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    Side Characters

    4.1 (25 reviews)

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    Ultimate breakfast sandwich and matcha coco strawberry
    Samantha S.

    I was invited to try one of their drinks and their ultimate breakfast sandwich. It was pretty busy at the cafe when I arrived. The employees were very helpful and friendly. I ordered the matcha coco strawberry and the ultimate breakfast sandwich. I would not order the matcha coco strawberry again because the strawberry overpowered the matcha and I couldn't taste the matcha at all in my drink. I would order the ultimate breakfast sandwich again because I love how it satisfied my hunger and it was very filling. It was loud when I first came to the cafe but overtime the volume of the cafe went down.

    Pistachio latte
    Sahar N.

    Came here to try the Pistachio Latte and left not only extremely happy with my drink but thrilled with the Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich as well. Like life changing! The blend of all the flavors hit the spot! Tight squeeze but great ambiance and even better customer service. First and definitely not my last time!

    Eleanor C.

    We stopped by Side Characters Coffee around 9am on a Sunday, and it got packed pretty quickly after we arrived. The shop has a cozy, laid-back atmosphere with a really pretty vinyl display, and I really enjoyed the music playing while we were there. I tried the Tokyo Fog ($7.75), black sesame iced latte ($7.75), and yuzu matcha fizz ($7.75). The Tokyo Fog was my favorite! The Earl Grey flavor was pretty strong, and although the matcha cream on top wasn't very strong in matcha flavor, it made the drink really light and creamy. I'd recommend mixing it well for the best drinking experience The black sesame iced latte was also pretty good. I really liked the rich, nutty black sesame paste, and the cream helped mellow out some of the bitter notes. The espresso was bold and strong, and I appreciated that the drink was only lightly sweetened The yuzu matcha fizz was super refreshing, but the matcha wasn't very prominent aside from a few grassy notes. It mostly tasted like sparkling lemon juice to me, so I'd consider this more of a refreshing sipping drink than a matcha-forward one. I also learned that the cafe transforms into a wine bar on Friday and Saturday evenings, which I thought was a really cool concept. There are free Wi-Fi and outlets available, so I could see myself coming back to do some work

    Menu
    Areeta W.

    3.5/5 Modern vinyl cafe with quick service! I got the iced Pistachio Butter Latte and it was alright; the coffee taste was on the stronger side and not much pistachio flavor coming through. I did enjoy the chunks and the paste though. There's a couple of small tables along with a large community table. I love the Katami vibes with the patterns and wood! Music kinda too loud. I would come back to try their drinks again though!

    inside
    Michelle Z.

    New cafe on polk serving unique drinks and food options, with vinyl players inside and decent seating. I went on a hot day so it was a bit stuffy inside (no ac) but the vibe inside was chill and they have free wifi, which makes it a great place to work. The menu is pretty big and has fun sounding drinks! I haven't tried a drink yet but the turkey fig sandwich was good and very filling. The service was a bit slow but understandable since there was only one person working. They turn into a wine bar at night, though haven't heard much about the menu.

    black sesame latte
    Ashlee L.

    Super adorable little cafe on Polk St! I really liked the interior, but it was really busy on a Friday afternoon, so we didn't stay for too long. I tried the black sesame latte, and I really liked the black sesame paste at the bottom. It is really pasty, but it wasn't as bitter as I thought it would be which I enjoyed. The coffee wasn't too strong, but I like that because I like my coffees sweet and creamy :p My brother got the Tokyo Fog which was an earl grey tea with matcha cold foam. The earl grey tea was pretty good, but a tad bit too sweet. The matcha foam looked super promising and was pretty good on its own, but once mixed in I couldn't taste the matcha. Super cute shop with aesthetic interior, and I saw many people working on their laptops, but it is a small shop with limited seating & can get loud and busy, so I'm not sure how much work can be accomplished here haha. Regardless, a solid spot for some caffeine :) Worker was super nice too!

    Black Sesame latte
    d.moseley m.

    On my side quest and made it over to Side Characters! Tried the Coco expresso cream! It was very tasty over ice. Again good music and great services!

    Strawberry Matcha Drink!
    Amir M.

    Great atmosphere, really friendly service and always a really good time with coffee and specialty coffee matcha drinks. The vide is cool and inviting.

    interior setup with espresso machine and speakers
    Lily S.

    Side Characters was the perfect post pilates stop for a yummy drink and relaxing atmosphere - I'm definitely stopping by again and telling my coworkers about this new spot! I didn't try any of their food but they had a few breakfast sandwiches that looked yummy. See you again soon, Side Characters!

    Pistachio butter latte
    Cheri L.

    There's a cute new cafe in the city along Polk St! They have a chill setting with vinyls playing and a menu of coffees and breakfast bites. I tried their pistachio latte and while it was a nice cup, I wish the flavors were stronger to actually make it taste like pistachio butter. Service was very nice though!

    Tokyo Fog
    Kunalan S.

    I really wanted to like this place. Ample seating, a cool soundsystem, and interesting signature drinks. Unfortunately, both drinks we had were mid. The Tokyo Fog tasted watery and there were clumps of unincorporated matcha. The Pistachio Butter Latte lacked flavor, and tasted like a standard latte.

    black sesame latte
    Sarah C.

    the staff is super friendly and sweet! the cafe has nice vibes to chat and chill at with free wifi and a bathroom, but there aren't that many seats. the black sesame latte ($7.75) had both black sesame paste and cream which made the drink very nutty but they kind of made the latte feel too buttery and overpower the coffee

    Tokyo Fog and Pistachio butter latte

    Pistachio Butter Latte - 4/5 - Pistachio butter tasted pretty good, overall latte was balanced and not too sweet Tokyo Fog - 2/5 - Pretty disappointing. Tasted like water with a hint of earl grey. Matcha cream top couldn't redeem the drink unfortunately. Ambience & service was nice

    pistachio butter latte and yogurt bowl

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    3 months ago

    Love this new spot in the area! Would love to come back because I heard they also do wine at night. Love that they have sugar free options.

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    3 months ago

    I love this place! It just opened. The owners are genuinely so kind. They care about good music, good coffee, and good connections.

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    Union Larder - short rib raclette

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    4.3(230 reviews)
    0.2 mi•Russian Hill
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    This place is in such a nice area and it's quite cute and small. I really enjoyed their wine…read moreselection and had a wonderful time... After buying two bottles of wine and paying quite an expensive tab my friends and I decided to play one last hand of our card game before leaving. Not 10 minutes after paying the 200$ bill the server rushed us out and told us that we needed to leave to make room for others. I totally understand that this isn't her fault and is due to the high volume of customers but this was quite off putting after such a great experience otherwise. I would recommend but if you are looking for a place to chit chat and play cards with friends you are much better off going elsewhere. I don't think I will be coming back again after this experience.

    I think there are lots of better wine bars to choose from in the area. Let me start off by saying…read moreour initial server was a super chill guy, and they have a great wine selection to choose from. My two main gripes lay with the ambience of the place - if you don't get a table the bar seating is quite squished, and the fact that after dropping $170 on two bottles of wine we were quickly escorted out the moment we were finished to make room for potential customers. I totally understand doing this if it was a packed house, but there wasn't a single person waiting, left a sour taste in my mouth and feel like if you are spending a pretty penny on service you should be able to enjoy the establishment a little bit after you have finished your drinks. Maybe we caught them on an off night, I see a lot of potential still.

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    Union Larder - Inside

    Inside

    Union Larder
    Union Larder - Interior bar

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    Interior bar

    Side Characters - coffee - Updated September 2026

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