Universal Cafe
| Address: | 2814 19th St, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA |
| Phone: | +1 415-821-4608 |
| Site: | universalcafe.net |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | Closed 5:30–9PM 10AM–2:15PM 10AM–2:15PM 10AM–2:15PM 9AM–3PM 9AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
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Flora Fiorillo
Universal Café is an unpretentious, small brunch joint that has all one needs on a sunny Saturday morning: quick and tasty brunch. Even though the line can be quite discouraging at times, if you have a chance, ask for a table outside: there is enough designated space on the sidewalk to make brunch eaters feel comfortable. My friend got there in advance so I didn’t have to wait for a table and, as I walked in, I appreciated looking at the open kitchen where the cooks prepared the concoctions in the menu. I started with the Fresh Fruit Shake that had almond milk & butter, bananas and dates. The flavor and texture was great, not too sweet, and it was a great post workout/recovery drink: lots of proteins and good sugar! My friend and I shared the French Toast with strawberries, raspberries and lemon curd chantilly cream and the Poached Eggs with Chanterelle Mushroom-tomato ragout, pan-fried potatoes and mascarpone. The French toast (A-) was really good: the tall slice of bread had the perfect density: not too hard and not too mushy and went perfectly with the Chantilly cream even if the taste of lemon curd was not distinctive. The poached eggs (B++) were good but the ragout was a little too watery and there was a spoonful of mascarpone in the middle of the dish that didn’t really belong all alone on the plate there… I appreciated how the ingredients of this earthy dish came all together but individually they were a little bland. The servers were pleasant and the service was fast. I will definitely go back!
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Andrew Michaels
I write this review hesitantly because I dont want this place to become more popular than it already is. Of course I want the owners to do well, but since its around the corner from our house, I would love to for it to remain a neighborhood secret and hangout. Shhhhhh. In all seriousness though, this place is amazing. We have only eaten brunch here (still need to come back for dinner) and each time have left wanting to come back. This weekend, we actually went twice! Michael, the face of Universal, is usually seating people and is always cordial in the morning. Coffee is also self-serve while you wait, so dont hesitate to pour a cup. You can usually grab a seat outside if its cold and you will probably have to wait around 20 minutes for an inside table. Some highlights include: (menu changes with the seasons, so this is based on winter 2015/16) Soft scramble, flat iron steak, breakfast sandwich and the chicken sandwich are absolutely incredible. The bacon is also very tasty, so dont be ashamed to order a side of it. Caution: this may become your new favorite spot.
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A Private User
We go here all the time! We typically make up the dinner crowd, although weve done brunch and lunch...if you go, the best time to go where all the attention is on you is at dinner where the service outsines (although, some of the same staff at brunch also work the dinner shift--I guess its a different dynamic?) Brunch is a madhouse, but very delightful and doable. We do brunch quite a lot too here! Atmosphere: I wish it could be bigger, but bigger is not better. The atmosphere is always wonderful and its really nice in the evening. The food? Oh, very consistent! Very tasty too: for instance, a Rocky Road (chocolate/almond/w. marshmallow on top) scones! They almost always have a scone, but switch it up so much that its never boring. And, when they bring in something new (like "recently") the chocolate babka, itll come back because I think people request it so much. I love this place. Only one time (3 years ago) my sole was salty. All the other times out of maybe 500 dining experiences there, everything has been perfect!
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Sarah Choi
One of my favorite spots in the mission... I used to come here for lunch all the time with my old company and would always get the flat iron steak with salsa verde, yum, and we would all share the herb frites... SO GOOD! You cant go wrong with fried herbs with salty crispy fries. The pulled pork sammich on foccacia is also delicious. I came for brunch on a Saturday with a gf of mine, and Im fairly certain the french toast was the best Ive ever had. The portion was huge, and it was topped with some meyer lemon chantilly wonderfulness that I cant remember but wish I did. My friend and I shared some toasted banana bread that came with a side of cream cheese that was really good too... toasting banana bread.. who wouldve thought...delightfully simple. I love the outdoor seating on sunny days, and the service is excellent. I love open kitchens and watching people with a passion for cooking, at work. Its entertainment while I eat, and Universal provides a lot of entertainment. Im coming back for the French toast again, soon!
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Max Heinritz
I had an amazing brunch here on a 70-degree Saturday morning. My friends and I arrived at 10am -- no wait! To start, we had beignets with strawberry and whipped cream. There were exactly three of them and the portions were perfect. For mains, my friend and I got the egg + chicken sausage english muffin sandwich. It was surprisingly substantial -- almost like a burger. The egg was cooked over easy, which made it seem more like a companion to the sausage rather than the primary part of the sandwich. The summer squash and salad were nice and light, which was really needed to balance the heaviness of the savory bits. My other friend had the scrambled eggs with grape tomatoes, herbs, and feta. She described it as "unique" and ate the whole thing :) My friend ordered coffee. She said it was bitter but she drank a lot of it. They refilled it several times, always before she finished. Service was prompt. The waiter had a classy black tattoo of a sakura (?) tree. I highly recommend the outdoor seating!
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Veasna Hang
Universal Cafe got BRUNCH right...and it starts with their eggs. Their soft scramble was quite buttery and delicious. I tried my friends and wish I had ordered it. That dish also had some really good buttery bread! UGH, trying so hard not to eat carbs.... I ended up getting the poached eggs and bacon hash. These were probably one of my favorite poached eggs of all time. Why? Cause they were actually cooked right, poaching is not just the format of the egg, its also the way its flavored! Just cause an egg is poached doesnt mean it has to be bland. Bravo Universal! The ahi tuna sandwich fell short of expectations, but the crisp waffle chips it came with were amazing!!! We also had French Toast...more of a savory guy, but it was okay. Wish it had a bottomless drink option, but sadly not...so we went dry...with water!
VO
Von Taylor
I very much enjoyed the experience here given the emphasis on quality food & attention to patrons. The asparagus scramble was prepared wonderfully with no fibrous strings to pick out of my teeth afterwards. The Americano was strong, though they brought my brother a regular drop coffee instead of the cold brew hed ordered then tried to charge us for both. They resolved this without concern, and remained friendly about the mistake. For Sunday brunch, you should expect a short wait. Initially they had us sign in on the wait list, which have options for seating including 1st available. The wait was far less than the 15mins we were initially told to expect, which was a pleasant surprise. Overall, this is a great place for breakfast/brunch, and lively in its atmosphere.
