For nearly 20 years, the UCSF community has been able to find a great cup of coffee at Caffe Central. “We’ve built friendships, relationships and bonds that are very important to us,” said Ramin Vahabi, Caffe Central’s owner.
Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision location.
Caffe Central opened its first store at UCSF in 2002. It now operates cafes in the Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision at 490 Illinois Street on the Mission Bay Campus and in the UCSF Kalamovitz Library on the Parnassus Campus. “Our first store at UCSF was a unique opportunity,” Vahabi said. “I’m so thankful that UCSF took a chance on a small, local business such as ours.”
Vahabi said the staff at Caffe Central work hard every day to make sure their commitment to the UCSF community is fulfilled. “We love our regulars, especially the hard-working nurses who don’t have a lot of time to socialize with us but still make sure to visit and have a cup of coffee,” he said.
UCSF Kalamovitz Library location.
Caffe Central serves a variety of breakfast platters, individual breakfast boxes, and on-the-go breakfasts. All breakfast orders include their famous house-roasted coffee and teas. Their lunch salad bowls and sandwiches are popular and, if you need an afternoon snack, you’ll find cookies, brownies, potato chips and more.
“We change our menu seasonally,” Vahabi said. “Our Dirty Bird Salad (mixed greens with grilled chicken, avocados, onions, cucumbers, and dirty dressing) has been a staple for the last 10 years. Our marinade is a secret recipe and the key ingredient.”
Vahabi said the restaurant welcomes catering requests and breakfast and lunches in the store. “We’re also active on third-party delivery platforms,” he said.
While restaurants across San Francisco continue to recover from the pandemic, Vahabi said the UCSF community has continued to support Caffe Central. “We hope to see an increase in large events,” he said. “As a small business, we face new challenges every day. Those challenges are easier to conquer when you have a partner like UCSF by your side.”
Eat, Shop, Cater with UCSF Retailers.
