Caffe Roma Coffee Roasting Company, San Francisco

Years ago, Cafe Roma was a great North Beach coffee place that offered great breakfast fare, coffee, and atmosphere. Unfortunately, today's Cafe Roma is sterile by comparison and the coffee is northing to write home about. Starbucks is better, really. On visit there in November 2005, I had a bagel and cream cheese and a cappuccino. The coffee flavor was far from refined, and the cream cheese had a slightly unusual flavor. I ate the bagel and cream cheese anyway only to regret it later in the day (let's just say that the food didn't stay down). It's too bad this place isn't what it used to be. If you're in North Beach and want to check out a coffee shop, check elsewhere.