Charlie’s Deli Cafe

Quiet morning, had my first cup of coffee. Working in the place, nice music, and clean. I also had a good bagel with bacon and egg.

I have been going to Charlie’s pretty regularly for the past couple years. Usually they have good breakfast sandwiches.
This morning my girlfriend and I went like usual and there was mayo on the sandwiches. Mayo disgusts me and her and this has never been an issue.
It would have been amenable if they admitted their mistake and fixed the issue, however they made her buy new sandwiches. I’ve never had an experience like that at any food establishment. I will have to find a new breakfast sandwich spot.

I wanted to like this place, it’s so close to home. I have given it many chances. The last three times I have eaten here I ordered food to go, it was completely burnt and inedible. Each time I had to throw it away and get food elsewhere. Don’t waste your time and money. It may be safe if you’re eating at the place so you can have them remake the food.

fellow Unilocalers, yall know lashondraneesha dont play. this place bomb. if i were dying and i had to pick it a last meal it would be charlie’s deli café. charlie knows whats up. i love you man.

Food was deLICious — shared the Reuben, spinach empanada, dulce de lece cake, and an iced tea. The staff had a great rhythm going between the two of them, and the owner? was lovely to talk to. Would come here all the time if I lived in the area! Will definitely recommend to my local friends.
Oh, right, free wifi and seating by the window are a great combo.

well if it states it will be open until 3pm, hmmmmm, then I must wonder why its closed as I stand in front of the café at 12:30pm? Last I checked it should be open, so I guess Ill have to come back on a day where it is magically open when it says it should be and I can actually review the coffee and food! so dissapointed. I miss Corine’s that used to be at this spot, at least her shop was open when it was supposed to be.

Stopped by here to grab water and use the restroom, but my girlfriend ended up ordering a turkey deli sub on the french roll and she let me try it – delicious! Must try again on the Dutch crunch since that’s my favorite deli bread! Good go to for sandwiches!

Charlie’s Café is the heart and soul of this neighborhood. Good, fast, healthy food at a price that can’t be beat. I literally co-​founded a company banging on a laptop here and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Charlie’s is the real deal. Don’t miss it!

Awesome place. The nexus of the Bernal Community on the Precita side!

I love Charlies… it feels like visiting a friend, If your lucky and you meet Charlie you will feel that old school feeling, he knows your name and smiles always, the staff is friendly as well and its a great place to hang out rain or shine :) Also Charlie is a art lover and has changing walls with great local artist. See you there cheers

I got the spinach salad and hummus sando, both were pretty mediocre and a bit pricey ($ 12) for the amount I got. Location across from the park is nice, but it’s not a place I’ll make plans to again.

You don’t go here for artisan coffee, you go here to feel apart of a neighborhood, to see a wide variety of people in one space, drinking mediocre organic coffee. Four stars because, for me, cafes are more about community and ambiance, than coffee quality. Free wifi, lots of power outlets, and a great workspace for two-​dollar coffee CANNOT be beat in SF!

I loved it! For the neighbourhood café that it is — I loved their coffee too. It’s such a shame I don’t live in SF! I made sure I got my early mornings caffeine fix from these guys regularly (the time I was there)!

Walked in for a quick breakfast and was treated like the black person that I am. I ordered a bagel with cream cheese and bacon. The bacon is an extra $ 3 dollars and only one slice was put in my bagel. I’m sure it was because the color of my skin. Every one looked at me and made me feel so out of place. I will never return!

Food 4 stars. Modestly priced, pretty good quality.
I went there one afternoon and was told they were closing early because of the holiday season. No sign on the door with these hours. Got there 10 minutes before this special closing. They wanted me to get it to go. Told them I was a fast eater and they let me eat inside. If you close at a certain time, that should be when the last order is taken, not when you should be out the door.

Piedmontese Steak Sandwich! Only bad thing I have to say is eat inside or get it to go. All I could smell is dog sh. t outside.

Throwing on a little extra helping of the love for Charlie’s, as they continue to wow me with their great food, prices, and service.
Playing hooky for the first time in MONTHS yesterday, I decided to skip making myself breakfast at home, and instead took a stroll to Charlie’s for an iced coffee and a Sesame Bagel breakfast sando with egg, cheese, and sausage.
I then took myself to the park and dog watched and slowly enjoyed my sandwich, which was perfect.
The whole morning was peaceful, tranquil, quaint. It was any adjective you could use to associate your morning with not having to walk past the morning drinkers of the Mission, shuffle around all the people on BART, breathe in the second hand smoke of smokers, read emails, answer phones, and problem solve all morning till you eventually crash into a cup of mediocre coffee from the office kitchen.
So, here you go Charlie’s, some love.

Maybe I was expecting too much, but I wasn’t blown away by this place. Yes the bagels are ok, and the coffee is pretty good, but there was no wow factor for me. I suppose it’s a good neighborhood place, but not worth going out of the way for.

Time: 6:17am/58°F cloudy
Purpose: On my way to pick up coworker whose car alternator gave out.
Ambiance: Corner café with strong wi-​fi once outside signal drops considerably. Airy with doors open during business hours. Inside feels roomy and homey most clientele are neighborhood locals who knows the owner. I really felt like I was inside a rainforest don’t ask me why, it just feels that way for me. There is outside seating under a tree with a build of wooden lacquered square bench like, one set of bistro table/​chair and one with umbrella set on a slanted sidewalk. You may want to get in here in morning get your goods and go. The school crowd with kids running in and out with no guidance is annoying.
Staff: A guy with t-​shirt middle eastern looks conceded with no greeting. I walk in stood there for over 3 full minutes before I was ask what I like. Maybe it was too early in the morning as his eyes needed more rest.
Cleanliness: Grade B-​, minor work around the dining area. Wipe down tables and sticky chairs would be ideal.
Eats/​Drinks: Small drip coffee (unknown brand but listed as organic) $ 2 and a lox bagel $ 6.95. Bagel was okay standard café eats the salmon was too salty and tasted like the Nova Scotia pinkish type not that deep red smoked wild sockeye which I wouldn’t mind paying up my ying yang for. Also I wish I had more cream cheese spread maybe that will eventually balance out the flavors. Capers was mushy not what I expected, I like them kind of still round.
Products/​Services: Coffee, espresso, latte, tea (Stash) brand, bagels, muffins, sandwiches, salad, soup, combos, hot/​cold drinks, smoothies, freshly squeeze juice, chips, vegetarian plates, pastries, danishes, pasta salad, fruit & yogurt, tofu.
Punch Lines: Schools, local hangout, freeway accessible, parks, Cesar Chavez ave, Bernal Heights, California Medical, muni bus, strong wi-​fi, hilly, rolling ice cream/​popsicle peddlers.
Tradeoffs: Last coffee shop on this side of Bernal Heights before hitting the nearby freeway 101. Great for unsuspecting travelers who thinks there’s no other around.
Final Thoughts: It’s moto saying is (Home of the full tummy), I was still hungry after bagel. Maybe a larger bagel or a whole wheat might make a difference for me. Pricey but if you need to eat then stop by if you can hold off til your destination then do it.

I love stopping here on my way up Bernal Hill. Haven’t tried anything other than a smoothie, water or banana but I imagine if I spent more time in the park or wanted something in the area I’d give Charlie’s a shot.
My only problem is, the hours are unpredictable. Last time I stopped on my way up the hill, they were closing at 2pm on a sunny Saturday afternoon and made making me a smoothie seem like a huge favor. Seems they could do well staying open during peak park hours across the street.