- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Castro Coffee
Rating Details »
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Lower Haight, Hayes Valley45 Church Street
(between Duboce Ave & Hermann St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 863-8080
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
Sponsored Result
You Might Also Consider
Nook
- 302 reviews
- Neighborhood:
- Nob Hill
"I loved this place. Came here for Happy Hour and had a nice glass of wine for $3 and split the pita pizza with Gorgonzola, grapes, and…" read more »
13 reviews for Castro Coffee
Sometimes you just need a Nutella-banana crepe.
Other times, you need a decent cup of strong coffee.
But all the time, you need someone to be nice to you and a little corner of the world to rest your weary feet.
For a few dollars, you can have all of these. Really, remarkably kind & generous emplyees/owners - frequently spotting customers change or a buck when they're short. Seating is outside, so, in our foggy city, it's not exactly ideal. But it's a spot, nonetheless, where you can sit and recover from the world for a few minutes. I appreciate that.
They advertised all these delicious crepes with meat, but they had that no meat that day.
The crepe I got was not that good, microwaved, and fairly greasy. I have no problem with greasy pizza and greasy burgers, but I don't want grease dripping all out of my crepe while I'm eating it.
Coffee was also fairly bland/weak.
Pay the extra few bucks and go to Squat and Gobble.
For my 1600th review, I'd like to write about the little coffee shop that's made me feel like I actually belong here in SF :)
For the past few months I've been making preparations to uproot my life and move to the Bay Area for work. It's been an exciting time, a scary time and a nerve-racking time to boot, but all in all it's been a positive experience thanks to the awesome people I already know up here and the new faces I am getting to know daily.
Part of this new "life" involves taking public transportation; a ritual that is definitely taking some getting used to as a born and raised, tried and true LA native who's been glued to her car for many many years. On the first day I took the Muni, my friend and I left my apartment at the crack of ass (8:30am) and since my friend is one of those chicks who needs caffeine to function we stopped here and grabbed a coffee and I ordered one just to fit in. Hey, when in SF, right?
The next morning we did the same thing and on the following morning we ordered and realized we didn't have enough money to pay for our coffee and get muni change. DUH! But what happened next is what has made me a fan of this place. The owner simply said, "Pay me next time"
Pay me next time.
When do you ever here that in a major city in the year 2008? I thought that only happened in the movies or in small towns with populations of 78?!?
Apparently, it happens in SF and seeing as how I now call this town home, I have to say, it just got a lot more welcoming and I have Castro Coffee to thank for that :)
I can't speak for the coffee, but the crepe I tried here was not so good.
Maybe I'm a crepe snob, but technically, savory crepes are called Galettes and are supposed to be made with Ble Noir, or "black flour" rather than the sugary white flour you'd find in desert crepes. Those crepes just taste bad when filled with cheese, eggs and tomatoes.
So I was already dissapointed that I hadn't discovered an authentic French crepe place on Church St... but I guess my hopes were unrealistic. This place also gets marked down because the crepe took forever to make (and I was the only one in line) making me miss the 22. When it was finally put in my hands, it was so hot, and cheese/ egg juice was leaking through the thin paper cone they serve it in (a cute idea, but not so practical for a full, hot crepe).
The location is so convenient that I was really hoping to be able to stop for a crepe on my way back from school... but I'm just not inspired to get another one.
I go here sometimes on weekends as it's only a block and a half from my house. When I'm feeling too lazy to make my own coffee and breakfast, but too poor to splurge on sit-down brunch, this is my spot! And what can I say - I like this place. The coffee and breakfast sandwiches are good, but at the same time average - no more or less than what you should reasonably expect, as are the prices; but the people who run the place remember me - which is super nice because I don't feel like I patronize this place frequently enough to really be remembered. Service is fast and friendly.
Also - they have a notary and sell muni passes now - totally random? Yes - but convenient at the same time.
Bagel sandwich was above average, scooped out, loaded with hummus and veggies. But what prompts this review was the staff. The person in front of me was a dollar short on what she wanted, was about to order something cheaper, when the lady behind the counter told her not to worry about it, just pay the extra next time.
That's good karma....and deserves another star.
I work hellacious hours on the GRAVEYARD shift (say it like Lon Cheney) keeping the InterWeb safe, and this place is my pit stop on my way home first thing in the AM. Unlike me at that hour, their coffee is amazingly fresh, like a greaser's hand up the hem of a poodle skirt. Their bagels always come out fluffy and toasty like a tubby gent at Burning Man. CC's most powerful fighting style is their crepes, which is French for "the Royal Elephant Ears of Bouchon l'er Schaumbert". They come savory and sweet, but not both. Your thinking of the crepes on Crazy Island, population 1, Mayor Sweet McSalty. If you are allowed to make your own lunch decisions (dont laugh, there are some people living in basements that get their lunches packed in old Safeway bags) try their chicken salad. It wont let you down...unless its that one Xmas when you asked Santa for a date to the winter dance.
A good friend of mine lives across the street from this place and swears by it. I finally tried it on her recommendation and their breakfast bagel always hits the spot. Yes, it's greasy and not all that good for you, but it's a great meal to have before going on a long hike and very tasty. Their ice blended drinks are also really good. Service is quick and friendly. My friend goes there often enough that I just had to tell them to get a coffee for (my friend's name) and they made it right up.
Not great, not bad, just somewhere in the middle. The lady was nice and the prices were about average. $5,50 for a crepe with ham, cheese and pineapple. The crepe was a bit mushy/undercooked and was overstuffed in my opinion. Also, I specifically asked for Swiss cheese, and it was loaded with orange American cheese. Blech. I do not like crepe with orange cheese! If you're waiting for the train and are hungry and/or want coffee, this place is probably fine. Maybe the sweet crepes are better. I dunno! Next time I'll go back to my standard and favorite Duboce Park Cafe.
The friendly couple that runs this stand delivers well-priced decent coffee and great bagels so consistently that I sometimes get off my N-Judah, stop by for breakfast, and wait for the next train. They have a garlic-cream cheese that is awesome, and they do great egg and cheese bagels. Yum. A bonus point for inquiring when your next train is and looking it up for you so you don't have to stress whilst waiting.
The crepes are good but the fillings are not so... eggs were too salty, peaches were canned (!!), and all in all my tummy wasn't satisfied. They have a nice variety in drinks, but I'm still wondering about the brown blobs in my chai au lait. Yeah, not recommended. 2 points for the prime location though...
I'll give them five stars for having the guts to try to eke out a meager living in a tiny business on a difficult corner, not quite at a bus stop, but close enough so that people waiting at the stop will decide to catch another bus and walk across the street for coffee on a cold windy day. They are fighting the odds for survival here and you have to give them credit for trying. It's also interesting that they are, through their name, difining a new borderline for what is called "the Castro.," which used to be confined to a smaller area several blocks slightly southwest of here. Now merchants bordering areas known as Mint Hill, Safeway Heights, Upper Market, Duboce Triangle, Noe Valley, Lower Haight, Lower Twin Peaks, etc are identifying themselves as Castro. This is probably good marketing, because it attracts more people to the whole upper market area. It is also probably good for the social clout of the Castro, that people seem to push its geographical boundaries a little further each year.
what is with the "hayes valley" locations? this place is NOWHERE NEAR HAYES VALLEY. it's in Duboce Park. a REAL NEIGHBORHOOD. that's been around FOR YEARS. next thing you know Gough street will be in Alamo Square...
