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Blue Jay Cafe
Categories: Restaurants Diners Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Diners, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
919 Divisadero St(between Mcallister St & Golden Gate Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94115
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
(415) 447-6066
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Thu 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Sat-Sun 10 am - 2:30 pm
Sun 5 pm - 9:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Hipster, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
594 reviews for Blue Jay Cafe
Review Highlights
"The fried chicken was fresh and excellent."
(in 146 reviews)
"The mac-and-cheese is rich and satisfying."
(in 89 reviews)
"Awesome place for a "Soul Food" breakfast."
(in 27 reviews)
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594 reviews in English
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Review from Mark i.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 1/22/2012 2 photos
+5 Love the new menu.
Ok - pay very close attention. The next few words may drive you mad with anticipation - you may not have wanted this, but you soon will: House-Cured Thick-Sliced Bacon on their BLAT.
You're welcome.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/29/2010
+3 stars for muy authenico grits, other Southern breakfast foods, and decent biscuits.
+1 stars for… Read more »
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Review from Rob M.
San Francisco, CA
1/22/2012
I used to come to this place almost every weekend for brunch. I was a big fan. 6 months ago, I would've given it 5 stars. But after a string of experiences with poor service, I decided to stop going. We were once asked to wait outside while there was seating available because the kitchen was backed up.
This morning I had a craving for their pancakes with strawberry butter, so I decided to head over. They've changed their menu since I was last there. The pancakes now have cornmeal in them, which makes them unpleasantly gritty. They also discontinued their strawberry butter. They no longer have any daily specials for the menu, which were usually very good. Once again, the service was sub-par. They were short staffed, so the waitress was continuously slow and forgetful with everything. I gave it one more shot, but I don't think I'll be going back again. -
Review from blaise s.
San Francisco, CA
1/12/2012
I really want to love this place. I've lived in NOPA since 95', and I love to see the area's biz community do well. However, I have been consistently underwhelmed every time I come here.
First off, the atmosphere is lovely. Perfect setting for a lazy Sunday brunch. The art is nice, and the big skylight casts a nice bit of sunshine (or "fogshine"). The booth seats are a bit odd, as they are too tall for the table. My friend is 5'4", I'm 6'2". She sat on the bench, I on a chair, and she towered over me!
Now to the food. Everything on the menu sounds awesome. The problem is in the execution. My companion had eggs over grits w/ bolognese sauce: yummy! A great dish of "comfort food." I ordered bbq pulled pork on "hoe cakes" (kinda like cornbread pancakes). Sounded great. The hoe cakes were tasty, but a bit dry. This would've been quite a nice compliment to the moist, juicy pulled pork. Problem was, the pork was as dry as the cakes! And this has been my experience each time at Blue Jay: hit or miss. One dish is great, the next is a major letdown. I would really like to see them step it up in the kitchen before I just give up on them. You're halfway there lil' bird! You can do it.
One more note: we were there for a late Sunday brunch, and they only had one server working! She was incredibly nice (cute brunette w/ funky shortish hair), but come on owners, don't be so cheap on the staffing! -
Review from Jennie K.
Updated - 1/9/2012 1 photo
New isn't always better, despite what the server promised us yesterday. A new menu and a new head chef made for a brunch that varied between middling (smoked salmon benedict) to nearly inedible (chicken fried steak).
Maybe I should have listened when a woman came out, announcing to her husband that she was "thrown for a loop" by the more expensive and less tasty menu, but I figured we should give it a chance.
I used to enjoy coming here when the +1 lived on Masonic - in fact, this is where I celebrated passing the Bar exam, and the +1 came so regularly that the evening servers could guess what he wanted. Things change, though, and I don't think we'll be back.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/2/2010
Home of the most massive bacon cheeseburger I've ever tackled: seriously, I think it's about 5-6… Read more »
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Review from Jason B.
Updated - 12/29/2011
Should have known better.
First day with a new chef and a new more Southern inspired menu. Lunch and dinner selection will now change every day.
Usually you want to give a few weeks so they can get their stride. Perhaps the new crew at Blue Jay will. But not yet.
I ordered chicken and dumplings and got what best can be described as biscuits and gravy. There was a piece or two of chicken. I think. Receipt confirmed what I ordered. So did the waitress. But I'm still not sure. More breakfast than lunch and heavier than what I was looking for.
(Update 1/3: Internet research suggests "dumplings" are more biscuits in Southern cooking. Good to know. Still needed more chicken. Still wished I got something else.)
Squash casserole side was also disappointing. Like the chicken the squash seemed to be missing. Not a good trend.
Baked apple side was much better. Easily the highlight.
Memories of a great brunch during my first visit fade further away.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/5/2008
After an epic evening of Kyau & Albert, ATB, Above & Beyond and Armin van Buuren, I think I would… Read more »
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Review from Lars L.
San Francisco, CA
1/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
My first time here has been a little disappointing. I'd heard good things about Blue Jay from neighbors but today the pork hash and eggs was bland -- just the taste of almost-pleasant char.
On the other hand the biscuits are beautiful and pretty tasty and the mushroom gravy is close to great. -
Review from John S.
12/2/2011
Visited on a quiet Thursday night. Waitress was friendly and helpful. Food was good and cornbread cakes were a nice touch.
Watch the step down from the front window booths! - my wife missed the step as we left and crashed into the barstools bruising her ribs.
Good evening but a bit of a sour end -
Review from Stephanie C.
San Francisco, CA
9/15/2011 7 Check-ins Here
200th review, woooo!
A solid 3.5 stars...
Blue Jay is another great brunch option in the area. They offer tons of different options like omelettes, benedicts, waffles & chicken, griddlecakes, oatmeal, etc. They have daily deals, Friday's deal is a 'free smile :)'
Out of the brunch options that I have tried, the eggs florentine, the crabcake benedict, and the veggie omelette - the eggs florentine and the crabcake benedict are my favorites.Though the hollandaise sauce could use a little more flavor, you can't go wrong with either of those choices. The veggie omelette is okay, it was a little bland to me. The potatoes that come with most of the breakfast and brunch options are crispy.
This place can be packed on weekends so either get here early or be prepared to wait in line. If you have a big party, they have a clipboard outside so you can put your name on the list. Sit at the bar to avoid the wait!Listed in: Spots on Divis
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Review from Andrea F.
San Francisco, CA
10/28/2011
I had the best roasted cauliflower soup of my life at Blue Jay tonight. I wan the recipe. My boyfriend devoured his blackened snapper and said it was amazing.
We ordered take-out and they were so kind to pack it up with care and extra cornbread. -
Review from suzy M.
San Francisco, CA
11/8/2011
Ive been there a handful of times, and each time the service gets worse. This weekend brunch will be my last time, unless I am completely out of my mind and desperate for poor service, bland food and overpriced cup of fruit.
The good: Not sure, maybe 2 for one booze drink specials.
The bad: Plenty, but service seems to top the list. Expect to wait long, expect apparent confusion from staff,expect to wait for a seat because the staff didn't realize that the couple ahead of you in line left. Also expect to be seated and then kicked out because of the prior expectation.
My recommendation: Eats on Clement!!! -
Review from Stephanie T.
San Francisco, CA
9/6/2011
Stopped by here this weekend with some friends for Brunch. I ate kind of an early breakfast, so I wasn't super hungry and I wasn't even planning on ordering anything, until I saw that they had artichoke soup as their special for the day.
So I ordered a cup of the soup. I am so glad I did. It was rich and creamy with a hint of citrus and tasted just like a whole artichoke.
The rest of their menu also looked pretty decent, someone next to me ordered the mac n cheese, and it looked like it came with bacon on top! I will have to make a trip back to try that! -
Review from Hector G.
9/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
We were in the hood and Yelp said this place was A-OK, so we decided to check it out. A quick note, if you are starving and need to eat ASAP, you may want to ponder whether or not you can wait an hour to get your food. Don't let the empty diner fool you either. We walked in and the place wasn't packed, it was about half empty (half full if you sip your team with a pinky in the air) and that led me to believe that we would at least get our mediocre food rather quickly. No such luck. Waitress was way too busy yapping to take our order, once she did take our order it took roughly 45 minutes to get the food.
The food itself was decent. I mean if it came out of the kitchen in 15-20 minutes, it would have tasted just the same, mediocre at best. I won't be returning for more, that's all there is to it.
If you drink, they have buy one get one free mimosas, or some shit like that, but I don't drink anymore, so that wasn't nearly as awe inspiring as it may have been 3 short years ago. Because when service is slow, the food is below average, drinking definitely helps. -
Review from David J.
Washington, DC
10/28/2011
I left my bike key at home, and was with a friend on foot - so had to find a place where I could stash my bike and eat.
Was super lucky to find this place. It was surprisingly empty, but had great decor/ambience. Food was delicious and fair priced.
Will return! -
Review from Jeanne L.
8/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Mimosas on sale:
2 for 1 deal on Thursdays.
Perfect alcohol.
I enjoyed my food.
Good fried chicken and waffles.
That's some home-cookin'.
And to top it all:
Outdoor seating in the back.
Heated area.
Free wi-fi for all.
Outlet source for your laptops,
Also found outside. -
Review from Natasha R.
San Francisco, CA
6/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
There are plenty of things I prefer to do solo. For instance: jogging, clothes shopping, getting my nails done, and watching a certain reality show that I could never publicly admit to. There are plenty of people who would never have dinner in a restaurant alone, but I find the company of my book to be good enough if there is no one else around to join me.
Blue Jay Cafe is special in that they have this awesome U shaped bar area for people that are flying solo. But if it wasn't for six of my friends having dinner here one night, I probably would have never stopped in. Not being a big fan of American comfort food and the all meat menu (aside from the sides), it just never struck my fancy.
So I gave it a shot, and disappointingly the mac and cheese was grainy, likely from the Gruyere cheese (which is a poor choice in mac'n'cheese precisely for that reason). I also had a rather plain spinach salad (omitted the bacon) with shallots, feta, and walnuts. Meh. It's a cool little diner, but the food leaves something to be desired.
I'll be back to try that chocolate bread pudding though.... -
Review from Bryan M.
San Francisco, CA
10/1/2011
It's a good thing the waiter was cute and personable....or this would be
a two star review! Got there with a friend today at 1:00 for brunch. The place was busy. We got a table.... got our drinks and gave our order shortly there after. Seriously.....it was 40 minutes before our food arrived. Thought I was going to pass out! We ordered egg dishes that are easy to prepare too. When the food arrived....it was good....and we scarfed it down. My buddy thought he needed a piece of the pecan pie. After waiting for another 15 minutes, I asked the waiter, " Did he have to BAKE the pie?...... The waiter said...."No.....he is making it pretty." I thought....this better be good. And it was! A lovely piece of fresh pecan pie with homemade whipping cream and artfully arranged berries. The food is good enough......but they really could use another server when the place is hopping. -
Review from Jordan P.
San Francisco, CA
12/2/2011
This place has a really tasty tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich. Yum! The salad was wilty and boring, but the portion was good.
The ambiance was kind of awful. I was staring at this pic of a dude with a gun pointed toward his head. Doesn't make for pleasant eating. Other depressing pics were all around. Not cool for an eatery.
Waitstaff was slow and neglectful but nice. Took forever to get the check. No one checked back in on us. And when I asked for a second spoon for my soup, it never showed up.
Parking is lousy around here. -
Review from Vicky L.
In Hawaii, I discovered that I really like bread pudding with ice cream. Mostly because it was my first time having it, but also because it was plain delicious.
My friend DJs at Blue Jay on the last Saturday of every month, and after a few months of me being out of town (not purposely) each time he was DJing, I decided to muster up the energy and make it out, even though it was raining. What a good friend I am. *pats self on head*
I almost never venture into this area, but what a neat little neighborhood place! The decor is simple and kitschy with paintings for sale. There's a large U-shaped bar, and then smaller tables on one side. It was pretty empty on Saturday evening around 6:30 (could've been because it was Memorial Day weekend, because it definitely seems like a neighborhood/local spot).
We asked the girl behind the bar (she seemed to be the only one serving) what she recommended, and I ended up with a bowl of gumbo and the chocolate banana bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. My friend decided on the Angus cheeseburger, which was HUGE - he ended up having to cut and eat it with a fork and knife - and the pecan pie, also with ice cream.
The gumbo actually sort of lacked flavor and tasted slimy (like okra slimy, not snot slimy). I had to add a bit of salt to it, but at least it had a bit of kick to it. I think I was expecting more seafood and sausage flavor, but it just sort of tasted like a spicy but flavorless goop with bits of gumbo meat and rice mixed in.
The saving grace was the dessert. My bread pudding was sinfully sweet, with chunks of banana and dark chocolate, and it came out piping hot from the oven. The pecan pie was equally as good and fresh - not as sweet as the grocery store kinds, and chock full of crunchy pecans. Even though I've never been a fan of pecan pie, this was really REALLY good.
3.5 stars rounded up for the delicious desserts and laid-back atmosphere. -
Review from Alexis M.
San Francisco, CA
9/20/2011
We usually come here for a beer and a small bite while doing laundry down the street. The owner is such a sweety and the warm corn bread is super tasty.
Great drink deals every night
and
We love the patio in the back! -
Review from Carolyn R.
San Francisco, CA
12/3/2011
Kids eat free before 7pm, awesome spareribs, crabcakes and yummy mac n cheese make this a great spot at the end of a busy day. Super-eclectic crowd makes for good people-watching while we eat.
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Review from N E.
San Francisco, CA
8/24/2011
Really cute place, doesn't look like much from the outside but opens up into a soul-food oasis. Ordered the fried chicken with a side of mac 'n cheese (plus bacon!) and it was pretty good. It wasn't as heavy as it sounds. The accompanying biscuits were good, they give you a ramekin of butter alongside them, it's a tad wasteful since I don't recommend you eat all that butter!
Word of caution, I found a piece of plastic wrap on my biscuit but I'm not the freak out type so it wasn't a big deal. Moving on.
Dinner was good but the service is really slow. Granted it was a Sunday night so I don't know how it normally is but don't go here expecting a quick meal. The background music is all over the place, crazy hipster playlist from gypsy jazz to soundgarden to violent femmes to nordic wailing etc . . . they have newspapers and various reading material scattered around so you can kill time catching up on current events. It's a cool place to relax and have a beer, I'll probably be back for breakfast since the menu items look delicious. -
Review from Kellie O.
Phoenix, AZ
11/2/2011
If you can beat the long weekend lines, its worth it! 2 for 1 Mimosas are the perfect compliment to the CRAB CAKE benedict. I always send people there that want a new yummy spot in the City.
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Review from David K.
San Francisco, CA
11/22/2011 23 Check-ins Here
The shrimp poboy is great, fried chicken is yummy, the blue jay burger is amazing! Great spot open late and staff is friendly, monday night is half off beer and wine. Great spot to just chill and catch up with friends. Art on display for viewing and purchase.
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Review from J. S.
Oakland, CA
5/22/2011
Our waitress (the wonderful BJ Cummins) was very accommodating of my being vegan in a apparently non-vegan establishment and figured out the best way to get me something to eat out of what was available; this is where the 4 stars come from. I can only assume the rest of the waitstaff is on the same level.
I would have loved to see some vegan stuff (or just an option, maybe?) on the menu, but such is life. -
Review from justin g.
San Francisco, CA
7/28/2011
Cute space, friendly staff, cool vibe, inedible brunch.
Crab cake Benedict was salty, fishy, dense, tough with over poached egg (yolk was completely set) and hollandaise sauce that was jiggly instead of emulsified. Gross.
2-for-1 mimosa helped to wash down this atrocious mess but I'm never going there for brunch again. Didn't have the heart to tell the waiter food was inedible. -
Review from Mayra L.
San Francisco, CA
7/5/2011
I've been wanting to try this place for soo long and after reading the reviews and commentary from friends, I finally came in.
The atmosphere was cool, I came with a date. There were a lot of couples, the seats were close and the low lighting made for a very romantic environment. The art decor was really cool and I walked in having a good feeling about the place, especially after I learned the wine was half off.
The food...the food was less then stellar. I ordered the calamari and my date ordered the jambalaya. The calamari was greasy beyond belief and really spongy (not in a good way). The jambalaya was bland and the rice overcooked. Overall it sucked.
We left there with stomach aches and a need never to go back. -
Review from Lauren K.
San Francisco, CA
7/24/2011
Sit on the secret back patio if it's nice out! They managed to turn what could have been a storage area or employee smoker spot into a great little dining area with 5 tables, some plants and some string lights. The patio gets a decent amount of sun during brunch too.
The eggs on my Florentine benedict were a little more cooked than I prefer, but the hollandaise was thick and creamy and the home fries were crispy. Coffee mug kept nice and full. Slice of watermelon with the breakfast dishes. Really, what more can you ask for than that? -
Review from Sina O.
San Francisco, CA
8/1/2011
I don't think I've ever had slower service in my life. To the employees credit, I was once told that the owner is cheap and only hired 1 person to work the whole front of the place many nights (meaning the only other people working were in the kitchen)...cheapass
oh yah, food is not good. I really wish it was, and i wish the service was better, the way the place is setup it coulda been a great neighborhood spot for me when i lived a block away. Hopefully someday the owners of this place will change. -
Review from Terry H.
South Pasadena, CA
5/12/2011
I live about two blocks away from this cafe and it has a really cool ambiance, and every time I pass by it, I think I should go inside. However, I've actually given it two chances and wasn't super impressed by the quality. The first time, I had eggs benedict with grits and the second time I came in for dinner and had a vegetarian ratatouille style dish.
Both meals were fine, but I would say overall they tended to lack flavor. Maybe they just needed a dusting of salt. But the meals didn't have either a homey charm or a finished polish that many of the good brunch places have.
I still like the atmosphere of the place, but I think if you're looking for a satisfying meal, you should go elsewhere. -
Review from Neal S.
San Francisco, CA
8/12/2011
Summary: Personal service, great food, fun, casual, fairly priced and no attitude. Live music (blues guitar) adds ambiance, not quiet but not too loud.
Best biscuit I've had lately (and I don't usually eat the biscuits). But service can be slooow and sometimes spacey.
We went at the tail end of the Thursday night Divsidero Art Walk, during a gap in the crowd. Warmly greeted as we walked in, seated immediately. Had the trout (special) and vegan jambalaya. Trout was perfectly cooked, flavorful and buttery, the mashed potatoes had blue cheese, milk and more butter, and the biscuit was great, soft and fresh baked. The jambalaya had a number of interesting flavors and subtle spice, though (being a carnivore I missed the meat).
The staff seem genuinely sweet, though as it got later, we did notice service getting slower and less attentive. One potential customer sat at the counter, was ignored for over 5 minutes and bailed.
If you're patient and willing to forgive some service issues, its a great deal. -
Review from RW W.
San Francisco, CA
8/5/2011
Really cute place, and super convenient since it's on my walk home everyday. Stopped in for the first time on Wed night with a friend and was excited to try a little of everything, since the menu looked so good. Coming from the South myself, I couldn't wait to get a little home-cookin either. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. The biscuits were cold and dry - without butter or jam or honey...nothing. My trout was pretty tasty, which was the special of the day, but the sides of mashed potatoes, green beans and brussel sprouts left me completely underwhelmed. They were cold, bland, and nothing special.
The best part of the meal was the 1/2 of beer during happy hour. If this is what southern food is like in the city, I am going to flying back home pretty often. -
Review from Cin C.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2011
Favorite place to have brunch on Divis. They always have huge portions of comforting food and 2 for 1 mimosa's, what more could a girl want on a Saturday morning?
Plus the staff has always been super friendly, and Mayor Fox works there too! -
Review from Ryan K.
San Francisco, CA
10/22/2011
I am a huge fan of the Divisadero strip. Bean bag, Eddies, Lil Chihauhaus, Page, Lions Pub, Fishbowl, all awesome spots to spend a warm October evening with a few of your newest friends.
Blue Jay has the same vibe and spirit, awesome open air bar, and banana plant, so naturally, it draws us in. It has been a favorite of mine since way back, but living in Vegas, I hadnt been in in a while...
Typically, I only like yelping about popular places or ones I wanna put in the map, but todays Yelpage comes with a much more somber sadistic tone...
where to start...
The food is great, so theres a star for that.
Unfortunately, this is where the experience starts to lack.. Upon walking in, We saw an open seat at a table, and wanted it, so we waited...and waited...and waited. 5 minutes later we decided maybe the bar was the scene for us...
but there was only two open seats and they were covered with used dishes...
no prob right? well just sit and theyll come by and say hi, smile, as they remove them and then ask us how we can start this adven ture of hungover tastebuds...
So we sat...and waited...and waited...
Perhaps youre noticing a theme?
My friend said he always has this experience.
I saw one particularily downtrodden waitress, wearing an incredibly disgruntled look and moving slower than all get out (get outs arent very fast in case you havent ever crossed paths with one...) and thats when he said "nah, shes not having a bad day, she was like that last time."
I wondered aloud what time they opened, since it was 2 pm and its a breakfast shift, perhaps they had been there since 7 am. Turns out this isnt the case. They had probably been there no less than 2 hours. So the mystery continues. Why are they all so out of it? Drugs? Who knows. I hate to speculate, lord knows Ive had a bender or two myself, but the worn looks did tell a story.
Anyway I use to bring people here since it is a nice off beat spot with open air, great natural sunlight and good food, but this was an absolutely unforgiveable experience.
My friend said it always takes a long time, but I insisted we go anyway, he suggested it, and Im a sentimental dousche so I kept the train on track...
So, we seat ourselves, and watch the bartenders take oh- 10 minutes to pour 6 coffees. not individually mind you, but all at once. As if this was some sort of time saving technique. She put them on a tray, as if she had to walk across a club or something, and then went one by one down the bar...She came to the girl next to use and said "regular or decaf??" as she did previously with every person down the line, as apparently was incapable of remembering. Then, when the girl said decaf, she grabbed a glass, which-this is the best part- she knew was decaf because of how she had only filled it halfway. This was unbelieveable. If I was at burning man, and getting this service for free, and I knew the girl serving me was probably on day 3 of a molly bender, then Id be perfectly content.
But i wasnt. i was trying to BUY food here, and there we were, 15 minutes in and hadnt been GREETED! and the dishes were still in front of us.
After the "decaf" coffee was given to the girl next to me the bartender finally aknowledged us, not with a "helloo", not a "be right with you" n ot even a smile, nope, we got the "im gonna have to get back to you". Unreal.
Im six 3 and have blue eyes. I dont get the "Ill get back to you"
we got up and left. No more of this bizzaro world BS.
Total dissapointment, but more shocking is that my friend said its ALWAYS like that and hes never in and out in less than 80 minutes.
Unbelieveable. So yes, check it out, and mybe ask the owner why they have such bums working there. For real. Im not Mr Work ethic, but I could certainly serve coffee to 6 people faster than 15 minutes, and certainly wouldnt do it all at once, thinking in some twisted logic that that would be the most efficient. Its A BAR, pour each group. Bam. How hard??
"hi two people eating together, coffee?? yes? Ok" bam, pour it...."hi next two people! coffee?" Bam...
Seriously I think Im gonna put on my tightest genes and fakest hipster moustache and go apply there, because if these guys and do it yeah wow... -
Review from T.C. J.
5/4/2011
Went here for lunch the other day. The place wasn't crowded at all, it was just a coworker of mine and another group of people sitting at a table in the back.
Bluejay has a comfy feel to it. An oval bar area surrounds the center and there are tables along the sides. They serve bottled and draft beers all of the craft variety.
The food was good, cheap, and filing. We both ordered the shrimp po boys ($8) which were very good. The sandwiches come with a choice of side and a piece of fruit. I ordered the french fries which were good (its pretty hard to mess up fries) and my coworker ordered the mac and cheese which was just ok.
I'd like to come back in the evening some time as signs around the place were advertising good drink specials. -
Review from steve m.
San Francisco, CA
11/1/2011
This review is for brunch. Have been here a few times for dinner and the service was slow but tolerable, and the food was pretty good.
But at brunch...
When we got there the place was half full. We were seated and the waiter came over and gave us our water....which he proceeded to spill on me. Not the whole glass, but enough that I was wet and uncomfortable. He apologized but made no effort to dry the table. I scavenged napkins from other tables and cleaned it up myself.
About 15 minutes later he got around the taking our order and bring us our coffee.
Then....nothing. Seriously, we were there for another 35 min and didn't even get a coffee refill (yes we asked. several times). The place was still little more than half full but we couldn't get coffee....at Sunday brunch?'
Finally we looked around and noticed that not a single table was eating. We left money on the table for the coffee we did get and walked out. -
Review from Jerome F.
San Francisco, CA
7/9/2011
Hooray for the Blue Jay!
Best weekend brunch spot in the Western Addy. Staff rocks, big up to Logan, Brie, and the rest of the crew! -
Review from Simma R.
San Francisco, CA
6/18/2011
Looking for a home cooked meal at a reasonable price? Look not further! My boyfriend and I went here on a Friday night and we were able to sit at the counter. We got Mojitos and a Bloody Mary's to start. They were made with some Japanese liquor but we couldn't tell the difference. Then they brought out these amazing little corn muffins which we devoured in about 2 seconds. I got the pot roast with mashed potatoes which was so warm and comforting. Tasted exactly like something my Mom would make. My boyfriend got the rainbow trout and literally cleared his plate. We managed to save room for desert and got the Chocolate Banana bread pudding. Also quite yummy.
We live 2 blocks from here so we will definitely be back! -
Review from Markus N.
11/20/2010
My lovelies, we need not save our five stars for perfection itself. Less than perfect can mean still trying, and still trying can in turn mean a more personal experience. Perfection isn't always a little chilly, but it can be.
I will never be perfect. But to think you'll never offer all the stars because of this makes my heart sink a little.
Blue Jay isn't perfect. But it's darling. The food is very good and I've not ever been disappointed. The other evening in the company of the best night out I savored potato-celery soup on a winter's eve, bites of delicious pecan pie, two-bite-size cornbread muffins (always a personal favorite), four PBRs. I left with a guilty pleasure. I've sampled their breakfasts, their cajun fare. I find it all yummy. Mind - not fall off your chair holy crap I've never had anything this good in my entire life yummy - just yummy.
What I like more than the food is the attitude. Staff are whacked nice. A real nice, a personal nice, a not cloyingly sweet skin deep kind of nice. I like this. I would have these people to my house for supper, that's how much I like them.
This welcoming, coupled with the cozy setting hung with local art and reggae dark side of the moon playing from their i-stuff, has me looking forward to these visits each and every time.
I heart you, Blue Jay. I heart you with all my stars. -
Review from Liz A.
San Francisco, CA
6/17/2011
Crab...cake...benedict. Now, I would take a bath in hollandaise if I could, so I might be a little over zealous about eggs benedict at all times, but wow is it good.
It didn't hurt that we were eating delicious food on a pretty little patio on a beautiful day :)
Go there. Do it. -
Review from Denny L.
San Francisco, CA
12/12/2011
Wow! Now this place was an experience! I already know i'm not going say good things about the food so I'm going to start with the service. Very friendly waiter and attentive with bringing water and a menu. We both order 2 scrambled eggs with a biscuit and home-fry potatoes. About 15 minutes after ordering our waiter promptly informed us the kitchen was 'backed-up' and offered us a biscuit and butter. Nice gesture. Another 15 minutes of time pass and we decide we want to leave and so we let our waiter know. He appears disappointed. We ask for our check. As he walks back to retrieve it he notices that our breakfast has just been plated from the kitchen and decides to serve it to us anyway. We decided to stay and try the eggs. It was served hot, however underneath my scrambled eggs was a layer of grease. I paused for a moment and thought about what I was going to put in my mouth. I couldn't do it. There was so much oil on my plate. We politely asked our waiter for our check, paid it and left. We will not be returning to this place.
