Simon’s Espresso Cafe

This place has obviously changed hands, is NOTHING compared to what it used to be. And the prices?
Small sandwich with dipping broth and a paper cup/​bowl of soup, without NOTHING else, not even a drink, just under $ 16.00 bucks.
One soda, about 12 oz paper cup, $ 4.97 (when I went back 10 minutes later, on top of the $ 16).
$ 22 for lunch? WOW. I said, «No thanks,» in total shock. What is this, an airport? Then just when you think it’s a joke or you think you’re being Punked, the «indignant,» smirky little snit at the cash register takes complete joy in acting like I’ve got a problem, as if this is all normal.
Good quality sandwich, a little thin, totally controlled portion, but not great
The soup? Chicken noodle. Noodles were the consistency of having been boiled for a 10-​hour simmer. No very good.
Why the heck would I ever go back? No thank. You can have your indignant attidue and definitely overpriced food. No thank you.

i would give it a 3.75. Came here with a couple of my friends for lunch. It’s been years since I’ve been here but here we are. I got the prime dip. I wished the au ju was a little bit more beefier and salter but it worked. Their cole slaw was pretty good, reminds me of KFC. It wasn’t crazy busy which was nice

WOW! I just got their Corned Beef Hash and eggs this morning. The corned beef is real corned beef diced and sauteed with red potatoes, not the corned beef stuff from the can. Loved the flavor, great stuff.

Having an entire office building full of people an elevator ride away for nine months of cold, rainy weather a year can make a downtown café complacent. You can’t swing a dead cat in a downtown office building without, well, being asked to leave, I guess — but on your way out, you’re likely to pass a bleak lunch counter where surly employees vend selling dry sandwiches, badly seasoned soups, and uninspired wraps for too much money.
But I work in the 4^th & Madison building! Not only does that mean knowing about the secret patio on the 7^th floor, but it also puts me dangerously in retail range of Simon’s.
These guys have it going on. First, their food rocks — I like just about everything that comes out of the kitchen. The menu is well put together, the food quality is solid, and the cooks execute it all very well.
Breakfast — back when I used to eat bread, the croissant sandwich lured me in a couple times a week, the toasting they give it in the oven after it’s all put together finishing it out perfectly. Now that I’m a bit more virtuous, I go for the egg scrambles; the chicken sausage is a great addition, although I usually get mine with just veggies, of which there is usually a good selection. Coworkers swear by their toppingerrific oatmeal, and their corned beef hash days are one of the few times when I miss eating potatoes. They also have a good selection of bagels and other toastable whatnot.
Lunch is the same quality operation. The salads are fresh and tasty, and the prime rib sandwich is fantastic — and by now they don’t look at me funny for ordering it without the ciabatta. If you are in the mood for a killer sandwich, ask them to make one debris style, with all the browned crusty bits scraped up from the slicer added to (or subbed for, if there is enough) the meat. You may get an off look, but that’s just the cook wishing he’d been able to save it all up for his own sandwich after the lunch rush.
The coffee side holds up their end of the operation as well. The staff there are friendly and efficient (the latter is particularly nice when it’s 8:27 and you are trying not to be late to your VP’s staff meeting). And if you are really pressed for time, there is a wide array of grab-​and-​go food, from boiled eggs to cheese snack packs to cereal bars with questionable health benefits.
I really can’t think of one negative thing to say, other than that they don’t let the cooks ring people up from their own little register anymore, but that’s not enough to knock away the 5^th star. So go check them out! Just don’t tell them I let on the secret of the debris sandwich. :)

I love Simon’s. The sandwiches here are awesome and the staff is always friendly. If you want to get good prime rib sandwich with au jus for lunch but don’t want to spend as much as you would at the Met, I’d suggest coming here. My favorite sandwich though, is their roasted turkey with broth on the side. I like their bread and you can get extra bread upon request too (got this tip from my coworker).
They also have daily specials which are also worth checking out. On my last visit, they had a thanksgiving lunch special, which they served roasted turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce, with sweet mashed potato. It was yummy and delightful because I worked during the holidays and almost didn’t have any turkey this year *tear* Anyway, their daily special IS good, I like the chicken pot pie on Fridays :)

Got a half a prime sandwhich with au jus and salad for lunch.
Hot-​damn that meat melts like butta!!!
Is it worth the two and an escalator flight to get a meal there? I think so.
Is it a little pricey? Sure. But you get what you pay for — and for that tender meat that melts like butta — I’d go again.

I went for the half prime rib deluxe sandwich with half green salad special and I thought it was quite a deal for lunch as it was under 10 dollars. the prime rib was a little dry and I am not quite sure why it wasn’t served with au jus but I thought perhaps the blue cheese butter in the deluxe version meant no au jus is needed? I did like the grill onions in the deluxe version of the prime ribs sandwich.
The ciabatta bread was very enjoyable. But the prime rib sandwich was a bit of a let down after all the reviews heightened my expectations. The green salad had lots of cranberries and nuts which I liked; however, it definitely had too much dressing. So three stars for now but I would definitely come here again to try their other lunch specials.

UPDATE.
The one thing i miss about Seattle and working at the IDX Tower (4^th and Madison building)… i wish to god i can take the elevator down to the lobby of my work building and find a Simon’s Café. But that’s not happening in SF.
i miss the best prime rib sandwich i’ve ever ate in my life.
I think when i wrote my first review, i died and went to heaven.
«Hands down, palates down, hats off to the Prime Beef on Ciabatta sandwhich w/​Au Jus on the side. I can’t afford to eat this everyday. I’m not rolling in the dough like many people that work in the IDX tower so my budget isnt casual spending. The prices aren’t like subway, come on now (fresh carved meats!!) but taste is worth pulling out that money from your wallet.
As for the work-​staff of this place, they are SUPER NICE and they do remember their regulars well. Especially the baristas! Thanks for making my tall hot chocolate with whip cream and whole milk each morning. I will try my best to answer those trivial questions chalked up to the best of my ability! »

Behold! I shall re-​examine my previous critique!
Since the time that I wrote that, I have returned to Simon’s enough to say, very happily, that their quality has come back to par! The meat has increased in quantity, and maintained to increase in quality.
The staff is still just as fabulous as ever, and I look forward to making the trek for these absolutely delicious sandwiches and salad. Huzzah!!!

i’m torn… the prime rib sandwich was tender and succulent but it was $ 7 plus tax for half a sandwich and a side Caesar salad. They price you pay for organic, I guess. The staff was nice and seating is a little limited. Not planning on returning unless someone else wanted to go.

Every employee at this joint is sooooo nice. I come here frequently due to the convenience of my work and I just love the people that work there… and the food and coffee is great. A little overpriced, but good. Again, the people are so great that work there… I just want to pinch their cheeks. :)

On account that it’s literally in the lobby of where I work, it’s super convenient.
I’ve only had their Prime rib sandwich on ciabatta and it was pretty darn tasty. Skip the bbq sauce and grab the au jus instead.
Maybe I’ll try something else next time… NOT… really there are so many places to try around work, I don’t think i’ll ever get the chance to eat something else because the next time I walk in here, I’m gonna go for the prime rib.
It’s not that pricey either, like $ 6.99 for the prime rib? $ 7.99 if you want the fixins with it?

I went here for lunch the other day. They have a limited yet tasty selection. However, I think it’s a bit overpriced for sandwiches and salads. I had a corned beef sandwich, which was great, but I expected more for a $ 7.00 sandwich.

This is probably really a 2.5.
Last year the company I worked for did a job downtown and one of the employees of another downtown deli recommended Simon’s as the place to get a roast beef sandwich. Amazing as it was that the employee of one establishment would recommend a competitor, I was too pressed for time to take him up on his word.
I was on jury duty today and took the opportunity to walk up there for lunch and try it out.
I had the full-​prime deluxe, a brownie and an Americano. Nothing stood out about any of those choices. I left thinking I should have had the corned beef instead.
But really, I should have just gone to Salumi.
I’m not making that mistake tomorrow.
(Service was good!)

Good sandwhiches, but being the cheap b*tch that I am, a little overpriced. Compared to any lunch spot in this area it’s not über pricey.
Half prime w/​au jus and a water. Very tasty. Just enough food for me for a quick lunch and time between bites to chat during an hour lunch.
I’ll definitely go back, and hopefully w/​the same fun lunch company! =)

mmmmmm
I can’t really add anything new to the mix, but this place is as great as the other Unilocalers say it is. I thought that the name should be Simon’s Speciality Sandwiches or something like that.
update:
It just occurred to me that if you aren’t a big pink meat fan, that you might not love the prime rib sandwich. I suppose that you could always ask for the more well-​done cuts. I chowed down on a full sandwich yesterday but could have easily been fine with a half sandwich.
They also use Essential Baking Company’s breads. Excellent!

My favorite lunch spot downtown, solely for the prime beef sandwich. It is the holy grail to which all other french dip sandwiches should be compared. The beef is perfectly tender, carved to order, and is accompanied by a warm, heavenly jus. Their soups are fantastic, too — not too salty, tastes like home made. I don’t know why this place is called «Simon’s Espresso Café,» because it should be called «Simon’s Establishment of Sweet Heavenly Prime Beef Sandwiches» instead. One star off for being a bit pricy for lunch, but when I think of that lovely beef sandwich, it’s worth every penny.

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMNNNNN!!!
That is what I yelled in my head when I took a bite of the prime beef sandwich. But since I was in a cafeteria with a bunch of lawyers, I had to hold back. I picked up the half sandwich/​half caeser yesterday and wondered what took me so long. Usually when I go, I get a very wonderful beef barley soup, promising myself to one day try the prime beef. You have the options of either au jus or bbq sauce with your sandwich so I of course picked the au jus. My friend got the chicken sandwich with BBQ and seemed pretty pleased.
Did I mention ciabatta bread? OK then, ciabatta bread.
The caeser tasted pretty good as well, but nothing too memorable.
Check this place out! Everytime someone buys a sandwich from Simons, something bad happens to Don Imus.
Rock!

Having «enjoyed» mediocre French dips twice a month for nearly four years, I had nearly forgotten what proper roast beef tasted like; I’m pleased to report that Simon’s has rekindled the flame. And while I agree with Brent that the food offerings should take top billing (the soups are great too), Simon’s espresso bar is worth a trip on its own merits – the Mayan Mocha is terrific.

It’s too bad the title of this listing is «Simon’s Espresso Café», because the real specialty of this place is fresh-​carved roast beef sandwiches. I work a block away from Simon’s at Zillow, so I frequently grab lunch here. My favorite is the ½ roast beef sandwich with small Caesar’s salad. They carve and prepare your sandwich right in front of you, trimming off any fat on the edges, leaving you with the best roast-​beef sandwich you have probably had in a long while. You can get it with «au jus» or a great BBQ sauce. Contrary to the other review, I thought the Caesar’s salad was great too. Highly recommended!