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Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPAMon-Sun. 6:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"I live on 16th Ave, which is not exactly a "happening" location, if you know what I mean. Having said that, thank heavens for House of…" read more »
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While I was standing in line to order, I admired the open space filled with aesthetically pleasing furniture----cosy couches, tall tables with barstools, etc. About half of the people there were on laptops.
I really wanted a bagel and didn't think I had a whole lot of other options, so I forked out the extra two bucks for freakin cream cheese. I know it's just cream cheese and just 2 dollah, but daaaammmnnnnnn! If there is a next time, I will just order my bagel plain and walk to the nearest liquor store to buy a whole package.
Coffee was pretty decent.
If you are going to have a shitty attitude, maybe you should not work in the service industry...
This message is for the asshole barista with the bad attitude working on Halloween around 5 p.m. He was wearing a hat and 5 o'clock shadow. I think he had a shaved head ?
I ordered my latte, and did not hear him when he asked if I wanted single or double, I asked him what he had said? and he yelled at me...
Then... it gets better...
my 2 year old grabs a cookie and bites it.. so we pay for it..and my husband then asks the barista if he can put it in her halloween bucket... (like trick or treat)
he gives us a stupid ass look and rolls his eyes. What a dick. seriously.. the old me would have knocked the rolling eyes out of his head.
I left. I didn't even take my latte...
We live across the street and we buy a pound of ground coffee here per week. we like the coffee and will continue to buy it ( the 1 star)... but not when this jerk is working..
I hope the owner reads this and fires his ass.
I used to come here in college to study. This place was awesome. It had soul.
I went back a few weeks ago and stood at the doorway thinking "What the hell happened here?"
The interior looks like somebody on the Starbucks ID team got wasted and decided to design something different, something unique, something NOT Starbucks... and it still ended up looking like Starbucks ...except slightly worse.
Definitely picked up on an attitude from the staff and my food took forever. I was one of the few people in the place on a slow afternoon.
I"m sad and I want the old Abir back.
This could be the best place in the neighborhood to get some work done on your laptop. There is ample seating, decent lighting, and LOTS of outlets for your computer.
...but while the customers are focused and friendly the staff (or at least one very annoying staffer) is loud, obnoxious, and very, very distracting. Sorry dude, I hate to be a hater.
The guy behind the counter who talks like he's at a Ren Faire makes me want to stab myself in the face.
Oh, Cafe Abir. You are like an abusive husband. You beat me, but I keep coming back.
Cafe Abir is about 3 blocks from my house so I come in often. Their coffee is pretty good. In fact if it was rating just on the quality of the coffee it would be a 4 or 5 star rating. I buy beans there as well as they are good.
Their baked goods are mediocre. This is partially due to the fact that so many are vegan. In my view vegan baked goods are an affront to all that is good a decent in the world. This said, their vegan baked goods taste slightly less like eating a sack of flour than the normal.
However, it is the staff that makes it all go wrong. They have to be the worst I've ever encountered. The guy who thinks he's in a renaissance fair (mentioned in other reviews) had to be the single most annoying person ever to work in a service industry. I think he was trying to be a quirky SF person, but it was not working. A number of the other wait staff have this vapid look in their eyes and ignore the customers entirely. The two Asian employees aren't too bad.
Yet I come back. Why? Especially when Apollo is down the street and generally the better operation. First of all Abir is closer and since I work from home, the difference between getting something down in a 15 minute break in the day and a 25 minute one is huge. Second, the coffee is actually pretty darn good. I like it better than Apollo. Third, it is busy with people, which makes it more appealing.
That all said, the attitude makes me want to avoid this place like the plague. I just haven't brought myself to do it yet. Any day now. Really. Next time, I'm leaving.
Most obnoxious baristas ever.
The coffee is so strong I can't drink it. The attitude that comes pouring out of the mouths of the waitstaff is only second to their repugnant stares of condescension.
I'd rather suck on the finger of the homeless guy who hangs out front than go back to Abir's.
I needed a place to get work done and the Central Tea and Coffee closed at 7, so I headed up to the Abir for the first time.
Me: "Hi! Do I need a password to get online?"
Guy 1: "nope, its free"
Guy 2: "yeeeesss, if you want to enter the Mines of Moria!"
Me, frantically trying to remember what Gandalf and Frodo actually said in the LotR: "right."
Guy 2: "you must say the sacred word when the moon is full and the planets are aligned!"
Me: "o...k"
Guy 2: "whaaat is your biiiiirthdaaaaay?"
Me: "April"
Guy 2: "let me guesss... 2..8th!"
Me: "22nd.. close.." and I walked out to go to the Apollo instead.
Unfortunately the Apollo is also closed, so here I am eating a Caesar salad with chicken and a hot Hojicha green tea. It is meh.
First things first. 2 stars because the to-go cups are more solid than bean bag cafe's. cup rigidity is important to me. nothing like finding coffee running down your pant leg from a flimsy lid while you're cruising down the sidewalk.
Second, coffee is so-so. I'm positive I can brew better coffee... but that's how it is. It gets the job done.
Last and most importantly I got robbed out of five dollars when I purchased an iced coffee to-go this afternoon. This isn't a typical passive-aggressive post though. In fairness I may have confused the guy after giving him a 20 and then asking for two bucks in change in addition to the 1.85 for the drink but by the time I recounted in my head a few times he was nowhere to be seen. Whatever. I'll probably go back but the tip jar is seeing dimes and pennies from now on. If I wanted to pay 6.85 for a mediocre cup of iced joe I'd walk to Sbux.
And p.s. the other reviews are funny. The counterstaff is pretty bad and they do share a sort of judgemental gaze when you walk in but that's just their way of justifying the ontological necessity of modern man's existential dilemma to the customers and I'm okay with that.
Worst customer service.
EVER.
Oh and the food is horrible too.
In my opinon there is no reason to waste time or money at that joint.
waitstaff is
abusive
sarcastic
cruel
find out which one, or go to a
kinder joint.
Can I has internet plz?
I love the space and the fact that is a block away from my house. You can bring your laptop and enjoy the wifi without being bothered. However, the staff is so rude and have such a condescending attitude that they'll leave a bad aftertaste in your mouth.
For me going for a cup of coffee is a relaxing experience and the bartenders here can really ruin it.
I get coffee to go, but this has always looked like one of the more comfortable coffee shops around. Service, for me, has always been plenty good, and they definitely get props for being open an hour earlier than anyone else on Divis.
But man, they mess orders up a lot. Last two times I've come I got the wrong thing, including the time I had to ask for it twice and clarify what I wanted.
The coffee were decently priced ...like normal cafes.
However, these guys knew what they were doing with the coffees and espresso shots -- they knew how to pour the milk along with crem of the espresso, etc. We had very strong coffee and it was worth.
One of the best places I've been to for sure.
Definitely a go!
Cheers!
When I'm a patron at a coffee shop, I'm looking for great coffee, good food, and wi-fi. This place meets 1 of 3 of these requirements which is the only the latter, wi-fi. I was hoping for more in this popular neighborhood cafe. The food is meh and the coffee about the same. Biggest turn-off is the neighborhood bum that is always loitering here. I walk by this place every day and he's there (meaning inside without coffee in hand or just chillin' on their outdoor patio chairs) or nearby about 90% of the time. He creeps me out *shudder*
This place is lucky because it has a prime location at Fulton and Divis - perfect for people watching as there are plenty of outside cafe tables and a variety of comfy seating indoors with lots of windows for your viewing pleasure. It's location also makes it perfect for transitioning from that afternoon latte to a soju shooter at Fly or a beer at Bar 821 within steps of the place.
It serves its purpose but it's not my preferred place for neighborhood coffee.
I'm here all the time, so yeah, clearly I love it. Here's a few reasons why:
-Great food options - plenty of veg stuff
-Strong coffee and fruity sangria
-Super friendly staff - I never feel awkward for studying there six hours - they're so welcoming
-Awesome music
-Free WiFi - great quality - it seems newly improved to all those who have shat on it - and they have dozens of outlets on the couches, so don't feel confined to the less coveted seats just because you need to use your laptop
THE best place to study, and catch up with friends. yay.
I have held off on this review long enough. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but seriously, everytime I come here in the morning, the service gets worse and worse. I wish I could give you negative stars Cafe Abir, because I ABSOLUTELY HATE YOU. The people that work here in the morning are very rude for no reason. I'm sorry, didn't they teach you at barista school that the customer is always right? Oh yeah, never mind. You probably don't have to have an education to work in a coffee shop. Ok, ok, it's a bit harsh, but take this morning for example...I waited over 20 minutes for a fucking bagel, while watching SEVERAL other customers receive their bagels as well as coffee, good thing I wasn't in a hurry. When I, in a very polite tone, asked about the bagel I ordered about a century ago, the annoyingly platinum blonde lady, in a very exasperated tone, asked "was that for here?" As if it was my fault! Then, after about another 10 minutes, my bagel was FINALLY made. But get this, it was made INCORRECTLY (refer back to lack of education). So, when I said, again very politely to the brunette lady working there, "I think there is supposed to be tomato on this" she was visibly annoyed at my request. She made ZERO eye contact, put the tomato on, and slammed the plate down in front of me. When I said "thank you" there was absolutely no response. Bitch. Ohhhhh. I'm sorry you can't follow directions. Next time should I dictate the fundamentals of bagel making to you? Oh yeah, there won't be a next time. Fuck this place and my internet for not working. Next time, I am walking the extra few blocks to go to bean bag. Hopefully they won't serve up my coffee with a side of bad attitude. Save yourself the time (because they will forget all about your order) and money and go somewhere where you can be treated with respect.
Dudes with 'tude are gone from their Barrista night-time line up. Coffee lovers, rejoice!
I took a star away for the evening crew. I'm sorry that I'm not cool enough to order coffee in the… Read more »
There are certain sacred institutions that should never be touched and left alone to evolve organically or die by their own hand. But of course, owners come and go, businesses change hands, leases end.
Cafe Abir is a case in point with its new remodel. Yes, I know the coffee was never very good, but it was a cozy place for gathering with friends and reading and working. Nowadays, its couches have been replaced by "perches," its edgy magazine room is gone and folks just don't hunker down for hours and hours like they used to.
Okay, so change is inevitable. Frjtz left its Russian tea room roots and the Cal Academy has reemerged as a shadow of what it once was to us when we were kids. Still, it's hard to watch your old stomping grounds change. I'm really easy when it comes down to it though -- the minute they start making some amazing espresso drinks, I'll be theirs for-eva.
I am giving three stars because
- have been coming here for years
- they have free wifi
- plenty of power outlets
- and new comfy couches
I wanted to give one star because
- bought a vegan cookie that had mold inside, and asked the cashier prior to making the purchase if they were fresh
- there are always weird homeless people hang out there and use their toilet sometimes
- the quality of the food went waaay down over the years, the coffee is still fine
The coffee is brewed with diesel and the wifi connection is a throwback to the 56.6k AOL dialup experience of the 1990s.
Better options are just two blocks south (Bean Bag) or three blocks north (Apollo). Word has it that Blue Bottle will soon open another location at Divis & McAllister.
A good soy latte, a not-so-good soy chai latte, some good tea, and plenty of space for four friends to gather and play board games on a Monday night. The service is sometimes rather slow, but as long as you are willing to be patient should you need, you can enjoy one of the many power outlets for your laptop, flat table surfaces for your cup, and supportive chairs for your butt. Perhaps you could enjoy something from their limited food menu. I didn't, so I don't know what might be recommendable.
Or you could just get a refreshing beverage to go.
Changed their hours, closing at 11pm. Plus, they changed the pastry company, the breads are old and dry.
Bagel and Coffee is still a bargain, but with the change in hours, not a place to work at night
Driving in from Texas, wearing a Bobby Labonte t-shirt and foam 76 trucker hat, I knew I had home… Read more »
Back in the day when I was poor
I sat in the pre-remodeled Cafe Abir
Toiling over a Muni map
Taking notes
Keeping track
Which lines go where
Which lines have rails
Where do they go
Before they go back
In New York they had these shirts
With circles and lines
Bronx to Brooklyn
And I thought why not here
Why not make them for San Francisco
So I did
I sat with a map and wrote out locations
Along the way
From here to there
And right on back
Cafe Abir was remodeled
The WiFi extended
Benches recovered
Tables secured in place
A perch installed
And that's where I sit
With a mocha or coffee
My laptop pointed to MuniShirts
Final straw, Cafe Abir, I just can't deal with your obnoxious barrista, you know, the one who has the fake Brittish accent, and a serious chip on his shoulder. Hey buddy, if you're reading this, I have one word for you: anti-depressants, give them a whirl.
Here's my enounter yesterday when I went in with BF for an afternoon munchy on a rainy Sunday:
BF: We'd like a chicken sandwich and the mushroom soup
Me: And I'd like a cup of mint tea
Abir Guy: (to me, said in totally annoyed, snotty tone) Could you just wait a second?!?
(he then takes about 2 minutes to write down the incredibly complex food order and then says to me: Ok, what do you want?
Me: A cup of mint tea.
I return a few minutes later to pick up my tea. I take the tea and purposefully (because yes, I'm that vindictive) do not say thank you. He says (again, snotty tone): You're welcome!
I take my tea, go back to my seat, and with every sip, I taste the bitter sting of what felt like some sort of personal attack. If I wanted to be attacked for no particular reason by a primadonna barrista, I'd, well, I'd go to Cafe Abir because I can't think of any other cafe's in SF where the service is quite so bad. And the coffee isn't far behind.
Oh, and what's up with the accent? Are you Madonna's love child?
Ok, so here's how I rate a cafe:
1. Is the wifi free?
2. How comfortable are the chairs? (I'm disabled and those hard wooden chairs can be really painful after half an hour or so).
3. How good is the coffee?
4. How good is the service?
5. Do they have real food? (meaning something like protein that doesn't come on a bagel).
This place scores pretty low on all of that except that the padded seats are pretty sweet.
The wifi is *technically* free but you have to open a browser and watch an add and jump through some other hoops.
The coffee is ok; the service is up to the level that they are paid (which is to say, not much); they do have food other than bagels and baked goods but it's kinda *meh.*
Long and short, if it didn't have padded seats I'd never hang out here again, but since they do have padded seats and NOBODY else seems to, then I'm coming back.
Update: The second time a came here the WiFi wasn't working for me or several other people. Simple enough, the router needed rebooting. I asked the guy at the counter if he could do that and he said "sure" and then went back to chatting with his friends. 15 minutes later when he had still made no move to fix the problem I packed up and left.
*sigh*
Awesome place for drinks, they custom-made a cafe americano for me. The staff are friendly and profession, the venue is clean and well-maintained.
Only drawback is the limited seating in the small space - it was packed on a Sunday night. That only speaks to its popularity though and prime location in the Western Addition neighborhood.
When I still lived 2 blocks away from this place, I had little interest in visiting. Then again, back then I wasn't the recently converted café enthusiast that I am now :). So when the weather was much too warm and splendid this past Sunday to sit cooped up at home, I suggested to roomie Margit H. that we go somewhere open and airy to get some work done on our laptops. This is how Abir earned a shot in my mission to find the most perfect tea and coffee shop in the city.
Needless to say, shoooulda gone with my instincts on this one.
I honestly did love the décor--with its orange walls and Moorish hanging lanterns, this place does the whole Moroccan/Mediterranean thing great (a simpler version of what I've seen at Medjool in the Mission). And the White Maccha Mocha I tried was really good, and a first for me (I don't think I've seen it at many other places).
However, Abir fell short on the following crucial points:
* Free wi-fi was not working AT ALL. I asked the woman next to me if hers was, and she informed me of the ongoing spottyness of Abir's internet. Having come specifically for that purpose, this was an epic fail.
* WTH is up with their tables?!?! For the 10 minutes I spent trying and failing to connect to the internet, I was also practically sitting in the lap of the guy next to me, since I couldn't maneuver my chair out from the teeny space between him and the BOLTED DOWN TABLE. Wack, yo.
* Music. Oh, music is key to a café. ie, please put in a little effort and play something other than the light rock radio station--the Backstreet Boys don't provide the greatest background to intellectual coffeetalk.
We bounced to Apollo Coffee just as soon as we finished our drinks. Abir has much potential, but I most likely won't be back.
Cafe Abir, thank goodness you are there to get me going in the morning or noontime, or around 3...whenever my day is breaking. I love your bagel sandwiches, complete with round little "eggcakes". I dig that you serve me my double latte in a pint glass. Not a huge fan of your baked goods, but the lemon poppy seed muffin rocks. I'll try to give the other kids a chance. I promise.
I love that I can sit here and wifi and get water from your little fountain above the bus bin.
Thank you for making my day so special. As long as I remember to bring CASH.
A little corner coffee house with unbelieveably slow service but really good bagel sandwiches.
The morning I went here was kind of catastrophic (late for school emergency breakfast stop) so I don't blame everything on those Abir baristas. They remade the bagel that the sqeaky bear on wheels that I am dating dropped on the floor. That was nice of them but they completely forgot I ordered a mushroom & cheese turnover. Never order that. Its a wimpy undercooked piece of dough with 1 mushroom inside.
Go here if you are an old man with a cane who likes to sit and play chess all day and read newspapers and buy one small coffee for the entire duration.
Great strong/slightly burnt coffee. Just like I like it. The decor was much better before they did the redesign. It seems much more sterile now compared to the nice worn couches. I never understand why places in San Francisco go from having character to sucking all the life out of a place by going all NYC modern. Stick with the San Francisco/Lower Haight/Berkeley coffeehouse feel over slick SOHO sleek blandness.
Coffee sucks? This isn't a place to drink coffee and eat scones, and recommend for brunch or lunch. This is a place to work.
Abir is probably the best coffee shop I've found to get a project done or blog. The music is always interesting, and never overly loud. People might chat, but most will write or research. This is the place you go when you want to get stuff done--simple as that.
The service is fine, but again, nothing exceptional.
SFCritic
It's true what they say-"you can't judge a book by its cover" and the old saying certainly applies to Cafe Abir. Do not let the perch seats or the lush colors of this cafe deceive you. The nice clean ambiance can hide neither overpriced food and drinks nor unpleasant and untimely service. Cafe Abir is an atrocious cafe that I would not recommend to any one. Although I believe they fall short in most areas, these are some of the true deal-breakers.
Unpleasant Staff
Although a few of the staff members are lovely people whom I've had good conversations and experiences with, there are a few staple staff members who ruin it for everyone. On one particular day I was sipping on an early afternoon PBR. I already think 2.50 is outrageous but that's another issue for another time. There was a change in shift so when I went up to get a re-fill and the new barista said " that'll be 5$," I was utterly perplexed. I explained that I had already been drinking PBR and it was 2.50$. This man then started yelling at me and said "I work here I think I know" and it was so loud other people in the cafe noticed. One of his colleagues came over and informed him that he was wrong and instead of apologizing told me I was rude. Unbelievable. This man should be fired and I bet anyone who goes to abir on a regular basis knows who I am talking about.
Another time I was chastised for asking for a iced green tea. The barista exclaimed "ha what do you think we are Starbucks?" Amazingly enough the only time I have had iced green tea was while living in Korea. Needless to say I was unimpressed by the scoffing.
Untimely service
On another note-their service is unbelievably slow. One day I waited 10 minutes to get a mocha and there were no more than ten people in the cafe. The cause for the delay; the barista was too busy talking to a friend to actually make my drink. Once I got my drink it was the worst mocha I had ever tasted. I think this barista was too busy talking to think about what ingredients he was putting in.
Unsatisfying food
Their food is less than appealing and drinks overpriced. Every person I have gone in with who has ordered the chai has returned it because it is so bad. I tried one of their sandwiches and it came out lukewarm and was unflavorful.
With all the cafes in the neighborhood I am amazed Abir is still afloat. As you can see I have given this place lots of chances. This is not an establishment worth patronizing-any of the other cafes in the neighborhood will offer a better more friendly experience.
The coffee itself sucks (tastes burnt), but I do dig the soy Matte Latte.
Smoothies are too sugary.
Food is mediocre; service is snotty. I remember going in once at 930pm and being told that they were closed. I left cos I didn't want to put up a fight, but I happen to know they dont close until 11pm.
But it works if you've not much serious work to do and you feel like being distracted by people-watching.
Cafe abrir-- cafe ablog...bloggers bloggers bloggers everywhere typing and sipping and making dodgy eye contact with anyone daring to enter...beware...
coffee...bleh
food...blah
abrir-ablog boring!
My advice...sit outside
decided to catch dinner here before a show at the independent because bean bag was crowded and we were in a hurry. big mistake.
when boyfriend and i walked in (remembering it being a different cafe, apparently its been a long time since we've strayed from the bag?) we saw no actual food on the menu. the hipster behind the counter pointed to the hidden pamphlets next to the espresso machine. after looking at the prices ($7 for soup?) we almost left, but since this place was empty and we were in a hurry, we decided to spend the money in an effort to save time. another mistake.
boyfriend ordered the turkey sandwich and i got the kalmata olive panini. after ordering i went to use the bathroom (which was down a hallway so far away i was afraid i may get lost) when i got back, boyfriend was frowning while eating his sandwich declaring that not only was his food sub-par, but whatever they brought me was "the stinkiest sandwich ever". he wasnt kidding. it smelled like brine and metal. part of what i love about olives is the extreme saltiness, so i took a bite hoping it just smelled a little funky. my first bite was an odd mix of fishiness, sourness and cheap cheese. this thing consisted of olives, tomato, mozzarella and basil, how did it go so wrong???
i think i got three bites into is before i gave up, this thing was inedible.
since the time for doors to open was fast approaching, and i didnt feel like arguing with the kid behind the counter i just ordered what i assumed would be the fastest thing on the menu, the $7 soup. apparently this was also a mistake.
it took 20 minutes for them to spoon my soup into a bowl, cut up some little bread bits and serve it to me sorta warm. what the hell? it took longer for the soup to appear than the sandwiches did! ugh! tasted fine, but hardly anything special.
this place fails. stick to bean bag.
Affordable, local, wifi, people to watch, and they play great lounge music. What more could you want from the corner coffee shop?
Well, actually...the tea selection is a bit bagged (let's get some loose leaf in the house) and I have to chuckle and nod to the comments about Kirk Hamett. Kind of creepy dude!
I had only been to this coffee bar a few times prior to the renovation. The time s I had been there, I found it warm, inviting and homey. The new version, isn't so much as warm. It looks great, the decor is very stylish and cool. The problem is that it lost some of that warmth. Whether it is something that will come back in time remains to be seen.
They still make a great cup of coffee so I'll continue to go, hoping for the return of that loving feeling.
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