Curly’s Coffee Shop

Very busy place but good, home made food at a very reasonable price. Cafeteria atmosphere, nothing spectacular. Easily comparative to a busy student union. Not too surprised it closed.

For days the windows have been covered with newspapers and no sign of Life.

omg ramen within walking distance! I got the Miso Tonkatsu ramen, and it was so good. The broth was solid, scallions were crunchy, egg was right on, and the pork was crispy :) Perfect for a rainy, breezy SF day.
Price: less than $ 9
Service: really attentive
Vibe: pretty chill and quiet
Too bad dinner is not served– but at least I know where to get my ramen for lunch!

Ramen, in North Beach!?! Who would have thunk? (and in case you’re wondering, it’s actually owned by Japanese ppl)
Yes, friends, there is a ramen spot in the heart of North Beach (of all places). I’ve been hear a handful of times, mostly for their ramen, but have also tried their bento box.
I had to give this a 4 because they don’t allow you to give 3.5 stars and I could not give it the same rating as Katana-​ya (they actually make their broth here, as in they boil pork bones to produce the stock used for the broth). Also, they have TWO MENUs here: an American menu with traditional breakfast/​brunch/​lunch stuff AND a Japanese menu with things like bento boxes, udon, tempura, etc.
Lowdown on the ramen:
— portion size is average (however, not crazy supersized American portions)
— tasty broth (a bit fatty, too)
— get shio (salt based) broth. This is best for tonkotsu style broth
— legit ramen noodles
— they grill the char siu (pork slices) before putting it in, so it is crispy on the edges and has a nice grilled flavor
— all the normal garnishes like soft boiled egg, bamboo shoots, wakame (seaweed), etc

Breakfast food! I love breakfast food. It’s pretty hard to mess up breakfast food, so I’m a fan.
I ordered a combo and it was good. Hash brown, sausages, toast, and eggs — I was sold. The eggs were’t soggy, so that is always a good sign. The service is great.
I have yet to try Mama’s but if you’re in the area looking for some breakfast food, this is defs an option I would recommend. =)

After going to North Beach with the hubby, thinking I was going to eat at Mama’s — came out disapppointed that they were closed.
We were walking around and there were a lot of coffee shops, but I wanted real food!
We went to Curly’s and had a meal each under $ 10. Corned beef hash, hashbrowns, over easy eggs, toast, and coffee.
Seems reasonable… decent tasting — clean place… can’t complain, but nothing extraordinary… just a regular mom and pop looking hole in the wall that serves regular breakfast.
The lunch time menu has regular diner fare as well as a few asian items on their menu like ramen and udon, etc.

The mediocre food is not at all worth the rudeness of the waitress. Our food took forever (at least 45 minutes, if not more).
When I called the next day to ask if she had seen my dad’s wallet that was lost, everyone was beyond rude and unhelpful. The waitress who had helped us got really defensive and started repeatedly saying, «I didn’t see anything!» When I asked if we could just come by to check, she said, «I don’t care.»
NEVER going back there again.

I really enjoyed my teriyaki chicken lunch plate. Quality of the chicken was excellent and freshly done. Nice little salad and miso soup. Came with orange slice. Nothing fancy, but done well. I hadn’t been here since before Unilocal’s existence and it was for breakfast. It’s a hidden location so perfect for avoiding the weekend brunch crowds and the inside is a lot classier than I recall it was some 10 years ago. I can’t comment on their non-​asian foods, but the stardard breakfast items look nice and sitting at the counter, I could tell Curly and his other chefs were taking pride and care in the preparation of the dishes. $ 10 with tax tip, no drink. Good toothpicks. Nice TVs to check out the game if one is on.

I’m surprised I’ve never heard of this place since it appears to have been in business just for me. It’s a greasy spoon with a Japanese-​American twang, but then again, I hardly ever walk up Powell from North Beach. Curly’s serves dishes like chicken teriyaki, udon and donburi bowls, and miso soup alongside corned beef hash and jalapeño omelettes. The place has been run by a Japanese couple for over three decades, so I guess they know what they’re doing.
Jamie W. and I came upon it simply because we saw the goofy Iron Chef signboard that looks to be using Mrs. Curly as the model. They close early, around 3PM, and all we were in the mood for was a plate of fries to share and a Diet Coke. They obliged fifteen minutes before they closed with a $ 2.50 plate of Krinkle fries, all hot and crispy from the microwave, I imagine (see photo). Don’t get me wrong… they hit the spot for the both of us. It did make us consider coming back and trying one of their real breakfasts with steamed rice on the side like my mama done made me.
FOOD — 3 stars… the Ore-​Ida krinkle fries worked
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… standard coffee shop set-​up
SERVICE — 3 stars… quiet, very quiet
TOTAL — 3 stars… inoffensive diner fare and a family-​run operation… what’s not to like?

For us locals — -finding a place for breakfast can be a daunting task. While we love the tourists and the revenue they bring to the city — the crowds can sometimes be frustrating.
So — where to go for breakfast? La Boulange is great but always packed. Here’s an idea — stand outside for 30 minutes at Mamas – place your order then get seated «insanity»
Walk a block to Powell and get right into this little hidden gem. Its not fancy — -but the food is solid and the service is offered with a smile.
A solid four stars — — –you go Curly !!!

This food isn’t bad but it also… isn’t good.
Why are the eggs from the eggs benedict so perfectly round? They are suspect. They are round in the same way cranberry sauce flops right out of a can, still maintaining perfect can-​form. Gross.

We were going to go to another breakfast place around the corner but the line was so long… so our cab driver suggested here. WOW, it was so good. Little mom and pops type place but the food is amazing for a good price. My boyfriend had this cheeseburger omelette… wow it was tasty.
If you’e standing in line at Mama’s just head here for breakfast.

I’m a fan because this is a good neighborhood breakfast joint. The food isn’t bad and the place looked freshly remodeled. Our waiter was really attentive, even when it got pretty busy. The corned beef hash is great, like everyone else said. Also ordered the spinach scramble and it was good. Although we didn’t order it, rice is actually offered as a side in addition to the regular hash browns or home fries. Pretty cool.
This place is nothing special and there are definitely better breakfast places around the city, but Curly’s is quick, reliable, and reasonably priced.

Breakfast diner by day, ramen shop at night (run by real Japanese) It’s the economy. It’s like Nick’s Tacos — a taqueria where you order over the bar during the day, a velvet lounge lizard hangout at night.
Wish there were more bizarre combo restaurants.

3.5 stars
I’m guessing Curly’s will go through its transition soon… guessing it’ll be named MikiTei Restaurant soon. Why? They are now open for dinner from 5 – 10:30pm with authentic Japanese fare. Another hint, there is a one page paper menu with the MikiTei restaurant listing their ramen and sushi selection.
The décor is definitely not coffee shop — the dark stained wood floor is rich with nice lighting, dark wood tables and a clean open kitchen.
The menu starts with Appetizers/​Small dishes from your standard gyoza, agedashi… to all kind of teriyaki (chicken, shrimp, scallop…), grilled chicken wings, fried chicken wings w/​teriyaki sauce, fried octopus… The next page is of ramen selection with a choice of chicken or tonkatsu broth and additional toppings. Third page is of yakitori and fried rice and the last page has sushi and sashimi.
We had:
the salted grilled chicken gizzards — $ 2 — a skewer w/​6 small pieces. It was flavorful and chewy.
the fried smelt — $ 5 — came with three pieces, one was wrapped in this green leaf (hubby thinks it’s lettuce?), one was wrapped in seaweed and one was plain. All 3 were great, it was lightly batterd and the tempura sauce was to died for… so flavorful and I love the grated radishes, it just adds so much to the taste and texture.
I had the tonkatsu spicy miso ramen — $ 9 — it was likely the smallest bowl of ramen I’ve had… the soup was thick and perfectly fatty and the ramen was cooked just right.
Hubby had the beef teriyaki — $ 12 — small portion but it was tender and tasty.
They do not serve alcohol, as least not yet… it’ll be great when they can serve sake or beer w/​the yakitori. Tea is extra and it’s not Japanese tea.
Service was ok. Food takes a while to be served… so this may not be the place if you are in a hurry.

They ruined it with the new décor. No longer warm and friendly. In fact, it seems mgmt forbids the staff from taking coffee around to warm up your cup unless customers ask for it. Lame.
The food was never great here, but the service and the nice atmo kept me coming back. Time to break old habits.

If there is a line out the door for brunch everywhere else in North Beach, you can always count on Curly’s to seat you quickly.
Curly’s a nice family-​run breakfast diner in the neighborhood that offers decent breakfasts. I had the 2−2−2 special (
) recently (2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon or sausage, and 2 french toasts or pancakes) and my friend had the mini breakfast. While there is nothing extraordinary about the food, it was still a satisfying brunch nonetheless. They also have Japanese dishes and the Katsu Don here is actually really good too if you want an alternative to eggs.
I think the stars here are the servers — ever-​smiley, polite, and patient. Even with the most drunk diners (this dude broke his glass and fell off his chair 10 minutes later), they never lose their cool. True champs!
While it doesn’t have the reputation of Mama’s, Curly’s has family. From what I presume to be the memory of Curly in the form of his photograph sitting on the counter to the warm «mom-​like» service, it just feels like breakfast at home here.
* PS: I saw they were going to be closed for a re-​model for something like 2 weeks. I would be curious to see if they manage to keep the homey feel to the diner.

Five words; NASTY HAIR IN MY FOOT! I ordered a breakfast sandwich to go, got back to my house, and there was not just one or two… there was 5 hairs in the sandwich. Now I was thinking that one of the chefs was having a complication with a manager or owner and wanted to turn away customers, but the hairs were there… and they were effing gross.
To their credit, I’ve eaten sporadically at Curly’s for two years and never had this happen, but there was so much hair that I will never order from there again.

I loved this place. We happened to be wandering around the city and found ourselves in North Beach when we decided it was definitely time to eat. After New Years Eve and the following day’s partying/​adventures Curly’s definitely hit the spot on Saturday morning.
I ordered the mini breakfast which was perfect. Eggs, toast, hashbrowns, and bacon. I’m pretty sure my individual total was under $ 8 too which you definitely can’t beat. The company I was with all enjoyed their breakfasts as well, the service was exactly what I expected. She didn’t really bother us too much and when we needed something she brought it to us. We didn’t wait long for our food to come out and to be honest there weren’t too many people there.
I would definitely return to Curly’s even if just for another quick and easy breakfast.

I’m not a negative person, so i’m not going to knock this place. Suffice it to say I came back a little less hungover, and realized that I had forsaken my true mecca of breakfast.
Curly’s, you’re good, but there’s a few kinks you need to work out before you can truly have the north beach crown.