Old Skool CafeFood Was Outstanding. WineFood Was Outstanding. Wine was Great. Singing Duo was Great .The Owner greeted everyone at every table. Would go back at anytime.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMA restaurant with characterFood is quite good. Don't expect normal great SF service cause the kids are learning. But, considering their mission to help kids who have been in trouble you can put up with a little disorganization from these dear ones.
This is a place with heart. No question about it!!5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMRun by a non-profit that helpsRun by a non-profit that helps kids at risk, this restaurant is very special in every way from food to service to its mission, which is so needed. Love this place.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMOld Skool Cafe has great comfortOld Skool Cafe has great comfort food (The mac and cheese is delish as well as the fried chicken!) but even better atmosphere. It's our 2nd time going and we will be back!4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMReally great experience. FoodReally great experience. Food was very good, especially the Peanut Butter Stew. It had many layers of complex flavor that were a joy to experience. Most of the service was excellent with one exception. The hostesses were dolls and the manager a sweetheart. The ambiance was unexpectedly chic. Go! You won't be sorry.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMJust GoWe loved the concept, the staff were great and interesting real people. The Peanut Butter Stew was awesome. And live music to go with the meal. Great place, good food, reasonable price, and a good cause.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMA great cause with good food.A great cause with good food. Small plates so they can be shared. Peanut stew and grilled shrimp with cheese grits were great. Fried chicken was burned, we thought about sending it back but noticed the other tables fried chicken were also burned. Mashed potatoes were cold. Want to go back and try some other dishes. Staff were very friendly, nice atmosphere, good music.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMThis is a wonderful restaurant!This is a wonderful restaurant! The fact that all of the preparation, service, etc. is done by young people who were at-risk and are turning their lives around makes Old Skool very special. Don't be put off by the location. This restaurant is a hidden treasure in an area of San Francisco that needs this gem. I encourage all foodies to put away their perceptions about the neighborhood and come check out Old Skool. The food is excellent, the ambiance wonderful and the young people in charge a delight to be around. They took very good care of us.4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMRomantic anThere is good parking about 150 feet left of the restaurant - next to the beautiful school gymnasium/rec center .
Across the board, our dishes were excellent. Collard greens were spicy - the way I like them.
The high school jazz quartet made this date night sparkle!
Our server took the mic and interviewed one of the kitchen staff, and then he told us why the opportunity
to work at the cafe was important to him. Another reason to come back.
Service is very good, given that these are teens and not full-time wait staff.3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMSurprisingly great food withSurprisingly great food with an inspiring menu. Warm ambiance, great mission. Came from Sacramento just to dine here - will be bringing friends next time.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMChef Kevin and their waitersChef Kevin and their waiters were so attentive and genuine. Their mission to provide a second chance to at risk youth is what brought me here to the restaurant, but their food and genuine nature is what will bring me back. Also, GREAT LIVE MUSIC!3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMHeart & Soul FoodFood with a mission - love this place. You can't go wrong on any of the menu selections, but I personally love the Shrimp 'n grits - so yummy! But I also love Abu's Peanut Butter Stew, Daniel's Gumbo, Jordan's Fried Chicken...hmmm...so many great dishes to try. Get them all and share! Tonight, the calamari was especially good - just the right seasoning.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMI absolutely loved this littleI absolutely loved this little place. My husband and I enjoyed ourselves very much!3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMWhat a wonderful evening.What a wonderful evening. I brought my best friend to celebrate her birthday. She loved the whole experience. We were very surprised by the house red, it was great. The music was definetly an added addition and the ambiance was second to none. Challenging neighborhood but the waiter offered to walk us to our car, we declined and were fine. But very thoughtful young man. Will go again and often.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat overall experience atGreat overall experience at Old Skool. Walking inside is like stepping back in time, complete with fur stole-wrapped hostesses, a jazz band and dapper servers. Ambiance is king here. Food is small plates great for sharing with friends. We particularly enjoyed the blackened catfish and Abu's peanut stew. When you combine the atmosphere and food with the knowledge that all of this is for a great cause (helping at-risk youth learn life and job skills), going to Old Skool is a no-brainer. Definitely will visit again.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMI really enjoyed every partI really enjoyed every part of the dinner from finding easy parking to the awesome attentativeness to their guests. I walked out of the restaurant very satisfied from the decor to the great customer service! The food or course was really good! Thank you! I will definitely come back.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMAwesome place, sketchy areaFood & service was among the best I've had in SF. The interior is beautiful, all Chicago-y/loungey/jazzy. A young woman performed a cover of Adele that nearly made me like Adele. Seriously amazing voice. The owner came to our table to explain the mission of the restaurant & make sure our meal was going well.
Recommended: Short ribs(!!), sweet potato pie, sliders
The negative: Neighborhood is REALLY seedy. Boyfriend was fretting over the safety of his car throughout dinner, making it somewhat difficult to take our time. I don't blame him; There were crackheads crawling all over the area & some sort of police bust across the street when we exited at about 9:30pm.2/2/2013 12:00:00 AM