Really one of the nicest casual, but fine dining neighborhood gems in the city. The food is uniquely prepared and exceptionally tasting. The service friendly, knowledgeable, attentive, but neither precious nor obsequious. The space always feels warm and comfortable. Enough noise that you feel you are dining out, but you can still actually carry on a meaningful conversation at your table. Frances remains one of our favorite go-to restaurants in the city.
marty
The food was excellent, flavorful, fresh, made with love. Staff was friendly and attentive. A perfect place to enjoy the good life.
Ron
Great dining experience. A treasured restaurant with great food, friendly staff and wonderful environment.
Marilyn
we were in the heated parklet so things were quiet, the reason we chose to eat there. the caviar on choux puffs and the bintje potatoes were to die for good. the grits with rainbow chard and mushrooms was one of our favorite dishes. the salmon with pickled cauliflower and the wagyu bavette were delicious and perfectly cooked. Despite being totally full we had to try the elderflower Pavlova. Definitely worth the effort! we had not been to the restaurant in quite awhile but will definitely be back soon! Our servers were delightful and helpful in terms of ordering wines by the glass and choosing dishes.
bill
Never disappoints. Food was amazing. Staff so friendly and helpful with recommendations. Can't wait to get back.
Mark
The menu has incorporated some great changes in the flavor of all the dishes we had. I loved the changes!!
Michelle
Always amazing at Frances! We stumbled upon this gem few years ago and continue to come back when we are home in San Francisco! A must.
Noah Brooks
This is a small, cozy space with really excellent food. Despite a last-minute reservation, this place handled allergies fantastically. Great spot for date night, or just any special meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yuchen L
Disappointed. We tried their tasting menu. Oysters were bland - would not recommend at all. None of the other dishes were bad, but every dish was forgettable. They let us sub the main pork entree for the bavette but it was way too salty. Dessert was probably the best of the dishes.
Service was lackluster. We got counter seats and we were mostly ignored. Didn't get service unless I got up and went to the host and asked for something
Cindy F
Very good food. Quiet small neighborhood spot- if I lived closer I would come here instead of cooking. Wine list might not be doing it for me due to being a horribly spoiled brat.
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.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Will Hillock
This would have been a 5 star review were it not for the very unfriendly and sarcastic host who was rude to my group despite us being forced to wait 30mins after our booking time for our table, with absolutely zero offered as an apology for making us wait so long. All's well that ends well but a little kindness and hospitality would have gone a long way.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Derek Devine
The steak was out of this world!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Harmony
Exceptional experience! We did the tasting menu and truly thought every dish was remarkable minus the oysters (they were good, though). Our favorites were the crudo, daikon cake, wagu pappardelle, and the lumberjack cake. I had the negroni and my wife a few half glasses of wine, and we loved them all! Can't wait to go back!
Alicia
My new favorite SF restaurant! Perfect atmosphere -- so cozy and warm. Volume started off quiet at the beginning of dinner, then it picked up throughout the night. I loved the bustling! The food was superb -- the beignets, spaghetti, and sourdough are musts! Also, the sauvi b was divine. Service was 10/10. I cannot wait to go back here!
Really one of the nicest casual, but fine dining neighborhood gems in the city. The food is uniquely prepared and exceptionally tasting. The service friendly, knowledgeable, attentive, but neither precious nor obsequious. The space always feels warm and comfortable. Enough noise that you feel you are dining out, but you can still actually carry on a meaningful conversation at your table. Frances remains one of our favorite go-to restaurants in the city.
The food was excellent, flavorful, fresh, made with love. Staff was friendly and attentive. A perfect place to enjoy the good life.
Great dining experience. A treasured restaurant with great food, friendly staff and wonderful environment.
we were in the heated parklet so things were quiet, the reason we chose to eat there. the caviar on choux puffs and the bintje potatoes were to die for good. the grits with rainbow chard and mushrooms was one of our favorite dishes. the salmon with pickled cauliflower and the wagyu bavette were delicious and perfectly cooked. Despite being totally full we had to try the elderflower Pavlova. Definitely worth the effort! we had not been to the restaurant in quite awhile but will definitely be back soon! Our servers were delightful and helpful in terms of ordering wines by the glass and choosing dishes.
Never disappoints. Food was amazing. Staff so friendly and helpful with recommendations. Can't wait to get back.
The menu has incorporated some great changes in the flavor of all the dishes we had. I loved the changes!!
Always amazing at Frances! We stumbled upon this gem few years ago and continue to come back when we are home in San Francisco! A must.
This is a small, cozy space with really excellent food. Despite a last-minute reservation, this place handled allergies fantastically. Great spot for date night, or just any special meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Disappointed. We tried their tasting menu. Oysters were bland - would not recommend at all. None of the other dishes were bad, but every dish was forgettable. They let us sub the main pork entree for the bavette but it was way too salty. Dessert was probably the best of the dishes.
Service was lackluster. We got counter seats and we were mostly ignored. Didn't get service unless I got up and went to the host and asked for something
Very good food. Quiet small neighborhood spot- if I lived closer I would come here instead of cooking. Wine list might not be doing it for me due to being a horribly spoiled brat.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
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.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This would have been a 5 star review were it not for the very unfriendly and sarcastic host who was rude to my group despite us being forced to wait 30mins after our booking time for our table, with absolutely zero offered as an apology for making us wait so long. All's well that ends well but a little kindness and hospitality would have gone a long way.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
The steak was out of this world!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Exceptional experience! We did the tasting menu and truly thought every dish was remarkable minus the oysters (they were good, though). Our favorites were the crudo, daikon cake, wagu pappardelle, and the lumberjack cake. I had the negroni and my wife a few half glasses of wine, and we loved them all! Can't wait to go back!
My new favorite SF restaurant! Perfect atmosphere -- so cozy and warm. Volume started off quiet at the beginning of dinner, then it picked up throughout the night. I loved the bustling! The food was superb -- the beignets, spaghetti, and sourdough are musts! Also, the sauvi b was divine. Service was 10/10. I cannot wait to go back here!
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