L's Caffe
Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission2871 24th Street
(between Bryant St & Florida St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 206-0274
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sun 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
51 reviews
Neighborhood: Gourmet Ghetto
"Great place to study. Nice seating. It can be hard to find a place to sit sometimes during certain times of the day, but it is surprisingly…" read more »
58 Reviews for L's Caffe
Plug in, sit down, get stuff done.
Plus, they have a good selection of teas.
'cept they really need to pick a new muzak station.
I can't believe I've been going to L's for a year and still haven't reviewed it on Yelp. I love, love, love this place. The sisters who own it are super nice and very involved in the community and also support local businesses. It is bright, inviting and has REAL (sandwiches and salads mostly) food, which is rare for a place that has good coffee and tea. The chicken salad is especially good, as are all their bagel sandwiches. I haven't gone in the evening, but have heard great things about their wine and beer menu and the live music they have on occasion.
Sugarlump and Philz nearby tend to be WAY too hipster for me, and I like the fact that I'm supporting a woman (and Latino) owned and operated business. That may a little biased, being Latina and all.
Awesome coffee shop in one of my favorite parts of the Mission (even though I don't get down here nearly enough). Much to love:
- Massive yogurt parfaits, with generous portions of fruit and non-fat vanilla yogurt. At $3.75, not a massive price.
- Free wifi, with outlets near the couches. A very rare find.
- Delicious coffee, perfect for an afternoon kick after a somewhat late night
- Good eats. A bunch of stuff on the menu looked good, and I went with the tofu and almond salad. It was about twice the size as I was expecting, and no dressing as requested. All for $5.50.
- Very friendly service.
This is definitely one of my favorite cafes in the city.
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We ordered out from L's for a business lunch. I had a delicious marinated/broiled tofu and almond salad on mixed greens. The sandwiches the others had looked really good and were getting rave reviews as we ate. My cup of coffee wasn't great but that might have been a fluke. I will certainly be back.
I'm giving L's the benefit of the doubt because I think they have a lot of potential to be one of my go-to Mission cafes. I've been twice so far and have had some ups and downs. Overall, though, I really want to like this place so I'll keep going until something really upsetting happens.
Visit #1: 10am on a Saturday morning. I order an egg, ham and cheese bagel to go. I get home and discover a ham sandwich with everything (sprouts, lettuce, tomato, olives, onion, the works). She must not have heard the 'egg' part. Nevertheless, I ate it and it was pretty tasty.
Visit #2: 10am on a Saturday morning. I order a lox bagel and latte. The sandwich artist looks up with a confused face. The order-taker man points at the chalk board where it said "lox with cream cheese, red onion and capers". Sandwich artist still looks confused but attempts to make the bagel anyways. Order-taker notices he put swiss cheese on instead of cream cheese. Start over. Second attempt he got everything but the capers. Fine, I don't care for capers anyways. The latte was good.
Two visits and neither was kink-free. If they continue to operate like a newly opened restaurant a couple months from now, I will have to stop going. In the meantime, they have a decent menu, good prices, and apparently serve beer and wine in the evening with occasional live music. Definitely something unique and welcomed on our side of the Mission.
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One of the last Cafes with outlets so you can plug your laptop in. It seems like all the other cafes in the city are getting rid of their outlets so we don't hog their juice.
L's has comfortable chairs with soft cushions, free wifi, veggie sandwiches, wine, coffee and a cool little atmosphere.
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It's almost impossible for me to list all the things I love about L's and still keep this post engaging and digestible.
Just a few note-worthy points:
The nicest, most genuine owners you'll ever meet. They're super cute ladies too!
Extremely involved in the community and community events. Everything from offering concessions at the nearby The Brava Theater, to featuring local artists on their walls, to providing meeting space for the 24th Street Neighborhood Association, to live performances by an array of local musicians.
Free Wi-Fi. And if you have any trouble with it, Lourdes will personally help you out to try and fix the kinks.
The crowd is diverse-- a vivid cross-section of the Mission. Spanish speaking, English speaking, young, old, newbies, old timers.
Yummy menu. Nothing flashy, but all tasty and solid. I really like the salad with seasonal fruit.
Cool beers on tap. Coffee and beer together. HORRAY!
Yay L's!
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6/19/08 continued....just to clarify I have maybe once seen Gabrielle work with him I. I just didn't like that bitchy little pine nut that was there when I gave her flowers that time.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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04/16/2007
First let me say that I don't understand the number of cafe's in this city, there are two on this… Read more »
I live around the corner from L's and it just gets better and better. They brought in some new tables and chairs in the last week or so and the place looks so nice I felt like praising them publicly.
L's is one of those places that makes me proud to live in SF -- it's community minded without being strident about it and independent without trying to be "cool".
The sisters that run L's are that rare combination of extremely efficient but also funny, warm, and mellow. The staff is very nice too.
The coffee and food are great, on weekends when I can't figure out how to feed myself I've been known to go more than once a day.
They get extra credit for carrying pumpernickel bagels.
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Great place for breakfast . Their yoghurt's parfaits are quiet reasonably prices and very tasty. Comfy chairs and seating . Great place to hang out
L's caffe is a quaint little cafe that I frequent on lazy sundays and the occassional weekday night. This is the only cafe in the area that I know of that has real food which is not in cookie or pastry form. I've tried the proscuitto and chicken salad sandwiches. I also tried the tres leches cake and I found it awesome, albeit a bit intense. The cafe is generally quiet, although it seems that everytime I'm there there's at least one over-opinionated customer who loves announcing his opinions to the rest of the silent customers. At that point, I finish my sandwich and cross the street to sugarlump to finish my book.
When Sugarlump and Sundance opened shortly after L's, there were many who feared those two "hipper" places would put L's out of business, but it seems to have only resulted in them improving over the past year and a half. Their selection has improved, and they've added new furniture. The vibe of the place is what makes this corner of the Mission a place I'm proud to live in, and it proves that a place can be hip and also be clean, friendly, not too loud, and have a wide diversity of ages, races, economic ranges. The owners and staff could not be more wonderful, and it's a thrill to finally have a place with a menu that is more than just pastries and pre-packaged salads.
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L's is a great cafe. its straight across the street from where I work. (lump) i love being able to hop across and get a super yummy sandwich. sandwich when i am tired of bagels and pasteries. and i especially love the hard boiled eggs over there. the staff is always nice to me. and I always send people over when they are looking for a good sandwich. yay L's
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Great local place to hang out, grab a coffee or a quick bite. Bright and cheery.
Much like the vibe in Cafe La Boheme, L's Caffe has a rich mixture of local peeps, hipsters chilling out and a gaggle of pals either a) having a good ol' time or b) trying to have a meeting since they are pals who also happen to be co-workers. I'm sitting here on a sunny Wednesday afternoon and this is the current environs. The ladies behind the counter appear to be happy and content (always a good sign). My coffee is passable but again, just like Cafe La Boheme, I forgive coffee foibles when the vibe is super down to earth and cozy. And wi-fi? Superb!
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I really, really love this place. In a neighborhood where family businesses are fading this place is much needed. Across the street from the cold sugarlump cafe, L's has a warm and inviting atmosphere. This place is great for reading a book or doing a little studying, the staff is always warm and the coffee, beverages and food is always great.
Try the Mexican Hot Chocolate, Its awesome!
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I love this place for it's egg bagels!!!!! just thinking of it right now makes my mouth water!! I've never had an egg bagel THIS GOOD. Unlike other places i go, the egg is an egg not some artificial microwaveable thing-ma-jig and the best part of it all is the price. you can get one for around 5 BUCKS! YEAH! :)
i also love L's for it's relaxed atmosphere. you can bring your computer in and study or cure your hang over in peace.
please, by all means, stroll on by, you will become addicted. i promise.
L's is the best!
It's the perfect place to study and hang out. It's calm, with tons of chairs and a couch and free WiFi. I could really spend hours there. All the furniture is really comfortable and the place is just cozy in general. And the employees are super sweet.
I had a $4.50 lox bagel and it was good. But the best thing there is the chai. Their chai is soooooo good. It's the best I've had, and I've had a SHITLOAD of chai. But they do serve it extremely hot, so I had to wait like 5 minutes to drink. It's worth the wait!
The only bad thing, if you're a driver, is that most of the parking on the main street is metered. So bring lots of change or drive a couple blocks out of the way.
L's Cafe was great! After much online searching, we found this on Yelp and made our way over. It was great to find a cozy, home-like coffee shop in a new city.
The staff we really friendly and the line and service to the table were top speed. My friend and I had probably one of the best vegan veggie-hummus sandwiches I've had in a long, long time.
They had some really nice art on the walls, the decor was simple and clean, and there were bookshelves crammed with books. There is also outdoor seating and wi-fi.
A nice stop before you get your day of running around the town started.
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this is what a cafe should be!
pros:
great ambience (walls, seating, layout, music, people, plants)
cool location right on 24th street (but little tough on parking)
staff are very sweet and knowleadgeable, especially the owners.
nice bathroom
outdoor seating for nice days in the mish
great breakfast bagels, try them! ;)
free wi-fi
medium:
prices can be little high, just on some items
cons:
nothing.... i cant belive this...:)
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Good things come in small sizes. The cozy atmosphere seems like a great place to relax solo, or gather with friends like the last time I was there. I especially like the tables for 4, big enough to play board games on.
L's is a great compliment shoppe to the Sugarlump across the street. For example, you can actually get Torini here. Actually, the staff went out of their way create the drink I was craving which wasn't exactly on the menu (Vanilla French Soda), and I've never had a coffee shoppe drink in a glass that big!
BLT Bagel was delicious too!
I'm looking forward to going back again for some quality time with me and my laptop.
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The coffee here is so good I want to bathe in it, I think. The bagels are also super delicious -- the hummus and veggie one especially, and I've heard good things about the ones with eggs.
Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, and they didn't even care that we sat here for three hours and played board games (ahem, Settlers, nerds!). :)
They have wine and beer, too, so I'll be back for later-in-the-day libations soon.
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I was so happy when L's opened up a few years ago. I moved to the Mission in 2002 & for years I wished for a great little locally owned coffee shop & cafe. L's is all that & so much more. The place has a real soul. Music & poetry events, art exhibits, great folks working there, customers from all walks of life & ethnicities, wonderful bagels, lots of vegan options, comfy big tables, free wi-fi & a book collection. I love this place. Coming here gives me a chance to directly support everything I love about this neighborhood. Plus they are open early & late, so I can come in for an early morning soy latte after a run or stop by on my way home for a relaxed glass of wine.
This place gives me the warm fuzzies. Great place to sit and relax, eat, drink coffee and chat with friends. I don't know if the woman who has served me each time is actually "L" (in my mind, she is), but she has one of those smiles that instantly brightens your day.
This is a great place to come if you want to avoid the bedheads over at sugarlump across the street. Haven't tried the food yet beyond just a bagel, but it looks good and I'll certainly be back. Plus, I noticed today they have beer and wine...so..uh...I'm sold!
Sugarlump can roll over and die; L's is all about the honey chai.
(Its like sex in a compostable cup).
One star off because I never felt comfortable sitting there, though the bring a book/take a book shelves added quite a bit of Carol Queen to my shelves at home.
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This was a great find, thanks yelp. Came by here for a Saturday brunch after a night of drinking and found wicked awesome vegan sandwiches. Despite having breakfast elsewhere the next day, still came back for a bagel with vegan cream cheese and a coffee. Plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, a crazy nice cafe atmosphere and great service.
The counter is kind of hidden in the back, keep walking in that direction and you'll get there. They'll bring the food over to your table so take a seat and enjoy looking at all the art and posters.
Worth finding, we'll definitely be coming back on our next SF trip.
Weekday favorite. I love popping in and getting a breakfast bagel sandwich and a hot coffee before I head to work.
The ambiance in this place coupled with the food and genuinely friendly service- starts your day off right.
i love that this super mellow, calm, unpretentious coff shop is right across the street from the uber-hip, equally mellow (but vaguely pretentious) sugarlump. (though i can't lie -- i do my fair share of hanging at sugarlump, too.)
i enjoy patronizing L's, though, because of the authentic atmosphere. another plus: they have actual food (soups, salads, sandwiches) instead of just, like, bagels and banana bread. i also like that it's woman-owned (don't quote me on that, but i'm 85% sure), has free wifi and has a true local neighborhood feel.
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A friend of mines showed me this place. I was a bit unsure walking up, but then I saw it and I knew it was going to be a place I will frequent.
The atmosphere is great. Lots of seating and Wi-Fi.
The food is good. PB&J Wheat Bagels are my favorite.
The service here is great. I love their attitude and the way the talk and treat customers.
I come here pretty much weekly at this point.
Can't wait to make another trip.
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I was in need of a bagel and cream cheese and L's totally delivered. The woman (one of the owners?) who helped me was very sweet and helpful. They have a decent selection of food, even some vegan options. Apparently they have music and art shows?!
Definitely my go to place when I'm in the Mission.
Entering the front door of L's exposes one to a cafe environment that deviates significantly from the San Francisco norm. While the vast majority of local coffee houses shoot for an atmosphere of gender-neutrality, L's has taken a different tack and created a space where the artwork, decor, and furniture have a distinctively feminine feel to them. Absent is the usual earth-tone paint scheme that's de-rigor for surrounding coffee shops, replaced by a soothing hue of yellow that blends pleasantly with sunlight coming in through the windows facing 24th Street. Lighting is tastefully subdued and LCD friendly, but still bright enough so that it isn't printed-material hostile, and though wall decor is sparse, it's skillful placement manages to fill out it's surroundings.
I found the coffee to be very soft, subtle, and without a hint of acidity. Kudos for placing the sugar and creme station in a position that doesn't create a bottleneck during rush hour. Natural sugar is available in packets :-) Brown sugar wasn't :-( A wide range of goodies including Truck-stop sized sandwiches (what I had for lunch) are available for $5.95 along with an assortment of breads (including dutch crunch....yeah!) from which to build them. A small bar sits in the back, while a visible wine rack and three beer taps (Anchor, Heineken, and Pyramid) sit behind the counter.
The ever-so-pleasant customer area has a collection of 4 and 2 person tables, all flanked with rather comfortable chairs equipped with cast-metal frames and padded seats. An earthy floor comprised of adobe-hued tiles rounds out a mission-esqe ambiance, While two love-seat style couches have their backs to the windows in front. An outdoor bench sits on the sidewalk, but it's southerly exposure prevents morning sunshine from hitting it. Other welcoming nuances include an exceptionally pleasant staff and a sign attached to a small but fully-stocked bookshelf sitting against the West wall. It offers a warm but simple invitation...."Bring a book....Take a book". Laptop friendly power outlets are copious along the West wall, though somewhat sparse on the East....and though a wifi signal is present, it's locked down, and I didn't feel like badgering the staff for a WEP key.
The crowd? Largely quiet and solitary. It's broad in it's age range and isn't dominated by any particular group or scene. Still, the somewhat feminine accent on decor seems to have appealed to the fairer of our species, as evidenced by a customer base that's noticeably heavier on women.
L's is free from dominant-crowd exclusivity that makes first-time visitors wonder if they've stumbled into the wrong scene. It's tranquil vibe and soft music contribute to an atmosphere that's devoid of mating-dance tension and youthful angst. Furthermore, it manages to blend with it's working class surroundings instead of coming off as part of a pre-invasion task force from Noe Valley. And though it lacks the musty charm of many coffee shops I frequent, it makes amends by coming off as mildly artsy while not in the least bit pretentious. All in all? It's a spot to consider making your regular hang if you're in the hood, into light snacks, and not big on morning chitchat.
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Directly across the street from Sugarlump, but boy what a different vibe! L's is friendly, bright and definitely has a neighborhood feel. The folks who own the place seem to be quite a fixture and know a lot of the regulars. The layout of the coffeeshop is kind of weird in the sense that you have to walk all the way to the back and around a counter area to get to the register and order drinks/food. Coffee was okay and wifi was free. 1 hour unmetered parking a block away. I'll definitely be back.
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I love L's. The food is wonderful and the people are super friendly. I wish more people went there. The only thing I would like to see changes is the 80's music which is constantly playing. I'd love to come in and sit for awhle to study, drink coffee etc., but I can't because the music is so distracting. I grew up in the eighties and know the words to every song that is played, so I can't concentrate at all! If you're not going to study or get work done, or didn't grow up in the 80's I suppose the music doesn't make an ounce of difference. Other than that, long live L's and death to sugarlump!
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Five stars for friendliness and sister-iness, but only three or four for decor and vibe. The interior is bright and clean -- no major problems -- just not a beacon of sophistication, artiness, and good design (yes, I'm qualified to make this judgment; my mom is a licensed home stager...).
Reasonable prices. And I DO love the fact that there is a mini-wine bar. Ever cafe should have this feature.
On the weekday that I chose to visit L's, it was pretty darn unpopulated. The music was set to a reasonable decibel level (thanks, ladies), though -- as a friend pointed out -- it was strongly reminiscent of elementary school roller skating parties. I'm not going to state whether I consider this to be good or bad, but I will note that Sir Elton John is a real champ, musically and otherwise.
I love this place and I go here too much. But everything is so tasty and Lourdes and friends are so nice and my word this place is just so freaking cute and homey and glowing with lurv that I just can't help myself! In addition, they use very pretty plates.
It depends on how YOU like your coffee, but personally I drink coffee because it's warm and it's a vehicle for milk. I don't like especially dark or bitter roasts, and L's cafe (be prepared for a cute word play) OLE, is just the way I like it. Get it? Au lait! Ole! Ha! okay...
The food offerings are very diverse and well priced for such a tiny place. Great bagels (with vegan cream cheese! so yummmmmy, and they have apricot preserve as well as your regular strawberry jam, good with peanut butter), sandwiches, pastries, salads and soups. One of my favorite items, the seasonal fruit and greens salad, is like something you'd get in a fancy bistro, with beautiful fresh fruit (maybe berries, oranges, kiwis, who know!) queso fresco and avocado slices. My absolute favorite thing though, that thankfully they don't have all the time, is the bread-pudding-in-the-form-of-a-muffin-with-apricot -jelly-and-almonds-on-top. Ridiculous. L's gets all my lovin.
And one more thing, they do have a frequent coffee card but you have to ask for it. I probably had ordered enough to earn a free Ole by the time I realized they had them.
Okay, actually two more things I guess. I've noticed that this a good place for kids. The staff are friendly and seem to enjoy interacting with the tots I've seen come in. It's pretty to easy to navigate with a stoller (except for the steps you have to go up to order, but they will bring your food and drinks), there are fruit smoothies and hot chocolates on the menu, and as this is not one of those cafes where everybody there is intently focused on a laptop, I don't think anyone would make you feel uncomfortable bringing in the young ones.
it's a pretty good study place as long as you don't mind dim lighting. also, the cleanest bathroom in a 10 block radius!
L's is a great place to catch a BEC (that's bacon egg and cheese for y'all who don't know) on a bagel after grabbing a coffee at philz. it's a few blocks down, and I've only been here on mornings around 9am, no wait, and there is wireless, but for some strange reason the cell phone service kinda sucks here. Family owned and one of the best (if only) places to get a small hot breakfast in this neighborhood that doesn't really come alive til the afternoon.
You know I think I took this place for granted. Being one block from my house, I never really thought to go there until Friday evening, when I wasn't feeling to well and didn't want to eat anything greasy (burritos, thai food or crappy pizza). So my boo and i walked over and enjoyed quite a meal. my veggie samwich was really good and the yogurt/granola/fruit platter really hit the spot. i was feeling better soon after that. The paintings and decor were really cool and I would love to enjoy a beer or glass of wine there one evening as well.
Update:
With Sugarlump crowded, I ventured across the street to a place where I've only had a sandwich. Seeking free internet and caffeine the people who work here and very kind and lax. I've been at this place practically all day running around sit to sit because cingular has the worst reception ever and they don't mind at all. I even apologized for loitering and staying so long and they said, "no worries, come back anytime!" They made a great latte too! I've decided to upgrade my 4 stars to 5 stars now too
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A nice and sunny cafe with decent coffee. I like this place because the people that work there are really friendly, they have wifi, and they have a good selection of food and drinks. I like to go to one cafe and study all day, so the fact that I can get coffee, food, and dessert in one place really makes me happy. Much better than the cafe (Sugarlump) across the street.
Finally a coffee shop in the hood that is comfortable and welcoming and has great coffee. The two sister who run this place are the warmest and most welcoming people on this street. Even when they are busy, they always make you feel like you are the only customer that matters.
They serve only organic and fair trade coffee which is a hug plus! Their pastries, sandwiches, and salads are all very yummy.
They occasionally have live music, so check in to find out what's on the calendar.
An additional plus is that they have a super fast wireless connection for free!
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