The View Cafe

For the three years that I’ve ordered The View catering for my 200+ person events, I’ve consistently gotten courteous, accommodating service and exceptional food. I and the attendees (who often comment), always appreciate the wide selection and freshness, esp. of fruits and veg. Like my fellow rave reviewers here, I am thankful for the well trained staff, the professional yet flexible service and the wide selection of tasty offerings.

I didn’t realize the café is INSIDE a UCSF building. However, the security officer was nice enough to understand we just came for the café, and just told us to sign in on the sign-​in sheet.
Prices are fair, the food is pretty good — it’s basically like eating home-​food, nothing fancy. The seats are a little uncomfortable, but it’s understandable considering this is a café in a school.
Paid for parking in their lot, wasn’t too expensive. I was starved after running an errand at a nearby Embassy, so I didn’t want to go far. However, I wouldn’t necessarily come back here unless I started working at UCSF.

The food is good here. Besides your normal sandwiches for lunch, which are cheap and good, they have different specials each day. From Won Ton soup to chicken, it is good and fairly priced. Breakfasts here are also good. a breakfast sandwich always hits the spot from them. The staff are super nice and helpful. A pleasant experience all around.

I love this place, not only because it is on my floor at work, but because 1) the staff is wonderful, friendly, and competent!
2) you can get a hot square meal for around 5 dollars; and
3) their espresso drinks are ready super fast and are cheaper than going around the corner to Peet’s (and to me, taste just as good). They also have a nice variety of food each day. Yes, we know what they’re going to serve on Tuesday and every other day of the week, but there is sufficient choice and a certain comfort in knowing your Hot and Sour soup is there waiting for you. :) But the staff members are really what inspired me to write the review. They see tons of people every day, all day, and they all work full time, but they are consistently nice and even know my coffee order before I say it – and I’ve only been working there for a short time. It’s like Cheers in a stale office environment. Yay for View Café!

Located inside UCSF laurel heights campus on the 2^nd floor, this place serves as the cafeteria. The selection of hot food, sandwiches, and snacks is decent for the small size of the café. Nothing too special but the service was quick and friendly. I got the 3 meat sandwich in which I got pastrami, salami, and turkey with the avocado added for an extra 85 cents. The total cost after tax was ~$ 6 for a 6 inch dutch crunch bread sandwich. They didn’t skimp out on the avocado as they literally put 1/3−½ of the avocado on my sandwich. Overall it is a decent place to get lunch as the prices are very reasonable and the selection is decent. I would come here if I happened to be here on campus in the future.

This is the best basic weekday lunch place. Of course, you probably will only ever eat here if you work at UCSF, specifically the Laurel Heights campus. Or, if you are meeting a friend here who works for UCSF at the Laurel Heights campus.
The sandwiches are all good and decently proportioned. Not too huge but not wimpy. They are also very reasonably priced. They also have a variety of hot lunch options that, like the sandwiches are good and well priced/​proportioned.
I also swear they have some sort of elite connection to the avocado industry. I have never had an avocado from The View that was not PERFECTLY ripe and delicious.

If it weren’t for this café, many of us poor UCSF employees would go hungry & broke trying to grab a bite in the Laurel Heights area!
The staff is great. Two sisters manage and run the café, along with some family members and other staff… there’s always a «good morning» or smile greeting you when you walk in. And, their memories are amazing as they’ll know exactly how you like your sandwich or portion of a hot entrée after seeing you 3 – 4 times.
There’s enough variety between the hot & cold menu items to go for at least 2 weeks without repeating what you’ll eat for lunch. The BLT, egg salad w/​swiss and Italian veggie sandiwiches are my fave. The falafel sandwich and tacos are also delicious. I love the garden burger and usually get one with sauteed onions and avocado for an extra special touch. Can’t beat BBQ Fridays for a hot dog, burger or chicken; nor can I go a week w/​o having the salmon plate on either Tuesdays or Thursdays. Wednesdays are the wild card days w/​hot entrée choices up in the air… sometimes there’s fried chicken, other times there’s spaghetti w/​meatballs. I look forward to won ton soup on cold Thursdays.
You can’t get into the building unless you work here, know someone who works here, or are visiting for a meeting/​conference. It’s pure bliss to not deal w/​the moms-​nannies-​and-​strollers crowd out on the streets of the ‘hood!

The View is an inexpensive lunch joint amidst the yuppified «laurel district.» Sure, it is housed in UCSF’s own version of «The Office» — but it really is one of the best cafeteria’s ever.
The Veggie California is just a plain, damn good sandwich. Avocado, sprouts, tomatoes, lettuce– it is huge mother for only $ 3.95. There are lots of other good sandwiches as well; I’m a vegetarian, but I hear really good things about the BLT. In addition to the normal deli and salad, there are also some yummy hot dishes. The tofu & veggies small plate is just about the most affordable hot food you can get, totaling $ 2.95 for a nice size bowl. The minestrone soup is also killer. Some people get sick of the food here, but that is because they forget about some things on the menu. Falafal, veggie burger, veggie italiano (not as good at the california, but a nice change of pace for sure), salad, sushi, soup. Damn, I love this place. In addition to a nice breakfast and lunch, this place has plentiful snacks to boot: chips, candy bars, pastries, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, fruit, cottage cheese. There are also some pretty sweet cookies you get for that 3:00 «i want to slit my wrists» lull.
The staff at the view is awesome– nice and always making you feel special. Tip big– they deserve it! Working at UCSF really blows, but the View really makes it all better.

Known most, and best by the sadly underpaid employees of UCSF’s Laurel Heights campus, The View Café is a hidden gem that has yet to be discovered by the stay at home moms who push their bugaboo strollers around Laurel Heights neighborhood thus offering ample seating and non bruised shins to diners.
My co-​worker Sarah vows that The View Café has the most consistently ripe and delicious avocado in San Francisco. Whether you add it to a salad from the bar, a garden burger, or any number of sandwiches or soft tacos, you will never be disappointed. Regulars also make sure to arrive early on Thursday for amazing won ton soup and Friday for the hard to beat hamburger or hot dog plate.
The staff makes you feel right at home, making an effort to remember your name and even your preferences. And the abundant seating, both inside or out (with a breathtaking view of the city) make this place my #1 lunch destination.