Park Bench Cafe

Closed? That’s too bad, it was a great place. Best turkey club /​salad combo I’ve had in SF. Get a real sense the patrons are regulars. Good place to work on a sunny afternoon. 4 stars not 5 because the hours were so wonky, never knew when they’d be open. Sometimes I’d buy lunch and sit to do some work and they’d be closing up in the middle of the day.

Would be great if they didn’t close early and arbitrarily. Came in Wed at 1:15pm, to work. Immediately after hesitantly tipping the barista $ 1 (he wasn’t very friendly) for my $ 2 tea, he tells me they close at 2pm (not 3pm like Unilocal says). This is after I’d set up my laptop and been there a couple minutes. Nice timing guy. Will not be coming back anytime soon. Too bad because I generally like the vibe of the place.

Still going strong and now with sandwiches. Good ones, piled high and thick with all the fixins. And ask for Alex. The cousin I mentioned in the last review. Tell him Sammy said hey and enjoy your day!

Hint: The Dutch Crunch bread is unparalleled, simply outstanding. You can get any sandwich on it and I highly suggest you do exactly that.
I’m a fan of the Folsom (hot turkey, ham, cheese) with «everything» (mayo, mustard, tomatoes, onions, pickles, sprouts).
The Precita is also decent, although I forget what comes on it. Breakfast bagels and vegetarian options are also delish.
The guy who owns it is real chill, very customer-​friendly. And his cousin is no salty substitute by any means.
What else? Free wi-​fi, a nice view of Precita playground, and clean-​up service with a smile. Rock on and enjoy the Dutch (and pass the Dutch).

Usually come here the mornings I do laundry for a caffeine pick me up. The coffee is good, as well as the lattes. Bagels and pastries are always fresh. Very inexpensive place with friendly staff.
There’s always a newspaper or magazine laying around which is nice.
See ya next laundry day!

Friendly staff, great tasting coffee, and great food

I like it. Very neighborhoody. Super friendly staff. Good tea selection. Jalapeño bagels. I have made it my Sunday morning routine.

I don’t understand the reviews that mention bad service here. My experience was hands down superior and the place serves up the best sandwiches I’ve had in San Francisco. The portion is huge too. Free wifi, located right across from the park, and just plain relaxing. A must visit if you haven’t been here yet!

I have to believe that most of the 4 and 5 star ratings are from family or the owners themselves.
The service is brusque and lacks any charm that brusqueness can sometimes hold. I’ve always secretly hoped the Park Bench Café is actually a front for something less savory and more romantic because it’s hard to imagine a less appealing place all around; from the coffee to the food to the atmosphere to the hours — even the wifi blows!
The dudes that work there (and I don’t use the word «dudes» casually) are frequently just sitting around and act put upon when you order.
The only reason to go is if you are a) suffering from a crushing caffeine headache or b) doing laundry next door and have work to do.
But if you possess free will and 10 minutes walk to Phil’s for coffee; free will and 5 minutes, to R Image Market for a sandwich (
).
Do yourself a favor: keep walking.

There’s nothing like a Park Bench Café sandwich to make me skip and jig for joy! The dutch crunch bread is absolutely delicious, and any of the sandwiches will make you feel like your day is going to be the best day you’ve ever had. Maybe it’s the mustard.

Great spot in Bernal Heights for a coffee and pastry or a sandwich. Very warm atmosphere and cozy! Great service and very very affordable. I tried a crossant and it was absolutely amazing! A MUST GO!

Had another meeting in SF today, just needed a coffee and a croissant to recharge the energy. I stopped at Park Bench, my usual SF sandwich place. They were getting ready to close up around 3pm. I ordered a croissant and small coffee and Jimmy the owner gave me a large tasty buttery croissant and a large cup and said help yourself, its on the house. I tried to pay anyways, he said just come back again. That was unexpected… Woohoo. Thanks Jimmy! I’ll be back. Your Awesome!

The «good neighbor» discount saved me from settling on mcdonalds in the morning when I don’t feel like cooking or spending much on breakfast. The bagels are good, depending on who makes them. I’ve gotten some burnt, and some perfect.
One thing I have to recommend is the tea lattes! They are wonderful! Go anywhere else in the city to order one and you’ll get a weird look and a «what in the hell is that?» At Park Bench, I feel like family, and receive service as such.

Damn! Those salads are huuuuge! Seriously, who needs that much salad? I’m not really the biggest fan of Graffeo, but it does the trick on a cold morning when you are on the run. Nice lighting, good seating. Etc. Nice place.

Per my new year tradition (at least the last two years), I wanted to spend a leisurely afternoon sipping coffee and browsing the net in a new coffee shop. I got out of my apartment a bit late, so vetoed my ambitious idea of a Richmond adventure and went here instead. What an awesome little coffee shop. The guy working the counter was super friendly, and made up one of the best BBQ chicken sandwiches I’ve ever had. Ever. And it was on a wheat roll. Bliss.
I devoured that while enjoying the free wifi (and conveniently placed outlets), which I got on only after a connection problem that in my experience required a router reset. The guy did it in no time flat. Thanks!
And as I was about to leave, I ordered a latte to go (nonfat milk and sugar free syrups abound — yay!). I was planning on tipping as I had totally dug the eats and service, when all of a sudden he tried to sell it to me for only $ 2, about half off. His reply to my inquiry as to why — because it was the end of the day. Awesome. I accepted, but just increased the tip in kind.
If the rest of 2009 is as good as the karma coming from this place, it’s going to be a fantastic year.

I get cravings for their egg salad sandwiches– the couple who runs this place is so sweet that I ACTUALLY think what I really get cravings for is a fabulous egg salad sandwich prepared by my grandparents when I’ve scraped my knee falling off my bike!
Great salads — which are HUGE (get the small size!), breakfast bagels, peasant pies and coffee. Can you tell I like to visit «the grandparents» a lot?

I secretly love Cheetos. I secretly love Cheetos, but never buy them for myself because somewhere along the line I learned that they were bad for me. Imagine my delight when I opened my to go order and found a little bag of Cheetos just for me. How could I say no?
This café is nicely located across the street from Bernal Park and on a nice day you can grab a inexpensive sandwich ($ 4 – 5, with aforementioned chips), a drink and head across the street to watch dogs and kids run around. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come to this café, but it’s a nice stop if you are already in the neighborhood.

The coffee is fine and the bagels/​bagel sandwiches of the breakfast variety are good. The atmosphere is nothing to write home about, however, and the staff is always a little gruff.
The best thing to do is get your grub to go and then lounge in Precita Park while you enjoy it. Perfect for those sunny weekend mid-​mornings before the rest of the city wakes up!
What makes me look forward to coming here, however, is the walk from my apartment — there are always friendly neighborhood cats out for me to visit along the way. (Biased and unhelpful for you, yes; but also true!!)

Decent neighborhood haunt for a quick bagel and coffee. Nothing spectacular. No real sit down area and almost always covered with flies, makes me wonder about the cleanliness of the rest of the place.
UPDATE: Based on the Department of Health, they’ve received the symbol of excellence and currently have a rating of 100 (
). I take back my questioning of their cleanliness. 2 ½ stars.

Whenever I find myself in Bernal Heights before work (with cash in my pocket), I visit the Park Bench Café for my morning Soy White Chocolate Mocha (I really need to just settle for coffee) and am always very satisfied!
They use Vita-​Soy which is a big difference from the Starbucks custom Silk blend. If you like your espresso with soy, be sure to try out the Vita-​Soy, and if you live in Bernal you might as well stop here!
Warning: They don’t accept VISA/​Mastercard (I know the drink is only $ 4, but I’d rather not get raped on the ATM service charge). I’d be happy with a 50 cent markup for card transactions.
I can go to the post office and buy a .39 cent stamp with my VISA debit card. Its acceptable when a small business sets a minimum or extra charge for cards, but to not accept it at all is ridiculous.