Tried this place for the first time on a Saturday around 1pm. Found out it's a family run restaurant. Not only was it a family friendly place, but the customer service was excellent. The family that runs the business is so kind and accommodating. It makes it super easy to return here and spend money again and again. The food is reasonably priced, the serving size is just right and the food tastes soooo yummy. This is now a staple in my restaurant rotation!! read more

Not sure why the low ratings here but this is a solid spot for your classic American breakfast/brunch fix. The location is across from city hall on grand and the interior could probaly use an update but I am guessing most of the items they have are the same for the last 30+ years of operation. Food was good and there was large portions. A little light on the salt so that may be good as you can control your sodium intake. There were a decent amount of regulars there when we showed up on a Sunday morning but we got seated pretty quickly and they cleaned the tables quickly. Servers brought over a classic cup of diner coffee with the nice been left on the drip pot taste. Was fine but maybe they might be able to get an espresso machine or something to upgrade that. Not sure they would want to as that is extra labor but who knows. Also got a glass of fresh squeezed OJ. They cut the oranges fresh and had a mechanical hand juicer. Was nice that you know it is fresh although the machine is a little loud. Overall a nice spot for brunch. If they are busy I can see it being slow as there is about 3 FOH staff and lots of orders. But if you flag them down they will get you what you need. Will be back if in the mood for some classic American breakfast/lunch. read more

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Cable Car Cafe is my parents fave place to go when craving breakfast foods, specifically chicken fried steak. We recently visited as hubs was craving steak and eggs. He and kiddo both ordered that - good sized steak, crispy hashbrowns, eggs cooked the way they liked, and toast. They were both happy. Mom ordered the chicken fried steak - she noted she likes the gravy most of all. Dad ordered the Ham and Swiss omelette and I ordered the Smoked Salmon omelette. Both omelettes were served on top of the hashbrowns and also came with toast - no complaints. Owner and staff are friendly and prices are decent. read more

Cable Car Cafe - Steak and eggs - Burgers Near Me - South San Francisco, California

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Been eating this place since I was a kid and the quality is always on point. It's always nostalgic to have good breakfast there in the morning with my wife. We remember coming when we was really young I always get the eggs Benedict. That's my favorite blueberry. Pancakes were really good. Corn beef is awesome and crispy. read more

Cable Car Cafe - Burgers Near Me - South San Francisco, California

The best place to go to for breakfast and brunch. I always order the chicken fried steak and eggs and it's always delicious

Classic breakfast staples, nice staff, cable car decor, and the portions are spot on. What more can you ask for? We had the Chicken Fried Steak with hashbrowns, and a breakfast sandwich with sausage on a roll. We left feeling full and happy. Think mom and pop breakfast with a homey feel. Come and try this place! read more

Always looking for new-to-us breakfast places so we tried out Cable Car Cafe and loved it. As expected, cable car memorabilia and photos decorate this tidy, old school diner. Huge portions and excellent hash browns - crispy (not burnt!) outside and creamy inside. Efficient and friendly service! This was our first time in, but we could tell there were also regulars dining in, judging by how familiar the staff were with some of the diners. read more

Cable Car Cafe - View towards the kitchen - Burgers Near Me - South San Francisco, California

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Delicious French toast food is good all the way around nice people fair price. nice atmosphere parking is a bit hard to find out depending on what time you arrive. read more

Cable Car Cafe - French toast special - Burgers Near Me - South San Francisco, California

It's a very friendly family owned business, the food is good and their orange juice is made fresh, we like coming here and a filling lowkey breakfast read more

Cable Car Cafe - Burgers Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Prices of Food went Skyhigh this place is Too expensive to eat Breakfast and Lunch. Will not return to this place and also will tell friends and relatives about this expensive place. read more

I took my husband here for breakfast on Father's Day. The place was packed as expected. I had the 2 pancake cable car special with 1 bacon, 1 sausage and poached egg. The poached egg looked like a fried egg, 1/4 done. The pancakes and sausage were good. He ordered the veggie omelet with hash browns and toast. I asked him how he liked it and replied even with a lot of salt, it didn't taste that great. Don't sit next to the sliding door cooler. Each time the waiter opens it, it closes with a loud thud. I'm sure half of the restaurant heard it but we even felt each thud. The service was quite fast though. read more

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Fresh squeezed orange juice! At a reasonable price. Solid breakfast that won't set you back an arm and a leg. Cute place. They are really, really into cable cars. Lots of vintage pictures of old San Francisco. read more

Went here for breakfast on a whim. Seemed like one of those old school places that would serve a legit breakfast. I was unfortunately mistaken. Service was just OK. The coffee was the only hilight which was pretty good. The corned beef hash i got seemed like it was the canned stuff and nothing special. Now the pancakes i got had to be the MOST flavorless pancakes i have ever had. They just were puffy but did not taste of anything. It also seemed like the syrup was rationed as you get one tiny cup for a stack of pancakes. I asked for two more syrups but was only given one. I would not extend any effort to go to this place again. There is a charge if you use a credit card to pay as I assume that they want cash only. read more

This is just an old school diner; there isn't a single fancy or modern thing about it. And that's what makes it so perfect! The food is solidly good; the service is efficient, friendly, and motherly without being intrusive; and the prices are exactly what you'd expect. I'm so glad this place exists! read more

Cable Car Cafe - Counter seating, booths, and tables - Burgers Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Decent food, mediocre service. During the weekend breakfast rush, the staff is clearly overwhelmed and service is very slow. At some point, the owner called in her daughter to help with taking orders and serving customers. There is typical American breakfast fare and more Asian-inspired items like longanisa sausages. We got the Chicken Fried Steak & Eggs and a breakfast platter with longanisa sausages. Both were very tasty but quite greasy, which is my main complaint about the food. However, they definitely know how to do breakfast foods right, and this is evident by the constant flow of regulars who the all sit at the counter so they can chat with the staff and eat their meals at the same time. read more

No thrills vintage cafe. Met a friend for breakfast and this was near by her house. Nothing special but it was decent. Service was not overly but it was okay. Food we ordered is simple breakfast so not much of our order could go bad. Ordered the Waffle and bacon and over easy egg. Didn't even take picture of my breakfast dish. Bacon was nice and crispy. Nothing special and can get this same breakfast at any restaurant. read more

Love this place. Great food. Breakfast came in hot and fresh. They have a little bit of everything. fresh squeezed orange juice is also a plus read more

This place has been around I think for over 25 plus years and lots of locals seem to frequent this place. That's always a good sign. Lots of history especially from the name, cable cars. Current owners say that many if not all are donated by customers who come to visit and eat. That's pretty cool! Staff are most definitely friendly and attentive to your needs. Always making sure your drinks are full. You can either sit in booths, counter or window seats where you can people watch as they stroll through busy Grant Avenue. Plenty of choices in the menu from breakfast and lunch. I ordered French toast during lunch time which came w bacon or sausage and your choice of eggs. That definitely satisfied my cravings! Bacon was perfect to the crunch. Looking forward to coming back w the family and sharing this wonderful experience. FYI: cash only read more

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Found not 1, but 2 hairs in 2 separate plates. They kept insisting that they make a new plate for us, likely so that they wouldn't have to take it off my bill. I refused, as I already felt sick by eating the food with hair in it. When I went to pay, the older woman said she'd take it off my bill, but she did not. She rushed us out without allowing us to inspect the itemized receipt. Paid $55 for food we couldn't even eat & was forced to leave at least an 18% tip, which was the lowest option. Definitely avoid this place. Super gross. read more

Have ordered delivery and food has been good and well priced. No frills breakfast food and no complaints!

The food is amazing, but the service from the older waitress Vicky was horrendous!! This lady gave me and my family anxiety! Her negative energy and rushing us to order was terrible!!! read more

Very cozy place. It isn't stupid expensive like ihop. Bacon taste like bacon which for some reason was a surprise because I'm used to ihop egg and bacon. French toast is try ! read more

Horrible service and attitude for mediocre food. You're better off at Denny's or some other random joint

My family has been coming to this place for many years and my boyfriend and I have been coming here more regular. The food is always delicious and the service is always great. I would rate this place 5 stars. However, Upon eating my usual biscuits and gravy, I noticed there was something hard while chewing. I thought for a second it might just be a burnt piece, but I ended up spitting out a piece of METAL. The staff handled it well and asked if I wanted a replacement but I opted out and they offered to take it off my tab instead. When my boyfriend went to pay, they still charged us. Typically if a piece of hair or something gets in my food, I'm actually not too worried and would just pull it out and continue eating. But a piece of metal? That's dangerous. What if I ended up swallowing this? Needless to say my family won't be coming back here for a while. read more

Cable Car Cafe - Piece of metal in my biscuits and gravy - Burgers Near Me - South San Francisco, California

On a quiet morning arriving in the area too early for work I biked past a window with a man enjoying breakfast and a newspaper. I looked up and CABLE CAR CAFE greeted me emblazoned in robins egg blue letters. Early opening times, check. I popped in and was immediately charmed by the picturesque layout and geometry of the diner, adjacent from the two window tables, were two equally sunned and welcoming tables constituting "the front" then a little further in: a row of "bar seats" with classic round swivel seats wrapped in red leather. Parallel to these were a few booths. The walls are adorned with cable car decor and other photos and frames. A very cozy diner. Access to the kitchen as well as the hallway leading to a bathroom is through a set of those saloon type double swinging doors. It's got style. I took the first seat at the bar. Quickly the person seated at the bars opposite end stood and took my order, coffee and the chicken fried steak, overeasy, not the hasbrowns but the other potatoes, and rye toast. Speedy service. The plate was epic, very picture worthy, chicken crisp and flavorful, slather of gravy creamy and plentiful, eggs bursting with yolk, the potatoes seasoned just right and fresh, buttered toast served with jams. And your own pot of cream for your coffee. Yes please! The proprietors of the establishment are friendly and attentive and only add to the unabashedly charming atmosphere of Cable Car Cafe. An absolute gem, will definitely be back read more

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Found this spot on a whim. Great food, great service, and very affordable especially with huge portion

This breakfast oriented restaurant serves generous portions of tasty food at decent prices. Nothing fancy, but very clean, with good service. I recommend it. read more

Just arrived to the airport after a long trip looking for some good food. This place did not disappoint. Absolutely delicious food and amazing service! read more

Cable Car Cafe - Breakfast special - Burgers Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Amazing local restaurant. Food is delicious to the point where I am attempting to try everything on the menu. So far, average 5/5. 5/5 as in home cooked meal not 5/5 as in something you'd see from a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. It's comfortable, it's savory. Service is good, it varies depending on how crowded. Great place for if you want to go out and have something, with family. read more

Simple, unpretentious, and delicious comfort diner food which brings me back extremely fond childhood memories. Huge fluffy pancakes, crispy waffles, fantastic bacon, sausage, eggs, toast and omelettes and other classic breakfast offerings are what keeps bringing me back. You can see a lot of regulars that also keep dining here as well. Worth it all! read more

Read the worst reviews and that summarizes my experience. A Yelper experienced metal in her food. It looks like a piece of metal from the giant cans they open up to serve. Pretty much everything here is processed foods and a lot of it comes out of cans. The ATM is still broken since 6 years ago. I can confirm there is an excessive service charge but you won't see it on the card reader. They have it listed as gratuity but it's really a credit card fee. The server/owner hovers over the credit card reader to make sure you provide additional tip. As it turns out the tip is in additional to the mandatory gratuity charge. read more

Excellent food and fair prices. Been going here for many years and always come back for more.

Great local place! We tried chicken fried steak and corned beef hash; all are yummy! Staff are wonderful! read more

Cable Car Cafe - Corned Beef Hash and Eggs - Burgers Near Me - South San Francisco, California

I come here for a year almost every weekend for breakfast with my boyfriend and we love first: - the customer service: they greet you, they run to serve you - In the kitchen, they know how to make our omelets just like we want it. Everyone there is hard working and try to make customers happy, so I appreciate that. read more

We went here for breakfast last week with a friend. The food was great. We ordered the corn beef hash and the chicken fried steak breakfasts. Totally worth it. The chicken fried steak had green onions and a gravy lightly flavored with soy sauce which was a nice unexpected touch. I ordered poached eggs and they were cooked perfectly. I loved the vintage diner vibe, and the staff greeted regulars by name. My cup of coffee was bottomless like a classic diner too, and they gave me fresh cream instead of creamer cups! Great experience. read more

Cute little cafe across from the beautiful city hall building. Patty melt and egg salad sandwich were both great. Good service, friendly and was very crowded around lunch time. Street metered parking. Good for small groups as well. read more

Food is great but why the mandatory 18% tips when paying with a credit card for a to go order?!?! Especially when using a credit card has an added adjustment fee already. read more

Satisfied. Breakfast special was very good! Will be coming back! Lady was very nice and welcoming.

I ordered on Uber eats. They had the wrong price listed for the burger so they called me and asked me to pay the difference. Not sure how that's my fault but I was hungry so I agreed. I wasn't going to be upset about it until we got the food and the food was not tasty. Burgers were dry, pancakes were rubbery, and the hollandaise sauce didn't even hint of lemon, it was just thick yellow onion tasting sauce. Sorry but never again. read more

FRUIT FLY INFESTATION!!! There were fruit flies on our food, drinks, napkins, utensils, condiments, etc. When brought to our server's attention, she took apologized, took the food away, and disappeared. No manager was on site; another employee stepped in and justified it was normal due to the weather and could move us to another table. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FRUIT FLIES IN OUR FOOD AND DRINKS?!?! Apparently a fruit fly infestation does not even phase them. If you come from a demographic of people that doesn't mind bugs all over your food, feel free to try this place out. Otherwise, caveat emptor. read more

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