The coffee here is above average, and the food is generally pretty good. But the place is always a mess when I go there. There are frequently coffee spills and napkins on the floor and flies buzzing all over the place. The staff seems disinterested and the service is consistently slow. I prefer to get my coffee or food to go because the ambience is unpleasant. read more

Gotta love Thinkers! They make a delicious breakfast burrito, and their staff is always friendly! I have to comment though on their drinks, not a huge fan- they need to work on that! (Mind you, mine could have just not been made very well. Other ppl don't seem to mind) I love the space, the quotes on the wall and the friendliness of their employees! Great place to work, go with friends, go alone with a book! Love it! They also have some outside seating! And on Potrero Hill it's usually quite warm and lovely! read more

Love coming here to unwind. Can get kinda crowded on a beautiful day seeing that they have outside seating and all. Nevertheless, on a cold day, its the place to go. Its on a beautiful street, has great coffee with free refills, free wi-fi, and yummmmmy food. Some of the dudes that work there aren't that friendly, but the girls are normally great. read more

I live nearby Thinkers. The breakfast burrito is awesome! Spicy delicousness. Great place to hang out with a book from the new library across the street. read more

A nice little coffee shop in the heart of Potrero Hill. Why this place? I think it's because of their apple pie. Not sure if it's homemade or Costco. They warm it up and add whip cream. A fine addition to my morning coffee and a book from the library across the street. read more

The coffee is decent, and at least correctly priced. You don't feel like you are being ripped off. But, the cafe really needs some work. It is cramped quarters, with tables that are not balanced. You need to keep putting napkins or newspapers under the feet of the tables to balance them. The WiFi is average. All in all, nothing special. read more

I love this place. It's not a destination place if you're outside of Potrero. But for everyone on the Hill, it's a lovely neighborhood spot. read more

Excellent food and the best coffee on the hill. I am a big fan of their caprese (sp?) sandwich (mozzarella, tomato, basil and oil on a toasted baguette). Nice people. read more

Second-best cafe on Potrerro Hill. (See Farley's for best)

Although I live close by and my friends really like this place it's just toooo grungy for me. Nothing special about the coffee drinks, the food is bland and a bit pricey and it's just too dirty.....including the people who work there. I'm not usually freeked out about lack of hygiene, body order and germs (maybe all the news about he swine flu??) but this place is just over the top. Only good thing is being able to sit outside. read more

I always went here on the weekend to get my coffee fix. The coffee and the lattes are pretty good and have some good flavor. I never ordered food because it didn't seem like they had a real kitchen and I like to make breakfast myself. The pastries were OK but sometimes stale. But the service is friendly so if coffee is all you need, come here. read more

I decided to give Thinkers Cafe another try since they changed owners and staff. I had a vegetarian wrap and it was so tasty and made with love. read more

They can't multitask and are extremely slow! Bring back the Filipino couple! I come here regularly, and it is pretty cheap compared to Starbucks, double latte is $3. There is also usually parking and it is close to the freeway. That being said, the employees are extremely slow and can not multitask. I've waited 20 mins for a latte with only a few people in line...because the idiot hipsters behind the counter get confused and can only do one thing at a time. This never happened when the Filipino couple worked in the mornings...they multitasked and understood teamwork and service with a smile. read more

I love the breakfast burritos and their coffee is always great. I work on ambulances and slowly am getting to try the offerings of the small cafes in the city and have to say this is one the best. Food is always fresh The staff is always super friendly , polite . Their Wifi is strong and not one of those advertising internet providers that seem to populate every cheap cafe in the city . Seating inside and outside on the curb which is what i prefer. Ample street parking on the main street with meters , or for free if you go around the corner. read more

I came to Yelp to read about this place b/c people seem to go there for some reason and I don't know why. when I moved to Potrero Hill nine years ago (after 2o years in the Haight), we tried walking down there to participate in the neighborhood. after a peaceful early morning walk down the Hill, we'd be slapped upside upon entry by loud hip-hop and an overcaffeinated attitude to accompany it. no points there. they lost me though on the day we went in and ordered two mochas. these were served in STYROFOAM cups and both were lukewarm. when my husband asked for hot coffee the accommodating barrista placed them in the microwave. We walked out. Now it's Whole Foods or homemade. I guess they just weren't thinking. read more

Lovely Burritos. Awful Service. I used to love Thinkers. It's convenient, there isn't much of crowd, and the breakfast burritos are tasty. Unfortunately, their service has become a mockery over the last 2 years and I'm now done. The kitchen is staffed with a crack team of professionals adept at messing up orders or taking up to 20-25 minutes on days without a crowd. What used to be easy is now an exercise in getting up and reminding visibly stressed and cranky people that you ordered this or that as well and that was kind of a while ago. Very sad. read more

the guy who took our order got both of our orders wrong, then try to say we ordered wrong. the menu says they have soup, no soup, out of bread for my panini, the place was dirty and the manager was rude, My panini came out with 2 small pieces of cheese on it, it was all bread horrible, will never go there again. I paid 8.99 for bread and microwaved chicken. read more

I decided to give it another try because my last expierence wasnt all that great. There was no one in there first of all then 5 minutes later finally the Barista takes my order and was completely rude. My Latte was horrible and the place was dirty. Computer was broken or they were having some problem after 15 to 20 minutes of drama I just Left I suggest not GOING read more

Thinkers is one of my favorites places to go in the morning. I live in the neighborhood and always enjoy grabbing coffee there before I dash off to work. I read the inspirational quotes on the wall every time I go in there, even though I've read them a million times before. The service is pretty good, depending on who is working. The girls who work there are usually more friendly and provide better service than some of the guys do. I normally just get coffee, but their fruit bowls, oatmeal, sandwiches, and salads are all pretty good, too! Oh, and they have a coffee punch card which is nice if you go there often because you'll eventually get a free drink! read more

I've been going to Thinkers for 10 years now and I consider it to be one of the stars of Potrero Hill. Sitting outside at one of the sidewalk tables with a soy latte and their excellent chicken salad sandwiches is always a quintessential SF neighborhood experience for me. I recently moved to Bernal and still find myself driving to Thinkers for the full experience of the parade of dogs and toddles walking by while I eat lunch and get my latte fix. I hope that, unlike so many other old Potrero gems that have been replaced, that Thinkers will endure. read more

comfy, unassuming spot. it's a convenient neighborhood joint, and the coffee is decent (but don't ask for iced coffee--it's not pre-chilled, just coffee poured over ice, i.e. watery lukewarm coffee), the service is slow, the food is decent but again it will take your a loooooong time to receive your sandwich or toasted bagel with cream cheese. but there is free wifi and it's rarely packed. read more

Worst. Coffee. The coffee here is almost as bad as coffee in the Midwest, like trucker fuel. The only good thing is thus place readily has half and half and the cashier is nice. But I'm sorry-- if you're going to be a coffee place, have good coffee! In hindsight, maybe the Snickers-sponsored coffee sleeves were a sign... Sadly it's $2 coffee and I guess you get what you pay for. So unfortunate. No wonder the new coffee shops down the hill are optimistic. No competition up the hill. I wish the owners would aim for higher quality as people in this neighborhood would pay an extra dollar for good coffee that is just a block away and not down the hill. read more

Just visted Thinkers again this morning and actually think it was my best experience yet. The staff was very friendly; the place was slammed, but I still got my mocha and breakfast wrap without too much of a wait. Loved the music and overall really good vibe. Would highly recommend without hesitation. I don't get the naysayers. read more

I'm totally hooked on their roasted chicken sandwich & peach smoothie...although all of their food is grea, as far as I'm concerned the best sanwiches in the neighborhood (Klein's be damned.) The service is occasionally slow, but the staff is extraordinaily friendly. read more

I'm revisiting Thinkers Cafe, because SO much has improved there in the last year, I want to let others know. It's become our go-to place, and with delicious breakfast croissants, bagels, and a good coffee service, I wanted to now give it five stars. I think most of the improvement comes from having regular staff there, and not the college students that used to come and go. The regulars are great, and remember orders, and are just genuinely nice people. It's a good community hangout, and well worth the patronage. read more

Oh my, I was in Thinkers the day that crazy butter-lady, reviewer of 7/14/11, was there. She talked to the staff like they were idiots and it was clear that no bagel could ever be cold enough for her. When she began to argue about the quarter I walked out. No, service is not lickety-split fast there. But they're friendly, and there's no call to treat people the way that reviewer did. read more

Very small place, but well worth it if you want 'local' coffee instead of that other place that starts with S. Crew seems nice - food from the menu isn't the best in SF, but lots of choices of pastry etc to go with your beverage. Free wi-fi. Outdoor seating (when it's nice out) is very helpful since they only have so much room inside. Very dog friendly, which is a huge plus in this hip family area of town. read more

I've been in here several times over the last 15 years. The last time before today was years ago, when I saw them make my bagel after handling money and without hand washing. I thought I'd give them another chance because enough time had passed for them to change for the better. My tuna sandwich was okay, but AGAIN I saw the lady handle money and then go to make my sandwich without washing her hands or wearing gloves. I've also seen flies in the pastry case. Now my stomach hurts from the sandwich. All I can say is GROSS and ICK. I won't make the mistake of going back again. read more

I've had really great food here and OK food. The first time I was there I got the breakfast croissant and it was soooo good!! The next time I got the same thing and it was really runny. They must have thrown the cheese in while they were cooking the eggs because I couldn't tell where the cheese ended and the eggs started. I also wasn't sure if it was runny from the cheese or that the eggs were under cooked. I get grossed out by runny eggs so this was not a good experience :/ The next time I ordered the same thing and when I got home I realized they gave me a ham sandwich I didn't have time to go back and get it fixed so I just ate it. I don't like ham sandwiches, but this one was pretty good (a little too much meat, but that's OK I just pulled some off) The next time I decided to try something new and ordered a turkey sandwich. This time there was barely any meat at all!! This place is extremely inconsistent! I should start asking who is in the kitchen, because someone there is awesome and someone is horrible??? I keep going back because I know eventually I'll have another amazing sandwich!! Also this place is borderline 2 stars because of how slow it is!!! read more

I created an account on Yelp specifically to write a review for Thinkers. It is the best coffee shop on Potrero Hill. They make an awesome Breakfast Burrito (yes, it does require capitals). I love that by default the burrito is spicy (if you don't dig spicy you might want to request less sauce). The also have other tasty options such as bagels, granola & fruit, some really tasty looking dessert options, but did I mention their Breakfast Burrito? You can go to Farley's with minimal food options or get an overpriced mini breakfast burrito at Hazel's, but why? read more

Coffee's still meh (but at a buck, I'm ok with meh). The breakfast burritos are my achilles heel. Spicy and yum. Minus a star for the awful bready dry croissants they use for the croissant sandwiches. Stick with the breakfast burritos and you're golden. read more

Best roast chicken sandwich with pesto i have ever experienced! Thinkers uses fresh ingredients, makes a mean latte, and the vibe here is good. Nice alfresco dining on a sunny day. read more

sandwiches are delicious. staff is always friendly. service is fast. love this small hidden gem!

I had time to kill after work on a weekend. I googled this place and saw they had two of the necessities I required: wifi and coffee were there. So I went on a rainy day and it was open and available. It was a really quaint cute place. I didn't manage the time well so I realized I might as well eat, gotta eat somewhere so I got the lox & egg bagel breakfast. In all honesty the added egg was a bit much. The lox was fresh and satisfying enough without it. So I waited for the delishiousness to satisfy I ended up getting a mocha since I couldn't wait after the egg. All in all the experience was pleasant staff was nice and attentive. Food was satisfying and mostly delish. Downsides are seating. There was hardly any. and every time someone stood up I went to switch from outside to inside some lil old lady or posh mom with her kids swopped in and snagged the seat. There customers were friendly and chatty I shared a table with a sweet old man and his dog. All in all would probably go again at least for to-go coffee. I'd like to try more on the menu pending availability on seating. read more

Wow, what a crap place! Rude and unkept servers, they were missing half the items on the menu and were unapologetic about it, food was gross and coffee was one of the worst I've ever had. Avoid this cafe! read more

Great sandwiches. Good coffee. Hot chocolate is variable (my favourite is when there is syrup on top). Everyone is friendly - even most of the other customers! read more

they serve kona coffee and play reggae music

Every time I come to San Fran I get a breakfast burrito from Thinkers. This place is awesome and I looked forward to coming there. The people are nice and there seems to be just enough seating. read more

thinkers cafe was the first cafe i was directed to when moving to san francisco. the egg&spinach and lox bagel sandwich was delicious. and for a saturday morning, there was a good flow of people. i didn't feel awkward about setting up camp there to utilize their wifi. the staff was friendly and helpful providing directions to the bus. read more

The coffee here is atrocious. It's so bad. And they never have enough bagels. Whyyy? Needs a major cosmetic revamp and quality boost.