Brainwash Cafe & Laundromat

What? A place I can do laundry and have a sandwich? This place is a dream come true!
To be honest, I don’t do my laundry here since I live elsewhere, but I always see a lot of other people doing it, and the machines are maintained very well by the staff.
I usually come here for lunch, or for some coffee. The staff is really great, and they put the effort into remembering your name if you’re a repeat customer. Sometimes when I order my usual order over the phone, they know it’s me, and I really appreciate the effort they put into remembering that detail! The sandwiches are a really good size for one person, and they come with a salad or fries. Their fries are really good; I don’t know how they do it but it’s always crunchy when I get it.
The place itself has a hispter vibe to it, which is really cool. A lot of people come here to chat, have a drink, or come by for the open mic nights. There’s always a reason to go to Brainwash, so why not stop by and have lunch?

This laundromat is clean and enjoyable to be at!
The café has great food — fish tacos are yum!
My husband had the scrambled eggs and loved them!
Massive range on the menu and good tunes playing
Would def go back :)

This past week my boyfriend and I went to the brainwash to watch the open mic comedy. There was a single gentleman seated at two tables, so I politely asked him if the empty seats were taken. He said they were not. My boyfriend sat down and I went to the register to get us some drinks. When I came back, the single gentleman I spoke with was being joined by a female staff member — a woman in her late twenties or early thirties with bangs and tatted arms. She started to slide into the spot my boyfriend had been saving for me. When my boyfriend politely reminded them he had been saving the spot for me, they both shot me a dirty look.
When I sat down, the female staff member mockingly asked «Do you have enough space?» And proceeded to talk shit with the man she joined. It was EXTREMELY rude, unprofessional and immature. I didn’t even realized she worked there since this was such insanely rude behavior. Then she got up and went back to «work“behind the counter.
The interaction made my boyfriend and I very uncomfortable and caused us to leave early and vow to never return.
While we were there, the female staff member kept working behind the bar when she felt like it, then sitting at tables drinking beer with the «comedians» or going outside to smoke weed.
The entire staff seem more focused on hanging out than doing any actual work, but this girl in particular needs a serious attitude adjustment. It’s obvious she’s unqualified to do anything other than work in a laundromat, but apparently she’s not even qualified to do that.
Is there someone managing the staff? How is behavior like this tolerated?

This is a phenomenal local spot. It’s so eclectic a cultural and neighborhood hub that is somehow lasting through all the changes in the surrounding area. The food is great, the staff is awesome, the comedy is open mic so hit or miss but free, and the patrons are loyal and awesome. Check out some art and get your laundry done too if you want. One of the few places around I actively enjoy patronizing.

Great idea to combine a laundromat and café. As we waited for our laundry, we studied at the café, which offers typical café food: sandwiches, coffee, and healthy drinks (eg: Kombucha). The food was mediocre, but the best part was having a place to sit and study while the clothes were in the washer/​dryer. There are a few seats outside where people can read while enjoying the beautiful weather outside. They also have huge washing machines for blankets and sheets. It’s too bad that this place is pretty expensive, so I may not come here regularly, just occasionally if I have large over-​sized items to wash.
PROS: Café attached for food/​coffee; study area; large washing machines
CONS: Expensive; mediocre food

Shoot how have I not Unilocaled this place, this place is the coolest laundromat.
They have a cute girl that works behind the counter.
The laundromat area has my favorite bathroom but there’s also one in the café they have.
They’re pretty different.
I would suggest trying both .
The laundry machines are all named after celebrities so pick your favorite one and rinse, dry, and wash baby!!!
They have a lot of seating inside and outside.
The baristas are usually pretty hot with some nice hot sass too go with whatever treat you order.
They drinks are really good here.
They also have food here.
They got comedy every night of the week open mics and showcases .
They are all fantastic also.
You’re in for a treat to be getting to see these shows for free .
I mean damn I love comedy and I also know the world of comedy quite well and these shows are very awesome.
Tony sparks is a great host too.
The king of open mics in sf I believe they call him.
They also have a variety of other shows here too.
People play music here quite often.
YO check the calender you’ll be amazed.

I would say this place is poorly managed but there doesn’t appear to be a manager. They understaff and the place is run down. I have had to re dry my stuff on two separate occasions because the dryers I had never got hot. I didn’t even bother asking the girl there for a refund this time as she had too much stress from not thinking logically and having no manager to help.
***Check your dryers*** before putting a bunch of $$ in.
Plus: they basically let transients live all day in the laundry mat, so if you go in there and it’s really busy, good luck finding a place to fold your clothes as the tweakers have their crappy stuff spread out all over the counters. Soooo dirty, so gross. Infuriating every time.

On the outside it looks like just another hipster coffee shop with not much too offer. I ate here 5 times and am completely blown away. The food has a home cooked authentic quality to it that makes it better than the food at 95% of SF’s restaurants, no joke. It is über tasty, clean and hot and healthy and fast and affordable. Its leftist, localist vibe does not sacrifice cleanliness nor professionalism. What a phenomenal café. Best in its class in SF. Deserves 6 stars for being so well planned and run. Its owners are clearly geniuses.
Oh and to top it all off: breakfast for lunch! Superb.
Now back to my ridiculously delicious potatoes and fish tacos that are the best I have ever had.

Cheap laundry services, clean machines and a discount on stuff from the café (including beer!) while you wait. Plus the machines are have individual names which are great and there always seems to be a few crazy people talking to themselves which is also kind of great

I’m going to have to agree with many of the comments below.
The staff is VERY rude…
I wished they would treat customers with respect because the dive could be awesome. I work right by Brainwash and know at least 30 co-​workers who don’t order from there anymore because of the customer service.
Food is good for the price, but even though it is so close to where I work, I walk a little bit farther to get my breakfast now.

Indicative of what makes San Francisco low-​down cool as it gets. Well maintained washer dryer facility that serves good bfast and coffee to boot. People who work here are kind and helpful.
Came here when it opened 20 years ago; stopped here when traveling through SF this summer and needed to do a little laundry with my little daughter. It’s still good!

I absolutely love love this place. Good food. Great staff and really chill neo atmosphere. It’s a nice spot regardless of washing clothes.

My normal place where I do laundry is closed for some reason, the closest place is here at Brainwash, the laundry mat is very clean, has a coffee shop attached to the laundry mat, only problem is that is is very expensive, the washers seam to get your clothes clean, but the dryers are eating up my money and they don’t get very hot, I have it set to highest setting, still not getting dry, I’ve been checking all dryers, not very hot.
For a nice looking laundry mat, be ready to spend some money, usually costs me around 10 $ to do my laundry, here at Brainwash cost me almost 25 $.
I won’t be coming back here again. Giving 2 stars due to the prices, faulty machines, spending more to dry then wash, and still dryers not getting clothes very dry, fix the dryers and I might think about coming back, I am not rich, don’t have the money to waste to keep popping in quarters, fix the dryers.

Ich musste meine Kleider waschen und habe nach irgendetwas in der Nähe gesucht. Die Gegend ist solala, das Lokal auch.
Der Mann hinter der Café-​Theke ist nett, habe zuerst gefrühstückt und das Essen war ganz okay. Hatte French Toast, dieses American Breakfast ist nicht so meins.
Die Waschmaschinen waren super, die Trockner eher nicht. Das ging eeeeeeewig lange. Waschmittel könnt ihr vor Ort beziehen oder selbst mitbringen. Es gibt auch einen Automaten, wo ihr Münzen bekommt für die Maschinen.

Cool concept, dirty tables, very dirty and sticky floor, ok coffee… I don’t think I will come back even if it was my first time visiting a place where you can wait for your laundry while eating something. The guy at the counter forgot a glass of milk we ordered, but he was very busy and i didn’t see any one helping him at the counter. I tried to use the bathroom located in the laundry area and someone was there for a very long time. When he left the bathroom, it was smelling very herbal, to the point I got dizzy just with the smell and had to leave. Not very pleasant experience.

Looooove the Brainwash! One of my favorite places to go on a random, cheap, fun date, esp on Thursday nights with Tony Sparks (yay Tony, let’s give him some loooooove!). Yes I take my dates to the laundromat.lol. A real place to feel good if you’re down, come ready to appreciate some good people trying to do comedy.
I’ve had the food, it’s decent. They have beer and I mean, it’s a laundromat, what else can you ask for?

Food = good. Big menu with choices for all – vegetarian, meat or seafood. Just read, and ask if you’ve got dietary restrictions.
Cheeseburger with French fries. Juicy burger, cooked the way you order it, with choice of cheese (had Tillamook cheddar). Crispy dinner-​style fries. They’re definitely crispy!
Chinese Chicken (or tofu) salad. Rice noodles, chopped vegetables over greens, sliced almonds with sesame soy vinaigrette. Delicious and hit the spot!
Tomato tortilla soup, cup. (Comes with bread, if you choose.) Delicious, piping hot and definitely tomato! He loved it!
Small blended lemonade. Careful, brainfreeze! Not overly sweet. But it is tart, too.
Yerba Mate Peach. Peachy goodness and refreshing.
Seating = plentiful, whether inside or outside!
Service = friendly.
Prices = cheap to moderate. Depends on what you’re looking at. All of the above was under $ 34.00. And we’ve got leftovers.
Took a peek at the laundromat… Gotta love the Wi-​Fi access, funky names on the machines, and pinball machines! Café seems like an ideal place to chill if you’re waiting on laundry.
Oh, and he’s had their house coffee, and said it’s good and strong!

Due to proximity and the fact that my laundry weighs a metric ton, Brainwash is my laundromat of choosing (but I didn’t really choose it). It’s unlike any place I’ve been before — half café, half laundromat, and some pinball machines and open mic stand-​up as well. I’ve never actually had food here, but from what I hear from friends, it’s decent. I’ve ordered at least 5 various coffee drinks here and a couple pastries, which were always fresh and tasty. The laundry itself is a bit pricey if you can’t fit all your clothes into the small machine — the dryers are standard price though. Free wifi from the café side is nice, but half the time it’s utterly useless and frustrating. The staff is usually nice, but half the time they are also utterly useless and frustrating. Also, one of the two change machines usually doesn’t work. Stock up on quarters if you can!
For a café alone, probably 3 stars. For a laundromat alone, probably 4 stars. Put them together and what do you get? 3.5 stars.

Sweet hipster vibe here. Came in for a hangover breakfast burrito and was not disappointed. It was a vegetarian burrito: eggs, beans, veg, salsa/​sour cream on the side. The tortilla is what surprised me the most. It was a legit tortilla! Tasted like it came from a tacqueria. Good price too, ~$ 5 I believe.

I came here in search of a good place to get some work done — and this was an excellent choice! Free wifi, yummy food, friendly staff, and a good atmosphere.
I got the basic breakfast and was very pleased — the sausage was excellent, the potatoes were delicious, and it was a lot of food for a pretty reasonable price.
The only negative I would say is that there aren’t very many outlets — so you definitely need to get here early enough to claim one of the spots near a plug.

This is my second time going to Brainwash. And I actually had to give it a second chance to love it. Today I had the scrambles with mushrooms, avocado, baby spinach and pico. All toppings were $.50 each and it comes with either a side salad or a side of house fries and also comes with 2 slices of deliciously buttered bread. It all came out to be around $ 10 and it was more than enough of a portion to satisfy my lunch tummy!
We sat outside on their parklet on a lovely sunny day under the shade of the tree. Can’t wait to try other options on their menu!

De quoi se restaurer (petits déj, salades, burgers, une «killer soup» au maïs et des viennoiseries) pendant que votre linge est lavé dans la pièce à côté, idéal pour né pas perdre de temps en voyage. Et pendant qu’Ice-T ou David Bowie sèche votre linge (les machines ont des petits noms), flippers (dont l’incontournable Dirty Harry) et jeux d’arcade old school sont au rdv. Le tout sur fond de bonne musique, variée mais toujours de qualité. Go for it!

Mitad café mitad lavandería. Un sitio muy americano en el que no he comido, pero que me gustó mucho para tomar un té o un café. El sitio es muy bonito, con unos ventanales amplios dando a la calle, a una calle un tanto desolada con el encanto de ser muy americana, con un punto industrial. Además, tienen wifi, algo que está muy bien cuando estás de visita en Estados Unidos y quieres conectar tu móvil sin pagar un disparate a tu compañía.