Theatre Too Cafe
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Delis, Middle Eastern [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Union Square, Nob Hill539 Sutter St
(between Mason St & Powell St)
San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 392-4866
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Paid
76 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
"A brief history: I first went to Cafe La Taza by myself during an eye doctor appointment across the street at Dr. Stamper (my eyes had to…" read more »
26 Reviews for Theatre Too Cafe
Man, so my review is (mostly) soley based on the gyro wrap. But it is THAT good. Great ingredients and nice and spicy. I've also tried the pasta salad and it was tasty. The large gyro wrap is great for the price.
I also like that this is a family run joint! They people are always very friendly.
I've been here twice so far, and I'll def be back next time I'm craving a gyro (which is usually every week)
Charming spot and charming owners. High 4 low 5.
Sandwiches are great. Med food is ohh soo good. Gyro really hit the spot! I brought a date here as a first med food experience, she was super impressed and loved it. I enjoy the kindness and atmosphere more than anything which is why they get 4+! They totally treat everyone like family and it shows with all the regulars in and around the spot. The food is part of the experience but when you feel like you are around family...it is soo much better! Im also a sucker for mom and pop shops!
If you wanna feel at home with a good meal for a decent place this is your spot!
Ill be back with my girlfriend!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
It's worth it just to get a smile and a hello from the friendliest owners in town, Nick and Mayys. They know everyone on the block, and immediately treat you like family. And the food is delicious. Turkey wraps, falafels, broccoli and bean salad, Nick's famous potato sald, generous portions and served with love.
Dropped by for a quick lunch. Food wasn't that impressive but I enjoyed the congenial atmosphere. The local language school takes their kids around and this is one of their tour stops; the regulars at Theatre Too are happy to be part of the show. Overall, not a bad place for a quick, cheap bit but definitely by no means unforgettable.
You know how there is a food that you can eat every day and not get sick of it? Well,I just finished the BBQ chicken lavash wrap and almost licked the wrapper. It was too good, I did not want it to end. This can be added to that list. Heck, add everything they have to that list. I feel like a kid in a candy store here.
Their portions are generous. The 1/2 wrap is only $3.25 but huge. A side dish is under $3.00. I split it all in half and save the rest for the next day and I'm done. I love to stare at the items in the deli case and am going to try all the side dishes. So far my favorite would be the lentils and rice.
Everything is perfect and delicious. The people who run this place are very kind and welcoming.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (3)
I'm not sure what the big deal is about this place. It's true that the portions are generous. They don't have gyros, but I had a full gyro wrap, which consisted of salad, microwaved gyro meat (only warm), "hot" sauce, humus, gyro sauce, and a wrap that was too big. It mostly tasted like salad. I wouldn't go back. Methinks my fellow Yelpers focus on value too much.
Rock on, small business owner. Rock on.
Strolled in here today in search of a cheaper lunch option in the Union Square area. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Wolfgang Puck's Express...but good Lord, that man is a bank robber. So what if you make good pizza? I could heat up a Red Baron's for $3 in the office microwave if I wanted to; I don't need to be going through my retirement account for your prissy cheese and sauce.
Anyhow, this mom-and-pop deli has some interesting middle-eastern sandwich options, as well as a mix-and-match deli meats kind of menu for more Americanized lunch fare. I sprang for a turkey sandwich (on a tasty Dutch crunch roll), a can of diet root beer (great selection of sodas here! They even have those cute baby Martinelli ciders), and a piece of homemade baklava. All for less than $7. That's what I call a 'seven-dollar-holler.' It's a good thing.
While the bakalva was super-flaky, the owners were not (get it? Man, I crack myself up). They were very attentive and friendly, and there was actually room for me to sit down and eat, as opposed to some of the more crowded Union Square eateries (where you have to take a guy out just to find a table).
Go here. And don't forget to try the flaky baklava.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (1)
Two months into my venture, and I'm not tired of my lunch options at all...Why? Well because Theatre hooks me up every time I walk in that door.
Some days it's a fallafel wrap, some days a plate of rice with lentils and Nick's famous eggplant (if they don't have it the day you go, it's probably because I ate it all,) and some days it's just a simple turkey sandwich.
No matter what it's always fresh, delicious and clean.
For my buck, it's the best lunch near Union Square at very reasonable prices.
And they have an internet cafe in there, too!
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (5)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
04/25/2008
Theatre Too is my new neighbor down on Sutter St. and I just had lunch there for the first time.
You… Read more »
Good food, nice people. Weary from being pedestrian tourists, my wife and I stopped in for a wrap and a salad and all was right with the world.
Fantastic food at reasonable prices (yeah!) along with a very personable service provided by this lovely family-run business owners who will remember you next time you step in and are happy to accommodate your wishes, making this cafe a very pleasant one to visit for the warm service they provide.
Great job and thank you for keeping your prices the way they are!
So, if you ever find yourself at Powell and Sutter, try this lovely cafe where it feels like a real treat to get a wrap and enjoy some warmly welcome from the owners who will personally serve you with a genuine smile.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
yummy falafel and baklava! and the sides are also just as good. Baklava is 1.50 each. A little bit pricey for me but they are delicious and fresh. The owners are very very nice and funny. I'm not surprised it isn't packed all the time, they're better than most of the cafes at Union Square! C'mon people, check out this place and sample some baklava~
i found this place on yelp, so i came here for lunch yesterday during my conference at hotel 480. the place is kinda hard to find right now b/c of all the construction. i had a half-sized falafel wrap which was a good size for lunch. w/ a bottled soda, my total came to $5...very reasonable! the husband and wife owners were very nice as well.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
the food is excellent and cheap. whole wrap (which i use for two meals) $5 and half wrap (which is plenty for one meal) $3.5
gyros and falafel are my favorite, sometimes i get the two together.
internet, ability to print and outdoor seating don't hurt
however
the real reason to go here is Nick and Maysoon, the owners, they are AWESOME (and i don't use that word lightly)they remember your order (and all its variations) they always make me laugh and they are just good people. its the only eating establishment that has made me feel like i was back in a manhattan deli.
EAT HERE OFTEN!!!!
i don't feel like i gave enough stars.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Oh my stars and garters. This is going to be a short review, because every letter I type means more time away from my BBQ chicken wrap -- one single bite of which spurred me to get online and write this.
Tasty. Juicy. Ample. Cheap.
I'd use more superlative words, but my wrap is calling me ...
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (4)
Cool (3)
I've only had the falafel wrap, but I've had it many, *many* times. The falafel is nicely seasoned and has just the right texture, and the proportion of salad/hummus/yogurt/hot sauce is perfect. The woman is so friendly (I keep forgetting to ask her name) and always asks after me. She once brought in apples from her garden to share with customers. I love this place.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
I got a gyro here the other day.
The lady is sweet and asked me whether or not I liked it and I always responded with a "I sure do!" :)
The hummus is unbelievably good
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
These people are really friendly and make a mean falafel. The first time I went there I was so impressed with the hummus that I bought some for home. I've yet to try anything other than the falafel, I'll update this review when I get around to it.
They have some kind of internet cafe here too, for you tourists looking for such a place.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
They have a delicious falafel wrap, and they are rediculously nice. I work about a block away and I usually come here because I can get something quick that is both delicious and vegan.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Great food, good people and service.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I work in the Union Square area, and every day I have to answer for myself the difficult question "What's for lunch?" I'm just a humble working girl, so unless it's a special occasion or somebody else is buying, I'm usually looking for "cheap eats".
I reject the assorted fast food options for health reasons, so that means I'm hunting for a decent meal among the many, many delis that are very hard to differentiate from the curb. There is one of these delis, however, that merits special attention, if you are hungry around Union Square.
PLEASE VISIT THEATRE TOO CAFE ON SUTTER BETWEEN MASON & POWELL.
It's not just that the sandwiches are fresh and good and hot (or cold) and generously prepared. It's not just that you can get a good meal there for $5 with drink (see menu: http://menukarma.com/m... ). It's not just that you can enjoy some of the best people watching in the city from the sidewalk tables. For me, the most compelling reason to visit this humble, little food store is the warmth of the proprietors, Nick and Maysoon.
At every other deli in the area I had visited before I found Theatre Too I find there is a hard to describe form of apathy towards customers and their wants. I can't quite put my finger on it, but you just walk out the door feeling a little... I dunno... chilled, as if behind the smiles and pleasantries there was... nothing, just the cold machinations of a mind concerned only with profit.
By contrast, when you walk into Theatre Too (even if it's your very first time there), you can't help but feel welcome. At lunch time, you will usually find 5 or 6 people standing in front of the wide, well-lit and exceptionally clean deli case, waiting on hot and cold sandwiches and amazing falafel. Everybody is smiling. Inside jokes are trading back and forth between Nick (at the register) and the regulars, while Maysoon rolls her eyes lovingly at her husband and skillfully executes the food.
I have spent enough hours in the Theatre Too Cafe to know that it's pretty much like this every day. I have watched as countless times people who walked in with frowns walked out with smiles, if not in full-out guffaws. This is a GOOD place. With GOOD people.
Because they believe it's the only way to do business, Nick and Maysoon serve up quality food at great prices with care and consistency. Beyond that, they seem to understand that feeding people is a calling not a chore. Its the sort of thing that you want to see succeed.
Venice Sanchez
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Star 1: the family that runs this place is friggin' funny. And I mean all three generations of them, to die for. The nicest people you could hope for in your local corner store/deli.
Star 2: if you ask them to stock something, they don't just say "yes", they will actually add the item to their inventory (OK, being a regular might help with getting this accomplished, but the store next to where I've lived for 7 years NEVER did that, and here at Nick's they have)
Star 3: best grilled chicken breast wrap ever, anywhere, period
Star 4: rice/lentil mix you can ask to have added to the best grilled chicken breast wrap ever, anywhere, period
Star 5: perfect hot sauce (and Nick will let you specify exactly down to the last drop how much you want to add) that is the dot on the i of the best grilled chicken breast wrap ever, anywhere, period
Secret Star 6 and 7: did I mention the best grilled chicken breast wrap ever, anywhere, period?
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
When you just want a simple cheap meal and a deli-ish form then this is the place for you. They have everything from pasta salad to sandwiches and falafel. A good selection of drinks and chips top it off as well as backlava... mmmmm. The owners are awesomely nice, which gives you another reason to come back again and again.
Really close access for Academy students at the Sutter dorms too.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
What's a girl to do when she's craving something cheap and healthy that doesn't come in a precise sandwich form? Well, I am currently living for the falafel wrap (whole wheat lavash, regular hummus, hold the onions, bring on the yogurt and hot sauce!). The half wrap is an excellent meal all in itself--and conveniently cut in two so it's easier to eat. The whole wrap is about 2.5 meals, definitely more bang for your buck. I haven't really tried anything else here because the falafel is JUST THAT GOOD. Quick and efficient service and great prices for the often expensive lunches of the Union Square area.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
I love this place! Nick and Maysson run this little deli specializing in large tasty sandwiches and some Middle Eastern food. Both are funny and warm and work very hard at making the place work.
Insider tip! Ask for the student special-$5 for a sandwich, chips, and a drink. can't beat that!
Upstairs is a small computer area if you want to do email or yelp!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Great falafel, just watch out for the smokers right outside the door when the nearby ESL school is on break.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I like the available seating area out front-- close enough to people-watch those on sutter and powell, half a block away, but not right in the middle of huge crowds. Sandwiches are made fresh for you behind the counter, and the owner is very sweet.
The big saving grace here: Internet!
The business center at the Crowne Plaza decided not to cooperate, so I headed here at the recommendation of their concierge. Access is $2 for 15 minutes (their min charge), and printing is 0.35 per page. They also have fax capabilities if you need them, which will likely be much cheaper than at the nearby hotels.
While the computers are slightly slow, it's not like you're running huge graphics programs, and they more than do the job for a quick search of local hot spots or in my case, printing out a 100-page pdf. Printer is good quality and surprisingly fast for one of those all-in-one machines.
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
When I feel rich, I buy…
I work in Union Square. I don't make a whole… -
When in Union SQ.
These are a few local businesses I like after a…
Hot and New
- Rosamunde Sausage Grill
619 reviews
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
- Ironwood BBQ
56 reviews
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
- Club Waziema
237 reviews
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
- Lime Tree Southeast Asian…
244 reviews
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
- Ike's Place
366 reviews
Neighborhood: Castro
