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    Sutter Cafe

    4.4 (44 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

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    Ed U.

    Who would think to come to the Sutter Stockton Garage for a homemade tamale? I was on my way back from a medical appointment at 450 Sutter when I decided to stop here based on the little sandwich board on the sidewalk. I quickly looked at the Yelp app and found that people do indeed come to what looks like a little sandwich and candy shop right across from the elevators (photo: http://bit.ly/12cdY0c). And why? Because the owner, a quiet, charming woman named Holly Li, married a Mexican-Chinese man and learned to make tamales from her sister-in-law while living for years in Mexico City. Her tamales caught the appetite of a 7x7 food writer (photo: http://bit.ly/14EnpYh), and now she's developing a cult following through the Yelp gravevine. A sign perched precariously in the corner atop a stack of phone books heralds her Chicken Tamales with a quote from 7x7: "A perfect ratio of masa to shredded chicken and olives" for $2.75 each (photo: http://bit.ly/13exIa8). OK then, two please as I expected them to be small for that price. They are and come steamed in their corn husks (photo: http://bit.ly/14hBz2W). Peeling them off gingerly given the heat, they are perfectly molded with the masa thick and almost gelatinous and with a generous filling of spicy chicken, chopped jalapenos and olives (photo: http://bit.ly/12y6a7X). She came back with a squeeze bottle of siracha gave an even greater kick to every bite. They are definitely delicious and made me want some enchiladas and refried beans on the side. Two more please. FOOD - 4 stars...homemade tamales with panache and flavor and you don't have to take the 14 AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...looks and feels like an office building business SERVICE - 4.5 stars...Holly is great and steadfast TOTAL - 4 stars...you don't have to park here to get a satisfying tamale

    Tamale ($3.50) - Tiny bite sized tamale with hard masa that does not even come with sauce. Terrible.
    Ahmad J.

    Sutter Café is a small coffee/sandwich shop in the basement of the Sutter-Stockton parking garage. This place is hidden inside and unless you go looking for it there is no way that you will run into this place or spot it from the road. It's accessible from the Sutter street entrance next to E&O Kitchen and Bar. After passing by it many times I finally decided to give it a try. I saw a big sign for chicken tamales ($3.50) so I decided to get one to-go. As expected it was cash only. The short review would be that the chicken tamale was crap. It was a tiny bite sized over steamed masa that enclosed literally a minuscule amount of chicken. It did not even come with any sauce to help slide this down. I don't know what I'm missing but this was one overpriced crappy tamale that I have no intention of ever getting again. Some of the reviews here have praised these tamales to the high heavens. I'm not one of them. I'd rather go to Tropisueno or any of the Taqueria's in the hood (Tenderloin) and get decent tamale instead.

    Sausage& Egg croissant
    Borah Y.

    The lady made a warm breakfast croissant for me, fresh eggs. Shes really sweet and the cafe is easy, located inside sutter-stockton garage building near the elevator.

    the interior of the restaurant
    Luis C.

    The place is small (located inside a building, next to the elevators for the Sutter Stockton garage), but it's stocked with a HUGE variety of food items: coffees, canned drinks, sandwiches, salads, pastries, bagged snacks, and candy by the pound. The store owner, Holly Li, is super friendly and sweet, offering to reheat food items and carefully packaging to go orders. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eYTJwqW-bJ2iUNk7wrqh8Q?select=iBgplgA0wUDC470U1U_Opg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eYTJwqW-bJ2iUNk7wrqh8Q?select=JJkQBNtnhZ2hCn8DNXgetQ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eYTJwqW-bJ2iUNk7wrqh8Q?select=lhXaK6CU14FmlOT5qcBSbg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eYTJwqW-bJ2iUNk7wrqh8Q?select=L_ud6nZ8vAFZ1o6MmgFnLw Sorry the fuzzy pictures are from my cellphone camera. 7x7 magazine awarded it best tamales in 2007. The shop has a little card next to the chicken tamales to remind customers about it. In my opinion, that award was overrated. Perhaps the magazine was trying to increase business at this shop, which is usually empty. I think that the magazine's staff should try La Palma Mexicatessen on 24th St, or other places in Oakland, to learn what really good tamales are like. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eYTJwqW-bJ2iUNk7wrqh8Q?select=Uo8qMdQlW-eg7nyeOEaTEg I ordered 2 tamales ($2.25 each). These are half the size of normal tamales, the chicken filling is tasty but the dough around it is a little too dense and dry. Maybe the batch I got was no good, I don't know. Definitely not the best tamales in the bay area. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eYTJwqW-bJ2iUNk7wrqh8Q?select=y04wmH7AHy3gD8AOp_GdMg On another visit I got an egg salad sandwich and a can of mango drink - mango flavor of drink was excellent, but I found a piece of egg shell inside the sandwich. *sad face* http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eYTJwqW-bJ2iUNk7wrqh8Q?select=MgSsozAts-Wz0qkB84TGlg The place is lovely, it has a few tables to sit, service is very nice, and you do get a great variety of food options. So even with the flaws I found, I'd rate it 3 stars.

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    13 years ago

    5 stars for the tamales. They are amazing! If I go anywhere this place my husband demands I bring them home.

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    11 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Sutter Cafe

    Scones, espresso, beverages, and princess cake slices.

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    Saint Frank Coffee - kouign amann

    Saint Frank Coffee

    4.3(1.1k reviews)
    1.1 miRussian Hill
    $$

    Cozy, upscale cafe located in the vibrant Russian Hill neighborhood…read more I went on a Monday afternoon and there was a great crowd there. Lively customers and staff, good vibes! There was a lot of natural light in the coffee shop, definitely a visually-appealing, 'aesthetic' place. I got an iced red tea and it was delicious. The tea was botanical, smooth and fragrant. Amazing experience! Excited to come back and try the coffee and pastries, which looked super fresh.

    First time here for coffee! It's quite a popular shop and you see many sitting inside or waiting in…read moreline. Luckily we didn't have to wait a long line. It seems like there's also an upstairs but did not get the chance to check it out. I got an iced latte with their almond macadamia milk, and they're also so nice to do complimentary cold brew! So we got an extra drink for free. Trying the iced latte, it was pretty disappointing lol. I thought it would be similar to like a Hawaiian style latte with macadamia milk, but it was a lot lighter than I thought. It was definitely very nutty, but it also just tasted like water down latte. Honestly not much going on with the drink, but it does taste lighter in general. Crazy have to pay $1.50 more to add on this milk. Overall, its alright. I do like the natural lighting coming into the shop, but nothing too special.

    Photos
    Saint Frank Coffee - View from back of the shop.

    View from back of the shop.

    Saint Frank Coffee - Yuzu macadamia cookie and orange cream latte

    Yuzu macadamia cookie and orange cream latte

    Saint Frank Coffee - Black Sesame Kouign-Amann

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    Black Sesame Kouign-Amann

    Sightglass Coffee - Roasting area

    Sightglass Coffee

    4.0(2.2k reviews)
    0.9 miSoMa
    $$

    On a recent visit to San Francisco, I wanted to start off the trip right with great coffee shortly…read moreafter arrival. Thanks to a friend, Sightglass came highly recommended. We chose this large city location thanks to easy parking and a convenient stop on our drive. It was a beautiful morning, which was easy to enjoy thanks to the high ceilings, big glass windows, and open main door. The first floor has a central counter to order food and drinks; the glass cabinet has a bunch of rotating pastries from a local bakery. They have restrooms and a merchandise area here too. At the front are counter seats along the front window, and also a horseshoe that looks into the roasting area, which is a great place to smell the beans. There's an upstairs loft that overlooks the cafe below, also with a test kitchen area and offices across to the front. They definitely have a larger business going on, and I can see why it's so popular. We ordered a latte, iced coffee, and various pastries to start our day. Prices were reasonable for the quality. All the baristas were friendly and fast to help.

    Popped in here looking for a spot to break the monotony of my home office for a bit and get some…read morework done. The space is genuinely great, open, bright, plenty of seating. Coffee was solid across the board. Grabbed an iced americano and it did what it needed to do. Staff were friendly too, happy to chat and talk me through their menu and answer any questions I had. Where Sightglass lost points for me: -Fire up that hot spot, because there's no wifi. -My husband's breakfast sandwich was cold in the middle. -Worst of all... paper straws. I know, dramatic, but I want to enjoy my coffee without the inevitable ticking time bomb of a straw progressively getting more and more soggy with every sip.

    Photos
    Sightglass Coffee - HAM & GRUYERE CROISSANT $8.50

    HAM & GRUYERE CROISSANT $8.50

    Sightglass Coffee - ALMOND FINANCIER in its full glory

    ALMOND FINANCIER in its full glory

    Sightglass Coffee - MACCHIATO with oat milk & ESPRESSO

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    MACCHIATO with oat milk & ESPRESSO

    Stonemill Matcha - TO Hojicha Pumpkin Pie

    Stonemill Matcha

    4.2(1.7k reviews)
    2.0 miMission
    $$

    Great spot for a caffeine fix and sandos The pork katsu…read moresandos were delicious-- crispiness from the pork, freshiness from the cabbage and tanginess from the sauce. The pork was nicely cooked. The fish katsu sandos were good, but did not compare to the pork katsu ones in terms of flavor and wow factor. Of course had to get a drink while here! I tried the hojicha with strawberry. The strawberry paired nicely with the hojicha without overpowering it. The hojicha was nutty and earthy. There is a line to order for takeout in the restaurant and pick up is outside through a window.

    This place has possibly my favorite matcha desserts I've ever tried. I've yet to see such amazing…read morematcha desserts in SoCal (where there's plenty of soft serves, einspanners, etc) Dropped by here after having lunch and this place was busy! But I have to praise that they do work fast and service is great. Indoor seating will be a tiny wait but is worth because the inside is so lovely, more like a Japanese tea room rather than some cafes that lean towards the clean modern usually all white interior look. We got seated at this cute little tea area almost felt like a sushi bar vibe. I was impressed that I could see that they had different water kettles labeled with appropriate temperatures for brewing their matcha. So I ordered for my date and me: matcha latte, matcha pie, and the cookie trio. Matcha latte was good! Nothing too crazy but still really good, I'm more of a hojicha person nowadays but solid drink and beautiful textured milk. The PIE! This is their best dessert and for good reason. Citrusy, but not terribly sweet, rich yet still has the subtle matcha flavor. I could see potential for a fall forward hojicha version of their pie one day. $10 for a slice but worth to share Cookie trio was a good pick too. My favorite was probably the Kinako oatmeal raisin cookie and I think would pair well with any warm drink. Matcha white chocolate cookie was not too bad, I think it benefited a lot from the bit of sea salt on top. The Hojicha chocolate walnut cookie was my second favorite! I don't see many hojicha desserts happening yet in matcha cafes so this cookie was a delight to have and honestly I've gotta try making my own. So warm but not too dominated by the chocolate. I wanna come back because they've got a matcha chestnut cake I wanna try next, just stellar for the desserts

    Photos
    Stonemill Matcha - 03.20.2026- Stonemill Matcha SF- interior

    03.20.2026- Stonemill Matcha SF- interior

    Stonemill Matcha - Strawberry Yuzu-ade, tamago sando (w/ pork katsu on the side (that i sliced and put in myself)) (02/2026)

    Strawberry Yuzu-ade, tamago sando (w/ pork katsu on the side (that i sliced and put in myself)) (02/2026)

    Stonemill Matcha - Yuzu Fish Katsu Sando, Straw Yuzu-ade (08/2026)

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    Yuzu Fish Katsu Sando, Straw Yuzu-ade (08/2026)

    Delah Coffee - Inside - Great vibes!

    Delah Coffee

    4.6(642 reviews)
    0.7 miSoMa
    $$

    Feeling adventurous so ordered coffee from Delah for delivery. Process was quick and smooth…read more A lot of interesting latte flavors and specialties to choose from but ended up with iced Yemeni latte and rose latte as well as some milk cakes. Didn't realize the rose latte would come as a hot drink but it was still good. Opted for less sweet but was a little more sweet than expected compared to the Yemeni latte. Yemeni coffee was light and subtle with cinnamon. Milk cake was moist and not too sweet - texture reminds me of a les tres cake. Rose and saffron flavors were perfect and not too overpowering Turkish coffee is not bitter or too strong. Knowing this now, will try some of their other drinks when I'm looking for something light in the future!

    My friend and I were catching up after a long drought and chose to meet up at Delah because it was…read moreso we'll rated. It's located at the filthy corner of 4th and Clara, which made the outside smell of urine. Fortunately the cafe itself is pretty clean, which is a nice escape from the street. I ordered an Americano and my friend got one of their $8+ lattes, which were fine, but nothing special. My biggest gripe was the service and absolute scorn of the customer. My friend and I sat at the counter basically in a staring contest with the woman behind the counter, who just stared right back. After some 30 seconds, we finally flagging her down to place our order. After turning around the drinks suspiciously quickly, my friend and I sat down to catch-up in the empty cafe. Before long, the barista pumps up the volume, increasing higher and higher every 5 minutes or so, as if to signal to us that our time was up. I asked her to turn down the volume, which she tuned down from an 11 to a 7, but minutes later it continued to creep up, like the snooze setting of an alarm clock coaxing you to wake up - except in this case, to get out. Ultimately, the volume got unbearable and we finally threw in the towel and got out of there to let the barista enjoy her music. Definitely never going back there - they clearly don't want the business. Food: 5/10 Service: 0/10 Price: $$ Atmosphere: 4/10

    Photos
    Delah Coffee - Beehive bread and chai

    Beehive bread and chai

    Delah Coffee - Rose milk cake

    Rose milk cake

    Delah Coffee - Fresh croissant.

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    Fresh croissant.

    Sutter Cafe - desserts - Updated September 2026

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