David's Delicatessen & Diner

We were a group of 12 who descended on David’s Deli. Sat at the bar seating and had a great breakfast. Robbie our server was fab. Twelve different orders and everyone commented with big thumbs up for their food. Thank you for making 12 out of towners feel so welcomed.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Hot Pastrami, Potato Pancakes

More like a dive diner. It's only open for breakfast and lunch. The food descriptions on the menu aren't quite accurate. There's no desert options. Everything's just on the middle to low end. And to be clear, IHOP is middle of the road.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 3

We used to go to David's for lunch, when I worked at the Hotel Plaza on Union Square in 1967-1969. I met my wife in 1972 and she worked for a travel agent on Sutter St near Grant Ave. I met her at Union Square and took her to lunch at David's. She asked me what I was having and I said Gefilte fish soup. She asked what it was and I told her fish balls in broth. She exclaimed, Fish don't have balls! After I explained it we laughed. I still tell this story. We were back in town a few months ago and stopped in for lunch. Still the best pastrami on rye!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We ordered the pastrami sandwich on rye bread. The pastrami had far too much fat, which we had to cut away to make the sandwich suitable to eat. This indicated to me that the cuts of meat used were cheap. The atmosphere was lacking as it was quiet during the lunch time period that we were there.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

Quirky spot. Sat at the counter where service was mediocre at best, but where the atmosphere and service lacked, the food made up for. One of the best pastrami sandwiches ever.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Fantastic old school diner!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I think I went here for the first time in 1996 or 1997. It's still the same. It's still good food. It's still reasonably priced

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Perfect place to enjoy a breakfast or diner! Lovely people, excellent service

Great breakfast.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ordered the Reuben and it’s pretty awful I used to eat at David’s years ago the quality has gone way down

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 5

Great breakfast, and very friendly staff, I can recommend the vegan scramble😋, the atmosphere is very cosy and the interior has got a lot of character

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Corned Beef on rye served on rye TOAST. There's a first for everything! My guess is the bread was stale so they toasted it(not disclosed by waiter), or maybe it's a SF thing!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I hope these classic city diners never go out of business. Perfect stop before or after a theater visit nearby. Choose from the Horseshoe bar or the Celebrity room. Food is classic NY deli style with the perfect ambiance of great tunes and comfortable stools. Wait staff seem like they were cast from a movie. I heard at least 2 languages beside English from customers and staff held conversations with all of them. This is a perfect example of why I love San Francisco and hope it never changes.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Staff were accommodating and friendly. Food ok.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

I recently visited this restaurant and had a mixed experience overall. The staff were friendly enough, though service wasn’t perfect—there were a few small missteps here and there, but nothing too terrible. The restaurant itself had a unique setup, which made it interesting to look around, though it did feel a bit cramped and not as clean as I would have liked.

As for the food, I ordered a burger that ended up being a disappointment. It was slightly undercooked, and there was some gristle that made it hard to fully enjoy. The fries and potato salad were okay nothing too special though. The portion sizes were also smaller than expected, leaving me wishing there was a bit more on the plate.

All in all, while there were some positives like the atmosphere and decent service, the food quality and cleanliness issues held this visit back. I might give it another shot if I’m in the area, but it’s not a place I would go out of my way for.