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    Foundation Cafe

    4.2 (253 reviews)
    Closed Closed

    Foundation Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    FOUNDATION CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Foundation Cafe

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    Menu on the board
    Stephanie C.

    What a cute establishment. They service breakfast items all day and have sandwiches, salads, bowls and burgers with a Filipino flavors. I ordered the chicken adobo bowl. Come visit and support this small business!

    Grilled salmon bowl
    Jon L.

    Your classic downtown weekday salad/sandwich lunch spot with a decidedly Filipino spin. It's popular for lunch and has been on Kearny for a while now. Avoid lunch rush if you have to hurry. Takes a little longer here but there's more care to making your food to order. Besides the standard salads and sandwiches, the rice bowls are really great here. Filling and hearty without weighing you down. From sisig and chicken adobo to the lighter and healthful tasting grilled salmon bowl that's served with kimchi and pickles over a bed of brown rice. Foundation Cafe is a solid lunch spot on Kearny.

    Bistro
    Nathan D.

    Couldn't recommend the place enough! They helped me choose between sisig and bistek for my morning's cravings and finally chose on the bistek! When it comes to actually eating it, reminds me of my Lola's bistek that she would make at home for me, the best. Really friendly people and the ambience of the cafe is really comfy and homey, just how I'd want to feel why eating my comfort food!

    Is the place with the owner serving
    Eduard E.

    The food was amazing. The orange juice fresh squeezed and the people very friendly and upbeat love it here

    Bob, is the owner. Say "hi" and chat if he's not swamped. Such a sweet man!
    Tracy O.

    If you haven't tried the Foundation Cafe, you're missing out. Missing! Out! The food is made with fresh ingredients and the vibe is right. I got the breakfast burrito. I ate it too fast for a photo. And I put the tater tots on the side as I was trying to keep the burrito healthy. Even the tots were crazy delicious! And I'm not one to eat those! The burrito is their best selling item and I know why. Delish! And Melanie manages and she's a riot! Best energy ever! This place is bringing life back to this street!

    Egg over broccolini
    Dominique H.

    This place caught my attention because of the sign outside the door advertising Filipino dishes and my fiancé loves Filipino food so he walked in to look. I followed him in not really wanting to purchase anything from there and the lovely cashier Melanie started chatting us up with no pressure to buy so I began to browse the menu and to my surprise it wasn't just Filipino food and Melanie was offering to make us anything we liked if it was something relative to what they offered, which was a lot. We loved her vibe so much we wanted to support so I got the breakfast burrito, my fiancé got the broccolini egg and we were amazed with how delicious they both were. She even shared with us how to make the broccolini over egg at home so we could make for our kids. She went above and beyond! Thanks Melanie!

    calamansi cooler and sisig burrito

    this cute cafe is such a nice breather from the busy city! the sisig burrito was amazing and i have no clue how they managed to keep the hashbrowns crunchy, it tasted so good! the calamansi cooler was also lovely, it was so refreshing! however, the best part was the service. every worker here is so friendly and you can tell they truly care about their work and customers. i'll be coming back!!

    Interior

    Ambiance: Cozy Service: quick staff: friendly food: delicious! Great place to have breakfast or brunch! I got the sisig rice bowl which was flavorful and filling, and I liked that the vanilla bean latte was not overly sweet.

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    9 years ago

    One of the few places I know of to get something close to a bulletproof coffee other than my kitchen.

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    Vanilla Bean Latte was excellent! I would recommend the breakfast burrito w/ avocado as well!

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    Page 3 of 7

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    4.3(573 reviews)
    4.0 miInner Sunset
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    This is probably the only place where the sandwiches don't taste like the store's essence…read more I mean, don't get me wrong, a store's essence from any given deli/liquor store definitely adds unique character to the sandwich and sometimes I want that in a sandwich. But when you want a sandwich that only tastes like its ingredients, Irving Subs is the spot. Their Dutch crunch is famous for being fresh and actually crunchy. Their lettuce is shredded but fresh and crispy. The salt content is just enough to bring out the flavors. And the overall composition of their sandwiches are very well proportioned. You're not getting skimped, but you're also not biting into a mouthful of a packet of deli meat. They definitely know what they are doing. Service is good and ambiance is a small humble shop on the corner of 12th Ave.

    I was in SF and craving a sandwich, good reviews so figured I'd try. Not sure if it was an off day,…read morebut today's experience is a generous 3 stars. Ordered 2 sandwiches with nobody in line, waited 40 minutes to get them. Looks like this place is swamped with DoorDash orders and the employees, although friendly, weren't moving fast. Now, let's talk sandwiches. First off, they are very reasonably priced for a large sandwich. They were PACKED with ingredients - very generous on the meat. Sandwich bread was a bit stale and sandwich lacked flavor - I don't think they use enough condiments. Based on today's experience, I would skip and go to the yellow submarine or another local sandwich shop.

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    The Boys’ Deli - Sanfranpsycho Sandwich

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    4.5(530 reviews)
    1.0 miRussian Hill
    $$

    Finally made it to The Boys' Deli after my buddy hyped it up for years. It's an unassuming market…read moreon Polk with a sandwich counter in the back that is absolutely popping off. Three people working a tight space with three toaster ovens, and everything comes toasted by default. Their DNA is from pizza making, and it shows. The menu has around 40 sandwiches, so I asked the guy behind the counter for his two favorites and started there. The Godfather: Genoa and pepper salami, oven gold turkey, provolone, and garlic spread on Dutch crunch. Great texture, warm from the toaster, and the garlic spread ties it together. A San Francisco classic done right. The San Franpsycho: it normally comes with honey turkey, but they had rotisserie chicken on the spit so I swapped it in. Gouda, bacon, pesto, garlic spread, and remoulade. The pesto comes through right away and the chicken tastes like real rotisserie. Fair warning: it is messy. It drips. Do not eat this in the car. I could not find a clean way to eat it and ended up taking half home to finish. In their defense, I went rogue with the chicken order so that might have messed up the flow. If you're a sandwich person in SF, put this on the list. I'll be back soon.

    We were in the area and wanted a quick bite! Our friend suggested The Boys' Deli for one of their…read moresandwiches. We ended up getting 2! Cozy neighborhood deli with friendly and fast service. ***OUR PICKS *** SANFRANPSYCHO ($17.99) Honey turkey, smoked gouda cheese, bacon, pesto, garlic spread and remoulade (spicy Mayo). Yummy with a little kick! If you want to have it even spicier, add the pickled jalapeños too! 5/5 ITALIAN SUB ($17.99) Salami, ham, mortadella, provolone, oil and vinegar. This is what an Italian sub should taste like! 5/5 Now, we had some tapas before grabbing the sandwiches, so we weren't entirely hungry. But these sandwiches were delicious and hit the spot! For not being hungry, the sandwiches were taken down without regret! Loved the crispy Dutch crunch bread that they used. Both sandwiches were very good and I can't say I liked one over the other. We would definitely come back again when the sandwich craving hits!

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    Dolores Deluxe - Call Me Serg

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    4.6(103 reviews)
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    Can't go wrong with double Ds…read more Because everyone on social media from BayAreaFoodie to EatMeSF to Gaystronomy puts their sandwich and cookie on their must-eat lists, the wife and I gave into FOMO. Fear of Mission Out. The sandwiches are in high demand. The line on a Saturday that went from the intersection, around the fridge section, to the cashier took about 15 minutes and the sandwich took another 15. Both sandwiches were filling and fresh. We got hot ones with toasted bread. The couch potato with crispy pancetta was good, but American cheesier than expected. The preferable lemon pepper chicken sandwich was bright, flavorful, and tangy, with more dimension. I don't know if it's my favorite sandwich, but certainly top five. I give them five stars, however, because everyone was unpretentious and super nice, the sandwich artist is a machine, they have unique items, and they only charge $1.25 for a can of soda. As for the fresh chocolate chip cookies, my wife liked them. I didn't understand the hype. They were fudgey and doughy, so I guess if you like eating cookie dough you'll love them. We bought enough to have one as an appetizer and one for dessert.

    Busy place! We had the Lebanese caprese, Lady Giana and Call Me Serge. We called ahead for a to go…read moreorder. We called about 20 min in advance and it took them 20 min to make the sandwiches. They are unable to change the time that they start assembling the sandwiches, they said, so they do all the sandwiches in order of the orders. That means really just call when you're 15-20 min from picking up your order ----- Food: - Caprese sandwich: Our friend who had it was very disappointed and she loves caprese sandwiches. Do not recommend. - Call Me Serge *** our favorite*** The call me serge was our favorite (Calabrian chili orange jam is a delight). - Lady Giana: also delicious!

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    Lucca Delicatessen - Meatball Sandwich

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    4.1(933 reviews)
    2.0 miMarina/Cow Hollow
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    Stopped by Luca Delicatessen in San Francisco and this sandwich was SO good I literally forgot to…read moretake a picture before I started eating it I got the toasted caprese sandwich and added peppers , 10/10. Everything tasted super fresh, the bread was perfectly toasted, and adding the peppers gave it that extra kick it needed. Simple sandwich but seriously so good. Service was quick and friendly, and I loved the old-school Italian deli vibe inside. Definitely feels like one of those classic SF spots you stumble across and end up wanting to come back to. Safe to say the half-eaten picture speaks for itself . Definitely recommend!

    Where do I start when it comes to Luca Delicatessen? Let me begin by saying that when I arrived on…read morea Tuesday afternoon, the place was packed with customers. After having my tuna sandwich on wheat, I completely understood why. Everything tasted incredibly fresh. From the tuna to the tomatoes, pickles, and avocado, you could truly taste the quality of every ingredient. I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it! I'd also like to give a special thank you to the owner, Paul, who was incredibly gracious and accommodating during my visit. Great customer service always makes a meal even more enjoyable. If you appreciate fresh ingredients, outstanding flavor, friendly service, and a welcoming atmosphere, I highly recommend stopping by Luca Delicatessen whenever you're in the area. As an added bonus for my fellow wheelchair users , there is accessible seating available, making it easy to enjoy your meal comfortably. Thanks again, Paul and everyone at Luca Delicatessen!

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    Molinari Delicatessen

    Molinari Delicatessen

    4.4(1.6k reviews)
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    Molinari is an iconic Italian delicatessen that absolutely anyone that comes to San Francisco must…read morevisit. There's a very good reason the lines are out the door. For starters, its atmosphere is very iconic. Meats hang from racks, the store is filled with unique Italian ingredients like pastas, pickled vegetables, wines, and candies. The staff are always happy, and seem like they love what they do. In terms of their food and selection, they are unmatched. They have some of the best cured salamis, prosciuttos, and other meats that I've seen. In terms of their sandwiches, what I've seen looks good, but I also haven't tried any myself, as I mainly come for the actual delicatessen.

    Came here with my date to get some good ol' deli sammis, and we were NOT disappointed. We showed up…read moretowards the closing end of the restaurant hours so we were unable to get the focaccia we originally planned on, but we were presented with amazing, fresh, options that all sounded wonderful. We settled on a nice rosemary roll that was large and fragrant, getting the Italian combo with fresh mozzarella, no mayonnaise was in stock so we were offered a basil pesto compound butter that was made in house, and it was phenomenal. Great selection of meats, even got an Italian Coke that tasted divine. The sandwhich portions and the freshness of ingredients will have me coming back for SURE. Solid price, around 30 bucks for a large sandwhich and a couple of drinks and candy's. The candy was delicious as well! You can't go wrong here. Great service as well.

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