20th Century Cafe

Best of San Francisco Coffee Shops: 20th Century Cafe

When I hear marble tables or counters, I’m there.

No, but really, the 20th Century Cafe is one of the cutest cafes I’ve ever seen. It’s the perfect place for you and your girlfriends to grab a snack and a cup of coffee. This cafe has a lot of retro charm too, from the mismatched plates to the vintage-dressed waitresses, I instantly felt like I was transported to 1940s Europe. I also can’t forget to mention that there’s tons of light pouring into this cafe during the day – perfect for all your Instagram pics! 🙂

Andrea and I stopped by on my birthday to catch up and ordered a few bites: deviled eggs, arugula salad, two iced coffees, and the best dessert I’ve had in a while: Russian honey cake. It was subtly sweet and moist, a must-have if you ever visit! I think the next time I come back, I’d like to try more of the chef’s Eastern European specialities, including the potato knish.

We stopped by mid-afternoon on a weekday so there was no wait at all, but from what I hear, it gets pretty packed at brunch on the weekend. Parking was pretty limited and it took me about 10 minutes to find a spot walking distance to the cafe. I would also suggest not coming here starving either…the food was delicious but portions were quite small for the price. Like I said, it’s a great place to treat yourself and grab a bite with girlfriends and in my opinion, the dessert (and marble tables!) are worth the visit.