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Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph HillMon., Wed-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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After several months of plodding through dust, dirt, grime and a life of mediocrity, I've finally arrived here.
Review number 100.
You only get one. I mean... sure there's 200, 300, 400, but the next milestone really worth mentioning after this will be 500. I must cherish this moment for all it's worth.
But why Joe? Why Curly's? Why have you chosen this place for such a momentous occasion? Gather my children and let me tell you the tale.
I've been in North Beach for a little over 2 years now, and I'm a self proclaimed breakfast fanatic. I've rubbed elbows with the best at Mama's, and slummed it with breakfast at the cheesteak shoppe (don't get me wrong it's actually really good there), but I had settled on my local favorite; Mo's.
My neighbors have been here even longer than I, and they always told me about this other place "curly's". I'd never actually made the plunge, and when I walked by once I was put off by the look, feel and outdoor vibe of the place.
Then the magical day arrived.
Actually, it wasn't that magical. You know those days when you're so hung over you vomit all day? I don't mean FEEL like it, i mean you literally leave the toilet for 10 minute increments to drink water. That was me.
Somehow, I decided that this was the day to try out Curly's. Probably due to my weakened state I agreed to take the plunge. Twas me, the gf, and my friend Or. Man was I hurting! I don't know what I was thinking... going out to eat when I could barely hold down water... but my fool ass self thougth food would make me feel better.
I ordered a spicy omlette (too pained to remember names), oj, and coffee. Sad thing was, I was so miserable I had to leave! the coffee was good, the oj was delicious, and the food! wow... so damn good. I had 3 bites before I had to drag myself home alone and early, just to yack up more. My friend had the gall to call me rude for leaving them alone. I shoudl have yacked on him.
*sigh*
Seriously though, everyone else enjoyed the crap out of the place, and I even enjoyed the food reheated (in a skillet of course. DAMN you microwaves!), and there's no question in my mind that Mo's has been defeated at long last.
Get the homefries (or at least ask for crispy hashbrowns; mine were a bit rare) and whatever you do, show up hungry cause this is THE place.
Sunday morning brunch is a serious past time of mine. The combination of a hearty meal and relaxing brunch banter is key to successful recovery from a long week of work and partying.
The cafe is a few blocks away from the popular Mama's in north beach and is a suitable alternative. We got there around 1030ish and were promptly seated. The menu offers both breakfast and lunch; we focused on the breakfast items. Id like to try their Japanese items like donburi rice bowls and teriyaki, since it appears to be run by them. I also thought the logo featuring a samurai holding a spatula and pan was pretty awesome.
I ordered their corned beef hash and a latte. Both were excellent. The corned beef hash was homemade and perfect. Tender, not too salty, and slightly crispy on the outside. I like Lower Haight's Kate's Kitchen's chunky corned beef, but this is probably the best corned beef *hash* i've had anywhere. The latte was also very good.
My companions had pancakes, plus eggs hollandaise + smoked salmon. They were both pretty happy but S said she'd get the corned beef next time.
It's a diner! It's a Japanese restaurant! It's...BOTH? HUH?
Yes, Curly's is a breakfast/lunch diner that serves things like egg scrambles, omelettes, French toast, as well as Croque Monsieurs, BLTs, teriyaki and don-buri! It's odd, but it works if you're looking for your typical greasy spoon at easy-on-the wallet prices.
My coworkers and I stopped in for lunch today and amongst the items off the menu that we ordered were the Italian sausage, mushroom, and spinach scramble with hash browns and toast on the side; Croque Monsieur (melted ham and cheese in between two thick slices of French toast) with a choice of hash browns or fruit; the salmon scramble with rice (I know - ??...but the gal who ordered it liked it); and housemade corned beef hash and eggs. It's pretty straigtforward diner food, but we all enjoyed it enough to eat up most of it. It's great if you're pressed for time. We came here after realizing we had no chance at Mama's during the lunch hour rush.
Curly's cons: inattentive, spotty service, and the dishes do not all come out at the same time. One of the people in our group received her order when most of us were halfway through ours...
This place is gross. The hubby and I came here, looking for a good bfast place (the line at mama's was crazy long). Said hubby immediately got incredibly nauseous after finishing our nasty meal. The eggs on the eggs benny were oddly and unnaturally shaped, the muffin was tough, the hollaindaise sauce was weird and lemony. Everything about it was lazy, pre-packaged and anything but fresh. The pancakes were fine but really who messes up pancakes? Don't waste your time here.
Date & Time: Sunday March 15, 2009 @ 2pm
Company: Michael & Jack
Crowd: Neighborhood Regulars from 20-80 Somethings in Baseball Caps & Sweats Reading The Papers
Vibe: Homey & Very Casual
Decor: Grandma's House. Small Plaques on The Walls w/ Quaint Little Sayings. Tightly-Packed Green Vinyl Banquettes
Service: Nice, Quick, Efficient & Resemble My Chinese Aunties
Imbibe: Coffee & Juice
Devour: 2x2x2 Which Consists of Eggs, Choice of Sausage or Bacon & Pancakes or French Toast. 2x3x4 Which Consists of Deux Eggs, Trois Pancakes, Quatre Sausages & Hash Browns
Total: $28.63
Geat Service. Wonderful waitresses! This is exactly what a casual breakfast and lunch place should be like. Good food in a casual place. Lots of selections/choices -- and both American and Japanese menu items! Tip the servers well -- they so deserve it.
Thanks.
Exactly what a coffee shop should be Uncomplicated, quick, clean and tasty. I was in the area craving breakfast, hoping I wasn't too close to the tourist traps to find anything authentically good, and I stumbled upon Curly's.
Looks to be family-owned or at least sole-proprietor, my favorite type of spot with the "Apostrophe-'s' " showing pride of ownership and with a slight Asian influence. If you're Asian (or part- like me) rice has a magical allure and Curly's has rice. Good rice. With breakfast.
Thanks Curly's, you helped make a bad day better with your spot-on food.
Eggs benedict was all right, nothing great. Very reasonable prices, and as others have said, is a good place to go when the Mama's wait is too long. The wait there on a Friday when I went was over an hour, and I just didn't have that much time.
Yummy breakfast. I like their granola with fresh fruit. It was so pretty, I almost didn't want to eat it.
This is not the place for ambiance. It's just good breakfast in the neighborhood.
Charming North Beach diner serving "traditional" breakfasts...great omelettes, french toast, eggs, etc. Go here for a good "honest" breakfast.
Fast and courteous service from a cordial wait staff.
Good breakfast spot...When my bf lived in Nob Hill, we used to walk down to Curly's for breakfast quite often. They have great French Toast and veggie Eggs Benedict. Most everything I've had has been good here. Also, it's really inexpensive to eat here; you can be out the door for around $25.
I've come to Curly's three times now, and I can sum up my experience in three words:
Staggeringly Fast Service
I ordered the exact same thing each of the three times I've been here, never been disappointed with the quality of the food (can't say the same for the check, its pricier than I would like which makes this a rare stop for me in my neighborhood, if I can cook it from scratch for two bucks worth of ingredients and you want 15 from me you will lose).
I order:
Coffee
Large grapefruit juice
Corned beef has with two eggs, over easy and whole wheat toast.
I swear, the food has always come out in under five minutes. Maybe more like 2-3, I don't know how they do it, but it seems like I get my coffee just right with a little crme, a little sugar, and bam the foods in front of me.
So yeah, it's ok if you want easy diner food, and it certainly has more character than a Denny's but maybe 20% more expensive than it aught to be
I would give this place 1 star for the following reasons;
They like to harass you for your order, not giving you nearly enough time to make an educated decision about what you want.
The food is mediocre.
They have an aversion to bringing you water, even after several requests....and we all know, especially on a weekend morning, just how important water is.
The ranch is bad. Diners should ALWAYS provide good ranch dressing.
They have some Japanese dishes on the menu. Last time I checked a place called Curly's would lead you believe that they serve American fare. The back page of the menu is so very wrong!
I give this place one additional star for one reason, and one reason only, and it is purely by chance that Curly's was lucky enough to receive this honor.......
This is where Kate K shared the story of how she got drunk, grabbed Gavin Newsomes ass and told him what a great job he was doing. Way to show your patriotism Kate. You just stole the title of "Putting the ass in classy"!!!
First of all, I'm very confused by this place. They serve greasy spoon fare along with traditional Japanese lunches. I wouldn't call it a "fusion" restaurant. It's more like an iron skillet welded to a piece of samurai armor. Two great tastes that shouldn't even be on the same zip code together, like cotton candy and bourbon.
Secondly, the food is below average. My coffee tasted like they roasted in some socks in with the beans. I love coffee and I would honestly rather go to Denny's for a cup of joe than order the coffee here again. Major points lost there.
My omelette was unremarkable. The eggs were cooked reasonably well, but they didn't put in the rest of the ingredients until the eggs were already cooked... so all the bits just sort of fell out as I was trying to eat. Again, not impressed.
Okay, so this being a Saturday morning breakfast with friends, we were busy catching up rather than deciding our on our order. We asked the waitress for a couple of minutes. She took this very literally. She came back in precisely 120 seconds. We asked for a couple more minutes. Clearly we weren't ready, but just like clock-freaking-work, she was back to ask again. Did she have a stop watch hidden behind the cash register?
It appears that many yelpers are seriously hating on Curly's, but as we all know reality is subjective. Well, some of us know this. Some of us also know that Curly's KNOWS HOW TO PROPERLY POACH EGGS. They shouldn't be liquid, they shouldn't be hard, they should never be stringy or tough around the edges. They should be POACHED with a contained shape, a little jiggle and sit on the muffin with grace.
As capital letters indicate, this is a matter close to my heart, aka a pet peeve. Sadly, many restaurants simply drop the ball when it comes to this culinary marker. If you can't properly poach eggs - don't serve eggs benedict. But if you can and do, then by all means serve 'em up with heaps of smoked salmon & classic lemony Hollandaise, make it the day's special and you'll get a solid 4 stars from me - even if the rest of the kids won't let you sit at their lunch table.
If I could, I would give this place zero stars.
Zero.
You heard me.
ZEandRO.
Alas, Yelp is obviously nicer and more forgiving than I am; as I am forced to pony up the single.
The food here?
Tasted great going down and coming back up.
You heard me.
The waitress?
Impatient and intrusive - didn't bring either our ranch or water w/out having to be reminded - the water? Never came.
The SECOND any of us looked as if we were done eating she was right upon us clearing dishes and giving us the check.
This could be considered efficient.
It was not.
It was ANNOYING.
You heard me.
And, FYI - WORST RANCH DRESSING EVER.
Come on, how hard is it really to get Ranch dressing right?
I do not recommend this place. Even if it is a cute location in a great neighborhood.
This shitty diner is like catching yer parents having sex.
Disgusting
Curly's has great breakfasts.
They're served all day, and are made even better on certain days of the week when one of the kindest waitresses you'll ever meet scrawls that your favorite breakfast foodstuff has been deemed that day's special.
I'm not sure why this has been described as a greasy spoon. If anything, it's just a spoon.
Also, when you get a straw, it's one of the neon, bendy variety.
friendly cantonese staff. i'm not sure if it is japanese owned, but nonetheless, all the staff is very friendly. the american food here is pretty good (i've never had the japanese fare). i've certianly been here more than a few times, since it is just down the street from me, and the line is far shorter than mama's. oh wait, there is no line.
rose's omelet is quite good, its bacon, mushrooms, cheese and . . . i dont remember what else, but i do remember the tomatillo sauce, which is hotter than i thought it would be, which was good - i love spicy salsa. the hash browns are good, and cut thin. the corned beef hash, oh dear lord. ask for it extra crispy. this place does it well.
needless to say, your great neighborhood breakfast joint.
First off, I like that there's a poster board cut out of a samuri holding a frying pan (frying eggs and bacon -not that it matters) beckoning you to come in. Second, I like the name Curly.
Curly's serves basic diner breakfast food. Omelets, pancakes, waffles, sausages, bacon, etc. and it's good. The service is fast and friendly. I'm also giving kudos for the fact that the patrons are not ignored once the meal is given. Every so often a waitress will come around and ask if he/she/they would like a refill on coffee or anything else.
Now, I like to eating outside in one of the two tables provided by Curly's and it's great to know that I, too, am not ignored. A waitress will come out with a coffee pot in her hand and refill my cup. Constantly having a HOT cup of coffee?? I LOVE it!
Tasty breakfast and Japanese fare! Though I sometimes have french toast and strawberries, I feel as though I'm cheating on my beloved yaki udon, which is a mix of chicken, cabbage and a variety of other veggies tossed in with udon noodles.
I was digging in one afternoon when a teenager from Spain tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to show him on the menu what it was I was eating. I hoped he liked it as much as I do!
Warning- this review might come off as hypocritical. While, I don't think my breakfast merits 4 stars (food quality borders 2-3 stars) I thought the service was very good. Except that I had to ask for water. 4 stars because there were a tableful of drunk lads on a bachelor party drinking binge next to me that were loud and I wouldn't have wanted to wait on them. Then I forgot my cell phone there, and Curly's son in law chased me down Powell Street to return it. So they are nice tolerant people.
That being said, the food isn't all that. I didn't order hashbrowns, and they were greasy and overcooked. The omelette had just the right blend of ingredients, but the ham was awfully sweet. Maybe the pig had one too many cupcakes prior to being hacked up as ham.
The breakfast costs me about $15, and I could have made just as good of a breakfast home for much less except I would have missed the bachelor party entertainment. Doubtful that I would return anytime soon despite its convenience.
I just moved up from the South, so pardon the accent.
Sometimes I like to skip dinner, go to bed early, and arise with a ravenous appetite for an American breakfast. This morning was just such a morning, and Mama's was packed with peckish denizens. So I strolled North Beach, malnourished, searching in vain for something other than pastries. (You might have seen me, it was quite sad.)
And then I saw the poster board, what looked like a drunk and angry grandmother with a kaiser blade (some call it a sling blade, I call it a kaiser blade), threatening me with the daily specials. I had happened upon Curly's, and the door was open, so I took one of the many empty seats. The service was speedy, and overall it's a great place for a loner breakfast without all the bells and whistles.
The coffee was something other than good. Bad? I mean, coffee aficionados please correct me, it might have been some organic, fair trade shade-grown hydroponic dark roast from a single tree in Uzbekistan, but to me it just tasted like dish soap and recycled Folger's.
However, the scramble was pretty good, and the salsa was excellent. Not much to say about the potatoes, but it's a special moment to find good ones (outside of my kitchen).
So, take the lady to Mama's, but mosey on down to Curly's if you just want some quick grub. Opt for the OJ.
The food was cheap, the line was non-existent, and server quick and attentive. Also, I sat outside to do some people watching - there was a funny smell inside, which seems to be supported by other reviews.
I started out by trying to cure my hangover on a Saturday morning by walking to Mamas - I should have known better. I was stunned by the line, promptly turned around and went to Curly's, which I had passed on the way. After getting the mini-breakfast (1 egg, meat, potato, and toast done right) and a Coke, I had time to read the newspaper and sit on my ass for a little while before strolling back past Mama's to see the same suckers still standing in line.
A good breakfast at a good price. If you're going by yourself or with one other person, I recommend sitting outside.
One word: Denny's. It is exactly the same, aside from the name. Same expensive prices, food quality, dishwares, etc.
Not bad if you want something quick and simple.
Good breakfast. Limited outdoor seating, but it does make this place "dog friendly". We like the menu, especially the rice and SPAM! Decent coffee. No crowd problems, like "Mama's"
You know a place is run by Asians when Curly himself looks like a Samurai warrior and the menu offers, "hash browns, toast, or RICE" as options for your breakfast sides. For the most part, Curly's is hefty on the portions. You will definitely get full (to the point where you will, literally, feel your stomach expand). I had an egg white California omelet with hash browns. It was good but not the best because the menu doesn't really offer anything that you can't get somewhere else. Basically, you could go to IHOP and get the same type of food with a short stack on the side. I mean, that would be an insane amount of food but, well, I'm not impressed when my friends' burgers were accompanied with Ore-Ida Golden Crinkles. For goodness sake, at least use the standard cut fries and create the illusion that half of the stuff isn't ready made and frozen. Boo!
Genuine neighborhood place frequented by a diverse North Beach crowd. Great quality, good value. And I love the parking garage across the street -- San Francisco is an urban environment, its neighborhoods are not designer malls boxed up in suburban ghettos.
I used to live right around the corner from this place. I have to say that this is one of the best neighborhood breakfast/lunch spots in the area. I would do my laundry in the morning and just hop right across the street to have some breakfast. They serve both American and a small list of Japanese fair. I love their corned beef and hash as well as their pancakes. Their rice bowls aren't that bad either. It is one of those places where the locals go to just grab a bite to eat. If i still lived in SF, this would be one of the first places I would go to, no questions asked.
I just went here the other day, because some out of town friends wanted to go see the stupid Parrots of Telegraph hill, so we went out to North Beach in the morning, and stopped by here for breakfast...
Had I read some of the previous reviews here on yelp, I might not of stopped by here...but I'm glad I did! This place had some great breakfast food...much better than Lucky Penny Diner by my house (not hard!) I had the 2 X 2 X 2 breakfast, and my french toast was done perfectly!
The customer service here was good...it was pretty quiet when we went there, so I'm glad to see that it was ok...my main beef with this place was the portion size....when I go out to breakfast on a Saturday morning, I wanted to get stuffed, and their portions left a bit to be desired...it was very good, just not enough of it....
I'd come back here if I ever go out to North Beach in the morning again...(not often...)
Not a bad place to have breakfast. Nice quiet place to read the paper. I recommend the French Toast with banana and walnut bits.
If you come by for lunch I recommend any of the japanese donburi rice bowl dishes.
Atmosphere has a low end diner feel to but its nice place to eat and get away.
They have Japanese food here? Ha, I actually had no idea, as everytime I go here it's for their delicious and hearty breakfasts (too hearty according to my scale!).
Whenever I'm in the mood for a nice traditional breakfast (and don't feel like cooking it myself) I head over here. So far I've had their french toast, pancakes, hashed browns, eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. It's all delicious. The food isn't greasy, either, which is good.
The wait staff is friendly and the service is efficient and excellent. The restaurant is clean and the food is always great, what more can I say? They're right in my neighborhood and far more accessible than Mama's. They're also a perfect hangover cure.
Great service- friendly and fast.
Food is tasty (my boyfriend is in love with their homefries, but I could take them or leave them). I find that the food is generally higher quality than Dennys (which many of my fellow yelpers seem to compare it to). I've never gotten sick from curlys and dennys always leaves my tummy feeling worse than it did before I ate.
It is a wee bit pricier than your average diner but only by a tiny bit and I think it's worth it for fresh food served by a great staff who don't mind if you linger over your coffee for awhile after you've eaten.
Really tasty breakfast fare at reasonable prices with great service. And endless coffee. They're there to refill your coffee every couple of minutes, it seems. I've had omelettes and traditional pancake style breakfasts - both great. I've lived in North Beach for a year and a half and never made it into Mama's (line always too long), so Curly's comes up trumps as my consolation prize every time.
We go there with our two dogs at least twice a month. They're friendly and nice but they don't keep bothering you which is why it's the perfect place to nurse a hangover. Corned beef hash is the cure.
I've gone in the old and the new location - never had lunch.
Could this have been the best burger I have had in sfo?
Pattie was moist
Small fruit dish instead of chips
laid back environment
I'll have to head back sometime to verify the burger status...
For some reason, whenever there is a cutout figure of a chef, or a cook, or a jolly animal dressed as some sort of food service worker, watch out. This is a sure fire sign of crap. Seriously, start looking around, there's that awful place on Polk and that awful place in Cow Hollow - all with that dubious cutout. It's like a warning beacon for locals. I only ate here once. I only had to eat here once. Why was I smelling old sushi halfway through my bacon and eggs? Sick...
I came here with two friends for breakfast and practically lost my appetite before ordering due to a stench of what smelled like stale urine. The coffee was watery and murky. The standard breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and hash browns was greasy, lukewarm and peculiarly bland. Also, the table ketchup had been watered down. Who waters down ketchup? My one friend ventured to order a cheeseburger because, how do you mess that up? If you want to find out how, go to Curly's.
Surprisingly good omelet considering appearances, location across the street for a parking garage, and curt but prompt service. Would go again if the line at Mama's is too long.
I am ever on the quest of good breakfasts in North Beach- this one was disappointing. The sourdough toast wasn't browned enough, and gobs of butter on it. The hash browns weren't dark enough, and the coffee was the usual diner swill. Why can't some enterprising place make GOOD coffee and GOOD hashbrowns? This modest thing is my holy grail.
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