The Java House Restaurant in San Francisco, California: A Review

The South Beach waterfront of San Francisco is surprisingly home to not just one, but two creaky old diners located in shacks that have barely been renovated since their construction very early in the previous century. Red's Java House is the first, and just down the street a little ways is The Java House Restaurant.

The similarity is not a coincidence. The Java House Restaurant was built in 1912, as a simple hash-slinging operation to supply the local longshoremen with some hot eats on work days. Eventually, the eventual proprietors of Red's Java House bought the place in the 1950s. The cause of the existence of Red's Java House was actually this place, as the titular Red got fed up with his brother and went down the street to create his own restaurant. About a decade later his brother would sell the Java House Restaurant and join him!

A Greek couple now owns the place and has had it for about 25 years or so. They maintain the original old-school feel, and keep the prices about as reasonable as you can get for this otherwise ultra-rich area. Much of the business here is done during the baseball season, as it is almost right next door to the Giants baseball stadium. On game days you can expect the place to be packed, but they'll also usually extend the closing hours (normally 5 p.m. every day) if a game lets out around that time and a swarm of orange and black jerseys descends on the place en masse looking for grub.

Breakfast runs you about eight bucks for three eggs with your choice of bacon, sausage or ham. You also have a choice of hash browns and toast, or 3 hot cakes on the side. You can also get omelettes, pancakes by themselves, and French Toast for around the same price, but that's about the extent of the menu.

Lunch is made up of cold sandwiches, hot sandwiches, and salads exclusively. Cold sammies available are roast beef, turkey, salami, tuna and egg salad, shrimp and crab or chicken salad. These are six bucks but a side of fries will cost you two bucks extra. Hot sandwiches available are chicken breast, hamburger, bacon cheeseburger, hot dog, Italian and Polish sausage, pastrami, chili dog or a "giant burger" topped with eggs and bacon. Sides are limited - only potato and macaroni salad, and cole slaw are available, or a side of fries for the same two bucks as with the cold sammies.

Nothing against the current owners, but I think Red and his brother had the right idea leaving this place behind in favor of the new location. They charge about the same prices, yet the food here is much more generic, and portions range from average to scrimpy for the price. I think they've basically resigned themselves to just serving up food that is mediocre enough to pass for all the hungry and convenience-minded Giants fans that flock through here (not to mention tourists strolling along.) Perhaps it's a different story when baseball season isn't in? We're a ways off from that yet, but when the season finally packs it in I'll check this place out again and report back in. 'Till then, try Red's instead if you gotta eat in this immediate area.