Sweet Jo’s

All the nice things I had to say about Jo’s don’t matter, because today is the last day they’re in business. I think this spot is cursed…

Okay, I figured it out. This is a nice little café to stop into after an activity at the JCC. The chai latte is really good, and the breakfast pastries taste very homemade… definitely a couple steps above the usual Starbucks fare. In fact, this morning, I may have enjoyed one of the best banana nut muffins I have ever had. It seemed to have crispy banana chips baked into it — yum! They also have a yummy ginger spice cake, if that’s your thing.
Note: No credit cards for orders under $ 10. That is a bummer.

Sweet Jo’s is located in the JCC and if you’re using their gym upstairs then it’s super easy to get to. But coming off the street it’s just strange to walk into the JCC without having to be there. A friend and I with a voucher and we got two large pizzas and some ice cream. Pizza sizes are average and they tasted average. The Eve pizza is made with fresh jalapenos, note the word FRESH. This means seeds baked into the pizza and even if you pick them out your mouth will be burning like crazy. We ended up picking off ALL of the jalapenos and the pizza was still barely edible. I like hot but this is burn your lips off and tear you a new throat hot. The mushroom pizza was ok, it would have been nice if there were more toppings. They used whole roasted garlic cloves so be prepared to scare away other humans for the next few hours.
The ice cream, what a disappointment. The chocolate marshmallow was just plain odd. I got the last scope so I don’t know if that had anything to do with it but I don’t recommend it at all. The other flavors were just eh…
I say save yourself the trip here unless you’re already inside. It’s totally not worth going out of your way. The staff was super friendly though.
Be prepared to watch the Jewish version of Sesame street if you’re sitting in the atrium.

I bought a deal for 2 large pizzas and 3 scoops of ice cream that’s why I came. The staff was nice, got the pizza with jalapenos and chicken sausage I forgot the name of it, it was the last pizza on the menu and WARNING! It was Beyond spicy! If you like Spicy burn your mouth off, eat this. Also got the Mushroom garlic pizza, LOTS of garlic! everything was fresh and good but I didn’t love it just liked it. I saw they had individually dripped coffee and I had to get it! It was amazing, almost as good as Philz. Ice cream how can you go wrong with that? Uhh they kinda did, the strawberry tasted old, no chunks of berries in it and it had ice freeze on it. The Marshmellow chocolate tasted weird like red bean ice cream, yes WEIRD! The best one we had was the chocolate chocolate chip.

Great find in the city. I saw this place on a list of places that are kid friendly. We were on the way to the SF Zoo up from Sactown and we stopped by for a quick bite. I’ve been looking for a good jewish deli for some authentic pastrami sandwiches. I was starving so we (2 daughters and me) went in and had a PB&J sandwich, Reuben and a bowl of beef chili. Oh man was the chili good. And they have some corn bread or some white bread on the side. Dude what a great combo. Next time I’m just getting a huge bowl of the chili. Seriously good chili. The Reuben was just alright. I don’t know if it was the Niman Ranch corned beef or just that it was really lean. Kinda lacking in flavor. The rye was REALLY dry too. They have some baked goods on the side too, so my daughters and I just COULDN’T pass up the scrumptious looking cookies and pastries. We got 3 cookies and a brown rice krispy treat. never had a rice krispy treat with brown rice. It was actually surprisingly good. Prices are reasonable. I don’t expect anything in the city to be less than $ 8/​person. So it was decently priced.
Parking’s a little odd here though. When I pulled into the driveway to go into the garage, this guy in a black suit stops me looks in my car and gives me the ok to go in. I guess it’s because it’s a Jewish Community Center? Anyways, don’t let that guy spook you, but give it a whirl

After I work out at the JCC I swing by Sweet Jo’s for a drink and sometimes a snack. I usually get green tea, but sometimes coffee and the coffee here is really good. They do single cup drip coffee so it takes a little longer, but the wait is worth it.
There are some seats and all sorts of breakfast and lunch eats so you could get stuff for there, but I usually grab and go and run out the door to catch a bus to work. However, I would recommend it more for meeting with friends than doing work or having business meetings because it can get kind of rowdy (loud) right in the front of the building. Those tall ceilings are gorgeous, but echo-​y.

If the fate of the world was contingent on these assholes being able to make a bagel and cream cheese and a smoothie for the one customer in their café, we would all be dead.

I’m glad they don’t read minds at the Jewish Community Center. If they did, my usual train of blasphemous thoughts probably would have gotten me kicked out. Fortunately they don’t, and I was able to indulge in the house specialty tofu chili.
Were I a believer, I would have said «God damn that’s good».

Man, I would have loved to like this place.
I ordered the mushroom bread pudding. First they delivered it to someone else, and upon realizing their mistake, told me they had run out. I was about to order something else, but then they «found» another bread pudding. It was frozen inside, so I took it back up to them. They microwaved it, and brought it back out, and after a few bites I realized they had brought the sausage one instead of the mushroom. When I pointed out their mistake, the cashier LAUGHED. Hey, guess what, asshole. Vegetarians don’t think it’s funny being tricked into eating meat.

sweet jo’s is located within the jewish community center. there’s signage on the outside of the building so finding jo’s isn’t a problem once you find a parking space.
menu: smoothies, ice cream, coffee, froyo, …
froyo availabllity:
–blood orange: just a hint of orange but overall creamy
–vanilla tart: kind of sweet and a little tart, base made from straus organic yogurt.
pricing:
kid (2.45) s (3.45) m (4.40) (L)5.25 toppings (.90) saw 10 plastic cups of cookies, candies and chocolates. fruit toppings in referigerator out of sight.
frodrips:
–froyo created by lucky dawg, their homegrown brand
–cafeteria behind the stand selling paninis, burritos,…
–froyo no aftertaste, creamy, organic. nice but toppings are a very limited option. ok if there. no need to make special trip. fraiche’s (fillmore) is easier to get to.

Nothing like working your butt off at the gym upstairs, ripping into the shower, leaving with a sense of pride and accomplishment after burning hundreds of calories on the elliptical trainer… only to be faced with a room emanating delicious smells of baked cinnamon rolls, New York style slices of pizza, cakes, black and white cookies, ice cream, breakfast burritos, and more! Seriously, this café is in the entryway of the Jewish Community Center, and it’s almost like Sweet Jo herself is looking you straight in the eyes, challenging your willpower with the devious tactics of a Greek Siren.
Somehow, I’ve managed to avoid her advances, but I can’t say I haven’t given in for a few small bites. Yesterday, they had a nice sample spread of some of the above-​mentioned items (cinnamon rolls, various pastries, spinach omelette and a few others), and I gladly tried one of each, which will invariably result in me giving in and packing on an entire day’s worth of calories in one sitting in the not-​so-​distant future. I guess you gotta splurge sometimes, right?
They have an amazing cup of coffee that won’t immediately damage my weight loss efforts, so I guess that’s cool. They do it up Blue Bottle style, with every cup brewed right in front of your fizzzzz-​ace. Easily one of the better cups o’ Joe I’ve had this year (all 20 days of it).

Finally. A vendor at the JCC who knows what time it is. I don’t have to run to Laurel Village or deal with Ellas for lunch anymore.
They have everything from pannini style sandwiches, soups, pizza, burritos, to traditional entrees. They have a great salad and hot bar if you are in a rush but I would go with the menu ordered stuff as they both tend to be a little expensive. If anything, it will make you watch your portions and there is nothing wrong with that. Sweet-Jo’s also has a frozen yogurt bar, a full coffee/​tea menu, and fresh fruit.
The baked goods are like crack. Bread pudding, pecan rolls, cookies, flourless choc cake, scones and a ton more. I like to think of it like this. If they get members fat, they come to me to loose weight. If people want to eat with no guilt they will come to me to get in shape. Win win. If I knew they had the cake sooner, I would of easily hired them to make my wedding cake.
I’ve trained folks here for about 5 – 6 years and I’ve seen about 3 businesses come and go. If they are smart they will do everything in their power to keep these folks here.
go.

VERY EXPENSIVE! Though their ice cream was good, it still does not match Bi-​Rite. (Plus, Bi-​Rite is far cheaper in cost). The ice cream at SweetJo’s is no better than the organic ingredients that Bi-​Rite uses. I did not see the large queues at Sweet Jo’s as I do see for the B’-Rite Creamery on 18^th Street.
Six dollars plus for ice cream? It should be served in a solid gold cup! This is why I have given it such a low rating, too expensive for what they offer. If you enjoy good ice cream, then I recommend Bi-​Rite on 18^th and Dolores, much better — and cheaper in price as well. Sweet Jo’s though good in my most humbe opinion does not hold a candle to Bi-​Rite which in my opinion is the absolute tops in San Francisco. Don’t throw your precious money away to SweetJo’s.(…And no, I don’t work for Bi-​Rite. This is my honest opinion).

The coffee is out of this world — customized to perk-​fection, always friendly and fun staff make the morning a little more bearable.
I’m here for breakfast and lunch most days… the fall season has brought in the Apple Spice Cake which is to die for and is rather tasty with a cup of «Jo» as well as the bagels and cream cheese.
My favorite midday snacks are the Ranger Cookie (chocolate chip with corn flakes, oats and the best home made molasses flavor) and the butter cookies of all shapes and sizes are scrumptious.
The Chili is a great filling and warming lunch, with mounds of cheese a dollop of sour cream and the best corn bread around.
Not only is the food super tasty, it’s fresh, very well thought out and super convenient.
There’s plenty of seating, both in and outside. Take out and eat in service available. My only gripe is that there’s a $ 10 min. for cards, so I end up spending a little more on my meals than I usually intend… but it’s always worth it. (They also have an ATM in the JCC)

Things I love about Sweet Jo’s…
the cornbread (it’s really moist and delish), the pastries (especially the ranger cookies), the vegetarian chili, the salad bar (great variety and homemade basil dressing), the really friendly people, the free wifi (although that’s really the JCC’s), the pizza (the dough is to die for) and the compostable flatware and cups.
Things I wish were different so I could give it five stars…
it’s kinda expensive… if the prices were a bit more reasonable, i’d totally give this place 5 stars. also, i got frozen yogurt one time, and just before i picked up my cup, the owner walked behind the counter, snatched the cup while my hand was literally an inch away, put the cup on a scale, and then scolded the cashier kid that «this is WAY too much». it was a little weird that it all happened in front of me…

If you ever feel like going to that restaurant Beautifull on Laurel and California, resist the urge, and come here instead!
This place is fantastic. It looks kind of inocuous, like one of those juice bars attached to a gym, but it’s a real restaurant with delicious morsels everywhere.
They have this hot and cold food bar which is phenomenal. Doesn’t look much different than, say, beautifull, but there is one huge difference: everything at this bar is delicious. There’s this butternut squash/​sage thing, real mashed potatoes, all these awesome meat dishes, fresh salad ingredients. The sandwiches are great, the pizza is great, the yogurt is phenomenal (it tastes like that real greek yogurt, not ice cream… try it; you’ll love it!).
The bonus is that there are also pasteries at the bar, and every single one of them is mouthwateringly delectable, and less expensive than most places in Laurel Village. Their sugar cookies are to die for (I only know that because I’m in my second trimester, and have taken to eating everything sweet I can get my hands on).
It’s stroller city at Laurel village, which can be annoying, but not if you have kids like I do. There are great kids foods at Sweet Jo’s (mac and cheese, pb&j, etc), and everyone is casual and friendly.
What else. These guys have a great recycling policy, everything is wholesome and fresh (organic? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised). No pretention, though. It’s just this way because it’s better this way.
Plus, I just found out today, that there’s free wi-​fi in the restaurant!
It just gets better and better…
I can’t stop raving about this place, and I haven’t even met Joanna, or had a meetinghouse bisquit (it’s on my to do list for tomorrow.)! Like I said, don’t be fooled by the casual ambiance; you’re about to have a delicious meal.

Still getting their footing, but they do very good espresso drinks and have some great morning snack items. We also used them for a take-​out lunch and the chef was quite accommodating and helpful. A few more visits and I may have to up the star count.

We like it! Now I have ice cream within walking distance.
AND we have a place to eat if there’s a wait at Ella’s and we don’t want to walk all the way back to Magic Flute or even Eats in Inner Richmond.
Great ice cream made in-​house (toffee!), and the vegie chili with tofu was so spicy and addicting. Their pizzas are all Jewish names. Haha. They make their stuff in-​house. I don’t know if it’s all kosher.
I will be here more often now. The last time I was here was late 2008. But now it’s all different and inviting and open, will be here more often.
Good thing you don’t have to be a member to eat here. Though we live around here, I am not ready to spend $ 180 on membership yet AND pay $ 98/​month for gym membership at the JCC. AND pay extra for each class you want to take. Maybe when the kid is older we will join. But for now, the Dayenu store and this café will serve its purpose for us just fine.

One star off because of the layout … worse than Tartine, which didn’t seem possible.
However, the fudge brownie is AMAZING. It is probably the best in SF, rich, moist, buttery and definitely fudgy. There were two other brownies, walnut and caramel.
The prices are great also, Only 75 cents for the buttery chocolate chip cookie that was nicely studded with chips and had a nice touch of vanilla.
The only item that was only OK was the mini coconut cupcake. I’d try a different one next time. One person on line said the rugelah are supposed to be great.
The only things not made in-​house are the bagels which are from House of Bagels.
The frozen yogurt is very tangy. I didn’t like the chocolate though because I didn’t like the combo of chocolate and tangy. Vanilla might be better.
The ice cream is mainly classic flavors. There are about ten. I had a taste of the vanilla which was dense and eggy. There are some sauces available such as Meetinghouse chocolate fudge and about a dozen toppings.
Beer and wine isn’t available yet. The half dozen entrees available after four pm are still pending.
Breakfast items in addition to the Meetinghouse biscuits include breakfast bread puddings, blintze and a breakfast sandwich.
There are a half dozen cold sandwiches, some hot sandwiches such as a Reuben, the pressed sandwiches and snacks which include deviled eggs with chipotle, chicken wings and chopped chicken livers.

I’m upgrading to a 3 because I think they’ve started to get it down. They still have a very long way to go, but things seemed less chaotic (even at 12:15pm), and the staff are definitely doing a better job.
And the Meetinghouse biscuits are really yummy. :)