On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Diners [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Hayes Valley, MissionMon-Tue. 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Wed-Sat. 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Wed-Sat. 8:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Whether you need a late night snack, or an early morning breakfast, we've got you covered. We're open 24 hours Thursday- Sunday... more »
Loading...
We passed by this place so many times and I always thought it was called the Fountain! Never even knew it was called It's Tops.
You can only be a fan of this place if you love the feel of a true diner. The nostalgia, the short order cook, the milk shake maker, the jukebox, the vintage canisters from the heydays and the mounted pictures and magazine articles through the years.
It's Tops has been around since 1935 so it's seen a lot of changes on Market Street but it definitely reminds me of 30's diner. The place is open until 3am which is a great place to grab a late night dessert or breakfast (whatever your choosing). Yes, it is true there is one waiter and one cook in the kitchen so patience is key if you come here.
We ordered espresso milkshakes (real espresso, real ice cream, real good!), pecan pie ala mode (tons of pecans), apple pie ala mode, blueberry pancakes (soft, fluffy, tons of blueberries, and a latte.
The food is great diner food and the prices are totally reasonable. I love this place because it isn't a commercialized diner like Mel's or Lori's.
Definitely would come back for a late night bite!
It's tops has been around for a long, long time and that's what makes it a wonderful San Francisco place!
The diner serves great pancakes, and satisfying, comforting food all around. The environment can be very busy or slow paced depending on what day of the week and what hour you come in. They open early and stay open late! In general I've had nothing but friendly service here which is a big reason I've been here as often as I have.
If you've never been to It's Tops and you've lived in the city any amount of time, you're missing out!
Great Espresso Milkshake and Juicy burgers! Vintage jukeboxes and grease that you can't replicate if you tried. I don't think they've cleaned that grill for decades! You can taste the "good" grease here.
Charming little dive place. Open Late, and heard they do a good breakfast. I'd come back for another Espresso Milkshake.
Tiny diner, but good food and service make it a solid choice for traditional breakfast -- check out the buck wheat blueberry pancakes -- as well as lunch. Gooooood French Fries make it tops in my book.
Simply put I love It's Tops. I've been going there for around a decade. I've never been there drunk or stoned so perhaps that's why I've never had a bad experience.
You want a big comfortable space where there are lots of wait staff and everything is organic and free range. THIS ISN"T IT.
It's Tops is a diner. A small diner with one wait person and one person cooking and that's about it. It's not good for groups and the service isn't fast. As soon as the food is ready you get it but with one person it's not a freaking drive through.
The best things by far are the pancakes and the shakes. If you are a fan of livers and onions at 1am this is also a great place to go. Frankly most of the food is good, not exceptional, not chic-chic fancy just damn good.
As for the service, don't be a dick to the wait staff and they wouldn't be dicks to you. The only time I've ever seen people have issues there were when they were the issue.
Why does it have to be problem to get what you want when it is clearly printed on the menu? How can you be so incompetent to let the restaurant run out of simple items?
Then there is the wait time. How long does it take to make a couple of pancakes and eggs? 10 minutes? 15? Ok, 20? TRY 40! Yes, forty minutes to make simple breakfast, especially considering the restaurant is half empty.
I have only been to It's Tops once, and I am already a fan. I had banana-walnut pancakes, and they were excellent. I am looking forward to having one of their mint-chocolate malted milkshakes, and their bacon waffles (!). Hooray for diners!
Sausage waffles and peanut butter and chocolate chip pancakes. We each split our order and shared between. Peanut butter between each pancake and a little syrup on the side made for an incredible dining experience. The waffle had sausage crumbles folded in. Seriously, it was delectable. If you're a sausage fan, that is. A side of bacon and potatoes and you can't go wrong.
Super cute waitress with a vintage print apron shepherded us through the multitude of menu options and I was very grateful.
Great wood paneling and long serving counter. Just my kinda place.
Tasty late night food and I was happy we ended up there. I will definitely return.
Best pancakes ever! I hadn't been here in ages, and it's gotten pricier ($6.50 and up for pancakes, add $1.50 or so for buckwheat, $2.50 for a side of 2 eggs), but if that's what it takes for them to stay open, I'm for it. Had blueberry/buckwheat, and they were perfectly cooked and flavorful, not too much butter melting all over them, and lots of fresh juicy berries. The coffee is old diner bad, but the pancakes are so good it doesn't matter.
GET THE KIMBERLY BURGER! It's not on the menu but it's fantabulous! It was a recommendation by Kimberly, the waitress there. It has medium rare double beef patties with perfectly melted cheese and grilled onions. The non-processed hand cut shoestring fries are the best I've had. In-N-Out is OUT!
Small print: The waffles are amazing as well.
Had a mediocre breakfast here a few years ago and sort of swore it off until this morning when I granted it a second chance. Super glad I did -- amazing amazing pancakes, great diner coffee, best bacon I've had in ages, and saucy but fun service. Great all around.
Few things -- not good for large groups. And I'd stick to the simpler menu items. If I remember correctly, it was an omelet with lots of ingredients that was disappointing last time. The blueberry pancakes today, however, were perfect.
Had a great impromptu date here last night. Date had some kind of double patty burger with onion rings - I ate the rings, and yes the rings were very good, although they did have the really breaded batter which isn't my taste. But they were very good anyway, which is saying something. I had them BBQ which was also surprisingly good, i don't think it's the standard Heinz crap.
For myself I ordered two lemon drop martinis (made with soju cause they only serve beer and wine) but she made them with fresh squeezed lemons and they were REALLY good. Just right -tangy and a little sour, with the sugar rim a welcome contrast. Seriously good.
Great atmosphere as other reviewers have stated, and yes, also previously stated, waitress is brilliant. Loyal, friendly, sweet, smart, fun, personable, wearing the vintage print home-style apron (handmade by someone I bet) over the classic pink 50's vintage waitress uniform.
The jute boxes on the tables don't work so that was a bummer. When we mentioned it, she offered us our quarter back, but mentioned the money goes to American Cancer Society so would we like to leave it? Of course we donated it, and the others we had lined up to play too.
A great night all around. AND walking distance from the house. Hard to beat, unless you wanted to eat healthy of course. No modern salads-for-dinner type stuff available here.
Mmmm. Awesome Hotcakes (just like the sign says) OR sausage stuffed waffles, that's right...waffles bursting with pieces of link sausage. They are crispy and delicious.
I love it's Tops. A little pricey, but it has a 1950's diner / cabin interior, which is PRICELESS. Breakfast is consistently good and the service is friendly. There is usually just one waitress and it feels like she's hosting a party in her own home.
I think they also have an Awesome Happy Hour, but I haven't tried that. Yet. However, there is a sign that says $2.50 Anchorsteam. And apparently I'm really into reading all of the signs...
Mushroom Cheddar burger with onion rings and a chocolate shake is my new obsession!
Bacon waffles??!? Are you kidding me? That's what I'm talking about!
3.5 stars. The food was ok. Well, it was diner food, mostly fried things, and after some bootie kicking cocktails from Martuni's, I'm pretty sure my taste buds were not fully functioning anyway.
We were an obnoxious bunch and it was only about 10-ish so I can't blame the poor waitress for trying to quiet us down while keeping our pitchers of water filled. Since someone was drinking straight out of one, this was quite a feat.
So, if you're in the area and need to eat to sober up, this is a decent option. Please try to drink out of a glass.
Ben and I came here after dropping his cousin off at the airport early one Saturday morning. I guess we showed up at just the right time to get a booth and some coffee before gangs of others joined us for the morning ritual.
Our waitress was very nice and seemed genuinely interested in our welfare. She even adjusted the window because she saw that we were cold. I think she's from the Mid-West.
It's Tops is a sweet little ol hole in the wall, set up like a trolley car diner. The booths are old and duct-taped, but in a charming way. It's been well-used and well-loved over the years, the kind of wear you'd get from regular coffee and flapjack folk getting their breakfast everyday.
The food is standard diner fare, but I love standard diner fare. I usually am happy as a clam with a tuna salad sandwich, some crispy french fries with ketchup, and a cup of black coffee. It's Tops delivered and then some. Shoestring fries were on point, as was the tuna salad (though the bread did have mayo on it, though I asked for it without. I didn't complain to the waitress, but she noticed me scraping some of it off and apologized for the cook forgetting. She didn't need to do that, I was just fine with it. I only ask for no mayo on the bread so it doesn't get too soggy).
I really hope we come here again soon!
Nothing bad to say about this place. Solid food, nice, efficient waitresses, and cozy tables to chill with people you like. I have fortunately not had the displeasure of sharing my dining experience with a bunch of loud and disrespectful morons, but I imagine I'd be quite annoyed in such a small space if this were to happen.
Moving on....
Totally not the fault of It's Tops, but I think it took me about 4 days to digest the peanut butter-chocolate chip pancakes. They are really really good, but be warned there is a price to pay. They also make a good veggie burger when you're in the mood for something slightly more healthy.
I'm resisting giving one star because I used to LOVE this place. I've given it MORE than 3 strikes but this morning was the worst. We waited over a half hour to get our breakfast. Just regular ol' eggs, bacon, hash browns. It was 12:02 when we sat down. We got our meals at 12:37. People who sat down after us got served first. AND the stuff was under cooked. Like they waited a half hour to cook our stuff then just threw it on the grill for two minutes. Lame. I had somewhere to be and had to leave my date at the table to pay. And it's not like they were busy, there were empty tables when we came in, and it's not like the staff was new. Our waitress has worked there for years.
Over the last few years they've skimped on some things. Quality in the food has gone down a bit (pancakes remain great). The sausage links are pathetic now. A few years ago, when you ordered a shake or a malted, which are really awesome, they used to mix it in the metal cups and bring you not only the shake in the glass but also nearly another glass-full in the metal cup(as most restaurants do). And they raised the price at some point giving you less for more. :\ I don't know what they mix it in now. A paper cup you get at the dentist, maybe, cuz by the time you get your food you've since sucked down the 4 sips of shake they give you.
When we finally got the food(after watching everyone else get theirs - and after another waitress carried ours around to half the other tables before realizing it was ours) the food was limp and uncooked. The english muffins were like raw dough, the sausage links which used to be juicy, thick, and inviting, are now shriveled and pre-formed together like frightened cat turds. Some form of the frozen variety. The home fries sucked and the eggs that I ordered over medium came slimy and runny. And the whole time I'm thinking that I gotta run, not the way eat breakfast, and that we're paying higher prices for this disappointment of a meal.
I'm really bummed that this place that I was proud to bring my visiting friends and family is now a disappointment.
I'm writing this review not to drive people away but with the hope that the people who own It's Tops will see this and make the changes necessary to restoring the quality of food and service to it's former glory.
I'm from New Jersey.
It's a diner.
It's a pathological thing beyond my control to love it.
To sum it up: food is mediocre at best, servers take a long time and can be rude, they run out of many/most (basic) menu items on a daily basis.
Been here multiple times, with a date. On every single occasion, they were unable to serve this or that. Even the easy plates.
All I have to say is, if a place can't get something as simple as cheese sticks and marinara sauce right (it's freaking microwavable!), then AVOID, AVOID. Even Denny's can do that properly. Also, if a customer is unable to order what they want from the menu on multiple occasions (for me it's been every single time I've gone), then you are incompetent as a restaurant.
I really want this place to be awesome. I live less than 10 minutes' walk away. And I do like the Twin Peaks-esque ambiance. But I gotta be real here... I feel like the only reason this place gets any positive ratings is because it's the only restaurant of it's kind in that area, and it has an authentic down-home diner vibe. But seriously, guys, the customer service is shit and so is the food (that is, if you can even get what you want to eat). End of story.
I'd recommend Sparky's in the Castro instead.
We reached that point in the evening when it was inadvisable to continue drinking without getting some food into our tummies. It was fortunate for us that It's Tops is only a block away from Martunis - where they mix a very strong drink.
Me and my two musketeers http://static.px.yelp.... were the first of our group to come in and we laid claim to a gigantic booth. This place is old timey. I loved the booths and the counter. I also really liked the waitress. But ordering and getting the food did take forever.
I had the burger and fries which were decent enough - and I snuck as many chili cheese fries off my neighbor's plate as I could. They weren't bad but if you are used to getting fries covered with ground meat, sauce and melted cheese, you'll be surprised. This place serves real chili, which means there are beans all over your fries and not a lot of sauce.
I can't say I would make a special trip back here - but when I'm in the area I think I'll try their breakfast. I spied a few of those coming out of the kitchen and they looked great.
Great old standby. Went to It's Tops for breakfast with my roommate Timm and his buddy Leo from the Netherlands. This is a fun and funky coffee shop that you rarely encounter anymore outside of old movies.
The bacon waffles are grrreat and of course the portions are genorous and yummy.
The waitresses are terrific...if you go, you might be lucky enough to get Kimberly. And by the way, with the authentic retro vibe, you call 'em waitresses, NOT waithelp!
Great place.
Step though the old wooden door opening into a bygone era of diner cuisine. This is the sort of old school San Francisco places that are disappearing quicker than you can say "flapjacks." With old wood paneling and linoleum countertops, this place hasn't changed much since it first opened in 1935.
The food is decent diner fare. Burgers, breakfast items and other deep fried items you'd find at a diner. On the night we went, the burgers were cooked to perfection and the fries well done. Perfect.
While killing time waiting for our food, I read on the menu that this place has been in the family since 1952! This is a place worth visiting and supporting, if for nothing else than keeping this little bit of old San Francisco alive.
This place is so cute! 50s style diner serving all sorts of food which I will return to again and again despite the fact I only had one thing: the hot link sausage waffle.
So simple and yet so genius. So wtf and yet I've been talking about that waffle for a week straight now. Burgers, milkshakes, cute 50s decor and music, yes, this place has all of that and I'll go back and experience it all sure sure sure but damn that thing was perfect.
Five Stars. And you know why?
The French Toast. Done right the way it should be. The only place in San Francisco I know that can comprehend the basic simple elegance of good French Toast. No fruity concoctions or weird bread. Powdered sugar dispenser available if you want more.
My wife and I included copies of their business card in our wedding invitations sent to out of the area guests. Those wise enought to follow our guidance were grateful.
Coming here (even if only for 30 minutes) was a mistake and buzzkill on our Friday night. Fortunately, I was with good friends.
If you need a diner, there are better options farther down Market (Bagdad Cafe, etc.).
That said, if you could care less about the ambiance and the crowd (or lack of) -- you might be lured in by their $1.99 Anchor Steam evening happy hour special. If I recall correctly, it lasts as late as 11pm? Anyhow, it was the sign on the door advertising this special which attracted us inside... though only 1 of 4 in our group ended up with a beer :)
Also, they're unnecessarily slow. And it wasn't even busy.
Bottom line: don't bother...
Should breakfast take 67 minutes from ordered to eating? Is it frustrating to watch the people on the table wait list enter 16 mins after you sit, watch them eat, pay their bill, before your food arrives?
Historically we have really enjoyed this place. The food, the music, the great place to bring a girly girl who looks great in sweats (shorts!)
The past two visits (within a month) service has been so slow... however the pancakes and eggs are worth it. Maybe the last two times we've been unlucky but sitting and watching others eat their breaky isn't fun.
However we'll be back and hope bad things don't really happen in threes.
Another diner stop in the city by the bay, and if you're not from the bay, you'd be rather surprised by the number of diners this city has. Being a huge 49ers fan, I had to get this 49er combo breakfast which came with 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 bacon strips , 2 hash browns, and the best part, 2 blueberry pancakes, grilled to perfection, maybe some of the best blueberray pancakes i've ever had. They are open for breakfast but close at 3pm , then opens again from 8 in the evening 'till 3am. The waitress was extremely friendly, constantly refilling my cup of joe and to top it off, also had myself a black and white shake with peanut butter, totally delicious, it was like having recess pieces in a shake.
Omigod. I'm giving this five stars solely because of the burger I just had. I had a Californian Burger with mushrooms cooked medium and that was THE best burger I've had in months. In fact, I would even say that it even tops Ann Arbor's Blimpy Burger, which is basically my high watermark for what counts as a great burger. It was made with fresh beef and so savory and delicious, mmmmm... I can't wait to go back. I nearly ordered two.
We did eat there during the Oscars so me and my friend were the only diners in the entire restaurant. Our waitress was really friendly and chatty and our food came super quick. I don't know what the service/speed is like usually, but I am definitely definitely definitely returning... and probably fasting for a week and ordering 5 burgers or something.
Huh. you never really expect there to be an issue with a little hole-in-the-wall diner like this. But the food was surprisingly pricey, the pancakes were burnt, and the service was a bit slow.
I'm willing to try it again, maybe get something different, and it really is a neat little place, but I was pretty disappointed with my breakfast.
So, I thought Yelp was a free country and you could share your opinions about a place without being accosted by it's employees. I guess I was wrong, b/c the waitress from that night looked me up on YELP and sent me a PM about how rude my review was! NOT professional at all, Lady! Hey, let me share her message with the world:
FROM: The waitress at It's Tops Coffee Shop
SUBJECT: Hi
MESSAGE: the table of five people in the opposite corner was complaining because your entire party was YELLING when you walked in. Evidently you were all deaf from Karaoke or something, and actually, even after I (I think very politely) told you that the table had complained, a Second table complained a SECOND time -which I didn't bother you with. They really did ask me to ask you to be quiet. Did this really piss you off so much that you want to undermine my livelihood -because I can't pay my bills as it is!
Such a nasty review! {END}
Now, I don't know about you, but hostile emails from employees don't make me want to return to the place- they make me want to say mean things! I feel (a little) bad that the group I was with was a bit loud, but I think it's one of those things that happens late at night after young city dwellers have been bar hopping. If you can't deal with it, get a new job!
Closing question: Did you PM all the other people who gave you one star too? Because there were a lot, Lady! My buttons have been pushed!
(NOTE: I'm a really sweet girl, so I obviously must be really irritated to write such a "nasty" review- this is very uncharacteristic of me!)
It's Tops Coffee Shop is the kind of place you dip into after a night out drinking or partying. Not… Read more »
we waited 35 mins for our food...in a diner.
the meal cost $35...for breakfast...for two people...in a diner.
thats a dollar for every minute we waited.... :/
Don't bother with places to eat on Market Street? Well maybe lower Market toward FIDI, but read on...
I used to think that way, but there are 3 cool shops right in a row (Grooves, a comics shop and this one) downand across the street from Safeway, and this greasy-spoon-fonzy-diner is one of them.
I had the combo (6.95 gets you eggs, hash browns and toast) with a side of one pancake for 1.49 (a weekday special), I like the smallness of the place, very cozy. The perfect place to duck in a foggy san francisco day. They play oldies but goldies to keep with the vibe.
The menu is chock full of your tried and true b'fast and lunch fare but feature a peanut butter and banana elvis sandwich, i'll try this someday i swear. They do feature alcoholic drinks too, the only footnote to this place is their hours are weird, i know they close between 3 and 8. But re-open at 8 till 3:00a.m., a good late late place to nosh up after going drinking.
i always end up coming here when i'm hanging out with my friend who lives in hayes valley. it's usually after 1am and we always get the same thing: bacon-n-bleu burgers and anchor steam. they're very good, and the fries are super thin so they're wonderfully grease-laden. i've been told that the peanut butter waffles are good as well, but my drunchies are usually limited to food items of the salty/greasy/cholesterol-heightening variety. remind me if i'm ever in here sober and/or during the daylight hours.
What a neat little joint!
This is definitely one of those places that you'd pass a million times and never really think much of it. That is until your buddy calls you in the AM on a Saturday morning and lures you out for some brunch before you start your day!
I was first to arrive and the gals at the counter and working the place were totally cool and got me an iced tea right away. As I sat at the counter waiting for said buddy and his buddy to arrive, I checked out the other plates of food and all looked super tasty and yummy. Once he arrived and we crammed into our teensy tiny booth, it was time to pick out the most boring breakfast I could since I can't eat meat, cheese or wheat. Isn't that pretty much brunch?
Anyhoo, I settled on an omelet with zucchini and avocado and was so excited to see chicken apple sausage on the menu, but wouldn't ya know, they were out. Wah waaah. Oh well, basic boring breakfasty brunch here I come. As it turned out it wasn't all that bad and I suppose I would order it again, but the food my buddies ordered looked much more inviting and I would love to come back and try their "VOTED BEST BURGER!" burger. Because if it's on the sign it simply must be true, right? ;)
Date & Time: Various Breakfasts & Late-nights
Company: Michael & Friends
Crowd: Hip Mix
Atmosphere: Laid-back Casual
Decor: Small space with Counter Seating and Six Booths Mini Jukebox on each Table
Service: Nice & Efficient
Imbibe: Banana or Blueberry Milkshakes
Devour: Touchdown Breakfast. California Pig Burger. It's Top's Sundae.
Notes: Strange hours - Close at 3pm and reopen at 8pm
This was a horrible experience here. My boyfriend got a tuna melt and I got a burger. The food took well over an hour to arrive. During the wait I went outside to take a call and the M they made into a E dropped from the sign coming an inch from my head! Went inside and our food looked like something you pull out of a trash can. The burger wasn't in a circular form and was super greasy. My boyfriend took a few bites but couldn't handle the taste and left the rest.$40 down the hole. Though it looks like a nice diner, its looks are very deceiving.
They serve waffles with meat inside them.
Not rolled up in a waffle, baked into the waffle.
The rest of their menu is mediocre to bad.
I'm super impressed with the doll of the waitress there. Seriously, if I had to get up at the ass crack of dawn on the weekend and deal with the public, I'd be a ranking b*tch. The waitress, who has waited on my everytime I've been here on a weekend, is totally sweet without being overly perky. So on the occasional time where I don't get what I ordered, I just eat it instead of hassling her.
I am giving it 5 stars, not because of decor, cuisine, service or ambiance, but because they have damn good, simple awesome breakfast. i was just reminded of this place the other day when I had to pass up my other breakfast destination because of parking. i had the standard breakfast: pancakes, eggs, bacon, and coffee. it's an honest, no frills, no free-range, not attitude, all-american breakfast. visiting SF, or a local like me this place is a must-go-to destination. it will not disappoint. when you are done get a tattoo around the corner, or buy a guide book for your next trip at the awesome bookstore up a few doors on market. tons of hidden gems lurking on this little strip of Market Street.
They are open for breakfast and have about 6 gazillion hotcake options to choose from (okay, they have about 15, but that's a LOT!).
The prices are a bit higher than some diners, and the coffee is the standard watery consistency diners are famous for, but the overall experience makes up for it.
They do not judge you, at least not to your face, when you order a malt to accompany your breakfast. Whether or not they run to the back and talk about the crazy bitch at table 3 is anyones guess.
The waitresses are forced to wear little pink and black uniforms, but are allowed to wear 80s sparkly leggings underneath so they can wave their hipster flag proudly and rebelliously.
The decor is cozy (small) and 50s and there is a lot of random crap to look at (but don't look too hard or you will discover the sign that advertises soju.....in a 50s diner, what?).
But......what makes this place really stand out???? Bacon Waffles are a menu item. Yes. Bacon. In your waffle. You heard it here first. Bacon. Waffles. Yum.
every day something for you at…
Neighborhood: Western…
Exam week open late til 11pm!
Neighborhood: Parkside
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Diners
San Francisco suffers from an acute lack of truly…
Anyone who knows me knows how much of a sweet…
I'm not a morning person by nature, so if I don't…
I live right off Duboce Park and these are are…
Transitional neighborhoods don't come more…
Places and things I seem to have a higher opinion…
Restaurants open late (post 10:00PM) in San…
restaurants and cafes that serve past 10 pm in san…
