The Rotunda

To the Rotunda Chef,
I recently dined at your establishment and was deeply disappointed by the Fresh Burrata Salad. While I enjoyed other aspects of my experience, this dish fell far short of expectations and, frankly, is not representative of the quality I anticipate from Rotunda, located in one of the most expensive shops in San Francisco.

My concerns are threefold:

Tomato Quality: The tomatoes used in the salad lacked flavor and had an unpleasantly firm texture, reminiscent of plastic. Fresh, ripe tomatoes are essential for a burrata salad, and these simply did not meet the mark.
Cheese: The cheese presented was not true burrata. Burrata should have a creamy, soft interior and a delicate outer shell. This cheese lacked those characteristics.
Unidentified Sauce: A green sauce was drizzled over the salad, and I was unable to discern its ingredients.
For a $19 salad, I expected a dish showcasing high-quality ingredients and thoughtful preparation. Sadly, this was not the case, and I was unable to finish it.

I hope this feedback is helpful. Removing the Fresh Burrata Salad from the menu or significantly revising its execution would be advisable.

Its been a while since I have been here. Loved it before, still loving it now. Food was excellent! Enjoyed the tuna tartare and the shrimp&lobster risotto! Shared the special apple bread pudding with cream! Service was attentive and thoughtful! The space beautiful in its natural light. Would always recommend.

Wonderful experience at the Rotunda! The waiter was aware that there was a food allergy by one of the guests and ensured the order would have no issues with cross contamination. Lovely ambience! Will visit again soon.

The staff were attentive, welcoming, and very helpful. They seamlessly timed everything with the food service and were very friendly and caring without disrupting the experience. The food was delicious and the ambience was perfect for a Saturday brunch.

Sometimes in life, it’s nice to get a little fancy, and what better than the rotunda at Neiman Marcus. I booked a reservation online a week or so in advance for a birthday celebration. The tea set was reasonably priced and service was wonderful. Scones were okay, savories were a little dry in my opinion but desserts were good. They only had about 8 tea selections which could use some improvement. Other than that, we had a wonderful time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

It's a great place to have a light meal and talk. The interior is impressive.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Unless youre coming here to take photos, not worth the money youre gonna spend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 3

Despite the yummy bites and picturesque stain glass canopy the experience at The Rotunda for afternoon tea was thoroughly lackluster.

Very amateur service: only filled tea pot once after being asked multiple times(2hour seating period), spilled utensils on me, ignored when tried to be called over.

An interior which is reminiscent of a cheap hotel conference room: old and ugly rugs, chipped paint on walls, worn out faux chairs, unmaintained bathroom…a lot of meh.

And much of the experience was amateur as well; like serving cold milk (not pre heated) and did not describe the arrangement upon service.

Seems like a place that is just riding on the coat tails of its historic Bell-Epoque ceiling, I don’t blame them…it’s nice; but will not be revisiting anytime soon.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 1

Came for my cousin's birthday. Ralph and Virgilio were awesome and so was the rest of the team. I had to make a few changes to the size of my party and reservation time which Sacha accommodated with no issue. Will be back. Need to also mention the interior is beautiful.

The Rotunda offers a stunning view of Union Square and a well edited menu. I always look forward to the popover with strawberry butter to start the meal. The service and food were both outstanding.

Out of all the times I've dined here, the service was the absolute worst this time around. Our server was not attentive whatsoever. Never checked in on us, never filled our waters or teapots. And even charged us extra for popovers. I don't mind that the 20% gratuity is tacked on, but at least give us acceptable service! HORRIBLE.

This is the best classic afternoon tea in San Francisco in terms of the deliciousness of the food, the warmth of the service, the beauty of the restaurant, and the value for what you pay.

I love dining at the Rotunda; it is a very unique experience in the city. It is not an experience to be rushed and their excellent service staff understands that. The service is always outstanding, the food is always excellent, and it's just an overall wonderful atmosphere to be in, especially to celebrate special occasions. Thank you to the Rotunda staff, for consistently providing an excellent experience.

Let's say that you, a friend, or a loved one is immunocompromised, wanting to get out and celebrate something special like a birthday, but can't: A) be in large crowds, unmasked B) must remain out of the sun due to medications, making you photosensitive C) unable to wear a lovely frock but can manage wearing clean casual clothes due to pain or constant doctor's visits and D) fabulous Don't be droll, darling, come to The Rotunda. Consider fashionable patrons part of the ambiance. The staff is kind, attentive, thoughtful, and looks you in the eye. (Hi Pam and Charlie, we loved you and your colleagues) The food: The strawberry butter is everything to that pop-over, and you will devour it post-chicken consume cup to warm your soul. We were fine with the truffle fries, but my love: the lobster bisque soup healed me. True story. We enjoyed one of their specials: the petrale fish with buttery lemon sauce was perfect. They made their own cous-cous like pasta, which danced with the earthy truffles to add balance, and the asparagus was crisp and fresh to clean the palate. This dish alone could increase skin cell turnover and make your hair shiny. But wait. There is more. We tried two pots of tea: Bali and Nuit a Versailles. I especially loved the latter, and I could almost hear Miss Marple whispering nearby, "More tea, Vicar?" Vanilla ice cream and Niemun Marcus chocolate chip cookie was enough for two. The set-up: go before noon, on a weekday if possible, and choose a table away from the glass ceilings. You will avoid the crowds (the cushy seats with the high backs and the enormity of the space also helps), plus you'll still be able to have a fantastic view. If you need more room, then choose a table under the glass ceiling and definitely choose to go in the morning. By noon, people start coming in, and at night, it may be busier (though even more beautiful with the evening lights filtering through the ceiling decor).

I love The Rotunda, but this experience didn't live up to the norm. The lady (who is not new) who brought the popovers and butter to the table placed everything down in a slightly-less-than-gentle manner. They had just run out of the bottle of wine we ordered (this happens, of course). My friend had the crab & shrimp Louie salad, which generally is beautifully presented on the plate. We both commented that it looked kind of "disheveled." My crab melt was delicious, and perfectly grilled, yet, again, was not very appealing to the eye. Sliced on the diagonal and crisscrossed on the plate. Nothing else. Granted, we ordered the truffle fires, so they came in their container, while chips or regular fries would have occupied the plate. But...maybe a sprig of green or something? The soups we started with were delicious--gazpacho with crab and a corn veloute. The reason for the three stars for the food has nothing to do with us. Rather it was the smell of the less-than-fresh ling cod which was served to two guests at the table next to ours.