A Bon Port

While the general consensus for this place is that services are lacking and I can’t really argue with that (our server wasn’t exactly brisk or cheerful). They get 3.5 stars for providing a wonderful alternative in the Castro.
It’a a wine bar laid out much like a coffee house. There’s a comfortable big couch in the middle of the room and cute tables laid out throughout and a bar in the middle where you can get direct service.
There’s a food menu but we didn’t get any. We were waiting for a movie to start at the Castro theater and needed an hour to kill. An hour and glasses of Bordeaux and Pinot Noir later, mission accomplished.
The wine selection isn’t gigantic but has enough variety of whites, reds, campaign, port and beer to satisfy most clients. There’s also some specialized French wine that are bottle service only.
I dig the atmosphere, the room is generally quite and allows for intimidate conversation. I wouldn’t trek across town just to stop by, I would grab a drink here next I’m in the Castro and needed a few hours to kill.

Nah… thumbs down even I know ¹⁄₃ of the owners and some of their friends.
PROS: Average to decent food, some decent French wines, and of course, an alternative place to hang in the castro.
CONS: the cute servers/​bartenders are so full of attitude. Young and stuff but, the service is part of the experience in any venue. Expensive for what it is (mediocre stuff… nasty French champagne…).
Unless you are on a date you’ll get bored here. Spend those 12 bucks a glass of wine at a better place.

I came here last Friday after going to the Berlin film festival at the Castro Theater across the street and enjoyed the verviers crêpe (french brie, pesto, tomatoes) and the sweet orange muscat. I also tasted friends’ dinant (chicken, gorgonzola, mushrooms) and virton (tomatoes, mozzarella, caramelized onions), which were also good, but I liked my verviers the best. I didn’t expect that a wine bar could also serve such delicious crepes but was wrong … the verviers rivals crepes at Ti Cous!

Meh — this place is cute and full of promise, and while it is OK for a quick bite and a glass of red stuff, I can’t see myself losing much sleep if I never made it back. On the other hand, it’s so close by, I probably will.
The menu is curiously limited, largely because the focus is on the crepes — both sweet and sour. They ain’t half bad, but if you are not in the mood, there are few alternatives on the menu.
And the service is a little… off. There was confusion when we asked for Beaujolais Nouveau (despite the fact that there was a promotion for the same), the waiters were hard to get a hold off although it was not very busy, and there was a mix-​up over the check where they had to add more items on after they had already brought us the bill. «Shoddy» would be a good word for it.
Nevertheless, with the relaxing acid jazz and cool ambiance, it’s a relatively cheap date and I could see this as a place to enjoy a glass and a bite on a quiet Sunday evening on a regular basis.

All three of the times I have consumed wine/​food here, there were two naked men (different pairs each time).
One of those times, these gentlemen decided to be seated, and did so at the bar, on a paper towel covered stool. Brilliant.
Another one of those times, the waiter approached me and my date and explained, as though we were furious at the site of relatively attractive naked humans, that it is perfectly legal to be naked in SF, and these men are member of a local nudist colony.
This place is a nice quiet break from the bustle of the noisy adjacent bars, they play decent music and it isn’t too crazy crowded. You might have to ro-​sham-​bow a stranger for the one couch.
Go for the wine menu and cheese plate, schmooze with a nudist, leave with the memory.

Came here last weekend during an epic walk all around San Francisco. Stopped in during the early evening for some wine and cheese. The wine was very good — they seemed to have a pretty decent selection. The cheese plate was huge and a great value for the money– however, the staff was unable to tell us what each cheese was, which sort of was weird.
Also, the cheeses on said plate weren’t that great. Some were excellent but at least three were just not good– it would have been helpful to have known what they were so we don’t make the mistake of ordering them again.

Bored, vacant looks on insincere faces set the tone for the pathetic, almost resentful service that’s to come.
The ownership/​management has changed 3 times in 2 years and as if that’s not bad enough, the same bad servers are still there. Maybe the pretense that they are «owners» is true.
Either way, the food is good, the wine overpriced, the internet free the location convenient and the service is pathetic.
Just another cold, pretentious. emo place with food.

nice, relaxing place to grab a simple yet tasty meal. Great place to bring a book, laptop or just a friend to chat with.
Haven’t done any wine tasting here so don’t know how that is, but for crepes a great place to be.
Service can be hit or miss. Depends on when you’re there.

I won’t say never, but I’m close to saying it. This wine tasting bar was pitiful!
My husband, daughter and I were going to taste at SWIRL, however it was crowded. We had walked past A Bön Port on the way to SWIRL, so decided to try them.
Don’t do it!
It took forever to get 3 beverages. 2 glasses of mediocre wine and the smallest glass of hard cider I had ever seen! The charge came up to $ 30 with tip.
The seating is awkward, the stools are uncomfortable.

Meh to the meh mulitipled.
I stopped in here on Sunday after a book purchase (hello Books Inc!) and had a tea. The workers were all milling about jabbering with each other as opposed to assisting the customers. Not that there were tons of us, but they really couldn’t disguise their annoyance at having to answer my many questions about the crepes, the wine or the seating. Also, I note that they have a glass of Estancia Pinot that is $ 13, the bottle is $ 15 at Safeway, ahem.
I seated myself at a long group table designed to accomodate 10 people, this was nice enough. I read my book and was content to people watch. I observed that while they had a steady stream of people walking in to look around, not very many of them stayed. My perception is that the space is not well thought out. The couch area by the front is very inviting, but the rest of the space is pretty awkward. There are two table at the back by the food preparation area that are just no good. No one would want to sit there.
Anywho, I think they may need to hire someone to consult on the space, perhaps make it bit more inviting. The food looked good, although I didn’t eat any. Perhaps a little more time and work? Bön Chance.

Ce café Franco-​Belge se spécialise aux crêpes et aux gaufres, authentiquement faites dans une atmosphère charmante.
Comme les cafés americains, on trouve la service au comptoir, les accoutrements (sucre, confiturs, eau) sont en libre service, des noms vraiment dingues (ou touristiques) pour les crêpes, et pas de cidre. Mais pour ça, on est récompensé avec des prix très bas.

You know that old Jewish joke?: These 2 woman are on a cruise. One turns to the other & says «The food here is terrible». To which the other one responds, «Yeah, and such small portions!».
A Bön Port is kind of the opposite. The food is pretty delicious & the portions are ginormous. My friend could barely finish half of her endive & cheese salad. It was like they chopped up at least three of those suckers in there & dropped an entire vat of cheese. Their crepes are rather tasty & I enjoy that they come with a nice side salad.
Sit in the window & look out at all the cute boys going by. I hope they don’t have such small portions.

Good crepes, good place to relax with your laptop and a cup of coffee. I like that you can hang out here and relax and not feel rushed.

A completely non-​descript café that attempts to replicate a French café/​bistro with crepes, croque monsieur, etc. I came in just to take a load off my feet and have a pastry.
Pastry (almond cake with raspberry jam topping) was good though small for $ 3.50. It disappeared in 5 minutes.
The interior of this space is just not that comfortable to relax in. First of all, it’s quite stark with few cozy touches (couches here and there). The main place to eat is at the bar or at a huge communal table. The lighting is kept low so even on a sunny day it’s dim in here. But then the spacing of the seats are so far apart from your companions that you feel like you have to talk loudly and have no privacy. The contrast between the dark space and the loud talking, not to mention most other people were sitting there very quietly like they were in their living room, did not make me want to stay very long.
The one endearing thing was that the servers were all French, and like one imagines French women, all smoke outside the café while speaking in French.

I stumbled upon this quiet, quaint oasis amid the hustle and bustle of Castro Street because… well because that is exactly what I was looking for. The interior is calming and inviting with it’s neutral colors, suede couch, and large rustic wooden table. The couch was the perfect place to nuzzle a cup of coffee and enjoy a pain au chocolat (both of which were delightful).
Unfortunately I was not in the mood to have a crêpe or one of the salads, but both were tempting and presented beautifully… but I’ll leave that pleasure till another day.

Pepe Le Pew… that’s what I think of here…
When I was a petit garçon of fifteen, I worked at Andre’s French Fry Château in the world food court at Great America in Santa Clara. It was actually a job I got only because I flopped at my audition to become a singer-​dancer in their variety show. It’s true… ah well, the world lost the next Tom Jones when I was told to get off the stage. Anyhow, at Andre’s, they made me wear a black beret, a striped T-​shirt (with horizontal stripes, mind you) and a red hanky around me neck. I think I even said…“May I hep you?“
No such uniform exists at A Bön Port, yet the latest business to occupy the most jinxed retail space in the Castro. But the main server is French… or at least does a convincing job of appearing that way. I think the intent of the menu is to make you think you’re at a sidewalk café on the Champs Elysses… even though there are no outdoor tables, no chamgane-​ya from the Continental, no old man with a concertina and a trained monkey. Nope, it still looks pretty much like the previous tenant, the very short-​lived Likewise Café.
Crepes and croque monsieurs and madames are the big items here, but I have to admit I went for the $ 5.25 Belgian Waffle to satisfy a peckish feeling of sweets I had. It was soaked in some sort of light syrup already, which I liked simply because you can’t trust me at an IHOP with all those syrup-​pouring containers around. I went for the strawberries on top with four rosettes of whipped cream around the plate. It was tasty and rather decadent.
A French country table and a few vintage travel posters are basically what defines the atmosphere here. Service was uninspired. It was the one guy serving, and another guy who was apparently an employee but not working at the time. Instead, he was on his cell and distracting the server at the same time. Dirty coffee cups and dishes were all over the counter, the only place I could sit since the WiFi-​obsessed laptoppers held court at all the tables indefinitely.
Not sure how long this one will last. It didn’t feel promising to me since there was a discernible lack of energy to the place. Perhaps if they wear uniforms…
FOOD — 3.5 stars… a good Belgian waffle is worthwhile anytime
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… nothing special really, seems targeted to the solitary laptopper
SERVICE — 3 stars… how do you say «lackluster» in French?
TOTAL — 3 stars… the ship may have sailed from this port, mon frere

How did I not know about this place? Could it be all the weird meth dealers who accost me as I leave the Walgreen’s at the corner? Could it be all the cops attending to «quality of life» crimes? Whatever it was, I just never cast my gaze aside long enough to notice that this place was exactly what I was looking for.
And that is? Quality crepes without the hassle. Don’t even try to tell me to go to one of those ridiculous places with the chalkboard that somehow spits crepes out of a printer. And don’t make me go through the fascist gymnastics that Ti-​Couz imposes for its not-​so-​cheap eats. Short of driving to the ‘Loin to get Crepes-​a-​go-​go, this is the best option for legitimately French crepes on the south side of the city.

I was initially inclined to dislike this place, based solely on the fact that their menu is an (almost) exact replica of the one at Crêpe Express, only with slightly higher prices.
I decided to give them a shot anyway, and the first time I ate here, I had the Passy (pesto, brie, and tomatoes) since it’s my favorite at Crêpe Express. I was a little disappointed with it. It had too much brie for my taste, and not enough pesto. I did notice, however, that the crepes are quite large and come with a small green salad, which justifies the price. The second time, I ordered the Saint-​Germain, which has grilled onions, cheddar, and tomatoes and it was awesome. Next time I’ll have to try either the goat cheese quiche or the Belgian waffles with bananas.
The layout of the space is cute, with a few small tables, a bar, one long dining table for larger parties (or to eat cafeteria style with strangers), and some couches. The people who work here are nice, too, which always influences my opinion of businesses for the better.

While some have commented that this may just be another crêpe place, in fact it isn’t just another FAKE crêpe place, but a real creperie. It has reasonable prices, $ 7.50 for more most of the savory crepes. I also like the lack of crap music, you can actually have a conversation in the place.
Their crepes are always perfectly square and grilled to a golden perfection. Their cappucino is perhaps the best in the neighborhood.
Their 100 rating from the health department is also another reason to go there, as are their clean, tidy bathrooms.

I’m so happy this place made its home in my neighborhood (and I pray to the lord you guys stay as this location is notorious for comings and goings). I’ve been several times to join friends for coffee, just because the setting is really quaint and a nice place to relax with friends. I’ve wanted to try the food for awhile.. .and I finally have, and it was good. Very good. I had a savory crêpe with gorgonzola, mushrooms and chicken. And, to broaden the sample, I tried some of my friend’s crêpe, a gorgeous ham, cheese and egg.
Tasted pretty authentically french to me, but what do I know? I ‘m from here. So, don’t take my word for it. But the afformentioned «friend»? French. Before we went in I told him the place was french to which he cursorily dismissed with a «wha in San Francisco.. ?? HA, they’ll have to prove it!» (Oh, and did I mention Xavier is a porn star? Yeah. REALLY. HOT! He works under a different name by the way.)
And, Xavier actually thought it was good, and tasted like the food back home. So there you have it. Take his word for it. (He’s French, and a porn star.. .HOT!!)

This place has a very european feel to it with a variety of european menu items. Calm and chill atmosphere. Friendly staff. The owner has beautiful forearm tattoos that are just immaculate. I hate to stare, but they are just too cool. Inside of A Bön Port the décor is nice and makes you feel relaxed.
Delicious crepes made fresh to order. Nice variety of beverages, last time I went I had a soda in a glass bottle. A nice place to have a coffee and a snack on Castro Street that everyone doesn’t know about. Also a good spot for breakfast. There are people inside, but it’s not crazy crowded. I really like this spot.
It’s easy to miss A Bön Port but if you remember that it is next to Walgreens you will find it.