Cavalli Cafe

I live in North Beach and there are a tons of cafes to choose from but Cavalli is simply the best. The coffee/​cappuccino is amazing and the fresh pastry is unbeatable. Just enjoyed a peach croissant for breakfast, but there are also a number of delicious cakes and cannoli. If you need a great café to chill that is the best!

Sandwiches are the bomb here, the coffee and pastries are pretty amazing too. Super laid back atmosphere before lunch time.

As a place to grab a small meal or drink, it doesn’t get much better than this. The coffee and drink selection is perfect in size and quality. The atmosphere is very nice and appropriate for both its size and product. The desserts are on their own level, and are worth their own visit. I had the pleasure of experiencing a delightful hazelnut cake that was absolutely amazing. Service is appropriately paced and the staff is quiet and nice.

Ambience needs some work. Very plain colors and décor. Average coffee and pastry. Will do in a pinch.
Bathroom could do with an upgrade.

Simple but exceptional breakfast. I had a breakfast croissant sandwich with egg, tomato, and prosciutto. Everything about it was terrific. The cappuccino was amazing as well: perfect temperature, just the right amount of foam. Was fairly empty Saturday morning around 10 am. Cash only, but there are tons of ATMs within steps of the café

oh yes! let’s do this again!
this little nook is excellent. i had an eggs and avocados. so fresh. and some espresso! bellissimo! they also have gluten-​free goodies. FINALLY i could have a glute-​free biscotti! FINALLY! and it was GREAT! i bought some for the road it was so good.
i also had a cannoli (not gf), and it was to die for.
i would go back there and i hope you do too.

I don’t drink a lot of coffee nor do I eat cannoli’s or tiramisu’s. So why am I doing this review? Because their one particular breakfast dish is on point.
Which one? Scrambled eggs, avocado, and tomatoes (w/​bread). Colourful, flavourful, and simple.
I came here 4 months ago looking for a coffee shop where I could look out the window and work. On a whim, I ordered this dish (#7 on the menu). Freshly cracked pepper, salt, and drizzled with olive oil. And that bread was so soft and delicious, it might as well have been crack.
Jump forward to about a month ago, I remembered this dish and have since been dreaming about it. Finally I got a chance to be up in North Beach so I decided to get it once again, and it did NOT disappoint. It’s fabulous. Simplicity is paramount!
Also, their upstairs area has a nice view of Coit Tower. :)

My favorite coffee place in the city. They have real Italian coffee. I can never have enough!

The BEST coffee in North Beach!
Great sandwiches. Among desserts, go for the homemade tiramisu!
PS WiFi for customers, too!

Came early on a Saturday morning and staff was friendly and fast. Few other diners having pastries and coffee. Tried their espresso and a mini-​cannoli ($ 2) and it was delicious! Really great spot to come for some authentic italian coffee and pastries!
They also have a more expansive menu if you were looking for sandwiches or café fare. There was also a TV with a soccer game on that morning.

Decent Cannolis.
My cannoli didn’t quite blow me away the way they did others. Service is good and the place is well maintained. Will continue my search for the best SF cannoli.

Amazing authentic cannoli with a crisp outer shell and lightly sweet ricotta filling topped with a tasty orange glaze and dark chocolate chips.
Goes perfectly with the cappuccino which I can confidently say is the best cup of coffee I have had in the city.

Recieved this gem from Mr Neal Whitelaw. (Irony noted). It needs no introduction. One can sign up for his blog at:
Nothing he writes could possibly be more ignorant and hateful than this little ditty. What a sad, scared little manchild it must have taken to write the following.
From Neal:
Neil W: Here’s a message I sent to a Chinese girl who was rudely treated there. Perhaps you will understand why Italians and others act like they do in San Francisco. That’s if you yourself are not a Racist, otherwise you won’t understand.
The only reason you had a hard time at Cavalli Café is because the Chinese in North Beach treat everyone in the neighborhood so rudely and with obvious disdain. Too many spit in the middle of the sidewalk and refuse to adapt to the San Francisco customs. They push their way into busses when handicap elders are trying to get off the bus and walk right at you whenever you are walking as far to the right as you possibly can and act pissed because you won’t move out of the way. I even have had a very well dressed Chinese man snarl something at me one night when I was walking on Grant and keeping as far right as possible and touching the building with my right fingers for guidance and a cane in my left hand because I’m blind in one eye with low vision in the other, yet this well heeled man growled at me because I didn’t get out of his way and after all, he owns the sidewalk because he’s Chinese. I’ve taken to pointing my cane at people who are literally storming the #30 bus when I’m trying to exit at Stockton and Columbus and shouting «I’m going to stab the first person who trys getting on in the Solar Plexus if you don’t let me off» and all of a sudden everyone understands English perfectly whereas they didn’t only a second before.
So, my dear it’s because you look Chinese that you are hated by the Italians in North Beach because of how your countrymen act in society. It’s not your fault that you look Chinese, but there’s your answer. Perhaps you will teach your children differently and if enough change their way and make some attempt to behave like everyone else in San Francisco, the Chinese might be treated differently but it will have to come from the Chinese changing and not the general public first because that would never happen!

A couple years ago this was my favorite coffee shop in North Beach. I would love sitting upstairs with a view of the Coit Tower, getting work on my laptop done and enjoying some nice people watching on Columbus. I didn’t have any complaints about service then.
Fast forward to 2014 and things have changed quite a bit. I went to the coffee shop with a friend to do some work on our laptops and also to watch some of the World Cup game that was on that morning. My buddy and I ordered drinks and then sat down at a table. The place was probably about 90% empty at the time. The owner then tells us that this is not a shop to do work in. I thought this was kind of odd and figured it was just a bad day for the owner. Seriously, what kind of coffee shop doesn’t allow people to work there? Especially an almost empty one. Maybe Italy lost their World Cup match or something. We finished our so-​so coffee and went to King of Thai where we watched the game, got free wifi and had exceptional service.
Since I used to really like this place I decided to give them another try. I had lunch in Chinatown then went to the coffee shop with a buddy. We both had about a third of our boba drinks left when we arrived. We started asking the guy behind the counter about the pastries and we in the process of ordering some when the owner comes up and asks us if we are getting our pastries to go. We say that we were going to eat them there and he proceeds to RUDELY tell us we have to leave because of our drinks. He could have said «Sorry, but there is no outside food allowed» or at least not been a jerk about it.
THE OWNER IS RUDE AND ITS NO WONDER THIS PLACE IS ALWAYS EMPTY. This used to be my spot back in the day, but somehow customer service here has become non existent. There are plenty of other coffee shops along Columbus that will treat you with nicely. I WILL NEVER STEP FOOT IN THERE AGAIN.

The worls place to be or go
The Italian guy who is a waiter is rude and abusive. No courtesy at all. When we sat outside and asked for a coffe, the guy said u have to come inn and order
And later he said we cannot stand here and then started abusing. Horrible horrible… Avoid going!!!

The waiter of this fucking place is rude and disrespectful! Worst experience ever in San Francisco!
I was just sitting outside this place, on the phone with my friend and resting my feet from half day walking in heels, and the waiter came over saying that if I don’t order anything then I can’t use their table or chair! I asked for an Americano, he told me you have to go inside to order! Then I just stood up, chatting with my friends near a muni stop, he came outside again and ask what’s our problem! Come on, we were just standing outside your territory, just talking, what does it have anything to do with you!!!

One of North Beach’s hidden gem for the most authentic tiramisu!
My hubby and I came here and ordered one to start with then he promptly got up and got himself his own! No sharing for us when we come here

This place has become one of favorite spots for a coffee break in North Beach. Granted it does help that you get a free coffee with any dessert purchase when you check-​in with the Unilocal app. How can you resist?
So far I’ve had their famous Cannoli and their Panna Cotta.
Cannoli —
Panna Cotta —
The Panna Cotta was good with the fresh berries on top, but the real star here is their Cannoli. Nice cool cream filling in a rolled up crispy pastry. This was delicious and paired well with their house coffee.
What I like most about Cavalli Café is that it’s a excellent spot for people watching. Especially from their loft where there are tables at the front window. Order your dessert with free coffee, walk upstairs and grab one of those tables for some fun people watching on the intersection of Green and Columbus.

Great place to have coffee, dessert and people watch! I think this was the third stop on the North beach food crawl back in February with Rodney H. After having 2 meals, the only thing I could stomach was dessert so we ended up at Cavalli café. We got the following and went upstairs to have a seat.
Cannoli ($ 4.50) — Nicely fried pastry dough which was filled with ricotta cream. Sprinkled with some dark chocolate chips and drizzled lightly with a fruit syrup. I loved that it wasn’t too sweet!
Affogato ($ 4.50) — I needed a pick me up so I got the Affogato. Ice cream and espresso. How can you go wrong?!
We sat upstairs at a table right by the window overlooking Stockton, Columbus & Green. Great place to enjoy dessert and some good conversation.

I must say that before coming in here, I have read previous reviews on Unilocal about this place and was hesitant on giving this place a chance. From what I gathered, the owner here is finicky with Wi-​Fi use and somewhat rude if you decide to stay here for a long period of time.
Not only was I intimidated on ordering up something from the chalkboard menu, I didn’t want to linger here for some odd hours to get some work done. Typically, my work tasks requires Internet usage and the chalkboard board menu had this written, «No Wi-​Fi.» While scanning over the simple menu with that labeled underneath, the owner/​baker was waiting for me to get something.
I was on my toes while ordering up their Cannoli and I didn’t feel welcomed, but some sort of tension going on while he was preparing the Cannoli. There were no greeting or much of a smile. I ordered it to go and felt like it was a waste of $ 4.50 to just grab that and leave. Their Cannoli had a cinnamon crunch to it and a thick taste to their filling, but not compelling for me to order it up again and solely at this place.
The service and perks needs to be changed around here if they want customers coming back.
Oh well. Lesson learned — trust the Unilocal reviews and your instinct about a place before entering.
Thanks, Unilocalers.