Cafe Capriccio

05.14.16
Super low key neighborhoody café. The quiche is delicious and hearty. I’d pass on the iced tea, though.
Total damage: $ 11.44

Despite its name, it’s not really an italian café. Service was a bit on the curt side, and drinks were just okay (and not Italian-​style). We came here to try ordering coffees with the new Cups app, and were first told that we couldn’t get a large size (untrue; we showed them the description within the app) and then had to pay extra for a dirty chai latte, which should have been included as a standard drink.
Wifi was good, and there’s ample space to work, but probably won’t return again.

To my understanding this place has changed ownership since my first review. It meets the needs one has for a nice neighborhood coffee shop. Stop in for some espresso before hiking the hills to Coit Tower. I absolutely loved having Capriccio as my neighborhood spot.

If you think this is a cute Italian café, think again. Very little is Italian on the menu. So I ordered a ham and cheese croissant… it was made with American cheese, maybe even velveeta! Gross.

Perfect coffee and espressos.
We stopped here on the way to touring Alcatraz. The egg wrap is large enough for two small portions. Bagel with egg and tomato, and ham & cheese croissant are excellent. Priced reasonably.
Great quiet atmosphere, lovely neighborhood at 7:30 in the morning.
Parking is what is is.
Worth going off the beaten path.

I don’t know how they do it but their chai is like none other. Super smooth, not necessarily very spicy I would say, but really nice. Their whole menu is also priced much better than the more prominently located cafes nearby, too.

I was on an extensive hunt for the best coffee in SF as well as the best patisserie/​boulangerie. Though I don’t think I found THE best, I must say their baristas are AMAZING but their food is just ok, ambience is casual and warm. Overall, I would go back if I am in the area, but I didn’t fall in love with it.
First, we got a mocha and a hot chocolate. Take it from a barista with 10 years experience when I say you can’t really mess up a hot chocolate, it was still perfectly balanced between sweet tasting, foam, and delicious cocoa (I think it is a sauce not a powder, fyi). As for the mocha, excellent. The foam was sweet and delicious with just under a half inches worth — perfect. They did some latte art as well, which I have NEVER been able to do — try as I might. The mocha was perfectly balanced with the richness of the espresso. The espresso itself was full bodied but not over powering, not too acidic, and very aromatic. Whatever their blend is, I appreciated.
Food wise, I think the quality of the breakfast sandwiches I got were ok. Nothing to brag about. I was starving and just wanted something so I wouldn’t be hangry anymore. I must say, their lunch menu looked more to be desired than breakfast — they also seemed to be lacking in the pastry/​bread department but we got their around 10 so it could have been taken by the morning rush. I would be interested to try some of their lunch sandwiches and paninis.
Finally, the location wasn’t too bad. It was only two or three blocks away from Hotel Zephr (our hotel, go check out my review!!). So essentially 3 – 4 blocks away from the piers.
I will definitely go back for coffee, skip it if you want something spectacular for food. I just try to support local businesses over chain places. I will still be on the look out for the best coffee place (the one I looked at was closed for renos). Honestly, the mocha sold me. Consistent? Not sure since I have only been here once.

I live in the area and decided to try this place with a friend who was visiting. I ordered a tomato bagel which was mediocre. Maybe the bagel was old. My friend had a gluten free diet and combined two breakfast items to accommodate this restriction. She paid $ 18 for eggs with processed American cheese, side of lox and a small salad. The eggs were so bad with the processed cheese that she asked if they had any other cheese they could substitute. The staff didn’t care and just reaffirmed that it was real cheese. If you’ve ever slapped a Kraft single on top of eggs, this is what my friend got. I’m writing this place off as a tourist trap for everyone staying in Fisherman’s Wharf.

The man taking our orders had no idea what we ordered when we asked. They were closing, but instead of telling us, they forced us to sit outside instead. The food was bland and frankly pretty bad.

Enjoyed an excellent cappuccino, very good egg and cheese wrap with bacon, and they topped it off with friendly prompt service.
Can’t ask for more than that for breakfast.

One of the many many great cafes in the north beach. What Capriccio has going for it is that it is actually pretty far away from most of the other cafes in little italy in north beach. You feel like you are getting far from the maddening crowd when you check out this little place on Mason street.
The drinks were excellent and I was always impressed by the food. The wraps were large and always tasty and came with a salad for a nice filling lunch. The drinks can be a pit pricey but its worth dropping 15 bucks to go to a quiet area and work and not be bothered by a ton of people coming in and out like you see and many cafes in north beach.
I especially liked the work area in Capriccio. The wifi was strong and the seating was comfortable. They have a large couch area in the back with pillows and plenty of outside seating to enjoy the rare sight of sun in the area.

This place does not deserve the high rating it has. I’ve gone three times and they always mess up something about the order. First time I decided to look past it because everyone makes mistakes and there aren’t many places in North Beach to get a basic breakfast sandwich. After they messed up my order the second and third time though I decided I’m never going back. If I ask for an egg and cheese bagel sandwich I don’t want to end up with a lox one. Also, how does an iced coffee translate to a hot latte?
That all being said, the people working there have always been friendly and fixed things immediately. But still. I’d rather they get it right the first time.

Totally mediocre breakfast. Maybe more interesting for drinks rather than food?
Got a croissant sandwich and a bagel sandwich. Both incredibly basic, flavorless. American cheese.
Big pass on this place. Nothing wrong with service or location. It’s all the horrible food.

Doesn’t feel as welcoming– no music, kinda quiet, prices are a little higher than expected and a small menu, but it keeps in the theme of awesome little café’s in this area. I mean I wish I could Unilocal this area because I stayed in SF for a week and every day I had a different place to manja at. And even though this place was not my favorite — I still would come here every week as a regular rotation of places to eat at.
Overall around here it’s not my fave, but in the grand scheme — it’s still a tasty little joint.
Enjoy.

I absolutely enjoyed my visit. What I experienced was the heart of local business all throughout the world. This place, my fellow Unilocalers, is worth a visit.
It’s a few blocks from the touristy piers. It’s located on a corner in a nice neighborhood. Bring your laptop or tablet. Bring a friend. Stay a while. Sit inside or grab a seat outside and sunbathe. There’s wifi with no password.
I only had a blueberry cheese danish and an iced mocha. Both were hits. If you know me well, then you know cheese danishes are a weakness of mine. This danish was amazing. My iced mocha had enough sweetness without an overpowering sugar taste.
What really made my visit here so memorable was how friendly the staff was. I started off sitting outside in the shade and they brought my food to me. I was a bit cold so I moved inside and I saw how friendly everyone was with every person that walked through their doors. I could have easily picked up and gone somewhere else to kill time (I was on my laptop) but I felt so at home at this café. I ended up staying for about three hours.
Kudos to this great place. I’ll definitely be back in July for another danish!

We wanted to sit down for a cup off coffee walking away from pier 39 and walking towards Chinatown we found this small coffee shop, which is hard now to find
Wonderful service and nice variety of coffee and espresso.

Café Capriccio was your ideal french cozy café’. Its a corner shop in the middle of a nostalgic San Fran neighborhood.
Small tables held up the walls with the coffee bar dominating the room. INstead of the traditioning cakes and pastries, the staff had a selection of quiche in the cooler. I chose the Mexican flavor as my wife chose the Pesto. Both were delicious. Further, the coffee was life changing.
Maybe it was the gloomy weather or the neighborhood patrons coming in and out; either way it was perfect.
We will be back.

TL;DR: I had one tiny slice of ham on my ham and cheese bagel, and they were out of two things I wanted.
This place was pretty disappointing considering its rating. Traveling here from Portland I was looking for a good breakfast sandwich and coffee to have fuel for walking around. Ordered a chai, they’re out. Okay no big. I’ll take a latte. Ordered a ham and cheese croissant, no croissants. Hm okay. I’ll take a ham and cheese bagel.
There was A slice of processed ham on my bagel with cheese that was barely toasted. Like one. The funny thing is I was charged the full 5.95 for a ham and cheese croissant. Also on their menu if you were to add ham or bacon to any other sandwich it’s $ 1.50! I’ll be walking straight to the pier for a cup of clam chowder
I swear I’m not hard to please, this girl just wants a little protein!
To end this on a positive note and what earned them a third star: their vanilla latte was delicious and really well made.

Nettes Café, guter Cappucino, leckere Croissants, abseits der Touristenströme, kleine Tische outside. Sehr gutes Oatmeal mit Früchten, leckere Bagles…
Da kann man für jetlaggeplagte Europäer schon um 0700 frühstücken und dann die Lombard-​GardenStreet zu Zeiten besuchen, an denen die Tourimassen noch schlafen :-)))
Ist dort gleich ums Eck…

Pretty standard menu. As for our meals, I was neither impressed or disappointed. Fairly expensive considering the simplicity of the menu– could be due to location. Our ham and cheese croissant tasted like it had been nuked in a microwave, but they were willing to make a dish for me that isn’t on their menu, so they definitely won me over with that

**Use the Unilocal check-​in deal! ($ 15 for $ 10)**
I’ve never roasted an establishment based on service– I’m more into the food, value, and atmosphere. Seriously. Ugh! There’s a first for everything I guess!
Before I even placed my order I was barked at by the barista. Two young ladies lined up to place an order behind me and all three of us were scolded because we weren’t standing close enough to the counter. Thankfully the young man that took my order was friendly and pleasant. I grabbed my number and made my way to a table outside to enjoy he amazing San Fran sunny weather.
A few minutes passed and the crabby barista came out with my cappuccino. Again, she scolded me! She made some snide comment about how my coffee was probably cold because she was calling my number for awhile now. Um, you didn’t think to go outside?!? It’s not like this place is big or anything! The two young ladies that ordered behind me were now sitting at the table next to me, so they witnessed both of my scoldings. All three of us chuckled at how bizarre the barista’s crappy attitude was and joked that she must be having a bad day. (On a side note, several Unilocal reviews mention this barista and her crappy attitude, so I doubt it was an off day) They decided that they didn’t want to get yelled at by the barista so one of them went inside to pick up their drinks.
Anyway, the coffee is excellent and the food is pretty good! The outdoor seating is great along the streets of this quiet part of North Beach.
5 stars for food and coffee, 2 stars for service (the order-​taker guy was friendly). Also, props for free wifi so I could sit outside and type up this review on my iPad!)

Abseits vom Touristenrummel und doch sehr Zentral. Super leckeres Frühstück. Nettes, freundliches Personal. Gerne wieder.
Grest place to have breakfast and start the day. Great food. Great, nice team. Sitting outside possible. Anytime again. We’ll be back for sure.