Mission Creek Cafe
Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission968 Valencia St
(between 21st St & Liberty St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 641-0888
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
328 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"Great place to have some tea. Try one of the beautiful teas that bloom into flowers in your glass. The tofu bowls are equally delicious."
79 Reviews for Mission Creek Cafe
Like what a lot of other yelpers have said, I completely agree, this is a great coffee shop to take your laptop and hang out in, really good space with lots of comfortable chairs and plenty of outlets. I think their coffee's alright, but would really go back for atmosphere, the cafe's fantastic for concentrating and getting work done or just reading a good book.
The Pros:
You can always find a seat here.
Food is OK if you know what to order.
Bathroom is clean.
Atmosphere is welcome bright, and open.
Staff is friendly
The Cons:
Service can be soso if it's the owner serving you
The coffee is a bit bland
Most of the food is expensive (for what it is) and not too tastey. Seems like staff doesn't like preparing food.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Upsides: There's a great selection of food, lots of electric sockets, free wi-fi, good music (I heard Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings for a good hour), and it's a great place to get work done (it's both quiet and big tables to work on).
Downside: my coffee wasn't that good and the toilet overflowed (and the people who worked there weren't THAT super-psyched to do anything about the flood in the bathroom).
This is going to be one of my regulars, I'm sure.
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Got an 8oz latte for $2.45.
Seriously, this place should get at least 4 stars for having double power plugs at each table.
Not a particularly a hip place, but good to hang out and study or read a book.
I was originally heading to Ritual, it was around 8pm, but when I saw the line, I walked back to this place, which wasn't too crowded. I'm glad because Mission Creek Cafe was totally the kind of place I was looking for to get a little studying done.
Will go back!
CAN I GIVE IT ONLY HALF OF A STAR?
This place is awful! The owner leaves the milk which is used for lattes out all day on the counter with no lid on it. Does your coffee taste bad? Well perhaps that is why.
Also, the old foam on the steamer is never wiped clean. So if you order a soy latte, you are proally getting specks of old whole milk in there too as your milk is streamed. Hope you are not allergic!
One more thing. I was in there once while one of the infamous "new employees in training" (this place seems to always be training a new employee, never the same person twice) stuck her finger in someone's latte instead of using a thermometer to check the temperature of the milk. The customer actually saw her and said please don't stick your hands in my drink, the new employee replied "sorry, but we don't have thermometers here." So how do they know they aren't burning your milk?
I live near this place and visited a couple of times before i realized what was going on. Sure they have lots of outlets, but it's not worth food poisoning!
YIKES!!!!!!!
WHY HASN'T THE HEALTH INSPECTOR SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN?
The cafe would not seem to merit such a 4-star, but the charm is the lack of bluster and crowds that are in other Valencia Street cafes . It's funky -- a bit of a whole in the wall with the slouching furniture and laid back staff. I can actually drift away and enjoy remember my old haunts..although those were Mission neighborhood bars...has the same sense of being. I like it.
Ritual too . . .
hipster livin'
Chrome bag havin'
MacBook typin'
Muddy's too . . .
junkie livin'
urine smellin'
dirty bein'
Then Mission Creek might be for you. What Mission Creek Cafe lacks in the extreme nature of some other cafes, they make it up in the being a solid all-around place to hang out and get some work done.
1 = Outlets freaking EVERYWHERE
1 = Free WiFi from ZRnet
1 = Level tables and lots of room
1 = Jazz in the background
The only reason it doesn't get a FIVER is because it does not have as much character than the aforementioned Ritual and Muddy's. Either skank it up or gentrify already ;-)
People thought this was:
Useful (8)
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Here's the thing. The coffee sucks, but the tea is alright. Not cheap, mind you, but it's alright. And the salads are good.
But what I really heart about this place is its stalwart refusal to gentrify. Spitting distance from Dosa, Delfina and Tartine, this place is as un-pretentious as it gets without being in,say, Berkeley.
There are outlets everywhere and free wifi.
If you need to work or work from home, and you can do without the attitude of Mission hipsters in uber-trendy hangouts like Ritual, this is your go-to- cafe.
People thought this was:
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I liked this place til recently. I used to go here when I needed to work and didn't want to run into anyone I knew.
Me: I'll have an Italian soda.
The man makes it with still water.
Me: It's supposed to be made with bubbly water-- it's a SODA.
The man pours it out and makes another with bubbly water. He rings me up and charges me twice the price written on the board.
Me: The price is __. You should be charging me what's written on the board.
Him: It's a DECORATION, not a sign.
Me: WTF????
Argument ensues. He insists the price written on the chalkboard is a decoration, and I end up paying twice the posted price because he didn't know an Italian soda is made with bubbly water!
I'll still give them two stars for free wireless and good salad. Yeah he has to make a living and when it comes down to it it's not a lot of money-- but man! this guy has no tact! Needless to say I don't go there anymore. If I need free wireless I'll go to the Mission library or Cafe La Boheme. Anywhere but here! He's nuts!
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Coffee's nothing special, but there's a nice selection of food (sandwiches, breakfast items, veggie choices, etc.) and it is a great place to read or do some work. Comfy booths, plenty of room and a quiet back room. WiFi and seemingly 2 plugs at every table make it a great computer spot. The antithesis of Ritual's energized, loud, coffee-centric vibe, for good and bad.
the coffee tastes really awful
Lots & lots of places to plug in your laptop, plus free wifi, make this place a-o-k in my book. The coffee pales in comparison to what you can get at Ritual right down the block, but Mission Creek is much more casual and low-key. There's a good selection of sandwiches and salads, and their chocolate chip cookies are so tempting. A good place to do work.
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OK, I'm gonna try and start Yelping again, but it's hard yelp. I was so in love with you and you broke my heart. No yelp stalkers, no elite invitations, no admittance to your holiday party. That last parts the worst part. Will I ever really be part of the yelperati? Oh well, I'm not sure it will ever be the same between us, but I'll try - I've got nothing better to do.
I'm sitting in Mission Creek Cafe right now, have been for the last 8 hours. It's going to be my new office, until I can get a proper office. This is why:
Not many Chatty Cathys - most people are working.
Outlets by nearly every table (as in all but one)
Delish Food.
Gripes (aka why I'm getting a proper office):
Wireless drops about 5-10 minutes per hour. WHY?!
My eyeballs hurt from this lighting.
The douche bag currently playing DJ played a CD of primal screaming. WTF?
Chairs aren't exactly ergonomic. They aren't uncomfortable, but 8+ hours a day will fuck with you.
OK cheers, I'm getting kicked out. Hope they aren't closed tomorrow.
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The layout is bizarre. The ambiance is rugged; tables are strewn but granted they're plentiful for surfing the internets on a notebook. When you think Mission Creek Cafe ends at the kitchen, you might be as surprised as I was to find a back room that is as large as the front and quieter in comparison.
You do not want to hang out in front if it is busy because a line of people will hover next to you if you're at one of the tables close to the stand. Some of those clutter of tables are too large for the space; think round kitchen table that is wedged to the side of the wall and juts out into the walkway. My favorite time to come to the cafe is at night and during rainy days. The tungsten lighting is perfect.
The lattes are steamed well and the Mediterranean food is good. Although the chai tea is the sweetened pre-mixture of Oregon Chai, the steamed soy milk is foamy. I love foam. I recommend the delicious hummus plate plus anything with their creamy hummus on or around it.
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I must revise my original review of Mission Creek (below). Because I was a DUMBASS for writing it.
I was just hot (temperature-wise) and bitchy and cheap that day. Well, I am that way a lot. Not hot (this is SF, after all) but bitchy and cheap, at least.
I LOVE MISSION CREEK NOW. After two and a half months of living in this 'hood, I'm convinced this is the best coffeehouse to hit up if you actually have work to get done, and don't just wanna be seen (*cough* -- Ritual).
The atmosphere is non-existent, but...
-- They have great hummus
-- They have great sandwiches
-- They have freakin' AWESOME black bean soup
-- They have really nice staff, including Mr. Lee, the (I think) owner
-- Their wireless is free, and never goes down. WOW.
Their iced tea is still expensive, but I'm APOLOGIZING for ever writing the review below and admitting that I'm a DOUCHEBAG.
Please forgive me, Mission Creek. Let's be friends.
****************************************
It was a hot day, and I was walking to meet some friends on 16th.
IT WAS HOT IN SAN FRANCISCO, you say?
YES!!! Yes, it was!
That shocker aside... I really wanted an iced tea. So I popped into Mission Creek.
"Ooh..." thinks I. "I am down with cafe life. I definitely need to get to know the coffeehouses of the Valencia corridor... Let's cross this one off the list!"
No, seriously. Let's cross this one off the list.
$2.95 for a glass of ICED TEA? Huh? It's like, leaves with water strained through them...
And, after boasting about all the different TYPES of fancy iced tea they had, turns out they were out of all of them but one...
You confused me for no reason. AND you charged me $2.95. Augh.
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This place is always a good alternative to the snooty Ritual, but as others have noted, the coffee isn't that great (and if the owner serves you, your cup will only be about 3/4 full). And at $2 for a 16 oz. cup, it's kinda pricey. But they do make a decent breakfast sandwich. The wi-fi is good and free, plugs are plentiful, the music playing inside is generally OK, and it's only ever crowded on a rainy day. And there are a couple of tables outside in case the sun comes out. Inside, the ceilings are high and the tables are spread out enough that you don't feel like you're sitting in your neighbor's lap. If you forgot your book, there's a selection of good (but expensive) used books for sale in the back.
One thing you'll notice if you visit more than once is that there's always someone new (and often "in training") behind the counter. This must say something about working here, and it certainly contributes to the overall poor service. They often have trouble figuring out how to put coffee into the mug I bring in (as in, "well, I don't know how big it is, so I don't know how much to charge"). That's a little absurd, and definitely knocks 'em down a star.
this cafe is great for people-watching, reading, and just hanging out. they have a delicious berry-flavored iced tea, which i've become semi-obsessed with.
People thought this was:
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Not as crowded as nearby cafe's, but not empty either. Decent food, not alot of selection but they got Muffins/Bagels/Soup/Salads/Sandwiches. Cool Bathroom. If front is full, there's prolly room in the back. If you don't see anybody working, just stand and wait .. they should show up.
4/5 Coffee
4/5 Atmosphere
4/5 Food
3/5 Service
3/5 Value
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Food, drinks and no pretension. If you want to flash your flannel and laptop stickers go to ritual. The california BLT is tasty but the music is worse than terrible, so bring an ipod.
I think all the people poo-pooing this place must have been there during the day. I can honestly say, I live nearby...and this is one of the best dining options in a hood full of restaurants. The food is high quality, fresh, and the pies can't be beat. Just go for dinner instead of during the day!
As a student I like this place. It's main perks are the fact that it has food and ample tables and outlets. The tables are large enough for you to put more than just your computer on them. The food menu is pretty good. They have soups that taste homemade. Sandwiches are decent. Some people say the coffee sucks, but I like it. But I also like McDonalds coffee, so, I may not be the best judge. THey have a nice tea selection as well.
On the down side, I think this place is pretty dirty. The bathroom always stinks and looks like it has not been cleaned. The cushions on the seats really gross me out. The music is often good, depending on who is working. Their homemade cookies look and smell amazing but don't taste that good. They raised their prices a few months back without adding any value. Actually I think the cup sizes got smaller. They don't discount for bringing your own mugs/cups which does not really send a good message about recycling, nor do they discount for refills.
The vibe is sometimes on the wierd side. Although some of the employees are quite nice.
I've never found a better cafe for work-at-homing. There's freaking cubicles, and outlets everywhere. The outlet to person ratio here is about 3-to-1. Awful music all day long--headphones are an absolutely critical must. I'm stuck here right now without headphones and I'm squirming.
No decaf filtered coffee, but there is decaf drip and espresso. Mediocre orange juice. Attractive crowd. Slipshod decor. Great bathroom.
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lots of outlets, less hipsters, comfy chairs
Definitely what a saloon should have look like nowadays. Spoiled interiors, cracking floors, unstable tables, and a subtle garlic stench filling the air.
Oh, they sell books too....
Wait, did you loose the wireless connection ? No! Wait, yes. Yes.
No....back again. Like this for three hours,
Let me put three other unrelated things together:
-almost 3$ for an "iced" tea (meaning that ice was more than tea)
-the distance between the benches and the "unstable" tables is too big, my back is still in pain (and I also think the girl that was melt into the armchair will have some neck problems tomorrow)
-cute, they recycle liquids
I've never seen that many power outlets. Respect.
The coffee isn't tasty.
the atmosphere is......I don't know what to say.
sucks.
This place is just cute. It's bright. large, and airy compared to the other cafes in the neighborhood, has lots of booths and electrical outlets and plenty of comfy chairs. Coffee is pretty good, and music is unobtrusive enough that you can think straight.
They lose half a star for not having decaf, though--no decaf espresso, no decaf drip coffee. Not everyone wants to be totally wired all the time, guys. "We have Americano," the friendly hippie counter guy says apologetically. That's not coffee. That shit tastes like Sanka. No thanks. At least the tea is good.
Of course, after reading the other reviews, I'm paranoid that someone's going to stab me for my laptop here. Attention criminals: just show me the weapon, and I'll give you the laptop. No need to stab. Then again, plenty of people still sit here and work on their computers every day and don't get stabbed. Not something to lose sleep over, I don't think.
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Decent tea/coffee and assorted snacks, with a lot of seating (there's a whole back area that's not too noticeable from the counter). Free wireless and ample power outlets make it a good destination for work/studying/surfing. Close to many popular Valencia St. locales.
Having just moved into a new city and not having my internet installed in my place yet, I need a comfy local coffee shop from which to Yelp from. And Mission Creek never lets me down. The drinks are ok-not the best I've ever had. But they have really reasonably priced big, fresh sandwiches and salads and they're friendly and I'm happy sitting there for hours at a time to do work while I sip coffee and eat fresh veggie sandwiches. I usually opt for the coyote: which is heaps of fresh veggies with on a bagel topped with jalepeno and cheddar cheese. And it's $3.50!
Mission Creek Cafe is like a library that allows food and drink -- if you're looking for a place to caffeinate yourself in while you write, read, and/or think, this is the place for you.
However, if you're looking for a place to enjoy really good coffee while you chat up your friends, then I suggest you head over to Ritual Roasters nearby.
3 stars for their food and their coffee + an extra star for being a great place to get work done in.
When I first moved into the Mission, I tended to skip over this place. For a while, they didn't offer wireless internet access and so it wasn't the best place to crash out and get some work done. Sure, you could hop onto nearby unprotected networks, but the connection was generally flaky. They've since added wireless and this is a great alternative to Ritual for hanging out and getting work done. If you're lucky, you can get there when their chocolate chip cookies are just getting out of the oven. The perfect food is the chocolate chip cookie and the only way to improve upon it is through the application of heat.
mmmm.....cookie
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For some reason Mission Creek reminds me of those cafes you find in small midwestern towns -- you know, the only place in town where you can get hummus or lox on your bagel. A star added for the super laid-back area towards the rear where you can just write for hours without bother or even noise. Now...if they could find yummy cookies to serve I might just move in.
A friend of mine lives across the street from Mission Creek, and we have affectionately renamed it "Freaktown Cafe." This place offers an array of indefinable bizarreness every time I visit, and I definitely don't mean the patrons. Mission Creek chews up and spits out a never-ending parade of bewildered-looking hipsters behind the counter, and the constant puttering by the owners and multiple convoluted steps involved in making a simple glass of (fluidly priced) iced tea and a (teeny) toasted bagel with cream cheese is truly mind-blowing. If no one's at the counter when you walk up, stand there for a while, someone should appear in no more than 10 minutes. As previously stated by other reviewers, the music is questionable at best, usually akin to a light rock "listen at work" radio station circa 1996. There are multiple signs requesting that you "Muni" your own table, but no bussing station is visible. If it's there somewhere, I haven't found it. I am giving it 3 stars, though, if only for the Freaktown factor, as I keep going back for some twisted reason. And then there's the free wi-fi.
I don't drink coffee anymore because it started to make me want to barf whenever I would drink it, so I really couldn't tell you how the coffeee is here. A couple days ago I went here to get tea and study, then proceed to spill my tea all over the table and floor like an asshole. They didn't yell at me or give me dirty looks. There's lots of space and nice light in the daytime. I just wish they would stay open later so I don't have to go to Ritual to study.
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Average, average, average.
Pretty cute cafe, but nothing spectacular. The food is OK, but I've definitely had better. The most redeeming qualities about this place are the cute little couple working behind the counter, the games, and chocolate chip cookies.
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The only good thing about this place is that it's a good place to get work done.
Food and drinks are below average. Compared to other cafes, Mission Creek definitely overcharges. 1.50 for a suck-ass coffee. Tastes burnt or old. I also noticed price discrepancies. I was charged 1.75 for a bagel, the menu read 1.45. I asked the reason for the upcharge, it was because I wasn't taking the food to go. WTF?! Today I bought two green teas. One earlier in the afternoon and another two hours later. The first price was $1.75 and the second was $1.90. The same freaking cup of tea. It's usually the owners who are doing the overcharging (asian couple). I don't really care about the price just keep it consistent!
This could be a great little internet cafe if not for their poor service and cheapskate policies. The room is large and has decent-sized tables, lots of wall-outlets, etc. And personally I like the decor, but...
if you want swiss cheese on your egg-muffin sandwich instead of American, that'll be another dollar, plus 2 more bucks if you want some kind of meat. And ok, that's not all that outrageous for this area but the thing is that *without* those extras you're getting a ball of egg and bread with crappy cheese, which is to say, a sucky meal. So it's kind of like saying $6.00 for a burger and then $2.00 extra for the bun, plus a dollar each for lettuce and tomato. Just say the burger costs $10--you're not fooling anyone, and you just look cheap.
As for the service, if some poor clumsy fool like my friend accidentally knocks over her full vanilla latte, you probably shouldn't just hand us a wet rag and watch us try to clean the floor. True, it's our mistake, and we're sorry, but I wouldn't even let someone do that in my kitchen, let alone a paying customer in my cafe. I'm not a fan of Starbucks, but I have to say they'd have given us a new drink and told us not to worry about it, rather than let us clean it up and charge us for a second one. It's really not that big a deal. We all know what the coffee costs you.
This is the perfect place to bring your laptop, your books, your notes and get 'er done. Just look around, everybody is a busy bee, working away on their GREs (I did good!), first novel, their poetry collection, their homework.
Other draws to Mission Creek are their fantastic tea selection, the good lighting and the quiet (Oh how I love the quiet). I love their BALT sandwich (delish!), which they serve up with pickle and a refreshing half bowl of orange. Plus the Korean couple that own this place are super friendly and accommodating.
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Okay, so there was nothing wrong with the goodies (I've only had tea, cookies and coffee) and I can't vouch for the food, but the wait staff has an attitude problemo....seriously! Hence the two star rating.
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The Mission Creek Cafe has a few hurdles to overcome, but let's first point out the positive attributes of this establishment:
1. They are closer to my house.
2. The ambiance is cozy: never too loud, not a lot of people moving around, no hipster mommies and daddies with their babies. Like someone else has mentioned, it's easy to focus and get work done here.
3. The turkey avocado sandwich is very good; it's tasty and made with fresh ingredients.
4. Bagels: good selection of types of bagels and stuff to put on them. They also have a breakfast mc creek muffin. mmm.
5. They do have wireless and it does work.
6. Very un-pretentious and un-sceney as compared to You Know Where.
On to the areas in which they could use some serious help:
1. The coffee. The coffee here is just mediocre, at best. This fact is painfully highlighted by their proximity to Ritual Roasters. Here's an idea, dress up in a disguise http://tinyurl.com/yy963x walk over to Ritual and drink some coffee. Compare it to yours. Make changes accordingly.
2. The customer service. Hey, I would have an inferiority complex too if I worked at the red-headed stepchild of Valencia street coffee shops. But, get over it and start being nice. Or, realize your dreams and apply for a job There.
2. b) Busing your own table. I'm fine with this concept. But when I ask you where one is to put their dishes don't tell me "in the back by the bathroom" because then I'm just going to leave my dirty dishes up front by your register. Which is what i did. So please, put a frickin' bin for dishes up front. Or, take down your "thank you for MUNI-ing your table" sign.
2.c) The little things: when I point out to you that the Half and Half is empty, please don't point me to the cardboard box at the bottom of the fridge. Keeping your counter stocked is your job, not mine.
3. Slowness. They can be slow. Things behind the counter often seemed confused. I think that this is often due to the micro-management by the very sweet man who the proprietor. Like I said he's nice but very disorganized. The best way to deal with this is take deep breaths and be really patient. I've observed people react to this by becoming really demanding, which just makes him flustered and the process slower. So just back-off: he's an elderly jittery guy, cut him some slack.
Points of Contention:
The music: sometimes it's really good and other times you think you're in the a coffee shop in Seattle in the early 90s. Just bring your iPod.
The food: everything I've eaten there has been tasty for coffee shop food. If you think the food is 'horrible,disgusting' you may have really misplaced expectations or just an isolated, bad experience. So, give it a try.
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Coffee: I don't drink it, so I don't know.
Chai latte: not good.
Sandwiches, salads, bagels: pretty dece.
Service: typical.
Music: Great! I've heard some Delta Blues the last few times I've been there.
Crowd: unobjectionable.
Atmosphere: cozy.
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