Cafe Jacqueline — Restaurant in San Francisco

Have been here once. The food is fun and tasty but the history of the place is what made it special. The place has a bit of an air about it which is fine and makes the atmosphere feel very old San Francisco. Again the food is fine… but the history is what we really enjoyed about it. The service was one step above mediocre. My friends and I wanted to come back for a special time together and after two weeks of trying to make a reservation via phone on 5 separate occasions (because guess what, no online capability, come on folks it’s 2025) I decided to drive from Marin county over to make an in person reservation. I showed up about 15 minutes after they opened. I literally drove 40 minutes and found parking to make a reservation here. Not kidding. The wait person (who’s been here years I believe) looked like he was helping a table but I don’t mind waiting. Wasn’t in a hurry at all. But he stopped what he was doing and came over with a grouchy look like I had interrupted and said can I help you and I said yes I just need to make a reservation. He said call and leave a message. I said I did that, 5 times in the past two weeks. I drove over from Marin specially to make this reservation. He literally held his hand up about 18 inches in front of my face and said pretty rudely “I can’t help you with that” and walked away.

Wow. Must be a great business they have going if they can not return phone calls for 2 weeks and then treat a customer like that

Let’s see. We live in the Bay Area folks. It’s a food town. So many great options. Don’t eat here. Take your dollars elsewhere. We’ve decided to take our dollars over to...

Soufflés. Yes, you go here for soufflés.

It’s my first time trying out these soufflés or any soufflés for that matter. I tried white corn, garlic and ginger soufflés for entree and chocolate soufflé for dessert. They were soft, light, rich and airy. Staying true to my palate, I felt they lacked a strong punch for me - may be that’s how soufflés are. Subtle and light but very expensive.

But the lady who makes these soufflés almost all by herself is about 85 years old. You can see her baking in the restaurant’s kitchen if you’re using the loo. I just found that inspirational!

And a thing to keep in mind is that it’s going to take a lot of time for your order. So make sure you plan this dinner for about 3 - 3.5 hours.

You’ll like the feel of the cafe. It’s tiny but an intimate and romantic setting. It worked out for me because I chose this for my first anniversary.

If you’re a soufflé lover this might be the place for you. But anyone who likes solid and spicy food might not like it as much. Nonetheless it was a...

We loved it. Came here for our 17th and it was lovely. It's a cozy little place, and the souffles are excellent. Take your time to actually enjoy it, don't just stuff it down. Don't forget that the garnish is often part of the taste too. The fruits de mer had very thin lemon on top, and a little lemon with the souffle added some wonderful mixture of taste.

The grande marnier was also wonderful, smooth and rich. The coffee was great, and the staff was very knowledgeable, wonderful, and friendly.

We'll be back when we're back in town, 100%.

My advice is to slow down, enjoy the whole experience. Don't eat like you're expecting to get somewhere else after. You won't. But it's worth it. If you're not able to slow down, then pick another place and come back to this one when you do have the time. It's not cheap, and rushing through will just waste your time and money.

But if you can slow down and take your time, that time and money is well spent indeed.

Call them for reservations and leave a message. They actually...