Cafe Envy

Casual, relaxed, yet energized. Great chicken and veggies took about 1/2 an hour but well worth it. Love the guys playing a loud game of dominos. I did take out and plated this at home.

This place May soon be my favorite spot in Bayview. They stay open late during the weekends and the food is so delicious!! I had the combo sliders and each one is so unique and full of flavor. (Beef, bbq chicken and salmon). Also do the lemon crunch pie is out of this world. It is an absolute must when you come here. The owner April is also super friendly and very welcoming. I can’t wait to come back here soon.

Love this place! Solid food, cocktails, and consistent everytime! One of my favorites in the area and I love there's options for vegan too. I've tried the Big Burger, Jerk Salmon, vegan soul bowl, shrimp & garlic noodles and all were delicious and quality. I always devour my meal in minutes. The different cocktails and drinks available are special and good too. Staff here are friendly and really a treasure to have this place now. Since they reopened during covid, there's great outdoor seating areas to hangout at.

Very friendly staff and I love the music that was playing wasn't too loud and perfectly appropriate. Great mid-evening crowd giving the place a warm atmosphere filled with friends. The gumbo was easily the best I've ever had. A little on the pricey side but every bite was rich and fantastic. Will absolutely come here the next time I get the chance.

Always a good time when I visit Cafe Envy. Staff is friendly food is superb

I love this place. Meant to take a picture of that DELICIOUS clam chowder but I INHALED it 🤷🏾‍♀️so the only pic is this delicious watermelon lemon drop with Tequila. The FRICKIN best!

Cafe Envy is a very nice place to come and get good drinks and wonderful tasting food the happy hour menu is very reasonable to this a nice place to go to socialize with your friends, the art work on the wall is Beautiful easy to find driving and plenty of parking

The drinks were a BIG hit! But the seasoning of the food was a lot less desirable. The environment is very welcoming and it's nice to have the option of sitting outside or inside. I went for my birthday and my friends and I stayed and hung out for hours and closed the Cafe down. The staff was great, very helpful and attentive. The music was great! We had a wonderful time and even got a few dance steps in when the music warranted. Would definitely recommend this nice local Cafe after work to wind down.

I don't know why I keep giving this place a chance. I don't care who is cookingbthey are dropping the ball big time. Especially when ypur frying fish/fries and chicken in the same grease.

I had been on quite a roll trying eateries new to me in Bayview/Hunters Point since it struck me there were several under-the-radar gems that I wanted to discover for myself. The problem was that I would make it over to this area in the late morning to early afternoon, and this spot doesn't open until 3PM. Well, I finally adjusted my schedule a bit to make it over there a little after 3PM on a weekday just to have a late afternoon supper here since I thought it would be worth the effort given its connection to Auntie April's Chicken-n-Waffles down the street (review: https://bit.ly/3D8u8DN) and the enthusiastic praise I read from various Yelpers. All signs pointed to a good experience... But alas, I felt strangely unwelcome when I entered the front door. It appeared they weren't interested in serving food that early even though they had things cooking on the stove. They appeared to be getting ready for whatever entertainment they were providing that evening. I sat myself down at the one table that looked available, but when I stepped away to wash my hands, they had taken over the table with audio equipment. When I reseated myself at the bar, the woman next to me was on her smartphone, and she had one of those screeching laughs that sounded like a smoke alarm went off. They didn't have much readily available, so I settled on the $10 Vegan Soul Bowl with Hot Water Cornbread. It eventually arrived piping, tongue-burning hot in a cardboard takeout container - even though I didn't make the order to go. I was wondering if they wanted me to go. It was actually pretty good as it combined succotash with brown rice, stewed tomatoes, corn, okra, and black-eyed peas (photo: https://bit.ly/3B7I3sd). It came with a small chunk of crusty cornbread wrapped in foil to go (photo: https://bit.ly/3TG5xvU). As I was constantly blowing the steam off my food, it was dawning on me that this was less a cafe and more a club as one guy was setting up the speakers and amplifiers and testing the volume while I ate alone. Maybe I need to come by at 9PM for the full Cafe Envy dining experience. I certainly wasn't getting it at 3PM. FOOD - 3 stars...the vegan soul bowl was good enough to put it in a real bowl AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...didn't seem set up as a restaurant at 3PM SERVICE - 1.5 stars...not feeling the love here (...and I've written quite a few reviews, so I have valid points of comparison) TOTAL - 2 stars...I know there are other Bayview eateries who would want my business RELATED - Exploring Bayview/Hunters Point? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3AOvRKv

Oysters and salmon sliders were delicious. The salmon sliders are always my go to because of the taste. I like when they add tomatoes to the sliders because it just makes it taste better. The oysters were decent.

The music playing is the background was wonderful! I got an order of jumbo smoked wings over brown rice with a salad. Wings were big and had a lot of flavor! Very savory! Salad was fresh. Good job Cafe Envy!

Im so glad this restaurant/ bar/ lounge is able to operate during Covid. Aside from the sexy chicken strips that are full of flavor and fried to perfection - I thought the cook was black. The bartender was super friendly but super on the Covid procedures which made me feel safe to eat and chill here. The fries are seasoned with soul. And the Babu shark drink ain't no baby! Will definitely come back here at least once a week. You should too, if you like great food, great people, great service and some good music that makes you want to dance but you can't bc it's Covid. Oh and the Art work is amazing. I only took a couple of pics so I would come off as a creep: weirdo.

I was walking down Third Street one day looking for a place to eat. I'm so lucky I stumbled across Cafe Envy because it's now one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. I came here on a Saturday afternoon and April, the owner, happened to be in the restaurant that day so I was very fortunate to have a chance to chat with her. She said that there's live soul and RnB music every Friday, and I can't wait to come back for this. It's very hard to find a place in San Francisco that regularly plays soul/Motown music. I had the vegan soul bowl which came with hot cornbread. The hot cornbread was divine and the vegan soul bowl came with black eyed peas and okra. I love okra! The vegan soul bowl was very filling and was more than enough for me. I had the Blackberry Panther (what a wonderful name!) and the baby shark drink. Both were good but I especially loved the Blackberry Panther which came with fresh blackberries at the bottom. There's beautiful artwork on the walls and some of them are for sale and some of them are from local artists. While I was in the restaurant, a local gardener came by and asked if April was interested in purchasing any of his vegetables. She said yes. Respect--a local business that has delicious food and also invests in the local community. Beautiful.

Everything on the menu is sensational. The veggie soup The sliders....oh my god. Bbq chicken and angus beef. Garlic fries Lemon chicken, mash, and veggies And the garlic noodles....OMG. Like I said everything go crazy. You won't be disappointed.

I love coming here for the garlic noodles but sometimes it don't tastes the same I once bought a plate on Monday quite , nothing much goin on but then I go and want to buy some on Friday partying, I think it was a funeral after party celebration a lot goin on and the noodles just weren't the same .

Came in late on a Thursday. Though the parking is only street, the marked spots are perpendicular to the curb, so there were quite a few available (for San Francisco). And it is located at the corner so there are spots on both sides of the restaraunt. The place was pretty busy with (who appeared to be) a lot of locals. Nice to visit a community oriented establishment. There was a DJ playing that good R&B. There is art on the walls all around the place - some pieces of which appeared to be for sale. Since it was a Thursday and it's only available every other Thursday, my companion and I had the gumbo ($18) and a side of sweet hot water cornbread ($4). It was an ample serving. Neither of us finished our meals. We also had cocktails ($12) and they were stiff! We'll definitely be back to try the other offerings.

2 words ho this place is JUM. PIN. Walked in on a random Thizzday night & fgn Philip Bailey was playing live viola loud af. So u know I danced all the way through dinner. (-_^) Slider Combo $11 Best was salmon then burger then ehh. (-_v) Chicken Breasteses $9 On the tough side. African community night when I went; I bought a 2nd dish to $upport. I'm not gonna trip abt the food bc this place is actively doing good for the hood. +1 star

I addicted period Oysters are delicious Garlic Noodles is bomb. Com The cocktails !!!! fireeee Good Music Cafe Envy is my whole Mood I'm just saying.. I love it

Truly amazing! I've yet to try the food honestly, but their Friday night dj nights are so much fun! The dj plays 80's and 90's R&B. I think he starts around 7/8pm, and plays till 10pm. They have outdoor seating on both sides of the cafe. People come, drink, eat, socialize, and people drive up in their cars, pop the trunks and do the same. It's likely the most entertaining party I've attended during coronavirus. Everyone's nice, and adhering to covid 19 protocols. I'll edit once I've had a chance to sample their food and drinks.

We were excited to try out the newly opened Cafe Envy by the same owner as Auntie April's, as an additional lunch spot in the neighborhood. It's a perfect space, with jazz playing in the background, art on the walls, and mini lounge areas in the front and back. I had the vegan soul bowl with cornbread and really enjoyed the balance of flavor and how it filled me up without feeling overly full. April was incredibly nice and convinced us to share a piece of her lemon crunch pie. It was to.die.for. The creaminess and not overly tart lemon middle with a buttery graham cracker crust and crunch on top was truly unexpected and delightful. I would (and probably will) come back just to have another slice. Will have to come back to check out live music starting at 6pm on Mondays (Blues), Wednesday (Latin Jazz), Friday (neosoul) and Saturday (reggae)!

DO NOT ORDER ONLINE!! It's a scam!! I was just informed by the cashier, skinny dark skinned lady that they're not on Grub Hub, Uber Eats or any online platform yet their business is on Grub Hub and my payment went through. Was told to contact Grub Hub for a refund. Had to wait 20 minutes to be told this. Not too happy.

Random place that I've visited for a drink and some appetizers, and boy was I in the wrong place! The lady sever with the braids has got a real bad attitude. She ignored me all throughout the 15 minutes that I was sitting at the bar counter. I had to call her over and even then was she rude and arrogant toward me. But little she knew, I sat there monitoring her every action, and I came to realized she was nothing but a racist b. Every black person who stepped inside and she was real nice to. All the others, she could care less about, and I think she was like me too, Filipino. There was a Chinese lady waiting for her order, and I watched it from the beginning to the end. Poor lady had to figure her out and I could tell she was intimidated while not knowing whether to approach to get her order. Cause this racist b would only call once, and too bad if you missed it is the impression that I got. I could tell the poor lady was afraid of being scolded by her. Quit acting like someone that you're not, cause you're portraying those people in the wrong way, if you know what I mean. How dare you!

Cafe Envy is amazing!! I was greeted upon entrance. The bartender Nina was amazing!!! She made me the house special drinks Black Panther & Baby Shark. They were very potent and I didn't taste a bit of alcohol. Nina checked on us often!! I ordered the bbq chicken sliders as an entree. I loved the music, and how clean the establishment was, including the bathrooms!! I will definitely be back, and can't wait to write a review on IG: @taste_by_bri !! Thank you Nina for making my first time here amazing. I will definitely be back. You're the best!! Keep that beautiful smile!!

Gave this place 2 visits to try. First time, had the salmon spinach salad. The salad was just okay, the salmon was overcooked and not much flavor. Second time, couldn't even place an order. Ignored by the staff and waited behind another couple that was also ignored. If your going to be open showing playoff games, need more staff to serve customers. Then there was karaoke, I think. All I know is we never got service so we left.

I order a to go order about a few weeks ago. I order the Teriyaki Chicken lettuce bowl The entree was very tasty and customer service was great. I will be back soon.

Really like the ambiance, the food and the good pours I get when I go to this place! I love my Bayview neighborhood and I will tell everyone who listens, that THIS is one of the places that makes it special! The food is tasty and comforting. Have enjoyed each of the dishes I've ordered and always feel like it's made with love!

A quick Yelp search after flying into SF, for the nearest place to grab food before our 60 mile drive to Napa, and we jumped off the freeway and stumbled into this small, quaint place, with parking in front. It was around 2 pm and except for one couple sitting at the counter, it was empty. Café Envy is a black, locally owned business, serving the quiet neighborhood of Bayview, started by the lovely Ms. April, who warmly greeted us, offered us menus, made me the most delicious take on a margarita called a 15th3rd that had my head spinning less than halfway through it from the generous amount of tequila, and even graced us with her lovely voice as she sometimes sang along to the soft R&B Music playing in the café. Simply decorated, there were fabulous paintings on the walls of R&B and jazz icons. The menu is very eclectic.. serving the carnivore lovers, vegans, keto folks,...anyway, you get my drift - Bayview has a diverse crowd. I ordered the Vegan Soul Bowl with hot water corn bread which was hearty and delicious and my husband ordered the beef sliders with a basket of fries (which were to die for and perfectly seasoned) and he couldn't stop talking about how good the sliders were. We were stuffed but not stuffed enough to refuse April's mom's lemon pie which was a take on lemon meringue but even better - it was so good and a generous portion as well. I noticed they have Happy Hour from 3-6 and April told us they have live music 3 or 4 nights a week. I was sad that I didn't live closer to this place so I could check it out. She mentioned her friend Barbara who makes her own wine and owns Gratta Wine Bar just a couple blocks away, so we decided to walk over and check that out and very happy we did. Bought one bottle to take to Napa with us. Rare to be able to frequent small locally owned businesses like this back home so if you're flying into SFO or live nearby definitely check it out. There's a warm and welcoming feeling you get from these places that makes you wish you could be a local here.

This is my first time and definitely not my last. I ordered barbecue chicken sliders and I must say those sliders tasted like I bit into heaven. very good I haven't tasted anything like them. I would recommend to my friends and family I am definitely coming back here for more . The owner also works here as well she prepared my food and you can tell she definitely put more than love into it 5 stars 2 thumbs up okay!!!

The service was excellent! The happy drinks were both delicious and reasonably priced, the option of a cocktail shots was just perfect. While the nachos looked delicious I opted to get the blackened chicken wings and garlic fries - I'm not mad at them. The wings were so good and flavorful. The fries equally as good. Plenty of seating great music, I look forward to returning here.

This is a great new addition to the neighborhood. I've been a big fan of Auntie April's (whose owner cofounded the Cafe) for a while now, so I was pretty excited to hear a sequel was in the works. First and foremost, the food. It was quite delicious. I'd say it's something like a grown-up gastropub menu. You have your usual bar staples, but the presentation was beautiful and the flavors were carefully balanced. I'd recommend the salmon and burger sliders, and the jerk jumbo shrimp. Nothing was overly salty or sweet, and each had just the perfect amount of spice, salt, and sauce. Thumbs up for use of colorful petals for garnish (was marigold one of them)? As for the place itself. I don't think the Yelp photos for Cafe Envy don't do this place enough justice. The restaurant was very nice and sunny. The decor was casual chic with a controlled, yet colorful, style. The paintings, the color palette of the walls, and April's usual friendly smile and banter remind me of artsy and welcoming neighborhood cafes I find in different parts of SF. I'm really happy we have one of those in Bayview now, and with good food.

Nice local establishment. Good music on Fridays. Nita the bartender is very nice and welcoming. Multi tasks with a smile. She is very efficient. Food is good. Decent portions.

Food and bartender Nita absolutely amazing! Didn't like okra and the Chef/Owners was very accommodating! Thank you!

Garlic Noodle w/ shrimp is delicious! The sliders are scrumptious! Cozy, old school restaurant w/ hospitable staff. Will be a repeat customer

I don't know who the Asian lady is, but she's hella rude! She was staring at me up and down like I want suppose to be there! When I asked her a question she had an attitude! So I just walked out! Place is not even all that anyways!

Food is soulfully nourishing. Customer service is warm & sweet always. Full bar with fun house cocktails. Has TV so you can catch big games. Live music on Fridays and perhaps weekends? Also POC and locally owned . The burgers are my favorite!

New restaurant in the Bayview, with evening hours for those who work outside of the neighborhood. I had the shrimp louie's salad for lunch (and a vodka tonic - I'm retired, OK?) Perfect lunch - light but filling. Definitely going back! Congrats to April, Meghann & the crew.

We just left Auntie April's "Cafe Envy". My husband just ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with Jumbo Blackened Prawns! It's one of my favorites. Zoodles, zucchini with Jumbo Blackened Prawns is great when I'm watching my carbs. Dress down or up, it San Francisco style, "It's your thing". Cafe Envy is the place to go if you're in San Francisco for soul food or great chef dishes! I love having my pick of tasty food spanning cultures right here in Bayview Hunter's Point. If you live in San Francisco, don't miss out and if you visiting, Cafe Envy is one of the stops to make. It's one of the few places where you get the real San Francisco feel, all races just keeping it real. Eating, drinking, love, peace and soul (in the immortal words of Don Cornelius). San Francisco is coming back and it's getting friendlier again! The liveliness and vibrancy Bayview-Hunter's Point had when I was growing up and into adulthood is coming back! We're having our HOA Meeting at Cafe Envy next week!! Business and Yum Yum. Best, Diane Wesley Smith

I'm pleasantly surprised! I had the pleasure of enjoying some oysters and I also ordered jerk prawns and coconut beans. The oysters are bomb and the rest followed accordingly

Food was hella good and some nice drinks too. Had the sliders which were hella juicy and the jerk jumbo prawn. Everything was on point gonna have to swing by again soon and try their other dishes.

Not open during regular business hours? Come on! I drove 15 minutes to get here. Small businesses like this force a fella like me to rely on chain restaurants because at least I know they'll be open. Guess what, I hate chain restaurants!

April just opened this new restaurant in a neighborhood that desperately needed real food. Excellent bar selection and eats!

Get the jerk salmon. Everything on the plate was absolutely delicious. Cafe Envy is a beautiful restaurant that is set up to have live music, and the staff and other customers are from the neighborhood and are super nice. Looking forward to going back to try the jerk prawns.

This hidden gem is by my Workshop/office. The food is always well prepared and it's clear the cook staff takes pride in the small touches that makes their dishes stand out. Fresh, quality, cooked right. Diamond in the rough. Their cheeseburgers are legit! Fries are awesome too. Had their clam chowder to jambalaya, all uncommonly good!

So good. Got the salmon sliders, my friend got the burger. So good and vegan options. & A good vibe. Nice employees as well.

I went to this restaurant with high hopes of delicious food but I was not impressed by this restaurant. As I looked around I noticed that the walls and window seals need to be cleaned. Now to the food. I ordered the salmon with black eye peas and cabbage dish with corn bread. Low and behold with one taste the food had very little seasoning but what it did have is a tremendous amount of salt. With some many illnesses around and eating to much salt this isn't a good idea. After I ordered the meal I was told that there was no hot water corn bread. Well that's just great. As I continued to eat I was told they were making the hot water corn bread. The meal isn't good without the corn bread. I finally got the corn bread and it was hard as a rock. I won't go there again.

San Francisco needs more restaurants like this! This place was a great experience and I love to support local restaurants like this. The food was amazing and she brought my beer out on her head! It was so cool! This is now my go to spot in bayview.

My first time coming and I must say I did not want to leave!!! That gumbo was everything and some. I also had a blueberry martini type of drink and it was amazing. I'm definitely coming back. I referred several people already and they loved it as well. The gumbo is real authentic home made!!

On a short weekend trip to SF Cafe Envy made it all the better. The food was fresh, the people were nice and the drinks were ok. Yes just ok. I loved the art and the music that played. Still 5 stars would HIGHLY recommend.

Delicious food,great new vibe, live music come out and enjoy. Auntie April is doing her thing. Show your love you will enjoy youself. The musician are impeccable. Every other night their is a different guinea of music. Great and hospitable service.

Have been here two times already and both times had a pleasant experience. Great service, drinks and food. Love the garlic fries and nachos. I think this will be my new go to place!

Don't ever try to happy hour meal here, the burger slider tasted nasty. We went there for lunch and they didn't turn on the lights so the environment is super dark. They didn't even serve the food right. And when we pay they try to charge us for more.

I came here for lunch and was extremely disappointed with the quality of the shrimp salad! Wayyyy overrated and over priced! A scoop of shrimp salad on a bed of rotten lettuce and a soggy piece of garlic bread. They will not get another penny of my money!!!

This place is PHENOMENAL!!!! Excellent food, excellent service, and excellent atmosphere. The menu selection is plentiful with everything being fresh and wonderfully prepared. We can't wait to go back.

Four of us went on a Friday night and had to sit at the bar, even though lots of tables were available. I got the vegan soul bowl with corn bread. As a vegan, I really appreciate the vegan menu items, but this dish seriously lacked flavor, even after I doused it with hot sauce. The corn bread was hard and also flavorless. I have to say, the drinks were pretty yummy though, and the bartender was very nice! If you want to talk to your companions, be sure to check and see if live music is playing that night, which makes conversation impossible (but the music is awesome).