Specialty’s Cafe & Bakery

Their management clearly doesn’t care about the service and food. 10 minutes after ordering, they told me they didn’t have the bread I asked for. All good, so got a different bread. 20 minutes later after multiple orders come out from
people who ordered before me, they give me the wrong sandwich, or just didn’t finish making it, the turkey was just bad, barely any, and stale. I have eaten soooo many turkey sandwiches and never has the turkey been so stiff and bad. I’ll never go back! Never!

I love Specialty’s but would never eat at this this one. It’s a great location and spacious but the service has been really poor.
I ate at this location for breakfast and lunch on the 19^th. Both times I had to check on my sandwich as it felt like they had forgotten. Both times the store was very empty but I still waited a long time.
My breakfast order came with burnt bacon and was very greasy. Being a long time fan I decided the slow service and lower than average breakfast sandwich must have bee a fluke. But when I ordered a plan tuna on wheat but got a tuna melt with cheese and tomatoes I decided I would never come back. The sandwich was gross and its really disappointing as I have always loved Specialty.
I would recommend passing on this store

This place is seriously the worst. Slow and unprofessional customer service. It doesn’t even matter if you order ahead; chances are, your order won’t be ready.
The ONLY reason I continue to give this place my business is because (admittedly) Specialty’s cookies are amazing. And this location is on the ground floor of my office building and I don’t always have the opportunity to venture elsewhere for lunch or coffee.
Nevertheless, I always leave feeling frustrated. So, if you have 30 minutes and you have a choice between grabbing food at this Specialty’s location or walking three blocks down for lunch, I suggest you do the latter. Because, within that 30 minute window, you probably won’t get your food yet anyway.

They’re notorious for messing up orders. I wouldn’t order my lunch from here (as I have once already). However, you can’t go wrong with their pastries. If you come at the right time, you can also enjoy some of their day-​old pastries for half-​off, which is great!
I’m in love with their chocolate chip cookies and their pecan caramel mini pies. Their cinnamon rolls are good, but definitely not Cinnabon quality.
You can’t go wrong with any of their cookies. Although I love their chocolate chip cookies the most, my friends tend to like the Black & White cookie.

I have to concur with the previous reviews. They are incredibly disorganized and slow. With just one person in front of me I waited 6 minutes to order. At least another 6 for the coffee. Watched four people give up and walk out due to the line. Watching any of them at the cash register is also frustrating as they seem to get lost in whatever the navigation process is.
My first experience all was fine with my order. My second they messed it up. Not sure why they need a name if no one calls out the name on the order anyway.
Food and concept great. Service just makes it painful to have to come here. Cannot compare to other locations.

Plenty of space, long lines in the morning, but the tables abound and it is a very comfortable and modern space. Needless to say their butter croissants are awesome and the coffee is very good as well.

Day old cookie? I think not! Since Specialty’s is closed Sat/​Sun, the «day old» cookies on Monday are at least three days old. None of their cookies are worth the full price ($ 4), but most are fine the next day at half price. Three days old and burnt? Not even worth $ 2
They should send the leftover cookies home with the staff at COB Friday.

slowest service ever. if it’s your last day to live, don’t go into a specialty’s, especially this one. you’ll die in «line» even if you’re the only person there.
waited 10 minutes for them to pour me a cup of tea on my 10 minute break.
and i was the only person there.
special shout out to chubby teenage latina 5’3″ named Joanna who helpfully said «we have no tea» when asked for tea and maintained eye contact & «go away» silence with me for one minute while i gave her the signal to explain. weak communication skills. she probably says to others «we have no coffee» when someone orders coffee w/​no explanation as well with her four eyes that say «go away i already spoke what do you want?»
i had to go down to the barista myself & ask, do you have tea? to which she said «yes» (lazy cashier’s job) and then i had to go back and tell the dont-​give-​a-​f8ck cashier to charge me for some f*cking tea.
and special shout out to the blonde with the pony tail who was supposed to be the barista/​supervisor? today at 11:30am talking with her fellow co-​worker about how the entire system was down today, they had no drip coffee, no espresso, while i stood two feet from her thinking about what to knock down that she would specifically have to pick up,
tea’s a pleasure. specialty staff at this location are not.

Whaaaa? I went in today to get a cup of coffee and do some work… only problem is that they had no coffee. Seriously a coffee shop without coffee or espresso at 1pm? I think I’ll just head to the Starbucks a block down from now on.

Gave up on this place a while ago. I’ll make my own coffee before coming here. Sandwiches are good in a pinch but you better have plenty of time to spare.
Sure it does the job and sure most employees are pretty nice but if I’m paying these prices I expect a little more. Although with the rents in the area I can understand why they charge what they do.
Turn this into a Philz please!

I once wrote a letter to Specialty’s in 1998 and it said «where’s the beef?» (that commercial was popular then), basically saying that the meat portion of their sandwiches was microbial. I don’t really recall what happened but I think they sent an explanation form letter.
Today, I returned to Specialty’s to see if anything had changed. Well, the cookies that were .75 cents are still very Delicious!, even though they now cost 2.89. But, my turkey sandwich — same old same old. A single slice of turkey, likely weighing a single ounce.
Ok, granted, I grew up in New York where a deli sandwich would normally be high, very high, in other words, stacked with protein aka. meat, so I suppose my expectations may be askew. But, seriously, 7.99 for a sandwich with an ounce of meat on it !? I could buy a pound of sliced turkey with 8 dollars (and I will). Was that the last slice of turkey? Do I need to buy 6x more meat so I can get a full portion of 6 ounces of turkey? If I pay $ 48, do I get 6 ounces of turkey?
So, what gives? Is this the business model? Brainwash everybody with awesome cookies so they don’t notice that the sandwiches are paltry. I don’t get it. Specialty’s has expanded to many more locations now and still no meats. Do people not care about a decent amount of protein in their lunch?
In search of a real deli…

Going to this Specialty’s location is an exercise in masochism. Never leave without checking your order first; about ¹⁄₃ of the time they mess it up. I’ve seen other customers check before leaving too.
Just this week they ran out of tomatoes for sandwiches and didn’t say anything until I asked. They also left out another ingredient and missed the pickup time by 15 minutes.
The only reasons I bother going here are because it’s in my building and I can order online.
I would tell anyone on my sh** list to go here.

Depending on what route I walk to work, I usually pass by this Specialty’s a couple of times a week. The one great thing about Specialty’s is that they have the pumpkin flavor for lattes all year round. It’s not just a seasonal flavor… yes I’m talking to you Starbucks! This location has quite a lot of seating and usually there isn’t a lot of traffic in here in the morning unless there’s a Moscone convention or something going on.

I would give a 3 – 4 stars. They have a large variety of food and has great people working! The only thing negative: not getting the orders correctly. I usually get the cobb salad tossed because it is easier to eat in the office, but always end up missing a few ingredients by the time I actually start digging in. Sometimes it’ll be the mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and even an egg. (What’s a cobb salad without an egg?!)
If you’re not devastated in missing a few ingredients, this is an awesome lunch place around the area. I am still going and eating the salad, +/​-​some ingredients, and still happy.
Also, the Thai Chicken Curry soup is so awesome!

This review is for PEETS.
Dear peets, you often forget my order when I just want a drip coffee. The baristas are unfamiliar with your menu, and a drink can take up to 15 – 20 minutes to be delivered. Then I as the customer have to remind them to make it.
I ordered a small soy latte from starbucks yesterday, and the exact same thing from peets today. ITS DISGUSTING. undrinkable. burnt. poorly made foam. I never say this, but just go the extra block and visit a starbucks. I don’t even know if I should return it, complain, or just toss it out. Save your money.

I got to the neighborhood 30 minutes early for a dinner at the nearby Fly Trap, and popped in to grab some tea and kill some time — my needs were nicely met.
The location is spacious, bright, clean, welcoming and new. Also, I was pleased they were open until 7:00pm, even though it was pretty empty when I arrived around 6:30pm on a Thursday.
My Peet’s masala chai was good, but my oatmeal raisin cookie wasn’t quite of Specialty’s caliber (I think it was probably due to the fact it has been sitting out all day, and I was one of their last customers of the day.)
The service was polite and efficient.
Nice spot.

Cookies and sandwiches are the special
Breakfast sandwiches are way too buttery
When you order takeout sadly you get charged the bag fee. There’s no way to say have your own bag.

Skip the lines!
There’s a conference in town. More about that later, but let’s just say there are a lot of hungry people looking for lunch.
This Specialty’s has been open about a month, and it’s perfect because it’s on the ground floor of my office building. I first went down there with a colleague, and ordered lunch on the little tablet at the center stand. It worked! That’s better than I can say for another Specialty’s I had tried on 2^nd Street.
The best part about the menu is that I can browse the nutrition information and make an intelligent choice. If I want a fat sandwich with a million calories, at least I know what I’m ordering. If I want the leanest salad I can get, I can find out which one it is. So I have done both over the weeks.
A turkey pesto sandwich (728 Kcal, 37 g/​f) for $ 7.50 … add on lemonade, tax and tip, and watch it climb to $ 11.52.
Chinese chicken salad to go (198 Kcal, 5 G/​f) for $ 7.99 … plus 10-​cent bag plus tax, and watch it climb to $ 9.91.
Mixed greens salad (98 Kcal, 6g/​f) for $ 5.99 … plus bag and tax for $ 6.33.
See? Practice makes perfect.
Now here’s the best part: Make an order online, and they estimate it will be ready for pickup in oh, about 15 minutes. I walk into the restaurant and see 30 people standing in line … those hungry conventioneers and workers from offices all around me … and walk RIGHT PAST them to the pickup shelves. There’s my name on a bag, and I’m outta there!
See, the place I work also has quiet lunch rooms, so I can take my lunch there and enjoy it with a free soda. Yes, that’s one of our major perks. Free soda. Don’t get jealous, now.
What else?
They text me when the order is ready, so I don’t forget I ordered lunch. Actually I already had mine in hand and was out of there before the text came in.
When I ordered at the counter they gave me a pager that didn’t do much. They were shouting pager numbers at pickup, which means what to you?
I went in for a free cup of coffee (yes, free, because I accept coupons on the sidewalk) and saw the baristas on the left under the Peet’s sign. I was supposed to order on the right, at the Specialty’s order station … remember those 30 people in line? But the barista gave me a break and served me the coffee anyway.
The dining area is spacious and clean, so on days when I decide to «dine in,» that’s also a pleasant experience.

They share a space with Peet’s Coffee and they just opened up this past Monday (8÷25÷14)! Love this place and the location since it’s closer than the one on New Montgomery and Mission. The place is very clean, as it should be. It also has lots of space to sit and hang out. The ambience is heightened by the faux fireplace. You can pre-​order online and skip the line, order at the e-​stations near the front counter or just walk right up and ask for a delicious treat!
This place is a blessing and a curse… Love that it’s here because of the sweet tooth in me. But it’s not going to help with my cycling training! I have an event in three weeks! haha!

Came back again with my coworker and 11 people turned around and greeted us with extreme gusto. Kinda scary but also nice.
I ordered online so I had no issues this time with my order. There still seems to be some confusion on what order on the counter belongs to who but I’m sure it’ll get better as time goes by.
The girl from my first review was there too and a lot livelier today as well so not bad not bad :) glad to have come back again.