Cafe Mystique

I’m in love with the crab cakes. Hummus is a bit mild for my tastes but a generous portion and unusual with ground beef and pine nuts. Cold beer. Come in before 7 for their appetizers deal.

Phenomenal food, great service, and tasty cocktails! What more can you can you ask for. Thank you Narmela!

Fast service, fresh ingredients, great combination. The music was subtle jazz. We’re nice ambiance.

Good food, good prices, HORRIBLE service. Staff was overwhelmed on Mother’s Day (and it wasn’t packed). They were poor at multitasking. They would poor coffee or champagne at one table, and then ignore the others around them. They claimed to be down one server, but after multiple requests for simple items, it got old real fast. I would not return.

Skipped out on the Giants game early and missed the fireworks to come in for some of the best sangria around and you close early? Not cool! Was only in town for one night from Sacramento.

The salmon in champagne sauce blew my mind… SO tasty! Service is always great and friendly. Easily my favorite spot in the Castro.

I’m super impressed! They prepare everything from scratch so it takes a little longer but it’s amazing!

It was a rainy evening as we strolled down Castro in search of a casual place for dinner. Amidst the trendy bistros we found Café Mystique, an unassuming yet cozy gem. We were welcomed immediately and taken great care of. My girlfriend got the vegetarian spaghetti which was «the best pasta dish she’s ever had.» I got the mystique burger which was prepared perfectly. The presentation of our dishes was beautiful. What I enjoyed most was the care and detail the chef put into our dishes. He carried himself with pride and seemed to really put his heart into the food and it showed. For a delicious meal and at great price and a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere, stop in Café Mystique.

Just had the bacon rapped scallops with risotto, omg this place is amazing. Always, always good.
We drive from the valley to eat here. Can’t believe how good it is :0)

Oooh la la! If you’re in the area, you’ve gotta stop here, what a gem! This was totally an impromptu visit as there were 4 of us attending the 7^th Annual Taste Awards @ the Castro Theatre (1^st time in the Bay Area). The stars and moon were in complete alignment as my hubby found parking for our SUV on this jammed block.
We started with the Firecracker Shrimp, it was prepared to perfection, the sauce complimented the hot prawns. Then the Bacon & Cheese burger w/​fries appeared, it was one of the BEST burgers we had. The meat was tender and delicious and cooked as we requested, medium. Fries were hot and not greasy. We’d definitely dine here again, if we were in the Castro. Service was very attentative, scrumptious fare, terrific company and attending the Taste Award ceremony, what more can you ask? And a prime parking spot to boot.

Love this place! The hummus with the ground meat on top is SO GOOD! I like the specials too. They have a well rounded menu and the food is good. I’m a regular there and normally get great service but the food is always great.

Friendly staff, delicious food. Great place to chill, eat and have a glass of wine.
I will come again.

We dropped in one afternoon, while checking out the Castro district.
The food was good, not amazing but really good for a tasty lunch!
We started with the fried Calamari, this was the highlight of the meal!
It was really tasty!
For Entrees we both had a chicken special that they had, upon the servers recommendation. It was good. The flavor was about a 6, on a scale of 1 – 10.
In perfect Castro Fashion, the servers were ADORABLE, and very friendly.
That is always a plus!

It’s been taking me a while to write a review about that place but I’ve been eating in café Mystique the past 2 years at least twice a month and I always bring my friends there. The food is delicious; such an amazing kitchen with different kinds of spices and tastes. You can find in their menu excellent mediterranean and Italian food and it’s affordable ! All the servers are nice and generous and they always smile and welcome. Literally one of the best places to eat in San Francisco!!!

Amazing service! Amazing drinks! Amazing food! Set my tastebuds off! A must in San Fran!

Happened upon this place while visiting the city with a friend from out of town. The garlic fries and green beans were fantastic. I ordered spicy chicken jambalaya (special the day we went) and it was really good. The other people in my party ordered the chicken risotto and the lemon pasta, with everyone really liking their food. The service was good, too!
Overall, a good dining experience! Will be back when I’m in the city.

The mystique burger and fries are well cooked. Expect a Juicy burger and classic fries, nothing too exotic but moderately priced. The mystique chicken sandwich is closer to a gyro and oily, the cheese they put on has the taste and consistency of sour crème. I wouldn’t order the sandwich again but it wasn’t terrible.

Food was great! I am a vegetarian and I loved these:
Fresh Green Beans (a bit too salty and oily but yummy)
Squash Dip — MUST have! I have never tried something like this and loved the flavors. You can’t tell there is squash.
Garlic fries — awesome fries!
They have a great collection of wine. Location is awesome too. It’s a bit dark if you sit all the way inside in the back. But if you sit by the open window, it’s a nice spot.
Service was good but when we asked the waiter to pack up our food, he mixed our left over fries and green beans in one small container. I was pretty pissed off but didn’t say anything. I mean, who does that? The fries became really soggy within 10 minutes of walking out of the restaurant.

I stumbled in on this cozy little restaurant, Café mystique, and had their Moroccan spiced chicken with mashed potatoes instead of the listed side… The meal was unbelievably tasty and very flavorful and I’ve come back many times for the same delicious dish! I repeat… This dish is absolutely delicious! I recommend everybody try this dish and see if you don’t agree that it’s a winner! Always Nice waitstaff but meals take a bit long to prepare but are always served piping hot which is a huge plus! The restaurant is a little bit drafty so bring a sweater.
So again… Order the Moroccan spiced chicken sautéed with mushrooms onions and asparagus… Order mashed potatoes instead of the listed side and have them drizzle a bit of balsamic dressing over the mass potatoes and you have a delicious plate that you will lick clean! And your friends will too!
Try it!

Gordon Ramsay always says restaurants that serve many different types of cuisine do so because they can’t get one right. While that’s generally true, Café Mystique hasn’t faltered even though they do Greek, Italian and throw in a little South American (because the owner is Argentinian).
Here’s why you should visit:
1) the owner is very accommodating and warm
2) the food is well seasoned and tastes good
3) reasonable wine selection
4) super convenient location on Castro
5) the setup allows you to have an intimate evening or do some people watching depending on your mood
For food, try the grilled haloumi sandwich, spicy eggplant sandwich, or lemon pasta. Everything I’ve tried has been tasty.

Hemos estado almorzando un domingo por casualidad y encantados con la elección. Elegimos, sin saberlo, la opción ilimitada de mimosa, lo que hizo de la larga espera de los platos un rato de lo más agradable. La comida, bastante buena y abundante. Los camareros amables y simpáticos. Y el local, tranquilo y cómodo. Conclusión: un muy buen lugar para empezar el domingo sin prisas.

Hier soir nous sommes allez à la découverte de la rue Castro St. Notre choix premier était un autre restaurant mais il était complet. Donc nous voici devant la porte du Mystique café. Terrasse sympathique, menu alléchant (il font aussi des petits déjeuner et des brunch), on décide de tester celui-​ci.
Première impression sur le cadre: excellente ! Une salle cosy, avec des banquettes moelleuses au fond, une cuisine-​Bar ouverte sur la salle ou les chefs s’affairent, une cheminé (à l’éthanol semble t-​il) qui donne une ambiance chaleureuse à l’ensemble, nous sommes conquis.
Seconde impression sur le menu: comme nous l’avions vu à l’entrée, trés alléchant. Difficile de faire sont choix parmi toutes ces propositions de salades, burgers, pates et autres spécialités carné… L’odeur de la cuisine nous ouvrent l’appétit de plus ! Finalement, ce sera un plat de pates, différent pour chacun d’entre nous.
J’ai pris les pates au pesto, coeur d’artichaut, bacon et tomate séché. Un pur délice. Un bon plat de pâté, très goutû, tres nourrissant mais un peu gras tout de même {bah oui c’est du pesto hein ;) }, mon chéwi a pris un plat de pâté au poulet, feta, tomate et épices, je l’ai gouté c’étais également très bon.
Le service fut rapide et discret. Le serveur jovial, on a plaisanté à plusieurs reprise. Une fois encore j’ai apprécié le fait qu’on nous remplisse notre verre d’eau à volonté (c’est une habitude ici), ça nous change de la fameuse carafe d’eau qu’on attend parfois tout un repas dans certain établissement en France…
Bref, je pense qu’on y retournera pour gouter au fameux Breakfast (ils ont des pancakes trés tentant…). :-)