absolutely food was amazing the coffee 100/100 not a 10 a 100 the service was amzing i was served with a lady and she was incredible and the ambience is great in sf too seeing the cars go by is so great and amazing love this coffee shot would 10000 recommend to anyone read more

Awesome service. Cool ambiance. Great tasting coffee. What more could you ask for? I was really tired when I came in and Mia was extremely nice amd helpful. She joked around about the artwork (which totally calls to my adhd) and was the absolute sweetest person. I got to hear her talk to regulars, and you can tell how much she cares. I would 100 percent recommend this place. read more

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I had a rude interaction on the phone. We've stopped by here before, and it was closed even though on Google it said it was open. So, over Labor Day weekend I called in to ask their hours. The person I talked to was annoyed that I'd called for this, saying that I should check Google or Yelp for their hours. read more

Pro - kids play zone is great Con - no highchairs!? Bigger Con - I ordered a drink and the staff spent 5 minutes talking to some customer before I had to ask them to make my drink. read more

Convenient local coffee house and cafe...good cappuccino and pastries, friendly atmosphere...

This spot is solid, partially for drinks like their Mexican Mocha. Good balance of spicy and sweet.

Friendly neighborhood cafe, lovely staff. Our morning stop before heading to school, a ton of books and toys for kids and a great start to the day read more

Good coffee, cheerful service, and a homey, comfortable, neighborhood atmosphere reminiscent of my favorite late '90s/2000s coffeehouses.

The Mexican Mocha was delicious. The barista was friendly and quick. Cute place, you could help with a puzzle while you wait. But wait isn't too long. read more

I recently became a regular here, after I stopped being a regular at Ocean Java, because the owner was rude to me. This place has the best prices in San Francisco & the best portions on their serving sizes & everyone that works here is nothing but friendly. I'm gonna keep coming back. Keep doing what you do the railroad espresso. read more

The servers are amazing and super friendly. Your order is made well, and quickly. No waiting around and receiving Luke warm coffee. The shop is very clean and inviting, and is kid friendly. The server Mya made the best breakfast sandwich and Jo the owner keeps you entertain with her witty conversation and jokes. They know the orders of all there customers and remembers everyone's name. I love the environment and will visit this shop every chance I get. read more

I walk past this little coffee shop every Friday morning but never think of going in. This morning it was too cold and drizzly to walk and decided to stop in for a hot cafe mocha. I was greeted the moment I walked in and thanked as I stepped out the door. The service was friendly and fast, and the cafe mocha was far superior to other coffee shops I have been to. This place is a hidden gem, and I can't wait for another "too cold & drizzly" Friday to walk. read more

The service here is friendly and as a neighborhood coffee shop in the Sunnyside area of San Francisco where there's not many options, it's a nice place with comfortable seating. It's near a bus stop too, so conveniently located. I don't drink coffee, but the chocolate croissant was delicious !!! read more

Railroad Expresso - Chocolate Croissant - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

I want to like this place because it fills an important cheap-coffee niche in the neighborhood, but there are always a few flies buzzing around the seating area and I just can't take it. Totally agree with other reviews about wasted potential. If this were a Philz I'd be here 4 times a week, easy. Instead it's like once every 2 months when I'm behind on grocery shopping and want a quick bagel. read more

In the often hell that is SF coffee shops, I love that Railroad Expresso is a reliable option for me to safely know that I have a good place to work that isn't too noisy, has reliable WiFi, decent coffee, available seating and parking nearby. I've been to Railroad Expresso a handful of times when I'm trying to work from home (used to live in the neighborhood), and it's always been a solid choice. People are super friendly and I'm quite productive here. Of course I'm trying to move to the car-free lifestyle, but before I've reached that point, it's nice knowing that this is an area of SF that isn't overcrowded or plastered with 2 hour parking signs. If you're looking for a local place to get some work done, highly recommend Railroad Expresso! Bonus: Shanghai Dumpling King is diagonal across the intersection. read more

The local coffee shop around Sunnyside/Monterey, coffee ranges from 3-4 stars, my usual is a standard latte. The space is nice though, quiet seating with a view of the road as well as a separate space for kids to play. Bathroom is spacious and clean. Service is relaxed and friendly. It's only really coffee/tea, they have some prepared food but no hot food. read more

The coffee from this coffee shop tastes good and they also have a good selection of pastries. So far, I haven't found a coffee shop experience that I didn't feel satisfied with. It is very close to Safeway down the street and it is 4-5 blocks from City College of San Francisco Ocean Campus. This place is convenient for students getting coffee and pastries on the go. There is a MUNI Bus Stop in front so it's even better especially when in need of something to eat and drink. Just an advisory: Here are some of the business hours* I noticed on their window: Monday-Friday: 6 am - 6 pm Saturday-Sunday: 7 am - 3 pm *The hours of operation as indicated above are their current and official business hours, but it might change. Parking: Street Parking Public Transportation: 23 Monterey & 43 Masonic read more

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Live in the neighborhood and love having this place a quick walk away. The owner is an amazing person and the place is super relaxed and relatively spacious, even has a small kids corner. Just a nice welcoming place where you always feel welcome. read more

Really some of the nicest people working at this place. Felt very accommodated and like they really wanted me in there! You can tell they are loved by the locals and the vibe is just so warm and lovely. I will definitely be back to spend some more time here read more

Called to ask if they have indoor seating right now, some guy on the phone chuckled and said "nah-" and dragged it out. Caught off guard by the tone of voice, I asked again "so you don't have indoor seating?" And he said "nah we do." Confused, I asked "so do you have it or not?" And then he said: "yea we do, just felt like f*cking with you." Alright then. read more

I love coming here every morning and getting to chat with the owners of this local shop. The more I go, the more it feels like a warm welcome as we catch up and chat about our days. I can't thank these guys enough for being here and always making me a great coffee(: read more

Railroad Expresso is a great little neighborhood coffee shop. For some reason there aren't a lot of coffee shops around the Monterey/Foerster area, so Railroad it's generally my go to if I don't want to walk far from home. The coffee is good and so are the pastries, the vibe is nice, and the prices are reasonable. What's not to love? read more

Railroad Expresso - Iced coffee, spicy chai, poppyseed muffin, cheese raspberry croissant - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great fresh coffee, pastries and conversations -- we LOVE the owners. A slice of home.

They have the pour over stand but when I asked they were hesitant to actually use it. It appears to be nothing more than decoration. I understand, I do. Most people have become coffee snobs (I am leading this charge by the way) and the old fashioned coffee decanter is a sight we prefer not to see. I mean, you could tell me it was "just made a few minutes ago" and the thoughts that dance through my mind are "Well, a cup of pour over would be made right now." Alas, they have some pretty decent coffee in those giant pots. Nothing special, but nothing bad either. I was told they are in the process of a remodel and once that is completed, we will enjoy freshly brewed coffee, one cup at a time. read more

Wow... I hate giving 1 star reviews, but this is a must! Came in to get some coffee and pastries and I'd say that this place is just like a 7/11 experience without the gas pumps. How? Well the pastries and food that they serve taste horrendous. I had one of those egg empanadas and it was mostly dough that tasted like chalk. Then my husband had a so called "smoothie" and that was nothing but 99.9% whole milk that made him feel sick. The whole food experience was beyond atrocious... kid you not and I'm not exaggerating. I would never write a review like this, but seriously I don't understand why someone would open up a "cafe" that serves 7/11 food. I mean come on, have you ever ate food from 7/11? I've probably only ate there once in my life. Unfortunately this would be my second time. I guess that's what I get for not doing enough investigative foodie work on Yelp. I was in the mission area, which I don't know too well and half brain stumbled into this ghetto "cafe". I tell you I never want to do this again. Never! In a rant size nutshell I'd say this location could be so much more. It could be so much better than what it is and it just sucks that it's taken up by an undistinguished and uninspired so called cafe that serves gas station food. I say why bother? If you can't do excellence just don't bother at all. Please spare us... spare me! It's a no go for me and a don't even bother for you. read more

This was my coffee spot for years. A quaint little spot where everyone seems to know one another. Delicious white or Mexican mochas. I dig the Afro-Carribbean vibes. Such a cozy place to be on a rainy day. ORIGINAL REVIEW: 11/8/2015 the menu is classic and simple coffee beans are milled and brewed each day tea leaves are steeped (never bagged) and served in various sizes an array of pastries, lattes, mochas standby ready to be toasted or accommodatingly made it feels nostalgic, especially after a rainy day the dense aroma of coffee clash with the crisp air and if you're feeling kind of adventurous, might I suggest a mexican mocha with dollop of whipped cream and cinnamon dashed best one in the city if i may add alas, this is a great place if you're in need of mellow space to get lost in your work or simply lounge around there's plenty of seating and the patrons are relatively laid back the baristas are personable and friendly your presence is always welcomed in this untouched part of town read more

Railroad Expresso is in SF, but the vibe is so lowwwww key, you feel like you're having coffee in Cloverdale or Russian river off season!! Pros: - Sweet lady who owns and operates, remembers you by name after 1st couple of visits - Prices are about .75 to a buck LOWER than Starbucks/Peet's, etc - Probably the BEST cuppa Mexican Hot Chocolate you'll ever have in your life, is made here! Espressos, lattes, mochas or the house coffee are solid too! - While not a big place, plenty of tables, chairs/nooks to hunker down and enjoy a lovely chat and coffee! PLUS they have plenty of books, magazines and board games on the bookshelves if you've arrived "Kindle-less" with nothing to read! - Street parking is pretty easy, can usually snag a spot right out front! AND this place literally has a Muni stop right in front of it! Cons: - Business Hours: This is a spot for a student, stay at home Mom, unemployed sort... or the person that wants to have middle of the day/late afternoon coffee. I think she's open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm ...meaning it's not a commuter coffee place or a spot you would walk to after dinner for a cappuccino. - No Wi-Fi - Not a huge selection of baked goods/sweets/savories...I did enjoy an empanada there once...another time the brioche was edible but a bit past it's prime Railroad Expresso is not a bad place to hunker down with a cuppa something, fair pricing, friendly cast of characters (staff and regulars) If they could perhaps expand their hours a bit and revamp their menu items a bit, would probably snag a larger fan base!! Definitely stop in and experience that hot chocolate! YUM!!! read more

http://www.yelp.com/biz/railroad-expresso-san-francisco I've been here a handful of times. I won't be back because: 1) they break the law and 2) the food was moldy! They have a sign that says they charge a fee for using a credit card. This is illegal. When I informed them of this, he said, "No it's not!" He was rude and on top of that, the bagel I ordered had mold on it. When I brought it to his attention, he did not even apologize. Terrible customer service. If they try to charge you a fee for using a credit card, you can report them to the Attorney General by using this link: http://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company The law they breaking: http://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/credit_card_surcharges CREDIT CARD SURCHARGES California has a law, California Civil Code section 1748.1, that prohibits "retailers" from adding a surcharge when a consumer chooses to use a credit card instead of paying by cash. Although retailers may not add a surcharge when you use a credit card, they can provide a discount to customers who pay cash. For example, the California Court of Appeal found that section 1748.1 was not violated when a gas station posted two sets of prices with a lower price for cash customers where the cash discount was related to the extra costs the gas station incurred in credit card sales. (The case is Thrifty Oil Co. v. Superior Court (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 1070.) The law that prohibits surcharges, but allows discounts, does not offer details on how the discounts must be disclosed or how large they can be. The law also doesn't specifically mention debit cards. However, California law does prohibit a merchant from engaging in activity that is unfair or deceptive. So, for example, if the cash discount option is not fully disclosed prior to your committing yourself to the goods or services, or if it does not clearly explain the merchant's policies regarding debit cards, the merchant may be violating California law. If you know of a merchant that you think is improperly charging people extra for using credit cards you may file a complaint with the Attorney General at http://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company. But you should be aware that this office is responsible for protecting the collective legal interests of the people of California. Due to our role in consumer litigation on behalf of all of the people of our state, we are not empowered to represent private individuals, whether or not they are citizens of California. If you are interested in pursuing personal restitution from a company, you may wish to consider other options such as filing a small claims suit (for individual claims up to $10,000) or consulting with a private attorney who could directly represent your interests. read more

Let me be frank: I don't like this place. It's five blocks from my house, my closest coffee option, but I prefer to walk farther in pretty much all but the most desperate cases. The coffee is expensive, the pastries (at least the bagels and muffins) are old and stale, and their hours are pretty worthless. I might tolerate the crappiness if they were actually open in the evenings or very early mornings. This place makes me want to open my own coffee shop on Monterey. I'm sure this isn't the norm for this joint, but once I went in and ordered a mocha. The girl behind the counter stopped talking to her friend briefly to tell me that she was new and didn't know how to make that. WTF? Why was she left alone in the place if she didn't know how to make what has to be one of the top-three most common coffee drinks? She asked if I wanted something else, and I declined and left. I recommend going to Caffe D'Melanio on Ocean instead. read more

This place makes me sad. So much potential for nothing. Coffee is great!! Location is perfect -for me at least. Cute set up. Hence, two stars. BUT No internet! a coffee shop without Internet in SF is so not right. No wonder is ALWAYS empty. I have never seen more than four people at the same time here. If you are hungry, forget it! They only have coffee and the pastries are all stale. And the service sucks! especially the Latino dude that works the morning shift. Yikes, he is so dull and always has this "I hate my job" attitude -well, it must be boring to work in a place with no clients. No wonder the people working here are always sitting and reading the newspaper! ... Sad! This place could be so nice with better service, Internet and outlets for laptops. read more

I had just worked out and was starving. I was also craving a warm breakfast like sandwich. Driving down Monterey, I decided to go in here, as I always pass by it and wonder how it is. Cute place, little tables and chairs. Counter to order at and then a counter like space to pour sugar and creamer into your coffee. The side room next to the main room had bookshelves with books that looked like a good place to sit and enjoy a book, or in my case gossip magazine. Typical breakfast pastries, muffins, croissants, and danishes. They had some breakfast specialties, I think called Pastys. There was a sausage and egg one, and a spinach and feta one. I ordered the sausage and egg pasty and anticipated it, as she warmed it up in the microwave. :( Let down. It is a doughy shell shaped like an empanada, but it stays doughy even after warmed up. That was my first disappointment. Inside was sausage, scrambled eggs and red and green peppers chopped up. But it could have been anything, as there was a serious lack of flavor. I was so sad, I really wanted to like this pastry and the place and make it my new hang out! The lady though was really nice, and the 5 people in there, all knew her by name, as did she, so that indicates to me that it is a neighborhood place and can't be that bad, as they keep on coming back. But for me personally, I'll stick to Starbucks for my morning drink, and keep on my quest for a yummy breakfast sandwich. read more

After a tasty lunch the three of us went next door to this coffee-shop for a treat. This coffee shop has Hot Mexican Chocolate. Matt drinks hot-chocolate maybe once every two years, and decided to give this popular Mexican drink a try. And so will the other two ladies. The Medium $2.25 Mexican Hot-chocolate was very creamy and filled with cinnamon, nutmeg and other mexican spices, which made it very unique. We're about to chlill here and read the newspaper, but the music here is not too appealing and decided to take it to go. Matt will be back and check out the cup-of joe and breakfast here in the very near future. read more

Go by and say to the affable Josepha (aka Jo) and hubby Fred, who has owned Railroad Express for 17 years. Smooth black coffee and yummy chai latte. Clean and bright atmosphere in a nice neighborhood location. read more

Railroad Expresso - Here with Jo and Colfax Mayor Pro Tem Marnie Mendoza (5th generation San Franciscan) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is a very sleepy coffee shop. It closes early on the weekends and sometimes I have to wait for the coffee shop attendant to come out of the back room to serve me BUT the coffee is great. I normally order a latte or just a plain cup and it is always great. Regardless of other reviews, this place is cheaper than Starbucks or other local coffee shops. The pastries are not so great and pricey, but I go for the coffee. read more

Same 3.50 stars. This update is focused on the place. Recently, I had the opportunity (or detriment depending on your view I guess) to go here to study for my finals. I stayed for about three hours (from noon to 3-ish), listened to my music, and studied away. When I first sat down, the place was empty (ie: buying coffee but not staying). But, slowly and surely, people drifted in and chilled in the cafe. Several other students came here to study as well. The seating area is of a good size, and the seats were comfortable even though it was wooden. I never felt my butt aching from the chair (haha!). The cafe has a fairly large unisex restroom too, and it is nice and clean in there. However, there are flies (2-4) that flew around (what else would they do) inside the cafe. It's probably because the cafe has their trash/recycle bin inside by the restroom. But, there was no garbage seem, and the flies did not bother me at all. Any who, it's a nice place to study. Even though they do not have wifi, that is probably a good thing for being a studying place! I would come back and study more (but I'm done with all my finals for now... woohoo!). Oh yeah, coffee refills are $1 for the large. That's pretty decent, and it kept me happy and occupied aside from the music and my flashcards. read more

My first time here was terrible. After my jog, I decided to try this place and ordered a latte. When the lady gave me my cup, it felt empty. I looked inside and it was all foam, and it was the worst latte I've ever had. And the lady looked mean. I went there a second to give them a chance but I was extremely disappointed when I ordered their muffins. It tasted like it's been on the counter for weeks! Don't expect friendly service either. I don't recommend this place at all! If there were another coffee shop nearby this place would be out of business. read more

I always see this place since I drive by almost every day given Monterey Blvd is my commute route. After having lunch this past rainy Saturday at the burger place a few doors up, I finally came in for a cup of coffee to go (for the purpose of battling the usual afternoon bout of food coma, of course). The coffee was good and strong. It's seff service here, and they put three or four pots on the counter for you to choose from. The setting is interesting too, made to feel like a study with a bookshelf and such. read more

I just recently moved to a house in Miraloma Park that is a short walk to Railroad Espresso on Monterey. I have read the mixed reviews here, but I can report that: 1) The coffee is decent, not the best I've had but better than your typical Starbucks or other chain. 2) The barista was friendly to me, as I asked about the small Sunnyside business district. 3) The seating was decent, although most people got the coffee to go. 4) The owners must have read the reviews, because they now offer free wifi to customers. 5) This is a nice coffee shop for those of us who don't want to walk the extra 5 blocks to Ocean or Glen Park. Hopefully the business picks up so they can have better hours. read more

Great spot for coffee! One single cappuccino for $2.50 i believe. Close to my work in the mission district I would be paying $4.75 for the same thing the quality here at Railroad Expresso is far more superior! They have tasty hot beverages like a Mexican chocolate mocha and the breakfast burritos that they carry are bomb! read more

This place is the place I go to, to really concentrate and study. The tables are at a perfect level for writing up notes and reading. Most people might dislike this place because it's so low-key, but I think that's the beauty of it. I've gone to a whole bunch of cafes near CCSF to study and other places are either crowded, noisy or all the tables are taken. This cafe, by far, is my favorite because it's the ultimate study experience with food. The service is great, the regulars are polite and quiet, and I can't distract myself with facebook because there's no WiFi. Definitely don't even bother coming if you need WiFi to study. The other reason why I gave this place 5 stars was because they sell delicious hot Jasmine tea. If I had to choose between tea or coffee, I'd choose tea any day. This is the only place I've found where they sell great hot Jasmine tea near CCSF. And might I say, I'm loving every visit. read more

Railroad Expresso - Jasmine Tea, FTW! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California