Absinthe Restaurant & Bar
Categories: French, Bars, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley398 Hayes Street
(between Franklin St & Gough St)
San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 551-1590
- Hours:
Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m.
Fri 11:30 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
Sat 11:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
Sun 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Best Nights: Thu, Sat, Sun
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: Yes
675 Reviews for Absinthe Restaurant & Bar
One of Absinthe Restaurant & Bar's Favorite Reviews
This is certainly a tried and true spot for cocktails, and well reviewed, so hopefully I might have something to add to the wining and dining information here.
We came in looking a little shabby after a long day spent outdoors. I was dressed sort of sloppy and hipster like (wait - same thing) due to some Tour De Fat action and my dining partner was more presentable, but I'll out him (sorry) for having conflicting shades of brown on. Gasp! We entered Absynthe on impulse, I thought for the sake of a cocktail, and decided to take advantage of SF's low fashion standards and stay for dinner. Lending to our decision, there was a wait for a bar table, whereas the dining room had several openings (7pm on a Saturday).
From host to manager to server, the first impression I got from most of these fellows was "stiff" and "French." Well trained, like estate guard dogs. As the night went on, it was nice to see this facade crack, never yielding to anything but the most solid dedication to our enjoying our food. The server did irritate us a bit with his insistence on highlighting the menu as the chef had told him to, though we were pretty sure what we wanted and said we weren't interested in red meat and also noted several allergies that made the auto-monologue useless to us. If he had spoken in robot voice, it would have been fun.
First of all, the wine list is e x t e n s i v e. They have a shop next door, and from the looks of it, a square block's worth of cellar downstairs. Anything you could desire, they have, and if you have no idea where to begin, call over the sommelier - he was very friendly and knowledgeable, totally committed to connecting us with the perfect pour, and definitely more new world than his fellows.
The food was outstanding, all of it. Most surprising and delightful (except that it would have been good to know BEFORE ordering) was the portions. The crudo plate, for example ($16) had 8 thick slices of Himachi - about double in volume to what I expected. Also, the "flatbread" was in fact a whole pizza. The parpadelle, which they split without charge or complaint, came out looking like two legitimate entrees. The beet salad diverged a bit from the standard with citrus oils and coarse sea salt. Add to that the onion soup and you had two very hungry people excedingly full and happy by the end of the night.
The restaurant seemed to have this air of "we are legitimate" about them. Nevermind their trying so hard - the food stands alone.
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Can't honestly say I enjoy the taste of absinthe. But the myth adds a tad of indulgence to this place. The food is better than expected!
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For Brunch, eh.
I did love the ham and gruyere sandwich. I had some of the ricotta stuffed french toast which was good, but if had the whole plate, I would be bored after a few bites.
Service was eh, they could do a little better, Heck, could have been better of they server smiled or at least looked like she enjoyed her job. Maybe she was hungover.
I would go back for lunch.
Ok, so there are a ton of reviews on this place. I think the yelp community got it right... average 4 stars.
----- The Food -----
The food is very good, but I'm upset that they took off the vegetarian risotto dish. Beyond that, this place is great. Asparagus (without the speck) is awesome. The roasted chickpeas make me wonder why it hasn't replaced popcorn.
----- The Location -----
Good location near the opera house. Don't expect to find parking so easily, but it's no worse than any other place in downtown. I've always found a spot with a little bit of searching.
----- The Service -----
The service was not really up to snuff. We had a table full of vegetarians. We asked specifically for non-meat recommendations. We ordered the asparagus, and he brought it out to us... wrapped in bacon. He said the description included speck, which we now know to mean a type of pork. I'm not a stickler on this type of stuff, but when a table asks you for vegetarian options and they order a dish with PORK, maaaaybe mention it?
----- The Booze -----
The sommelier did a great job asking questions and describing wine options. We first chose a bottle described to be "earthy." By "we" I mean not me. I didn't choose it. By "earthy", I mean literally that it tasted like the earth. The ground. Dirt. Grow-a-plant-in-my-mouth earth.
The second bottle was a denis mortet. I'm not sure what kind it was, but it was AMAZING. I felt a separation anxiety come on when I had my last sip. You'll spend a pretty penny on this wine, but it's well worth it for any special occasion. (I assume you're coming to Absinthe on some sort of occasion. If you're not, then you're too wealthy to care about the price -___-).
----- The ABSINTHE -----
Ok, I didn't have any. Not because I'm a chicken, but because I don't like the flavor of black licorice. It was interesting to watch people take down the drink (in forms with water, ice, sugar, and all kinds of weird contraptions on top). Seriously, it's not because I'm a chicken (chaaachi chaaachi chaaachi).
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Too bad I can't give a half star. I think Absinthe deserves 3 and a half stars. The french onion soup was really good. I had the french toast stuffed with ricotta which was tasty and very filling. I also had a taste of the ham and gruyere sandwich with a egg on top....that was really, really good. I would go back for the sandwich. The service was OK...too bad our waitress seemed a bit grumpy/
While driving home, if there is parking, I stop, park, enter, I drink.
I love the boys behind the wood, I love the space, I'm going back every time theres parking.
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So it must be a good thing if I'm coming to Absinthe twice in the same night just to have drinks, right?
There's always standing room near the bar and if you're lucky, you can snag a table in the front room.
They do the best adult cocktails. No fancy fruit mixers or anything. Just hard liquor mixed with liquor and more liquor. My kind of cocktail. Great for relaxing and chatting.
Late at night the dining room empties but the bar is still full of locals, just hanging out.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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01/25/2008
It's not for no good reason that this place is always busy. You would think a midweek lunch on a… Read more »
This was our first dinner since the new chef arrived. I wish we had not dined there!
Notwithstanding the near-hysterical raves about the food on this site, I believe the overpriced "appetizers to be shared" are nothing more that a grab for more money.
The duck confit for $27 was undercooked and seasoned in a way that totally overpowered the duck. No potatoes for starch or $27......a rather meager plate.
The papardelle was too oily to eat.
The busboy poured the wine, almost emptying the bottle before I could stop him. He also took my desert plate while I was still eating from it.....
Maybe this is a good hangout for drinks, or a good place for brunch, but not for dinner!
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3.5 stars really. 2 stars for excellent service and the ambiance, 1 star for satisfactory food for the price that impressed my chef boyfriend. And another great star for the beautiful book they published called "The Art of the Bar". Love the book and I can mos def learn new things from this book and use it at work! Get my mixology hat on now word.
Subtractions: 1 big negative for having a smelly hallway to the bathroom, and inside of the stall no seat cover. I'm disappointed and do not respect they way they don't pay attention to details, especially it seemed likethere was a female matre'd or manager. Come on lady go see the ladie's room once in a while man . Another half minus for the potatoes being too greasy.
We came for Sunday brunch. Menu small but innovative and classic at the same time. The server was nice enough to give extra pancakes since I told him I didn't want any toasts. Their blueberry pancakes is out of the world delicious, and my boyfriend loved the duck confit hash.
Our server was very very nice. Didn't get his name, but he brought me the heavenly book, which I ended up buying on the spot. Thank you so so much for showing me the book!
Note to the management: please take care the bathroom. It's a shame for this recognized restaurant to have a real crappy bathroom and hallway leading to it.
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A few years ago, I made a New Year's resolution to try out at least 2 new restaurants a month. I figured that since I pay the exorbitant amounts to live in San Francisco, I may as well take advantage of all the great things it has to offer - especially the cuisine. 'Cuz everybody knows that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
Ever since I made this resolution, I've compiled a list of restaurants that I really want to try. Absinthe has been on this list for a few years now, and I finally had a chance to try it out last night. Imagine building something up and hearing such great things about it, that when you finally get it, it's not as good as you thought. Kinda like losing your virginity. 30 seconds later (ok fine, 15), you're like, that's it?
When my friend and I sat down, we were immediately greeted by our server asking what we would like to drink and order. Dude, we just sat down. Can we get a minute? Literally one minute later, the waiter is back to get our order. This checking-in happens quite frequently, but after we order our food, he's nowhere to be found. No "how's everything?" or "would you like more wine?" Nothing. Nada. Bupkis. Also, they brought out our appetizers with our entrees. When we brought this to his attention, he said "Oh, I thought you wanted to have those as sides with your meal." Seriously? Who has heirloom tomatoes with burata cheese (basically a salad) as a side? So, he took our entrees back to put under a heat lamp until we were done with our appetizers..........and more than likely to spit on them too.
The food itself was alright. We ordered the heirloom tomatoes, baby bok choy, and the pork confit. The pork was a little on the saltier side, but that's fine with me. I wasn't necessarily over or underwhelmed by the food. I guess I was just whelmed. The one saving grace of this place was Aaron, the sommelier. He was spot on with his wine recommendation and checked in on us more often than our actual waiter, so big ups to him.
I haven't decided yet if I will give this place another shot. Many of the yelpers seem to like this place, so maybe I just caught them on an off night. Maybe it was just over inflated expectations. Hell, I gave sex another chance after the first time and I'm definitely glad I did. Maybe it'll be the same with this place.
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There are only a few places you can go to for brunch, lunch, cheese and wine and late night drinks and enjoy it EVERYTIME. I always enjoy the crowd, food and service here. Whether I'm having brunch with friends on sunday mornings or drinks at night I'm always enjoying it. Great place for a casual AM or PM. In my top three cheese plates in the city.
I really wanted to be the 666th review, but I just couldn't wait for four more people to say something.....
Having been in and out of Absinthe for years, it's hard to write a review based on one visit, so I'm not gonna (and my server from last night should get down on her knees and praise God for that....).
Instead, a summary of years of random Absinthing:
* OYSTERS: always good, always affordable
* ONION SOUP: actually, the first time I had it, I didn't like it that much. I still prefer my own, but in the meantime, Absinthe's has grown on me. Their soup combined with a little Mimosa might just be the perfect hangover cure.
* DRINKS: solid. always. my liver thanks you. or not.
* SERVICE: varied. It really depends on who serves you, when they got dumped last and when they did their last bump. There are some seasoned professionals who give great service as well as the jet set of coke head servers. The latter usually don't last long, so overall you're more likely to get lucky than not.
* FOOD: well, she does like her onions, so if you don't like them, this is not the place to eat. Solid brasserie food, simple, focused on ingredients and comfort rather than fancy footwork. My main complaint about the food the last few times I've been there is not the fare itself, but the inconsistent food descriptions, both in the menu as well as coming from the servers.
For example: "Marinated grilled lamb loin, Israeli couscous, romesco sauce, preserved blood orange vinaigrette, Epic Roots mâche"
Now where in that description does it mention the pound of pepper the lamb was encrusted in?
Generally, in our long relationship, Absinthe has done right by me, but they can be a bit of a hit and miss - if you're looking for a fabulous one night stand, this might be a bit dangerous. For a long term f*k buddy, she's exactly the right kind of girl....
3 3/4 stars for having been with me through thick and thin....
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I don't think this is the best place in the world, but damn there menu is huge and that goes for both the food and the drinks. Now if I was drinking, I'd have even more fun here, but I'm not much of a drinker these days. Don't make fun of me!
Most recently I went here for the brunch and in that time I discovered something extra special about this place: The oysters. Oh lord are they good, they are the best I've ever had. Fatty, sweet, liquidy. I was trying not to share them at first but everyone saw my reaction to them and insisted on having some as well. Less for me, darn.
I like the creativity in the menu, though some things, like the omelet with morel mushrooms, don't fully utilize the unique ingredients they feature to their fullest.
In any case, this is def. a good place to take the fam or anyone who wants to have a memorable, comfortable, and happily drunken dining experience without all the drama that some of the more dinky all the rage restaurants come with (I go to those too, but are they fun?).
In any case, don't forget to get the oysters and definitely leave room for a cheese plate at the end of the meal. For a full review of this place you can also go here: http://www.romancingth...;
Spanks!
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I had brunch there this past weekend. Their French Onion Soup is the best I've ever had! I think they could provide more on their bunch menu. I didn't find that many things I liked. Our waiter was attentive and friendly. I recommend this place just for the exquisite French Onion Soup!
Fantastic food, great cocktails/drinks with excellent service!
As many of us know already, this restaurant is a well-known place from a book, 'The Art of the Bar' . I have never thought of dining in this restaurant as I assumed that only the drinks that they serve would be worth trying.
I was wrong.
I went there last weekend to have dinner there and everything we ordered there was just phenomenal!! We had French Fries for appetizer. It comes with various different kinds of dipping sauces, just like Belgium style and every sauce there was awesome! I especially like their roubille, tastes like mayo + cayenne pepper/red chili pepper.
A lot of people we met before coming here recommended "Slowly Roasted Pork Confit". For entrees, I had that and my boyfriend had a lamb loin dish and the dishes were excellent. The pork confit was melting in my mouth, and the lamb loin was perfectly cooked.
For desserts, we had Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Caramel bits and Strawberry Shortcake. The Coconut cake is heavenly! We enjoyed every single bite and craved for more. :-)
I now know where to go eat whenever I crave for good food in the city.
I have eated brunch at at least 30 places in SF, some of the finest cuisine out there, and I will boldly say that this is one of the top 3 best brunch places in SF. Every single thing on the menu is made to perfection. The scones are delicious, especially with the wonderfully paired freshly made jam. The french toast, blueberry souffle pancakes, and croque madame are unsurpassable in perfection. The soft-boiled egg takes simple eggs to another level. The fruit, the coffee, the mind-blowing OJ...every menu item is worth every penny, and the experience as a whole is worth every second you spend there...in heaven.
I came and ate in the bar area on a Sunday evening while I was in town. I started out with the French onion soup, which was gooey good. I then had the pork confit with red cabbage and mustard spatzel. I heard this was a must-have dish here and therefore I had high expectations of it. Unfortunately, I wasn't all that impressed since the pork was pretty tender, but flavorless. I'm not high-maintenance when it comes to service, but in this case it was a little spotty and inattentive.
Wow, the food the drinks, everything at this place was amazing. I went there on a date and had an overall awesome experience. My only complaint was that the table was a little small and cramped, but still for making reso's that night, on a Friday, I couldn't complain. The drinks there are fantastic. While I didn't try one of the fancy gin concoctions, they have a stellar Vodka selection so I was happy. The wine selection is also awesome - to the point of overwhelming. This was one of those menus where I truly could not decide what to get because literally EVERYTHING looked great. I had the cod with black bean sauce and it was one of the best fish dishes i've ever had. While not cheap, they didn't skimp on the portion size. My date had the "beef cheeks." Yes, cheeks. I was very reluctant to try it, especially after the waiter's very knowledgable and unnecessarily detailed description of the meat, but tried it i did, and it was DELISH. Think pot roast braised with cinnamon and saffron. Yum. For dessert, I could have eaten three of the chocolate tarts with peanut butter ice cream, but then I would have looked like a fatty, so I had to restrain myself.
Anyway, great place for a date, and absolutely nothing to complain about here.
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If you plan on having dinner alone, this is the place to go. You won't have to sit at the bar and you won't have to sit at a table that's clearly meant for two or more. Why? Because Absinthe has the cutest table that only seats one. Yes, Only-Seats-One AND it's a booth. How awesome is that?
And even better than that, Absinthe has great late night eats! Finally a late night meal (I had dinner at 11:30PM) that does not involve a Fry Daddy. I had the Ginger Rogers (A yummy mojito with Gin), the mussels with white wine garlic sauce, fries & an aioli that you will want to put on any and EVERYthing (wow, talk about a great plate of mussels) and the Coconut Tres Leches cake (too sweet, I'll pass next time).
Word to the Wise: If you have a fear of people with gray hair, this is NOT the place to come to for this is the most gray I've seen in SF since I've moved here.
Mussels Rating: 4 Stars
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one of my fav cocktail stops in the city. and johnny is the best. I think ive had some of the food before, and it was mighty tasty. i had however, had a few of johnny's manhattans prior to food consumption. do what you will with that information.
Mixed feelings about Absinthe. The hot water for the tea came lukewarm, and as the day's waiters and busboys looked much overworked, we let it be. The fries and salads were delish, but the mussels were only okay. Same goes for the baby bok choy with chili flakes. So yes, order the fries and the mixed greens salad that looks like a mess of backyard weeds and strawberries but is VERY delicious.
Absinthe. And from what I understand they do serve it, 'cause its legal now you know? Anyway, I've been here for lunch and always leave completely satisfied. I do the croque monsieur here as well (check my Tartine review), and it is very delicious. The rosemary olive oil pommes frittes are a great addition to any meal, as well as being able to have a nice glass of pinot noir at lunch. Okay so maybe after that meal I just want to curl up and take a siesta, but for those lazy weekends, this place is perfect.
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Decent restaurant bar spot that seems to be all about gin.
Highlights:
- Wasn't party party 21ish crowd on a Friday night. Good place when you're in the grab a cocktail and just chat it up with friends mode.
- More historically classic cocktail menu with drinks like sazeracs and sidecars. They even note dates of the original cocktails: ex. classic Absinthe cocktail from Famous New Orleans Drinks (1940), by Stanley Clisby Arthur
- Bartenders are professional and old school as well
- Ginger Rogers: like a mojito but with gin. I'm a bit scared of gin but asked the bartender to give me a gin starter drink and this is what he poured me. No overwhelming junipery taste so was ok with me.
- Huge location: spanned a few big windows when we were passing by. The bar is only in one of those big rooms, but nice to have some space.
Lowlights (my flip side to highlights):
- Menu has predominately gin drinks: If you're not a gin (or absinthe) person and you want a specialty drink, you may be hard pressed. I'm a vodka girl and asked for a drink with vodka and they said they didn't recommend it. ;-)
OK location to stop into if you're in the neighborhood.
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Great food, great service. I ordered the beef cheeks, which were cooked perfectly and tasted delish. My husband ordered the corn soup (which was different but very good) and the black cod. My mom ordered the pork. All the food ordered was very tasty and we were all impressed. We walked in without a reservation on a Sunday night and they had no problem seating three of us. The bar area is very cute and has a little bit of a French feel to it. The service was great and made for a very pleasant dinner experience.
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I love Absinthe! Excellent food & drinks - cute French decor. Oysters here are so FRESH & tasty. I am in love with their LAVENDER Creme Brulee' - yummalicious. Haven't tried the burger yet, which I hear is to die for. I'll be baaaack.
New chef in the last year. The french onion soup is the best ever.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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01/17/2006
I thank Monsieur for his professorship; I understood almost everything on the menu. The atmosphere… Read more »
OK - I went here on Saturday night looking for a seat in the bar for two. It was a little crowded, but they did a good job seating us. Unfortunately, the menu our waitress gave us was not the bar menu, but the dinner menu. "Excuse me, do you have a bar menu?" we asked. Because we were really in the mood for a good hamburger, and a decadent bottle of wine. "No. We don't do the bar menu on the weekends - it's too busy. Sorry..."
Well, crap. So we decide to stay, anyway. It's 7:00 and there aren't lots of options. We get a good bottle of Staglin, and a mix of appetizers and cheeses to make it a meal. Tangential to the review, that 2003 Staglin isn't worth the cost, by the way - go with the 2004 Plumpjack. They do a good job on wine prices - not the obscene 2X - 3X markup that has become so prevalent in the SF restaurant scene.
Anyway, we finish an OK meal. The onion soup was really good, the salad OK. My better half got beef cheeks - she said they were like short ribs, only pretty poor short ribs. And the cheese plate was a mixed bag. Unfortunately, as we were midway through our meal, the table next to us received three delicious-looking hamburgers.
I asked the waitress how they were able to procure such a delicacy, when it was conveyed to me that these things were not available on busy weekends. "Oh, well, that's how it goes some times..." she said. And I said, 'Well, so goes your tip..."
This would have been a good experience if we were told, "Hey, come back at 7:30 - there will be nobody here, and you can get a burger." Instead, I feel like we weren't important enough to get a meal off the bar menu - even after dropping some serious coin on a mediocre wine. Shame on you, Absinthe.
We wound up taking my visiting in-laws here for dinner one night when the scene / mob at Suppenkuche was more than they were prepared to handle, after a long day of drinking in wine country. We thought about going to Citzen Cake, but the vibe in there was too dead and the menu was not quite whetting our appetites, so we went to Absinthe instead, very much against my hubby's initial wishes (I think he was low-blood sugar, cranky and unable to make a decision...so I just made one for us).
Turned out the ambiance was chill, the food was great, the wait staff was top notch, the wine reccomendations were spot on, and we all walked out of there having thoroughly enjoyed the terrific meal. A little on the pricey side, but well worth the splurge
We'll be back!!!
I have been here several times and never had a bad meal. Some are better than others though:
1) service is outstanding
2) always a bustling scene but never so loud you can't hear conversations
3)duck confit=out of this world
4) asparagus app=out of this world
5) lamb loin=fabulous
6) my pork confit dish=too salty and too fatty(i think ive learned my lesson ,I don't like ordering pork dishes because they always wig me out)
7) sister in laws beef cheek was really good but I don't know, why did they have to put in the word CHEEK .creeps me out. Sure i decide to still eat meat sometimes, but do I have to think about what part it's coming from-NO. Just call it BEEF PART .I kill me
8) always changing the menu which is good, but what they have currently in terms of the main courses is limiting I feel.
I was a bit non-plussed after a Sunday brunch. I had wanted to go to Absinthe for a long time, just never seemed to make it. The food was okay (was expecting much better), and the service was okay (felt it could have been better). Just not quite up to expectations. I'll definitely go back and try the burger, though, as that is my gold standard.
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I've never been into messy burgers. I just don't like the idea of greasy beef scum and nasty condiments dripping from dead lettuce - even if there is a milkshake to wash it down with.
Thankfully, for neat freaks and burger geeks like me there is the burger at Absinthe. It is a neat burger. A refined burger. This ain't no community college burger, no, this burger is Ivy League all the way. It is cased in a real tough and absorbent kaiser roll and it is round and petite like a hockey puck. And I dare say, it is quite cute too.
Are neat burgers your preference? Have you had trouble finding a neat burger in San Francisco? Do you enjoy symmetry and fear chaos? Have you ruined your favorite blouse or $45 trendy t-shirt with one of those classless, scum-sucking, lowest of the low messy burgers? Have other burgers come on strong only to leave you with a feeling of impending cardiac arrest? Fret no more.
The Absinthe burger, at $10.50, is the answer to your prayers. Even better, it tastes rambunctiously good. This is a delicious burger, an upstanding citizen of a burger, the kind of burger whose name you drop at swanky cocktail parties and political gatherings.
But don't trust me (I've been known to hide the truth on occasions) - come to Absinthe, sit at the bar, and taste it for yourself. Wear something nice if you've got it.
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This place is too cool for me. Whenever I walk by this bar I tend to look at my sneakers to appear subordinate to the patrons.
Little dogs welcome (apparently).
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We came for dinner right before the Opera on a Tuesday night. I made reservations so there was no wait. Service was great! My husband had never actually tried absinthe before so he had some. (i'm not a fan of the drink myself) But they have a nice wine list!
I had the lamb and it was AMAZING. very tender, and spiced just right. Cooked perfectly rare. My husband had the pork confit and it melted in your mouth! I thought the quality of the food was fantastic and totally worth it.
The only disappointment was the oysters. I guess we ordered the wrong ones (there's a list of different kinds on the menu) The ones we got were barely the size of a quarter. While the table next to us got the ones that are the size of a dollar bill. Felt a little ripped off on that one. Be sure to ask if you don't know!
For the money we thought it was a very nice dinner.
We had Absinthe, wine, 3 oysters, a salad, fries, two entrees, coffee and desert for $125. Next time we go to the opera we might try it again!
My favorite place in San Francisco for cocktails. The cocktails are just, wonderful (esp. the Ginger Rogers). Dinner was wonderful here too, although I miss the old chef and their rib eye and fries, the NY strip is just not as yummy.
Highly recommended: Cocktails, cocktails, fries, dinner.
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I'm torn about having to write this. I really wanted to give it a 4 star but after having brunch here the second time around, I wasn't that impressed. I had the eggs with the homemade beef patties which was tasty but it didn't excite me. And I love food that excites me! The first time around, we started with the scones and I had the bluberry banana souffle pancake! That was very very tasty!!
I do love the service. They are on top of it! I never had a hard time getting in even with a party of 4 or 5. But the wait can be long if you dont have reservations!
Would love to come back and try some of the absinthe coctails!
Very mixed feelings about Absinthe. I've eaten there many times, both in the restaurant and in the bar area. I've never been too happy about the restaurant meals. In fact , I've been served some very over cooked chicken, and their Cassoulet is nothing to write home about.
The bar is a different story. It can be a great place for snacks and drinks. A huge selection of fresh oysters. A truley great Croque Monsieur sandwich. And a freindly bar staff with heavy pouring arms. Unfortunately they seem to have a quick turn over of staff in this place, so as soon as you get used to a bartender or a waitress.....they're gone. Stick with the bar and give the main dineing room a miss.
Good, but not great, considering the price. I had possibly the best cheese plate I've ever sampled, but everything else was ordinary (including the drinks).
This place has now made it into my list of known late night dining venues. I arrived here rather late and was pleasantly surprised to find a cosy atmosphere and no shortage of good looking women enjoying food/drink/conversation/etc. That makes up two stars!
I ordered the burger, medium rare. It was absolutely delicious. It's actually the first meat I've had medium rare in a few years and I really enjoyed it. They have real mustard (aka not crap sweet american mustard) and it really went well with the gorganzola and fried onions. As an appetizer I high recommend the fried chickpeas.
They serve absinthe from really cool looking machines, I didn't have one but will definitely try one next time I'm there. They had a great selection of beers. Overall 3 stars, but I'm sure my subsequent visits will increase that number should the women, food, and drink stay superb!
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Dear Absinthe,
I know that your bar area is always pretty full, so you probably think you'll be around forever. But, San Francisco diners are much smarter than that. They will soon realize that your service is stinkier than your blue cheese and your food is mediocre at best. Seriously, if your dining area is totally empty and I ask to move tables because I hate ours, just move me. Don't lie and say that someone called in and requested specific tables by their table numbers. No, they didn't. No, stop talking, they really didn't.
And then when you shove me on a table in the corner, make sure to remember that I'm there. I can't get my own freaking condiments.
One last thing, if you're going to charge $20 for a burger, please make sure that it's good. I mean, really, it's a burger. Is it really SO hard? Really? Ok, well then I'm never coming back. DONE!
This is a great place for a drink. They serve the classics, add some imaginative originals, and stock some really high-value booze you can't find anywhere else. Trust me: my husband's been looking everywhere for the rye Xan poured for him. No such luck.
You can also have some happily accidental conversations with interesting strangers at the bar at Absinthe. Many thanks to the couple who were on their way to a party: one of you guys gave us a great recipe for Brussels sprouts. And the pro