By Neal Wong

A dessert cafe has opened inside Abraham’s Farmers Market on Geary Boulevard and Fourth Avenue in the Richmond District, bringing the Oakland-born Zee’s Munchies franchise into the City for the first time.

The cafe, which opened in February, serves crepes, mini pancakes, milkshakes, smoothies and coffee out of a space inside the grocery store.

Zaid A., the 26-year-old owner, started the business at 19 with help from his mother to purchase his first food truck. He had originally planned to sell shawarma but pivoted after friends from Los Angeles, who worked in a crepe shop, visited San Francisco and introduced him to the concept. From there, the business grew steadily. Zaid said he used social media to build a following, eventually purchasing a second truck.

The move into San Francisco came through a connection with the owner of Abraham’s Farmers Market, who had been driving from the Richmond District to Oakland to pick up Zee’s Munchies desserts for himself and his children. When a space became available inside the grocery store, he brought it to Zaid’s attention.

“He said, ‘You have this setup – it’s very good for whatever you’re doing. Check it out,” Zaid said. “I went to San Francisco; I saw the spot. I liked it and we opened.”

Zaid described the dessert chain’s appeal is rooted in the quality and the presentation of its desserts.

“It’s all about our desserts and how we make them from scratch,” Zaid said. “The looks of it, and the taste – it’s unique.”

Abood Sluimen, the manager of the San Francisco location, hopes the location’s Yemeni coffee beans will set the cafe apart from others in the neighborhood.

“There’s no place here that serves dark coffee,” Sluimen said. “The people are really nice, so we try to make them the best coffee, best smoothies, best crepes, best mini pancakes, best milkshake. We also do açaí bowls – it’s really, really good.”

Ahmida Benhammou, a regular customer at Abraham’s Farmers Market, said he first noticed the cafe while shopping for produce at the market and watched the setup take shape before it opened. Bemhammou, a former restaurateur, was immediately struck by the craftsmanship behind the crepe-making.

“I used to own four restaurants – one in France – and I used to do crepes too,” Benhammou said. “I saw the crepe maker, and I saw the way he did the crepes, with what is needed, and the way he cut it, the way he put it in that box. I appreciated it. I enjoyed it. That’s why I came here today.”

Benhammou said the cafe also addresses something he has long felt was missing from the neighborhood, drawing on his French background and the culture of sitting outside with a coffee.

“Look, show me any place in San Francisco where you can sit outside and have a coffee – very limited,” Benhammou said. “Why? I am French originally. In Paris, everywhere you go, you have coffee shops all over where you can sit outside, enjoy your time, that’s what I like here.”

He said the combination of a grocery store and cafe in one stop has made it a convenient addition to his routine.

“One trip – I can do my groceries, and I can enjoy a cup of coffee,” Benhammou said. “I love the atmosphere. I will continue coming here, because I like it.”

Zee’s Munchies is located inside Abraham’s Farmers Market at 3431 Geary Blvd. at Fourth Avenue. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.