Unlike speedy in-and-out coffee shops, cafés indulge fantasies of sneaking off through misty European streets paved with pain au chocolat and lined with biscotti parking meters. For $10, today's Groupon to Cafe Flore strews the streets of Castro with $20 worth of Pacific-style café fare.
Cafe Flore serves a distinctive combination of Hawaiian, French, and Spanish influences for both brunch and dinner. Earlyish birds leave the worm alone, opting instead for the kalua pork hash with two eggs, parmesan, pico de gallo, shallots, garlic fried potatoes, and toast ($10.50), or salmon benedict ($11.75) with a side of chicken apple sausage ($3.95). Begin an evening meal with a shrimp cocktail appetizer ($8.95), or get an order of three cheeseburger sliders ($8.95) with onion rings ($4.50). Cafe Flore's chef, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, specializes in scouring local farmers' markets for the freshest fruits, vegetables, and nuts shaped like iguanodons. Take advantage of fresh ingredients with an avocado salad ($8.95, add $3.95 for grilled chicken breast) or dodge the green bullet with grilled NY steak frites in a mushroom ragout ($13.95).
Dessert options include more than 30 cakes, pies, and pastries, all baked daily (pricing depends on selection). Groupon-toting customers get a $0.50 well drink, single cappuccino, mocha, or latte Monday–Friday. Sip them on Cafe Flore's heated patio or among the sidewalk seating along Noe Street following one of Cafe Flore's many special events. This Groupon cannot be used for carryout.
Reviews
The San Francisco Bay Guardian Online names Cafe Flore one of its eight spots for outdoor dining, and 75% of Urbanspooners like it. More than 345 Yelpers give 3.5 stars, and Citysearchers give 4.5.
- Whenver [sic] I'm in the city this is the place I go to eat and hang out. The patio is a great place to sit and relax wtih a good book, or friends and talk. The high walls keep it more private outside. The coffee is very good. The food is fantiastic [sic] and it's a great brunch place. – tall1sobay, Citysearch
- Great Castro vibe and surprisingly good brunch. Like the flowers and the drinkies in an outdoor setting in otherwise outdoor space unfriendly town. – Luis F., Urbanspoon
- …this Castro hotspot, voted Best Café in our 2004 Readers' Poll, is ideal for any occasion, be it brunch, coffee, or an afternoon brew. With breakfast served daily…and a full bar, there's no better spot for sun-drenched boozing and cruising. – Collen McCaffrey, SF Bay Guardian
Groupon Says
Watch Those People
Cafe Flore offers a heated patio that's great for people watching. What's also great for people watching? Binoculars. Here's a guide to the best people-watching technology:
Telescopes: Man first invented telescopes so that he could watch the heavens, but he quickly realized angels were only visible to those searching with their hearts, not their eyes. This almost prompted Galileo to bury his telescope in a field, but instead he used his telescope to make his most important scientific contribution: discovering that the Earth is revolving around the Moon.
Periscopes: With the advent of periscopes, man was no longer relegated to seeing only in front. Periscopes have the advantage of being easily disguised; while using one, it appears you are merely staring into the bottom of a Cracker Jack box, when, in reality, you are kneeling behind a fence catching your sister smoking cigarettes.
Jeweler's Loupe: After watching your preferred people from far away, you'll want to watch them up close to make sure their skin is free of imperfections and location-identifying microchips.
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