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It doesn't get more authentic than this classic soda fountain that dates back to 1918. The place was last remodeled with linoleum floors and cozy booths right after WWII, and the Christakes family, which has owned it from the beginning, has not seen a need to change anything since. It is a place where teenyboppers swooned over Frank Sinatra while sipping the same strawberry sodas you can order up today. Virtually everything on the menu is made in-house and from scratch, including the mayonnaise on the egg salad sandwiches, the ice cream and syrups in the sundaes. The homemade soups are a local institution with the patrons who range from students new to old-timers who have been coming here si
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Veronica L. on Insider Pages
11 years ago
02/15/2010, 06:24 AM
Great Shakes
While they no longer make their own candy, which is a sad loss, they still have some of the best shakes around!
Bernel M. on Insider Pages
13 years ago
04/27/2008, 06:37 AM
The Best All Around Chocolate Shakes
I used to go the Saint Francis Family with my mom, as a kid, at least once a week. My mom used to go there with her mom. This is a true San Francisco tradition. To this day, l have never had anything to complain about. Their tuna melts are wonderful and their shakes are just like the old days. Even the decorations haven't changed since my mom went there in the 1930s. It's like a step back in time and the experience is well worth it.
candacekcombs on Citysearch
14 years ago
09/02/2007, 11:37 AM
Best Breakfast place in SF!! – I love this place. The staff is super sweet and really helpful with menu choices.The breakfast menu is AMAZING...Soooo many choices and all delicious!! I eat breakfast here at least once a week if not more. The service is always fast and my experience is always great! I have also been for just ice cream and again the staff was great. If you are going to go to breakfast on the weekends you will have to get here early or you will have to wait. This place is a really SF gem.
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senoritaculinaria on Citysearch
15 years ago
08/24/2006, 04:07 AM
WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR HUMILIATION IN A CUP OR CONE? – At first ,the sight of this 1950's style soda shop in the mission made me glow brighter than its neon sign outside! My friend and I rushed inside to get ourselves some yummy ice cream. As we were ordering our coffee and banana flavors at the main counter, we were asked if we would prefer a cup or cone? The question seemed innocent enough. I asked for a cup, my friend asked for a cone. On this particular evening, I was wearing high heels. My feet had begun to hurt from a day's worth of running around in them, and I decided to sit down in one of the chairs closest to the door just for a few minutes. My friend sat next to me at the little table while I prepared to get the heels back onto my swollen feet. Within seconds one of the two employees working there that evening aproached us very angry and said: "You can't eat that cone inside here.!" and she proceeded to slam a cup down on the table so hard my friend(a grown man) immediatley jumped out of his seat, head bowed and was visabley humiliated. No less than three times did she approach us, to tell us to please leave..due to my friend's ice cream being in a cone. In addition to feeling really badly for my friend, I thought the rule of no ice cream cones in the shop was absolutely absurd! The other employee said: "The rule is from the 1950's, and imagine if I let everyone eat their ice cream cones inside..I would have to be cleaning the floor!" I thought to myself: ice cream falls out of cups just as well as cones, we are not five year olds holding our ice creams unsteadily, and I would hope that the floor is cleaned routinely regardless! In conclussion, if you're ever in the mission, and would like to stop by the St. Francis soda shop just beware. You might get an extra helping of absurdity, disrespect, and feel very humiliated for having done absolutely nothing more than buying some ice cream.
jdarnbro on Citysearch
15 years ago
08/03/2006, 07:33 AM
The perfect breakfast joint. And lunch joint. – I've never had a bad meal at the St. Francis and I've been going there for 3 years. The breakfast menu is an embarrassment of riches. Burgers and sandwiches (mmm, Reuben...) are near-perfect. The fries are the best in the city, bar none. And the coffee is worth a visit all by itself. There are also many ice cream treats and an oddball candy counter. Want something a little different? Try a Guinness float.
Contributor on Citysearch
17 years ago
06/28/2004, 17:18 PM
A beautifully restored, classic American soda fountain in the Mission. – The Scene
St. Francis is a retro dream come true, a picture-perfect old-school soda fountain rescued from obscurity by hipster owners. The place has been meticulously restored, including the neon signage and the vintage rotary phone in the wood-paneled phone booth. It's a kid's paradise and also a great place for a date.
The Food
The 49er, an egg salad sandwich with the works and bacon highlights the twists on traditional fountain fare. Iceberg wedge salad with red onion, walnuts and blue cheese suits the place nicely, and mushy but cheesy macaroni and cheese is simple comfort food. A refined clam chowder tastes and feels almost like a bisque. At the spotless Formica counter, diners can watch their mountainous banana split royale or old-fashioned egg cream being made with locally famous Mitchell's ice cream.
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