Coffee Bar

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, and I am hungry... When thinking of places in the city with great food AND outdoor dining, I think SF falls a bit short. Often times it's hard to get the best of both. Market Bar, Palamino, Perry's, Americano, all have outdoor seating and decent food, but an atmosphere reminiscent of old school San Francisco, often times drawing a "suited" after- work crowd that I am not a member of!

I wanted to think outside the obvious Embarcadero/Financial District choice today... then I remembered a diamond in the rough. COFFEE BAR. I always pass it as I work (occasionally) up the street and remembered it has an outdoor dining patio, without the happy hour financial district crowd.

Hidden among warehouses near the bus depot on the corner of Florida and Mariposa, Coffee Bar is an oasis among the "big city" feel. Off the beaten path a bit, Coffee Bar has a great (not too big, not too small) menu, served with an unpretentious attitude. You might not expect great food from a place with a name like Coffee Bar, but let me tell you, it goes way beyond coffee. I can of course only speak from my experience which was a nice late lunch by myself in the beautiful and unusual sunshine, but I was quite satisfied.

The menu consists of veggie options, food for meat-lovers, a daily soup choice and of course salads. I opted for a Cobb salad. And I know what you are thinking, a Cobb salad is a Cobb salad, but I have had BAD Cobb salads in this fine food town, but let me say, it was one of the best I have eaten in a while. Ripe avocado (a novelty), crispy bacon, generous chicken portion, instead of blue cheese chunks, they use goat cheese (a nice change) and for the dressing a garlicy tomato, instead of a heavy blue cheese- just delicious. Sweet cherry tomatoes, tangy goat cheese, salty bacon, it satisfied all of the taste cravings I had- PLUS the outdoor patio provided a healthy dose of Vitamin D, and all of this plus an iced tea for under $12. I'd say a great deal, left full and happy, and I can guarantee the next sunny day you'll probably find me scoping out a seat on the patio, because I will definitely be back!

http://www.coffeebar-usa.com/CB_HOME.html
1890 Bryant St. (Florida & Mariposa)
San Francisco, CA 94110