Blue Jay Cafe

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919 Divisadero St (at at McAllister)
San Francisco, CA 94115

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(415) 447-6066
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Reviews
( 6 )
( 13 )
( 4 )
( 8 )
( 8 )

Best

I went there on Friday night with 3 friends around 8 p.m, it was slightly busy, but we were seated after a 5 minute wait. The atmosphere is very casual with a ""helpful"" and fri...

Worst

i keep not going back to this place because the catfish breading sucked up the water from the yams it was served on -- waterfish! my date's pork arrived cool to the touch. and we ...

A great meal 5/2/2005

I just read some of the negative reviews and I must admit, I don't get it. I tried this restaurant (before reading the reviews on this site) and had an excellent meal. I had the catfish served with sweet potatoes and it was delicious. My partner's pork chops were outstanding. The pecan pie for the desert was the best pecan pie I have ever had. The service wasn't extraordinary but it certainly was not bad. All at a great price. I was quite pleased. Pros: Great food, Decor Cons: Average service more
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Nice neighborhood spot in not so nice neighborhd 3/24/2005

Popped in for lunch at about 1:30pm and the place was very quiet. Had three pieces of fried chicken, fries dusted with spice and a beer for under $8. Chicken was tender and covered in a very light rosemary batter, fries were above average. My server was attentive and patient, not sure what earlier complaints were about. Decor is funky, there are some nice prints and a silkscreen on the wall and some decent music. Overall a fine spot for a quick and inexpensive bite, but judging from the earlier reviews, there may be service issues when busy... Pros: Hip Decor more
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The Service is Terrible 2/6/2005

Although the food and music are each great, the service is ridiculously terrible. The bartenders and servers often forget (for laughably long periods of time) that they have customers. Considering that this restaurant is beyond tiny, such inaction is totally inexcusable. Blue Jay's management should fire the wait staff and start over with people who understand that good food and great ambiance coupled with horrendous customer service is a failing equation. I will not return again. Pros: music, food Cons: wait-staff, totally, sucks more
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Service defined ""aloof"" 1/24/2005

I convinced some friends to try this restaurant after having been there once (though I was overcharged the first time I went and, thankfully, caught the mistake before I paid). I thought I would try again because the fish is pretty good. When will I go back? Never. The service was excruciatingly slow. Long story, but in sum we waited for more than an hour to be seated even after other tables had paid and could have moved to the bar; it was one more hour before our food arrived; my friend's fried chicken was uncooked; and there were no apologies for the long wait. The restaurant seems mismanaged or not managed. It's too bad because it really could be a successful place. Pros: good music more
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horrendous service, very good food 1/20/2005

first time in my life I've given a 0% tip. the service (bartender and waiter) was unbelievably slow, inattentive, and unapologetic. - we waited at the bar for about 15 minutes before getting the baertender's attention, another 10-15 for the 3 drinks to come. - we waited over an hour to get seated, because the waiter's friends lingered at that table an extra 30-45 minutes. - the waiter was slow to take the order, and our food arrived after another hour -- 2 full hours after we'd arrived. no apology, no free appetizer, nothing. we really tried to be polite and gentle in asking for a table and food throughout, but the waiter and bartender just stared blankly and didn't apologize. a friend had warned me not to go, and now i see why Pros: great food, cool music Cons: , SLOW! more
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food is okay, but... 1/10/2005

Really bad service. Unless you're the DJ, don't expect anyone to care that you're there or to make you feel welcome. The food was hit or miss but cheap. We liked the mango avacado salad. My salmon special was well prepared but the sauce was bland and gooey. The fried chicken got a good review from my Mississippi-born companion, though he disliked the super bland mac 'n cheese side. The cookie for dessert was one of those nasty cafe cow patty things. I love the location; and while the decor could take some cues from Blue Plate, it's fairly comfortable. I wish this could be our new neighborhood haunt but, we're not likely to return. Pros: inexpensive Cons: , hit or miss menu more
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Bland, Bland, Bland 1/8/2005

We ordered the house specialty, which is the fried chicken, but to our disappointment, the chicken has flavor whatsoever. In fact, you would find better tasting fried chicken from Albertson's as theirs have seasonings and spices. We also ordered the grill pork chop - dry and overcooked; it was like eating dry, overly cooked white chicken. The pork chop was so dry and overcooked that it took awhile to cut a piece and the meat was so white like chicken breast. This place is overrated and the food is really below average, given their lower prices make up the 'below average' rating. Pros: fair prices, ambience Cons: , shady neighborhood more
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Disappointing 12/22/2004

I went with a group of friends to try it out and experience some good soul/comfort food. It was disappointing all around... especially the buffalo wings, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and biscuits. They were all cold arriving at the table, and really bad. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant at all. Pros: Ice Tea, Fried Chicken more
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Hit or miss 12/11/2004

Had a horrible experience with their breakfast/brunch service. After waiting for a longer-than-necessary period of time for our food (my eggs were cold by the time his french toast was ready), the server brought honey instead of syrup (I guess they keep them in the same containers) which he didn't notice either until his french toast was drenched in it. We called the server over and she didn't quite know what to do about it, so we suggested she fire another serving. Ten minutes later she came back to tell us they were out of french toast. We have had reasonably decent breakfasts there, always kind of hit or miss depending on how busy they were, but we've never gone back after this experience. Pros: Inexpensive Cons: , Ditzy servers, Unprepared kitchen more
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good eats, cool place 12/6/2004

the food has gotten better and better and is a great deal. the people are nice and the place is fun. the fried chicken is tasty and crispy and the mango/blue cheese salad is always a winner. go check it out if you haven't already. I eat there every week...yum. Pros: price, food, staff more
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Don't waste your money. 11/9/2004

This place doesn't know the first thing about Southern or Soul food. I was actually embarassed that they believed and people who eat at this place believe that this is southern cooking. I have spent a good part of my life in the south and the food is fried, fattening and fantastic. This place had none of it. Don't waste your time. It is a major disappointment. more
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They are trying but have missed it 11/7/2004

I went there 2 times. Both times the food came soo slow which led me to conclude they have no idea what they are doing in the kitchen. I asked the waitress who the chef was and she did not know what to say. actually it is a resturant without a chef, i guess they get it out of books or something. Prices are ok but not super great, the sald, very small portion is pricy for the serving amount. good luck for them, but the city has way bettr places, I have no idea how they are getting all these raving revieus, my expeince might have been diffrent more
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We liked it 11/6/2004

Just got back from a meal at Blue Jay Cafe, and we were pleasantly surprised. The catfish was outstanding and portions were very large! Good atmosphere, house music was good on a Saturday night, service was so-so, but not a reason to stay away. We were also happy with the price: we had an appetizer of crab cakes, entree, two desserts, and two sodas for $29. Give a try. more
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goon home cookin! 11/5/2004

we loved it! as starving students, its great to find a place that is affordable, relaxed, fun to go to and with great food. try the meatloaf. its fantastic. more
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SOOOO Good! 11/3/2004

I loved this place. The resturant is warm and inviting, and the food was delicious! So good. The homemade Pecan Pie was mouth watering, and freshly made drinks are very refreshing. I can't wait to go back. Though it is alittle more then I would generally spend dinning out , but it is SO worth it! more
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Snore... 10/20/2004

I'm always excited when I see a new restaurant sprout around my neighborhood. This restaurant looked promising. Alas, it didn't live up to my expectations. The service was very aloof. The food greasy and forgettable. The prices seem low, until you start eating then you'll realise that it's pretty pricey for what they were serving. Nice ambience, though. I think it's worth a try if you're not expecting too much. Pros: hip ambience, reasonable prices Cons: , boring food more
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Awesome food for a good price 10/6/2004

Forget the negative reviews, this place rocks. Everyone in my group of four had a great time, loved the neighborhood ambience, and thought the food was fantastic. We had, amongst other things, the fried chicken, meatloaf, crab cakes, and pecan pie, all of which were excellent. The fried chicken was definitely not too greasy, but at the same time it was still fried up nice and crispy. In fact we were all commenting on that specifically at the time. The service is admittedly slow, so don't go if you're in a rush. (But once you get a table they do bring out a quick plate of cornbread!) It was busy, and this was on a Wed. night. Pros: Great food, Good atmosphere, Good deal more
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Disappointing 8/12/2004

I'd had high hopes for this place, but the food was only so-so and was totally negated by the disorganized and shabby service. They got 2 of 4 orders wrong and then brought all the food (including the 2 missing appetizers we were waitin for) at the same time. The beer and wine list looks long, but they only had half of each in stock. The red-beans and rice was like Uncle Bens. The southern comfort food thing is hot right now, but there are far better places in SF. more
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Great neighborhood place! 6/19/2004

My wife and I just discovered a neighborhood gem! The food is one of the best values we've found in SF, and we dine out A LOT! Check out the special roast chicken w/2 sides for only $14.95 to go! Jay is the waiter and very friendly. The food is very good southern comfort food, and comes in big portions. Since we've discovered it, I've had lunch and dinner there in the same day and one day will probably have breakfast, lunch and dinner there in the same day! We go about once or twice a week now and recommend it highly! Am told that the wait can be a bit frustrating on a Friday or Saturday evening, so we always get our food to go during those days. Try them out, we think you'll enjoy as much as we do! Pros: Great value, Great food, Big Portions more
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Menu for Blue Jay Cafe


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Editorial

  • The Blue Jay Cafe is a cute little diner that serves up delicious cuisine for brunch, lunch and dinner. The best part about Blue Jay Cafe...

  • 9/20/2012 Provided by KidScore
Additional information
  • Hours: Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Lunch: Mon - Fri 11:30am to 2:30pm Dinner: Mon - Sat 5:30pm to 10pm, Sun 5pm to 9:30pm
  • Payments: Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Northern Park, Central North
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