Art’s Cafe

I’ve been meaning to write about this place for awhile now, but in these past two weeks I have been fighting a very ugly cold/fever. Now that I am about 90% better, I can finally write a review about one of these small gems in the Inner Sunset district of San Francisco, CA.

The place I am referring to is Art’s Cafe, a small diner located off of Irving Street. To my surprise, I have walked by this place many times when in the area. The location is filled with popular places to eat so without noticing you can simply walk by this mom and pop’s diner by accident within a second.

That being said, this is a very popular place in the morning. I went with my girlfriend and she told me it is run by a Korean family who commonly has line waiting outside to be seated every morning. In reality, their popularity is due to their food and limited amount of seats. Thankfully, the morning we went we were only waiting for about 15-20 minutes.

A positive about this place is when waiting in line, an employee comes out to receive the orders of customers so when they enter their food would be fresh and ready. I appreciated this because it allowed us to be greeted and feel welcomed before even taking a seat.

As you enter, you immediately see how narrow the diner is for the customers and employees. The walk path for the kitchen was honestly so small that the employees would have to suck in their stomachs so the other can walk behind them. Even though this may not be the best spot for claustrophobic individuals, I really enjoyed the environment. It was definitely an old school diner kind of feel and I really liked having the ability to be close to the cooks. It allows us, the customers, to be entertained by being able to witness and smell their fresh dishes being cooked.

For my girlfriend’s meal, she ordered the bacon, eggs, and omelette. I do not remember, which particular omelette she ordered, but I do know by the end she was really full.

[A closer look at the crispy bacon]

As for me, I ordered their beef bibimbap. Like I said earlier, this place is owned by a Korean family so once I saw they had a Korean section on their menu I knew I immediately had to order it.

[Beef Bibimbap]

[Beef Bibimbap with Gochujang Sauce]

My overall thought of it was that it was really good. I actually chowed down really fast in my meal due to the flavors. I think the highlight for me though was their gochujang sauce. I usually use this when eating bibimbap at other places, but for some reason their’s stood out to me. It just tasted really fresh for some reason. As for the other components, I really liked the vegetables and egg. The egg was cooked very nicely so it complimented the rest of the dish really well.

The only complaint I could probably give was the portion was a bit smaller than I hope for it to be. I was still full, but if I compare it to other Korean restaurants their portion seems a bit smaller. However, if you are a person who is managing your portions, this shouldn’t be a big deal.

Oh and lastly, probably their biggest highlight f or me was their strawberry lemonade.

[Sorry for the photo. I accidentally focused the camera on everything, but the drink.]

This was honestly the best part for me. Their strawberry lemonade was freshly blended and tasted really good. You could taste the strawberries and see the seeds on the bottom so it is easy to determine how freshly made it was for the day. It honestly had a thickness to it like a smoothie type drink. Therefore, it was definitely different and complimented well with my meal.

In conclusion, I would definitely come back to this place. If you are old school or wannabe hipster who likes old things then this is a good spot for you. Just make sure to bring your jacket in case you have to wait outside before being seated.

Later Days…

747 Irving Street

San Francisco, CA 94122

CLICK ME, I AM THEIR WEB SITE AND I WILL EAT YOUR HUEVOS.