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    The Lightbox Cafe

    4.3 (39 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 2 weeks ago

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    THE LIGHTBOX CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Lightbox Cafe

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    a burrito with a side of fruit
    Michael C.

    Stop by for some breakfast and glad i did. Very clean restaurant with great service. I got the breakfast burrito and was it good

    Breakfast special $12
    Daryl N.

    Delicious food, good variety, and friendly staff! They also cater and have beer. Nice setting/decorations.

    Turkey sandwhich
    Blair P.

    Ambiance: spacious modern interior with bold blue and yellow coloring. Casual. Clean Seating: ample indoor seating, with at least 9 spots for booth sitting. Food: sandwiches, salads, breakfast and brunch. I ate the Turkey and cranberry sandwich and all is fresh, unique flavor, and great ciabatta bun Drink: good coffee and espresso drinks, macha. Vegan milk option is oat milk Service: order at the counter and they bring to your table. Friendly.

    Breakfast Burrito
    Tony G.

    Came here with my coworkers for lunch. We had a pretty big party and they were really accommodating. I like the interior, it has that clean cafe feel. I like that all the framed photos on the walls are of lights. Lights boxed in frames... Lightbox! Haha I get it The staff was wonderful. We called in ahead of time about our large lunch order. When we got there, they already prepared the tables for us with water pitchers, cups, napkins, forks and knives! And provided us with chips and salsas too! Again, very nice friendly staff, we felt really welcomed. I had the breakfast burrito with pork sausage and bacon added on. It was the perfect size, I was full and felt like I got my moneys first. It's gonna sound odd to say this, but it tasted like a breakfast burrito. Hah what I mean by this is that instead of potatoes like you would normally find in a breakfast burrito, you get pico de gallo and avocado like you would find in a regular burrito. It can only be described as a breakfast burrito-burrito. Lightbox opened right before the lockdown. Covid delayed opening for months, and when they finally opened. The office building next to them converted to work from home. It's unfortunately, but I'm hoping Lightbox stays around! There are some really great people working here!

    Sticky Bun
    Adam B.

    Very bold move to open during a pandemic in the FiDi when most office workers are still at home. Looks like a typical FiDi sandwich & salad joint, except with some Latin flairs. I'm still really feeling that Al Pastor Pizza, which has the potential to become the next fusion food trend, if refined a bit. Spicy Havana: This was an interesting approximation of a Cubano. The crispy carnitas was actually fun standin for pernil since it added extra crunch. The ham and swiss were pretty common. The pickles were only a few small slices instead of long slices covering the whole sandwich. There were some pickled jalapeño too, which added a nice kick, but I still would have preferred more pickles. The weirdest part was that regular old white bread was used in a panini press. So, hence, why I call it an approximation of a Cubano. So not like something you'd get in NYC or Miami, but much more exciting than regular old sandwiches in the FiDi. They included a lot of different hot sauce packets (Tapatío, Cholula, Tabasco) and shockingly it was the Tabasco Green Jalapeño sauce that paired the best. Al Pastor Pizza: I have so many mixed emotions. So the al pastor was really good. Very heavily spiced and a nice firm texture. The pizza, unfortunately, tasted like mediocre frozen pizza. And it was kinda small. But the combination of al pastor and pizza (even mediocre pizza) was amazing! Like think of how much you like pepperoni or sausage pizza then multiple that 3x since al pastor is a superior pork topping! Sticky Bun: Kinda meh. Looks cool with all the pecans on top. Not that sticky actually. And not much yummy cinnamon between the roll layers. And very dry.

    Cute decorations & plants.
    Joanna D.

    The waitress, Dollie, is very nice & friendly. The staff makes sure that you're well taken care of. I pre-ordered & pick up was easy smooth. Everything I tried was delicious. Definitely coming back

    I put an order in online on 6/19. Received confirmation and time to pick up the order. I go to Lightbox Cafe to pick up my order and it was closed! I called the next day and the woman who answered the phone said "oh we were closed for Juneteenth!" Ok fine but then why was my online order accepted and why was I charged if you were closed. She stated that she did not deal with online orders and I needed to speak to Hugo. I left my name and number. Haven't heard back. Tried calling a few times today: first call they picked up the phone but then hung up, I called a few times after it they kept sending it straight to voicemail. I have yet to speak to Hugo nor anyone else to discuss refunding my money. I see another reviewer had the same issue of being charged but received no food. Disgraceful.

    Big breakfast croissant...yummy!
    Lauren S.

    Oh man....I cant wait to be able to sit inside this place and enjoy a meal! The Lightbox cafe is a welcomed view to the place it was before...I cant remember the name of it but I got chips there a couple of times... (Not impressed obviously). Seriously tho..the owner of this place put a lot of time and effort into redecorating the space. Originally suppose to open up in March...it had a 6 month delay due to Covid-19 and only made its mark to a slow but gaining crowd of people in the area. Even though I work right across the way Ive been hesitant to try it out..but since my work cafe was closed and I was super hungry..."why not today"?. Im glad I did...The staff was super friendly and clean. I will be making more trips in the future!

    michelle s.

    wow, did i really just spend $20 pre-tip for this? maybe i got the wrong thing, and other menu items are more fittingly priced. who knows. but i feel duped by this 'meal' and am never coming back as a result. guess i will never know!

    inside area

    WOW! was looking for a place to do some work and found this one. immediately walking in, the food smelled so delicious! got an iced vanilla latte- it was only $5-6 for what looks like 20oz (with syrup)! workers were very friendly and such a clean space! free wifi and plenty of seating options so great for working!! would definitely recommend!!

    Tex Mex Salad with Carne Asada and balsamic dressing. Also carne asada tacos.
    Nicole M.

    Pretty good food for the price! The menu/location will be awesome for those who return back to the office. It's also good for those of us that live nearby. I enjoyed the food and the staff was nice. They did a really nice job redoing the restaurant from what it used to look like.

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    6 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Super bright and not great atmosphere. Not sure why they have white claws first thing the morning

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Had the spicy havana which was really filling and tasty. The potato chips were a bit soggy but it was delivery so not super unexpected.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Convenient location downtown SF. The food was fresh and very good. Service was quick and the prices were great.

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    6 years ago

    Really good turkey and avocado sandwich that came with chips. A little heavy on the mayo but all around good portion size and flavors.

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    5 years ago

    Great food and service. Very open environment and clean. Has outdoor seating and spaced out seating inside.

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    Ask the Community - The Lightbox Cafe

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    My partner and I decided to go to the city one weekend and decided we wanted brunch. After looking…read morethrough some place, we came across Sisterita and it looked very promising. It seems like this place is an asian fusion brunch place incorporating french dishes into thai/asian themed dishes which is up our alley. We made a reservation at 1:45 PM and we had to wait for about an extra 30 minutes before getting seated. Initially, I wanted to try their crab fried rice but unfortunately they were out of crab. We decided to get the Alcatraz Escape and the Brioche french toast which were recommended by the wait staff. The staff was generally friendly and accommodating but I can tell they were swamped and stressed out with all the people they were trying to serve. The food itself tasted decent, the Alcatraz Escape had a tasty flavor which incorporates tom yum paste (sweet, sour, tangy flavor) into their scramble with about 4 shrimps. The side of crispy chicken was good but nothing that stood out to us. The brioche was soft but there wasn't much flavoring besides the fruits and caramelized banana. It was served with evaporated milk which made the brioche soft but not adding much flavor to it. The price however was quite pricey. For two dishes as a side we paid around $78 with tax and tip.

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    Brenda's French Soul Food - 3 way beignets- plain, chocolate, apple

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    I still love Brenda's!!!!!!!…read more I haven't been back in a few years, but I am happy to report: they are still just as great! It was my daughter's first time and she loved it just as much as I did. We came during restaurant week so we decided to get the Creole Sampler so she could try a bunch of different items. (Sampler included red beans and rice, collard greens, fried catfish, hush puppies, plain beignet and gumbo). We also ordered the beignet flight and shrimp and grits. Plenty of food for the 2 of us, plus we had left overs. I can't not order the shrimp and grits. It's just so damn good! It's so rich and flavorful! It came out SUPER hot. Grits and cheese still bubbling. My daughter and I were both surprised she liked the collard greens. She's usually not a fan. She also liked the red beans and rice and she doesn't usually like beans either. That just goes to show how amazing the food is here! We came in around 4something pm on a rainy Sunday. There weren't many people there, but by the time we left it was more than half full. Service was friendly, and there was a band playing, which was a nice touch.

    I am speechless! I saw the rave reviews for Brenda's French Soul Food and had to try them out for…read moremyself. And, my goodness, I was not disappointed. Let me start with the star of the show - the Shrimp & Grits. The flavors blended so well I did a little dance in my seat. Creamy, savory and delicious! I will be dreaming about the Shrimp and Grits from now on. The Bananas Foster French Toast melted in my mouth. So yummy. I wasn't a fan of the Crawfish Beignets. It was something about the flavor of the red powder/ seasoning that left me underwhelmed. All in all, one of my favorite stops while I was in town.

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    Dining area and entrance

    Brenda's French Soul Food - Shrimp & Grits

    Shrimp & Grits

    Brenda's French Soul Food - Their dark chicken and shrimp.

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    Their dark chicken and shrimp.

    The Lightbox Cafe - cafes - Updated May 2026

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