Cafe De La Presse

Recommends

mserota

Joined 7 years ago

Great combination of location, food, service.. I wandered into Cafe de la Presse with a colleaugue while staying in SF for a meeting. I loved everything about the place. It had a "buzz" on the outside, but where we sat further inside, it was quiet and relaxed. We were greeted warmly and the food and service were great. I will definitey be back.

Recommends

sheldon83

Joined 7 years ago

Oui!. I recommend this cafe for its typical atmosphere and its remarkable french cuisine. The decoration sets you in the mood of a "Brasserie" within a matter of seconds. Plus, if you are looking for french magazines and newspapers you couldn't find elsewhere, this is the right spot!

The menu is eclectic, with recipes from all over the country: you'll enjoy a unique travel. If you are not familiar with french savors, let the waiter guide you, and I bet you won't be disappointed!

The only thing I could criticize would be the "Tarte flambee". Being a chauvinistic Alsatian, I am quite picky about this topic, and I had the feeling it just did not taste like the good ol' "Flammekueche" I usually have at home. However if YOU are NOT a chauvinistic Alsatian, then have a try, you might love it!

Recommends

emmanuellemichelle

Joined 7 years ago

just like Paris. We had diner in cafe de la Presse in October, not long after the changes, and were delighted by the food: fresh, subtil flavors, good portions, without pretentious presentation...we were also under the spell of the place itself: just like Paris, or any other French city, in a "Brasserie"...The waitress was attentionate, and we left with the feeling of beeing gone on a little vacation for the night!

It is to be said, that I went there for coffee in the afternoon, more recently, and the staff was not really bothered by pleasing their customers...quite like a real Parisian Cafe, with nonchalence!

Doesn't Recommend

abalonecd

Joined 7 years ago

A Disappointment. The quiche was overcooked and custard shouldn't even be used in the description. My salad greens served with the quiche were on a piping hot plate that immediately wilted the greens. Hamburger, over cooked and very average for $14. Onion soup had very little taste. We wanted to tell the waiter, however, no one even asked how our meal was. I guess they know! Too much emphasis on the decor of the restuarnat and not in the kitchen. We're locals and this one is definitely off our list. The rest of the afternoon we thought of all the delightful SF restuarants we should have gone to instead.

Doesn't Recommend

batcher

Joined 7 years ago

an insult to French Onion Soup. For $8, the French onion soup is a joke, the quantity they serve. What a waste of money. If it was decent soup at least, but not so. With the coffee and tax and tip the bill was nearly $16, some of the worst money I have ever spent.

Doesn't Recommend

miyuki3

Joined 9 years ago

Talk about attitude.... I went to grab a coffee and a pastry to go. Not a single one of the wait-staff was smiling and finally one of them barked at the couple in front of us to seat-themselves. I asked if I could just place an order for coffee and a pastry and they made me wait for the 'person' that would take my order. I got yelled at for not waiting for my coffee in the correct spot and just overall had a horrid experience for first thing on a weekend morning. The coffee and pastry was good but I can find just as good, better prices and much friendlier waitstaff. I hope this place closes down or gets a much needed makeover.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Authentic-feeling Parisian cafe near Chinatown gates serves delicious cuisine with unpretentious vibe.. Modelled after the quintessential 1930's bistro, this charming Union Square cafe is a quaint spot to sip an espresso, an international newstand with over 500 titles, and has a formal dining room for lunch and dinner. Up front, huge street-facing windows and sidewalk seating are ideal for watching the tourist parade and rushed business types go by while perusing a hard-to-find foreign paper, while the sunken dining room in the rear feels much larger than its dozen or so tables, thanks to lofty ceiling fans and oversized mirrors. Waitstaff offer triple-P service--professional, plentiful and punctual--and classic French favorites are prepared with care. The finger-friendly tarts are like mini, paper-thin pizzas, the standout being one sprinkled with capers, smoked salmon and red onion, then dressed with a horseradish crème fraiche. Tiger prawns mingle with chunks of grapefruit, avocado and tomatoes for an ultra-refreshing appetizer. The classic French onion soup delivers, but the broth is nowhere near as rich as the braised beef stew--a must-order entrée bathed in red wine and paired with Swiss cheese macaroni. Savory poached halibut is a light delight, punctuated with rows of textured mashed potatoes.

Doesn't Recommend

kdefabrique

Joined 8 years ago

Giving the French a bad name. For a French-style bistro, our experiences were disappointing. Once before and once after the recent renovations, service was dismal if even existent, food was uncreative, overpriced and bland. It is a wonder that staff realizes that there are customers present. Not recommended.

Doesn't Recommend

papillion

Joined 11 years ago

I had high expectations for this revamped resto. ...and was sorely disappointed. The soup a l'onion was bland, oily and had too much cheese glooped in it. The 3 of us had, respectively, boeuf bourguignon, 2 steak frites. The steaks were like shoe leather. Poor quality meat. The frites were ok, and there was no vegetable included. The desserts were good, though.

It's highly overpriced for just mediocre food. One must be paying for the ambiance (very nice) and the new non-French/ European/ North African/ African servers. And they should change the name because there is hardly any 'presse' to read/ purchase!

Doesn't Recommend

adriscoll

Joined 11 years ago

Croque Monsieur I miss you.... What the hell happened to the croque monsieur... no frites no salad no way. Presse was the penultimate lunch spot for us... a place to treat yourself, break the diet, and sit in the sun... or even in the less than atmospheric resto... and now new owners? what improvement by eliminating one of the things that sets it apart from other bistro fare... Come on - smarten up - bring back the croque - this new dish is a CROCK