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Categories: Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches, Desserts
Neighborhood: Lower HaightTue-Thu. 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"Birley's a new favorite of mine in the FiDi. I've tried a couple of really fantastic sandwiches and will plan on working through the rest of…" read more »
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Awesome coffee house.
Sick feel & decor, killer vibe and sometimes live music, good coffee and all sorts of spicy, interesting people.
My visit there was too short and I'd like to return and spend more time enjoying all CI has to offer.
-1 star (from 5) because it gets reaaaally hectic in there (even passing the place by car you can tell they're overflowing sometimes!) and a lot of the patrons are the pretty unsavory types.
Still, I may just have to update this later to the full 5 being as this place is so neat.
Spacious; plenty of tables and sofas; friendly workers; enough selection of drinks and food. Plenty of people hanging out here alone reading their books.
Our friends came here after costume hunting nearby. The bf and I shared a cup of mocha coffee and bowl of corn chowder. Both very yummy and delicious.
The mocha coffee had whip cream on top so that made the top sweeter. I usually hate whip cream (on anything) but the bf ordered the mocha with it. I tasted it and didn't like it since it was sweet but once it was half gone, I was loving it - nothing like a strong mocha during a sunny afternoon.
We were hungry and decided to get corn chowder. I usually hate cream of corn soup so I was hesitant. The lady gave us a generous sample of the chowder which was very nice of her. She brought the hot, delicious soup with a swirl of chili powder over to us at the table which came which a side of bread.
I will definitely be coming back here if I'm in the neighborhood again. Wish I had a neighborhood coffee place like this.
Congrats Cafe International, you haz won mah coveted five stars. Why?
- Free wifi
- Friendly staff
- Good, simple food in a casual atmosphere
- Great place to hang out and/or get some work done
Ice coffee ice cubes for iced coffee makes for one bad ass ice coffee. I like attention to detail!
This place is horrible!!! We spent a bunch of money here and the lady working there was so rude to us! She told us that it was not a "library" and we shouldn't use our computers there even though they do not even have internet! She practically kicked us out after we spent sooo much money there. This place is horrible and the bathroom is disgusting! Do not go in there unless you want to get sick from how dirty it is! I still cannot believe how rude she was with such horrible food and coffee you think she would want to keep people in there!
Overpriced mediocre latte. I asked for a cup of water and she charged me for a bottle of water, which I paid for anyway because I thought she was nice and wanted to help out her business. But then she yelled at me for bringing in a veggie sandwich, and told me that it "wasn't a library" and that I should leave. Needless to say, I won't be going back to international cafe.
after spending a lot of money here, we were treated very rudely. that is definitely not the way i would thank someone for their business... especially in a city where there are so many coffee shops to chose from. I PLAN TO NEVER COME BACK, and i urge others to do the same. oh, and their bathroom was DISGUSTING. makes me think twice about how clean their food could (not) be...
Um, are those COFFEE cubes in your iced coffee? Yup, that's exactly what those are. Progrevolutionary. This review is for those cubes and for the darling woman who works there. kutgw.
I stopped drinking the Starbuck's kool-aide years ago and I try really hard to find small coffee shops that are owned by real people with real lives. When I stay at my gf's house in the city, we like to stroll down to International Cafe for coffee and breakfast. I'm a creature of habit, so I order the same thing everytime and it's always really good. I love their coffee, it is brewed frsh and doesn't sit around all morning/afternoon, which is a giant plus in my book and we always get lox and bagel. They have this awesome cream cheese that definitely does NOT come out of a ginormous Costco sized tub, it's super creamy and very fresh and the smoked salmon is always good.
The woman who owns the place is likely the friendliest woman in town. She always says hello with a giant smile and I notice that roughly 9 out of 10 customers know her by first name and talk to her about their family/job/husbands and the interaction is just cool to be a part of. She calls me sweety, sugar or honey and I always love that! I think you will love this place just as much as we do.
Isnt Zahara the best?! I have lived in New York for almost 7 years and I still miss Cafe International. I loved going in there almost every day and she would make me exactly what I wanted without even asking. It's so nice to have service like that. She also gave me a pair of beautiful earrings. The day I was looking at an apartment in lower Haight in 1998 was the day I also met the wonderful woman would make my coffee every day for 6 years!
Best Iced Coffee in SF. Feels good to throw my greenbacks towards such a sweet owner too!
My favorite is the prosciutto sandwich on Dutch bread. I have ordered it twice now and it's been great both times.
My boyfriend and I just moved to San Francisco and Zahra spent some of her day off helping us get to Costco. It was super sweet of her. She is a super friendly lady. She welcomes everyone into the cafe with a big smile.
I really like to go here when there's live jazz playing. The coffee is pretty good though a bit pricey, comparable to Starbucks prices. The desserts are too expensive for my taste, same with the food. I don't suggest going during open mic night because it's usually really crappy music. The people who work there are really nice and they get whatever you ordered to you really fast.
This is probably the funkiest coffee shop on Haight. They have couches, live music, and a nice back patio. There's always an assortment of characters milling around, providing for great people watching and stories. Their iced coffee is done right - with frozen coffee ice cubes - so it melts into more coffee...genius!
The wifi is free, but I think there's a limit of about an hour.
Man, all the more recent reviews of Cafe International make me wish I could snap my fingers or click my heels three times and instantly be sitting in the back outdoor area enjoying a beer and listening to some jazz. It's been way too long since my last visit to this artsy and worldly place. You know when a place really stands out when you think of it fondly from time to time during the 5-year span of the last visit.
Maybe Sunday I'll give it a try. If snapping my fingers doesn't work, I'll try my heels. Hell, if that doesn't work, well at least I tried. For sure I'll be hitting the Height on my next visit to San Francisco...which I hope is soon.
Cafe International is by far my favorite place to hang out and chill in San Francisco. It has such a… Read more »
Whoah. Order an iced coffee here. Not only do they let you splash a little flavoring in it, but they also drop a couple frozen coffee cubes into your glass. When you're done drinking the coffee liquid, just wait a couple of minutes -- more coffee! If you're easily amused, you'll love it.
If I am ever in the neighborhood, I deem this cafe worthy of a visit. I also frequently make this cafe my destination on Sundays for the Jazzzzzzz. I really love the atmosphere of Cafe International, it's comfy and full of interesting people. The employees are great; I've never experienced anything but great service. I am always pleasantly surprised by the food specials (soups especially) and the beverages that I've tried have all been pretty good.
4/5 stars for their cash only status (I never have cash!) and their bathroom feels a little sketch sometimes. Other than these two very minute things, I would confidently recommend Cafe International to a friend.
I live pretty far from here but it's worth the trek for great, FREE live jazz. The owner and staff are always super nice. My favorite drinks are any of the iced lattes (the ice cubes are actually iced coffee cubes) and the turkish coffee. If you like the music please be sure tip the guys a buck or two when they come by.
loved this place!
came here on a saturday night date, stayed for the fun fun fun live music (it was hootenany night). great performers, fun atmosphere, yummy chai... a great experience. woo hoo.
What the hell is going on with their bathroom?
Oh, good jazz and an awesome tap man. Nice back court.
Terrible ordering system.
Tuna on whole wheat was average, though it was a triple decker, the guy who made it was funny as shit and after 25 miles on your city's smirking hills, simply eating carbs was as good to me as if anthony bourdain had made me lunch with his elbows and teeth while I reclined on a blue velvet sex couch on my own island.
I went back... seriously the face tattoo was there AGAIN. Holy crap.
Strangely enough, that was not the creepiest part of my visit. I spent about an hour and a half working, and ALL OF THAT TIME some creepy looking, possibility mentally differently abled, dude was staring at me. I'd look up, and there he was, three feet away fixed on me. So friggin' disturbing. Whether he thinking about robing me of my laptop, or following me into a dark alley for a 'bit-o' sexual assault, I just don't know.
One thing is for certain: I now understand the plight of the attractive lady.
Face tattoo. FACE TATTOO... FACE TATTOO!!
The huge, smelly dude with a FACE TATTOO sitting in front…
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The woman that runs this place always treats me like a son when I wander in for coffee... Which is a little disconcerting. That and the old random plates and cups and silverware they serve.
I guess the homeliness is... Charming?
Yeah, Cafe International is charming. And just a bit sketchy!
Live music nights (with wine) are the best...
Walking up and down haight trying to find an open coffee shop after 6pm is harder than you'd think! We stumbled in here as our last hope for a cup of tea (we were in skirts and freezing!) and they thankfully weren't closing. There's a lot of room in here and I'm not sure how busy it gets during the day but it was a very calm evening there which = perfect! We ordered a pot of tea for two which was more like tea for a village! There was no way we could possibly finish it! But it was good and warmed us up!
Served up by a wonderfully chipper and friendly lady, our Turkish coffee (touched by ginger and cardamom) was absolutely exquisite. The place is crazy eclectic - photography mixed with random artwork on the walls, the sounds of middle eastern music overhead, a mish-mash of furniture and an organ (!) sitting in the middle of the room...very bohemian, very...well, International.
Cafe International is pretty damn cool. Passport not required.
If I could add another star, I would. Awesome "cafe" chill-out space (including an outdoor patio in the back), great variety of tasty breakfast/brunch food, good coffee, and the most amicable and personable service in the hood. Zara's good vibe emanates throughout her cafe. I thoroughly enjoy spending time here--sipping coffee, eating, reading, or chatting up with another patron. Check it out, I believe you'll love it as well.
Cafe International is my new favorite brunch place. The service is exceptional, with a personal twist. Zara takes your order all while she's yelling at people, it's true entertainment. I got a bagel with cream cheese and avocado. Sounds simple, but it's served with onions, tomatoes, sprouts, and everything is arranged on the plate so beautifully! Don't even let me start about the mimosas. I had one with fresh grapefruit juice and it was amazing.
Good food, great drinks, awesome live music. Great place to chill; love the couches here.
This is my favorite open mic in the city! Also, this was the cafe they filmed at for MTV True Life's "I Live Another Life On THe Web"! I'm going to be playing there this Friday, June 6th, at around 9pm.
They have AWESOME carrot cake. Basically, any pastry you see in the jars on the counter are fabulous.
Minus one star for the bathroom. :P But hey, the place has character! And it's very warm and welcoming.
This place has potential. It's really big, has a cool thrown-together feel, and has service that is neither in-your-face nor we'll-ignore-you-now. I also enjoyed my tofu sandwich. But the prices--at least for sandwiches--are pretty high for what you get. I came at an off hour, so I may have missed some of the community feel, but this place is definitely bordering on two stars. I'll give it a few more tries and update accordingly.
The ultimate in neighborhood coffee shops. This place has got it all- grungy funky couches and chairs all mis-matched, wi-fi and computers, big tables, little tables, back patio!, live music, and pleasant, friendly people.
It's pretty spacious and has a large window overlooking the Haight-Fillmore bus stop! It's a happening stop... Great for people watching.
The people who work there are super nice. I haven't been in enough times to be a regular, but any time I do come in it feels like I am.
I haven't had much of their food here aside from a sandwich and salad, which were both great, simple coffee-shop food. And they make a mean cafe mocha. I'd say this place is great if you have some work to get done... you can just chill out with a coffee and, perhaps a bagel or some little snack, and really zone in. I came here once to study lines with a scene partner, and it was perfect for that.
Great place!
I popped in here thisafternoon because I felt I owed the owner a lunch order (she graciously let me use the restroom last week without buying anything -- more on that later). I got an awesome avocado and cheese sandwich. The whole place smelled fantastic, had nice chill-out music going; it was an inviting sanctuary from the torrential downpout happening outside. I dried off on the couch while the guy behind the counter got to work on my sandwich.
I've got to say, this place has some of the best customer service anywhere in the city. All the staff (there were only two this afternoon) where incredibly friendly and talkative, and made this an awesome experience. Will have to come back to try the coffee.
The only con to Cafe International's many pros -- it's the nastiest bathroom I've found within city borders. But there's always time to change.
This place is great! And I join everyone on here who said Zahra is amazing! She truly is! Not only is she very sweet and friendly, she actually remembers your name and uses it every time you go there! Wow! I am always amazed by people who have an outstanding memory, Zahra is one of them. If only owners/managers at other places could provide such level of customer service! The other people there are very friendly too. And the food is great. Their tuna melt sandwich is to die for! Very good prices too. I definitely look forward to trying everything on their menu!
As you may have noticed, I'm utilizing part of today to review some of my favorite places. This is most certainly one of them.
Zahara and everyone else who works here is really kind and welcoming to me. The space is huge and very comfortably furnished. If you want to sit at a bar, you're covered. Table? Of course? Couches? You know it. Plus there's an awesome back patio for smoking and such. On a side note, it's connected to the patio at the Mad Dog in the fog if you feel like socializing with those people over there.
If you hate jazz, I truly wonder about you, but there is a variety of music played here throughout the week. There is a remarkable live jazz act sunday nights and I think tuesdays maybe. Go and check that out. This one cat plays sax and flute like you wouldn't believe and the rest of the lineup is also extremely talented.
Cash only, so bring some paper, but they do have an ATM. Always a good place to unwind and enjoy yourself, alone or with friends.
Please note that their Turkish coffee is beyond compare, and is at least the best in the city. Also, I'm sort of a bagel purist, but try their bagel with melted brie. They do a more traditional one as well, but if your looking for lox and capers, your best bet is Katz's down the block.
Only go here if you enjoy relaxation, quality food and beverages including beer on tap and generous, hospitable people.
Oh,and jazz if it's sunday... weird.
great food! friendliest service in town! great music, nice crowd
Back when I was teaching high school, the owner's daughter was in my 11th grade art class, and she would always tell me how brilliant, beautiful and otherwise amazing the Eritrean people are.
Her mother proves her case. Zara, and everyone she hires, have always treated me with great care and compassion. This cafe probably has the best service in the city, as they are not just good at meeting the needs of their customers, but also kind and warm in their approach. They also have good coffee and tasty food, comfortable seating and a back patio that is lovely on a warm day.
They frequently host live music and other events that bring together this otherwise disparate neighborhood. I think of Cafe Internationale as an anchor of the community.
For the food, kinda not so much.
For the iced-coffee with COFFEE ICE CUBES! best place for it on all those hot SF days!
Also the lady super nice and is really sweet to my son.
I wandered into the Cafe International because of the aroma of their coffee. The place is spacious, clean and airy. The staff is quite friendly and chatty. The food is fantastic (salads, bagels, sandwiches) and they have a nice selection of beer. The pastries are quite good and so is their blended fruit drinks.
And this place serves a TERRIFIC cup of TURKISH COFFEE!
The atmosphere is friendly and it's a wonderful place to hangout and relax. If you smoke, there's a smoking section at the far back of this cafe. No crummy back alley for smokers! No, siree! The smoking section is a very cool spot.
The only con would have to be their bathroom. But there's character in this john. Graffiti sprawled everywhere (and I do mean everywhere) gives it an artsy feel to it. Btw, don't forget to lock the door.
[Edit note: Sadly all the graffiti has been white washed. There's even a sign outside the john asking patrons not to graffiti. But like a forest after a terrible fire, a few nights ago, I saw evidence of life -aka small scrawls on the walls]
I love this place the staff is wonderful, and the coffee is always hot. It has a nice back patio that is perfect place to drink one of their tasty smoothies. I would suggest the #1 or # 3 smoothie. I used to go all the time but since I stopped working in the neighborhood I have not made it as often as I would like to.
PS. The ice coffee is like rocket fuel, go get it!
I was about to say I can't think of any complaints but the bathroom could use a looking glass and could be cleaner. Great selection, yummy latte. Free jazz Sunday evening. The location is great. I love the ambiance, a great place to chill with friends.
I love the staff at Cafe International. The owner treats everyone like a good friend, which is really refreshing. I love that they do a lot of evening stuff there,.. open mic, jazz performances, etc. I love that they serve beer and I think that adds to making the place a cool spot to kick it. The food is good,.... bagels, hummus, middle eastern plate,....The prices are rather high though and as usual, its cash only. If they would take a DAMN card I would go there a lot more often. And most importantly to me, the coffee is ROUGH SAUCE. I love regular straight coffee. If that's not doin' it for me, I will likely steer clear. This shop is near my work place so I used to go all the time but finally have found other alternatives with coffee that I enjoy more that is cheaper.
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