The ginger chai latte is so spicy and delicious. The woman behind the counter was helpful and friendly.

great local spot. friendly. good food. good prices. (free wifi, cash ONLY) read more

So good! The breakfast sandwich is a must. Coffee (latte) was perfect (right temp, flavor) for me visiting a new local spot. The gals here were very friendly and helpful. CASH ONLY. read more

Such a nice little cafe! Fast wifi, excellent chai tea and the owner is very friendly.

Went there for the chai, but they don't make it plain without milk or sugar (I'm keto). Got a different tea with peaches in it, pretty good. They played classical music that was kind of loud and kept breaking up, a bit annoying. The door also doesn't swing shut so it stayed open a lot. It was cold and rainy the day I went so I had to get up a few times to close it. Cozy atmosphere, fast & free wifi. They didn't have a bathroom and only took cash which was a bummer, would have stayed longer if they had a restroom. read more

Friendly welcome. Quaint hole in wall. Many options. Got the sandwich for breakfast on a crossaint. And a chai. Check it out. Def a neighborhood cafe read more

It's not fancy, but it's my go-to coffee shop when I'm at work. I would not have survived those 7am shifts without their coffee. The staff are very friendly and I can always count on an enthusiastic chorus of "Hi Julia!" when I walk in. Also? The green tea smoothie is solid gold. I have no idea what they put in it to make it so delicious, but try it and you'll be blown away. read more

I really want to like this place - they have a friendly staff and its a cute neighborhood place. But they burn the milk in the lattes every time. Every time. argh! and the coffee is blah. But the hummus veggie sandwich is fantastic. highly recommended. And its cash only, which can be annoying. read more

I work across the street from Lava Java. Like alot of people, I need caffeine in the AM to stay upright and non-zombified. LJ isn't the only option for coffee in the neighborhood, just the best. They also have a plethora of snacks & sweets to tempt the sweet tooth (or the fruit eating tooth, if you prefer). They have a great staff, always friendly and welcoming. But the jewel on the crown? Amazing sandwiches, not just for a coffee shop, but by any standards. read more

As soon as you walk into Lava Java, there is a framed picture of Lava Java on the wall. There is also glorious pictures of all the food and drinks you are about to order. Owner Ann always greets you with a sharp hello and a smile. The sandwiches and the drinks are great, especially the chai which is unique and spicy. Remember to order cheddar with your bagel, and not cheese. We think the sandwich guy got fired once for saying so. read more

A lovely little cafe in a great location right by golden gate park. Really good coffee and an excellent mango smoothie. The seats out front are perfect for people watching. read more

Came here on a Saturday morning. Friendly service. Ordered two bagel sandos, iced coffee, and smoothie. Coffee came out first - it was awful. I don't even know how to describe it, like old coffee mixed with a hint of chocolate? It almost didn't taste like coffee. I threw it away after a few sips. Smoothie came next, and it was super duper sweet. It was supposed to be a banana strawberry mango smoothie, and it tasted fake and full of sugar. We asked the woman behind the counter and she said it was because they put syrup on it. She was super nice and asked us if we wanted it to be remade - we hesitated then said yes, but asked for it without syrup. Then the woman explained that the syrup they use is the syrup of the fruit basically strawberry syrup and mango syrup - to substitute using real fruit- so she wouldn't be able to make it any less sweet. We learned that the strawberry and mango were the fruits they used sweetener for, and the banana was not, so we agreed to a new shake. She remade us a spinach avo banana smoothie - but with the banana sweetener taste. (?!?!) not sure what the miscommunication was there, but the new smoothie still wasn't great. The breakfast sandos were good, a tad salty but expected with cheddar and ham. Bagels are good Was hoping to support a local business but would have liked much better coffee and some transparency with the food they serve. read more

Had a roasted chicken sandwich packed for my biking day after renting from San Francisco Cyclery (see review) and we had lunch in the park. The sanwich was very good and the portion generous. read more

I work down the street from Lava Java so I'll stop to get coffee and a bagel once or twice a week. I've been doing this for a year. I only go because it's the closest coffee shop to my workplace. Every SINGLE time they have tried to overcharge me for whatever I am getting. Coffee and bagel with butter - $9? I doubt it. When I say 'excuse me?' the woman behind the counter gets flustered and says "Oh! It's actually $4! Sorry!' Whatever, you're trying to rip me off and I'm tired of it. No more. Plus, your coffee sucks. read more

One could easily walk right by, but you'll notice the colorful sandwich board and the green curtains, maybe the cool bike shop 2 doors down. Sandwiches, smoothies and more! It's very welcoming and comfy inside and they don't mind if you sit and read for a biit. So it's a nondescript sandwich place that's more destination. Just go try it! read more

Still continue to go here for coffee and breakfast on the weekends. The owner and workers are really great. Go for the egg, cheese, whatever on a croissant OR the garlic pesto turkey sandwich on croissant. read more

I went in here the other day because I happened to be in the neighborhood, so I am not a regular. But the proprietor of this shop is an incredibly nice person and the food is very good! I just went in for a plain bagel and while I was enjoying it she brought out a sample of the strawberry banana smoothie. IT WAS AMAZING so I had to buy one. Then she brought out a sample of her jalapeno cream cheese which is homemade. Also delicious! If I wasn't trying to watch my diet at the moment I totally would have bought that too. When my boyfriend came to pick me up I made him buy the mango banana smoothie which he also enjoyed. But I just wanted to write a review because like I said the proprietor was so incredibly nice, and the food was so good! Please stop in! read more

What a wonderful little coffee shop! I can't say I've had the food yet, but their coffee and drinks menu is really great. I had a coconut mocha shake, which was delicious. The inside of the shop is very quaint and a perfect compliment to the beautiful area it sits in. The staff are very warm and welcoming and made my experience very enjoyable. I will definitely be back for more! read more

Lava Java - Lovely flower boxes next to the outside seating - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

The spinach mushroom breakfast sandwich on a croissant is amazing! The vanilla chai is delicious as well, not too spicy and not too sweet :)

Lava Java! My roommate and I used to go here every morning when we lived nearby. The owner is very sweet and the food is great. What more is there? read more

That Turkey and Bacon Club is flying under the radar as one of my favorite sandwiches. A laundry day go-to.

They must not get very many personal coffee thermoses. We came in with two pretty typical thermoses (one 8 oz, one 16 oz), and were overcharged for both (I was charged 16 oz for the 8 oz one!!). When I realized it and asked for a refund of the difference, the cashier (the owner, I think) was quite rude about it. She actually poured my drink into a 20 oz paper cup and then tried to convince me it was full, even though it was a couple of inches from the top of the cup! Sheesh! I've never had problems using my thermoses at other coffee shops. Probably won't go back. read more

Okay. So I went here because I had a hankerin' for my new favorite coffee drink: the cafe au lait. Mind you, I swore off coffee for years because its acidic nature tore a birthing canal in my stomach. Then while in Tahoe last week, a friend offered me a cup of joe and I began to reacquaint myself with the dark cousin from Sumatra. I order an au lait from the barista: nice guy. Fairly handsome if I remember correctly - well I'll put it this way he wasn't ugly and I wouldn't kick him put of bed. I asked for their milk selection and settled on soy. As he made my mid - afternoon snack I saw the bounty of pastries before me and asked if any of the items, a fat free apricot oat thing (you know the circular kind that are usually wheat free) and a fruit granola pie looking confection particularly, were wheat -free (a boy's gotta watch his wheat and gluten intake). Sadly the barista said he wasn't sure. But then he suggested a bran muffin aka a wheat field wrapped in plastic wrap as an alternative because "it's the most popular." Well buddy, if I was looking for popular pastries I would have went to The 'Buck and started my evening right with a skinny latte and a lemon bar. Disappointed and shot down I took my au lait (yes they charge extra for soy milk like all the Nazis) and made my way to the condiment bar. Splenda, sugar, sugar in the raw, and the blue packets whose name escapes me. No spoons for stirring (I guess that whole recycle, reduce, reuse movement missed this block of upper haight). However, they did have a homemade sign (circa 2nd grade) on their napkin dispenser advising patrons to use no more than that which they need. Even with chocolate and splenda en lieu of honey, the au lait made my taste buds go au no. read more

I'm not usually in this neighborhood, but after getting my hair cut at a new place, I thought it would be nice to soak up a new environment and find a cute little coffee/tea place with some chocolate chai. I had a craving for it. I saw La Boulange, but I have one of those near me, and it didn't have chocolate chai, so I wandered past this place, and they did. It wasn't quite what I was looking for. Small, so no people watching. The drinks come in paper disposable cups, although there are photos of pretty real cupped drinks on the wall. There were a couple other people there, and they all had paper cups too. This is cash only, but luckily I had cash. My chai was probably good..I wanted to like it. For some reason I didn't. It was too hot, which seems silly since it's supposed to be hot, but it couldn't cool down and my tongue is still burned 3 days later. I could taste that the spices were fresh - a lot of ginger, but somehow the ginger overshadowed the chocolate too much. That's just my opinion though. Any place that makes their own fresh chai is great. La Boulange would probably be more my speed, I can spend a while in there sipping my chai latte from a bowl and reading a book and watching others, so I just had unjust expectations. I left early and threw out the drink because I could only drink less than a quarter. If I lived near there, I'd definitely give it another try, they have lots of cute sandwiches, bakery goods, etc there. I'm giving it a solid A-OK. read more

Had a cream cheese avocado bagel with ice latte. Both really nice, Staff really friendly :)

good, solid coffee & a bagel spot. very friendly, neighbhorhood vibe despite proximity to the park / the haight.

Ginger chai here is awesome. Cash only though - fyi. The owner is very nice and almost always in there. They can take some time making drinks, so don't try to get anything fancy if you have to catch a bus in one minute. I haven't had any food except baked goods, which are decent enough. read more

Love this place. I often stop in (when I remember to bring cash!) to get a half vanilla / half ginger chai. Good blend of sweet and spicy. Cute and unpretentious, with friendly staff. Often filled with locals, not as many of the Haight Street tourist crowd. If they took credit cards, I'd probably be here even more often! read more

Annie is great, they like their usual customers and have even offered to let me pay the next time since they are cash only and my hangover breakfast cost more that the 5 bucks I had on me. Good pastries, sandwiches & coffee. read more

I take all of my friends who are visiting San Francisco to this place I've been coming here for 3 years now, and the spiced ginger chai and green tea chai are my favorite. The Tofu L. T. and the Pesto Chicken and the Jalepeno bagel are my top food items. Annie, the owner, makes all the chai herself, all the tofu herself, gets to know her customers, and is genuinely a sweet lady. You will never find better chai tea! Hit this place up on a warm day in Cole Valley because sitting outside, sipping ginger chai is one of my best memories of San Francisco. read more

Best place to get breakfast sandwiches. Bagels are so fresh and so delicious. I tried their coconut mocha today for the first time, super tasty. Not to mention how sweet and lovely they all are always read more

The owner was so incredibly kind and friendly! I just got a sesame bagel with jalapeño cream cheese and cucumber. It was beyond delicious. The cream cheese is made in house. It was honestly the most tasty bagel I've ever had. There were slices of cucumber and some other delicious sauce. You can tell they take pride in their store! read more

Cozy neighborhood place with good food and friendly staff. Really enjoy their bagel sandwiches and chai.

Great little cafe near kezar/haight street. The lady who owns and runs this restaurant is very friendly and sweet. Delicious breakfast wraps and good selection of coffees and teas. Highly recommend! read more

Up until right now I've been an avid Yelp user contributing nothing, but I love Lava Java so much I decided to finally sign up for an account and write my first review. Lava Java has the best breakfast bagel I've found anywhere. I'm actually sad on days that don't start with an egg and cheddar on asiago bagel sandwich. Sometimes I get it for dinner, it's that good. Pair that with their chocolate macadamia nut coffee and it's a good day. The staff is super friendly and will quickly learn your name and usual order if you become an obsessed regular like me. Just be sure to bring cash, because they don't take cards. read more

Read the Chai's where a must try, so we ordered a Vanilla and a Ginger Spice. Both were very good. The seating is fairly limited, not a place to spend long periods of time. $0.70 extra for Soy milk seemed excessive. read more

Absolutely killer turkey sandwich! Took off 1 star because it is a cash only place. But the barista is amazing and friendly. There's two tables outside if you want to have some outside eating. I like to bring my puppy with me when I go and we just relax outside with a mocha! Great location as well - not far from the golden gate park so it's nice to take your drink or sandwich and go eat in the park! read more

The turkey garlic pesto was amazing. It was the best sandwich I've ever had. The hot mocha was also delicious. I wanted to take this place back to so cal with me. read more

My son recently opened a business near Lava Java and last summer we helped them remodel. Lava Java was our coffee shop for almost 4 months and it was great. We went there every day and the owners and workers were so friendly. The coffees and teas are great! The food is great! And the snacks were wonderful!! We are from Buffalo, NY and we miss Lava Java, the owner and just being there!! Don't miss it if you live in San Francisco!! read more

Without Lava Java across the street from my apartment I would probably starve. The sweet owner Annie remembers everyone by name and the employee's rarely turnover. Their egg sandwiches are absolutely the best you'll ever have- seriously. My fav combo is egg/cheddar/veggie on wheat bagel and it's so amazing. I love grabbing lunch/dinner too because their deli sandwiches are so good. In my meat eating days I enjoyed the zesty turkey w/swiss, roasted chicken, ham etc. When I was abroad in Asia for 6 months I actually had dreams about their egg and deli sandwiches-no joke! Every sandwich is dressed slightly different and the flavors are right on. My absolute favorite indulgence is the blended vanilla chai with soy, or their regular vanilla chai. All of their coffee drinks are great too I just don't drink coffee very often. Annie has been doing this for so long (years ago she had a huge place in the financial district before moving to this more residential location) and has perfected every single item on her menu. Because her employees stay so long they make every sandwich and drink with perfection. I bring all my friends here then they understand why I am so obsessed with this place. Seriously though it's the only reason I go to the ATM every week (cash only) and they always laugh on the days when I'm there twice. Heck if you've been there you've probably seen me with my lil Pomeranian who's always begging! read more