Kantine — Restaurant in San Francisco

How did I not know we had a restaurant like this in SF??

Ordered the pick-7 and savory porridge for brunch. In the set got both eggs (soft cooked and scrambled), trout salad, sausage, melon salad, 3-lentil hummus, and tunnbröd (kinda like a soft warm no-pocket pita). Everything was fresh and this was a nice way to sample everything. Both eggs were cooked perfectly (properly silky scrambled eggs are highly underrated) and we ended up putting the soft boiled into our savory porridge which was a great move. The sausage came with a great creamy mustard sauce that went very well with the scrambled egg. The butter that came with the bread was also very good, unsure if it was special butter but we definitely are all of it. Trout salad was creamy, perfectly smoky, and great with the eggs and bread. If I had to order this again I’d probably get everything except for the melon salad, it was literally just cantaloupe with mint sugar.

The savory porridge was AWESOME. Hearty, warming, and flavorful, like a cozy hug that you can eat. The mushrooms were perfectly cooked - some were still quite crispy - just make sure you like the flavor of mushrooms because that’s the predominant flavor of the dish. The farmers cheese was tangy and creamy and perfect with all of the savory, umami, saucy elements. I could eat this weekly.

The other standout which many others have mentioned is the coffee. Well executed and the proper ratio of espresso to milk. I think I saw they sell Heart espresso so not sure if that’s what they use, but it was one of the better coffee’s I had in recent memory.

I’d go back to try their other dishes. Did get a half loaf of porridge sourdough to take home, which is tangy and dense and tasty but much too small (lasted 2 days). Will need to get back soon, maybe not on a weekend when the wait it 30+ minutes.

They have tables inside for dine in, as well as a good number of tables (mostly 2-tops) outside along the sidewalk. Didn’t check for vax cards when we were there.

Parking is typical Duboce triangle - we found free neighborhood parking a block away but there are meters along market and it’s usually not too bad depending on...

I have eaten at Kantine over 200 times since the festive opening day in 2018. Sadly, I watched a steady decline, both in the quality and variety of the food and in the quality of the service. It is no longer a friendly, neighborhood gourmet haven, but joins the ranks of cheap commercial establishments, comparable to Macdonalds or Pizzahut. Fortunately, there are still wonderful gourmet bakeries nearby: ThoroughBread on Church is just two blocks away, and the world-famous Tartine is about a 15-minute walk due south. Both of these are much more worth exploring than this shabby, and dangerously mismanaged former laundromat. I have eaten at the Market Street location maybe 150 times, and I have tried delivery, take-out and the other options during COVID – mostly, this was poorly executed, with many items missing (and very poor refund policies), and the food that DID arrive was at least day-old. I have been delighted to see many of the same items, at about half the price, and served with a smile, at the new Ikea food hall, a few blocks down Market St., Saluhall (945 Market, near 5th St. – just hop on one of the many trollies on Market Street for a fun ride into downtown). As you can see in my recent photo, Kantine is pretty much deserted (that's the owner, Nichole Accettola, hoping to corral a customer or two from...

Denmark is known for danishes, quirky films and TV shows, and if you include neighbor Sweden, then IKEA!

So imagine our surprise when we came across Soleil Ho’s 2018 promising chef article and Kantine was featured.

It is located in the no mans land between mission and market, and is only open for breakfast until late lunch (3 pm), as the chef owner wants to practice a Scandinavian lifestyle of spending more time with family.

The food is spectacular, simple but elegant, flavorful and freshly made. You can order a la charge or get a better deal by getting 5 or 7 item combo, the latter for 20 bucks and can be shared.

They make their own bread, think Rye, and it does indeed rhyme with dry. However you can get a bunch of dips to scoop away the goodness. Also the house made butter is light but very country and rustic in its flavor profile.

You have a choice of eggs, cured trout, hummus, and 15 other items to make your own 7 item combo.

You order at the counter and sit at any table with your number.

Along with the 7 item combo, we also tried their excellent drip coffee with a side of oat milk, and the desserts! So so dangerous!

Go there for the minimalistic decor and inspired light Scandinavian food, stay there for that...