Greenhouse Cafe

This quiet little coffee shop seems very unassumung from the outside. Inside it is clean and inviting with a wonderful covered patio in the back. I purchased their iced coffee. It was smooth and full of flavor. Darker than most iced coffees I've had in the city, which was a nice change. There was plenry of seating and outlets for those bringing laptops to work while they enjoyed their coffee, smoothie or sandwich. A great place to escape to when you can work out of the office or need a place to relax and read.

This is the type of coffee shop you think you can find in every neighborhood, but realize they are exceedingly rare these days. A casual place for people to work, sit on tables or couches, has Wifi, has the dimmest corners lit by table lamps, has an outdoor patio, and offers some delicious Starbucks alternatives like Vietnamese coffee and a pleasantly spicy Mexican mocha. The food is quite good for this small coffee shop, with the entire prep area housed behind the payment counter. I've wanted to try their housemade soups, but they are never available when I go ("we didn't make it, but we again soon"). They have this insanely good cookie fashioned out of sliced almonds and dipped in chocolate on one side. My gripes are that it is borderline uncomfortably dirty. Sometimes I just don't want to put my bag on the ground. I also find the bathroom pretty nasty most of the time despite the fact that it is large and lit by a window. Otherwise, this is a good place to park up and get some work done. I like the baristas' music taste, which ranges widely.

This is my go to coffee shop in the area. I love their Apple and Brie wrap. Their juicer is out of commission and hopefully the fresh juice will be back, but they still make smoothies. Coffee of course. Lots of seating, indoor and out, and free wi fi. I've always had good customer service. The music playing is always contempt and chill.

2nd time I couldn't eat before work because that forgot about my order. Then my order was missing ingredients. The employee seemed annoyed about her own mistakes. Another time they didn't call out my order, so it was cold by the time I got it. They advertise as a quiet place to work or study, but the employees are often talking loudly.

Now closed, I heard. Makes me sad, because they had a good thing going. My notes: Finding a place in San Francisco that's (1) independent, (2) comfy, (3) tasty, (4) and convenient to mass transit can be a challenge, especially with the flock of Starbucks' and Peets' littering the landscape, but The Greenhouse (formerly Pearl's) does the trick. I've been coming here for years, have tweaked the Wi-Fi when necessary, met friends, chatted with my building contractor (who loves the chai latte), and even participated in business meetings from the café's comfy couches. The new danishes, especially warmed up, are superlative. The easy-to-miss Café Cubano and Vietnamese Coffee choices supplement the canonical menu; try the Mexican Chocolate for a taste treat. Food is served as wraps; think hippie burrito :-) Oh, and the hot cookies - which fill the café with an irresistible scent - can bend temptation to the breaking point. Even the musical selections and the art on the walls delight the senses. (Credit cards accepted with a $4 minimum.) As to the concerns of Carrie J., I'm neither the health department nor do I play one on the 'net, but your fears sound overblown to me. I've eaten much from this café with nary a trouble. You may feel more comfortable going to places which don't feature an open kitchen. The rest of you I'll see at the Greenhouse. (I ranked this place five stars because it's pretty much everything I need to stay away from the house and on-line during the day. I have no financial interest in this place. Just sayin'.)