Java Source

Bad Vietnamese sandwich, bad service, cash only! Avoid this place!

The lady is horrible. Tells your friends «YOu buy someting or you must Go!» I had a roast beef sandwich. Really low quality meat, like grade E or something. Also, there’s only the daikon pickle, not the other vegetables.

Dashed into Java Source to grab a coffee (m.2) and a tsing tao newspaper (.60) on memorial day. lots of parking on opposite side of the street. just saw the meterperson turn onto clement a block up.
lots of tables with people reading papers, playing lotto.
coffee a tad on the harsher side.
menu: lattes, banh mi, sandwiches, italian sodas, lotto tickets. didn’t have time for any of this. was expecting the meterperson to make a u-​turn at anytime to check up on me.
–cash only.
–friendly, fast service

What is this place? A café? Is there such a thing as a dive-​café? It can’t possibly be a real café, because the coffee is amazingly, Guinness-​record-​breakingly bad.
Is a front? Possibly. They can’t possibly be making money. Mostly it’s just filled with middle-​aged men scratching lottery tickets and smoking. It’s a shame, because the people seem nice and the location is good.

It had been a long time since I set foot in here until earlier this week when I stopped for a coffee to go. Back then if was just a coffeehouse, but then they include burger plates and Vietnamese sandwiches as items that they serve. I can only comment on the coffee I got and it was okay, not too bland.
Also, when I came years ago, one problem was that the outside seating had a strong cigarette smell. At least it appears the problem is no longer.

Ok food and drink at this place is definitely not bad. I really appreciated the extra fresh jalapenos and cilantro I asked for. The lemon tea was super good with tons of lemons (yes tastes like the Vietnamese kind exactly the way it should be). I’ll definitely be back because it’s close to home, the price is right, and the folks working there were very nice to me. The boss lady even stopped playing her game to make me the super good ice lemon tea tea. It’s not as great as some of the other viet sandwiches I’ve had, but definitely not bad.
Sure there’s a lot of dudes smoking out front and gambling, but it’s not like everyone appreciates the obnoxious yuppy behavior down at Blue Danube (which is good as well!). If you walk in there looking all appalled at a store’s regulars, I wouldn’t be surprised if the owners didn’t roll out the red carpet for you.
Just chill and enjoy the reasonably priced and reasonably good tasting sandwiches. Ice lemon tea is good too.

strange that a chinese run joint in the middle of clement street doesn’t offer chinese baked goods.
i got some hong kong tea, which was decent.
it totally failed the bathroom test tho… super stinky from slob by men who dont know how to aim… ughhh!

HA! I’m so not surprised this place has a majority 1-​star.
Dark/​gloomy/​depressing interior. Seriously.
The Asian lady that works there is a straight up BITCH. I asked her a question, she ignores me. «Hello?» Stares at me and says «What?»… Heard of customer service?
They only accept cash. I hate places like that. Who carries cash anymore?! :P

Just reviewing for the BBQ Chicken Bahn Mi. In a nutshell, the pâté they used tasted like fish guts. Fish guts paired with grayish looking chicken… yeah…not really too appetizing. And not sure why they called it BBQ chicken when there was no BBQ flavor anywhere. All I tasted was god awful fish.
I will say that I do like the large open outdoor dining area. On a nice day, I could totally chill on the benches drinking coffee or fiddling on my laptop.

Plenty of open seating. The mood set inside is very depressing. I ordered the thai ice tea. $ 2.50. Not bad. I like the outside seating more than the inside. Wish it was more cozy though.

— Locale destination —
It’s in the China town. It’s a bit not-​so-​cheerful ghetto ;p Chinese words and shops are all over around here. I didn’t like to use a dirty bathroom at other Chinese places (maybe not dirty in fact — but it looks so), so I looked for some ENGLISH name place. Inside is kinda dark. But plenty of seating as you see on my pictures.
— Gluttony expedition —
Hot tea: It was super hot…
Bathroom: It wasn’t so clean as I expected but it was useable.
— Conqueror’s deduction–
If you want to sit for a break, it might be a good place to chill out. Just don’t expect here to be like Starbucks or something like that. It’s cheap and has a seating and bathroom.

Worst experience Ive had on Clement street. I got a BBQ pork sandwich that was served to me raw. RAW. Like, red spongy meat. Like ‘oh my god somebody is going to get violently ill from this how could you serve this?’ raw. I took a picture to document it. I knew better than to ask for my money back in that place so I just threw it straight in the trash. Never again.

I only come here for the thai iced teas. :)

Absolutely staggering resemblance with one of those countryside bars in Italy. Smells like cigarette butts and used playing cards, all sorts of paraphernalia on the walls and stuff you’ll never order, even under torture.
But the pictures of Banh Mi outside look pretty good so, why not?
Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich (
) and I’m pretty sure I had the most Chinese Banh Mi ever.
Roast pork was flavored with five spice and über sweet, pickled carrots came out of a jar forgotten in time and the overall experience was just a big «meh». I seriously questioned myself while walking towards Kamei:” Why am I eating this?”.
I didn’t get any intestinal disease so they deserve the second star, just for reminding me the days when I was going to a «bar» in Italy, circa 1985, to buy a ghiacciolo (ice lolly), priceless.

COFFEE!!!
Not a bad place though it does appear to be rather ghetto. I have always wondered about this place all those years ago when I used to frequent ht neighborhood though I was always put off by the number of older clientele who looked like they would look me up and down just as they would anyone else of the opposite sex that would have walked in front of them. Fortunately I have had the pleasure of checking it out first hand the other day. It is a nice place otherwise and there’s a lot of locals in their watching the game and people playing cards. The lady running the spot seemed rather lively and really got along with her customers. Though I think she had money on their friendly game. lmao
After she made me a white mocha. I’m not too familiar with white mochas but is their cinnamon in it… either which way, I made my way toward the front area where I was surrounded by creepy old men who were busy playing board games, talking in their native tongue and just taking in life as it walked by. And I can honestly say that I found it appealing. Not quite something I would do everyday in all weather, however the change of pace was much welcomed on my part and allowed me to take a step back from a busy and trying day. The view didn’t hurt either.
;D

When I first moved here last year I went to check out Inner Richmond. I saw the sandwich board here so stopped inside to buy a vegie sandwich (pretty good, btw. They put extra cilantro and pickles like I asked.)
Their sandwiches are cheaper by a $.25 than other Vietnamese stores in the area.
Then days later I went by again and saw Asian men in their 30s and up sitting outside smoking, talking really loudly, cussing in Cantonese and Vietnamese and looking very greasy. They eyed women walking by. Even me pushing my stroller! Very uncomfortable just walking by when the whole lot of them are sitting there smoking and talking shit. I look straight ahead when I walk by because greasy men make me feel gross.
Everything here is dirty. As in you might want to use anti-​bacterial gel after touching the door handle.
Though the sandwiches are nice, I have to walk past greasy men to get inside the store, so forget it. Plenty of other VN sandwich shops around to buy from.

Imagine one of those old «Yellow Scare» films of the 1930’s.
A dimly light room, smell of wet log and ashen smoke coming from leering old Asian men who do nothing but gamble and entertain the latest gossip. Luckily for you, your very existence is but a mere annoyance to their game of oriental domino.
Upon entering, you are greeted with foods and snacks that are unknown to the average American/​Westerner that shops at Costco and Safeways, you are taken aback… you ask yourself «Isn’t this supposed to be a Coffee House?» but your inner monologue is interrupted by the sight of a 3 hour old coffee pot on the warmer.
A hostile old woman magically appears on the counter, the looks of which makes Jaba the Hut look like Lily Thai, then asks for your order.
You: «do you have any fresh brewed coffee?»
Old Bat: «!@$%#@#@%» (unknown Cantonese)
she pours a cup from the pot of already stale and possibly rife with cigarette ash, then charges you for it.
With all kiddings aside, I this place was RACIST toward me. I came at 9 o’clock pm with 2 other of my buddies. I purchased a cup of coffee and decided to sit inside. Within 5 min. we were asked to leave the establishment because they don’t tolerate loiters. I look outside and find at least 10 Asians smoking and gambling. I point that out and she said they were fine and told us to buy more things or leave. I asked her why does she treat customers in this manner then she threatened to call the cops. I told her to go ahead but my friends told me that this confrontation wasn’t worth it.
All in all, unless if you’re an AUTHENTIC ASIAN (one who speaks Cantonese, and not a Pacific Islander) or a rich looking American, KEEP AWAY from this shop. There Coffee sucks, the Food is stale, and there service makes the Tiananmen Square Massacre look like a glorified pillow fight.

Non-​smoking yuppies avoid this place, which is why I love it.
If you want hipster scum, socially-​inept computer nerds, workaholics, and the typical SF poseurs, go to Starbucks, Peet’s, or one of MANY OTHER places to get coffee.
If you don’t mind old Asian guys smoking, gambling, and conversing in Cantonese about whether snake or chicken tastes better in soup, then THIS PLACE IS FOR YOU!
Heck, I don’t even smoke, or gamble much anymore, but this is one place where you can get a mix of fresh and smoky air and truly have a conversation.

This isn’t Starbucks, this isn’t Peet’s, this isn’t Blue Danube. Have some of you people ever been to a Vietnamese Coffee Shop before? You’re acting as if they’re not supposed to loud, boisterous, and full of smokers.
Coffee that’ll keep you awake for hours… check. Other assorted Asian drinks… check. Banh mi… check. Spring rolls… check.
I like stopping by here to get a sandwich when I get back late. It’s not the best banh mi in the world, but it’s still good, it’s mad cheap ($ 2.25 /​$ 2.50 for the special) and it is the best you’ll find at 11:30 PM. The workers are always very nice too. Yeah, the clientel is kind of unnecessary, but whatever. I only have to put up with them long enough to get a sandwich and/​or coffee.

Service = okay. They’re nice.
Food = okay. Eh… it’s just season-​less and just boring.
Drinks = okay.
Seating = crap. Outside with lots of smokers.
Cheap for a reason!