Espressamente Illy

Delicious coffee, lovely patio, nice décor with the super cool lamp made out of coffee cups, cute presentation with the classic yet each one very unique Illy cups, friendly service… my only but is that the pastries seem to be not fresh and they are on the pricey side. Also, as a side note, it seems to be an issue with the outlets. My friend and I were trying to recharge our phones and all of them were too loose than handle the cable. Other than that, very comfy place with all those pillows and the great aroma of coffee.

Great friendly atmosphere! Drinks are very good and made by friendly and knowledgeable staff. Clean and comfortable seating arrangements!

What an unfortunate place this espressamente Illy is! I have lived in the Castro 23 years and never experienced this kind of disgraceful attitude from a cashier as I have here. Twice this past week the young woman has given the attitude of a 5^th grader who doesn’t like the subject matter. She fails to greet people as they approach her when wanting to order, and makes the whole thing an unpleasant experience. Obviously she has problems. Both times I brought in friends from out of town who asked what the hell was going on in that coffee shop. Last Saturday she made a racket throwing things around with such a clatter that people couldn’t hear themselves. One of my friends was wondering whether homophobia was her issue. I wonder as well!
I want to come to a coffee shop to enjoy the experience, not to be confronted with someone who is unhappy with her job
On the other hand the barista was sweet.

This place used to be good and was very popular. Like most things Castro, the management has become complacent. Staff are downright surly now. Stale pastries (many of them wrapped in plastic, like it’s a bake sale). Oddly, there is often a staff to customer ratio of about 1:1, which means that staff hang around and b.s. — and loud! Whether you’re there to relax and enjoy a coffee or get a little work done, the cackling employees make it impossible. Fortunately, it’s the Castro, I have about a dozen other coffee choices.

Very good coffee. I like the vanilla clove latte, and they have DELICIOUS pastries! I’ve always gotten great service and had my choice of seats. However, their ground espresso tins always smell/​taste a little off, like chemical, and never do well in my machine at home.

Having had a not so good experience at illy in the Castro, I decided to give it a second try, which turned out to be no better than my first time. The service was surly and the portions were small and overpriced. Being familiar with brewd-​at-​home illy coffee, I am surprised at how weak and luke warm the coffee tasted. With all of the great alternatives in the neighborhood, I can’t see any reason to give illy a third try.

I really want to like this shop. It is near my office and has great coffee. But I have to agree with the other recent reviewers that the service has gone way downhill in recent months. I used to have to brace myself before going in because of how extremely friendly and happy the baristas were! These days, they seem to mostly be fooling around while slowly making drinks, ignoring the irritated faces of customers. The other day, I had a horrible experience with one of the baristas. I went to order my normal coffee and I noticed she had typed «latte» in the machine. I said «Oh, I ordered a regular coffee». She gives me a look of pure hatred (why???) and menacingly goes «I know». I respond «Oh, sorry it’s just it says latte there — «. She goes: «Please allow me to correct my own mistakes. THANKS». Right. OK. Guess we’re right into sullen teenager territory.
Maybe she was just having a bad day, maybe I inadvertently pissed her off, but it was such a weird, off-​putting exchange– I’m never going back.
Also, the morning glory muffin is revolting.

The baristas are really friendly and know their brands, nice & clean indoor décor, great location for meet-​up and ppl watching. The sitting area are quite fun as well, not sure about the front door light color sofas tho (easily get dirty), hands down for the seats and cosy sofa area in the rear. Would love to come back and try more items.

I love this coffee place!
They make a cloves vanilla coffee that’s my favorite! I usually order it cold. MUST TRY! If you like spices, this is your coffee!
The small outdoor patio is just a great place to sit, relax and chat with friends.
The coffee options are different, original and really good! The service is also great. I was there with a vegan friend, and the guy spent like 5 minutes figuring out which milk would be best for her!

Great decorations, great location! But customer service and coffee was subpar. Went in today and nobody said hi or welcomed me (there were two employees behind the counter); nobody responded to me until I said excuse me. The latin guy was so focused on his iPhone choosing the music and the other white guy just seemed confused. Coffee, not great for almost 3 dollars.
As I got my goodies I sat and worked on stuff, the latin guy continued to play with the music and changed the song at least 10 times in 1 hour (never letting a song finish). I felt as if I was in his house suffering through his playlist… I think he’s forgetting that this is a job. I will not be back.
UPDATE: after I posted this review, I got a friendly email from the owner about following up with this incident. I responded with sending him my email. but never heard back from him.

I love this Illy! There’s an outdoor patio that is in the shade, so it’s a perfect compromise on a warm & sunny day when you’re trying to get working done.
I only wish that it would be open later.

I’m slowly tackling all the Castro coffeeshops one by one, and so far this one takes the cake. You would think that this Illy might not be special because they are locations ALL over the city, but their service and setup are phenomenal. Right when you walk in, the baristas are super friendly. There are so many coffee and tea options. Personally I would come here for the iced tea again, though I’m always a fan of anything with lavender.
Then you can choose your seat either inside at one of the many small tables or outside on the patio. The patio is gorgeous, from the furniture to the artwork. It’s perfect for reading a book when the weather is nice outside. There is free WiFi and plenty of electrical outlets if you want to spend a day here. I have never tried any of their food, but I just might want to camp out on the outdoor patio someday and live off their food and beverage menus.

I had a cup of Illy coffee off Market in the financial district about 3 years ago. It was awful. I thought, «How the hell do these people stay in business?» Now, in the Castro I return with friends to have a coffee and dessert. I had a cappuccino and it was good — and a piece of Chocolate cake — which was also good. Not great, just good. I think the cake was a day old because I could feel that thin dried surface where the cake becomes dry all around the edge… but I know it was a great piece of cake before it was exposed to the air as it waited for my arrival. The piece of cake was $ 6 — which means this place is going to attract people who like upscale treats with their coffee.
When I walked out I saw one of the counter guys at a table eating something and I wondered if I had not come in — would they have tossed my cake in the garbage for being too old or would one of the counter guys eat it as a perk? I remember my days of being a dishwasher — how happy I was when customers only ate half of the lobster on their plates so I could eat the other half while I was washing dishes.

I’m no stranger to Illy. I know and love her! She and I are longtime friends. In fact, she used to be my neighbor when I lived in DC. Clearly, I’m not referring to an actual person here, but the charming Italian coffee and espresso brand. I was very happy to know Illy opened up shop in the Castro. I was even more happy to know that this was not just a little shop, but a coffee HOUSE with actual tables and chairs to SIT, lounge, and even do some work (if necessary!).
Now, given its location in the always-​buzzing and always-​poppin’ Castro, I think it goes without saying that this is a busy store. I went in on a Sunday afternoon for some espresso and a place to zone out with my laptop for a bit. It was hard to locate an empty table, but thankfully there was a spot at the communal table way in the back. Moreover, on a nice day, you can sit outside in the back patio as well. Their espresso is good though I know better varieties out there. Later on, I also ordered a lavender mint latte. I didn’t really taste the lavender, but got a hint of mint. Again, it was good but not «scream-​off-​the-​rooftops ‘ahhhhmazing.’»
What I noticed about this Illy was the fantastic customer service. The baristas were friendly, efficient, and relatively calm given the fact that there was always a steady stream of customers ordering drinks *and* asking about the restroom code. (By the way, the restroom door is locked. Ask for the code up front. It was quite difficult to open so be patient. Make sure you press the numbers very hard and wait for the «click.»)
Overall, I intend to come back. Yes, it’s a chain, but it doesn’t feel as manufactured as some other brands. Solid coffee and espresso beverages, a decent food selection, good service, plenty of indoor and outdoor seating (and wireless and outlets!)… ILLY. SHE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!

Accomplished my mission in getting my caffeine fix. Love Illy beans, so got just what I was expecting. Service was okay, but not great.
Don’t think I’d want to grab a coffee to hang out at this particular location, but was fine for a to-​go option.

First impression, love the décor. This place is cute and contemporary. I really like their art collection as well. Their latte and the mini salmon cheese croissant are really good. I would come here more often if I live here.

I’ve always been a big fan of illy! Their coffee have always been outstanding and whenever my budget will allow me, I’ll splurge now and then to buy a few of their fantastic blends.
My morning bun and cappuccino here were fantastic during our visit. Service was just outstanding.
But in case you didn’t know, here are the goods:
– excellent coffee
–good pastries
–lots of seatings
–outdoor area (good for blind dates)
– funky décor
–wifi
–world class service
Until then, Cheers! ~ :p

Got a cake and a cup of coffee for around $ 11. I do like to spoil myself sometimes. The raspberry mascarpone was delicious and basically melted in my mouth. I heard someone say that they import their cakes, which slightly justifies the prices. I also had the ciocco orange cappuccino (I think that’s what it was called), and it was so beautiful that I had to snap a couple pictures with my iPhone before I could bear to mix it up. There were orangey flecks of chocolate at the bottom, which my chocaholic friend ate happily.
The atmosphere is delightful, and I felt like such a city girl there, even though we were gawking at the food like tourists.

I haven’t been thrilled with coffee in the Castro (honestly I don’t know what people are drinking at Peet’s and Starbucks) The whole dining scene is a backwater. Recently, however, there has been a proliferation of new coffee shops in this hood. Reveille, Eureka! (serving Blue Bottle Coffee), and Illy.
The shop is elegant and gorgeous. For the several visits at this Espressamente Illy I have had double latte ($ 3.75) of very consistent quality. It is, however, served in a stemless cocktail glass and not a porcelain cup. That’s fine with me. The latte itself is tasty, with the crema on top that lasts all the way to the last sip. No acidity and no bitterness. Espresso is served in porcelain demi-​tasse cups, just like in Europe and what it should be.
You can actually relax, read, and just sit back and enjoy the coffee here without being visually and olfactorily assaulted. Unlike Reveille and Café Sophie, completely taken over by table hogs, Illy is still pretty reasonable when it comes to seating.

That swirling ceiling fixture with the orbiting espresso cups and saucers is quite cool (photo:
). It reminds me of «Gravity» where that Russian debris keeps coming around every 45 minutes causing havoc for poor lonely Sandra Bullock. Only it ain’t the Commies, this time it must be caffeine-​fueled fashionistas tired of Starbucks. They have that same fixture in their Battery Street location, but somehow it fits more in the Castro. In fact, the whole shop does since it has that upscale Euro-​chic look about it (photo:
), much more fitting for the boys who wear pastel cashmere sweaters around their necks. There are canisters of Illy coffee neatly stacked against the wall, and decorative espresso cups line all the available color-​coordinated shelf space.
Jamie W. and I strolled in here on our way to Books Inc. I convinced him to make a pit stop because I knew the lattes were quite tasty from the other location. I went for the $ 4 Clove Vanilla Latte which was a cozy treat on a balmy evening (photo:
), while Jamie W. had the large $ 3.25 Hot Chocolate, always welcome in any season. We couldn’t help ourselves and split the lightly decadent $ 4.50 Strawberry Genoise Cake (photo:
), tour pick of the Euro-​petite pastries that made us feel like we should be wearing matching lederhosen. The young staff provide individual pour-​overs just like Philz (photo:
). They are genuinely nice, just what you’d expect from such a brightly lit café with swirling espresso cups.
COFFEE/​DESSERT — 4 stars… Illy strikes again…
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… and in a neighborhood that makes sense for their stylish operation
SERVICE — 4 stars… quite nice and patient
TOTAL — 4 stars… a welcome place to chill, plug in and sip