Standing on the corner of Sacramento and Hyde, I wait for the 1 to ramble down the hill. Checking Google maps on my phone, I’m distressed to see that the bus is running late. This, of course, means that I’ll be late for my very first San Francisco diner date.
I’m heading to Eddie’s Cafe on Divisadero and Fulton. A diner that came recommended by not one, not two, but THREE different friends.
When I’d first put my feelers out on Instagram for diner recommendations, Eddie’s had been a favorite. It was apparently top-of-mind for both current and past residents.
The bus finally arrived and I hopped on, riding down all the way from Nob Hill to Divisadero. When the bus pulled to a halt, I hopped out, and crossed the street to stand in front of Routier, a restaurant that was once a bar I frequented called Wild Hare. Funnily enough, the person I frequented the bar with most was one of my diner dates.
I texted the two friends I was meeting to update them on my late arrival time. To my relief, I received a “don’t worry. We were able to snag a booth! I think you’re really going to like my mug” text in return.
Eddie’s
Eddie’s Cafe, located on the ground level of a taupe-colored building with round turret-like features, sits directly on the corner of Divisadero and Fulton. My car pulls a U-turn so that I’m facing the restaurant on Divisadero and can see a sign protruding toward the street reading “Eddie’s Cafe” in script and promising breakfast and dinner ALL DAY with 7-up products available.
Stepping out of the car, I walk toward the building and see that on the side facing Fulton street is a classic red awning also featuring the cafe’s name.
I push open the swinging glass door and peer into the diner. It’s small but cozy, and I can understand why I was informed that “there might be a wait for a table.”
On the right side of the diner, behind a glass partition, I spot my two diner dates. They’re seated in a booth, facing away from the entrance. I walk over to them and take a seat, scooching across the red-brown vinyl cushion. From my side of the booth, I have a perfect view of the entrance and can observe various patrons who enter and wait to be seated.
Dining at the same time as us are large families, smaller families, couples. A group of teens comes in halfway through our meal and I realize there must be more seating in the parklet outside because one of the waiters leads them there.
I glance around, loving the sound of people talking and coffee being poured. My two friends each have their own unique mugs, a red-and-blue hibiscus and a blue stoneware-style mug from Cancun Mexico. Eddie’s is known for having an eclectic mix of non-matching mugs. My own is a simple brown mug that you’d expect to find at a diner.
Music plays and I bop to the familiar, catchy tunes of ABBA. The booths, I notice, are covered in stickers, including a sticker supporting Maui, which means these must be added to regularly. The walls are filled with framed accolades of the place and to my right is the original menu from the 1970s.
Overall, the setting is to my liking. It feels like something out of a television show.
Hot Cakes & Hot Takes
Part of my San Francisco Diner Date experience is asking my diner dates for their hot takes (or, if they take ‘em that way - cold takes) on diners. And so, before I dig into the vegetarian sausage, eggs, flattened hash brown, and biscuits in front of me, I pull out my little blue notebook and pen to jot down some answers.
When I first posed the diner question on my Instagram, I was both expecting and not expecting my friend Alyssa to jump into my DMs and ask to go to one with me.
Alyssa (probably more so than anyone I know) loves a clean, hand-crafted, expertly curated space. A diner doesn’t quite fit that overall look. However, she also recognizes good character, and how something can be “classic” in a way that doesn’t have to fit into a perfectly manicured, modern aesthetic.
Oh, and she absolutely loves food.
I’m not surprised to hear her explain, as she cuts into a stack of pancakes, that she has not always appreciated diners. It’s only recently that she’s become interested in them. The main reason being that she’s realized the role they can play in communities.
She lived in the south bay for while before moving into the city and there was a diner in her town that was a cornerstone to that community. Everyone ate there (even city officials) and the owner knew his regulars by name. There’s something special about that.
Alyssa’s & Derek’s Diner Takes:
Go-to diner order:
Alyssa - classic American breakfast - sausage, eggs. If possible, she’ll opt for table pancakes vs pancakes of her own.
Derek - Denver omelet with bell pepper, onion, ham. More of a sausage person than bacon.
Coffee Mug Preferences:
Alyssa - prefers a slightly larger mug, but not large enough to be a bowl (like the ones Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen drank from in the 200'0s So Little Time ).
Derek - No preference as long as it has a thicker handle!
Potato Preferences:
Both prefer hash browns to home fries and want them extra crispy.
Pancake Preferences:
Both prefer coffee cake or homemade muffins to pancakes in general. That said, they also love chocolate chip banana pancakes (though not banana or chocolate chip pancakes on their own).
Eddie’s Cafe Ratings
Overall, I’d rate Eddie’s an 8/10 (+3 promoter points)
Coffee: 7.5/10
Food: 7.5/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Owner: 9/10
Promoter points
The biscuits that came with everyone’s meals: +1
Eclectic mug choices: +1
Vegetarian options: +1
Overall atmosphere (pictures, stickers, and the framed award for “Best Place to Eat When You’ve Got a Hangover”): +2
Detractor points
Had to request coffee refills: -1
Never got a water: -1
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