Squat & Gobble Cafe & Crepery

Doesn't Squat & Gobble sound like a maneuver you would perform hovering over a toilet ...during Thanksgiving ...at your nana's house ...with a leather face harness? I just think there's something strangely titillating about the name, I guess, but I do lead a sheltered life. Jamie W. and I just finished a couple of half-pound buffalo burgers across the street at Bullshead, but we needed something sweet to finish them off.

We walked in to see that familiar humongous chalkboard menu that I have seen at Crepevine and the other Squat & Gobbles (...or is it Squats & Gobbles?). It's impressive, but I do worry about whomever draws these things since the arrival of the LCD screens will likely render such work obsolete. Alas, I cannot let the worries of someone else's impending unemployment stop us from getting a $5.95 Nutella Chocolate Crepe. It was tasty - though hardly a challenge to make in this operation.

The nice surprise was that we got both the whipped cream and vanilla ice cream rather than the usual either-or situation. That's the benefit of coming later in the evening, I imagine. The place doesn't look much like the other two Squats I've been to in the Castro and the Lower Haight. With tall ceilings and very bright, it felt a bit more like a Vegas-meets-suburban-style eatery. The decor probably fits the family-friendly neighborhood more.

FOOD - 4 stars...a fine crepe for a sweet tooth...can't speak to anything else here yet
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...the spaciousness was nice for a change
SERVICE - 3 stars...decent but why would a crepe with a packaged spread inside take so long to make?
TOTAL - 4 stars...oh I'll keep it at 4 stars since it topped off our evening to our belt-loosening satisfaction

Every sunny Sunday noon that I'm not sleeping through.. I'd have a craving for this place. (Note: It MUST be a SUNNY Sunday.) It's located right on the corner by the West Portal Muni Station, outdoor seating available. I've always ordered their crab cake florentine-sometimes with fruit others with potatoes depending on if I can afford to be fat that week. I would also order a mimosa to sip on while waiting for the food to arrive. Fresh OJ? Yum!

And I've actually tried their dinner menu once too.. And I enjoyed it just as much as I did their breakfast!

Located across the street on the corner of West Portal Muni Station!

I wouldn't have stopped by this place if it wasn't for the Muni not functioning for those two hours going inbound. Luckily that happened otherwise I wouldn't have decided to go in to this cafe restaurant!

After doing some recent research, I didn't know that this cafe is a franchise chain! I usually don't write reviews on chains, believing all of them are similar, but I'm making this one of the exceptions because of their tasty, savory FRENCH ONION SOUP!

I skipped the crepe entrees and salads because I wanted something small and hot since it was cold that day, but I'm sure those dishes are good too!

I must say that I've had the best tasting French Onion Soup ever at this place! Presentation of it looked so delectable with the cheese lightly browned, fully covered and melted on top, over and down the outside of the bowl! They had garlic croutons in their soup and the combination of that, onion, broth, seasonings, and that cheese was AMAZING!

http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=XdHvMl_0aE_SVGUHkpvwdQ&userid=I-FmdvI28N7OIIt4JZOgIg

Great cafe! I like the atmosphere to this place because it's modern and trendy. Their prices are a bit higher than the usual cafes, but it's one of those cafe crepery places where you get what you pay for.

Definitely coming here again to get their scrumptious French Onion Soup and try their crepes!

I understand that Squat and Gobble may not seem like an appetizing name for a restaurant. It reminds me of "Squat and do something else.."

I came here for a nice Saturday brunch - and ordered the Marina crepe ($9.95) which consisted of: Salmon, spinach, onions, capers, artichokes, tomatoes, tarragon and Fontina cheese Served with sun-dried tomato pesto. I 86'ed the pesto and went with fruit as my side.

It was divine. With crepes this good, I could squat and gobble [or gobble then squat] all day long.

Good food, excellent service.

This place was packed on Sunday afternoon, yet we were able to order and find a table without any trouble. My Lady asked for a house salad with chicken salad on it, and green tea. I asked for a Greek salad, and a single latte. The bill was $28.

The Greek salad has a slightly sweet light dressing on it, that kept me interested all the way through. It also had pitted Kalamata olives, which I love.

The house salad arrived with a cut grilled chicken breast on it. My Lady pointed out the error, but then decided to accept the salad anyway. A few minutes later, the waiter arrived with a side order of chicken salad! That's really caring about the customer's experience!

I've been on a hunt for brunch spots lately. I'm trying to deviate from the usual dim sum and pho that I tend to crave when I wake up. I've seen a few Squat & Gobbles around, so I decided to give it a try.

I walked in and was greeted by a ginormous chalkboard menu. It took me a while to go through everything, but I finally settled on the Crab Cakes Florentine( http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/blZKfUdkacTGWFDGFFJlRw/l ). LW went with the French Toast( http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/mmGTfGhNPi6cuRFEARRZ_g/l ).

My dish was so freakin good! All that yummy crab covered in hollandaise sauce. I tried to eat every last bit of that sauce....nom nom nom!!! The French toast was super good, too. Thick slices of toast with syrup, strawberries and whipped cream....can't go wrong with that combo!

I saw a crab melt on the menu, so I'll definitely have to come back for that!

For months on end I pass by this Squat & Gobble on the Muni. I finally made the trek out there last weekend to see the mystery behind the doors.

I didn't realize that this was exactly like Crepevine! Silly me, but it was a pleasant surprise...I love Crepevine! This place is really popular for Sunday brunch; we had to wait for seats to open up.

My eggs florentine (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/BtHHOQXktwOCvOVOH6L5KQ?select=gehOtB8ORFkjdn403l0ooA) was good, but really heavy in comparison to others that I've had.

Overall, A-OK, and I wouldn't mind returning.

After seeing that For All Seasons wasn't open yet, we decided to trek up a few blocks to Crepevine...I mean Squat & Gobble, my bad! As we walked through the doors, I looked at my boyfriend & was like, "It looks like Crepevine." So many restaurants have the same menu format as Crepevine (i.e. Squat & Gobble and Whispers in Belmont).

The fresh squeezed OJ...OMG I will never say mmm after sipping on grocery store bought OJ..nothing else compares! My waffle with blueberries & strawberries was good. The fruit was nice and sweet and the waffle was thick and crispy. And some of the whip cream on the side and of course some syrup didn't hurt either. Yeeah..I wouldn't be that surprised if my dish was fattier than his ham and cheese omelet & potatoes. =(

Service was attentive and the wait for food wasn't bad. Portions are big. Prices are on par with Crepevine, though they do have some items on the menu which are over $10 (which Crepevine doesn't).

My friend had raved about how amazing the crepes at Squat & Gobble were so I was eager to come in and try one for myself. The place reminded me of a Cheesecake Factory so things started off well, but that would pretty much be the peak of the experience. The rest turned horrifying over the next hour and a half.

After struggling with the computer system, I finally managed to order the Marina crepe for myself and the Chicken Pesto crepe for my friend. Unfortunately I didn't get a receipt and we were led to the back of the restaurant where we were assured our food would be right up. Well, a half dozen re-assurances and over an hour later, no food at all. The people at the next table even commented on our bleak situation and I went to speak with the manager about it. I was once again re-assured that the food was on the way and a short 15 minutes later the food finally showed up. Let me just say that it was utter crap. Both crepes were soggy and completely tasteless and I soon discovered that my crepe had no salmon in it because they had served me a Mama Mia crepe instead. The salad was a dreary mess and the potatoes were burnt and boring. Unapologetically, the manager never even offered a refund and we had to demand one despite her objections to give one to me. When it finally came, it was only for the one dish that was messed up and the entire 2 hour ordeal was enough to condemn the place.

I have never seen such disregard for the customer experience as I have at Squat & Gobble. Dog-friendly outdoor tables or not, I'd never bring my dog here because even they would be disappointed with the quality of the entire package. Seriously though, this is up there with Alive! as one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had in San Francisco.

Food: 0/10

Service: 1/10

Price: $$

Atmosphere: 3/10

(See pics)

Lots of great choices for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dessert, dinner. I had the Challah French Toast which was served with whipped cream that turned out to be quite good. I saw some very good looking mussels and clams spaghetti dishes others were having and made a note to come back.

The space was with high ceiling and spacious that makes it airy and not congested. Also like the fact that it's open all day so that you can sit there and enjoy a late brunch in an afternoon in leisure.

Service was good and was not rushed. Totally an enjoyable experience.