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Cafe Ponte
Category: Food Coffee & Tea Coffee & Tea [Edit]
751 Diamond Street(between 24th St & Elizabeth St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighborhood: Noe Valley
(415) 282-9551
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 6:30 am - 5 pm
Sat 7 am - 5 pm
Sun 8 am - 5 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
91 reviews for Cafe Ponte
Review Highlights
"...cafe mocha and their pastries were fresh and tasty."
(in 11 reviews)
"Six words: Chocolate chip pancakes with strawberry jam."
(in 4 reviews)
"3) Breakfast sandwich, Al Pollo are my favorite sandwiches."
(in 3 reviews)
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91 reviews in English
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Review from Arthur Z.
San Ramon, CA
1/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great 2 for 1 Mimosa deal on Sundays, this is the main attraction that keeps my GF and I returning to this place. Their bagels are just ok as are their breakfast sandwiches, for the most part we don't come here for the food very much or the coffee but we'll be sure to have some Mimosas on Sunday and perhaps grab a bite to eat.
I think the service depends on who's working and whether they are staffed and trained, I've seen a bit of turnover here which has affected service however last Sunday we had great service and even though their WiFi was down and they couldn't get our Living Social Deal to work they still gave us the deal or now that I think of it they may have not even charged us for anything and we ordered around $15 worth of stuff. Smart as we ended up ordering 2 more rounds of 2 for 1 Mimosas which we did pay for.
Don't expect a great breakfast place from here, they have their items which are decent and others which aren't that good. Don't go here for the food or coffee per say but definitely have some Mimosas! -
Review from Blake J.
San Francisco, CA
1/22/2012
Living in the area, walking past this place numerous times I decided to give it a try....
Although I found the service friendly the place was extremely dirty.... it needs to be shut down and cleaned top to bottom... it was terribly terribly dirty...made me wonder about the kitchen...
The menu in the front window had two dead flies pressed against the window... the seat cushions were dirty..the condiments were uncleaned, the bottles were sticky and full of dried ketchup.... just no excuse....lazy. I'm going to have to recommend a 'skip this place' ..... -
Review from Karl W.
San Francisco, CA
12/15/2011
This place has so much potential. I'm a Noe Valley local who pops into Cafe Ponte from time-to-time. The menu can be hit or miss, but mostly good. What suffers the most is the coffee and the service. Poor coffee and poor service. Don't go here if you're in a hurry or looking friendly neighborhood conversation with your local Batista. You're not going to find it.
The place is cute and and a good location, but with Philz opening up one block (Douglas & 24th) in February of 2012, Cafe Ponte will need to step up their game. -
Review from Katie Y.
Woodside, CA
2/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I literally found a hair in my food. What can overcome that? It was curly. Also, it's overpriced, there aren't many seats, and the people were loud.
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Review from Prague G.
San Francisco, CA
1/31/2012
Could be better. The place looks inviting but food/drinks are just ok.
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Review from Katie S.
San Francisco, CA
12/4/2011
Unfortunately I have to disagree with many of the 5 star reviews I've read about this place. I am a local resident and live on Diamond street a few doors down. It's convenient for me to get coffee/brunch here which is why I've come many times. However, I feel like every time I go in and place an order I am burdening their staff. They are not very friendly, and I've also heard this from other people I know who've been to this place (which says a lot).
This morning my boyfriend called ahead to order some hot breakfast sandwiches for pickup. We waited 25 minutes before picking up our food, and once we arrived waited another 10 minutes for the food to come out. (Mind you, the cafe was not busy at all). The wait didn't bother us at all, but as soon as we returned to our home we realized that our food was cold. It's just very frustrating to have called ahead, waited the extra time upon our arrival, and then receive cold food. How does that even happen? We actually ended up returning to the place to ask for the potatoes to be heated up, and the woman at the counter gave a scowl, took the potatoes back and didn't even apologize for the inconvenience. Straight up RUDE.
I think it's really unfortunate that the staff is this way to their loyal customers because their food is good (yet a bit overpriced in my opinion).. Sadly, I will not be returning to this place anymore. -
Review from Lolia S.
San Francisco, CA
9/18/2011 3 photos
Laptop camper here. Café Ponte looked promising - many food options, like eggs, smoothies, pot pie, mac & cheese, sandwiches, deli salads. They seem to bake a lot of items (muffins, scones, brownies, whoopie pies) themselves. The granola is housemade. But they might be better off getting their baked goods from a supplier.
* Oatmeal ($5) - very gummy, didn't have enough water? Pretty bad. Oatmeal was on the outside of the bowl. Served with cinnamon, almond and raisins. It shouldn't be hard to make good oatmeal.
* Latte - made with organic beans, extremely bitter, stronger on top but weaker and sweeter on the bottom (strange)
The wi-fi connection was terribly slow and there weren't many power outlets. I even had problems with my cell phone connection. It was a bad morning all around.
You know you love me. X0 X0, laptop camper.Listed in: Confessions of a Coffeeaholic, Free wi-fi + Food in SF
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Review from Zuri P.
San Francisco, CA
11/17/2011
I LOVE this place. If I lived in the neighborhood, I'd probably be a regular here.
I originally popped in for the ambiance but stayed for the yummy food. There are great little window seats to lizard out on in the sun and because the cafe is pretty quite, it's a nice place to just relax.
In my opinion, the most amazing things they serve are the homemade Chicken Pot Pies, the "House Cleaner" juiced veggie drink and the chocolate chip cookies. -
Review from Christopher C.
San Francisco, CA
7/11/2011
The good:
My girlfriend had a breakfast sandwich on a bagel which looked pretty decent.
The bad:
Everything else... two lattes, one with normal milk, one with soy, neither of which had any foam... hence disqualifying either from even being loosely referred to as a latte. Mine was not even vaguely warm -- I seriously drank more than half the thing in the first sip.
The ugly:
The service is deplorable, a la a mouth-breathing, strung-out dude behind the counter whose mere presence was offensive, not to mention the downright nasty manner in which he (attempted) to communicate with customers and kitchen-staff alike.
The uglier:
Even the recommended "in-house-made" banana bread was drier than a dead dingo's donger.
To the tip jar: By chance do you have the technological capabilities of wiring directly to my Yelp account the less than $1 of change I tossed in you as a good faith gesture prior to being served any of the above hoax? -
Review from Jennifer N.
Walnut Creek, CA
10/19/2011
I had friends who used to live down the street and always walked by here, thinking it would be nice to sit out on their patio, sip a drink and just chill. And, perhaps, that's all it might be good for. The idea of of this place is just overall better than the reality.
We came here after parking up the street and walking over to the Noe Valley Harvest Festival and were pretty much famished. We perused the menu and decided on paninis. Not the best choice. Maybe this place does better on the breakfast items ( I was THIS close to getting a veggie scramble) because their sandwiches, although huge, are kind of bordering on that okay/weird/gross after a few bites tip.
The presentation of them made them look yummy. Pretty large, fresh lettuce, nice looking (but mealy and awful tasting tomatoes) and seemingly generous serving of mozzarella. However, after a few bites, it was apparent the focacia bread was stale, the tomatoes were terrible and the mozzarella had this weird gummy consistency after a few bites. My boyfriend's chicken seemed a little better-he was pleased except for the bread.
Originally, I was open to going back and maybe trying a breakfast item but after writing this review, I am getting more and more grossed out by this place. The whole place seemed a little on the dingy tip-especially considering the neighborhood you're in.
No problems with service or the person at the register, as others have indicated. It seemed alright to me and it was friendly and quick.
Maybe a place for a coffee or tea, but otherwise skip it. -
Review from Kari G.
San Francisco, CA
6/24/2011
I've tried and tried with this place and I really wanted it to be good, but I've been let down each time. I visited this place once a week while on a break from work in the area. I always went here because my break was so short that I didn't have enough time to walk a few blocks more to the next food establishment.
I've tried a little of everything on their menu:
- Scone: was doughy from not being cooked all the way in the middle (yuck!)
- Chocolate chip cookies: once I had one fresh from the oven and it was awesome! The next time I had one from the glass case and it was as hard as a rock, paling in comparison to the one I had the week before.
- Tofu+hummus sandwich: bland and not much going on. Would not order it again.
- Mushroom barley soup: this one was alright. I ate it and can't complain too much about it.
- Pizza slice: it's really hard to mess that up. It tasted alright.
- Salad: It had a "should have been in the compost and not on my plate" taste.
- Coffee drinks: average
- Fruit smoothies: not much substance here. It's pretty much some juices blended with ice. Def not worth the $5 you pay for it.
On top of the food being way below par, I feel the prices are too high. I know it's expensive to be in SF, but these prices at this place are def a bit higher then most other coffee shops.
Honestly, I'm surprised I still see people in this place and think they are only there because it is convenient. I've seen on two separate occasions other people dining there return their food because it was bad. Seriously. I'm not the only one!
Also, their 'free wifi' never really works that great, if at all.
You'd be better off skipping this place and making the extra 2-3 block walk down to another food establishment. -
Review from P G.
Palo Alto, CA
12/18/2011 2 photos
Decent cup of coffee but an even better place to sit and enjoy that cup of coffee! Great on a sunny day!
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Review from Jason B.
Updated - 6/12/2011
Rumor: Good vegan cookies. Fact: Very good vegan cookies.
Large enough to split. With three people. More chocolate chips than you thought existed in the universe. And so good you won't know it's vegan.
Wash it down with an equally excellent americano. Sugar free vanilla syrup and nonfat milk are both available to make it perfect.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/4/2009
Not a lot of yelp love for Cafe Ponte, which leaves me in the minority giving four stars. But what… Read more »
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Review from Norman Z.
San Francisco, CA
6/7/2011
Slow service. Not so great food, had the lasagna. Everything was bland, except for the salad because it had salad dressing on it. Really not worth the money I paid for it, even with the half off ScoutMob coupon.
My friend said his Greek Scramble had way too many olives and was way
too salty. Not coming back.
Next time I want food like this, I'll pay a visit to Safeway's freezer section. -
Review from Jane A.
1/30/2011 2 Check-ins Here
HUMBLE LITTLE CAFE
(3.5 stars)
Been searching for a not so exposed cafe where i can get my espresso and breakfast eats real easy. Also, been using my "bling dollars" and this place supports the Bling Nation program. When using your bling dollars, you get more rewards to this place. So far, i've recieved additional money to spend here. This cafe is a small cafe tucked in the nighborhood of Noe Valley. Place is comfortable and cozy, nothing fancy. Definately a place where locals from the neighborhood come in to get coffee and pastries.
Since I was using the free bling dollars, i've loaded up on my orders. This is what i've had cafe latte, breakfast special (pancake, eggs, bacon), 2 eggs any style (eggs, toast, homefries), chicken sausage, mango lemonade.
I really enjoy their cafe latte's. Their pancakes larger than your head. When i ordered the breakfast special it came out in two plates. the rest of the breakfast items were the average tasting. I enjoyed their mango lemonade as a sweet refresher after breakfast. I'm really looking forward to trying other goods from this cafe like their apple pie and brownies.
Although i've came here on a Monday and Tuesday to grab an early bite before heading to work, this place would fit more for a Sunday morning. It's definately a cute cafe, near the private school so children in their uniforms come in to buy a cookie before school, the retired elderly folks come in during the morning to have their coffee and read the paper, moms in their yoga outfits coming to grab a pastry. It's that kind of feel.
Will I be back? Perhaps this week for another breakfast meal before work.
Until the next review... -
Review from Jo D.
San Francisco, CA
4/17/2011
Been here a few times over the fives years we've lived in the city ... every time I go back it's because I want to give them another try ...... Today was the last time, the one star is for the couple I talked to while waiting ....
Pros
- close to home
- patio for a sunny day
Cons
- Rude staff and I have to assume owner
- Terrible service
Ordered a latte, server messed up order by serving the lady after me first with my coffee then when they realized the error they pretty much acted and voiced that it was my error. 20 mins later I received my drink that was not worth the wait.
Sorry but that was the last time .... -
Review from Boris C.
San Francisco, CA
10/5/2010
Cafe Ponte is a charming corner cafe on the West of the main 24th Street area in Noe Valley. It's a quiet spot away from the hustle of the main area that's sunny and modest, with equally sunny and modest people working there.
Food is homey, but can be hit and miss. It can be good. It can be a bit disappointing. For instance, I love their panini, especially their Al Pollo, which has mozzarella and tomato, with some pesto. However, a couple of times I got it, the chicken was dry and like jerky around the edges. (I would have returned it, but I got it to go, and didn't feel like going all the way back) Salads are decent, as are soups. Service is sometimes faster than other times.
Don't go in a rush. Go there to read a news paper, people watch through the window, have a small bite to eat.
They take credit cards, but you need to buy more than 9 bucks worth, fyi. -
Review from Marc A.
Having a lazy Memorial Day has its benefits when a cool cafe is right around the corner and you don't feel like being held up at home...
Second time in here and again, blown away by the great customer service and the other patrons.
I've been craving a Bloody Mary for weeks now and was thinking, while this isn't really a bar maybe they will have them... and of course they did. To be honest it wasn't that good but it wasn't that bad when you consider where I was. It did the trick, that's all I'm sayin. What was pretty damn good, was the peanut butter cookie that the girl behind the counter told me would blow my mind. She was right - so light and fluffy - just right! Good call!
What was really cool... I had forgotten my power cord and due to the lack of power outlets in the cafe I was pretty much SOL as my Mac was out of power. Luckily for me this super nice girl lets me use hers without even asking - she saw that I needed one and was happy to help. You can't beat neighbors like that!
So when's the next Monday holiday? Enjoy!Listed in: How You Bean? (coffee and…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/25/2010
What a great Sunday afternoon find! We were walking to the park to enjoy our freshly made sandwiches… Read more »
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Review from Mark B.
Palatine, IL
8/24/2010
Another place we haunted while on vacation in San Francisco.
Since we stayed just around the block, we dropped in to Cafe Ponte nearly every morning.
Excellent cafe mocha and their pastries were fresh and tasty.
We'll definitely go back when we're in town. -
Review from Jo M.
San Francisco, CA
9/18/2010
Never mind that the coffee is bad, they are consistent in slow service and have a good chance of forgetting the full order.
I want very much to like you Cafe Ponte, considering they are right around the corner from me, but every time we go for breakfast we waste about 45 minutes of our AM, and then leave without our full order. Knowing that if we tell them about the bagel they've forgotten -- it would take another 20 minutes. That happened again this morning.
We're cutting you out of our breakfast options, Cafe Ponte. Sorry. -
Review from Chet M.
San Francisco, CA
8/16/2011
I live up the street. If this place had decent coffee and wifi, I'd camp here (and buy my espresso-an-hour seat-rent from them, not from starbucks, 4 blocks away). But
(1) no free wifi. I've made the mistake -twice- of going there, buying an espresso and a coke, sitting down, only to find ... no wifi.
(2) the espresso is ..... undrinkable. I'm pretty particular about my espresso (starbucks is about the worst I can stand) but this stuff makes Starbucks taste wonderful by comparison.
The location sure is nice. And gosh, if they had free wifi, I might even put up with the lousy espresso and just buy cokes. -
Review from kavin m.
San Francisco, CA
7/19/2011
Great location poor attitude and service
Not a thank you or anything
Ugh -
Review from vic w.
San Francisco, CA
2/8/2011
A decent neighborhood cafe. I can't comment on the menu beyond the pastries, I usually go for coffee drinks.
the pros:
- fair trade and organic coffee, espresso drinks are usually well prepared
- good pastries
- great little outdoor seating area
the cons:
- free wireless service is spotty and tends to drop
- service can really vary depending on which staff are working -
Review from Cassie J.
San Francisco, CA
9/10/2009 7 photos
Wow, the low ratings for this place really comes as a shock to me. I enjoyed a nice morning here today, so I'm surprised to see that a majority of Yelper's have a negative view point.
I came here to find a nice quiet place to read, and that I found here at Cafe Ponte. They have comfortable banquette tables with comfy cushions so it was easy to get in the concentration mode.
I ordered a green tea and an almond croissant. The gal working at the counter was friendly and efficient.
I can't go wrong with Mighty Leaf Green tea, and a nice fluffy croissant with tons of almond flavor. I've had quite a few almond croissants at other places that are just topped with almonds, and with no bit of flavor inside. Not the case here.
Seated myself on the banquette booth facing the window display of house made quiches, chicken pot pies and mac n cheese, and the ULTIMATE Apple Pie! It was staring at me every time I looked up to take a break from reading.
And boy it really is THE ultimate apple pie. It's not your typical All American apple pie. It's huge, topped with granola and nuts, and crushed with walnuts mixed in the whole and halved apple pieces, I also got a hint of cinnamon flavor as well. But what amazed me was the amount of apples in the pie. If you can see, there is an abundance. It really seems like they used a whole apple just for one slice.
Apple pie tasted great, and wasn't overly sweet. I loved the texture of the pie with the walnuts and granola in it as well. Quite different.
Overall, I really don't understand the low ratings for this place--definitely was a great way to spend my morning.
I will be back.Listed in: Desserts, Pastries, Ice…
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Review from Naomi C.
San Francisco, CA
4/24/2010
One of those neighborhoody places that you keep thinking could go out of business any day now, but somehow manages to last forever.
The portrait of a woman "Carmela Ponte" on the wall behind the door seems to indicate some interesting back story to this place's existence. It also gives you the password for the speedy wifi at this friendly neighborhood spot for coffee, pastries, sandwiches and prepared salads. Everything has a kind of home-made, could and would have done this myself kind of taste to it, for better and worse.
From the smell of brownies and muffins wafting through the air, I think they do their own baking in house, and the blueberry muffin I tasted was about the best I've ever had. This is kind of an all purpose, little of everything kind of place you want right in your hood. Wine, beer, coffees, killer mac and cheese served in a piping hot souffle pot. Want something sweet? something savory? They even have an interesting selection of hard to find bottled beverages of tea tonics and healthy drinks.
Location is perfect, just steps up from the bustle, sunny, airy and quiet.
And did I say friendly service? The owner gave me a blueberry muffin and thanked me for coming in. Smart business man, since that muffin alone will bring me back for more. -
Review from andrea f.
San Francisco, CA
2/28/2010
This place was just okay.
And a little, um, off.....
I spent a lazy Sunday exploring the city with my fury sidekick and randomly stumbled upon Cafe Ponte. Looked cute from outside, so I stepped in to grab a scone, an americano, and the paper. (about $8)
When I first walked in I could not really tell where the register was as this place is pretty darn small and it was kind of hidden.
Once I got to the register I waited a couple minutes before the dude came up to the register to help me. Pretty sure there was no hello or smile. It was just sort of, well, awkward. Dude was super awkward in general. Kind of gave me the creeps.
Now, I know I am a huge coffee snob, but the americano was terrible. It took him like 5 minutes to make, he added the hot water on top of the espresso (a BIG no no), and did not make it a long shot. It was SO hot I couldnt even take a sip for about half an hour and I didnt even finish it because it wasnt that great. It was quite disapointing.
The almond scone was pretty good, though...
Overall, I just had a weird, funny feeling when I was inside here.....
Don't think I will be back. Sorry.Listed in: I might be a coffee snob...
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Review from noah c.
Oakland, CA
9/1/2011
a little pricey & slow but nice place and friendly staff. added bonus of using only fair trade coffee beans.
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Review from Dan P.
San Francisco, CA
10/6/2007
Disappointed
- Internet didn't work for me or my neighbor
- Decor was fine
- People who worked there were fine
- The Chinese chicken salad was as tasty as a hobo's anus. Flavorless grilled chicken as dry as Black Rock City, the whitest iceberg lettuce on the face of the earth, and those asian "crisps " which, along with cockroaches, are the two things that can live through a nuclear holocaust. If I were Chinese , chicken or lettuce, I would be offended at this impostor! -
Review from What's in a nam e.
San Francisco, CA
12/11/2010
The 2 stars are for their outdoor patio (really nice on a sunny day) and their fresh-squeezed orange juice (yes, I have a weakness for good orange juice).
The food, to be polite, sucks. I've stopped by a few times hoping "the last time was probably just a bad day", but it is really not very good. I had their goat-cheese/spinach/tomato quiche today ("our most popular dish") and the strong egg-y flavor was really off-putting. They had just micro-waved it as far as I could tell so it was all soggy.
So... go here if you want to enjoy a beverage in the sun, but give the food a miss. -
Review from Jess S.
San Francisco, CA
11/14/2006
I love this place. It's close to work, yummy and good for people watching. Their pasteries are superb and the food is great. The only problem, and why I give them 4 stars instead of 5 is that they don't always listen and therefor sometimes screw up my order.
Good location for brunch. -
Review from Ryan H.
San Francisco, CA
10/3/2008
This place has such potential. SO much potential. Unfortunately for whatever unknown reason it doesn't utilize the potential it has to make it a true hot spot.
So disappointing.
Cafe Ponte has one thing going for it, and imo, only ONE thing going for it: It looks incredibly charming on the outside, is in a great location, and is quite charming on the inside as well (this is probably why I gave it 2 stars instead of just one). At first glance it looks great!
The menu provides many options, from omelets to scrambles to sandwiches....all of which sound tasty and full of fresh and local flavor. Unfortunately things did not go as expected. My taste buds couldn't even be bothered to wake up, let alone dance, after trying my breakfast entree (a veggie scramble with potatoes) nor my partner's (a breakfast sandwich). In my opinion breakfast foods are hard to "do bad" as most of the ingredients are the same. I know it isn't a good sign when the first thing I do is reach for the salt and pepper shakers. The food was also luke warm at first bite, which I absolutely loathe (and we were the only customers in the restaurant so I don't know why our food wouldn't have come out piping hot).
All in all I was really disappointed to say the least. The baked goods in the cooler looked tasty so perhaps I will return to give them a try. Unfortunately based on my first experience, I'm not rushing back to do this any time soon. -
Review from jay h.
5/27/2007
I had coffee here with a bff of mine for our monthly "Catch up on Sexploits" chat session.
The coffee was cold.
So were my sexploits.
God I'm lame. -
Review from Katie I.
San Francisco, CA
1/12/2010
Six words: Chocolate chip pancakes with strawberry jam.
So, so good. I can't even begin to describe how good their pancakes are, especially with jam, not syrup, spread on top.
Oh, and the pancakes are huge, bigger than your face huge. If you're moderately hungry, just get one. Pretty hungry, go for two. Only get three if you've not eaten in days.
The cafe isn't huge, so if you go on a weekend morning, know there might be a bit of a wait for a table, though there is some seating outside. -
Review from Janie A.
Redwood City, CA
4/4/2007
I used to like this cafe. It was never a 5-starer in my book, due to the low-quality baristas, but the owners were very nice, and the coffee, not bad.
Since the ownership change (maybe about a year-and-a-half or 2 years ago I think), the decor has gotten much better but the staff has gotten worse. They are suprisingly rude and unfriendly, so much so that I'd rather walk all the way down to Tully's for a coffee, where the staff is, without fail, always nice to me.
The espresso drinks are not very dependable, but on the bright side, the chocolate croissants are absolutely heavenly. -
Review from Griselda L.
San Francisco, CA
5/1/2010
Nestled in Noe Valley, a walk away from much of the foot traffic off 24th street is Cafe Ponte. I am here every week in an effort to unwind, read art magazines, and of course blog surf. Cafe Ponte has first and foremost excellent customer service, the staff is kind, courteous, warm, and friendly. Secondly, the food is delicious, fresh, and breakfast is served until 3pm, how awesome is that? Thirdly, while I am NOT a coffee snob, I do like coffee, and I found the house coffee yummy!
+free wifi
+intimate setting
+breakfast scrambles, yummy!
+panini sandwiches (size is enough for two people)
+salads---so delicious! -
Review from Niniane W.
Mountain View, CA
5/14/2009
The wifi didn't work today, but they let me use their ethernet cable. Unfortunately the table was covered with dust, so I had to wash my hands every time I touched it.
The cafe's scrambled eggs and potatoes were tasty. -
Review from Kerrie L.
Seattle, WA
6/16/2007
Nice way to spend an overcast Saturday noon - coffee, blueberry scone, and free wireless. Scone is not too sweet, and coffee was good until it got cold...the cup is kinda wide and the door is open. The nine tables in the place are not full, so even though the place is small, there are still places to sit. However, BECAUSE the place is small, the people-watching is not what it is at Ritual (although I have this great window behind me...maybe I should turn around).
The dude behind the counter was very friendly, and he took the time to explain the sticky card thing to the guy in front of me (I wanted to know too, but I guess not enough to pay attention...apparently it's a discount card for various Noe Valley businesses?). And speaking of the guy in front of me...and the guy beside me...the customers here are also very nice. -
Review from Betty and Mike C.
San Francisco, CA
9/4/2009
We never heard of Cafe Ponte until we saw a Groupon for it, $10 for a $20 meal. That sounds like a pretty tasty breakfast to us so we were excited to try Cafe Ponte on a beautiful Friday morning.
A cafe should not be called a cafe if it does not have a single thing in its bakery display case other than 2 very stale looking blueberry scones. Croissants of any kind? Zero. Isn't this a breakfast/coffee place?
Ah..a perfectly lovely morning usually involves a great cup of coffee and a warm smile, got NEITHER at Cafe Ponte.
Wow, did somebody wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Ever see cartoon characters come to life? Well our cashier looked like she had an umbrella with rain coming down on her because she was as unpleasant as one could be. No smile, no acknowledgment, completely despondent when we were making our order and a cold, glaring stare.
The food was decent although we would not pay full price for this joint, sorry! We had the veggie egg scramble with potatoes and toast and oatmeal with raisins and almonds and both passed the taste test.
The coffee though do not get a cappuccino, I don't even think it should be called that. It was cold and bitter just like our cashier.
I know it seems a bit dramatic but I kid you not, she is really unpleasant. I felt as though I got a stare down as I headed to the bathroom, not really a cozy neighborhood feeling kind of place you know what I mean?
Do yourself a favor and head down to the cafes on 24th street if you want something cute and charming because Cafe Ponte: not it. -
Review from Victor W.
San Francisco, CA
7/12/2010
Question: How long does it take to put meat between two slices of bread?
Answer: 25 minutes.
Ponte appears to have the charm of your standard Noe Valley local cafe - light decor, fresh pastries and a young, friendly staff but...YIKES. After waiting in line for about 10 minutes as an awfully confused family attempted to order breakfast and my giving an eye-roll to the dude at the counter, I finally ordered a sandwich.
After another 10 minutes of waiting, I ask the cashier/waiter if my sandwich is being made and she says that it will be just a few more minutes because they've been backed up with orders - a strange phenomenon when there are only 3 groups of people in the place and 2 of the three already had their food.
Another 10 minutes: Stomach rumbling and disposition irritated, I get up once more to ask what the deal is and tell the person at the counter that I'd just like to get my money back but she assures me that my sandwich is almost done so I agree to stay.
Another 5 minutes: Sandwich is delivered with waitress saying "sorry this should have been out 10 minutes ago"....um pretty sure it should have been out 20 minutes ago.
Beyond the crappy service, the food/coffee just isn't very good. Wouldn't recommend this place especially given how many little cafes Noe Valley has to offer that have much better food and service. -
Review from Barry G.
San Francisco, CA
3/1/2008
I should start this review by saying that I'm not a foodie. Don't get me wrong - I certainly appreciate impeccably-prepared, delicious food. But, I'm more about good food, atmosphere, and people when it comes to deciding which restaurants I enjoy the most. And Cafe Ponte delivers pretty darned well.
I walk over there almost every Saturday morning, and I can always find a seat. The French toast (my staple) is generously served and delicious. And the yogurt and granola plate is hearty and most tasty. I try the pastries on occasion, and they're always fresh and delicious.
I can read or work there for hours, and nobody ever makes me feel rushed to leave so they can turn a table. I love that people share tables there, as well. There are always lots of locals and interesting art to be enjoyed.
Although it's true that the urns of coffee seems to be out a lot, the staff quickly responds as soon as they hear from a customer. Oh - and the enormous cups rock! (Think the size on "Friends").
If you want a friendly neighborhood cafe with good people, great atmosphere, and tasty food, try Cafe Ponte.
(p.s. They offer free dog treats - that has to say something good about them, right?!?!)
