New Year's Eve. Noon. Me: Let's get brunch. Ed M: Sure. But where? Me: Slow Club? Ed M: Eh, I don't like anything on their menu today. How about Universal Cafe? Me: I dunno, Yelp says it has a long wait and it looks expensive. Ed M: OH! HARD KNOX! Me: Uh, I want breakfast. Ed M: Hm, Just For You Cafe is good but it'll be a long wait. Me (looks up Just For You, not too pricey): OOH. BACON OMELETTE. Sure, I can wait. I've got put on my pants and socks. Ed M: Alright, I've got to put on my pants. I find it funny that half of my conversations with Ed M end up with him saying "I've got to put on my pants." We drive over to Just For You but it looks like it'll be a long wait. So while heading over to the backup (Slow Club)... Ed M: Hey, I think there's this place on 25th and South Van Ness called Ann's Kitchen. Ann's something. Want to try that? Me: Yeah, sure. We drive over to 25th and South Van Ness and there's no such restaurant. Ed M: Uh, go to 24th. Me: Um, nope. Ed M: Go to 26th. Me: Um, nope. Ed M: Go to Valencia. Me: Um, nope. Ed M: Let me google text Ann. God, I don't remember the name of the restaurant. Ed M: I DON'T WANT ANN TAYLOR! Uh, how about Boogaloos? Me: Alright. Of course, Boogaloos is packed at 1PM on a Saturday. ME HUNGRY! Me: Uh, does Liberty Cafe do brunch? Ed M: OOH! And if it's not open, Bernal seems like it would have a lot of breakfast-y type places. Lesbians love breakfast. Me: ..... Ed M: ..... Me: Did you just say that lesbians love breakfast? Ed M: I have nothing to backup that statement. Of course, Liberty Cafe is closed. It's 2PM. I'm HUNGRY. Turns out there aren't that many breakfast-y places along Cortland Ave. We do spot Moonlight Cafe. It's a gamble. There's an odd feeling with going into a restaurant that you haven't pre-Yelped. Like trying a new drink. Or sleeping with a "new" hooker. There's nothing really special about Moonlight Cafe. Bagels, omelettes, bagels, and sandwiches with a chalkboard menu. It's LOUD inside because of all the kids and the radio that's turned up to full blast. I had the Spanish omelette but it was nothing special. I asked for cheddar cheese but I think they used American. Oh yeah, it's cash only. Should have gone to Slow Club. read more

Food - 4 stars Pet Friendly - 5 stars Yowzer...you want a dog friendly place? Eat lunch outdoors in Bernal Heights. Instead of parking cars or bikes, patrons park their dogs. I'm not kidding..dogs were lined up around the corner. The cafe has two extremely popular outdoor tables. We got lucky on a Saturday afternoon and got one of the tables where we enjoyed Greek salad with chicken. Food was tasty and freshly made. I like when you can see the cook making your food. Now about the dogs...both of the tables outside (including us) had dogs. Two poodle were tied up on the meter around the corner. A chihuahua looking pup was tied up right in front of us and wiener dog was one meter over. Josie Poodle would never forgive me for tying her to a meter post but if that's your thing, Moonlight Cafe is the place for you. Totally pet friendly...we'll be back! read more

God, could the patrons here suck anymore? If I have to see another white baby screaming at its cooing white mama, I might just throw this piping hot veggie burger at its face. But wait a minute! Hold up! I refuse to waste food on stupid, over-privileged babies, especially food that is delicious! I love this veggie burger. It's huge and loaded with avocado and tomato and whatever else you so desire and it comes with a bucket of french fries on the side. Seriously. Like, you order your burger with fries and when you pick it up from the counter you're initially all like, "hey, I ordered fries with this," but then one of the hottttt, Spanish speaking metalheads is like, "Here you go," and hands you a bucket of fantastic fries. It's awesome. Have I mentioned the hottttt, Spanish speaking metalheads working at this place? Dude. They absolutely rule. They sport skull bandannas and Metallica tshirts and long, flowing metal hair. And they always play 'the Bone,' unless the asshole "man" is working, who makes them change the dial to ugly white baby and their ugly white mama music, i.e. Matchbox 20 and some other truly offensive shit. When this happens, I silently sympathize with my headbanger boyfriends trudging away behind the counter, thinking about the disgust and disdain disguised by their stoic faces at the sounds of Jimmy Eat World blaring into their rattled and buzzing metalhead ears, all while taking gigantic bites of my delicious veggie burger and inhaling handfuls from my bucket of fries. Run-on sentences rule so hard. read more

Friendly and efficient staff in this lovely cafe in Bernal Heights. Murals and eclectic decor with a colorful menu accent this homey restaurant. read more

3.5 stars... I'd been here twice before the remodel and each time I went, there was a hair in my food. Each time! I vowed never to go back. But it's been a while since the remodel, and I am a forgiving person, believe it or not. And my parents run a restaurant, and I know how hard it is. SO, I decided to give this place another try. My husband was very proud of me. I ordered the Mediterranean crepe and my husband ordered the french toast with the walnut bread. Two cups of coffee and an orange juice. The food was good. My crepe came with potatoes AND a salad. My husband's french toast smelled really good! and there were 6 pieces! The orange juice tasted fresh and the coffee tasted decent, not too strong and not too light. The wait for our food was a bit long, though. This place is a do-it-yourself service. Order at the counter, pick up your utensils and condiments, seat yourself. They call your number and you pick it up. There are a lot of tables inside. Good place for small to mid-sized groups and kids. Two tables outside. We'll probably be back. It's the only place near by that does the crepe/omelet/pancakes/french toast thing, that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Total bill: about $22.00 with tax and tip read more

1. Tofu Scramble has unadvertised eggs in it. 2. Register gal insists I should have asked if it had eggs. 3. Register gal tells me that I need to pay for what they made for me regardless of the fact that there were eggs in there on the sly. 4. I paid $11 for my consolation home fries ($2.25) and free sourdough toast. Honestly I wasn't even rude. I didn't even put up a stink. I brought back the eggs and suggested that they have management add to the menu that the Tofu Scramble has eggs. The gal on the register was insistent that I was wrong and was persistently rude. Totally bad experience, I was just trying to come up with a suitable solution (extra side of home fries) and she refused to refund me any $. I paid $11 for the home fries and toast! SO NOT GOING BACK, EVS! p.s. Totally annoying world music blaring on speakers. read more

To reiterate what most other reviews have said: this is probably some of the friendliest service you'll find anywhere in the city. Moonlight Cafe didn't overwhelm me with amazing food (it is, perhaps, slightly better-than-average cafe fare), but the fantastic neighborhood feel and friendly banter between the owner(?) and regular patrons was so warm. A sweet place to spend a lazy hour or two. (To be fair, I would give it 3.5 stars if I could) read more

Stopped in here looking for a healthy bite for lunch. The salads looked pretty standard: garden, greek, caesar. I inquired about the veggie pita, and the nice girl behind the counter steered me clear of it when I mentioned I was also thinking about the falafel. Yay for that; the falafel was terrific. Nice and large, too. It wasn't exactly the healthiest option in the joint thanks to a delicious mystery sauce of cream, but it was certainly satisfying. Shared it with the boy, since it was too big. The price was nice for that sandwich, but the other options like the burgers looked rather pricey. Will definitely be back. read more

I like this place for no other reason than that it is decent and convenient to my house...certainly not worth a trip if there is something by you. Solid burgers, really good bacon. I discovered today that the owner / manager / register-guy really can't handle complaints...if you approach him with a simple one (e.g., that your 5 friends *finished* eating before you even got your french toast and eggs) he might just call you names, insult your personality, and tell you to get out. Love when dickhead managers try to make you feel guilty for their own mistakes. read more

The man who usually staffs the register and probably owns or runs this restaurant was belligerent to us this morning. He must have a freaky vendetta against Martha Brothers, or he has a deap-seated coffee inferiority complex. We walked into Moonlight with cups of green tea in hand from Martha Brothers, where we originally went to get bagel sandwiches until learning they were out of bagels. At Moonlight, I wasn't sure whether to eat there or take out the bagels we were about to order. I said we'd stay, because I didn't want to waste the to-go packaging. The guy there told us angrily that if we were going to stay, we'd need to pour our drinks into other cups. I understand that policy, but it seemed a little over the top. I mean, people leisurely walk up and down Cortland and stop in various places, so it's maybe tacky but it's not unusual to have a paper cup from elsewhere in your hand. Besides, I was almost done with the tea and was about to throw it away. I didn't want to waste another cup just to make him feel better about the integrity of his cafe's branding. We weren't flaunting a competitor's cups on purpose as some signal that Moonlight's coffee is inferior to Martha's. I told him that changing cups seemed silly to me. He blew up and said that we could leave if we didn't like it. "Fine, we will," I said. We turned around and unfortunately, I also lost my cool and cursed to my feet, not quite under my breath. I've been to the Moonlight many times and I usually got along with this guy, even though he treats his employees rudely. All of this happened after he was already yelling at an employee about who-knows-what for putting out a plate of eggs scrambled with artichokes. The guy needs some anger management. I wish him well with that. But I won't go back to Moonlight, as many other places would gladly take my breakfast money. And I would gladly empty my cup if someone would ask me nicely. In fact, if I were asked politely, I'd probably even apologize for thoughtlessly bringing in another cup. Oh, the horror! His cup policy makes him look like a jerk. It's not even what he's asking, but the way that he's asking. Why would I throw my money at that? I hope that someday, dozens of people all line up for breakfast there with other cups in their hands. If he's defensive because people say Moonlight's coffee is bad, then he should improve it. If he's angry that other businesses compete with him, then he shouldn't take it out on customers. read more

I tried to go here last weekend for breakfast and I stopped at Martha's coffee first. and thenwalked accross the street. The owner was very rude and went on about how they do not allow any outside products that are not purchased there and I would need to put it in a cup right away. I understand you can't hack the competition there coffee is way better then yours that's a given. It's the way that you ask be a little more friendly in the way you ask instead of Hostile. Due to this fact I will not be coming back ..But I will walk past ur shop with my Martha Brother's and maybe I will even linger at the corner for a bit. If the food was great maybe I would not care that you have no manners. But it's not so whatever I can spend my money elsewhere. Plus I tried the food 2wice (check reviews below) I have been here b4 to eat breakfast it was okay and they were friendly enough but the breakfast combo's are not to my liking and it's not easy to substitute I also have had the cheesesteak here it's okay but does not compare to the cheesesteak shops at all read more

In my continuing quest of my new neighborhood, I decided to trek up the hill a bit and hit this cafe. The service couldn't be better. Order at the counter, make sure you get a big mug of coffee, and have a seat. You will wait longer for your food than most places, but that's OK ... everybody seems to just want to relax. A bit pricier than I expected. I had a scramble with chicken apple sausage, onions, peppers and tomato. It was pretty good, but I could have done better at home. The potatoes are OK, but would be better with some spice or veggies thrown in. Other items on the menu include omelets, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, etc. The coffee was good and better than Martha Brothers and Progressive Grounds. It was a good, family oriented place where everybody seems to know everybody else ... just what you would expect to find in a neighborhood dive. I'll be back now and then to try other things. read more

We visited Bernal Heights and had a wonderful meal at Moonlight Cafe. The location is fantastically hip - in fact, half the restaurant was filled with hipsters donning horn-rimmed glasses. The moonlight crepe was glorious with eggplant, peppers, and other goodness. The home fries were solid. Next time I want to try the chicken and pesto crepe. Yummy. Prices are reasonable at Moonlight and food quality good. Service is good enough and location is great. You won't be disappointed at Moonlight. read more

We were looking for something quick for lunch so we thought we would give this place a try despite the relatively low Yelp rating. Once we sat down we began to understand why this place sucks. We believe it was the owner who was about to take our order when a woman taking her food to-go said to the cook that she had wanted a hamburger patty for her burger. The guy stopped us mid-sentence when we were ordering and interrupted her to see what the problem was. She explained that she didn't want sliced meat, but instead, a patty like she had asked. The owner said, "no, you asked for hamburger bun" and she responded that she had said hamburger patty. The situation quickly became very uncomfortable for us as the owner got flustered and irritated, saying he would have to charge her $4 more for the patty. She said that was fine and he rang her up as he was shaking his head. He let it be known that he was extremely agitated and it was poor management on his behalf. You can't get so easily frustrated with people, and let it show, for such a stupid issue. Just chill, bro. I asked him what was in the greek salad once that was all over and done with. I went with that, minus the olives. Our salads came and they didn't have tomatoes like he had said. They were also like $7.50 each, but there was nothing special about them. Overall, overpriced and poor management. Won't be back. read more

I have been patronizing the Moonlight since the days when they were cooking food on a hot plate. Why? Because real people run this place and they greet me by first name. Where else in the city does a business know and greet you by name and ask how are you doing? If you want to see what makes this country great, go to the Moonlight where you will find passionate hardworking people doing their best to make a living. Beyond that the food is good and so is the coffee. I like the breakfast choices and the crepes make a great lunch. Enjoy! read more

The Moonlight Cafe is another of our office's semi-regular lunch spots. The turkey sandwich is good as well as the burgers. I have ordered the port wine burger the last two times. The cheese in today's PWB was not melted, which makes or breaks this burger. You see, the cheese is made with port wine. I bet if they made the burger with port wine, the melted cheese wouldn't matter as much. They should ask me about my teri-burger recipe. It can be adapted to port wine. I've never had any issues with the staff. They have always been very friendly and helpful. I see others have had less than stellar service. I've never had an issue parking and have always found a spot on Cortland within a block. One of my coworkers ordered the banana crepe. She described the crepe as crape. So even though they put the whipped cream on the side in a coffee cup, don't order teh crapes. read more

Okay so I've been coming here quite frequently to try different things on their menu. I have yet to be dissappointed. From the delicious variety of crepes to their pancakes and french toast....everything is simply prepared and fresh. The only complaint I have is that their coffee is pretty weak and the guy who works behind the counter (older dude) who looks like he's managing the whole place, is very grumpy and unpleasant looking. I could give him a few tips on customer service! BUT, other than that.....it's still my favorite neighborhood spot! read more

The food here was decent, but I'm giving it 3 stars because of how long it took for my friend to get her order of french toast. What was supposed to be a 10 minute wait turned into a 30 minute wait. I guess if it turned out to be the best french toast ever it would be understandable. I had a cheese omelette here and I liked it, but some of the potatoes that I had with my meal seemed like they weren't cooked all the way through. The artwork on the walls is all over the place. On one wall you have a painting of what looked like burlesque dancing girls, one of who looked like her boobs were going to pop out of her corset. On the opposite wall there was a painting of a street in Italy (actually I'm not sure if it was supposed to be Italy, but we'll just say it was). I would have to say that my favorite piece of art was the statue of the small sumo wrestler that was placed over the entrance door. read more

I stopped by yesterday during the lunch hour for a chicken salad sandwich to go. It was my first time going to MOONLIGHT CAFE. I was very pleased with the customer service (friendly) and my sandwich was AWESOME! Parking can be a problem during the lunch hour, but well worth stopping by. I live in the neighborhood & can't wait to try their Crepes. read more

I agree with my wifey. This place is overpriced and lame. Pancakes should not taste bland. Syrup should not taste bland. I was so annoyed that my local breakfast spot was so unfortunate. And yeah..$30 for two bland meals? Not in any way is that worth waking up for. Kthx. (Edit: Oh oh! and my question about their broken ATM was met with a snappy answer that made me want to slap the countergirl. Do people here have any manners at -all-? read more

I used to live a block away, and I went to Moonlight Cafe almost every single day. The coffee there is way better than crappy Martha Stewart Bros., and it is a family-owned business. Everyone who works there is super nice, and if you go in more than once, they make it a point to learn your name, or your kid's name, or your dog's name. Plus, you can get an egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel for like $3. It's not fancy, but it's homey -- and you can avoid the Starbuck's crowd there. As of May '06, they just expanded their space and have a bunch more seating... read more

I like to go here by myself, read the paper, have some coffee, I'm very fond of the salsa crepes, I've tried a few other things but always go back for the salsa crepes, it's a nice, quiet alone spot, they have a couple of tables outside, so it's dog friendly, but stay away from the eggs, unless you like brown, over cooked eggs, ( but I am pretty picky ) so try it out , salsa crepes. UP-DATE____________________________________________ So I went here today, and they have remodeled, which makes the place so much better, they have a full on kitchen now, they have expanded there menu, I had the eggs benidict, which was pretty good a little heavy on the hollandise ( and if i'm complaining, it must be a lot) but it's good to know that some where in the hood I can get a decent benedict any day of the week.. read more

I got the healthy starter. MMmmmmm... It consisted of two poached eggs on an english muffin. A delicious, fresh made salsa was sprinkled on top of the poached eggs. It also came with a small salad. The dish tasted light and flavorful. I would have liked more salsa! I also tried the smoked salmon crepe. It tasted a bit too fishy for me, but it still had a nice flavor to it. The hash potatoes were yumz. The hot apple cider was ehh...Just something similar to the mix you get at the store. read more

I haven't written a review in eons, but after the third time here I knew I had to come back on leave a rave review! So here goes: I loved this place soooooo much!! I so wish I lived closer, I'd be here every day! Why only 4 stars? Because I actually haven't had much off the menu. My husband was the more adventurous one, and got something different every time we came, but he's not a yelper. But I can say this, every time I've been here I got a simple breakfast of French toast, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and sausage links and they were all the best I've ever had!! I used to work at a few breakfast joints and I hate French tost, but *this* french toast had me coming back for thirds ;) Its how I remember French Toast as a kid except probably with less butter. (I had a butter addiction as a kid, I'm way better now! Well, kind of better) They put sage or something *spectacular* in the potatoes and the sausage has rosemary...although the breakfast I had was simple, I fell in love with it. Now for the best part: The BEST drip coffee I've EVER had at a restaurant EVER!!!!! ANd the Mango Smoothies...OMG. I would come here every day and get coffee and a smoothie if I lived closer. Lets see...out of all the the Breakfast places that I have reviewed, I think this one might be my favorite based on the fact that the smoothies and coffee are so good, I have not been disappointed in the one breakfast I've tried, and there's always seating, even outdoor seating if we have the dog with us. If I think of it, I'll totally write another review after I broaden what I order here. Also, I can't forget, I really liked the staff, the service seemed speedy (although you do order at the counter, they bring you your food and they're pretty attentive to what you might need). Again, loved this place sooooooo much!!! read more

Neighborhood gem! Excellent tasting food, great variety, awesome strong coffee, friendly staff, just right! Keep it up...we'll definitely be back! read more

Moonlight Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Haven't been here in a while and now I remember why...worst food in Bernal. Had the Gyro. Microwaved dog food in a stale pita...

Usually my go to spot with my father. We get the royal "first name basis" treatment and friendly wave from the chefs in the open kitchen area every visit. Very polite and neighborly service. Consistent fresh flavorful food in a cute quaint cafe environment . read more

Moonlight Cafe - VIP treatment - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

One of several cafes on Cortland Ave. Choose your fancy. It's your standard cafe with the standard chalkboard menu. They close early compared to most cafes I've been to--6 p.m. weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends. read more

This is the best spot for breakfast/brunch!! The food is AMAZING and they have so many options to choose from and even vegetarian options. That's not even the best part, the staff is so friendly and fun! Shoutout to Aziz for the best service ever! Come try this place guys you won't regret it! read more

Ok, so I have had a lot of different style of crepes but none have come close to the Moonlight's!! I am not over-exaggerating over here people! They have crepes for the sweet -tooth in you or savory crepes! My favorite and the usual one that I get is the Chicken Pesto with avocado. I also enjoy dipping each bite in Tapatio Tabasco sauce! What can I say? I'm a spicy type of hombre! Lol... The service is great and prices are good. Come through and enjoy the savory goodness of a GOOD crepe!! read more

I like this Bernal Heights area breakfast/lunch joint. The food's always great and the place is always clean. The food wafts as you walk in. There's no wifi, so you'd have to cross the street to a cafe is the only negative.You can have a range of breakfast choices and a bunch of Mediterranean type food. I chose roast beef stuffed inside pita bread...hey why not, you might as well combine the menu items on the chalk board. 'twas good. read more

Moonlight Cafe - roastbeef in pita...yum - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

Ordered through uber eats but definitely need to make a trip to the cafe to get in restaurant experience. The food was good I ordered the burger honestly one of the best I've tried broiled perfect. My son got the turkey club also good portion just didn't come with fries but that's an easy fix order a side a fries. Will try again. read more

The pesto chicken crepes ... to die for. I actually go out of my way to wander in for lunch whenever business takes me to the City. Nice staff, food is delivered quick. Only downside is the music eminating out of the $34.99 CD playing boom box (circa 1986) is horrible. read more

Great tasty fresh food! Solid breakfast options depending on your mood. Try the Mediterranean platter, gyro, eggs Benedict, and all of the sandwiches. read more

Freshly squeezed OJ in frosty mugs? Yes, please! I wanted to order more! I had their healthy start breakfast, which looked real good on the counter (waiting to be served.) It's two poached eggs with avocado spread on an english muffin (they need to drain the water out, because the english muffin was a mushy mess), but it was otherwise quite delicious. I ordered a side of sausage, which was good too. Prices = reasonable. Service = friendly. Order at the counter, grab a number and table, and wait for them to bring everything. I'll be back here when I'm in the area. read more

absolutely LOVE moonlight cafe! the food is fantastic! the people are all so friendly each and every time, the energy you get when you walk in is an instant pick me up! never disappointed when i come here. read more

This the best coffee and service its amazing nice and clean good vibes busy street but easy parking little pricey but deserve am having eggs with bacon&sausage and house potatoes good size portion its good quality coffee i love it thanks read more

Moonlight Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

The moonlight cafe has one of the best burger/fries combo's i have ever had in the City. It's not a burger joint at all and they don't try to be one, but the nonchalant burger entry on the menu is so scrumptious that you have to appreciate the time and effort they put into ALL their food. This is my favorite place to go in Bernal and it is a good prequel to a Maggie Mudd's shake or sundae. Minus one star for no soda fountain. post script: I also love the murals on the walls. so pretty. read more

Enjoyed a great breakfast with great service one morning with my BFF! The Breakfast Croissant was yummy and the French Toast was awesome! The gentleman behind the counter was very kind and allowed for a great experience! I will be back! read more

A casual neighborhood eatery with reliably good breakfast and lunch dishes. read more

Moonlight Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California