Cafe Royale

01/10/06

Fabulous Place for Private Parties

by thiggus at Citysearch

i highly recommend this place for people looking for a cool place to reserve for private parties or fundraisers. the owner is very helpful and makes the space perfect for whatever event it is.

• Pros: space, great wine, great people
• Cons: parking

09/08/04

Gem of the Tendernob

by mostland at Citysearch

I discovered Cafe Royale over 4 years ago, and it remains one of my very favorite bars in SF. The reasons: friendly people (both behind and in front of the bar); a warm, open space with comfortable seating and great evening light; jazz on the speakers and Boddington's on the tap; a fine blend of upretentious people of all ages, backgrounds, and locales.

Cafe Royale has always been a great place to lounge with friends after work and converse at comfortable volumes. In the last year or so they have also added some quality events later in the evenings, such as art exhibitions and live music.

My only complaint would be that evening events can get crowded. But Cafe Royale is a unique space in San Francisco well worth checking out.

• Pros: atmosphere, kate, live music

08/31/04

Cafe Royale is

by canomi at Citysearch

When I first walked into the Cafe Royale, I immediately thought of how much fun I could have with friends. The intimate space of couches and tables and chairs and the large windows overlooking the intersection of Post and Leavenworth of the Tenderloin are extremely inviting and I discovered the bar was perfect for a night with a large group or large night with the perfect date.

The owners are exceptional at setting mood and the atmosphere is sophisticated, yet calming with candles always lit and great music continually playing. The women working the bar, always seemed to have a smile on their faces regardless of how busy they are (dont forget to bus your own glassesyou will get a friendly wink from them!).

Wonderfully inventive food is served and, if youre lucky, you will walk in on some great live music!

• Pros: Service, Food, Atmosphere
• Cons: , Crowded, Not Open Late!

This artsy Tenderloin lounge serves creative cocktails, sans the pretense.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
Bedecked with a black-and-white hexagonal-tiled floor, brushed-steel bar, purple velvet curtains and iron-legged bar stools, this postmodern melange oozes NYC style. Dimly lit and deceptively intimate, the watering hole doubles as an art space. The rotating exhibits and performances highlight top Bay Area talents (the proprietor is also a program director at Intersection for the Arts). At times, the unpredictable space feels tranquil and capacious; other times, it's jam-packed and buzzing.

The Draw
More lounge than cafe, this wine bar boasts an eclectic selection of nearly 20 wines by the glass. By exploiting a loophole in its beer-and-wine license, Royale serves soju--Korea's answer to Japanese sake, only stronger. One will find the Hito concoction has as much flavor and kick as any mojito in town.

01/20/04

Cafe Royale

by wallyphilbin at Citysearch

Finally found something unique in SF that has a NYC feel and a diverse hip artsy crowd. The space is really cool and comfortable with sort of a lounge vibe. Add to that yummy appetizers, a great wine list by the glass, and awesome sake cocktails. With the mix of neighborhood and theater people, artists and musicians, and visitors, I always seem to meet someone interesting when I go alone. When I'm with friends its nice because we can space for a group and actually have a conversation - great music but not too loud. Make sure you check out the scene from the intimate mezzanine level upstairs.

• Pros: Fun, Interesting, Good Value
• Cons: Parking

08/13/03

Cafe Royale

by ecarrillo at Citysearch

Cafe Royale is a pretty cool joint on the corner of busy Nob Hill inetersection. The interior is hip but unpretentious, the crowd is young and hip but mostly unpretentious as well. The staff is tolerable at best, they tend to sway to the snobby zone for some reason or other, but this is offset by the good, yet pricey, wine selection.

Overall, I rate Cafe Royale an 8 because of its awesome location and hip crowd, but the service and staff could use a little tuning up.

• Pros: cool atmosphere, good wine
• Cons: parking nightmare, staff??

04/15/03

Gem of the Tendeloin

by cal225 at Citysearch

This place is a must see.... Stumbling upon Cafe Royal was like finding a rare gem. It has a great happy hour, delicious weekend brunches, and an eclectic group of people. Whether your in the mood for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine this place is perfect to kick back and relax.

• Pros: Drink Specials, Great Atmosphere, Delicious Food
• Cons: open till midnight

03/10/03

great vibe!

by SarahGirl100 at Citysearch

Cafe Royale is a great little neighborhood watering hole with a cozy ambiance. We had a going-away party there on a recent Friday night and it was a perfect spot- the music was great but not too loud and even with our group of 30+ and other patrons in and out throughout the evening, it was never crowded. In spite of the male bartender with some serious attitude, we had a great evening!

06/29/02

I practically live there.

by squiggy at Citysearch

Cafe Royale is one of the only New York style cafes in the city where the neighborhood residents gather on an almost daily basis to enjoy the food, coffee, sake cocktails, art, wine, beer, and the hilarious and witty banter between the owners/staff and the ecclectic patrons. San Francisco desperately needs more spots like Cafe Royale to help rebuild after the dot.bomb fallout. The only problem with Cafe Royale is that some knucklehead keeps trying to cause problems for and possibly shut the place down for some ridiculous unknown reason (a conflict of interest maybe?). The cafe is community affirming and a tall drink of water compared to the cookie-cutter style of San Francisco cafes that seem to ignore the aesthetic end of the cafe concept. Long live Cafe Royale!!!

• Pros: Marcus, Kate, Bianca