illy Caffè

Service is great; food is ok but also expensive) but this is a café and not Gary Denko. Atmosphere works for me. Location is great and always pretty girls. Nuff said.

Cute café in Cow Hollow. Quickly becoming my go-​to place to get some work done and escape from the crowds in Peet’s/Starbuck’s located a few blocks away.
Coffee is unsurprisingly delicious and strong. Love illy blends.
They also offer a good variety of food options, including salads, panninis, and baked goods.
Good number of seating options. Never super crowded.

This is my new favorite spot for a coffee and place to do a little work or read. They have a ton of tables and work space, and you can always find a spot especially if you come before 9am. illy coffee is always consistently good and this place is no different.
The caffe is attached to the Equinox, which can make it easy to pass by.

A café.
Only, it’s a posh café.
I felt compelled to be very quiet. Which is a feeling I’m accustomed to having at church, not at the café. But I guess that’s what it is; this is a specialty café by a world class coffee company. It’s not a neighborhood café where everyone knows each other, or a coffeehouse that hosts live poetry readings.
It’s not that it’s pristine in here or anything. It’s just… stylish.
The coffee, of course, is first rate. Illy has long been one of the best espressos or cups of joe in town. And since it’s no longer like the old days (unfortunately), when illy coffee was served in cafes & restaurants all over the city, SF really needed this.
I wish they had more nibbles to choose from, though. Coffee culture dictates staying awhile, which dictates inevitable hunger. Just look at all the edible offerings there are available now at that huge coffee conglomerate whose name I won’t mention.
Build it, & they will come.
4 stars.

I like the space. Prices a bit high. Staff is friendly. But just one thing. Early in the morning, can the music be more chill? I mean consistently? I’m pretty sure you’re using Pandora, but Sunday morning 7am house music?

Tried calling 100 times while you were open and no one ever picked up. I left my coat there and was hoping to get it back.

The coffee is rich and very flavorful. I’ve always loved the smell and the taste — getting here freshly brewed is a must. A busy place and getting a shareable table with people you dont know was a good experience. Food and pastries are delicious!

This place has a very modern yet welcoming décor. The service is friendly and the salads, pastries and sandwiches looked divine, but I had a work appointment a few streets up and just needed coffee. They don’t do drip coffee but they did have espresso. I have done espresso a few times at Starbucks and was very underwhelmed with the flavor. This place made me a believer as it had a robust flavor but also a sweet finish. I really liked it and would definitely get again.

Beware!!! Went in to illy café aound 9:02 am one customer sitting in the back of illy caffee. A young man waited on me. He seemed like he was new. The young man warmed up my sandwich and he helped another customer while my other paid item was being warmed. I was still waiting patiently for my paid cinnamon roll the young man turned to help another walked in customer after me. While I was still waiting patiently for the rest of my food. I observed the new guy in and out of the dirty money register draw at the same time serving food he didn’t even wash his hands. YUK! Which I felt in my mind that was unsanitary. He finally handed me my cinnamon roll after serving the second CUSTOMERS (AGAIN he was in and out of the register). I finally gave my friend her cinnamon roll which was supposed to be warmed and it was the wrong cinnamon roll and it was cold after waiting so long. I bought the ciinnamon roll for one of my coworkers she said it was too cold. Wow! I had to come back the second time which took me a 2 mins turn around back to illy caffee. I felt The reason why the roll was too cold Shelby was up front gossiping with another young lady from a different store from illys. Which she should have been helping the young man which he was overwhelmed with incoming customers. They were talking so loud you couldn’t help but listen to their conversation which was negative and unprofessional while I was waiting for the rest of my paid food. While The new guy was trying to help all the customers by himself. He accidentally gave me the wr ong cinnamon roll. Which I ask for frosted cinnamon roll not sprinkle. I was the outsider watching the hole scene with illy co– workers. I still tipped the new guy because I felt sorry for him. I felt his team coworkers need to be a team players. Stop what they’re doing and help the customers not be busy gossiping behind the counter. They should have been helping young guy was trying to do the best he can by himself with out complaining. From what I was analyzing Shelby was too busy gossiping with another co-​worker about something that happened on the job. Which sounded so elementary to me I just wanted my food so I can go. I addressed my concerned about how cold the roll was after I asked for the roll to be warmed and the coffee tasted like it was two days old. Coffee was not fresh at all. My experience working at the food and coffee restaurant business for approximately 28 years I can tell fresh coffee a mile away. Shelby serve me not fresh coffee after quietly bring it to her attention. Shelby was very unhappy and very rude towards me as to say how dare you complain. She has the audacity to say to me out loud in front of a few people. I am NOT switching anything else for you again. Now remember… I am the customer being nice trying to expresses to her quietly food was cold and the coffee wasnt good. No one heard me because I did not want people to know that the coffee wasn’t fresh and I was watching out for the business so no one can hear me complaining. The young lady Shelby burst out rude comments where everybody can hear. Whatever happened to excellent customer service? I sure didn’t get it at illy Caffee from Shelby. I thought I was on candid camera the way Shelby talked down and loud towards me. She try to insult my character in front of people. Which I was devastated and appalled about her horrible behavior. A customer sitting in the back said to me boy she was very unprofessional. I didn’t want to comment and respond to the nice customer because I didn’t know what to say. I hurry up and got the hell up out of there with my exchanged coffee. Remember I paid for everything nothing was free. The first coffee she handed me was old brewed coffee that smell old and and it had coffee grins at the bottom of my cup like it was 2 days old. When addressing it to Shelby. She made it seem like it was a big problem for me to express the truth about how the coffee tasted 2 days old with coffee grins and my cinnamon roll was too cold. She rolled her eyes up and made a rude outbursts comment towards me. She jump from Miss heckle to Mrs Hyde I will never go
Back to illy Caffee on Union St again. I will be telling my business colleagues and friends about how I was treated

I couldn’t be happier that Illy has opened. I have been enjoying the coffee and food here since they opened. The staff is amazing and remembers their customers names. Walking in here makes you feel like it’s your local Cheers. You always leave feeling a bit happier. Give them a try. It’s worth it.

We were so glad when we found this place. For non Americans touring the United States, it’s hard to find coffee to our liking, but this place has the stuff– great espresso and cappuccino, well rounded, moderate roast, bitter-​sweet and without the acidity which characterizes most of the high end espressos in the US.
On top of that, the staff is great. A small confusion about our breakfast croissants (which were great, and not pricey) lead to many apologies (and complimentary coffees and dessert). Plus, this is only the second morning we came in here, and the guy at the counter already recognized us and was very welcoming.
All in all– great coffee, great service. Highly recommended.

«Don’t resist the lemon tart. Just don’t.»
The man tried. He was there with his daughter and even she was nodding her head in agreement.
Sigh.
ALL the little sugar creations and pastries are a dessert lover’s dream. The glass circular display case make everything look so enticing. I stuck with a yogurt parfait (because dinner was gonna be a belly buster!) and it had fresh fruit with crunchy granola in it for only $ 5.
The signature silver cans with the Illy logo holds precious coffee magic that only Italians can perfect. Even a non-​coffee expert like me is assured that quality is present in every cup.
Don’t banish me to the gates of hell because I ordered a decaf iced Americano. It was bold and made for delicious slurping through the straw with a splash of half and half and some simple syrup.
I like the splashy décor with bold red wall colors of this Union st. outpost. The coffee cup inspired chandelier is eye catchy as well. Wifi signal was a bit spotty, but I was too busy checking out all the Marina hotties going to the gym next door ;) needless to say, pick a spot by the window and enjoy your cup of joe.

I used to come here a lot while I was job searching — I love the atmosphere. Plus the wifi was pretty fast — which is always a bonus! They have a bunch of tables but also have couches as well for working. There’s also a teacup chandelier which is super cute! If you’re looking for a café to work out of or a place to grab a cup of coffee on Union I would check this place out!

This place get´s a 5 start from me because of the people working here. I mean the coffee is great, it´s good, contrary to the normal US coffee. The service is super. People sit her all day working and some of them buy very little, only a cup of coffee so I would be a little mad if I worked here but they are not. Hope to be back soon.

monday morning and i hated the world. i walked into illy caffe and was immediately warmly greeted by the incredible barista, jam i believe is his name? he knows just how i like it in the morning. the egg sammy is delicious and the service is quick. i honestly hate union street but illy caffe trumps starbux any day. thats my spot!!!
PS no jam no sam

Great coffee, food is good, service is sometimes slow or not great.
Love getting there for a coffee.

Very nice interior, clean and comfy seating! Plus the staff is really friendly. I am glad I found this spot

Great working café, the staff are amazing, love the coffee. I was tempted to rate this lower just to make sure it doesn’t get any more crowded!

So glad I walked into this place. I love it!
1. Staffs are extremely friendly
2. Nice environment, tables with comfy seats and couches.
3. I got a small iced coffee and it had free refills
4. Food is reasonably priced. I got a vegan Italian Farro salad and it was $ 7.
5. Easy to find street parking on a Saturday afternoon.
Overall I just love this place! I would totally come back when I’m in this area again!

Cool spot. Was offered a cup of coffee while I waited for my Caprese Salad. Your the best Cecilia!

This place has a great atmosphere! The staff is fun and talkative and very helpful when it comes to food and drink selections. I enjoy the sound of laughter and fun coming from the staff, makes me feel like this must be a good place to work and a nice place to hangout and sip on some coffee. I’ve been here twice and ordered the vanilla latte both times, I enjoyed it that much. This location is big enough for multiple people to hangout and bring their computers which is what I see when looking around. The only downfall is I feel the food and pre-​made salads are a bit overpriced.

Honestly 3.5 would be a fair score for a place like this. First lets go over the pros. The place makes really great coffee, which would be a solid start to a coffee shop. The ambiance is very upscale, and as the Unilocal would say «trendy». They have a very cool chandelier made of Illy cappuccino cups that will surely be instagram famous soon. For food, I tried the tiramisu and the salmon bite. The tiramisu was very coffee based, which is not how I like it, but I can appreciate it from a coffee shop. The salmon bite had a slice of salmon lox on a slider, and was very fresh. The service was also excellent, the cashier was extremely friendly and walked around the store with me when I had a question about their capsules. My only real con with this place was the prices… the bite size slider was $ 5… but I guess you can expect that here.

Running around.
Was running out of time and needed breakfast. Thanks to a very friendly and efficient staff was soon running out of this beautiful new location of Illy with a parfait.
Featured Straus’ delicious new Blueberry-​Pomegranate yogurt (
), light and crispy granola but also an underwhelming amount of fruit. Reasonable $ 3.50.
Breakfast ran three stars.

Time: 4:17pm/60°F cloudy
Purpose: In the marina area for probable client account pick up. After brief talk no promise of anything from either side. I just wanted to get hit with caffeine jolt. Check listing of area for new and happening. Illy pop up so I’m a block away anyways. Why not give it a try?
Ambiance: Located right next door to Equinox gym in the marina district on Union street. Average size café with vibrant vibes. Place is all about plush, chrome, mirrors, and glass. Window counter seating sits four, most stools are round backless suede. Large round table sits 5 – 6, one communal sits six, cushion bench style end to end, small lounge area with armchairs and Illy’s plush pillow, 4 – 5 smaller round tables front to back, water dispenser/​utensil stand, couple of poinsettia pots place here and there for holidays. String floating cups/​saucer takes center stage display as the thing to look at here. L-​shape counter with two touch screen systems, pastry display case, small slit showing of cups/​saucer, tip jar, package cookies/​snacks. Behind counter Cimbali XP1 3 chamber extractor espresso machine, two Waring panini press grill, toaster oven, extra sleeves of to go cups.
Staff: Worker around early 30s a bit on the pretentious friendly end. I dealt with a friendlier guy but, next register has another guy who seems piss off at something. Pressing the touch screen with disgust and irrate attitude. Not sure why? Maybe he wanted to leave earlier or off day after Christmas.
Cleanliness: Grade A, impeccable. Clean enough for a business that open for a mere two weeks in the making. However, during the afternoons sugar packets and wooden stirrers can been seen on table tops. This was the occasion left untouched when I came in and when I left. With 3 – 4 workers you might think someone is gonna do a wipe down soon, not.
Eats/​Drinks: Espresso shot single $ 2.50 and biscotti $.85¢. The shot of espresso was pretty good. One way to tell without tasting for me is to wiggle cup. The wall of cup must stick with consistency usually means experience barista. In this case, I was suprise! It had all the makings of a good espresso shot. Best of all, I only added half pack of sugar. At most places, I empty the whole packet into. Biscotti was just average nothing worth talking about. In the past I’ve experience cookie breaking off on first dunk in comes in contact with hot drinks. I didn’t do that this time around instead just taking small bites and sipping.
Products/​Services: Illy drip coffee, espresso, macchiato, cappuccino, latte, mocah, café au lait, affogato, Italian soda, limonata, hot chocolate, tea, salads, panini, pastries/​danishes, sandwiches, tiramisu, bombolonis. Illy’s own coffee cup collection, coffee machines, grinders, coffee pods, filters, whole beans, supplies, gift ideas.
Punch Lines: Modern, clean, lively atmosphere, always buzzing, better than your average, hip and happening, pleasing flavors, pricey, laid back, warm and elegant, light bites, zippy service, hip crowd, loud and busy, can’t go wrong here, worth the wait, crowd pleasing, engaging, inventive, satisfactory, tourist favorite, young professionals. Street parking, Wi-​Fi, bike rack, gym, boutique, banks/​ATM, salons, cellphone carriers, cafes/​restaurants.
Tradeoffs: Although you may have another favorite café but, with kitschy décor. You may want to bring out of town guest if you want to impress them. May not get the personable staff here but, the warmth may make up for it.
Final Thoughts: I’m not sure about places like these were it feels like the mermaid brand. I mean it just feels like that type of place with another brand of coffee thrown in. These corporate own/​operated just don’t appeal to me as much as locally owned places. Think of it as a place to show up and collect a check. Don’t give a hoot about what’s important vs a place that knows your name upon entering and even have a cup ready with your name written on it. Don’t feel like they care about you here. Come if you like people watching or want to been seen like movie star, VIP because of the area but, remember when you leave your average joe. Let’s not get too carry away.

This is not an Espressamente, despite every journalist who has mistakenly called it that. Distinct from the Illy chain of coffee bars known as Espressamente, this Illy Caffè is more of a café — with a greater emphasis on a richer menu of food items and a slightly more full-​service experience.
That said, it is still the product of Joe Girdock of Prima Cosa, which operates the two Espressamente shops in SF. It shares space with Equinox in the former Metro theater.
The coffee quality of illy’s U.S. cafés still haven’t lived up to their standards in Europe, but they’ve gotten better. The food here is also better than anything you could get an Espressamente: frissee salads, special panini, the illy-​Misu housemade tiramisu, and unusual coffee offerings such as the jasmine vanilla or lavender botanical lattes. All of it pretty good.
The quality is pretty solid, the environment is well-​decorated with artful touches (including the amazing illy designer cup «chandelier» (made with some numbered, collectors edition versions). But as such, it’s still a café — we’re not talking Gary Danko here where Unilocalers hand out five star ratings like candy on Halloween.
Recommended.