eight am

This small coffee shop in San Francisco was a gem of a discovery. We were just walking around and stumbled by a breakfast spot which specialized in healthy, gluten free food. We immediately walked past it and ran into eight am. For the record, they open at 7:00 am.

We figured that it was run by a family since the service was excellent and our server acted like the owner and I mean that in a very good way. The Avocado Toast Three Ways sounded wonderful. The Avocado Toast with Fried Egg was a toasted multi-grain bread spread with mashed avocado topped with one sunny side- up egg. I had that one since I was the only one of the three of us that likes fried eggs. Mertz had the Avocado Toast which was a slice of sourdough with mashed avocado topped with bacon. Sujata, the vegetarian, picked the Avocado Toast with Heirloom Tomato, also with mashed avocado but on sweet baguette. We were all happy with our choice. The trio of toasts came with a full bowl of fresh fruit. Both Mertz and Sujata were in heaven.

We didn't think that would be enough for us so we split an order of the 10AM which was a Crepe with caramelized bananas and Chantilly cream. The crepe was light and it had the right amount of sweetness. The bananas were cooked to perfection. Our server kept our coffee cups full. We finally asked if he was the owner and he politely said yes but pointed to the kitchen where we could see what appeared to be his parents.

eight am is located at 1323 Columbus Ave. in San Francisco. If you are ever in the area, make it a point to stop by this gem of a coffee shop.