JT's Island Cafe
(415) 661-3303
901 Taraval St
San Francisco,
CA
94016
37.7429
-122.4757
Neighborhoods: Central West, Central Sunset
Hours:
Sun- Wed 8am-2am
Thu-Sat 24 hours
Price:
$
What People Are Saying About JT's Island Cafe
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
In Short
In the former home of greasy spoon JT's Diner, this brighter, cleaner, tropical-themed café is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, cutting through the fog day and night with Kona coffee, macadamia nut pancakes, and Spam served in any number of ways. There are plenty of less diner-y options on the menu as well, including braised short ribs and furakaki chicken, all of which are served in a kitschy 1950s Blue Hawaiian atmosphere.
User Reviews
foodielover
October 15, 2006
The breakfast is similiar to the ones you find at other small neighborhood cafes unless you order the Hawaiian specials, like the Portugese sausage, which is pretty good. Tried the BBQ chicken saimin which came w/pieces of cabbage, chicken, green onion, 3 slices of fish cake and thin noodles. It wasn't bad but pricy for almost $8. We tried the chicken quesadilla (ok), BBQ chicken which looked baked, not grilled. Frankly, the chicken in my saimin tasted better. The loco moco was probably the best of the 4 orders. 2 scoops of rice w/sauce over it, scoop of macaroni (not too much mayo, but not too flavorful) and katsu w/heart attack gravy and 2 eggs over easy on top (the yolks were barely cooked). The coffee is a tasty French Kona brand. The corned beef breakfast was one of the most expensive item but for over $8, you get a large serving of canned corned beef (like Nalley's brand), frozen hash browns, 2 eggs & 2 slices of toast of your choice. Large enough for someone with a hearty appetite. Joe's special was a scramble of eggs, vegts and ground beef, not to my liking. They're not terribly busy, so it's a good place to go in the mornings for breakfast where you can actually have a conversation and HEAR each other. The owners are friendly people.
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futo_maki
August 29, 2006
The food her is pretty normal for Hawaiian BBQ. The prices are a bit high, but the Mini Plates are so much food that you probably do not need to get the large ones. The macaroni is good. Im not usually fond of macaroni, but their's doesn't have too much mayo. Their sweet gravy is also quite good on their Moco Loco (eggs on katsu with brown gravy) Service is pretty good, seating is quick and the food doesn't take too long either. This place used to be a mediocre diner, but with the new changes to a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant, its a whole lot better.
read full reviewThe Details on JT's Island Cafe
When to Go:
The middle of the night on Saturday--there's something about fried SPAM that just does wonders for battling a potential hangover.
What to Drink:
No alcohol is served here so stick to the coffee. If you ask nicely, they might whip you up a virgin Mai Tai (also known as a glass of pineapple juice).
