, and Malt Liquor.
It reminded me of a treat my NYC buddy sent me (Momofuku Compost Cookie), but I honestly think the Stoner Cookie beats out Momofuku’s Compost Cookie.
Methinks I need to have a cookie wars battle.
If you like kuh-​razy deliciousness, then get the Stoner Cookie.

Many of you are finding out about this place because you are waiting for your crack at Brenda’s. Many of you may not be day-​to-​day Loin regulars, either. I’ve yet to go to Brenda’s (I am eager to), and this is my Monday through Friday commute. Libby Jane is the perfect last stop before the office as I walk from California/​Hyde to Hayes/​Van Ness.
One disclaimer — I’m not a big coffee fan. But, I feel like it’s a little more helpful from a health standpoint than something artificial, and I am a BIG fan of caffeine. So, my New Year’s resolution was to drink more coffee. Hence, Libby Jane. ***You can read all about the coffee in other reviews.*** I drink coffee at least three or four days a week now — I still don’t crave it.
However it may be, I stayed for the food. I’ve now had a lot of it. I’ve had the Bacon, Cheddar and Scallion Biscuit with Jalapeño Jam at least three times. I had the Cream Biscuit with (wait for it…) Ham Jam today. I’d stick with the Jalapeño — which is legitimately one of my favorite things, anywhere. I had the Breakfast Sandwich yesterday. It was warmed up after the fact, but I thought it was very tasty. Brioche Bun (yum), Egg, American, Bacon and Tomato. I also tried the Crawfish Pie last week. For the sweet fans out there, I’ll probably amaze you by saying: Ehhh… I don’t love sweets. But, I tried a couple of samples of their cookies, and some of their Chocolate-​Chip Zucchini Bread. (Both were out as samples.) Very solid.
Everything is done well here. I’d like to see the temperature be about 10 degrees cooler as I’m chugging to work, but I’m probably in the minority. If this is on your commute, upgrade if you’re going to a chain. I’m curious to see what I think once I get to go to Brenda’s, finally.

This is the perfect spot to either grab something small while you wait for your table at Brenda’s Soul Food.
My gf and I decided to take the march from downtown SF to Brenda’s Soul Food. We knew we were going to have to wait since we got there a little late. After signing our name on the board, the guy at the front told us we could go next door and get a coffee. I wasn’t to excited to «go next door» since I was looking forward to a nice brunch.
It’s a small little place just to the right of Brenda’s. After taking a moment to see the goodies that were on display and take in the wonderful of aroma of the coffee I was happy that the head of house had suggested this place.
Not only did they have coffee but it is also a part of Brenda’s so they bring small snack type foods from the main restaurant. They had about 10 things to choose from. I can’t remember all the names of everything they had but they were different and good enough to have us undecided after five minutes of looking. We ended up getting the cheddar, bacon, and scallion biscuit which we topped with jalapeño jelly and the sweet potato coffee cake. Both were yummy and hit the spot.
While we were there they brought three rounds of fresh and different foods so things didn’t sit around long. There definitely wasn’t anything you want to make a full meal on, most all carb based, but it was perfect for accompanying a cup of their tasty coffee. And it was just big enough to keep us sated while we waited on our main course at Brenda’s.
If you don’t get to Brenda’s early enough don’t fret because your wait will go by much quicker because of this place. This was an unexpected and perfect addition to our morning trip!

Libby Jane is a cozy café located on the same block as Brenda’s, just a few stores down.
Pastries galore! They also offer soup du jour, salads and sandwiches. I didn’t get any but it will definitely be handy for days I need a quick lunch on the go.
Dropped in TWICE in one day. The bacon cheddar scallion biscuit is just THAT good. plus I had to grab some extras after sharing my own. Get it with Brenda’s hot pepper jelly because it is an EXCELLENT combination.
Friendly service! The ladies were super sweet. Libby herself was there as well.
RITUAL COFFEE!
Welcome to the ‘hood Libby Jane!!!