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The Revolution Cafe
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Restaurants American (Traditional) Nightlife Bars Wine Bars Coffee & Tea, American (Traditional), Wine Bars [Edit]
3248 22nd St(between Mission St & Bartlett St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 642-0474
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 9 am - 12:30 am
Thu, Sun 9 am - 1 am
Fri-Sat 9 am - 2 am
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sun, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Hipster, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Stu S. said: "I love Mars Bar & Restaurant because it's the real deal. Great food and drinks for people with smiles, frowns and even occasional crowns like the Great and Wonderful Juanita More who does her annual fried chicken extravaganza here to…" read more »
381 reviews for The Revolution Cafe
Review Highlights
"The live music in the evenings seals the deal."
(in 84 reviews)
"excellent people watching too."
(in 27 reviews)
"Outdoor seating - bonus check."
(in 22 reviews)
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381 reviews in English
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Review from Juan Camilo R.
San Francisco, CA
2/8/2012
Chill ambiance to enjoy a sunny San Francisco afternoon, sharing a space with all kinds of people from all over the world. Enjoy the live music drinking a good cup of Cafe Au Lai or zipping a local beer.
It does have happy hour $1 off draft beers, also has free wifi -
Review from Josh K.
San Francisco, CA
1/31/2012
Monday January 30th @ 9:30sh.
Last night could have ended better, I'm not impressed with the service. I left as soon as I could with my company because of the way we were treated by the bartender. I don't care how many years you've worked there. We were paying customers, we came to be entertained, not to be the subjects of your horrible work ethic. Be nice to your customers, they don't need a job - YOU do. -
Review from Rat a tat R.
San Francisco, CA
1/13/2012
To me Revolution Cafe epitomizes a cool Mission music venue. Sitting back and sipping a pitcher of sangria here, while listening to a show, is just the epitome of cool. Come here and you see not only Mission dwells, but people from all walks of life, chilling, boozing, and drugging out to their heart's content. If you're not that kinda person, you have a wide variety of coffee to choose from as well.
Revolution Cafe's open wall adds to the coolness factor but ironically at the price of increasing the chill in the cooler days and nights. I take a star off for that, but dress warmly and you should be good. Or enjoy this place on San Francisco's "warm" (haha!) summer and fall nights. -
Review from Darcy V.
San Francisco, CA
1/20/2012
"Best place to inhale second hand pot smoke." If that were a Bay Guardian "best of" category, this place would win. However, there is still something appealing about this place. I love that the front opens up to the sidewalk, and all kinds of people from all over the world seem to gather here. I think the main draw to this place isn't the food or wine/beer, it's more the scene. It's really entertaining to sit and have a glass of wine and watch people. There are crazies, artists, musicians, drop-outs, and I dare say a revolutionary or two. Wine and beer are affordable and it's a good spot to sit while you wait for a table at Lolo.
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Review from Giovanni N.
Daly City, CA
2/5/2012
I love it here because of the free music, including classical every Monday. The guy that works there can be a little rude, though, but that doesn't really bother me. What does bother me is all the smoke. Lots of smokers right outside in the patio (which seems like smoking is allowed there?), and all that smoke doesn't know to stay outside with the windows all open and the door open; the wind brings it right indoors. I thought SF had some strict smoking laws? If so they should really be enforced or someone should tell this business to please enforce them. My gf who I brought here to enjoy the music doesn't want to come back because she can't stand the smoke which was particularly strong that evening. Otherwise, everything else is good about this place, including the food.
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Review from Jennifer C.
Eugene, OR
12/28/2011
Revolution has big beautiful windows but doesn't let in much light. The location might be perfect for live music but not ideal to do work during the day. The music inside was too loud. The iced coffee was meh. The barista was really sweet. I really wanted to like it but maybe I just came at the wrong time of the day.
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Review from Bobo B.
San Francisco, CA
11/3/2011
Absolutely my favorite hangout in town. Plus the most fun place to play music. The staff behind the bar (Chris and Sean) are sweeties, and the regulars are diverse and kind to strangers.
That it is four two oh so friendly is also a big plus, keeping the straighter tourists away. -
Review from Peter K.
San Francisco, CA
8/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Would give it 5 stars but the popularity of the place makes it hard for me to give it a perfect score, especially because I live two blocks away and feel like it should really be a neighborhood spot.
Live Music, potheads, beers and the most eclectic grouping of people makes this Mission gem one of the only places in the city where you can just relax and come as you are. It tends to be overcrowded at night with hipsters and hippies alike but the cheap drinks and amazing live music makes Rev Cafe well worth the dank aroma. -
Review from Adam O.
Alameda, CA
10/5/2011
Well it's already been said a zillion times. Coffee, beer, food and great music and ambience.
Seems like a good place to hang out anytime. -
Review from Mish L.
My butt was welded to the seat and I was hooked on contact. Literally! ;-)
Perfect for a post dinner chill session. Warm night, light breeze, cozy decor, live music from a rockin' jazz trio, laid back crowd, prime seats and $5 Red Stripes... Reggae beats and 50's bop jams interspersed during intermission. Conversation? Perhaps not, especially when the live music gets going. But during breaks, you'll be able to snatch a few words with your company. Patio seating fills up quick on a warm night, so snag a seat when you spot one or it'll be gone in a blink of an eye. Sitting right by the doorway was prime-- and perfect for people watching.
Revolution sports a small crowd-- a good mix of regulars, couples, singles and friends.... but not to the point of sardine-dom claustrophobia. One single restroom. They also serve coffee, but all I had was beer. Chimay's on draft, Red Stripe, Trumer Pils, you get the picture.
After a hiatus from the Mission, stopping by Revolution on a whim was the ultimate welcome back to the gritty streets of patrolling cops and melting pot of folks.
It's 4:20 friendly, so no one will blink at the puff, puff, pass. Who cares if it's not your thing? No judgment. No drama. Come with an open mind and stay for the beer and music. I'd love to come back and check out the vibe during the day.Listed in: Kick back and Relax!, Bar None
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Review from Jackson Q.
San Francisco, CA
7/18/2011
Places like Revolution should not be missed, ignored or at all underestimated. All-in-one joints like this make living in San Francisco so quintessentially urban, where one can stop through on a Friday night and fall into an all ages Jazz-infested social free for all.
Bring your lap top, bring a book or bring your friends as this place is simultaneously cafe, music joint and full service bar. Pulsating with people 7 nights a week, coming to Revolution has a certain sense of romanticism that makes it stand out in any good urbanite's social outing catalog.
Fall in love at/with Revolution. -
Review from Matteo C.
San Francisco, CA
6/2/2011
Cafe Revolution to me
crowded
live music - good tunes/sometimes bad.but people always listen
weed smokey is okey
drinking on sidewalk bad... i tend to do it anyways just to get yelled at
which is a awesome cause its a revolution! is what u tell him -
Review from Sean S.
4/14/2011
This place has that old style ya can't find much anymore...
The casual chill vibe, the real music, the talented musicians... the characters, the poseurs, the dealers, the makers, the marks. You name it they're all here. I love san francisco when I'm sitting in this little spot in the mission, watching the trouble walk by, watching the cops cruise by, watching all the nighttime creatures while the daytime people sleep.
I wanna go there right now, actually! -
Review from kajal p.
San Francisco, CA
10/28/2011
Love everything about this place. It makes me want to move to the Mission. Yes it is small and it gets crowded but not never overwhelming. Everyone is supper friendly and chill and I love the fact that they have live music on Sundays too!
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Review from kyle w.
San Francisco, CA
11/2/2011
I really enjoy Revolution Cafe right from the immediate vibe to the decor and feel of the place. The staff and clientele are also super chill and friendly. Many a time at Revolution I have enjoyed a coffee, beer, or snack while listening to good music and watching the city of SF pass me by...all the while thinking, "This place is great for being a part of making all this happen."
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Review from Mario S.
Walnut Creek, CA
Updated - 9/13/2011 13 photos
The Family Crest at Revolution Café, September 12, 2011
Part I
Restorative surgery: American and Cuban pictures. A packed house, as usual. The blurts of a contained horn. Rhythm furnace. Hot, baked interlude of daylight simmering into night. I love black polka dots. The most beautiful eyes watch a bow go back and forth. Cat eyes. Mysterious eyes. Bedroom eyes. Shoulders smaller than forearms in her hand a flute. It turns out those eyes are leaving. Phone light in her face. The one with a bun in her hair plays the piano. Black dress; single shoulder straps barely an inch, then the lights descend. She motions a violinist into a space between tables. The voice whose sound I cannot recognize yet does a melodic test. Amid the chaos of back music, now guitar strums. Bun drops, the voice fills the air. My heart sinks, tears well at the beatific night. A man's voice; it's high, enchanting like a woman's call, androgynous. Strings, the pianist plays moving her bangs. "Night and day, I need you here." Melodic, majestic, "Watching and whatnot," he says. "Romeo and Juliet," the violin of yesteryear. High walls of orchestrated eloquence, telling a story of love, like Spencer Day. One voice organizes the others, a series of black outfits, strumming, blowing, dragging a bow; a voice fills the air, foot on a drum. Chorus. Tempered by the violin, acapella intro.
"Nearby café, Listen closely and you'll hear the sound of breaking hearts." Family Crest. Aqualung, Dead Can Dance. Haunting ghoulish minstrels 31 shows in 31 nights, like gypsies for money, a xylophone. "I'll move through the night, I'll sleep when I am dead..." Irish River Dance. "Bells are Ringing Over the City." Storytellers dreaming otherworldly images.
Part II
Beethoven Violin Quartet #1 (I guess) From no sound to a particular sound, how once there is nothing, then a Beethoven I never would have guessed. She took off her glasses, elevator glances at the thin violinist, who can't see her in his arcing. "MJ179" is the violinist's name. (Small light brown curls, leather jacket, plaid shirt.)
The complexity of the pieces is daunting, from memory-like typing where hand and eye coordination must fly, and where for me it would be problematic, never sure, perhaps by intuition looking at the letter forms. Schumann Piano Quintet. Yoshi's in October. Repeating the piano as a silhouette. They come in and out of prominence, as strings then as piano (also strings) the music translates to my own joy. I feel like I can play or at least have memory. These are like mist clouds over a green hill. I wonder if other animals respond in kind. When something doesn't go right, we seem to notice, like the last page of a piece. But what we do with empty space is up to us.
Mendelssohn Violin II Quartet Opus 13 (http://www.youtube.com...) Interlocking in space. Each member playing his part. A flutter, seriousness, a graceful courtesy. A tender eyeing of the tenorous man, the bejeweled woman, a commotion of simultaneous notes, a conversation among strangers. I can't quite place the sound, whether a clothesline on a New England Beach in winter or feelings themselves. Is this water falling in a sink as the wife of a cheating man washes the dishes? Is this the sun rising on her empty bed? I hear the door opening. The woman's dog is feeling her sorrow. Her children are fast asleep. "Ellis and Gough... Classical Revolution CD." Much sadder and slower, this time the husband is home. Everything festers, where one seems free; the other is locked in the righteousness of commitment. They fight despite that flowers are given, yellow ones in the morning light, with the envy of innocence. The pure one wishes it could be less true. In fear, she surmises her hurt. He takes a shower. She hears the soap drop. Then the whole body seems to crash. A loss of consciousness comes over him. She weeps seeing her entre vous. She opens the door quickly and comes to his aid. He barely notices her, still in the water. He is quiet. He is alone, distant to himself under the auspices of time and memory. Philip Roth: American Pastoral, The Human Stain, The Plot Against America (Continuum Studies Contemporary N American Fiction), late Beethoven Quartet no.13 op.130, cavatina (5/8), best love music he ever wrote. Somehow she manages to forgive him and life seems to go back to normal. The dog's chain rattles as it sits on the floor. I wonder what it is feeling? Are these notes too sharp for its ears? Is it pleased? Still, a mood, walking home alone in the alley, between two streets, these haunting melodies come to the man. She has long ago left him. He is alone. All progress is over. Time has come. There is this tender moment he sees as he looks out the window and potential lovers are chatting.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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9/1/2011
Second turn, same inner skin, the world turns. In the center of a swirl of wooden furniture, my… Read more »
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Review from Ben N.
San Francisco, CA
6/22/2011
OK, so I admit that I was a bit of an ass for taking my change back even though I had to wait 5 mins to place an order with hardly anyone there and the change was placed right in front of the bartender. So I decided I would leave a tip after I ate.
Not so sure that this justifies receiving a rude comment and then waiting 15-20 mins for a sandwich while the bartender talked to his homeboys outside. The food was put in a box rather than on a plate so I didn't notice missing ingredients and one bite for the salad right away. My stomach hurts. Left a tip when leaving in spite. I've received bad service there before as well.
Sometimes good music is played but it's super loud. Or shitty musicians might be playing their guitars and singing as loud as they can. Might go back at night for the live music.
And yes, if you don't like the smell of weed and cigs, not your place. -
Review from Dee D.
Oakland, CA
7/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
One of the places I frequented when I first moved to the bay area was Revolution Cafe. It's the perfect way to catch the diversity of San Francisco locals.
It's a multipurpose open space with small tables like a local European cafe. Most of the tables are crowded towards the open area and people are spilling to the sidewalk. It certainly feels busy all the time, but not over crowded (although it may take you some time to grab a seat or two) but that just gives you an excuse to bump into someone and start a conversation.
The music varies, much like the people. Music can be loud and in your face or chilled back, much like the people. The atmosphere is always cool and it's always fun to just sit back and watch it all unfold. The beer is good and flowing, the coffee is decent. They have some food, but not spectacular. It's good to snack on while drinking your Chimay. You can bring your laptop or a book, or just bring yourself. The only bummer is that there's one bathroom, but that's quickly overlooked by the indescribable coolness of the place. What a great way to start getting to know this city. -
Review from Victoria A.
Emeryville, CA
3/18/2011
After 8 years in Europe, I love cafe life... and searched online to find something similiar here in SF.
Man- oh man... if you hate 420 this is NOT the place for you. As I write, I am overwhelmed by the pot smoke waifting in from the group of Rastafarians in the patio. Music is bad, and way too loud.
Its too bad because the dark wood floors, and lovely tin bar make the decor fabulous. If you like 420, I suppose this is an ideal place. -
Review from BOSHIKA T.
San Francisco, CA
6/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Interesting place....now I know where all the "off the griders"(I think I just made this word up!) hang
Thursday nights are the best here, open mic followed by a live band. The beer selection is good, though sometimes the beers can be flat. I have not tried any food, but their americanos are pretty good. -
Review from Daniella B.
San Francisco, CA
It's hard to know what you are going to get when you come here, which is good if you are open-minded, and maybe not so good if you're a prick.
Let's just say:
One Day, 7:30 pm Thursday, hip hop lady rapper is spitting some ill beats with fellow dreadlock companions about living in the mission. Lots of people are outside smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, and loving it.
Some other day around 1pm Sunday, ordered two delicious mighty leaf teas, luckily got a table, yet extremely close to everyone around us, listened to very loud jazz music that was pretty awesome and still could sort of have a conversation.
Another day at the cafe, 3pm Monday, barely any people, got a great seat, ordered a delicious chai latte, read and people watched until 5pm. Later on that day, started to get full of people having beers and funky conversations.
Last day so far at 10am Friday, cup of coffee, the newspaper, outside under the heat lamps working on my laptop and feeling welcomed by the neighbors.
Considering these experiences here is some advice: stick to beer, tea, wine, or lattes, experiment with the food (it's a little different every time someone different is working), and expect a somewhat eccentric, yet laid-back atmosphere.Listed in: The Places I Go Out, My New Neighborhood-The…
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Review from Stu R.
San Jose, CA
Open air cafe with live piano music, happy hour and a comfortable atmosphere. It has my vote.
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Review from ThuZ W.
San Francisco, CA
2/2/2011
I absolutely LOVED this place.
Loved the energy, the people, the drinks, Great music - and the colorful crowd around us.
( if you are not open-minded, and get offended when people are smoking up - probably not a good place for you )
We came for HH, and sat outside. Ordered a few pitchers of Sangria, and chit-chatted with the locals. People were dancing around us, and singing and all kinds of happiness.
Had a lovely time - I really enjoyed myself.
Great for a warm sunny day :) -
Review from Keighley M.
Berkeley, CA
12/22/2010
Seemed like a cool place, but I came at the asscrack time after happy hour and before the live music. I don't know if it was my friend's error or yelp's or the restaurant's website's error, but somehow happy hour ended an hour earlier than I was told. On top of that, most of the beers on tap were "out", wtf?? The waitstaff seemed overworked and confused, and got snappy at my friends while they were ordering. And there were some people hanging out working on their laptops with headphones on at 6:30 pm on a friday as most of the bar/cafe was clearly in party mode... just seemed odd. That said, the vibe was pretty good and the live music seemed like it would have been cool.
I can't decide if I will return here. It has potential, but the waitstaff need to work on their speed/attitude and the bar needs to be better stocked (managerial shittiness could be to blame for this, too). -
Review from Karen N.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2011
My friend and I stumbled in here on a weekend night looking for something casual but fun and we were definitely rewarded for our wandering ways. There was live music and a good crowd out. The drinks are priced just like any other neighborhood bar so you won't break the bank. The set up is very much a cafe and in the corner near the bar is where the musicians set up shop. The acts we saw were really good and according to the other visitors we chatted with, this place often draws good musicians.
Revolution Cafe is gonna be filed away as my casual hip entertainment spot. -
Review from marylou l.
San Francisco, CA
7/15/2011
i like.... but i'm not one of the cool kids. :*|
but damn there are some sexy men here. s***. and the sangria is good, wine is pricey, bathroom line, loooong on busy nights. -
Review from Erin W.
7/16/2011
Went here following a friend's recommendation but was very unimpressed. The smell of pot was wafting in the air, the tables were all sticky with previous patrons' beverages, and the wine list was really, really short. No need to go back.
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Review from Tasha D.
San Francisco, CA
7/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
The music was way too loud for conversation when I was here on a Monday evening last week. The sangria was meh. The people hanging out and chilling were definitely interesting, lots of great people watching to be had. But the cafe vibe was ruined for me by the music -- if I can't chill and hang out b/c the bass is shaking the table, I'm leaving.
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Review from Aya E.
San Francisco, CA
9/20/2010
I used to like this place a lot for its atmosphere and the good music that they have. But now, it's often just full of lost people. I like Bohemia and Art but why is it always supposed to be linked to the smell of pot? I don't find the smooth laid back touch that I used to. Now it's become more about getting stoned in the little outside scene where you can't sit at all unless you want to get stoned as well. I'd rather smoke when I decide to. Plus the music doesn't need to be that loud to be appreciated.
I still like the little tables, the fact that they serve hot drinks, and their good music when it's not too loud. I just try to go when it's not crowded and smelly. -
Review from Veronika O.
San Francisco, CA
8/10/2011
Not my usual type of place, but went on a Monday night with a friend and was stoked with the Mini orchestra playing inside;0) Joe at the bar was a gem and I loved the mellow vibe.
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Review from Chris C.
San Francisco, CA
11/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
so so relaxing - great atomosphere and great times
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Review from Simone W.
3/22/2010
After an amazing brunch you don't want to end, what's the best thing to do? Find another spot where you can keep the fun going! After looking up 'live music' in the Mission on Yelp, Revolution Cafe seemed to be the best choice! And it was! :-)
Revolution Cafe is a quirky mix of a bar and coffee shop in the middle of the Mission. When we arrived we got a little table with two chairs at the patio and later found out they were VIP seats. Thats' right! People were eyeing our seats, which made our experience even better!
They had sangria on the menu, but they ran out of it, so we drank mimosas instead. The band was just starting, and it was a nice mix of blue-grass and jazz. The crowd was very eclectic - old lady with dog, international couples, a group having a philosophical discussion about Heidegger, and quite a few people preparing and lighting up a joint as it's nobody's business. Everybody seemed so free and so present that made me wonder why I don't hang out in the Mission more.
After a couple of mimosas, some people watching and lots of laughs, it was time to come back to a different world. But now I know that Revolution Cafe is there whenever I feel like having a little revolution on my day! :-) -
Review from Nadya K.
San Francisco, CA
6/1/2010
Pros: The music is almost always amazing. If you are in the mood for people watching. this is a super good place for it. It's a real, old-school, hang out and talk about philosophy and politics kinda place. The coffee is fine, and if I drank beer I'm sure I would be stoked about the chimay.
thing to know: there is often smoke that drifts inside. Don't go here if that will freak you out. However, if you are like me ( a former smoker who spent her teenage years in very smokey seattle cafes), it won't bother you much as it doesn't get TOO smokey. Also, don't go here to study unless you are really good at concentrating. This is more of a hanging out place.
cons: The service has always totally sucked. I am a good customer. I'm polite. I tip. I'm never in a hurry. Still, it has always been super slow even when there is nothing going on.....like they literally ignore me as I wait to order. Also, at least twice I have been there when two employees were there who apparently couldn't agree on the volume of the music and kept turning it up and down. -
Review from David B.
I can appreciate this part of the Mission.
Something about people passing out flowers, warm sun on your legs, seats in the sun, great conversation, best company, Mimosas and live music that sets me in the mood.
Kinda makes me drift off to a time of daydreams and no ties to the world. Makes me want to simplify my life and cut the excess.
Cafe on the corner with all the graffiti on the wall. Between Valencia and Mission on 22nd. Can't miss it.
Live band sets up at 3 in the afternoon and was still going on when I rolled out at 430ish. I was completely feeling it. Draft beer on tap, sparkling water...good times, good times.
You'll find me here again!
Loving the Mission!Listed in: The Places I Go Out, Coffee
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Review from Ren L.
8/29/2010
Came here on a late Saturday night to keep awake. Thus, we grabbed a couple orders of coffee. Unfortunately they had barely enough left. So, the guy pours us the rest of the coffee they had left for three cups and only charges us for one cup instead, since he felt bad for not having any more coffee. It's all good, I believe we tipped to compensate for the initial charge.
The coffee itself was pretty darn strong, and we managed to find an outdoor spot outside to sip our darn strong coffee. I can easily say that we were very wide awake for the ride home. :) -
Review from Jason B.
8/28/2010
Bohemian vibe. Local artists rocking out on the piano. Massive fruit filled parfaits. Strong espressos. Sidewalk seating. Wifi. Perfect afternoon spot on a sunny if not quite warm enough for Dolores Park day.
If only the wind could blow the cigarette smoke in the other direction. Zero stars for the smokers. -
Review from Grace K.
San Francisco, CA
3/3/2010
Europe - meet San Francisco.
San Francisco - meet Paris.
Something about this place just rocks. I've walked by here on many evenings wishing I had scored outdoor seating to listen to the live band play. It's always full, it seems.
Finally, on a relaxing Sunday, we strolled into this place and ordered our beers. We initially got indoor seating and then moved outdoors when a spot opened up.
First - the people next to us showed attitude about us sitting there, as if their invisible friends were already sitting there or something. Didn't please Mr. Rob at all - and just made him scoot in even closer.
Second, Jon observed then commented that the three people next to us all were wearing the same thick black-rimmed glasses. Brad Pitt couldn't make those rims cool, but all three sported them nonetheless, apparently thinking it worked for them. (It didn't.) They frantically wrote (or drew) in their black notebooks, intermittently smoking a cigarette, without speaking a word while the music blared from the live band and conversations took place everywhere. It was like a scene out of "A Beautiful Mind" - except it wasn't.
Then....
All of a sudden.....
"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Uh - what?
I start looking around wondering what is going on only to be find that "Nerdorama", as a group, was shushing everyone else because the piano was playing.
Dudes - who's stranger?
Us for coming to a bar to converse and drink beer while listening to music in the background?
Or y'all, with your notebooks, acting like people who can fit the DSM-IV criteria for some neurological condition?
Enough said.
And it's not the establishment's fault that some of their clientele is just bizarre, so four stars it is.
Awesome hangout.
For Jon - all I can say is, "Black Butt!" -
Review from Lisa T.
San Francisco, CA
9/24/2007
The leaders of the Revolution have obviously garnered great success...
There are always fifty million people at the Revolution Cafe. At all hours of the day. And night. They have OBVIOUSLY become devoted to the cause.
Joining the Revolution obviously makes you uber, UBER hip. Because the hipsterness spills out onto the sidewalk here like... like... like I don't know what. I'm literally at a loss for words. In all of the Mission, in all of San Francisco, I can't think of anything more hipster than this place. This is hipster mecca.
The Revolution has provided much-needed amenities to the community, like an old upright piano that they'll let anyone walk in and play, free wireless, and the Revolution's leaders welcome some pretty nasty Mission street people, even, with smiles on their faces.
But their veggie sandwich is really kinda boring. And their bathroom is NASTY. And their service is SLOOOW. I think this is because the Revolution is lead by...
SHH!
Potheads.
I hope they're not listening...Listed in: Viva la free wireless!
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Review from Valentina V.
Seattle, WA
4/3/2009
There are very few places outside Latin America where I've felt like living in a lost chapter of a Magic Realism novel. I don't even need my index or thumb to make the count. The Revolution Cafe is one of those places.
Whether you are sipping on some iceless, fruitless sangria, having a Chimay or drinking cheap beer, there is a thin magic layer that turns anything normal into a dream at The Revolution Café.
It doesn't matter if you sit outside and have to put your drinks on the floor behind you, so "technically" you won't be drinking on the sidewalk. It doesn't matter if those by passers click their tongue in despair because there's no seating available (I would say not even standing available), and have to go somewhere else. It doesn't matter if you get asked for money by a couple of hopeless men, or the melodious jazz duo stops playing for a while and you're still on the mood to snap your fingers. You'll still breathe in air that feels like crushed planets dust, that smell like leaves, cocktails and wood, and the different aromas coming out of the many bodies lingering at The Revolution Café.
I wish I'd had a place like this closer. It would be part of my life. There is nothing as feeling like you were made by lines of character development and exquisite plots. Here, I was the "girl visiting from Seattle" but still a regular shook my hand, and asked me for Kurt Cobain and the incessant rain, while checking if my left elbow was working well.
Only in Mission. I'm bringing back to Seattle my own ISBN number, courtesy of The Revolution Café.
¡Gracias! -
Review from Lisa L.
Oakland, CA
1/14/2008
So I had been here once or twice before for a coffee or something similar, and thought - whoa, grungy, oh, every man here is wearing skinny jeans, oh, this is where the hipsters hang out, what am I doing here again?
However, last night I randomly ended up here again. There was a string quartet and then at some point also a piano player or two playing surprisingly good classical music. Shockingly we found a seat, it wasn't too cold thanks to the heat lamps and when i closed my eyes and everyone stopped talking and just listened to the music...it was a tiny, tiny bit of heaven in the midst of everything else. I wasn't in the Mission district of San Francisco, the people next to me were of no consequence.
I probably gained back a few years of life just by listening to the surprisingly beautiful music for those few minutes there. And for that, The Revolution Cafe, you get 4 stars.
