Quetzal Internet Cafe

Snobbish service but good crêpe and latte so I’m ok with that. Wifi is good too perfect for waiting and killing time

Came here on a whim bc I needed my afternoon coffee fix and something quick to consume. Ordered an iced coffee and a breakfast smoothie. McDonald’s coffee would have tasted better. The coffee tasted so old. The breakfast smoothie was horrible I could only drink ¹⁄₈ of it. I ended up throwing it away. It was gritty and I could taste whatever protein powder they put in it. It was a waste of roughly $ 12, I pretty much threw both away because it was that bad.

Wifi, open late, food, relaxed vibes… This is my ideal café. The barista is really nice as well.

The food is top notch, they get the details right that would be so easy for an average place to skip. It’s like whoever is back there is genuinely thinking about how to make each dish as good as it can be for the person that’s going to eat it. Portions are big, the cheese on my egg sandwich was fully melted and fully covered the egg and bacon below it, the slices of lox for my bagel and lox that I’ve also tried were thicker than I’ve ever seen, and the onion and tomato was placed under the lox so it was easy to cut and eat by hand without them falling off. The bagel was perfectly toasted, no burned spots but a nice dark, crisp toast all over.
It’s also a great place to work, tons of seating, bar height and table height, good spots to people watch or just hide in a corner. Outlets all over, wireless is very good, and I’ve never been pestered about how long I stay. Outdoor seating in the parklet makes for a nice spot to take a lunch break with a cold beer. They put the tables and chairs out each morning and wipe them down so it’s always clean despite on a somewhat busy and dirty part of Polk St.
Fair warning, this place can sometimes attract an interesting, probably homeless crowd, service can be somewhat inconsistent as it seems like the staff turns over quite a bit, and I’ve never been in when it was especially crowded so service could suffer during those times. The counters, tables, chairs are a bit rough around the edges, like they were built in someone’s workshop as opposed to professionally constructed, but that’s not a big deal, just makes it look a bit shabby.

I wish I could rate this place 5 but no way to do it, although I got chance to meet with the owner one time had some talk, he is a great guy. But I never see him there, it s basicly the employee running the business, interacting with the customers. I been coming here for at least 5 years now, seen many employees coming and going, but I think this new girl is worst of all, happy looking but unhappy.
I think she said her name was Alice but sound was like saying Ellis, she looked mexican, she was short, looked like at least 250 lb, she had big hands, probably ready to knock down any man with one punch. She also had a big mouth,
Here how it did go on…,
On Friday around noon time I walk in and sign her, said hey could you buzz the bathroom door for me,
She looked at me and said restroom is for the customers only, I said I m a customer, (damn it I just need to use the bathroom first, wash my hands face before I get my tea and some food) she took a little pause then I said I m a regular one, then she said I never seen you before. so what is that mean I said, no bathroom? She said no.
Hell a pissed off walk ed outside and keep looking for another place to settle down for little while.
I walk towards to the water and just a couple blocks ahead fond my new spot, a new café that specialized on japonese food and drink called sage café.
But still would like to be able to go these place as well, when she is out of pic, and give this place, rating it deserves.

I ordered the Waffles and I got an Eggo Waffle that was more than disappointing. It also took like 20 minutes for them to bring it out, I guess they had to defrost it. Then to make matters worse there was a few hopped up hobos that showed up and sat down next to my girlfriend and I and were selling/​buying stolen cellphone. The coffee was very meh too. So go here if your in the market for a stolen cell phone from a crack head and you want an Eggo waffle and a bad coffee for 12 bucks.

The coffee was ok 3 star out of 5. Customer service was HORRIBLE. the Asian B at the registrar was not helpful, friendly, or welcoming.
She gave a stinky face when my partner asked to use the restroom before ordering… then asked me if my animal was a service dog, when i showed her her badge, the Asian B said, You don’t have to show me, we work on the honor system. Well Asian B start trying to work on the Customer Service skills, be welcoming and friendly… NOT COLD and JUDGING
We had our coffee and pastry spending just under 20.00 should not have left the 1 $ tip for that crappy attitdue… ALSO you FLY/​NAT infested Pastry rack looks good but work on the FLYS and NATS
my apricot pastry was OK, as a chef, and pastry chef I did not expect to get diarrhea immediately after having their coffee and pastry, likely the cheep lard used in the pastry.
YUCK WONT BE BACK AFTER YEARS of LIVING IN SF coming back To Quetzal should have been nostalgic for a few reasons HOWEVER NONE of that nostalgia lives at Quetzal it is an empty shell of a memory of good times and good coffee…

No thanks.
Staff just is not excited to be there. They are unhelpful and slow. Seems like at least one of them are always on the phone and the others are making up how to make their drinks.
I perfer walking across bush to sammys. They care about their customers and take pride in their business.

I was in here on a Wednesday morning when a disgruntled transient came in screaming and throwing items off the counter toward the barista. She handled the situation with calm assertiveness and poise as she, another young gentleman, and several regular customers helped escort all patrons outside to safety while the police arrived. When it was safe to come back inside, she had my order ready and a smile back on her face.
I don’t come here often, but I am certain I will make this place a regular habit from now on. The smoothies are amazing, the food is great, staff is professional and kind, and the wifi is FREEEEE! 5 Stars.

Need to do some training on espresso drinks. Come here frequently when I get haircuts across the street and every time, regrettably, is disappointing…
Can’t comment on the other menu items.

I’ve been here several times and with each time I enjoy this place more and more. I love their crapes and my husband is a fun of sandwiches! During the day you can enjoy tasty cup of coffee or tea and a bit later in a day you can relax with glass of wine or a beer. Selection is pretty good as well. They have indoor and outdoor seats which is perfect with the kind of weather we experiencing now. Perfect place to study or meet with a friends for a brunch. Oh and they have a TV so you can follow your team (go Giants) :) And of course the people who work here make this place special. Always friendly and helpful!

Great café with great internet. Stopped in here to get a bite while waiting for my haircut and the only complaint I have is how it smells outside. Definitely try it out if you need a place to hang out or study!

Decent place for coffee or a beer and free internet:-) pretty good spot to get away fr hustle

After a special meal with an old friend I saw this place on the way back to the parking garage. The organic fresh roasted coffee is what drew me in. The inside is nice and spacious. Plenty of seating and tables for study or work. They carry some nice local cookies/​pastries.
I tried the Americano. It was pricey (SF after all) and disappointing. Seemed weak. Ironically, didn’t hold a candle for the Americano I had from Medleno’s that very morning and it was nearly twice as much.
I still give them 3 stars because it would be a great place to hang out.

I’m not sure this should be called a «café» it should be called Internet plus expensive mediocre food?
The staff should smile and be a tad more helpful if I’m spending 8 dollars on a cup of tea and fruit.
The plus side is there are a ton of outlets and seats; so if you’re anti social it’s a good place to study or work for hours.

Once every few weeks, a couple of my coworkers and I would come here on Tuesdays after work for their happy hours on beer. We love how the bench area outside is always vacant for us to chill and smoke cigarettes freely.
I’ve never tried anything else so I can’t complain. This place isn’t your usual happy hour bar type environment but I give it 5 stars cause it’s perfect for a few people like us :)

Tried this past twice, because wanted to give them a benefit of the doubt. But both times warranted a bad review.
Both times purchased a pitcher of mimosas for $ 25. Already feel like it is a bad price, but even worse is that both times the pitcher was only ²⁄₃ filled and not much champagne. Was practically drinking orange juice.
Free wifi but it is consistently slow and have to ask to reset often. Bathrooms are terribly unkempt and without toilet paper. Service is poor. Not returning for a third time.

Watched the Brazil World Cup with one of the games versus the US and it was surely rowdy that time of day at this café located on Polk street!
Bars next door and cafés around the area were surely packed that day as well!
This café is a chill one after the game has been played on TV! They serve up the usual café snacks and coffee while offering up complimentary Wi-​Fi!
Adequate seating with plugs around! Doable place!

Finding serenity from the madness of Polk is easy at Quetzal. The free WiFi is a huge plus for those of us who enjoy people watching and surfing the internet at the same time and the drinks aren’t half bad. For those of you wondering, a quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala. No, I don’t see a correlation either.
First timers might be initially confused when entering: does one sit down and establish a spot or order from the counter first? I can never decide. Judging by the other confused looks of patrons coming in, it’s clear I’m not the only one.
To ensure the staff I’m not here just to leech WiFi, I order something at the counter first and then pick my spot for the next hour or three. My spot will almost always be an area that has an outlet. Thankfully, there are plenty in every direction. If you choose to sit along the back wall (facing the front), then be prepared to share outlets.
When it comes to ordering something, I stick with drinks. Coffee /​tea is available for caffeine chasers, but the smoothies keep me satisfied. A power shake with a little blackberry keeps me hydrated, even if it’s not my favorite flavor in the world. In the 1^st world, these are hardly problems.
Not feeling like any of the above? Shoot for their beer on tap. Nothing like sucking down a frosty one during the warmer months and surfing a little internet. Oh and they have a real happy hour deal ($ 3 on tap!), which goes until close.
Then there is the food. I can’t seem to stomach anything beyond breakfast. The smoked salmon scramble is among the only winners of the bunch, not be outdone from a slew of super subpar items that include: nachos, quesadillas, club sandwiches, pizzas, and salads. Save for a slice of quiche, pie, or something in their pastry lineup, but even those feel a tad overpriced.
Lastly, the internet connection I’ve experienced has been stellar so far. There have been some quips about low quality internet, but unless good luck has been on my side, I haven’t had to deal with any slow speeds at all. If anything, it’s the one thing that keeps me coming back.

If you want to witness a microcosm of how basic communications skills have deteriorated irrevocably in modern society, come view the field of laptoppers at Quetzal. This is far less a coffeehouse for social mingling and more solitary confinement for those who want to be left alone staring at their screens. There were quite a few such people there, but I find it difficult to tag them as customers since I didn’t see any evidence of food or even drink next to their self-​imposed work stations. It just never appears to me that the staff there is clamping down on enforcing table turnover so that the rest of us could eat and chat.
Ah well, I have to concede «Internet» is in the name. That’s probably the main reason I’m not tempted to have a full-​fledged meal here. I end up here to have a $ 3.50 cup of coffee or tea after a meal with maybe a similarly premium-​priced slice of pie like the one in the photo I provided (Blueberry Tart… good from what I recall). The staff doesn’t appear to be pushing the food much despite what looks to be a robust menu of items in their online food menu. I didn’t even know you could get breakfast here. I think the recent addition of the sidewalk parklet definitely helps open up the space, a good thing as I felt like I was in the library otherwise. Shhh…
COFFEE/​TEA — 3 stars… quietly sipping, blisteringly hot
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… a large library with no books
SERVICE — 2.5 stars… unobtrusive, I guess
TOTAL — 3 stars… bring your laptop and leave me alone