It's like someone was hitting the woman in the back of the head with a frying pan as I asked her a question. She was there, and then she wasn't there. After I asked a question she would stare off into space, divert her eyes and become unresponsive. I'm not sure if my questioning was really difficult, like, what is the difference between a blended and non blended chi tea or if she just didn't want to deal with customers who didn't know exactly what they want. Whatever, it turn me off, with the 50 coffee shops within 1 a mile radius I won't come back to this one. The pastery was day old, the drinks were not so good and the service was as mentioned. Oh, and the cops hang out here. read more

My boyfriend and I were visiting from Texas and found this walking on the sidewalk. Loved the drink and food options. Staff was also very sweet and helpful read more

Cute little coffee shop. Friendly employees. Paid with Venmo as they didn't take card.

Ordered a breakfast tea latte, two Thai ice tea and tuna melt. All of the drinks and sandwich was really good.

Tasty sandos to take to the park. We got the turkey bacon and blt both were tasty with fresh veggies. Friendly service and a range of coffees! read more

A cappuccino is not a latte. They don't know the difference. Need I say more? $5 too.

I used to come here often because I work nearby. Coffee wasn't anything special but I was trying to support a local business. A lot of the foods they serve are clearly Costco products. There are two instances of why I will never give my business there again 1) A new employee was working there and I stood and watched possibly the owners daughter or the manager insult the guy for not knowing how to use the register. 2) A friend of mine came in and spoke in mandarin and the owner asked me if I knew Chinese(I'm Chinese American) and I said no. She told me "Shame on you". I've never been blatantly disrespected like that for no reason. All I ever did was walk in and buy coffee, how dare she insult me for not knowing mandarin. Overall even if these things didn't happen the coffee isn't that great. Don't support rude owners/management, that's why they're looking to hire because they disrespect employees and customers read more

I came for the matcha green tea latte and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it comes with a shot of espresso if you so desire. I ordered mine as a small (12 oz) with almond milk for an extra charge and the grand total came out to $4.15. The taste was interesting, but it grew on me and would totally order it again! The only reason this spot gets downgraded by one star is the EXTREMELY slow service. It wasn't a big deal for me this time as I came to this cafe to catch up with a friend. However, it took a good 10-15 mins for our drinks to get to us, even though there wasn't really much of a line. I saw many customers waiting up front to get their drinks so they could leave. They need to find a way to get it together so service is delivered in a more timely manner. Parking was fairly easy (and free!) on a Sunday morning, ~10AM. VERY IMPORTANT: Cash only. read more

Witnessed the rudest employee today after a woman asked for water while waiting for her order. The woman was shamed. What is happening to human kindness, respect and decency. If someone asks for water don't be rude to them. Especially after they overpaid for your bad coffee. I was appalled. I won't ever support this business again. Rude. read more

This place is the perfect little shop. The food is good, they have a pretty big selection of food and drink for a little shop. The two woman where working were very sweet, kind and accommodating. Just an over all great experience. read more

The bagels were nothing to write home about. Just pre-made bagels toasted with nothing special on top. Was a bit disappointed based on the ratings (although maybe they were more for the coffee than the food?) read more

Affordable prices but was very underwhelmed by their iced coffee. It tastes burnt to its core and looks like it's been burnt too. I ordered a bagel with cream cheese and tomato, yet out came a bagel with cream cheese and cucumber, even though the white paper bag the sandwich came in clearly had "tomato" written on it. Lastly, the attitude of the person at the register is hot and cold, it can be off-putting. Would consider coming back for food items because the bagel was fine and the prices are cheap.... but will double check on the accuracy of my order and avoid black coffee. read more

I want my morning coffee served with kindness and hospitality. A smile won't hurt anyone who works here. I've come here multiple times because it is close to my work. They have great coffee but it's not worth the wait or the rude employees. If you do come here, don't dare reach over and grab your coffee without showing proof of Venmo payment or else they will snap at you. They are not usually set by 7am. At 7am employees are grumpy, not set up, and only 1-2 drip coffee options available. Whats even more frustrating is that you have to wait for 1 employee to take and make the order. I'm not coming here anymore. read more

Their breakfast sandwiches are good and the smoothies are decent, but man the woman behind the counter with the glasses is rude. She ignored me until someone else came in and stood behind me. Also, I sense that she just wants to rush things so she can sit down to go on her phone again. I have no problem with people rushing, but don't do it at the expense of a customer like throwing my change on the counter or leaving my finished food out without telling me. read more

We've been to this bagel shop a lot of times but the old lady was super rude and slow, never going back to this place again.

I am glad I was finally able to try this place. This place is near the n line and other buses in the area. It's almost always open and I always get their bagel with everything with eggs&ham. It is always cooked just right. The owner is super nice and there's seating inside and outside. I will definitely come back if I am in the area. read more

Lava Java - Everything bagel with egg, cheddar, and ham - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

The owner, as well as the whole staff make the greatest food. ALWAYS great service as well.

A small cozy and a sweet place, shining the holidays season ambiance, in a neighborhood that some may consider as "hippie". Loved the welcoming and the friendliness of the owner and the waitresses there; I felt already the warmness in this rainy and cold weather. The food was well prepared though was expecting a more authentic and unique taste. read more

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Love my neighborhood go-to for coffee and egg sandwiches! Such nice people who work and own the place and very also very dog friendly!!! Love Lava Java! read more

Rude service. Owner was not welcoming at all, and food was so-so. Do not recommend. CASH ONLY FOOD: I got a bagel with tomato and hammus ($4.20). It was freshly made (which means warm) and tasted okay, but it was very simple and something that I could have easily made. SERVICE: My friend and I came here to study and grab a snack. As soon as we sat down, the owner shouted from the counter DEMANDING (not even asking) if we are buying thing. RUDE. Yes we are going to get things. Just give us some time to settle down, lady!!! So I went up and got a bagel. And as soon as I finished my order, she asked (more like demanded) if my friend was getting something too. Eh, what? She was also very cold when I asked for a fork. We stayed there for a few hours. 5 minutes before they were closing, the lady shouted (again from the counter) while pointing to the clock, that they are closing in a very rude voice. However, there is a Malaysian (? or Singapore) server who was very kind and welcoming, and thanked the customer every 5 seconds. He should consider working for someone nicer. SETTING: Shop is located very close to UCSF and GG Park. There are 4-5 small tables inside, and 2-3 tables on the outside. There is NO bathroom. PRICE: Overpaid for the food and more importantly, the service. OVERALL IMPRESSION: I've never felt so unwelcomed at a cafe before. People go to cafes to relax, not to be shouted at. read more

Lava Java - Tomato/hummus bagel (onion) ($4) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Chocolate Chai!! omg - amazing, decadent, spicy, divine and soooo lovely. Also, the breakfast bagel sandwiches are killer. Super friendly people working there too! Minus one star for being cash only, although I respect them keeping it real... read more

I popped in to lava java on my way to the AIDS walk because I started chatting up some other people on the muni. They recommended the place, were good company, and I decided to chat a bit more and stop for coffee with them. A number of other people had the same idea, there was a bit of a line when we walked in. The line is both good and bad, good in this instance because I figured Lava Java must be OK and I could read the menu. In the end I got a cappuccino, my standard coffee drink. The coffee was on the dark side for my taste, I would get a latte next time I'm here instead of a cappuccino. However, SF coffee and West Coast in general is on the darker side. My companions got a variety of beverages from hot cocoa to smoothies for the kids. Everyone was very happy with their drink and the service was fairly quick despite the line. Lava Java looks like a good solid neighborhood coffee and sandwich shop with a good selection of non coffee drinks too. read more

Lava Java - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Well I would give you 5+stars because we love your Chai. But the last 2 times we have been to the city you have closed earlier than 6. So now you a meh review. read more

Went here for breakfast and coffee. It's near a shuttle stop so pretty convent if the shuttle's late and I'm hungry. It's cash only so come prepared. The hazelnut latte was more creamy than anything else. You could barely taste the coffee in it... The coffee was also really hot - hot enough that I had to stop after a block to rest my hand. This probably has more to do with the sleeve they use than the coffee temperature since I could drink it just fine. I also got an egg, cheddar, and bacon sandwich on a croissant. You can get your egg sandwiches on a croissant or a bagel. They heated up the croissant but not by toasting it... It was pretty flat... I suspect that they microwaved it :( the egg could have used some seasoning... read more

Lava Java - Egg, cheddar, and bacon sandwich on a croissant with a small hazelnut latte. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Super nice staff. Can't go wrong with a Ginger Chai. Hot or cold best Chai in the City!

The food was great, but not so much the service. The lady taking my order became very annoyed and then rude. They only took Venmo or cash and when I asked for the confirmation code for Venmo she said "why don't you know how to use Venmo". Extremely rude, which was disappointing because the food was great. read more

The latte is ok but is cash only but I didn't bring cash with me then the woman who served me became very rude and said show me your Venmo. There is a sign for their Venmo QR code, so I paid by using Venmo. Then the lady finished preparing my latte and I reached out to get my drink. She still yelled out showed out show me you paid by Venmo. I felt like I wanted to tell her check on your Venmo account and it will show you in real time I paid you. Anywhere felt like she is rude to customers who aren't flashing her with cash. read more

I stopped by this establishment. I wanted to order 2 Turkey bacon clubs and I was told by the older lady working there (assuming it's the owner) that they didn't have any Turkey so she offered to chicken instead in substitution. I said yes. As we were talking and she was ringing up the transaction, she told me the total $23.35 and she asked cash or Venmo. I said Venmo and didn't think much of it at that moment but thought it's a bit pricey. I looked at the menu and the price is $8.75 each plus tax which this transaction didn't make sense. I kindly asked her and she said she charged $2.00 each extra for bacon. I said you never told me that, you offered a substitution to a meat that you didn't not have. I asked her for a copy of the receipt and she didn't give me one so I took a picture of it. She didn't refund me for the inconvenience and for her mistake. As as I was getting home, I was talking to my neighbor and told them if they have gone to this restaurant, they said it's been a while since they had a similar situation with them overcharging for sandwiches without disclosing it, kinda like she's money hungry and wants to tip herself. This establishment practices shady tactics and I'm sure since it's cash only and Venmo, I'm sure they are dodging taxes. I have also reached out to Venmo to ensure their account is set up as a merchant account and not private, we should all pay our fair share of taxes. read more

Lava Java - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Ordered these delicious drinks, iced caramel macchiato and iced hazelnut latte, highly recommend!! Pairs well with Turkey sandwiches. read more

Lava Java - iced caramel macchiato and iced hazelnut latter yummmm - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

The short Tai waitress with very big head is very kind and makes great espresso... She provides great customer service, while singing Chris Brown remixes read more

I love their Strawberry and Banana smoothie! It's a must stop place for me everything when I pass by.

i came here to write my many hole in the wall updates. my fav brekkie is closing for seismic retrofit for a short period of a month. but what if it is more than a month...... to the yelp reviewer that thought the women was being put on blast: here is a thought....hell to the yeah!!! of course she got ask to leave the premise for acting out by cussing and got denied service. all she simply had to do was said she didnt noticed there is a line for free water and anyone of us would of let her be in the front. it is a warm day for alot of us too. buy a bottle water or byob but check the attitude at the door. mind you my bff and i were also in that line hot and sweaty so when we were thinking the thing as the cashier. the big spender with colorfull vocab felt her uber expensive cold beverage she calls it (5 plus change btw) entitled her to skip the line. her actions got her where she is. that is my sincere pov. i came upon your pov and felt it needed more subtitles. read more

Best sandwiches in town! The owner Annie is incredibly kind and her sandwiches are layers of cultural culinary expertise. Support local, shop local plus her ginger chai is the best! read more

Stopped by today - service was wonderful. You must try the Ginger Chai!! It's soooo good

Not recommended at all. Went for latte. It was barely warm. Looking for decaf in their "bank of coffees" no decaf. Ok I get it. But then the ladies behind the counter. Mumble something then say "no decaf" and laugh and smirk. Felt very rude. Even another customer looked and me to say "wtf?! Was that rude or what?! NEVER go there again. I recommend NO one go there. read more

A mocha that actually made me like coffee and the best breakfast bagel sandwich I've had since I left Colorado? 'Nuff said.

I was going to get a latte like I usually do in the morning. But I also had to go to the bathroom. I asked the barista if I could use the restroom and they told me they didn't have one. What kind of coffee shop doesn't have a restroom? read more

I stopped here to grab a bite to eat and couldn't have been happier with my choice! The veggie sandwich (I added extra vegetables and had it on a croissant) was delicious. The ginger chai is what really stood out. I love chai, but am very picky and don't like when it's made from a concentrate (too sugary, flavor isn't great). The chai at Lava Java is homemade. It's AMAZING -- not too sweet, lots of ginger, great flavor...wow! As I was sitting outside eating, someone stopped by to tell me how great the cafe is. The owner was also super pleasant and welcoming -- I will certainly be back! read more

Excellent selection of chai tea latte, this cozy coffee shop did not disappoint! They had regular vanilla chai, ginger chai, green tea chai, and chocolate chai...and honestly, I've never seen or known that so many chai latte options existed! I tried the ginger chai, and wow was it an explosion of ginger flavor! The good thing about it was, you can taste the real ginger juices and pulp almost, and the freshness of this little cup of latte instead of paying for fake food flavoring. I asked for it to be extra hot and the temperature was definitely a lot more desirable than the extra hot at Starbucks. The service was exceptional, and the selection of regular coffee was also vast, with 4-5 choices hot and ready for you to try at the counter, along with all the creamer and sugar options. Although seating is a little limited, if you aren't here during busy hours, it makes a great place to relax and hang out. Their sandwiches also looked delicious, will definitely come back! read more

The Turkey Sandwich with garlic pesto on croissant was so good, I've been craving it all week... Going to get one today. read more