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    Turn Cafe

    3.7 (89 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated a few days ago

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    TURN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Touristy
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Turn Cafe

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    Danice M.

    Wow yesterday i was going to meet my CMT and was early. Glad I found Turn Cafe. Very cool place and everyone was amazing. The service, atmosphere, coffee, yummy almond croissant started my day off amazing. Thank you!

    Outside. Storefront. Powell Street entrance. Located inside the Axiom Hotel.
    Daniel B.

    Short version: We liked this cafe and recommend it. Long version: Turn Cafe and Little Sweet are two names/brands for essentially the same business that operates out of the ground floor of the Axiom Hotel in San Francisco: https://www.yelp.com/biz/axiom-hotel-san-francisco It's a little confusing. The Turn Cafe opened along with the Axiom Hotel in 2016. I found its Yelp listing, but it was marked closed. Because the business never actually closed, I tried to reopen it and merge it with this listing for "Turn Cafe - Little Sweet." The reopen was successful, but the merge was not: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-turn-cafe-san-francisco Little Sweet is a local, San-Francisco-only bubble tea chain with seven locations, at the time of writing this review. The first Yelp review for this location was posted on March 4, 2023. On Instagram, in September 2023, Little Sweet (@littlesweetsf) described this location as their "newest pop up location." We ordered multiple times, both in person at the counter and with our phones by scanning the QR code on the TV in our hotel room. The QR code linked to a Little Sweet menu, hosted by Square, that included items from both Little Sweet (e.g., bubble tea, egg puff waffles) and the Turn Cafe (e.g., coffee, pastries). I admit there were one or two orders we made just because we wanted robot room service: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzRq_VEv32X/ Items we had included a High Mountain Milk Tea ($5.40) with Boba ($0.70), hot Vanilla Latte ($5.75), hot Mocha (6.95), Iced Vanilla Latte ($5.75), an Almond Croissant ($6.25), and a Cinnamon Swirl ($5.75). Everything was delicious. The milk tea had good tea flavor, but the boba was too soft. All the coffee drinks were solid. One detail we really appreciated about the hot drinks was they were sealed to prevent spillage, especially because we had those particular drinks delivered (by robot). The pastries were large, fresh, and satisfying. They hit the spot. Service was excellent. At times, there was only one barista and he had a lot of customers to serve. I wish I'd gotten his name so I could mention it here. He was friendly and had a great attitude. Along with ordering at the counter and online/phone, there was a self-serve touchpad kiosk just inside the Powell Street entrance. If I recall correctly, that kiosk was for Little Sweet only. The interior is beautiful and a big part of the Axiom Hotel's appeal. This is a boutique hotel with a trendy and chic interior design. The cafe has both classical and modern design elements, nods to the history of the building (built in 1908) and city, and a unique, stunning, contemporary chandelier. There's a variety of seating on two levels. The second level (mezzanine) is where the hotel's lounge is located. It has power outlets for devices, big-screen TVs playing sports, and arcade games. This is all located right next to the Cable Car Turntable on Powell Street at Market Street: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cable-car-turntable-san-francisco This is a busy, touristy part of town with a lot going on. Little Sweet was smart to put their branded bubble tea sculpture right outside the hotel entrance to draw customers in. Aesthetically, it doesn't exactly fit with the hotel's low-key storefront and facade, but it is getting people in the door. If you're nearby and need a quick refreshment or pick-me-up, Turn Cafe and Little Sweet are worth checking out.

    Inside
    Alisa B.

    I was in need of a boba fix and found this place nearby the hotel I was staying at. The variety is pretty standard here. I have tried the White Gourd Milk Tea in the past, which was okay. This visit, I tried out the Strawberry Matcha Latte. They were generous with the amount of strawberry they put in the drink and the matcha was pretty good quality, but I think the drink didn't have a good balance. The initial taste would be matcha, and then all I'd taste was strawberry after. I think if the strawberries were less chunky or had less seeds, it'd be more enjoyable.

    Mango Sago
    Neelu Y.

    Little Sweet is such a cute little boba shop inside of the Axiom hotel. The ambiance was super cozy with a handful of seats to choose from. It was busy when we went and there were practically no open tables available. My friends and I ordered through the kiosk, and our drinks were ready just about a minute later. I got the Mango Sago and absolutely loved it. It was delicious! The mango was super fresh and I loved the creaminess from the coconut milk. I really enjoyed my drink and my friends and I liked theirs too. I recommend paying them a visit if you're in the mood for a delicious drink to sip on while walking around SoMa.

    Strawberry matcha tea
    Grace L.

    I got the strawberry matcha tea with boba and oat milk. I liked all the different flavors and textures - strawberry chunks, matcha tea, and boba pearls. There are non dairy milk options like oat milk, soy milk, and almond milk. However, there is no option to adjust the ice. About 60% of it was ice and I had a hard time getting to the pearls towards the end This place is also located at a hotel entrance and you order from a kiosk. It took about 5-10 mins for our drinks to come. Ambiance was nice, comfy hotel lobby. Seems like a great area for meetups and working.

    Chel M.

    DO NOT COME HERE!! I ordered a Thai tea and a milk tea with ice cream. The Thai tea was the worst thing i have ever tasted in my life. I took a sip and immediately spit it out and threw it away. There was absolutely no sugar and it was just bitter. The milk tea with ice cream was okay and you can definitely get it somewhere better. Don't come here and get the Thai tea unless you want your day to be ruined! Although, I will say the inside is pretty nice because it is connected to a hotel.

    Avocado toast, soy latte
    Annie W.

    It's located in the lobby of Axiom Hotel. Excellent location, fast service, fresh food, with chargimg ports, plenty table/seats far apart from each other, and WiFi for laptops, background music not too loud. Overall, great place to grab a bite and work in the middle of the day if you are in Union Square area.

    a cup of coffee on a table
    Anne F.

    While I was staying at the Axiom hotel I traveled downstairs to get my morning coffee from The Turn Cafe. I did not try their food options, but they had a pretty good variety and the prices seemed reasonable. The grilled cheese sandwiches.... I mean "artisan melts" sounded pretty delicious even at 7am. Both visits I opted to get the Axiom latte which I was told was a latte with caramel and vanilla. It wasn't too sweet and did the job to get me moving to my morning meetings. She told me that this was their "caramel macchiato" for the Starbucks customers. The first day I asked for them to stir mine instead of doing the macchiato layers, she seemed a little confused so I guessed that they don't do the macchiato layers. The next day I just ordered it without special instruction and I was treated to some latte art. The drink wasn't layered as a macchiato normally would be so I was pleased. I wouldn't come out of my way to visit this shop, but it was a great convenience while staying in the hotel.

    Super cute!
    Annie M.

    The Turn Cafe is a tiny little cafe/bar located in the Axiom Hotel right beside the San Francisco cable car turn around on Powell street. They serve cocktails, coffee drinks, food and deli snacks. I was pleased to have a sweet little bar in the hotel I was staying in and multiple nights grabbed an Old Fashioned at The Turn Cafe and took it up to my room for a pre-dinner treat. The Turn Cafe is just a small bar with a few seats. It is really cute and they seem to always have a mimosa or wine special for $5 or $6. I noticed a few people come in fro the cable car line to grab a quick drink and to warm up for a minute. They are open from 6:30am to 10 or 11pm so it's a great spot to just grab a coffee in the morning or a drink in the evening. I enjoyed the staff here. They were friendly and their aim was to make me a delicious drink. If I were in SF again, I wouldn't go out of my way to go back to The Turn Cafe but I was pleased that they were located in the hotel I was staying in.

    Priscilla L.

    The store front is cute and has "Little Sweet" on the milk tea. But the actual milk tea I got was literally 80% ice, no exaggeration! Sooo much ice! So little milk tea! Their union square location doesn't do this. For $9 it was pretty much a cup of ice with like 3 to 4 shots of milk tea in it. I barely drank much and all I'm left with was ice. Milk tea isn't alcohol. The proportions were just so off. I also had their breakfast burrito. It was ok and I finished it since I was hungry, but it basically tastes like an American high school lunch. The photos on their Yelp are pretty misleading. The photos all show the food presented very neatly on a plate making it look like a nice breakfast/brunch spot. When you actually walk in, it looks like you've just entered into a tiny front of a hotel or something. There are 2 stools to sit on for each of the 4 round tables. Though union square was packed with people, this cafe was pretty empty. I regretted coming here. Any other random cafe I could've walked into probably would've been a better choice.

    Shahanaz B.

    It's a café and breakfast spot inside a hotel. Nice decor, very modern... you feel you are in library, with bookshelves, with tables decorated with big lamp. Service was super friendly! The food was average in presentation and in taste, but it filled the spot for the morning breakfast.

    3 oysters

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    2 years ago

    I got the bubble waffle and boba soo good and perfectly cooked definitely worth it if your looking for a quick bite to eat in sf !

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    I hope this place goes out of business cause the boba was absolutely disgusting do not waste 14$ there on two drinks

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    Lore Speakeasy and Escape Room

    Lore Speakeasy and Escape Room

    4.5
    (94 reviews)
    1.6 mi

    The craft cocktails are fantastic and designed to mimmic Asian dishes…read more Korean Cold Noodles ($19) Probably the most unique cocktail, and equally as delicious. Pandan Vieux Carré ($22) By far my favorite cocktail of the night - very well balanced, spirit forward but also bright and silky. A5 Wagyu & Black Truffle Old Fashioned ($25) This was also fantastic, rich and buttery old fashioned with truffle accents. The A5 Wagyu is sourced from the Niku Steakhouse local butcher shop! Ube Cheesecake ($19) Wonderful dessert cocktail to finish the night. We didn't have time to try the Escape Room connected to the Speakeasy, but we'll be back! There are two rooms, one in the front with a puzzle theme, and another in the back with a Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings) vibe. Staff was friendly and took time to explain the clever menu to us!

    Lore's Wonderland escape room was a fun and delightfully whimsical experience. **This review is…read moremainly for the escape room, as we did not order any additional drinks outside of the escape room.** THE SPACE // Lore Speakeasy and Escape Room has cool themed decor everywhere, from the dimly-lit speakeasy/bar room in front, to the Middle Earth/Lord of the Rings-themed board game room, to the individual bathrooms, and of course the escape room's multiple Alice in Wonderland-themed rooms. Clearly a lot of effort went into building these rooms and evoking a certain vibe for each. THE ESCAPE ROOM // The puzzles in the escape room varied in difficulty - some required us to think a bit more, some required our observational skills to work harder, and others required a light level of physical skill/movement. We were perplexed a few times but never got stuck for too long, as the White Rabbit (played by Phoenix, the live actor/puzzle master) would jump in occasionally to provide clues over the speaker or in person. It took us about 1 hr 20 min to finish the entire escape room; I thought the pacing was good. THE [ESCAPE ROOM] DRINKS // Lore's escape room experience comes with "a flight of themed cocktails or mocktails, including "potion"-style drinks that are integrated into the experience as you progress", per the website. We got to choose one cocktail/mocktail option (Korean Cold Noodles) from a list on the website, and the other two drinks are pre-selected to supposedly fit into the Wonderland theme, with the flavors described online as "berry" and "peach". You can get both cocktail and mocktails for your party, in case some people want alcohol and others don't. We all enjoyed the flavor of the Korean Cold Noodles cocktail, which was refreshing and surprisingly a bit minty in the mocktail version. However, we didn't like the two other two pre-selected themed drinks as much. The "berry" drink gave us cherry cough syrup vibes, and the cocktail version of it was quite strong. The "peach" mocktail drink reminded me of canned fruit syrup; we also were missing the two cocktail versions, though we decided not to ask for them as the mocktail version already was less than impressive. One other missed expectation here was the size of the drinks that we received in the escape room. We were expecting full-sized cocktails, like what they serve in the speakeasy in front. Instead, we found out that the drinks are served in small "vials". Given the size of the drinks in the escape room, combined with us not even enjoying two out of the three drinks, I would preferred to go through the escape room without the drinks at all, and likely pay a bit less for the escape room then. OVERALL // I'd still recommend the escape room as a good one-time experience with a date/friends/family. Just don't expect too much from the included themed drinks! The speakeasy drinks on the main menu do sound unique/tasty, so I might come back again to try those sometime.

    Photos
    Cool Middle Earth themed room with lots of seating! Plenty of board games available to play as well
    Cool Middle Earth themed room with lots of seating! Plenty of board games available to play as well
    Our Pineapple Cake cocktail is an ode to Taiwan.
    Our Pineapple Cake cocktail is an ode to Taiwan.
    Borscht: Gin, beets, apple, citrus, dill, egg white ($20) + Korean Cold Noodles w/ brandy, pear, pineapples, cucumber, sesame ($19)

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    Borscht: Gin, beets, apple, citrus, dill, egg white ($20) + Korean Cold Noodles w/ brandy, pear, pineapples, cucumber, sesame ($19)
    The Beehive

    The Beehive

    4.3
    (454 reviews)
    1.9 mi
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    Love what + how they do it. It's a neighborhood bar that…read morejust feels right. Food wise I'm drawn to a few favorites like the stellar pork belly banh mi slider, fries and the chicken bites. It's a thoughtful menu w something for everyone. Had a Paper Plane which the bar man furiously shook to an icy froth on the top. Soooo good. Went on St Pat Saturday and was looking for a non frat crew vibe and was really pleased I remembered BH was close by.

    Cool bar with bites in the Mission District. We got there shortly after it opened at 4pm on Friday…read moreafternoon. I was craving a refreshing craft cocktail and got one with the Green Emmanuelle. I liked the cardamom in the Beauty Mark as well that my partner ordered. We ordered shishito peppers and mushroom bahn mi sliders. The mushroom bahn mi sliders were amazing - the quality fillings and taste of the soft bun - I was unexpectedly hit with a bite of spice from maybe jalapeño seeds left but didn't sour my experience. The shishito peppers ended up being extremely spicy as well, those are usually just a few spicy and not the majority. The roasted lemon and salt was a wonderful combo but just too spicy to eat. However, the server very kindly removed it from our bill without us asking. We order the crostini because we were still hungry and that was an absolute hit. Delicious med-soft crostini with luscious berries and sweet honey. I didn't care my hands got sticky as it was soooo good! Great experience, I would be weary if the peppers as I'm a bit spice-intolerant but everything else was spot-on.

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    The Beehive
    Cocktail Menu
    Cocktail Menu
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    Terrene

    Terrene

    4.1
    (208 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    The food is very good - we've been here twice and had great food all around…read more Our first visit we had some trouble with the service, feeling rushed thru for what is a pretty expensive dinner, but the team there contacted us after (we had a reservation so they had our email) and they made it right by inviting us back as guest of Rob, the Bev Mgr. The 2nd visit the service was impeccable, everything went exactly as we had hoped. We will be back. We can recommend the scallops and the Salmon, the chicken was very tasty. Also, for the food, I recommend the dips and the fresh pitas, so good. We'll be back just for that. Reminds me of the old Berkeley restaurant years ago, Holy Land (IYKYK). Mmmm. Thanks!

    We each ordered the sunrise sandwich - one with bacon and one with sausage. The sausage was super…read morethin and dry. The bacon was fine. The sandwich comes with a small dressed salad and three tomato halves. It was nice. The potatoes served with the sandwich were roasted but served cold and dry. Like they were left over from the night before. Randy enjoyed his mocha. We shared a very dry, flavorless except for the two small bits of jam in them, "cheese" danish. Definitely skip this $7 item that you could get at a circle k for $1.50 and it would taste fresher. You order when you walk in and someone delivers your order and then you're left to fend for yourself. We were able to locate some ketchup for the potatoes on our own. Nobody ever checked on us. This is the second place on this visit that's charging an extra 5% fee so that their employees can have a living wage and health insurance, which absolutely, every employee should have. With the prices they charge, they should already be able to do that, though. I read an article about this fee with many different names and I would rather pay a bit higher of a price and know the employees were taken care of than be surprised by this fee later. Two sandwich breakfasts, a mocha and a danish on top of tax and their healthy sf fee was $63. Steep for the quality we got. Won't be back.

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    Terrene Lounge
    Terrene Lounge
    Steak and eggs
    Steak and eggs
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    Seared scallops
    Holy Water

    Holy Water

    4.4
    (326 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$

    I have to preface my review by stating I absolutely adore Catholic art, antiques, relics and such,…read moreso this definitely influenced my decision to check this place out; but I am beyond happy that my curiosity led me here. The ambiance was perfect for a nightcap. I visited Holy Water with relatives who live in the area but hadn't visited the place themselves before. Drinks we ordered include: * Mexican Firing Squad - Our favorite of all. We are classic paloma cocktail lovers, and this drink provided everything we enjoy in a paloma and more. Tart, smooth, and all-around divine. * Southern Exposure - The celery in this really awakens the senses. Very refreshing. * Zombie - Boldest drink we've tried yet. Haunted us the remainder of the night (in a good way). * Poinsettia - Wish this wasn't just a holiday menu item. It's fabulous. * Caribbean Snow Day - The playful kid's cup this came served in had us fooled. This eggnog sure packed a punch. Can't wait to be back and check out what other rotating or seasonal drinks they provide. Lastly, major shout out to the hard-working bartender last night who provided kind, prompt and attentive service on top of greeting all patrons coming in, taking orders and bussing tables. You rock!

    I've been here a few times and most say Bernal Heights rarely disappoints on their restaurant and…read morebar scene. This place is a nice craft cocktail bar that is always busy on the weekends. It's also a fantastic spot to catch a happy hour drink before the sun goes down. The bartenders are amicable and the bar is dark and moody - perfect for a drink to unwind and catch up with friends or colleagues.

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    IPA
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    Holiday decor at Holy Water December 23

    Turn Cafe - cafes - Updated July 2026

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