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    Hi Cafe

    4.4 (72 reviews)
    ModerateCoffee & Tea, Gelato
    Closed 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated a few days ago

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    HI CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Hi Cafe

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    Pandan
    Michelle K.

    This is one of my favorite Vietnamese coffee in the peninsula! They also serve gelato, which is tasty too. Service is really great. Everyone is always very friendly. Your order comes out quickly. The spot is very small, but it still gives off a good vibe, parking can be a pain, but definitely worth it for this spot. I have been back multiple times

    Front entrance
    EM H.

    3.5 stars. After having a quick snack at Starbird on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 22, 2026, we walked next door to Hi Cafe shortly after 5 PM, so that Z could have sweet treat. Hi Cafe is a small shoppe that serves Vietnamese Coffee and Açai Smoothie, Matcha & Espresso drinks as well as Gelato. Located at Nine88, a mixed-use apartment complex at 988 El Camino Real in South San Francisco, the six-story building has a hidden ground-level garage with free parking for residents and shoppe customers. The casual store has concrete flooring and limited wooden counter & bench seating inside. There is also an outdoor bench directly facing the venue. The place appeared clean and tidy on the day of our short visit. We saw only one staff member behind the counter that day. Perhaps he is unable to multi-task because we noticed that he would take an order only after fulfilling and serving the previous one. As a result, we had to wait several minutes for him to finish making someone's drink before he gave us samples of gelato, then scooping Z's order. The following customers also had to wait to either inquire about things or be serviced after each subsequent order was fulfilled. There was no sense of urgency. As a result, the line, although short, didn't move as smoothly as one would expect. Z ordered a Regular Cup ($5.95) of Gelato Classico, Cookies & Cream. I didn't have more than a sample taste of the Dark Chocolate. Both of the Italian style ice cream flavours were good. Due to the small serving size of Z's order, we found pricing to be on the expensive side. He actually said that he's "had better," but I speculate that the service just left a bad taste in his mouth.

    Dharma M.

    New store in south city specialized in Vietnamese coffee and also offer matcha ang gelato. It was sizeable store with some seating area. The interior wall is nicely decorated. I came for the vietnamese coffee. There are plenty of gelato options. I can says more gelato varieties than coffee. I ordered latte the viet coffee with matcha on the top and oatmilk. While it is interesting combination and quite good, it is missing the strong Vietnamese coffee flavor. The coffee is on the light side and same for the matcha. It think as we use oatmilk , it is also making it taste totally different. The service is quick. We ordered snd within minutes the order is ready. Next time when I am around the area, will try the viet coffee. So far it is about 3.5 star to me. There is free parking in the building. Not many though.

    Teason M.

    Wifey sent me on errand duty to pick up Vietnamese Egg Coffee. Cute little cafe, service was great, vibe was chill. I was surprised that they had so many sweets and options. They got gelato, Viet coffee, cloud special, coffee, affogato, matcha, and acai smoothie. Check em out, byeee. Ig@blacktigereats

    cà phê sữa pandan cloud (left) ube cloud (right)
    Devina D.

    I haven't been able to find a Vietnamese coffee spot near where I live, so I'm happy this place opened up and that it's actually good. I ordered the ca phe sua cloud, which was $7. The pandan cloud had a nice pandan flavor, though it was on the lighter side. I personally would have loved a stronger pandan taste, but the drink itself was still strong and really good overall. The menu pricing seems fair. I will definitely be coming back for the coffee. It is nice not having to travel to San Jose or wait for pop ups in the city anymore! Parking could be a little sparse. The cafe is connected to an apartment complex so the parking is limited as it shared and there's only so many retail spots. If you can't find garage parking there is street parking in the surrounding neighborhood.

    Pandan cloud special
    Vicki L.

    Tried the pandan cloud special and I really liked it! The pandan flavor wasn't too strong but it gives the drink enough sweetness to mask the bitterness of the viet coffee. The coffee was strong, too strong for 3pm so I could only drink half today. Will come back to try more from them! The menu has good variety, the service is friendly and fast, and the shop itself is clean with some small tables and counter seats for hanging out. The parking lot is small but there is additional parking behind the apartment complex.

    Really sad coffee latte...
    Shaz L.

    Why just 3 stars? It was quite a cute little cafe but their coffee latte was just bad - it tasted like something you just mix instant coffee with hot water and milk. If you want a cup of good coffee latte, please bring yourself to Spruce Cafe or Dead Eye. Staff (looks like a family business) was friendly. I had their iced Vietnamese coffee and it was good. I might come back to try their gelato next time, but definitely not their latte!

    Vietnamese coffee with cold foam
    Diana M.

    The handcrafted drinks here are absolutely fantastic. You can taste the quality in their ingredients. The matcha mango is my favorite drink to order from here. Cashier was nice but wasn't quite helpful.

    Gelato
    Maggie W.

    I wanted to love Hi Cafe so much, but it fell short of my expectations. I don't want to be too hard since I would definitely come back to try something else on the menu, but their strawberry matcha latte just tastes like floral milk. They add a lot of strawberry jam and it looks super pretty, but the matcha itself is nothing remarkable and not strong at all. It's very milky and tastes vaguely of flowers. My boyfriend got the bac xiu and he liked it. I couldn't really tell if there was condensed milk in it, it also tasted very milky with a thinner texture. I would love to try their gelato or affogatos, there's a bit of a wait but the interior is so cute with lots of seating! I would love to see them add something interactive like board games here. As for parking, you can park outside of the 988 apartment garage for retail parking. It's a bit limited, but you can also park in the Safeway parking lot and walk over from 5 minutes away if it's full.

    Connie C.

    Super juiced about this place, saw the grand opening sign after driving by yesterday, decided to try their coffees today. Considering how the store was the only one opened before 11, the retail parking lot in that building was surprisingly packed, street parking available, otherwise gotta park in the nearby plazas. The store is not big, it has a few countertop seats in front, its better for a grab and go situation. There was already a short line when I got there, about 3 parties ahead of me. With 2 people working, my coffee took about a 10-15 minute wait. Their menu has Gelato, Vietnamese coffee, matcha, flavored cloud foam add on, and normal coffee. I had to get their egg coffee since thats one thing that the Peninsula is missing. East bay and south bay got their plugs. Unfortunately when I got my order, I didnt see that yellowish cream layer on top of my drink, despite them calling out my drink "egg coffee". If they had used condensed milk in the coffee, it's very watered down, I didnt have that sweet and creamy taste and texture when I drank my coffee. Overall, the caffeine hit was a bit low too, I was not as wired as how I usually feel with legit ca phe sua da. I've had better at pho places. Might come back to try their cloud drinks, but def not again for their "egg" coffee. Perhaps its just grand opening mishap, we shall see

    The chilled delectables in a  glass case
    Deon S.

    This my first time to this shop, let's see how it went: There's no parking in the area except for the apartment building garage around the block, Minimal spaces. The inside of the shop was modestly lit to give hi ground to chilled delectables in the glass case in the front. The service was nice and friendly and cashless. I had the coffee cloud banana , it was very good. I will continue to come back and try more items on their menu.

    Pandan Cà Phê Sữa Cloud
    Robin K.

    I'm always excited to try new cafés, especially when one pops up in the neighborhood. The interior was still a work in progress when I visited, but it already feels cozy. There's a small seating area, hand-painted art on the walls, and some cute decor touches. They specialize in Vietnamese coffee, so I went with the Pandan Cà Phê Sữa Cloud. It came pretty ice-heavy, so I finished it quicker than expected.. wish there was more! The flavor was nice, not overly sweet but still smooths out the coffee's bitterness. If you've never had Vietnamese coffee before, don't let the small size fool you... the caffeine sneaks up on you like a truck. Currently typing this with jittery hands. I'd definitely come back to try the gelato!

    Banana matcha
    Jessica L.

    New Viet Coffee spot in SSF! The menu has many options including gelato, viet coffee, affogato, acai smoothies, and matcha. There is a small seating area inside which is a plus! The cashier was very knowledgeable and friendly and gave us some good recommendations. We tried the banana matcha and ca phe sua da. I'd give both drinks a 4/5. The matcha itself wasn't a standout (I've had better quality elsewhere), but the banana cloud was delicious. The lid itself was a bit difficult to bend and keep in place. The vietnamese coffee was very strong. Apparently the beans are imported from Vietnam. Definitely gonna keep you up at night. If you don't like bitter drinks, I wouldn't recommend this. It's a little bitter but not bad. Heavy on ice as expected for Viet Coffee. Overall, I hope to come back and try their gelatos. I would love if they also had Vietnamese dessert options like che or pandan waffles.

    Creme cheese matcha cloud drink

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    First time coming here, I needed food before heading to the airport. The second time coming here, I…read moreneeded food before heading home from the airport. This is officially my new airport dining choice when available. I'm not a coffee drinker but they spend an equal amount of love on their matcha and chai!! This warms my heart! The pumpkin spice chai available year round (joy!) and the banana cram matcha (so far seasonal). Both not too sweet. Would like some kind of cream on top - still great as is. Both times I went for the breakfast burrito. Big fan of the veggie breakfast burrito with added bacon :) The chipotle sauce is the liquid gold! I find potatoes and hash browns to be fillers when not extra crispy for texture. Sadly they were filler here but so far they are light handed on the filler so all is right in the burrito. Did well on my request for light cheese as well. Ambiance reminds me of all my favorite cafes and tea shops with the artsy flare, welcoming colors, tons of plants, and some cool jams. Can definitely see them having a local artist showcase or local concert or open mic night. I have one request for the owners, one day please add a cardamom matcha to your menu It's such a great flavor combo! I'll be back again soon!

    This is a solid breakfast spot. I like the cookies and cream coffee option. Definitely makes an…read moreinteresting shit later - not that it's bad. It's just that sweet tooth kick with caffeine. You can order in or to go, there's quite a few seats/tables. Parking here seems manageable but I've only gone here when it's early and just opens so here early enough to not pay for the parking meter lol. This is like the only breakfast spot open pretty early that we've used as a work outing/team building. So that's cool. I've actually gone here a couple times already. Foods also really good you can't really go wrong cuz you know what you gon get when you buy it. Lazy logs (burrito) will just knock you out for the rest of the day.

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    Hi Cafe - coffee - Updated August 2026

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