It was very crowded on a Saturday night but the food and service were excellent. Special props to sourdough bread, oysters, wagyu short rib and chocolate mousse.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rick Balwani
Nice night out, but wouldn’t return. The best part of the experience was the service. Food was fresh, but all of the dishes lacked balance and cohesion. The agnolotti was swimming in butter and the wagyu short-rib was over cooked. Too expensive for the quality delivered. Octopus in mole sauce was the one stand out of the night.Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian options availableParking: Street parking only
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Hamza A
Excellent food. Very well made and quality ingredients. Only wish there were bigger portions!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Milo
Frances is a San Francisco and personal longtime favorite. The food is normally priced for San Francisco - $32-45/plate. Please note that there is also a 7% surcharge tacked on, so be sure to account for that if you're dining on a budget. Can't go wrong with these menu selections: The pork The Brussels sprouts (seasonal, not on website menu), but very good The warm chocolate mousse is pleasant The royal Caviar is from Tsar Nikolai, a local brand.
Antony PASSEMARD
We celebrated our 20th anniversary there and were delighted by the finesse of the food and excellent service. We had a great time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Abby
This was our first time dining at Francis, and it did not disappoint. From the soft-as-a-pillow, sourdough bread with a crunchy crust to the Lumberjack cake dessert, it was all delicious. We started with a glass of French champagne, the real thing, then had pasta with black truffle, and I had the steamed sole which was wrapped in a chard leaf. It had some Farro along with it in sauce. The portions are just enough so you don't get too full. You need room for that cake with cardamom ice cream. Reserve the 30 days ahead.
SFTomBoy
I recommend outdoor dining in the enclosed parklet - it's much quieter and very cute and cozy. The interior of the restaurant is immensely loud when it's a full house, which would make conversation very hard. Service is perfect. I don't recal ever having servers so friendly and attendtive. Food is very good. The pasta disches shine above all others.
DMac
We were slightly disappointed in the meal we had. There were some highs, the pork chop was a good portion and cooked well, the sole was also cooked very well but the octopus starter was a sad, skinny, four inch piece with about 4 cauliflower floweretts, a little shredded fennel and a mayonnaise sauce. Also, the dessert was advertised as chocolate mousse but what we got could not come close to being called a mousse. It was a chocolate sauce over some ice cream (was supposed to be corn husk but tasted like plain old vanilla and some small disc of cake? Great wine selection, the service was wonderful but not sure we would return.
Steph F
Great service. Delicious food. We loved the appetizer options. The homemade sourdough was so good. We both opted for pasta dishes and were not disappointed. We pretty much flipped a coin to pick dessert. The food didn't have one theme and we liked that. There was a great selection and variety but not overwhelming. The restaurant size is typical for SF, small and lovely. The tables were cozy and you do sit close to your neighbor but this was expected. Will recommend and visit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
TonyB
This was my 4th time going and 1st time in the parklet. The food was creative and exciting, as it always has been. We asked for a recommendation on the wine and got a delightful French varietal that was unique and blended with all of our food. The parklet was surprisingly warm, cozy, and upscale. It pretty much matched the level of the ambiance inside, which was a pleasant surprise. Also, we forgot to tell the staff at first about a tree nut allergy and when they brought something with hazelnuts, we told them and they were so nice about it. Excellent customer service. This is my favorite restaurant in the Castro and one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Absolute gem.
This was the finest dining experience I have ever had. Staff was extremely knowledgeable and attentive. We went with our server's choices, one appetizer and one main dish, which we shared. Can't wait to go back with more people so we can order almost one of everything.
steffers325
Great service. Delicious food. We loved the appetizer options. The homemade sourdough was so good. We both opted for pasta dishes and were not disappointed. We pretty much flipped a coin to pick dessert. The food didn't have one theme and we liked that. There was a great selection and variety but not overwhelming. Will recommend and visit again.
Frequentdiner
Frances is still our favorite - we had a delicious (and beautiful) dinner the other night with friends and not only was the food as good or better as last time, the staff was so gracious and on top of everything. Can't wait to return!
KathyZ
Wonderful service and delicious food. We had an early seating trying to make a 7pm sporting event and the staff was great about keeping track of our timing without making us feel rushed. Pork chop is amazing!
PeterT
Very warm and friendly place. We each shared two appetizers and had entrees . . . the scallop appetizer and the octopus appetizer were both superb. The short ribs were great; the gulf snapper was excellent.
It was very crowded on a Saturday night but the food and service were excellent. Special props to sourdough bread, oysters, wagyu short rib and chocolate mousse.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice night out, but wouldn’t return. The best part of the experience was the service. Food was fresh, but all of the dishes lacked balance and cohesion. The agnolotti was swimming in butter and the wagyu short-rib was over cooked. Too expensive for the quality delivered. Octopus in mole sauce was the one stand out of the night.Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian options availableParking: Street parking only
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Excellent food. Very well made and quality ingredients. Only wish there were bigger portions!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Frances is a San Francisco and personal longtime favorite. The food is normally priced for San Francisco - $32-45/plate. Please note that there is also a 7% surcharge tacked on, so be sure to account for that if you're dining on a budget. Can't go wrong with these menu selections: The pork The Brussels sprouts (seasonal, not on website menu), but very good The warm chocolate mousse is pleasant The royal Caviar is from Tsar Nikolai, a local brand.
We celebrated our 20th anniversary there and were delighted by the finesse of the food and excellent service. We had a great time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was our first time dining at Francis, and it did not disappoint. From the soft-as-a-pillow, sourdough bread with a crunchy crust to the Lumberjack cake dessert, it was all delicious. We started with a glass of French champagne, the real thing, then had pasta with black truffle, and I had the steamed sole which was wrapped in a chard leaf. It had some Farro along with it in sauce. The portions are just enough so you don't get too full. You need room for that cake with cardamom ice cream. Reserve the 30 days ahead.
I recommend outdoor dining in the enclosed parklet - it's much quieter and very cute and cozy. The interior of the restaurant is immensely loud when it's a full house, which would make conversation very hard. Service is perfect. I don't recal ever having servers so friendly and attendtive. Food is very good. The pasta disches shine above all others.
We were slightly disappointed in the meal we had. There were some highs, the pork chop was a good portion and cooked well, the sole was also cooked very well but the octopus starter was a sad, skinny, four inch piece with about 4 cauliflower floweretts, a little shredded fennel and a mayonnaise sauce. Also, the dessert was advertised as chocolate mousse but what we got could not come close to being called a mousse. It was a chocolate sauce over some ice cream (was supposed to be corn husk but tasted like plain old vanilla and some small disc of cake? Great wine selection, the service was wonderful but not sure we would return.
Great service. Delicious food. We loved the appetizer options. The homemade sourdough was so good. We both opted for pasta dishes and were not disappointed. We pretty much flipped a coin to pick dessert. The food didn't have one theme and we liked that. There was a great selection and variety but not overwhelming. The restaurant size is typical for SF, small and lovely. The tables were cozy and you do sit close to your neighbor but this was expected. Will recommend and visit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was my 4th time going and 1st time in the parklet. The food was creative and exciting, as it always has been. We asked for a recommendation on the wine and got a delightful French varietal that was unique and blended with all of our food. The parklet was surprisingly warm, cozy, and upscale. It pretty much matched the level of the ambiance inside, which was a pleasant surprise. Also, we forgot to tell the staff at first about a tree nut allergy and when they brought something with hazelnuts, we told them and they were so nice about it. Excellent customer service. This is my favorite restaurant in the Castro and one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Absolute gem.
Restaurantji Recommends
This was the finest dining experience I have ever had. Staff was extremely knowledgeable and attentive. We went with our server's choices, one appetizer and one main dish, which we shared. Can't wait to go back with more people so we can order almost one of everything.
Great service. Delicious food. We loved the appetizer options. The homemade sourdough was so good. We both opted for pasta dishes and were not disappointed. We pretty much flipped a coin to pick dessert. The food didn't have one theme and we liked that. There was a great selection and variety but not overwhelming. Will recommend and visit again.
Frances is still our favorite - we had a delicious (and beautiful) dinner the other night with friends and not only was the food as good or better as last time, the staff was so gracious and on top of everything. Can't wait to return!
Wonderful service and delicious food. We had an early seating trying to make a 7pm sporting event and the staff was great about keeping track of our timing without making us feel rushed. Pork chop is amazing!
Very warm and friendly place. We each shared two appetizers and had entrees . . . the scallop appetizer and the octopus appetizer were both superb. The short ribs were great; the gulf snapper was excellent.