Charlie’s Cafe

Great coffee, reliable Wi-Fi, and nice people. I can't get here as often as I would like but it is my favorite local coffee shop. The food is definitely worth a try. They don't skimp on toppings for bagels and their Mediterranean plate is a delicious, healthy lunch. Prices have always been reasonable and they have always had very quick reliable service. On Thursdays or Fridays there is also a local bakery that sets up outside if you want fresh baked goods or take home to bake pizza. Overall always delicious.

Added benefit: if you need to host a community event, Charlie's is has been there to help. They have done safety updates from the police, neighborhood, meetings... don't remember what else but lots of local stuff. This coffee shop makes SF feel like a small town.

The best iced almond milk lattes and cappuccinos in the neighborhood. I always pair it with an egg and cheese bagel and sit out front.
Fantastic and quick service always!

Charlie's cafe is a great neighborhood coffee shop with plenty of items. The large white chocolate mocha was a great value and stayed hot for a long time. The bacon egg and American cheese on everything bagel was super tasty and just what I needed. No online ordering but you can call ahead.

I am sitting in charlie's café right now feeling ever so grateful that there is NO music. What a blessing. I can think. I can read. I don't know when the live music happens, but I have not run into it. So far, not even loud cell-phone talkers. Also, coffee prices are below average, considerably cheaper than other local cafes. Very pleasant service. Good food too. And an interesting library I wish I had more time to examine.

At the western end of Precita Park, this neighborhood hangout spot has the ideal location - though poor timing has prevented me from becoming more of a regular. That's because I don't live in the 'hood, but the park is near the tail end of an afternoon urban walk I often take from Excelsior. That means the door is often shut by the time I get here since they close at 4PM during the week. I end up walking over to Precita Park Cafe just to get my caffeine fix before they close at 5PM.

Sounds like my loss because it looks like they have live music and a bakery pop-up on the weekends. Oh well, I was able to sneak in under the wire on a recent Wednesday and order a satisfying $3.75 medium Cafe au Lait (photo: https://bit.ly/3xCL00U) and threw in a $1 Chocolate Chunk Cookie (photo: https://bit.ly/3naQMlD). It was a tad stale but who am I to complain at that hour? They offer sandwiches, salads, and breakfast bagels if you come at a more reasonable hour. Someday I'll manage to do that.

COFFEE - 4 stars...a smooth brew
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...a bit sparse when I was here
SERVICE - 4 stars...friendly and efficient
TOTAL - 4 stars...all the fun stuff happens on the weekends, otherwise it's pretty chill

RELATED - Exploring Bernal Heights? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2CaaWFe

We love Charlie's Cafe. Super friendly people and great food. It's a very casual and welcoming environment. They even have live music out front often and a pop up bakery too.

Love this cafe - just down the street from our place in Bernal. Great sandwiches, friendly owner, nice service. They have an awesome pop up bakery and live band every Friday morning. Good neighbourhood spot that has a real sense of community.

Basically the perfect neighborhood cafe. The staff are friendly and are a big part of the easy vibe. Plus the food is great at good prices! Places come and go in this city and it's nice to hang out somewhere that feels connected to the neighborhood.

Love their lox bagel! Really nice and cozy place to get some work done. They have a variety of chips, drinks, sandwiches, and more. Charlie is very nice, but the lady who works in the front isn't very friendly. There is limited street parking around the area. Great place to grab some food for a small picnic at Precita Park, which is across the street.

We were so delighted to stumble across this gem. Charlie was so warm and welcoming and made us feel like we were old friends coming in for a visit. He was so attentive to our three-year-old and made her feel so comfortable. We had the Mediterranean Platter and it felt like getting a home cooked meal- it was delicious and clearly made with love. We'll definitely come by again the next time we're in that part of town.