Frances

Simone Harms★★★★★★★★★★5.08 months ago

What a cute neighborhood restaurant just off the Castro, also walking distance to the mission. It's a very small plane so you sit very close to your next table dinners. The food is worth it though. They serve a 4 course tasting menu, which really is 10 courses. Lot's of food. They serve a modern American cuisine. The diakon cakes and pasta were my favorite. Definitely be back.

in paradise★★★★★★★★★★5.06 months ago

Excellent cozy meal at Frances. Sat at the counter and loved that experience. It's definitely tight seating in the whole restaurant which is small, but it adds to the cozy vibe. The lighting is great, it's not too noisy. The food is superb. I got the chef's tasting menu with wine pairing and the food was absolutely on point. The wine pairings were good at the price point. There's no need for me to get into the details of every dish because every single dish was utter perfection. Local oysters were awesome I was so glad this is my first time trying hog Island. Every single dish was familiar flavors but done like you haven't had them ever before. And exceptional but still approachable. Just really good comfort food with the experience of it being novel. This is a very hard thing to accomplish but Francis does it perfectly I have to come back and get the tasting menu every time, it was a magic experience and the perfect amount of food. The lumberjack cake is in fact that good and the combined bite with the burnt honey ice cream is unforgettable texture and flavor experience.

Stephanie E Dilworth★★★★★★★★★★3.02 months ago

Pros - Pretty good food (I did the tasting menu and the pork was excellent) and nice waiters Cons - DO NOT book an outside table. I booked an outdoor reservation at 630 for my friend’s birthday. I called the restaurant 2 days beforehand to confirm the outdoor area would be heated and protected from the rain. The person handling the reservations repeatedly reassured me that this wasn’t like the other restaurants in SF that have one heat lamp and weren’t ready for the rain. I called again 40 minutes before our reservation confirming it was dry because it was pouring out. The person handling the reservations once again confirmed it was “completely dry and warm.” Then, I arrive at our table. There is a huge puddle on my friends seat from the rain… It’s completely freezing because there is one heat lamp that’s just above the middle table (the outdoor area has 3 tables and just 1 heat lamp above the middle table). Because we were on an end table next to a piece of cloth as a door with no heat lamp, we were freezing. When I voiced these concerns to the host she said (with some attitude) “well… you did book an outdoor reservation,” I then explained to her that the woman on the phone repeatedly reassured me that the outside table area was both completely dry and had multiple heaters. The host then tells me that the women handling reservations WORKS OFFSITE. So, this woman had no idea what the conditions were at the restaurant when reassuring me repeatedly that outdoor tables are warm and dry. They are not. I paid around $350 for dinner at this Michelin recommended restaurant and it was a wet and cold meal after being tricked by the restaurant about the conditions. I’m posting this review because I’d like to warn other guests not to ever book an outdoor reservation here. I don’t think it’s acceptable to deceive your guests. Regardless of this woman’s ignorance and/or deception, I don’t think it’s reasonable to charge guests over $300 for a dining experience that is wet and cold. I really wish we had dined inside because it looked super nice. That’s why I was especially annoyed because there was a reservation available later indoors but I took the outdoor reservation due to the reservation woman’s repeated reassurances that it was warm and dry outside… I’m including some photos of our meal and table with the one heater set up above one of the tables outside. I’m also including photos of the curtains that are open (I understand you need curtains so waiters can come inside but come on you need heaters then next to that table)

Tami Wadlington★★★★★★★★★★5.02 months ago

Intimate dining with a lively atmosphere. Tasting menu was lovely and included a bright citrus oyster and wagyu beef rotolo pasta. Service was thoughtful and attentive. Highly recommend!

S PJ★★★★★★★★★★4.0a month ago

Fun menu Good flavors The pasta roll was my favorite The fish was disappointing And we had to pay extra to change 2 desserts from the menu in one à la carte dessert Overall good Not the wow I was hoping for