What a great place for breakfast and brunch. Sure the tablecloths have coffee stains so deep you think they're fresh, but that's just part of the homey vibe here. The prices are cheaper than most SF brunch joints and there are so many options for eggs it's dizzying. Great biscuits. Strangely small coffee cups which made it so you had to wait for someone to fill up your cup many times which just creates more work for the poor servers. But regardless, they've got good potatoes, fresh fruit and I'm going to have to return for the stuffed hash browns. As it was, I had to go for a special they only have a few months a year - the dungeons crab omelet. Lovely suffer with caramelized onions and roasted red peppers, but not so seasoned that you couldn't taste the delicious crab meat. Can't wait to return! read more

I really like this place. Although it's been there for years I had not eaten there until recently. It's a really nice little breakfast place with excellent service and a great classic breakfast! A honest, humble, clean and reliable breakfast spot! read more

Yessss! Finally, great brunch in my neighborhood...well, sort of. I live in the Alamo Square district and have found it to be lacking the breakfast department. There's some okay stuff on Divisadero, and okay stuff in Hayes Valley, but nothing great. Thankfully, all it takes is mustering up enough hung over energy to get over that hill and down into Lower Haight to Kate's Kitchen. A friend enlightened me recently and I now feel at peace with my Sunday mornings. aaaaaah... The food: fantastic. Putting yogurt and granola on french toast is freaking BRILLIANT! The coffee: superb! yes! all too often good brunch comes at the sacrifice of good coffee, but not here. it may not be Blue Bottle but whatever they have, they know how to brew it right. The service: delightful! very friendly, very fast. The wait: not nearly as long as I had feared! we arrived at noon on a Sunday-- prime brunch time-- and despite a rather large crowd out front I'd say we were in and seated after ten minutes. can't complain about that! Yay! read more

Loved Kate's, very homey feel...the server was prompt and friendly and constantly made sure we had fresh hot coffee, which was surprisingly good. They make their own cornbeef and hash and the texas toast is really light but filling and the maple syrup just makes everything mmmmm mmmm good. Thanks to Kates for turning around a crappy start and making my tummy full and my coffee needs met! By the way, if you are looking for some serious pancakes, I spotted another diner having them, and they are as large a small child.....they looked FANTASTIC read more

Much love for Kate's! I seem to find myself bringin nearly all my out of town guests to Kate's. It's always the first on my lists of places to send people when they are looking for something new. Their coffee is delciously rich! And with a little twist on some classics such as the orange zest french toast! Meatloaf sandwich and Bacon Cheddar Corn Cakes you can't go wrong and even the pickiest eater will find something to enjoy on this menu! read more

About 7 groups ahead of us when we got there on a Saturday morning, but wait was short and food came out quick. Small place so it was a bit tricky to get to our table, but the food made up for it! Didn't try the juices, but looked delicious. Overall, great experience. Would recommend and would go back! read more

Lovely poached eggs for breakfast! This is a nice local joint, but always busy. Took away 1 star because of the wait. Delicious, tasty food; reasonable price. read more

This place has decent, unremarkable breakfast food. If you're just ordering the cornmeal pancakes, I might bump this up to a four-star review -- but only if you can deal with poor service and long waits. Anything else (french toast, breakfast sandwiches) is bland by comparison. I used to go to this place for take out quite a bit, but they got my order wrong so consistently that I got fed up with them, and don't think I'll be going back. Once, my breakfast sandwich was served to me as just an egg on plain bread -- missing cheese, bacon, and veggies -- and I didn't notice until I got home. My fault for not checking? Perhaps, but they were screwing up my order 2/3 of the time. This place just isn't good enough to justify the long wait and sloppy service -- I'll be looking elsewhere for my pancake fix. read more

I recently moved upstairs from Kate's and I've had my eye on this place. So for my friend's birthday weekend, we had a group of 6 and we forgot to put our name on the list even though we had asked the host for a spot. He got us right in anyway! Then, we all ordered our breakfasts, they came out super fast and were so delicious and reasonably priced! I ordered the Man's breakfast which was under $10 and really made me feel like a man! I subbed their special pumpkin pancakes too and everyone at the table wanted a bite...or two! Will be back many times, see you soon Kate's! read more

I found Kate's Kitchen while searching for a breakfast spot that wouldn't break bank. The last two times I ordered the Big Guys Breakfast and it was great. I really like their coffee as well. The service was attentive and my cup was never empty. The Big Guy is a a couple of pancakes, a couple of eggs (any way you like'em), bacon, sausage, and homefries. Probably not the heart healthiest choice, but man is it good! read more

My bae enjoyed his corned beef hash w/ poached eggs. I had the two pancakes, eggs, two slices of bacon, pork sausage & country fries. No substitution. Pancakes a bit gritty, bacon was thick but so-so, pork sausages ok. I packed the fries home for my bae. Coffees were constantly refilled and service was attentive. Bae would give it a 5*, but mine would be a 3*. Took an average and gave a 4*, fair enough. read more

This is my absolute favorite place to get breakfast in SF. The best hush puppies ever (sweet rather than savory, especially good with honey butter or pooh butter as they call it). The sausage is excellent, so is any egg dish and the pancakes are awesome, particularly the banana walnut and the pumpkin pancakes. The orange French toast is good too. The atmosphere is fun, great looking murals and rebuses on the walls and usually some fun loud rock or soul playing. Not super expensive either. read more

Amazing breakfast! Their Meat Scrambler was to die for! Great atmosphere too! If you're a pancake fan for lunch, it's a must have! Amazing job guys! read more

I really do not recommend eating here. Wish i saw the other reviews before taking my boyfriend there. It's dingy, trashy, musky, grimmy, dark and cramped. I can't believe they make food out of that kitchen. I saw a roach walking on counter surrounding kitchen area. One of the cooks used a really dirty rag and he had no apron on and just kept wiping his hands on his clothes and resumed touching and handling food. So gross. The food tasted old, something you would have thrown out cause it expired. The cutlery was dirty, we didn't even want to drink from the cups and the water wasn't even cold. The food was beyond gross. The staff was pathetic had no knowledge of menu items or where the food came from; they were disorganized and looked like they were being tortured by having to work there. One server in particular needs some education it didn't seem like she was mentally all there. You really have to re-examine your life if you work there. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY THERE unless your doing it as charity. They are a kitchen nightmare and I don't know when they had their last inspection or review but it is overdue. I will never return to eat at Kate's kitchen. It looks like the house Norman Bates from psycho lived in. Trust me go anywhere else than here in fact stay home and crack 2 eggs in a pan you'll be happier that you did. Sorry, but it's true. read more

Breakfast at Kate's Kitchen was just as I remembered it from 18 years ago, sooo good! Yeah, I don't know why it took so long to go back either, Life! The hush puppies and poo butter are a must try, so delicious! read more

This was my first and last time eating at Kate's Kitchen. Everything started out so promising with the granola and fruit but quickly deteriorated when the biscuit and gravy arrived. B.'N G. is something I always order when I go out to breakfast but it was depressing to see what constituted as gravy, bland, soupy, I asked the server if she accidentally gave me the veggie gravy because I could't taste any sausage or anything resembling flavor. I took literally two bites and sent it back and asked if I could have the Texas fries instead and ordered them extra crispy. The Texas fries arrived and were lack luster and far from crispy and full of chunks of bacon fat. When my check came I saw they charged me for the Biscuits and gravy, I guess they think repeat customers and positive customer service is not part of good business. read more

Great solid diner food. If you want a greasy heart stopping brunch. This is the spot. Their hush puppies were delish but you def need to share it with four or more ppl. Breakfast sandwiches were bomb. read more

I kept hearing this place referred to as "soul food." So let me just clear something up: serving coffee with chicory, while yummy if you're into that sorta thing (i am), does not a soul food joint make. Also it's good to know if your rolls have gone moldy, so you can avoid serving them to customers. Yeah i know, shit happens. But in the broader context of this place sucking, i figured it was worth a mention. Now, i'm told that their French Toast Orgy is amazing. But i don't really like tons of sweet stuff for breakfast so i have not been able to verify this. I tend to go for the simple breakfast: eggs, toast, potatoes, and coffee. And they still manage to find room in there to get my order wrong. Also their potatoes are sorry as hell. Of course, when your neighbor who grew up down the street says "That place isn't that good, they messed up my order, and it's overpriced," you should probably just take his word for it. One star for the chicory, one star for everyone who said "Dude you can't talk shit until you've had the French Toast Orgy." And i really think i'm being generous. read more

Kate's earns 4 stars because the food is dynamite and fairly reasonably priced. The orange spice french toast is delicious(and don't let the name fool you, it tastes nothing like oranges), and the bacon is pretty great too. However, the service often leaves something to be desired. In both of my last two visits, items I ordered or asked for were never brought. I can only remember ever seeing one server there at a time - usually the same girl - and she hasn't seemed very enthusiastic to be there recently. Also be prepared to deal with a crowd - especially weekend mornings. All in all a good place. And if anyone cracks the bizarre code on the wall, let me know, won't you? read more

Now this place has to be my favorite breakfast joint in the city! From the outside, it kind of looks like a hole-in-the-wall eatery. That's because it pretty much is. This place is pretty small but compensates by giving me what I need in a breakfast/lunch diner. First, the food here is really good quality. Everything here tastes very fresh and delicious. Second, the portions here are quite filling. Third, the food here is exceptionally friendly on your wallet. One of the more expensive dishes was priced at around $9.99. This dish is almost too much food for me to eat! Try going to Toast or Eats. $9.99 is going to get you one of the smaller, less filling entrees. You can walk out of this place at around $12 WITH a delicious beverage. I love that. You have to try their banana walnut pancakes!! I mean, try any of them. They are all so amazing. Also, any breakfast with their fruit is great. The French Toast Fruit Orgy is fantastic! My only complaint about this place is that they are a little shysty with their maple syrup. All you have to do is ask for some more, but I always feel weird asking. I think it's bc maybe they're trying to get people to stop smothering their food in sugar. Maybe? I'm not sure. This complaint isn't big enough for me to knock them down a star though. Thanks Kate's Kitchen! read more

Get the orgy. But dear god I hope for your sake you've got a severe case of the munches. It's a lot of good food. read more

Kate's Kitchen - There's and orgy under here somewhere - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

Plain and simple: We love this place!! The staff is great and usually the same people. We usually come during busier brunch hours but we have never had to wait long (or at all). We have ordered a wide variety from the breakfast menu and has always been nothing short of delicious. Kate's is very inexpensive and they are very generous with the portions. The neighborhood is great and parking is not impossible (even though we usually walk). read more

Delicious, small place & servers are more friendly than most in San Francisco. It's worth the wait to be seated since that's what you'll have to do on a weekend brunch hour. Just remember the demand on the weekend & don't be one of those people who takes up at table for 3 hours... The wait staff will hate you. The cornmeal pancakes & French toast are fantastic! read more

I was hoping that my memory had just failed me, but upon returning to Kate's Kitchen, I was right the first time. Their "famous" cornmeal hush puppies, are an overrated novelty item. Usually, I love hushpuppies and love love all things corn (lucky me, living in this hugely corn consuming USA). Kate's were as bland as paper... even when I doused them in the tasty honey butter and salt. The homey feel of the place was nice, but if you can't do right by fryin up a chicken apple sausage, hash browns (oddly overspiced), and dough balls with butter, you have no business being as popular as you are. I guess it shows that the townies are so brunch crazed that all reason is lost after an hour wait. And the service is very hit or miss - mostly aloof and unfriendly. I don't need to be showered with accolades at brunch, but don't act like I've ruined your day just by existing. read more

My boyfriend and I were craving biscuits and gravy this morning, so we decided to stop by Kate's Kitchen since it was nearby. He's been twice before, and had a good experience the first time, and a poor experience the second time- so we thought that maybe the third time's the charm? We were very wrong. We ordered 2 plates of biscuits with sausage gravy, one side of scrambled eggs, one side of eggs over medium, a side of bacon, and a coffee. The biscuits and gravy: As soon as it was put in front of us I knew something wasn't right. The gravy was an odd green/grey color, and looked like they mixed split pea soup with an old gelatinous stew. So odd. But I try not to judge a book by its cover, so we gave it a try. It was bad. It was really bad. It was strangely sweet, but also bland, and tasted like it had been sitting out for a while. The biscuits were a nice consistency, but I personally wasn't a fan of the dill inside. They were herbaceous in an unappetizing way. Scrambled eggs: Okay, under seasoned, but edible. Eggs over-medium: Looked fine. Bacon: Tasted strangely chemically? Like that $3.99 bacon you grab at the corner liquor store when you're hungover but craving salt. Coffee: Pretty good. My bf and I are pretty big fans of traditional, diner-style foods, and while we've had a lot of breakfasts all over the place, we're fine with solid, basic, breakfasts. We weren't expecting anything ~fancy~, but this was just...off. We're also not fans of complaining or returning food, but we mentioned to the server working behind the bar that we weren't big fans of the biscuits and gravy, and that they might want to take a look at today's batch, as it didn't taste quite right. We also insisted that we weren't looking for a refund. He apologized thoroughly. However, the manager then stormed over and aggressively said that he "heard that we didn't like the gravy, and that there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. That many people this morning have eaten it and loved it- that people either love it or hate it" and a bunch of other rambling, obnoxious things. They ended up comping 1 order of the biscuits and gravy, and we quickly left. It was startling, honestly. I came to Yelp to check out the reviews this evening, because I was starting to think that maybe we were in the wrong for not liking the dish- but after scanning the posts, it seems that at least 2 other people have mentioned the SAME issue with the dish. Anyway.. this is a pretty busy place with a line sometimes, so maybe they have something else on the menu going for them? Just avoid the B & G I guess. read more

Really good food and coffee. I always get the big guys breakfast and split it. Really good prices as well. Perfect for a good lunch on a nice day ! Nice and friendly staff. read more

Hi Kate, This is your old friend David. I just want to thank you for the absolutely superb lunch you were able to serve to us. And thank you for providing such a cozy and warm setting (albeit one that requires a once-over with Windex or a few sanitizing wipes). And thank you for the orgy. No no, it's not what you think. I'm talking about the French Toast Orgy, one of the delightful and amusingly named options on the menu here. To be fair, I didn't order the orgy, but I did taste it. It was my lunch companion's idea. I stuck with a more traditional option, the meatloaf sandwich. Actually, the French toast orgy was still pretty traditional, aside from the name. But it was big. And delicious. Big and delicious are adjectives that make it a winner in my book. But the meatloaf sandwich is better, even if doesn't have a witty name. Perhaps thinking of an innuendo-laden name for meatloaf might be in order? I'm taking suggestions. Love, David read more

Our breakfast visit on 9/3/16 was a disappointment. Ordered the vegi scramble that was supposed to have cilantro...but was not there. Cauliflower....missing also. Tons of avocado and looked very messy and bland. It wasn't even busy, but busy should never be an excuse anyway. Seems like they got their Zagat rating a few years ago and then let the quality slide. Have seen this before. Lots of hype that doesn't deliver :( We typically dine out 4-5 times a week and know good service and good food. I love giving good reviews, and don't like giving bad ones. Yelpers should know either way, so here it is. read more

Decent breakfast hole -- just grungy enough to be interesting and the food has enough yum in it to keep those lines forming for weekend brunch after how many years?? If you're hungover and need to pay homage to the grease gods, Kate can hook you up. And I mean greasy in a good way. read more

Solid breakfast for $6. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw menu items for $5.95. Eating at the likes of Dottie's and such, I forgot that breakfast should probably cost that much. $2.50 for a tall glass of OJ. Hallelujah. read more

I hate to be ants at a picnic, but I think Kate's is over-rated and totally not worth waiting in line. The interior is cutesy. The food is just okay. read more

It wasn't what I expected for Corned beef hash. Hash should not be in chunks. It's HASH. It should be mashed up. IMHO

Very nice American breakfast, but the main thing is the atmosphere. I went in to have breakfast by myself. A table for one can be an unpleasant experience in some places. Here I enjoyed not the breakfast and the atmosphere. read more

A generally good breakfast and lackadaisical service is a combination not necessarily worth waiting in line for more than fifteen minutes, especially in this decidedly unattractive shabby section of the lower Haight. Portions tend to be oversized, but the typical fare here - pancakes, omelets, hush puppies, and the like - doesn't travel well in a doggie bag, so go only when hungry enough to clean your plate. read more

Extremely crowded. So crowded that I couldn't finish my meal in comfort. Table for two was a table for four with two strangers. Corn beef has was awful: it was more like a medley of half cooked vegetables with some corned beef mixed in. Gluten free biscuits are nasty and theirs was no exception. Had to go through the kitchen to reach the bathroom, which was just ridiculous. Never again. read more

My friend and I went on a Sunday a little before noon. We had to wait around fifteen or twenty minutes- not bad for standard Sunday brunch time! He got the French toast orgy ($8.50) and I wound up getting their "meat" omelet with chicken mango sausage (amazing!) and a bunch of veggies. My omelet also came with toast and potatoes, not bad for $8.50! Fred's French toast was insane looking- it had fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola on top with actual maple syrup. The place is super cute and small. It's cash only, so make sure to be prepared. It's definitely a great deal for the amount of food you get! I'd recommend it, but make sure it's not raining so you don't have to wait in the rain to get in! :D read more

The tables are too close. I ordered the Farmers breakfast (scrambled eggs, potatoes and sourdough toast) and everything was COLD. I tried my Sisters pancakes and they tasted like corn bread muffins. I was very disappointed and will not be going back. read more

i went again this year. right before closing non-the-less. horrible for me to ever do that to a restaurant. i know because i don't like when they do that in my shop. any who i ordered their hush puppies. like always. and still as yummy as i remember. sweet sweet butter dripping from every inch of fried cornmeal. mm.. mmm.. mmmmm. their coffee, eh, i could have had better.. but beggers cant be choosers. i wasnt going to walk in with some other persons coffee thats a big no no ... i also had the greek scramble and that was yummy a little to much asiago cheese which made the eggs runny, which is kinda gross when you scramble eggs.... everything else good... not what i remember but till good... read more

a hangover must!!! i ordered the kaiser roll with egg and sausage. i also got their iced tea. we were deciding between 2 restaurants, but this one had waiter service and won the war. :) read more

i've only eaten here once (last week). i ordered the 'big guy's' breakfast ... or whatever it's called. it came with 2 huge pancakes, potatoes, sausage, bacon, and 2 eggs. the positives: large portions (a very good thing when your a hungry hungover pig like myself), and the bacon and sausage were pretty good. the negatives: my 2 huge pancakes were pretty cold and on top of that, the syrup was also pretty cold ... like as if the server just grabbed it out of the fridge, which then made my pancakes even more cold. also, my potatoes were also pretty lukewarm and they were a little overcooked with some narly pan scrapings mixed in with my mound of potatoes. and finally, this place was oozing with bohemian / uber hipster vibes - sort of like boogaloos is. i need to give this place one or two more tries before I completely write them off. maybe i went there on an off day. read more