Buena Vista Cafe

This breakfast was by far the best meal I had on our trip to San Francisco! Start your morning off right with an Irish Coffee and pair it with the corned beef hash and eggs! The food had so much flavor, farm fresh ingredients and an awesome place to eat at.

I really didn’t know what a real Irish Coffee was supposed to taste like until I visited Buena Vista.
I couldn’t stop drinking them. And now love making them at home in Toronto.

Love this place!!!
I stop by everytime with my friends perfect on a cold day stay for a minute have 2 coffee’s and your good to go…

Buena Vista Café is known for their Irish coffees, but you probably already knew that. I can’t say I really had an Irish coffee up until now, so I don’t really have a point of reference to go by.
The drink was solid enough — the coffee and whisky were nothing special, but the cream was rich and definitely brought everything together. The drink was kind of small and the place was pretty crowded too. I wouldn’t make a dedicated trip over here, but it’s worth checking out if you’re in the area.

Yummy breakfast, quick and friendly service, awesome views. What’s not to like? I had the classic eggs benedict and husband had a Denver omelet. Both came with delicious breakfast potatoes. Please, please, please do yourself a favour and add or upgrade to sourdough toast. So good. I don’t drink coffee but I hear the Irish coffee is a must if you do.
It’s quite a small place and seating is first come first serve so be prepared to wait a bit (or sit with a stranger) if you come at peak times.

This is a total tourist trap but as long as you know that going in then you should be fine. Unfortunately, our bartender was less than friendly and said about 2 words to us «ID’s please». Luckily, the delicious Irish coffee makes up for it.
I’m not sure I’d go back because I try to avoid the area and places with lousy service, but if you’re new to SF and want to enjoy an Irish coffee, this is the place to do it!

There is a lot of history and coolness to this café. BUT, getting a seat is annoying. It’s first come, first serve, no wait list. So, if it is crowded — you will have table vultures waiting for you to get up, which you will respect, because a short time before them, you were doing the same thing!
Once you secure a seat, there are some fun views, like the bridge and the cable cars
The breakfast food was good, including their fresh sourdough bread. Another tradition is the Irish Coffee ($ 10) which is tasty, but maybe a bit too small. For the record, the Buena Vista is credited with introducing Irish coffee to the United States in 1952. When it comes to a place with historic significance, this is it. Thanks to our server Kaila who did a nice job — we enjoyed her shirt pins (flair).

Love the Irish coffees! A must visit when you go to San Francisco. The place is usually packed, but my colleagues and I went at a great time and we were able to get a seat pretty quickly. The ambience, including watching the bartender making the Irish coffee is really cool. We also enjoyed some desserts. Great place! Best Irish coffee I’ve ever had and I am no rookie.
Highly recommend!!!

A must for tourists! This place is iconic! It’s usually very crowded on the weekends so be prepared to wait (and possibly fight for a spot) but I recommend sitting at the bar. It’s really fun to watch the bartender make the Irish coffees. He does it in mass, which is really cool to watch!!!

I must say, this has the best Irish coffee around. You need to make a stop here to experience San Francisco at its fullest.
An Irish coffee will be $ 10 and you will be delighted to see them make over 10 – 15 at once! They tend to be a little strong on the whiskey ;) Nothing much more to say, I definitely recommend stopping here for a coffee, or two.

When in Rome, right? Have had BV long book-​marked for our next trip to San Francisco. Known for their famous Irish Coffees (note: now $ 10 each), the BV is busy busy busy, but not so much you can’t hear yourself think.
Bartenders with decades of tenure always have a great story or five — talk to them, they’ve been there as long as many of the customers have been alive. We happened on BV right at the start of the Kentucky Derby (Irish Julep?) so we got to experience a raucous crowd, previously fueled by multiples of afore mentioned Irish coffees. Usually one of these is plenty, but hey, two for me hit the spot. It was rainy and drizzly, so why not?

Theeee best Irish coffees anywhere!!! The Irish coffee alone gets five stars from me. The man behind the bar concocting our drinks was very friendly and prompt. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try the food but the Irish coffees here are to die for.

Looks like an old school bar with lots of seating and a few tables but it was very crowded. Self seating. We saw 2 open seats at the bar and were helped by an older guy… He got mad at the waitress for getting in his way, even though he wasn’t looking and spilled his coffee. He ended up yelling at her in front of everyone, and splashed the coffee into a sink which splattered all over my sisters and my face. We moved to a table right after we got our drinks because he was not nice at all.
The way that they make drinks here is very interesting, they make a bunch at once but put a LOT of whiskey in. The Irish coffee was so strong, between 5 people, only one person could finish their coffee. I really liked the cream on top though. A small cup of Irish coffee was $ 10… Pretty high for a cup of coffee (with alcohol) but it looked like everyone was getting one so it’s definitely the most popular item there.
I saw other people get hot chocolate coffee, hot chocolate, baileys coffee… They have other coffee drinks on their menu too so make sure you take a look.

A short walk from the Nautical Museum, and known for their Irish coffee. Luckily, I knew enough not to stir a floated drink, lest I be chastised by the waitress. I also ordered a Reuben with French fries, and my brother got the clam chowder. This place looks like a tourist trap, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food (especially the Reuben considering this wasn’t a deli).
Service was brisk and attentive.

I think it would be easy to give this place 4 stars. Of all the other joints in SF, Buena Vista doesn’t stand out as remarkably hip, or cool. But that’s why you go. This is straight up old school SF.
Famous for their Irish Coffees, BV gets PACKED. We were lucky to snag a couple barstools on a busy night and chat with the bartender — rather bar professional. He was cracking jokes and shooting out SF recommendations to the distracted tourists like a pro. He’s got the method down pat for cranking out multiple Irish Coffees in row, so service is always prompt and the coffees are always mixed to perfection.
The coffees are $ 10 a piece and easy to drink, so don’t come here unless you have nowhere to be and some money you want to part with.

Whether you’re a native San Franciscan like me, a transplant who secretly wants to be a native San Franciscan, or a tourist who is pretending you are a native San Franciscan, we all share one commonality.
We love the original Buena Vista Irish Coffee.
Belly up to the bar by the door. Let the mildly sweet creamy deliciousness warm you… you’ll walk out feeling mellow… like a San Franciscan.
Skip the Breakfast — have it elsewhere. I ordered the Crabcake Benedict with this sauce I just don’t know. Also, I thought the crab would be fresh but well. So I would skip food but but but…
Have the Irish Coffee! Order more than one if you aren’t driving. Take selfies with it. Everyone looking at your pictures on social media will wish they were you.
It’s that good.
Irish Coffee. Do it. Just do it.

Mary Ann Singleton was twenty-​five years old when she saw San Francisco for the first time.
She came to the city alone for an eight-​day vacation. On the fifth night, she drank three Irish coffees at the Buena Vista, realized that her Mood Ring was blue, and decided to phone her mother in Cleveland.
(Tales of the City/​28 Barbary Lane, page 9)
Ive wanted to come here for ages!
It was always on my list of places to visit, but not convenient to my plans.
Skip ahead 20 odd years and I finally made it!
This is about as touristy as it gets. When I was younger I avoided places like this. Now I happily embrace them.
We came here after an afternoon spent shopping at the marvelous, but also touristy, Ferry Building. We’d taken a pedicab (which was also a new experience) most of the of the way because shopping is exhausting. There were 3 of us on the ride and we felt sorry for the guy doing the peddling! Talk about earning your keep!
Walking in, we found it super busy (go figure) and looked for a place to sit down, but it was standing room only. We squeezed our way through the crowd, and as luck would have it, a group of people were leaving their prime spots at the bar. I honed in on that action and snagged those seats at right side of the main bar. This is where the magic happens. The bartenders make the Irish coffees at this spot. They churned out dozen after dozen. These guys were machines! The skill and steady hands were entertaining to watch.
They’re famous for their Irish coffees, but much to the dismay of the bartender, we ordered Spanish coffees. Ha !
The looks we received…
We had a second round and moved on. It’s a lively place.
It’d be nice to visit at a time when it wasn’t so busy and take in the views.
Cheers!

I used to avoid all the obvious tourist stops when I travel. Then I read the book, What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding: A Memoir by Kristin Newman. I took away a quote, which basically says something along the lines of «do the thing you are supposed to do in the place you’re supposed to do it.» That was kind of an eye opener for me. Now, when I visit a city, I do try and the things that it’s known for. So, while in San Francisco, I read about the Buena Vista Café and it’s Irish Coffee and decided that was one of the things we must do.
We headed in to the Buena Vista Café around two in the afternoon. It was completely packed and we almost turned around to leave. We decided to stay and figured that we would have to drink our Irish Coffee standing up. While we bellied up to bar, I noticed a small table open up and I grabbed it. Eventually my husband made it back with our Irish coffees. They were not cheap, but they were so good. Very nicely blended and enough whiskey that I was feeling a nice warm glow. We sat sipping our coffees while looking out at the cable car turnaround, enjoying the moment.
We didn’t try any of the food, but stopping in for an Irish Coffee was perfect.

It’s frigid foggy day with the San Francisco haze on point.
You’ve just finished biking across the bridge by way of SF Bicycle Rentals on Jefferson St (with an online reservation for 20% off of course :]).
You’re hands and feet are numb and need to be warmed and restored from the inside out. Where do you head? Buena Vista.
The cheesy white coats stained with coffee worn by the bartenders make you smile as you watch them whip up 5 Irish coffees in less than 3 minutes. Hot coffee, two smashed sugar cubes, a generous pour of whiskey, and a thick layer of cream. As all the locals know, do not stir in the cream. That is a no-​no. Milk mustaches are part of the experience. $ 10 a pop for these Irish pick me ups. I’m not even a big whisky girl but I dare you to have just one.

Our Über driver told us that this had to be the next stop of our tourist journey. Aside from the fact that a hot Irish coffee would be perfect for a cold and rainy Saturday, a hot Irish Coffee is also a «must do» in San Francisco and Buena Vista is the place to do it.
While the place was super packed when we arrived, it just so happened that two seats at the counter opened up as we were standing there. The timing could not have been better!
With bellies still a little full from Chinese (do check out House of Nanking), a full lunch was not going to happen. But I did order two made-​to-​order Irish Coffees. And from this seat at the counter, I could watch the expert preparing a double dozen all at once. Very neat to see.
Coffee, cream, whiskey. Simple enough. And you can drink it when it’s hot if you do it right, by sipping the coffee and whiskey mix through the float of cream. Delish!
$ 10/​each. A goodly bit.

Go for the Irish Coffee, and nothing else. Well, maybe the eggs blackstone, but only if you don’t want to drink on an empty stomach…
Wow — this Irish Coffee!
I had no idea that the U.S. version of this beverage originated in San Francisco. I wish the story behind it was more prominently featured in the bar (I read it online), but that certainly doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of this tasty drink.
Thanks to The Buena Vista, I now know that every other Irish Coffee I’ve ever had was just bad and stupid. This was awesome. Not too hot to dig right into, perfectly sweet (looks like it takes two sugar cubes per six ounce beverage), and their mastery of the floating cream (the method for which they describe online)…it’s just wowza!
I’ll definitely come back here if I’m within even a 10 – 15 minute walk. I’d also go out of my way to take out-​of-​towners (for the coffee only though).

If you’ve never had coffee and want to try it for the very first time, I would suggest you visit the Buena Vista Café on Hyde. They are well known for making THE original Irish coffee that was served over half a century ago.
For any day in San Francisco, there is nothing more enjoyable than a cup of Irish Coffee. The process of making it is very intriguing. Coffee is prepared fresh and one can smell the aroma of freshly brewing coffee, two cubes of sugar is put in a small coffee cup (more like a small wine glass) and coffee added to three quart full. Sugar is stirred in a two stroke manner and Irish whiskey added then a cream topping.
I guarantee that you have not had coffee like this before. Highly recommended!

I’ll give four stars for the famous Irish coffee. The food I had was only okay.
Seriously practically everyone in the place had an Irish coffee in front of them. I think they are so popular that they have one guy continuously making them. They are very tasty (and dangerous!). It’s sweet, but you still taste the whiskey (so if you are sensitive to that flavor you may not enjoy). They have a variety of other warm boozey options as well.
The shrimp sandwich I had was only okay, nothing write home about. The organization for seating was also not so great, it was free for all, I wish their was a wait list or something.
That being said, if you’re looking for a slice of history and a warm alcoholic beverage you have to check them out.

When our friends asked us to stop in bena vista i was sure this would be a tourist trap and honestly did not look forward to it.
The place was packed, i thought i would for sure hate it but all it took was a sip of that irish coffee and after two cups i was a fan.
There is a nice piece of information on the left side of the bar which talks about the secret ingredient (cream) and how the place became known for its irish coffee.
Perfect location for a hot coffee in san francisco.

My Mother-​in-​law told me about this place for their Irish coffee. So, naturally my husband and I had to check it out for ourselves. Plus, we had never had Irish coffee before… what better time than now. We also had my son with us and a stroller.
We initially came here on a Friday morning to not only try the Irish coffee, but to also have breakfast. So glad that we made this one of our first stops. It was not that busy, and we were able to sit towards the back of the café. Shortly after we sat down a man came around to leave silverware, and shortly after that, a little old lady (aka our waitress) came by. She was standard nice. Nothing that will impress you but I remembered her just because she made me think of my grandmother.
We started with 2 Irish coffee’s at $ 10 a piece. Now I understand why this place is known for their Irish coffee. Delicious!!! I ordered the 2 eggs with house potatoes and toast ($ 8.95). I upgraded to the San Francisco Sourdough toast for 95 cents more. My husband ordered the country eggs benedict ($ 13.95). He said it was good. My order was good as well. If you are looking for something more memorable, this might not be the café for you. If you are looking for basic breakfast, then this will be just right. The portion was large and I was able to share my food with my son. He was happy that they brought out hot chocolate milk with whipped cream!
As we enjoyed our food and drink, we noticed the café becoming full of people. People were starting to wait in line outside.
I also had the opportunity to use their restroom. Vintage, but clean.
Overall, I give Buena Vista Café 4 stars for their ambience, cleanliness, food and of course Irish coffee. I would have given them 5 stars, if only they turned on the charm within their customer service. However, that did not stop us as we returned on Saturday evening and had 2 Irish coffee’s each.
Thank you for a memorable experience.

Dang! These Irish folks must drink turnt up juice with their breakfast everyday because I coulda sworn there was hooch in my Irish Coffee ($ 10). Just kidding. I love booze and I love coffee so I had to try the famous Irish Coffee.
The goodies:
+ Delicious Irish Coffee with solid service.
+ The bar /​restaurant has a very nice traditional European style.
+ Awesome location– right next to the Powell Street cable car stop on the Marina end, a 5 minutes walk to Pier 39 and In N Out 2 blocks away.
The not so goodies:
— Helllaaaaaaaaaaaa expensive for food and pretty much any other drink that’s not an Irish Coffee. I paid $ 10 for a Highball (whiskey soda) from the well. I would have expected the drink to run in the $ 7 – 8 range, even in a tourist trap.
— The bar can get pretty crowded, even on a Monday night.
— I brought my Irish friend here and he said nothing on the food menu was exceptionally Irish. I’m not well versed in European food, in general, so I’m taking his word on that.
Solid establishment with a great history. I’m not one for tourist traps so I’ll only come back if a visitor wants to go.

I like a good stiff coffee. But I normally drink my coffee black with no sugar. So my homemade version of an irish coffee is black coffee with jameson and baileys. Knowing that, I didn’t expect to really like Buena Vista. But I still had to try their famous drink. Since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped by on Saturday, September 12^th around 2:30pm.
The place was bustling. Everyone with an Irish coffee ($ 9 each) in hand. Introduced to the US at The Buena Vista Café by Stanton Delaplane in November 1952, I can see why everyone’s here for their famous drink. After all, that’s why I was here! Luckily, we were able to grab a stool at the bar and watch them make the huge line of Irish coffees. It really is a fun sight to behold. Though a little factory line in feel, it was nice to what goes into their drinks. Unfortunately, the Irish coffee was a little too sweet for me. And I didn’t care for the cream either. I was trying to drink around it.
In the end, it really is about taste preference. Although, I can appreciate and acknowledge that they make a mean Irish coffee, it just really wasn’t my style.

Ja das ist natürlich schon sehr touristisch — aber hey, für den Irish Coffee versetze ich gerne Berge, oder schwimme auf Alcatraz. Hoffe die behalten diese Location, denn das Wasser wäre wohl ziemlich frisch.
Man zahlt 9USD für den Irish Coffee, hat aber einen genialen Morgen, Mittag oder Abend. Das Ding geht einfach zu jeder Tages und Nacht-​Zeit rein. Direkt in der Nähe von Fisherman’s Wharf hat man hier fast ausschließlich Touristen.
Die Irish Coffees werden produziert wie am Fließband. Ich glaube die können ihr Menü auf dieses eine Produkt reduzieren und wären genauso erfolgreich.
Riesen Fenster ermöglichen zudem einen tollen Blick auf die Cablecar Station und bei gutem Wetter zur Golden Gate Bridge.
Ein kleiner Raum (auf dem Weg zur Toilette rechts) bietet sogar einen tollen großen Tisch (max 6 – 8 Leute) für alle die mal ganz ungestört einen bechern möchten und das mit Ausblick.
Alleine der Weg dahin ist schon toll. Das ganze bergab und bergauf in SF hat einfach seinen ganz eigenen Charme und erklärt wohl auch den BMI. Alle sind hier fit :-)

Très bon petit déjeuner complet, il manqué juste des pancakes pour que ce soit parfait. Service efficace et agréable. Très bien situé, cadre très agréable.

Mi padre hace un café irlandés que quita todos los males. Se lo enseñó a hacer el dueño del Escorpio, un bar que había muy cerca de nuestra casa, cuando se acababa de casar con mi madre. Y la verdad es que, aunque no se prodiga mucho, cada vez que nos hace un café irlandés en casa, se nos ponen las papilas gustativas a mil, porque está buenísimo.
Así que cuando unos amigos británicos me dijeron «vamos a ir a Buenavista para probar el café irlandés, que por lo visto es buenísimo», no me pude resistir. Porque sí, es muy bueno. Muy riquísimo, la verdad. Escandalosamente caro, pero preparado con una facilidad y una rapidez, que da gusto.
Puede que el Buena Vista sea una trampa para turistas, colocado donde está (justo donde los Cable Car terminan su recorrido desde Powell St.), pero al menos es una trama para turistas que merece muchísimo la pena. No es como para ir expresamente, pero si de repente te lo encuentras y te apetece… ¡entra!

Der Irish Coffe war echt lecker und ohne ihn sollte man San Francisco nicht verlassen ;-)