Caffee Ida

Typically good pastries, cookies, coffee! Reasonably priced, easy to find, but secluded and nice for a quiet morning!

This place is now called the Coffee Closet. The coffee is always great and consistent. I can’t say that about Peet’s Coffee in Embarcadero 2 right across the street. That’s why I like to support this small business. Christie is always so nice and helpful too. Great customer service and one of the best tasting coffees in the area. 5 Stars!

The coffee here is good, but now that Caffe Ida is under new ownership (it’s now the «Coffee Closet») and no longer serves Anthony’s cookies, I don’t know if there is much that sets it apart from other neighboring coffee shops.

If you blink, you might miss Ida’s. It’s literally just a window in the Financial District, which makes me feel like it’s some sort of secret club where a code word gets you a brown baggie of cookies.
Luckily you don’t need a code word :) I come here for coffee and Anthony’s Cookies ($ 1.50) — the Oreo is my fave but they stash lots of other kinds. Service is always pleasant and smiling.
It’s a great place to stop in for a quick cup of coffee on your way into the office. I’d opt for Ida’s over the 15-​deep lines at the chain coffee shops any day of the week.

Years ago, I was able to get my all time favorite pastry (raspberry ring) at the Epplers on Kearny Street. Then they stopped selling them and I was forced to hike up to North Beach to Maras or the other bakeries to get it. Then, one magical day, I was strolling down Sacramento and out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a raspberry ring. It was like winning the lottery! Since then, I make it a point to get my pastry a couple of times a week, along with Ida’s great coffee. The barista is a very pleasant woman and deserves a lot of stars herself.

convenient coffee «drive-​thru» kiosk for folks passing by
ordered up a single latte the other day. coffee roasted from Caffe Trieste.
pleasant conversation with the barista gal from Indonesia.
all around great cup. off i go…

Caffe Ida is a quick and convenient spot to grab a cup of coffee if you’re on the run. It’s just a simple little window, nothing fancy, but they make a pretty mean latte. Plus, they get their cookies catered from Anthony’s! (that’s a big deal… their cookies are BOMB-​DIGGITY) The best part is, there’s never really a line… just quick and easy. Oh, and they also have a loyalty card where if you buy 10 coffees, you get one for free! Oh I’ll be back, you know it!

Favorite early morning pre-​work coffee destination.
And when I have no self control, dannish refueling station.
thank god it’s early and no one i know is there to «judge» me.
;)

It’s true, Café Ida (yes, that’s «EE-​da») is as good as everyone says. I love the triangle shaped cookies with the jam inside. I love the chocolate chip Anthony’s cookies, but my must have are the plain croissants. Have you had the plain croissants from Pete’s? They suck. They taste like sawdust. I don’t know why cause nothing else from Pete’s sucks, but they really do. And don’t even think about Starf*cks, cause those are stale sawdust.
Plain croissants from Café Ida taste like butter and other fattening goodness. Plus they’re bigger than my head. 8:53am and this is the only thing I’m going to eat until 2:30pm cause I slept on Sunday instead of going grocery shopping? This is the only thing I want in moments like that (ahem, 3 days a week).
Sitting at my desk — On Time — eating a plain croissant from Ida’s is really blissful.
In the afternoon of a bad or stressful day and you just want sugary comfort food, then have the bear claw. Or better, get a friend to split the bear claw with you while you vent about work, because, while insanely delish, an Ida’s bear claw is bigger than two heads combined.

I have to admit, there are a lot of things I don’t know. For example, how nuclear fission works.
BUT, I do know a couple things:
–Caffe Ida is a top notch espresso kiosk that serves my beloved Caffe Trieste.
–Only other place (other than Caffee Trieste) that serves an Africano.
–Ida (EE-​da), the owner, is a master espresso puller, sharp as a tack and sweet to boot.
–They sell Anthony’s cookies and my favorite butter and jam cookies.
Caffe Ida is awesome so why patronize the giant chains that litter then Financial District? Support local business and get your caffeine fix, couldn’t be better!

I work in Embarcadero 3. Right, it isn’t far from Caffe Ida. But it feels far when you walk past 2 perfectly decent coffee shops to get there. Out of the last 4 times I’ve tried to go there, they’ve been randomly closed three times. No sign, nothing. Are they closed down, or just unreliable? That said, the coffee is the best in the vicinity, and they sell Anthony’s Cookies. When they’re open.

Dude, they have danishes.
One danish is a custard danish
Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit (to quote Clay Davis from The Wire)
Actually, they have only one a day.
Forget it. Don’t go here. this place is crap.…and leave my custard danish alone.

If you’ve read any of my reviews, you know that I am all about supporting the small, local establishments before the large chains– right? So I will gladly give Caffe Ida my full 5…
Ida herself is an absolute doll… super sweet, down to earth and simply gorgeous. I was running a few errands when we stopped by to grab a bev and Ida (oh Ida) introduced me to an Africano… so strong, full of body and yet super smooth… ahhh just how I like em… the drink that is :)
Seriously, it was definitely an unforgettable kick ass caffeinated bev that kept me goin until the late evening (which I needed). Why the full cinque stelle (5 stars)? Why not quattro stelle (4 stars) for the lack of «ambiance» or a place to sit? because she just started serving Anthony’s Cookies. Yes kids you heard correct… CAFFE IDA IS NOW SERVING ANTHONY’S COOKIES!!! So in case you’re jonesin’ and can’t make it to the Mish for these amazingly delishus treats, you can now get them here with a perfectly made espresso beverage.
Bravo!

I’ve only stopped once because it’s out of my way to work, but it is nice that I can walk up with my dog and get a coffee.
The time I stopped though, a young guy made me one of the worst lattes I’ve ever had. It literally tasted like acid, meaning the espresso pull went horribly, horribly wrong, and I had to just throw it out after forcing as much caffeine down my throat as I could stand.
From the reviews it sounds like I may have just had bad luck, so when the taste washes out I’ll give it another try… but if it’s the same story there won’t be a third!

It’s 8:30AM on Monday morning and I’m running late for work. My eye lids are drooping from a night of Sunday Funday and the thought of drinking the watered down slop they serve in the office just isn’t cutting it.
I spot Café Ida which resides a mere 5 steps from my office. I am filled with relief that I don’t have to go out of my way to Peets or Starbucks which would cause me to incur further late time. Cappuccino here I come.
I am almost half way done with it by the time the elevator hits the 23^rd floor. Espresso is goooooood and all is well in the world.

Super tiny, super friendly, super good. The fifth star was sealed with the verbal confirmation of non-​fat milk (always appreciate that) and the surprise Thanksgiving cookie. Wasn’t really looking for a cookie at 9am, but appreciate the sentiment.
I’d totally make Ida part of my morning routine if there weren’t so many other places I want to try. Regardless, I have a feeling I’ll be back.

As an acupuncturist and massage therapist, I am aware of all that is wrong with coffee, but a man needs to have an addiction. Coffee is my once-​a-​day-​monkey-​on-​my-​back, and it’s because of people like Ida that I can’t shake it.
I’ve frequented Caffe Trieste daily for over 5 years now — my son has been going there since before he was born (no, he does NOT drink coffee). Now that I work in the Financial District, I’ve been hard pressed to find a good espresso drink near work — that is until Caffe Ida opened.
Ida is the granddaughter of the Trieste patriarch, and the heir to some damn fine espresso making skills. Now I can head over and get my Africano before starting work, and it’s just as good, if not better, than what I get at Trieste. Plus, Ida is super nice and will remember your favorite drink. Go there now before the word gets out and the lines are too long.

The smallest coffee shop in all of San Francisco, it’s a counter on the side of a mid block skyscraper, with barely enough room for Ida (pronounced EE-​da) and her double espresso machine inside. When I stopped by everybody was so excited and friendly over the new shop, good feelings and Italian opera rushing through the window not to mention very good coffee and iced tea.

I’ve been waiting for a café/​coffee stall like this since starting to work in downtown five months ago.
I am not even a daily coffee drinker, but all the attempts at getting java around financial district left me disappointed. Peet’s and Coffee Bean are all right, but I was hoping for something non-​chain for those mid-​morning/​mid-​afternoon breaks.
Hurray for family businesses that continue to invest in the City.
Welcome Ida. Here’s to a female entrepreneur!

Oh come on! I lose 1^st to review to a shill?
(Edit, 5.20.2008 – looks like they deleted the reviews that were written prior to the Caffe Ida’s opening. Their coffee is still good.)
Caffe Ida opened up today in that little booth between Royal Exchange and 353 Sacramento Street that used to house a hot dog place (What’s Up Dog?). It’s standard Caffe Trieste espresso drinks (that I happen to enjoy) plus a few I hadn’t heard of served out of a hole in a wall by granddaughter of Caffe Trieste’s owner, who, by the way seems to be gifted in the art of rapid-​fire banter.
It’s a great addition to an area, especially if you don’t want to patronize a megachain like $tarbucks.
(4.5 stars)