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Categories: Coffee & Tea, Latin American, Mexican [Edit]
Neighborhood: MissionWe have free wireless internet!
Mon-Fri. 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sat. 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sun. 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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The pearl of the mission! A great way to start your sunday mornings.....
Forget about it.
La Taza Salad has to be the most delicious salad I have ever tasted in my life. House dressing that I beleive is Godsent.
Um, I'll take extra Cranberries if that's an option :D
Don't forget to come up on the Grill Chiken!
The Best Coffee in the Mission district!
Coffe is Imported from heaven and served at this spot on the…
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This place is so much more expensive than the cafe I usually go to in the Mission (Cafe Petra) that my wallet was hurting even while I was scanning the menu. My usual drink, a small hot coffee with soy, costs $2 here, and only $1 at Cafe Petra. Everything else is pretty expensive, as well. Why a small iced mate needs to cost $3 is beyond me.
I ended up getting a passionfruit Torani soda for $1.95. Pricey, but it was hot and I was not going to walk all the way to 16th and Guerrero for some more reasonably priced drinks.
Friendly vibe and the line goes quickly. Not too noisy considering it was packed. House coffee was wonderful,strong and smooth without a trace of bitterness or sourness. The music was good. I did not have a meal but everyone around me was eating breakfast and it looked delicious.
They serve "beagles"!.....see menu
http://cafelataza.com/...
What a great crispy chicken sandwich. Love the salad option. Always friendly service. I will be back.
I agree with the "pearl of the Mission" review. The free wifi, giant window (that they often completely open!), great tex-mex-y grub, good coffee and pleasant environment make this place a breakfast favorite of mine. Used to go there a lot and still would if I lived closer. Basically there's no reason I can think of for Cafe La Taza to not get all 5 big ones.
Every monday, I am there! Busy little establishment. Very clean and good customer service. I recommend the Blended Caramel Mocha iced or hot is good, the mango pork sandwich and their thai chicken salad....SCRUMPTIOUS! HECK! I recommend all their menu!You won't regret it.
I LOVE the fresh squeezed orange juiced I want one right now! I feel thirsty just thinking about it. Ahi Tuna Wrap was pretty just the right combination of Tuna and vegetables, salmon was plain and their house salad was sweet but a little oily. Nice spot for the missions. =) The waitress misunderstood me several times. But she's friendly.
Excellent food anytime of the day. Friendly staff. I recommend the orange juice and honey dijon salad.
Yay! Free Internets! (hard to find in the Mission, don't my paisas get online?)
I came in here to do some interneting the last time.
Ordered some coffee and a piece of cake, then an italian soda, and sat on those for about, mmm, 3 hours.
It was sort of hard to actually get online, as the staff didn't really know too much about it, but once I finally figured it out, I was golden.
Loads of good sandwiches and salad options, yummy desserts, wine and beer, and people who don't stare at you. Reminds me of Gusher in Tijuana somehow. Mostly Spanish spoken, awesome old school Latin pop. Curada.
Sandwiches-good.
Service-very good.
Prices very good-Americano is the same price whether it is small,medium, or large.
A variety of people come in here.
They are doing it right.
Recommended.
The Inner Mission (15-24th Sts. respectively) isn't the kind of area you'd find a Peet's, or a Starbuck's for that matter, so in the event that you find yourself sleepy in the Mission, as I did the other day, and skeptical of the sanitation of neighboring shops, I strongly suggest La Taza for a strong, tastly cup of joe.
La Taza is a cute, seemingly clean cafe in the midst of boarded up theaters and 99cent discount stores, with a window displaying locals chowing down on hearty eggs and mean looking sandwiches. A place I wouldn't hesitate to wind down in, or to perk up!
Love it or hate it, the Mission is certainly a land of extremes, from the uber-dive taquerias to the uber-trendy brunch spots. Which is why it's surprising to find a place as utterly ordinary as Cafe La Taza, hidden in plain sight on Mission at 21st (but then, this is also an unusual spot for a Union Square spin-off). It's just a no-frills, counter-ordering place where the folks go to get their grub on. But it's definitely no dive either, despite the fact that we were probably the yuppiest/hipsterest people there.
So how's the food? Pancakes didn't wow me (although maybe I was still recovering from my homemade sugar-bomb french toast the day before). The Mexican-tinged "Special Scramble" with potatoes, on the other hand, was the perfect protein/grease/carb delivery vehicle (especially thanks to the liberal use of cheese). And the lattes are scalding, as they should be.
Slap a back patio on this place and a lot more gentrification and you might have Cole Valley's Cafe Reverie. But in the meantime, it makes a great hideout from the hipsters.
Great cafe, and the food is outstanding. The cafe is always clean and they are always playing good latin music (usually spanish pop or salsa). Its a really a quick easy and comfortable place to go for lunch, breakfast or just for coffee. Friendly staff and fast service. I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes for my food to come to the table. Their White Mocha is really good, or if your in the mood for something refreshing they have freshly squeezed orange juice daily. So many good dishes, plus their sandwiches and salads are off the chain! I recommend the Pancho Salad and the California Chicken Sandwich, and of course the Salmon Sandwich. Definitely a gem in the middle of the mission district, I totally recommend La Taza.
Decent place, more of a local Hispanic crowd, with some hipsters and yuppies sprinkled in
Fairly broad menu, with Mexican influences but not 1 sided
I got the chicken sandwich special with avocado and tasty salad
$11 for sit down lunch with a foofy / "honest" $2 bottled mango beverage
You order and pay upfront and they bring it to ur table, need to ask for water
Cleaner that other establishments in the area
Cafe La Taza is truly a neighborhood steal. I have passed this place a gazillion times but never made it in until this afternoon. Now I'm just banging my head against a wall for my stupidity. I let such a good thing go unnoticed for close to 2.5 years, what was I thinking?!!!
First of all, it looks a lot smaller than it really is. There's plenty of seating for one, two, three or however many people you go in there with. The way it's laid out is narrow and long, so when you walk past the cafe, it looks tiny, but once you're in, it's stretched pretty far back and has lots of room. Also good mix of folks who are there alone and in pairs/groups.
Service is great. The barista was very friendly and made me feel welcome and a place I'd want to go back to.
Prices rock. I got a small coffee ($1.50), a veggie bagel w/avacado ($3.75) and a fruit cup ($2.50) and was surprised to see the volume and presentation for such a meager price. They don't scrimp for paying less and they certainly put TLC in how your plate looks. Plus coffee and food all tasted fantastic.
And as many people have already sung, there's free wi-fi.
This place is unassuming but it has some of the best breakfasts and lunches in town.
Don't let the decor stop you, it really has great food and amazing portions. The half sandwich and salad is the best. the soups are homemade. YUM!
On mornings when I'm feeling like a treat, I go here for my favorite breakfast: an Egg-a-Mooby-Muffin. OK, they will look at you crazy if you order that, and it doesn't even actually involve any sort of muffin, English or otherwise, but it's my breakfast and I'll call it what I want to call it! If you care, it's a hot croissant sandwich with bacon, egg & cheddar cheese. Mmmmm...
The employees are super-sweet and they make a point to learn the the names of regulars like me, even when those regulars have weird names like Juicy that are apparently really hard to pronounce if you are a native Spanish speaker. They really try hard, and I appreciate it!
They always make my breakfast perfectly. Well, there was one time when there was a mis-communication when I ordered for my husband and they tried to tell me I was wrong.... Huh? You must be mistaken. I am the customer, therefore I am right. We cleared that one up pretty quickly and I haven't had trouble there since.
Great coffee, too. I just get the regular drip coffee. If I want a cappuccino, then I'll walk the extra block to Ritual.
I could have another $10 salad in the FiDi, but while my office is amongst the suits I am a quick BART ride away from the Mission.
My omnivore dilemma is quickly solved by a sub-$10 carne asada plate at La Taza. La Taza's decor is quite nice and is frequented by both latinos and other folks.
Their carne asad plate is accompanied by rice and salad an is quite tasty. It isn't the best I have ever had in my life but is quite good and a great substitute for the usual burrito or taco.
I come here about once a week for coffee and maybe a pastry. The coffee is ok and the pastries are a little on the small side and not that tasty.
I enjoy coming here because the service is great and speedy.
This is not necessarily a place I would hang out at, but not a place place to have an informal meeting.
I caught them on an off day today. There was something nasty in my omelette (burned potato?) and I asked for no bread and no potatoes in my omelette and they missed that too.
Yummmie! I love this place so much! I come by here when I need a quick bite and they make custom… Read more »
Friendly staffs, fast service (too fast they forgot to add the cream cheese and capers... etc on our lox bagle).
We order a bagle with lox, cream cheese, capers, and stuffs, but the bagle came only with the salmon, and nothing else. It was unfortunate that we had our orders to go, buythe time we chowed through our other food orders and realized this, we were miles away from this place.
We also had a reuben sandwich and Thai Chicken salad. Both were very disapointing. The meat was decent, but the sandwich was way too soggy when it came out. BTW, we didn't let the sandwich sit for long, and pretty much started to eat the sandwich soon as we got into our double parked car. The frys resembles more as mashed potato rather then frys.
After finising the Reuben, we worked on the Thai Chicken salad. Our mistake, we should have never order this dish. The chicken, dressing/sauce was flavorless. They also include some "raw" rice sticks along with the fried up/cooked ones. Come on, I almost broke my tooth trying to chew on those uncooked dry rice sticks/noodles.
We didn't enjoy the salad, and ended up tossing the majority of it.
Finally, the bagle with lox. The bagle was good, the lox was decent.... but as stated before, it's missing the cream cheese and caper.
A brief history: I first went to Cafe La Taza by myself during an eye doctor appointment across the street at Dr. Stamper (my eyes had to dilate so I figured I'd get some food). I got a delicious toasted turkey croissant sandwich. I made a mental note to return for breakfast sometime because there is nothing more frustrating than waking up hungry on the weekend and having no where to go without a wait. Am I right?
First breakfast venture with the roommates, Nate C. gets the daily special - some bizarre crab cake thing. Sorry Nate, but we're in the Mission at a coffee shop. What makes you think they'll have gourmet crab cakes? Nate swore to never come back. Many months later, I twisted his arm to take another stab at it, and success! Nate C. and Jon K. ordered the french toast and I had the pear walnut pancakes. O-M-G! I don't think any of us came up for air during that meal. Moral of the story, I found my go-to weekend brunch spot, and my roommates will be joining me.
Note: They have amazing fresh squeeze orange juice but they don't keep it cold. Is it worth it? You decide.
Hello Taza my old friend,
I've come to eat from you again.
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the scramble that was planted in my brain
Still remained
Within the cafe's ambiance
Hungry for food I walked along
Down Mission from my Bernal home
Whether chorizo and eggs or burger-turkey
Were destined soon to my next breakfast be
When my eyes were pulled by the flash of a tuna melt
That'd keep me svelte
Down at Cafe la Taza
And at 21st St I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People eating without speaking
People satisfied without listening
People downing meals that hipsters never share
And no one dared
one-star Cafe La Taza.
"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Bugaloo's too far to go
Hear my words that I might teach you
VPP can be good, too
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the Taza's food - well made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the menu that it was forming
And the sign said, "The food is good, and the prices always fair,
this I do swear"
Down at Cafe, La Taza.
don't know what i would do in the mornings without la taza in the mission...i get good coffee, great service, and practice my spanish! love it.
Knock knock, all you places that serve lunch and breakfast......it's Cafe La Taza, here to kick your ass.
I had the salmon sandwich on my first visit. For $7 and some change, my salmon sandwich was too much food, and I was given choice of salad or fries to go alongside the scrumptious sandwich. I was feeling healthy that day....I took the salad.
I haven't tried the coffee, but the food service is pretty damn good...and the place was packed, which is always a good sign.
I go here for lunch about twice a week. Good food, fast service. Good price for what you get.
This is a fine breakfast place if you want to sit for a while and be with a diverse crowd from the neighborhood. My chorizo scramble was good, but not outstanding. But, it was comfy and fine and the person who helped me was super nice.
Came in for a quick bite expecting average tasting food. I was soooo wrong. My grilled tuna sandwich and Carnival salad were really good (yes I know, I eat a lot). I can't believe I hadn't stopped in here sooner. Service was friendly, and the line moved pretty quickly.
I'm bringing Steven here for breakfast tomorrow.
I think I've also found a new spot to do schoolwork.
______________
UPDATE 02/02/2008
Yup, breakfast was impressive. We had one of the board specials. Be sure to try the Mexican mocha, too. This place is definitely going into our regular rotation.
This is a terrific find. Such good food and great drinks. I have to say that they make food taste better than the average restaurant.
I recomment the patrami and the mango pork.
And you cant fault the price or selections.
Cafe La Taza: The Restaurant
Cafe La Taza is a colorful Mission respite from the packed hipster brunch choices, the taqueria breakfasts or the dirty windowed diners on mission street. Its a place where one in search of pancakes with extra syrup or a cafe au lait will find them.
Cafe La Taza: The Coffee Section
You would actually be surprised at how few coffee shops there are in the heart of the mission. If pressed, my closest options for coffee are on Valencia and 16th- which is ok but, like I've said in a previous review the clientele is Squiffy; another option is Ritual coffee roasters ---not a welcoming crowd, of course I'm no activist or pro-bono lawyer. Of the three I prefer La Taza--- Its eclectic in clientele and offers stuff I like. Lets face it when having coffee 'on site' the clientele plays as big a role as the quality of coffee.
If Mama's in North Beach (see my other review) deserves five stars, this place deserves six. This place makes me believe that it is possible to get lip-smacking delicious, cheap breakfast without having to wait in line 45 minutes in the cold a la people of the Eastern Bloc countries during the cold war.
The chorizo scrambled eggs is to die for (enough to warrant food envy) and the seasoned roast potatoes (my turn to have food envy - I chose cup of fruit instead in an effort to feel less guilty about such an indulgent breakfast)are one of the best I've tried so far. Those two things alone provide sufficient support to evidence the five-star rating.
The extra star goes to the cafe mocha - this is the only other place in the Bay Area that has 10 out of 10 cafe mocha (the other is Prolific Oven down in South Bay).
The food here is ok, I think the coffee, and the tea especially, are the main attraction here. So if you want some killer caffeine and you are in the lovely mission district, check this little place out. The desserts are very good too!!!
Yummy! Great place to go if you woke up on a Sunday morning after 3 and missed Mama's cut off time! Hehe =) Breakfast is just as good but it doesn't have the same French cottage feel to it like Mama's ..but, I don't mind since the food is so good! =) Cafe La Taza is more like one of those chill, read, drink coffee type of cafes...but they have an open dining area and serve food on the side =)
These days, it seems like breakfast costs as much as dinner! There are certain places in my neighborhood, whom shall remain nameless, where you can't get out of there without dropping 20 bucks on breakie. So where do I go when I wake up on a Sunday morning, throat parched, smelling like stale cigarettes and sour beer, open my wallet and notice several bar receipts, no cash, and an ATM card that looks like it has had a work out? Cafe La Taza!
There are a variety of tasty breakfast choices as well as salads, sandwiches, and hot meals like chicken and rice, fish, etc. You can also just get a bagel and cream cheese and a cup of coffee! All of their food is very tasty and very reasonably priced.
If you're looking for an ungentrified mission neighborhood place... this is your spot. I love all the different people that come in here - and the front tables are great for people watching inside and out.
I actually really enjoy coming here for breakfast by myself for some reason. The coffee is good, the orange juice is fresh, and the prices are great.
My favorite thing here? Huevos Rancheros... best rancheros ever. This is the metric by which I measure all HR... and nothing has come close yet.
I went in with the intention of enjoying some Mexican comfort food, maybe some chilaquiles or chorizo with eggs, but something else caught my eye: the mango pork sandwich. I was a bit curious, so I ordered that with a side salad and an iced chai tea.
My food was brought promptly, and the portion size are more than filling. Served on a baguette-type roll, the sandwich contains thick, tender slices of pork slathered in mango relish...I was blown away, it was really delicious!
Meanwhile, I was wondering what had happened to my drink. It turns out that without my noticing it, someone had taken it from the counter! I'm sure it was probably a mistake, but still, who does that? The staff was gracious enough to make me another, so no harm was done. One minus star for serving chai mix straight from the box.... Boo!
All in all, the food is deliciously superb, and I WILL be back.
La Taza is our favorite breakfast spot! We love their coffee, chai and breakfast plates, though they fry up some mean french fries too. We visit it everyday and when we don't, my day just isn't complete. Here is what entertained me this weekend while enjoying my coffee at La Taza.
I noticed a couple that seemed to be having a little bit of a tiff. Being nosey, I kept my eye on them for the duration of our visit. Fortunately, they sat at the table directly next to us. How convenient.
It seemed odd to me that she was blurting out things like, " it doesn't need to embarrass you" . I thought geez, what's the deal with this guy. Nothing looked embarrassing about her initially. They both pulled out sections of the newspaper, she found the crossword puzzle and it looked as if he was reading the business section. Keep in mind, that I am paying attention all the while, trying to carry on with my own breakfast, conversations with Tex and web browsing craigslist.
Then it was clear!
It appeared that she was reading very very close to the newspaper, It is ridiculous how tiny some of that print can be. Looking more closely, I realized that she was dozing off, then with a burst of energy as if someone sounded an alarm, she popped her head up and started asking her companion for help on the puzzle.
Similar noddings happened the entire time, when she was awake, her eyes were rolled back into her head.... obviously she was in some way inebriated. But it was interesting to watch her trying to function normally. Her table partner tried to shh her when she randomly started chatting it up with a gal that sat on the other side of them about whales and ducks or something like that from a childhood memory. He slumped in his chair and tried to reel her attentions back to the paper.
The kicker for me was when her pancakes came to the table. A large stack of 4 or 5 pancakes. All fluffy and golden brown. Steamy hot with fresh fruit on them. She politely asked for LOTS of butter, with her eyes rolled back in her head.. the waiter quickly returned with sufficient amounts of butter. She proceeded to put large amounts of butter on EACH pancake, I watched amazed! She is a small petite gal. I didn't think she could eat all of these pancakes, but she did! That much butter would have made me vomit.
Anyway, after the butter and loads of syrup, she began her quest of eating. Every movement was in slow motion and multiple pauses happened from point a to point b of picking up fork, stabbing pancake. Then a new set of pauses started from plate to mouth. I couldn't stop watching and felt guilty for doing so! (At one point once the oversize mouth full of pancaked dripping with syrup entered her mouth, she paused in that way you always pause right before you barf it back out. I was thinking this might be a good time to leave, but we weren't finished, so I didn't. Luckily for me and everyone around, she held on to it.)
This happened bite after bite...mixed with sudden blurbs about things she wanted to talk about but only had enough strength to rattle a few sentences... then the nodding started. One particular nodding session that almost landed her face in her sticky plate. Her companion so engrossed in the paper that he payed no attention to her struggles. I wanted to shake her before her nose landed in the pancake mound... but I didn't, I just watched... is that bad?
Finally, when she had a fork full of drippy pancake, butter and syrup combo in her left hand, head and shoulders slumped over the plate... it began, the slow tilting forward, as if she were a melting top heavy snowman. His face was still in the paper, I wished I had a video recording this disaster... there she was teddering, leaning, leaning almost in the plate.... then "whammy" To my disappointment, she was able to jerk herself awake right before the landing.
I let a big sigh, not for relief, but one of disappointment, that there was no climax to the wreck at the next table. Secretly, it would have humored me to see her melt into the pancakes! I am sure there is a karma lesson in here... that's why I am only sharing it with my friends.
Shame on me!
I like this place cause of their fruit juice that gets you ready for the all day and cause I feel like I'm abroad when sitting in the cafe.
The wifi works great, the code is the phone number of the place.
The staff is nice, young and friendly. It seams like they offer the best pastries. The best is the atmosphere, if you don't speak spanish (like me), you'll feel like you're anywhere else but SF, I felt like on I was on vacation in Spain or Mexico. It was a good trip !
Simply a great place for everyone in the neighborhood to have quality food and great espresso. Hipsters that have more hip then taste, might find themselves walking their vintage checked Vans to pose somewhere else, but they won't find better grinds. The place is run by a family of coffee roasters that goes back a least a couple of generations.
The best kept secret - Mexican Chocolate Mochas! Order it "short" with two shots of expresso, and soy milk if preferred - AWESOME!
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Coffee & Tea
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