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El Café

4.7 (155 reviews)
InexpensiveCafes, Coffee & Tea, Bagels
Open 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Updated 1 week ago

Order El Café Takeout or Delivery

El Café Photos

Business Info

EL CAFÉ ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Dogs allowed
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - El Café

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Reviews With Photos

Trying a tuna melt first time. Nice corner cafe.
Priscilla L.

Everyone once in awhile you wan to grab a quick coffee or sandwich place and this the one to come to on Taraval as they have a few seats to relax and have your food and drink and off you go ‍ or just take out like most people head off to your journey. One time I bought a sandwich for the ballgame and it was yummy. Recently I decided to eat in since it has a such a warm and cheerful art decor. Since morning I decide to get the egg and cheese bagel on a cheese bagel. yes I am obsessed with cheese! lol My friend has the toasted chunky peanut butter bannna toast. Both made a nice mid morning snack. :) This staple cafe is right in a great location, next door to police station, the McChoppin park with the Parkside library is a good location where you can walk around the Parkside neighborhood and if you get hungry again, there's plenty of other snacks and restaurants to eat around here. Yummy in my tummy. :)

A LOTTA LOX
Hillary I.

Solid lox bagel on a good chewy bagel. Not sure I would call it a whole lotta lox, however. Maybe a medium to small amount of lox with a lot of tomato and cucumber is better description. Still very tasty. Pretty good offering for the price. Would recommend for a fast and affordable option.

El Cafe
Dana S.

Love, love, love this place. This is exactly the kind of cafe that I wish was in my neighborhood. I would frequent it so often they'd know me by name. Cute little spot. Perfect for a small meal, a snack, a coffee, a smoothie, or all of the above. They have a fantastic selection of sandwiches, bagels, pastries, and of course, coffee. I'm not a vegetarian but they have quite a few vegetarian options to choose from and all sounded spectacular. The lady helping us was so sweet and very helpful. Boyfriend and I both ordered the El Sunset. Mine on an onion bagel. It had turkey, bacon, pesto, tomato, spinach, and provolone cheese. It was yummy! I also had a vanilla latte and baby daddy had a cortado. Coffee was excellent! Nice and hot and clearly made with love. Little guy had a chocolate chip cookie with milk and everyone left happy. We don't live close by but when I'm in this neighborhood this will be my new spot. Thank you for great service and excellent food.

Menu, pastries, drinks, coffee
Alice R.

Great friendly neighborhood place with amazing paninis and good coffee! Cute cozy atmosphere... They treat you like friends and family

Healthy vegab with egg
Amy Z.

Been here at least 10 times, still enjoying their bagels and cappuccino. It's an enjoyment to come here on a morning and enjoy the sunlight while sipping on their coffee. Also appreciate the service and friendly staffs.

Beverages Menu

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2 months ago

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6 months ago

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8 months ago

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6 months ago

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4 months ago

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Laura G.

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8 months ago

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6 months ago

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Laura G.

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25 days ago

Delicious breakfasts!! Was able to sit at a table but limited seating inside. Service was great!

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Laura G.

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1 year ago

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Laura G.

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9 months ago

I come here sometimes and also that I do spend time driving and trying something new everyday..

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11 months ago

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10 months ago

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Laura G.

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1 year ago

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Laura G.

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Photo of Tina B.
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3 months ago

Neighborhood gem! El cafe has amazing service, good food and great lattes! I especially love the chagacccino latte.

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Laura G.

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9 months ago

Cute little corner coffee shop on Taraval. Lots of bagel options. Popular hangout spot for people working or reading.

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4 months ago

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Laura G.

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1 year ago

Had their Parkside panini! Toasty bread, quick service, tons of electrical outlets for you to sit and work!

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Laura G.

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1 year ago

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Laura G.

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11 months ago

Yummy. I'm going back today cause the food and coffee was great. Didn't have to wait a long time either.

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Laura G.

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6 months ago

Wonderful and warm neighborhood coffee and food place. The folks couldn't be nicer! I love the location right on the L Taraval.

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Laura G.

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10 months ago

Cool little neighborhood cafe with fire paninis. Their energizer mocha smoothie is also bomb. Highly recommended!

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Laura G.

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2 years ago

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Laura G.

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5 months ago

Welcoming staff, great coffee and food. I always recommend this place to people visiting the area :)

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Laura G.

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2 years ago

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Laura G.

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1 year ago

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Laura G.

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1 year ago

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Laura G.

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4 years ago

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Laura G.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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Laura G.

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10 months ago

Food and coffee was really good. Service was great. Cute little place with a lot of tables.

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Laura G.

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4 years ago

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Laura G.

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2 years ago

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Laura G.

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2 years ago

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6 years ago

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Laura G.

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3 years ago

Cute place to do work at and get coffee and sandwiches. It's the perfect size and not too small and not too big

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

Always reliable, happy to return each time and a support local business. Have taken my kids too, and there are options for them.

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Laura G.

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1 year ago

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Laura G.

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3 years ago

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Laura G.

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Ask the Community - El Café

Hi I was wondering where I can apply, I can't fine an email anywhere?

Hi Paulina! Our email is elcafe2018@gmail.com

Can they make their wraps with egg whites (as opposed to regular eggs)?

Hi Sandy! Great question. Of course we can make you a breakfast wrap with egg whites. We're very accommodating, just please make sure you specify your request when you place… Read more

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Ballast Coffee - ube ballast latte

Ballast Coffee

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I stumbled across Ballast Coffee while looking for a cute cafe to study at close to SFSU. Ballast…read moreCoffee was the perfect place to go to because it is less than 10 minutes away and has a lot of street parking available (which is rare in SF lol). Like everywhere else in SF, you have to pay for street parking but it's free after 6pm! The vibes inside are of a typical coffee shop and there is a good amount of tables and seats! The barista makes each drink one at a time, so it could take a while to order and get your drinks, but it just shows that they are very intentional with their drinks! I was super excited to find out that Ballast Coffee is actually a Filipino coffee shop that serves Barako Coffee, which I believe they source from the Philippines. They also sell barako bean roast blends for $20 in case you wanted to make it at home! Since they use Filipino barako beans, I had to order their Ube iced latte and Ube hot chocolate! The coffee had a slightly fruity yet chocolatey undertone that made it really delicious with the Ube! I do think that the coffee had a lighter taste to it, so it let the ube taste stand out more. My favorite was the Ube hot chocolate because it was super decadent and warming! I'll definitely be back at Ballast Coffee to study more and to also try their Ube Mocha as well as other drinks!

I've tried this cafe several times. Met with a friend to try the ube latte and she tried a…read morecroissant and I tried the beef empanada. The empanada wasn't heated long enough and the inside was still a bit cold. There were cubes of beef inside but I didn't think it had enough seasoning. Wouldn't order the beef empanada again. The ube lattes were OK but I think their regular coffee drinks taste better. It's a nice place to meet with a friend or two and have coffee and a conversation if you ca. get table seating not occupied by people with their PCs for hours.

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Ballast Coffee - Bar - full

Bar - full

Ballast Coffee - Order counter

Order counter

Ballast Coffee - Counter seating

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Java Beach At The Zoo - Veggie Bagel

Java Beach At The Zoo

4.0(585 reviews)
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Stopped into Java Beach Cafe and grabbed the turkey club. Solid, no-frills sandwich that does…read moreexactly what you want it to. You've got thick-cut turkey, crispy bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, all stacked between toasted bread. Good balance across the board. Nothing is overpowering, everything plays its role. The avocado adds some creaminess, bacon brings the salt and crunch, and the turkey is sliced thick enough to actually feel like something. Bread is nicely toasted. Holds everything together without getting in the way, which is key for a sandwich like this. It's not trying to reinvent anything, just a well-executed classic. This spot has a real neighborhood vibe, in a good way. Plenty of patio seating and dog friendly. Steps away from one of the city's best oceanside walks. Not bad, right? Would run this back for a quick lunch if I'm in the area, but really hard to compete w the other incredible sandwich options in SF, so wouldn't go out of my way to come back. With that said, you should definitely give the place a try if you've never been.

Whether you're going to the zoo, heading to Sunset Dunes, or just live in the neighborhood, Java…read moreBeach is a good stop for a snack. Java Beach has several tables both inside and outside. I often see people bringing their babies or dogs and eating outside when it is sunny. They keep a bowl of water out for the furry friends. I usually get their sandwiches, with the club being my go to. You can get a standard club sandwich but you also have the option of having it on a Dutch Crunch. I almost never turn down a dutch crunch option, and it does well with club ingredients (turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo). The house coffee is solid but not always consistent day to day. One thing that could be improved is speed. It's a relatively low staff cafe for the amount of foot traffic they get, so you might have to wait a while for your order. Also, they don't always get the order exactly right (e.g., wrong cheese in my wife's sandwich, wrong bread on an order in the past). It's also not cheap, but hey, it's a cafe near the beach. Overall, pretty solid food and coffee, and worth stopping by if you're in the area.

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Java Beach At The Zoo - Menu update

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Java Beach At The Zoo - Veggie Bagel + salmon

Veggie Bagel + salmon

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This is a very nice coffee shop with a very good assortment of hot and cold drinks. Some delicious…read moreThai coffees and teas as well. The sweets you can get as awesome as well! The place is calm and quiet. Very clean as well. I highly recommend Earth Tone Cafe if you are looking for an excellent place to enjoy a coffee or tea and support a local merchant as well.

A cafe with a very cute interior and Thai-style coffees next to GGP!…read more This location is two stores down from San Tung and about a 10-15 minute walk from Golden Gate Park. It is tucked away and a bit inconspicuous, so be sure to keep an eye out if you decide to come over here. Since it is near the park, parking is difficult, and taking Muni would be best. The store itself is small, with two tightly packed tables for seating, and the order counter is surrounded by delicious-looking pastries, giving it a homey vibe. I went in the afternoon on a weekend, and there was no line at the time. I really needed a caffeine boost, saw this place on Yelp, and decided to try it out. I try my best to order coffees/drinks that are unique to the place so I can try their signatures and form my best judgment. I decided to order the Thai Caffe Banana Latte and saw that it was labeled as blended with bananas. When I went up to the counter, I asked about the consistency of the latte to ensure it was not a creamy blended drink (like a smoothie) but still liquid, like a typical latte. I am unsure if my question was confusing, but it seemed to bother the person serving me that I was asking questions, and they seemed to be getting impatient with me. When they rang me up, I paid, but I forgot to ask for almond milk since I felt rushed while ordering (even though no one else was in the store at the time). I asked if I could still add it in and pay the upcharge or separate fee. They ended up telling me to just tip them the extra $1 in cash or add it to the Square payment as a tip (I gave $2 in cash because I felt bad for inconveniencing them). When I got the drink, the coffee was strong, bold, and not as sweet as I thought it was going to be (which was fine!). Since the original coffee without banana says it has condensed milk, I thought it was going to have more of that sweet note with the banana, but I could be incorrect in assuming it would be sweeter. That said, the banana itself was mashed into the drink, and unfortunately, I did not taste it very much, though I did sip up some banana pieces. Based on the drinks and the service, perhaps this place just is not for me, but I would not tell you to avoid it either. I would recommend trying it yourself to formulate your own thoughts, since maybe my experience was a one-off and the drink I got was not the one that best represents this cafe!

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Earth Tone Cafe - Interior

Interior

Earth Tone Cafe
Earth Tone Cafe - Interior Wall Decor~

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El Café - cafes - Updated May 2026

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