A few weeks ago, friends and I went out to Brunch.  It was more of an informative meeting for me because aside from general catching-up, they were giving me advice about where to go, where to eat, and most importantly, what & where to avoid on an upcoming trip.  I think it’s always good to find out the good & the bad of any given place to get the most enjoyable results.

C & M were also gracious enough to let me try out this Groupon restaurant that has sat on my to-do list for a few months.

Noeteca is located in Noe Valley.  Inconspicuous to most outsiders as it is more of a neighborhood place, we arrived on a day after a splatter of rain, so the air was chilly and wet.  Due to a conference call I had that morning,  I was actually a few minutes late, so friends were already sitting inside enjoying their coffee.

And speaking of coffee, Noeteca is well-known for their coffee.  Like Philz Coffee and Blue Bottle, they brew each cup when you order.

For brunch, we tried a few of their sandwiches and the likes.  See pictures above.  The food did not particularly “wow” me, but keeping in mind that this is a neighborhood café, it is actually okay.  And since they were voted best in wine bar/wine list by a few local papers, maybe their strong suit is really in wine and coffee, and not particularly in food.

Service was a bit spotty that day.  Even though we were practically the only other party at the restaurant, they were pretty slow with M’s bottomless Mimosa.  They did not give M his drink until our food arrived at the table.  That was at least an 1/2 hour wait.  C has a great philosophy about those so-called bottomless Mimosa, and he patiently explained to me that if you don’t drink at least 3 of them, then it’s really not worth it.  Love it!

So while Noeteca isn’t on the top of my brunch place now, it does serve some decent food and strong cups of coffee.

Noeteca Cafe | 1551 Delores Street | San Francisco, CA 94110