Alnico, Valencia Street: Ube Hotcakes and Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Alnico is a small spot on Valencia near 22nd in the Mission. We came for brunch on a Saturday and got seated right away.

[!TIP] Order the Ube Hotcakes and the Vietnamese iced coffee with ube foam. We got seated right away on a Saturday at 1pm.

We ordered the Ube Hotcakes ($17). Ube is a purple yam common in Filipino cooking. The pancakes came out bright violet, fluffy, and slightly sweet on their own. They arrived with butter, syrup, and coconut flakes on top.

Vietnamese iced coffee layered with purple ube foam over amber coffee in a tall glass, Valencia Street visible outside

The Vietnamese iced coffee had ube foam layered over strong coffee and condensed milk. The foam added a sweet, creamy cap over the strong coffee. I’d order it again just for that.

Stack of purple ube hotcakes dusted with powdered sugar and coconut flakes, topped with strawberries and an orchid

Service was fast and the space felt casual. Valencia Street in this stretch has good options if you want to keep eating afterward—Taishoken for tsukemen ramen or Dandelion for chocolate are both nearby.

More Valencia and Mission options are in the Mission District guide.