Café de la Presse

I've always been curious about this corner restaurant. Being part of a hotel and named "cafe", the restaurant didn't catch my eye as a food spot but more of a breakfast and coffee spot. After dining a few doors away for lunch, I noticed diners having salads and a variety of other foods in walking by. I made a point to stop here and found time on a midweek afternoon.

In walking in, my greeter who also would be my waitress offered me my choice of indoor or outdoor dining. I chose inside and was led downstairs to their main dining room. There were five or six tables with the customers so I chose a wall side table near the window. I was determined to try one menu item but was pondering over my main meal choice. I started with the onion soup gratinee (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=VY3U45uH25S6DWTOlGLxTA&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), made with emmental cheese and croutons; I love the crusty portions of the cheese and the croutons were portioned perfectly. The broth was on the lighter side but just right saltiness wise. For my entree, I chose the Mercredi (Wednesday) special, boeuf bourguignon (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=4Qmw9GT0eM1QmIW2RZItJA&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) and macaroni gratin (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=eE0ZuuHs5rM5s-ngC4QEXQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q); described as braised short ribs in red wine sauce, dice (sp) bacon, carrots, and mushrooms. This homey stew was full flavored and would be great on a bed or rice or noodles; what I did with my unfinished half that I took home. The wine flavor was prominent and it leaned towards the sour side instead of sweet likely due to the wine. The star for me was macaroni gratin. O.M.G.... it was the most delicious version of macaroni and cheese that I'd ever had. The macaroni was melt in your mouth soft and the cheesy sauce was like mashed potato with a crusty top for a textural contrast. I could eat this alone and be happy.

As mentioned, the sidewalk dining area was mostly full, I My waitress Aya checked on me frequently in refilling my water carafe. She kindly gave me two small paper containers to pack my beef and macaroni separately. Looking forward to coming here again and try more of their menu.

Aight so boom. I had the Coq Au Vin wtih Fettucine and the Caramelized Croissant Pudding.

1. The Coq Au Vin with Fettucine was cooked nicely. The succulent chicken and the al dente fettuccine would've been a perfect dish if it wasn't for the bland flavor. The sauce tasted like box gravy with red wine.

2. The Caramelized Croissant Pudding is your typical bread pudding with a vanilla gelato. While the pudding was warm and tasty, it was just too sweet. I would recommend asking them to remove either the caramel or chocolate sauce.

3. The service was great. We accidentally dropped a fork and got another one immediately without asking. We didn't even know that our server saw the drop. She was on point!!!

4. The space is casual yet elegant. On a sunny day such as this one, it felt like a slice of Paris.

Duck Confit oh my my. Serious yum from some very nice folks. Weekend brunch is always a good idea with a nice mix of tourists and locals. Need to brush up on French? Easy to do here and mispronouncing a few words is expected.

Money and time well spent.

This is a lovely French restaurant right on the edge of Chinatown. Its exterior and interior are designed to look like it had been transplanted from the streets of Paris to San Francisco.

I had been meaning to come here for some time, but the timing was never right. Why? Because I needed to be here on a Thursday - that's the only day that they have cassoulet. Fortunately, a conference at the nearby Ritz-Carlton gave me and a close friend the opportunity to stop by for lunch.

We had reservations and were seated upon arrival. To my delight our hostess and serveuse both spoke French, so I had an opportunity to practice a bit. We ordered some bread, an appetizer, and our entrees, and got down to our catching up conversation.

The dishes came out at a relaxed pace - first the bread and the drinks, followed by the appetizer. It was nice not too feel pushed along during the meal.

Our meal today consisted of:

Salad de Bettraves (beet salad) - beets served on endive with creamy burrata cheese. Fresh, light, very good.
Cassoulet - this is a traditional French stew, with beans, duck confit, sausage, and pork. Most people, when they think of a typical French dish probably don't envision this. It was hearty and warming, but I wish I had some fresh vegetables on the side as a counterpoint. This was delicious.
Braised rabbit - this was also very good, served with mashed potatoes in a warm brown sauce/broth. The rabbit was just a little dry in parts.

Overall it was a pleasant meal. The $6 for bread and butter feels a little steep and I don't know if cassoulet should cost over $30, but I would go back for it again.

One of those restaurants where the vibes precedes the food, and I don't mind it. Slowly becoming a neighborhood favorite to drop in for coffee or brunch post partying nights out. They also have a great selection of magazines to browse through while you wait, or while sipping your coffee. Interior enthusiast, artist types, and vibes curators will appreciate this greatly!

Fyi. Some days it's empty, and I able to just drop in; but it'd be wise to make a reservation during the weekends.

The baked goods are fantastic! Light and fluffy and oh almond!!!!!

Cappuccino was delightful and hot. The staff was friendly and greeted me with a smile. Service was quick and responsive.

Great feel to this place and there is even outdoor seating as well as inside.
The menu had something for everyone.

Recommended.

This review is an absolute pleasure to write. Here's a restaurant that deserves five stars.

Why, from the moment you walk in your greeted by a staff of employees that strive to give you the best service that they can.

The restaurant is clean and well organized. The menu, as you might have guessed, is French and they do it well.
There two signature dishes of chicken Coc au vin and Duck con fet (sp) is spot on. These are two tough dishes to make well in a restaurant and they do it spot on. Coupled with some crusty warm bread and great butter and you have found home.

As you look around the other patrons are truly enjoying their meals. There's a sense of happiness and contentment. This restaurant is going on my must visit for either a small coffee and croissant to my next full meal.

This restaurant deserves a look.
Bon appetite fellow travelers.

A standard over many years. Lunch or breakfast can't go wrong and a great location to people watch and enjoy a great meal.
I usually get the Quiche Lorraine and salad - a very Parisian style experience in old San Francisco just across from the Dragon Gate in Chinatown. The menu is simple but well executed - enjoy it.

Cafe de la Presse is in tourist trap central and often, IMO, unfairly maligned by locals because of its location.

It delivers a good French-ish cafe experience of caffeine + light French fare such as pastries and croque. On a rare day, you might even be treated to stereotypical snooty French service and large cafe. LOL. I've found the service very welcoming.

I see that others promote the warm salad but i haven't tried. I'd recommend the more traditional fare of croque +frites, the coq au vin, duck confit, and steak + frites.

If you want to eat in peace without the bustle of tourists, ask for the dining room in the back.

We found this little gem on a walk and decided to try it. We came here for dinner. We got here for an early dinner, so it wasn't too busy. I thought it was a cute French restaurant. The place has small tables outside and they do serve coffee and pastries in the morning. It is right across the street of the Chinatown entrance.

I ordered the half chicken and my husband ordered the duck confit. The chicken was very good. It was moist and had good flavor. My husband liked his duck dish. For dessert, we ordered the croissant bread pudding. I thought that was unique. I've never heard of a croissant bread pudding before. But let me tell you, OMG, it was so good.

I really enjoyed this place. I've never been to Paris before, but I can imagine it would be like this French restaurant.