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Categories: Bakeries, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhood: Financial District"I live on 16th Ave, which is not exactly a "happening" location, if you know what I mean. Having said that, thank heavens for House of…" read more »
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I always order dozen and half dozen assorted cookie boxes for sales associates at my work to take to new clients or to presentations and meetings. Always a crowd pleaser.
I've also ordered many a lunch from Specialty's. They have great lunch box meal deals. Your choice of sandwich, a cookie, and a bag of chips. This works really well for lunch meetings. Easy to transport as each sandwich is in it's own individual box.
Ordering online is a breeze. You can keep all your companies info on your account, which makes ordering and checking out really simple. A major plus is that they have a separate pick up/pay register so if you order online and need to pick something up, even during their crazy busy time around 12-1ish, you can get in and out lickity split.
Another bonus, Specialty's also delivers within a certain radius. Sometimes it's just nicer to have cookies brought to you. Thanks America.
(See pic)
This part of fidi neighbourhood does not have a lot of bakeries unless you go to Chinatown, I mean real ones instead of shipped in cardboard Starbucks frozen sandwiches that taste worse than McD.
So this place is very special to me. I come here for lunch and for breakfast. Both the Italian and Sicilian sandwiches are pretty good. But it's all the goodies scones and cookies that steal my heart! The aroma is consuming and it's a good pick-me-up if you need some energy for a busy work day. Their coffee choices are limited and there are only regular, dark roasted, and decaf but it's good and very hot coffee (but tend to run out and you might have to wait for their brewing.) But a couple Peets, Starbucks or illy coffee places are all just around the same corner.
I wish there were a Boudin here...
Oh Specialty's...I thought there was so much potential, but my experience told me that I have yet to find the perfect go-to lunch spot on a workday.
I went into Specialty's right around noon (for all the people that work, this is a BAD idea!). There were 3 cash registers opened and I (obviously a novice) waited patiently in line by the bakery one...Apparently you can go over to the other ones if you're ordering food - so as I waited, people who came after me got their orders in first.
So as a general rule of thumb, if you're going into Specialty's around rush hour:
Tip #1: head to the registers AWAY from the bakery if you want regular food (or better yet, order online - I didn't know they had that option)
Tip #2: make sure you know what you want before you go up to the register - there is no time to review the menu there and it's not written up on the board. Everything here runs like a factory - it's GO GO GO - and I get that for all the busy Financial District people, but be ready for it!
Food: I got the Veggie sandwich. I give it the stars because it had a lot of different veggies in it and it was fresh! They weren't stingy with the cheese or the avocado...BUT...my sandwich broke what I consider to be a cardinal rule of sandwiches.
I work just a few blocks away and by the time I got back to the office, ready to enjoy my lunch, my sandwich was SOGGY!! No no no!! That should just never happen - who wants to have soggy bread?!
I'm willing to give this place another chance because it is close to work and there are lots of options...we'll see how this goes...
This place is literally a skip and a hop from my job. And one of about 5 places that are open after 3pm in the area! Since I usually don't get my break until 3pm I'm left with few options on where to eat. I love this place because they're always serving fresh food! My stomach can't handle Subway anymore.
-Hott BBQ Beef and Hot BBQ Chicken: GET THEM! If you like a hot juicy sandwich you will love these!
-Napa Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwich: exactly what you would expect. Cranberry, walnut, chicken salad sandwich. It's good for a cold sandwich.
The staff is GREAT! They're always pretty cheery and have a smile on their face. Also very helpful when making a quick decision before running back to work to inhale your food in less than 30 minutes.
Oh sweet lord. Yum! I had 30 minutes to kill in SF near this Specialty's, so I went in for a late lunch. This was my very first time at a Specialty's.
I got the sandwich with mozzarella, spinach, tomatoes, marinara sauce, and pesto on focaccia. Best part was the mozzarella was the whole milk kind in thick slices (not that shredded Kraft crap). Mmmmmm. Just a warning--the focaccia has kosher salt on it--I loved it, but if you don't like salt be careful.
Apparently I have no discipline like Yelper Nilu, because I *DID* get a cookie! Ha.
I did like how the plates and napkins were recyclable/biodegradable BUT when i got my cookie the cashier put it in a bag with tissue. Why not just the tissue paper? I wish they would ask, "Do you need a bag?" because I would have just wanted the cookie wrapped in tissue paper.
Very nice cashier--greeted everyone with a smile.
I'll definitely be back for that fucking good veggie sandwich.
The look and smell of this place has brought me in the door more then a few times. Unfortunately I usually find myself disappointed when I am done.
First time was when I was fresh of the boat (figuratively) from Los Angeles and trying to find my way around my new city. It just so happens that Intelligentsia has a location in Silverlake (LA's Hipster District) and makes one of the best Cappuccinos in town. You could imagine when I saw people walking out of Specialties with Intelligentsia cups I was intrigued. Turns out that although they use cups and beans from that great chicago based roaster, they actually make a cup which makes starbucks look good. Like starbucks they ask which size cup you want for a single cappuccino. Now I am no scientist but how do you take something which is a set size like an espresso shot and offer three sizes without drowning it in milk? ANSWER: you don't. Even the smallest size offered is quite large for a cappuccino and they fill it with milk even if you specifically ask them to go easy. I have tried a few times.
Every pastry I have had here looked great but was way too sweet for my taste. Obviously, some people like their pastry to be heart stopingly sweet and some don't, which is why I am not giving them less than three stars. The pastry seems well made but simply not my taste.
Now, one thing that I have enjoyed here is the soup. They have a nice daily set of choices and the ones I have had have been decent.
As you can see, I am not a huge fan of this place but they do make some quality items. Their staff is polite and some are very helpful. They are close to work so I will probably be back out of convenience but not for coffee.
I usually go here since it's so convenient and I work in the same building. The ham and cheese croissant is usually my favorite, but priced at $4.09. Kinda pricey. I've gotten sick from their oatmeal cookies. Not once, but twice. Now I just stick with the peanut butter cookies, which hasn't gotten me sick.
I never would've thought a Wheat Germ Bran Chocolate Chip Cookie would taste good, but it does. As the name would suggest, it is a hearty cookie with a nice touch of chocolatey sweetness. It's my new favorite cookie, following the peanut butter. Some of the other cookies I find a bit too sweet for my palate. Check out their 'Day Old' tray on the bottom shelf of their display case for 1/2 price treats . You never know what you're going to find there.
They also offer soups, salads, sandwiches, chips, coffees, teas, and other non-alcoholic beverages. I take comfort in their giant sandwiches. They use thick slices of fresh baked bread and have a variety of pre-set filler-combos. Check out their menu and their Wheat Germ Bran Chocolate Chip Cookie - good for your sweet tooth and your system.
Specialty's has that addictive quality, you could eat there pretty much any day of the week. There's always a great mix of people who come in first thing for a cinnamon roll. I'm more of a lunch finatic and am always trying different things.
For the sandwiches I recommend the tuna salad, blt (can't fail) or the club. The bread has a tang to it and for a person who is not a bread fan, I could eat a loaf.
For the salads my personal favorite is the spinach, strawberry and goat cheese.
The hardest part of leaving this place is walking past the display of their cookies. It takes serious willpower but if you decide to indulge you won't be disappointed.
Came here today for an afternoon pick-me-up. I love how their website has a 'warm cookie radar' so you can tell which location has a certain kind of warm cookies. I was on the watch for a warm snicker doodle cookie..and right when I saw it I quickly came here to get one!
My company frequently gets their pastries catered here for our morning meetings. I'm not too fond of those - the muffins are a bit dry, the scones are not very flavorful, the only thing i really like is their croissant which i always have to peal off the top layer because its always 'well done' -sometimes burnt on the bottom!
The cookie's here are huge! Not your typical flat cookie...its like a rock of cookie....the chocolate ones are a little overwhelming because they are so big - But a warm snicker doodle def hits the spot. Don't get me wrong, a warm semisweet cookie is just as good when you have a chocolate craving! But the cookie can be a little overwhelming sometimes because it really is a chunky big cookie -big enough to share! They have a variety of flavors here..something for everyone! I really recommend everyone following the warm cookie radar and getting it while its still hot/warm - because it just doesn't hit the spot when its cold.
Came in for lunch after a particularly intense workout yesterday. Had the turkey and pesto sandwich...had to ask them to hold off on the two kinds of cheese the sandwich comes with. It was a good sandwich, warm real turkey breast, not deli meat, not too much pesto, raw peppers (I love raw peppers!) Perhaps a bit expensive at $7.5 but hey, its the Financial District at lunch time...what do you expect.
There was a huge line and I was annoyed (because I was very hungry) that the menu was not prominently displayed. The place itself is set up weirdly, sort of chaotic. Would have given 4 stars but I also had their coffee and it was weak...weak coffee is inexcusable.
The service was friendly and relatively fast.
I ate my sandwich and ran out...it took every ounce of my self discipline not to get a cookie...I did think about it though for the rest of the day...this place is not good for a little piggie like me with a bad sugar addiction!
C is for cookie. That's good enough for me.
C is for cookie. That's good enough for me.
Ooooooooh!
C is for cookie. That's good enough for me!
Yeah! Cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C!
I have never had such a great store bought cookie in my life! When I was a kid, I visited a doctor's office in a big building downtown. I am lucky enough to have a mother who believes that sweets mend all wounds. After my appointments, I sniffled and whined my way out of the doctor's office, where I had likely had some vaccination or another. Lovingly, my mother would buy me a giant M&M cookie as big as my head. Granted, my head was smaller back then, but those were good cookies.
Specialty's cookies are BETTER! And their sandwiches are huge and tasty, as well! I have had their salad, but prefer their freshly baked breads and delicious sandwich makings. I easily get two meals out of one stop at Specialty.
I highly recommend it if you have people in town and are wandering the Market Street, Union Square, Ferry Building area. It's a fast little stop and you can take the sandwiches and cookies to the pier and enjoy them while watching the boats on the bay.
Guess I can only update so much..anyways..today...Cranberry Muffin;) I must have counted 10 cranberries in my soft and moist muffin. Amply sized to quill that afternoon sound your belly makes. Just what I need to get me through another few hours...yumm
Yesterday the rain tried to stop me from getting my cookies to pass the afternoon hours in the FiDi. I have to say that I was determined on getting my cookies. I braved the rain and the wind to walk 3 blocks and get my cookies!! Snicker-doodle and Oatmeal raisin. Hmmmm yummm...You guys know how to make a MEAN...cookie!!
Trying the Wheat-germ cookies today for the first time, got the last one and don't feel guilty at… Read more »
Yummy sandwiches. Yummy cookies. Located nearly everywhere I am. Good corporate catering and easy ordering--and I love being able to pay online, then dash in and grab my order from the shelf.
So why only 3 stars? Because of the issue I had last year wherein my (now former) home phone number became listed as the main number for Specialty's on Google 411. Many mornings of 5AM and 6AM telephone calls ensued, with people asking if I had X or Y, or wanting to order something.
At first, when I called Specialty's corporate offices, I dealt with a snotty receptionist who didn't take my complaint seriously. An email to corporate and suddenly, I had a free cookiegram and a sort of solution, though I finally decided it was easier to just stop home phone service.
I'm not sure if the listing was Specialty's fault (who decides what number is listed on Google 411?) or some freak accident, but I am sure glad to not be receiving calls about cookies at the crack of dawn!
I just don't get it....and believe me, I've tried. It's so close to my office, I pass it every day on the way to my favorite Starbucks, and occasionally when a co-worker goes in for a snack, I'll give them another chance to change my mind. All that trying and I've determined there is absolutely nothing special about this place. Sure the cookies are good, but they aren't THAT good. The breakfast sandwiches are overpowered with pepper, as if it was just dumped in- not sprinkled, we're talking clumps of black in the egg. The muffins are okay, but pretty dry. The one shining selection on their menu is the Goat Cheese and Strawberry Salad. Sandwiches are nothing special either....what am I missing?
What's so special about a place that is average at best?
For a place to name themselves "Specialty's", I anticipate at least a handful of items to be special, but nothing about this place is extraordinary. Just extra-BLAH-ordinary.
This place kills me being so close to work!
I swear I gained the "Freshman 15" all over again when I first started working in SF.
Prior to this job, Specialty's was a special "treat" whenever I was in the city during regular business hours.
My first experience was about 10 years ago when a developer from SF brought in sandwiches. I was immediately hooked on the Hot Alby (tuna melt) that I still love dearly. The turkey cranberry is another favorite. A great thing about them is that they have online ordering and "warm cookie meter"!
The warm cookie meter is very useful, especially if you have a nice tall cold glass of milk and are looking for the right thing to go with it. They're all good. Well, I'm not a fan of some of their super-sweet mass ingredient menu items but the cookies are really good. $2 cake-like cookies, mmm... Semi-sweet chocolate chunk cookies are a sure thing but they now have that wheat-germ (less guilty) option for those non-exercise days. :)
I can't live without the following specialties from Specialty's cafe, which is conveniently located on the same block as my job. My Top 5:
1. The Quiche Muffin- strange name I know, but don't get confused, it's not a muffin, but rather a miniature quiche, perfectly proportioned. I've had all three varieties, the ham, the three cheese and the roasted veggie. The ham is by far my fave. So it you like quiche and want a portable breakfast that's not too big, go for this.
2. The Spinach and Bacon salad with poppyseed dressing. This fresh, filling salad is awesome. I was able to nibble on it for 2 days and still had a bit to spare. There's something about their ingredients that just make this salad taste too good to be healthy. And yes, this is healthy by my standards!
3. The semi-sweet chocolate chunk cookie- when they're fresh out of the oven, I would slap your mama if she cut me in line and snagged the last one!
4. Generally friendly service- I've been here tons of times and the employees are friendly and very on it.
5. The order online feature- it's so cool. Go to their web site, pick what you want, pay with your card, go downstairs in like 10 minutes and your food is there, with a cute little sticker with your name on it.
Oops the last two weren't actually things you can buy, but pretty much this place is awesome.
Dear Specialty's, thank you for being a consistent cafe that I can count on for good breakfasts, lunches and sweet snacks. I salute you! Oh gosh and didn't mention the pumpkin bun with cream cheese frosting- A-MA-ZING! xoxo- Ieesha
All the food is awesome, but a bit too pricey, what with the economy and all.
The cookies get a lot of play, but be warned: one Lactaid is no match for the heavy cream they put in there.
The one thing that makes Specialtys worth it is the Peanut Butter 'n Stuff sandwich. I always found PB&J sandwiches to be too sweet for lunch. It never occurred to me to use cranberry sauce instead of jelly. So freaking good. Throw in apples and bananas? Order it online, head downstairs to grab it off the rack.
Online ordering in a cash less society is the future. Get used to it. There's something about the food industry that makes them nearly allergic to good web design; how many flash only restaurant websites must exist out there by some clueless proprietor who doesn't understand the Internet?
In any case, the online ordering interface isn't perfect, but it works and it's nice to know that your picky self can take off that heinous mayonaisse without having to repeat it 3 times to a well meaning cashier, hoping their handwriting is understood by the cooks.
And yeah. The cookies.
I don't know why I do this to myself but I run by this location on my morning roadwork. I couldnt eat here the first few times I was in San Francisco because I had to lose weight, but I could smell and see the bakery shelf. OH man...When i finally got to have the chance to eat here I enjoyed a breakfast croissant sandwich on a decent croissant. But the cookie... Oh man. It was hot, and chewy and big and oh man.
Not too impressed.
I was in the mood for a cookie and decided to come on Yelp to see where I should head to. Once I read about the Warm Cookie Radar, I was super stoke and was ready to head off to the closest location when a basket food of food from Specialty's came from a vendor as a gift! So I'm thinking... SCORE!
I grabbed myself a Peanut Butter Chocolate cookie and was ready to taste the awesomeness. To my surprise, it wasn't that awesome at all.
It was a mount of a cookie, and it was good.... but it wasn't warm-right-out-of-the-oven-gotta-have-it-good.
I don't know if it's the hype that heightened my expectations, or if it was the fact that my cookie wasn't right out of the oven.
Maybe I'll give it a try and watch that radar next time I have another cookie craving. We'll see....
Um yeah WOW! The food here is Delicious! Never had a sandwich so piled high with such goodness in my life!
My company had a Sales meeting yesterday and they called in to order sandwiches for all of us. I looked over the menu and everything looked great but after a few minutes decided on the Cobb sandwich. Oh it did not disappoint! It came on poppy seed bread with avocado, mustard, blue cheese (crumbles!), fresh tomatoes, FIVE slices of bacon and turkey - Oh so good!
I looked over at everyone's food and they were silent, of course, because they were all enjoying their lunch! I can't wait to try this place again and order another Cobb to go!
The chocolate chip cookies are delicious. And huge. They should be called "chocolate chip cakes". I suppose I'll come back to try the sandwiches and coffee.
OK, I'm a fan. Spinach salad with mushrooms and bacon bits. Salami sandwich. Cookies. Check, check, check.
The best part is that I can order online, pay online, and go grab my bag of goodies. And I'm going to grab yours, too, someday and eat all of your food. (Ever grab the wrong lunch box back in the day and just go with it??)
My new favorite thing from Specialty's is the Cookie Gram. It's like the candy gram from Middle School or High School, but with fresh hot cookies.
So for a buck, less than the original price ~ you can send your friends and co-workers a "cookie gram" which is an emailed coupon they can turn in for a fresh hot cookie.
I sent each of my co-workers a cookie gram last year around the Holidays and I'll do it again this year. It's a great suprise and hey look you got them something for a buck.
http://www.specialtysd...
OMG.
The cookies are to dyyyyyeeeeee foooor.
Like someone crashed into you, and you end up in floury, chocolately, softy, goodness.
My company caters from here all the time.
Bloody brilliant I tell you. Brilliant.
The food here for a FiDi lunch is pretty good.
That being noted, after the THIRD occasion in which my order was lost, which I've always discovered after waiting for 20 minutes...I've finally given up and stopped coming here. I don't know if this is a pervasive problem with all Specialty's locations but totally unacceptable. Nor am I the only one, every day when I used to come in here, there would always be somebody walking up to the window to discover that his or her order has been lost in the shuffle. With the assembly line attitude they have, you think somebody would have fixed this problem by now.
The absolute last straw was when I had a meeting to go to, waited for 30 minutes, and had to leave without my food. No refund. While I enjoy their sandwiches, it's not worth the risk.
I swore I would never spend $1.95 for a cookie after my first time purchasing a day-old specialty's cookie. They were delicious, but i thought it was a waste of money until I started craving them on a regular basis and came to the conclusion that they must put crack in them to make them so addictive. So addictive in fact, that I now get the warm cookie alerts in my email.
Well today an alert arrived that said Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies at 505 Sansome. Most cookies don't tempt me, but those chocolate peanut butter and the wheatgerm oatmeal are my weak spots.
"No," I thought to myself. "I'm going to be good. A cookie will make me fat and that's not worth it... even if it is so close at Sansome and Clay."
"I need you to pick up a book at Copy Central (Clay and Battery)" my boss says." Would you mind stopping by Starbucks on your way back to get me a coffee. Get sometime for yourself too."
"It's serendipitous" I think to myself. "God wants me to be fat."
I go to Copy Central to pick up some files. I go to Starbucks for an iced coffee, and then I go to Specialty's right next door for my still warm peanut butter chocolate chip cookie that's still gooey, moist, warm, buttery and delicious. The entire time running my errands, the only thing I could think was "warmcookiewarmcookiewarmcookiewarmcookie"
*repeat as necessary*
Now the reason this Specialty's gets 5 stars instead of 4 like the battery street location (aside from being closer to my work) is that they have sample cookies cut up at all times and offer both a cranberry orange breakfast bread and a pumpkin spice breakfast bread with cream cheese frosting that beats their cinnamon roll any day of the week. They're so yummy and wonderful, and I've only ever been able to find them at this Specialty's.
*sighs in contented butter-induced bliss."
Ah Specailty's, you will be my downfall. (But when God decides to throw serendipity at you, what else can you do?)
Ive always thought Mrs. Fields had the best cookies, that was until I tried Specialty's fresh cookies straight out of the oven! My favorite is the semi-sweet chocolate chip cookie. Its sooo soft, flaky and delicious! Their sandwiches are also one of the best I had.
Tip: Specialty's offer something called a "Cookie Radar" on their website, which allows you to see when and where there are fresh cookies straight out of their oven. There is also a "Cookie Alert" system which you can sign up for. Whenever a fresh batch of cookies come out of the oven, you will be notified via email. You can customize this alert to only email you on certain days and time.
Their cookies are RIDICULOUS: giant, scrumptous mounds of sugar and carbs. And when they're fresh out of the oven?! Forget about it, death by cookie coma.
Specialties cater meetings at my office, and I've always suspected their pastries and cookies were full of HFC and partially hydrogenated oils, but when I couldn't find the Jamba Juice at 450 Sansome (did it close?) I decided to try their steel cut oatmeal at Specialties. Oatmeal is safe. I've been trying it out all over the Financial District. So far Jamba Juice is best. Maybe I'll post a list soon.
Specialties was out of oatmeal. So I disappointingly went for the roasted veggie quiche. I wanted it to be good, but I can't even eat it. It is so salty. So horribly salty. Saltier than any fast food I've ever had. Saltier than gargling with salt water. I mean salty.
When I jokingly told the girl behind the counter that I had given them their one and only chance and they blew it by not having the oatmeal, I didn't know how true it was.
I won't go back to Specialties. There are so many better pastry and cookie places within walking distance.
So I was having a craptastic morning. I woke up to garbage trucks and sweltering heat. I got out of bed only to trip and fall, banging my poor knee into the hard wood floor. Of course I did what any mature adult would do: burst into tears and flounced out of the room, taking it out on my innocent gf laying in bed totally bemused.
I then developed a blister on my walk to BART, lost a button on my top, and finally got to Starbucks where they gave me the wrong order, which I spilled on said top.
Great start.
But then Specialty's saved the day. Unbeknownst to me, today is Administrative Professionals Day. I arrived at work finally, to a delivery on behalf of my boss, of fruit salad, breakfast sweets and treats, and fresh orange juice. How stoked was I? The fruit salad was fresh and perfect for a hot morning, and a great mix of strawberries, melons (hehe), grapes, and pineapple. Due to a wretched diet I skipped the buns, muffins, etc. but having previously indulged I know they are just swell.
So here is to Administrative Professionals Day and Specialty's. You truly made me feel much more special...and I think I have stopped crying.
Pretty good bakery in the fidi. Some of their pastries are too dry for my tastes.
Right now, at this very moment, at 3:07 p.m. on Friday, March 7, 2008, there is a very large, steaming container of tomato tortellini soup just waiting for me to pluck it off the Priority Orders shelf at this very Specialty's. Some days I hate meetings and I hate paperwork and I hate this world that dictates that I must work 5 days a week, 8 hours a day in order to get by without resorting to prostitution. When I'm having that kind of a day (and oooooooh believe me, I soo am), the one thing that makes it all better is a big warm bowl of soup. Hmph. Go figure.
So- if you work in the fidi and you're really hungry and you happen to be reading this, go for it- I'm not getting out of here any time soon.
Can't get enough of this place even though my office orders from them every week. Love their semi-sweet chocolate chip & snickerdoodle cookies = the BEST!!! I swear I've gained like 10lbs because they're right across the street from my office and their online ordering is sooo convenient! Order online, walk in, pick up your order, and enjoy!
Love this place. If you've never been there, you gotta try their chocolate chip COOKIES - amazing!… Read more »
If you prefer to pay 6 bucks for a sandwich that deserves 4 bucks then this place is perfect for you!! If you prefer to wait 20 minutes for a breakfast sandwich that should take 5 minutes to make, this place is perfect for you. If you've never tasted real eggs or truly fresh ingredients, then this place is for you!! What's worse is that the guy making the sandwiches lies and tells the cashier that your sandwich is just about ready when he hasn't even begun to toast the bread. Take a journey to the East Coast and discover for yourself how the rest of the people who've commented on this place have probably never travelled outside of 46.7 square miles(SF anyone?). I'll stick to the breakfast/lunch cart on California & Sansome...that guy rules and his prices rock! And yes, if you are extremely obese and follow the Specialty's radar/alert system that notifies you about when/where fresh batches of their good cookies are laid out, then this place is for you!!
I called up Specialty's to cater lunch for a small meeting and asked for an assortment of thirteen assorted boxed lunches for delivery.
"We can't do that," the woman said.
"Can't do what? Deliver sandwiches?"
"We can deliver. But we can't do an assortment. You have to tell us what sandwich you want for each lunch."
"No, it's OK. I don't really care, just give me a bunch of different sandwiches. One of each. You know."
"We can't do that. You have to tell us what sandwich you want."
Sigh. "OK, tell me when I have thirteen, OK?"
"OK."
So, I listed a bunch of sandwiches from their long-ass menu, and then the woman said, "OK, that's thirteen. Anything else?"
"Yeah, I'd like thirteen drinks, too."
"Which ones?"
"An ASSORTMENT." Seriously, I'm only ordering for 13 -- imagine using this place to cater a dinner for 50 and having to specify EVERY SINGLE CAN OF SODA!
"We can't do that."
Sigh.
At 12:00 on the day of the lunch, Specialty's promptly delivered 12 boxed lunches -- and 13 cans of carefully-selected soda -- to the office. Not only can they not use their own judgment to select an assortment, they also can't count. I called them up to complain, and the manager said that, even though they didn't do anything wrong since it was I who ordered twelve sandwiches, she could make it up to me by sending another sandwich right away, at full cost, plus a $20 delivery service because they had to use a bike courier even though they're only six blocks away from my office.
Specialty's is the thing to do if you work in the Financial District.
Our company gets our breakfasts catered from here every once and again. I've also stopped by for a breakfast sandwich once. The cashier was super nice and I got my food in the little window after just a few minutes. Sadly, I usually end up adding tons of salt and pepper to their breakfast sandwiches They're pretty bland to me... but they're also pretty large and filling.
The rest of the menu consists of your typical sandwiches and typical SF prices.
I bet I would rate this place MUCH higher if I bothered to try their cookies. All my co-workers swear by them, but I'm trying to stay the hell away from sweets. They definitely look delicious, though... ::sigh::
Before my morning visit to Specialty's:
Get OUTTA MY WAY!!! JEEZUS!!! Don't you DARE run me over, you can wait a second while I cross the street YOU DICK!!! ARGH!!!! I need COFFEE AND FOOD!!!
I order my Egg, Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich and coffee...aahh.
After my morning visit to Specialty's:
Excuse me...I'm sorry. Thank you SO much!! Good morning, how are you doing? Sure I'll hold the elevator!! Gee it's a beautiful day today!!!
This review is only based on the catering since I have yet to step inside and check it out.
Since this location is right across the street from where I work, Specialty's will either be my new best friend for breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc or I will be Specialty'd out. Let's wait and see...
So far I've tasted the yogurt with strawberries and granola (so-so) and the egg sandwiches (again so-so) for breakfast. I've also tried the pre-made sandwiches (turkey was good but beware of the over-the-top fillings like tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, pickles, sprouts, mayo, spicy mustard, etc) It makes it difficult to eat without making a mess! For catering, I definitely recommend the make-it-your-own sandwiches.
As for the Specialty treats -- the cookies are delicious! I like both the wheat germ chocolate chip ones (slightly healthier) and the regular chocolate chip with peanuts cookies. I hope I don't develop a sugar addiction!
Stimulate your appetite and…
Neighborhood: Financial District
Valid till Feb 14th
San Francisco, CA
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Bakeries
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...and the following are lunch places that keep me…
I worked here for six years and tried everything…
Various places where we've found outstanding &…
My favorite places to grab something to eat during…
If you work in the Financial District or just find…
stuff within walking distance of the…
Cookies, Chocolates, Cakes, Pies, Ice Cream, Froyo…
