Liberty Cafe – San Francisco

San Francisco is an all-around awesome city. I’m so grateful to have good friends here I can visit on a whim. I still ponder moving here myself.

On a short, 3 day trip during the workweek, I stayed with Becca and Damon in Bernal Heights. We walked, we talked, we played with cats and watched videos. And of course we ate. Today, upon arriving in San Francisco, Damon and I walked to a neighborhood favorite of theirs, the Liberty Cafe.

I’d been here once before, briefly, to pick up pastries and quiche. It’s an adorable spot with all the ambiance and accoutrements of a little cafe. It bakes bread and pastries, making everything smell incredible, it has bright indoor seating, or an outdoor courtyard, tucked away from the street noise. The food is a few dollars more, and it’s worth it.

Damon’s vegetarian, and I don’t have the biggest stomach real estate, so we shared our food, all vegetarian.

First, we shared a burrata and beet salad. While it was good, it was my least favorite item we ordered. I was hoping for more greens and beets, but the bulk of the meal was a bowl of gooey burrata. Which is good, no doubt, but there were barely any beets in the meal, and overall it was more about cheese and bread than salad. Plus, it was nearly $10.
Meanwhile, we shared some french fries, which were excellent! They looked like the once-fried type that normally get really soggy after a few minutes, but these were nicely crisp on the outside, staying that way throughout the meal. They had a robust earthy taste, probably due to the potato skins still on the fries. I really enjoyed them, and regret not asking for a little mayonnaise for them rather than ketchup.

Our final item, and the one I loved the most was a perfect mushroom and leek pizza, about $16. Everything about it was perfect. The crust was crisp and chewy, and just the right thickness for my mood. The leeks was soft and buttery, and the mushrooms were not too cooked and now too raw. Just right! I wish I could have eaten more of this.

Afterwards, we took a walk up Bernal Hill to admire the San Francisco skyline and take in some of the unexpected gorgeous sunny weather.

Liberty Cafe – Bernal Heights neighborhood
410 Cortland Ave (between Bennington Street & Wool Street)
San Francisco, CA 94110
www.thelibertycafe.com