Blue
Category: American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Castro2337 Market Street
(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94114 (415) 863-2583
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
219 reviews
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
"No need to look any further. These burgers are great. With all the reviews, there is very little I can add here. My burger here was…" read more »
205 Reviews for Blue
Came here for a quick, but delicious, bite before hitting the clubs with some friends one night. I swear, that had to be the most delicious meatloaf I've ever had (and I've had me some meatloaf). As my fork made its way around the table (as others found their way to my plate), I was impressed by the flaming mac & cheese and the chicken pot pie. Home/comfort food at its best. Small restaurant, cozy seating, friendly service - it's a neat little package wrapped in 'Blue' box.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
Mac N cheese. I'm willing to suffer from lactose intolerance bloating.
The Monte Cristo sandwich. Not the usual raspberry sauce, but hella good....request some tomatoes on the side to put on the other half (or whole) of your sandwich, for temperature, and flavor contrast.
Fries...don't care if they were frozen...they're hella good, and skinny.
Anyway, it's basic shit. The rule is, don't fuck up basic shit. It's not rocket science...
I'm glad this place gets that.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (1)
ONE star for the cutesy neighborhood diner feel.
TWO stars for the fact that the resturant is actually blue.
THREE stars for the super attractive AND attentive waiters.
FOUR star for the Gourmet Mac 'N Cheese. Out of this world. Seriously.
You pretty much seat yourself. The resturant is quite small actually, so my friend and I were lucky to find a little table towards the back. Our waiter was very nice, and gave us two HUGE waters with lemon, 'just in case.' I ordered the Gourmet Mac 'N Cheese, and my friend ordered the house Club sandwich, or something. She said it was really good as well. I chomped on a few of her yummy shoestring fries!
Minus ONE star because the waiter was pretty slow as far as taking our orders and bringing us our check. But he more than made up for it with his great service.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
FLAMING MAC N CHEESE!!!!
Need i say more??!!
This hole in the wall joint is awesome. The spot itself is quite small it can probably hold about 30 ppl at best. Service is great...the waiters are pretty darn funny.
Back to the mac n cheese.... the perfect blend of texture in the macroni...the cheeses are mixed with perfection to create an explosion in your mouth. I believe it is slightly baked on top too!! I can live without the peas though. I need to go back here to chow down on some mac n cheese!!!!
I can give this place 5 stars alone for the Mac n' Cheese (non-spicy variety).
I can give this place 5 stars for the great attentive service and the large plastic tumblers they use for cold beverages. These are the tumblers of my dreams. They hold enough liquid that you don't need a refill. Love. It.
I can give this place 5 stars for the shoestring-y fries, the non slimey onion rings and the easy going atmosphere.
I just cannot dock any stars for my less then stellar Steak Sammich. The bread and meat were great. The cheese and aioli were great. The peppers were a bit too excessive.
Peppers (roasted, red, green, yellow, orange) cause horrific bowel movements that rival those caused by drinking the water in Mexico.
I picked most of mine out and survived the gut bomb. It's not Blue's fault I don't know how to read the menu.
So a shining 5 stars it is!!
People thought this was:
Funny (2)
-hella good ribeye and smothered steak
-nicely seasoned vegetables
-mac n' cheese
-great service
( | ) was very happy that Blue was open for Monday dinner.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (2)
Cool (6)
I think if the kitchen put a little bit more effort into putting out really high quality food, then this place could be five stars. In theory, tuna casserole with bacon, peas, cheese, creamy sauce and egg noodles topped with ritz crackers would be amazing. However, this tuna casserole was just acceptable. The sauce was not that creamy and it tasted a little underseasoned. The mac and cheese was watery, too. I thought this dish definitely lacked in the cheese department, which is kinda sad for mac and cheese. The pork shank osso bucco could have been great if it wasn't soaking in super salty sauce. The garlic mashed potatoes were watery and tasted like it came from a mix. Coffee was watery and weak, too. Hmmm, are the cooks using too much water? I guess I just wanted the flavors to be more concentrated and the seasonings to be really balanced. All these issues could totally be fixed. Maybe they were having an off night? Our server was really nice and the food wasn't bad, but wasn't great...so I am giving this place an "eh. it's okay." instead of a "argh, what a waste."
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
As a true playa, when street life leaves me choosing between macaroni and cheese, I take both. Since I first tried Amy's microwave mac'n'cheese I embarked on a mission to find true gourmet version of this heavenly dish. So far I tried quite a few places, Home and Morty's were okay (not nearly as good as Amy's of course), but Blue's mac'n'cheese blew me away. Can't say anything about other things on the menu, but their mac'n'cheese is more than enough to give Blue a good reception. As for the place itself, it's pretty packed and not really cozy, but again, go feast on the signature dish and drink somewhere else.
From the outside this place looks nice. Inside it is very casual. My boyfriend took me here on a tuesday evening and it was a bit slow so they allowed us to seat ourselves. The waiter was very patient with us when we kept asking for more time because we couldn't make up our minds. The food was really good, which kinda surprised me. The booths were a bit uncomfortable, but altogether a good place for the price.
= Blah.
I had the Bleu burger. Cooked . . . dead. There was no moisture in either the meat or the cheese. I have had other things that were good, but given that this is one of their signature dishes, I'm thinking there is room for improvement here.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (3)
Cool (4)
3 words MAC and CHEESE..awesome, awesome. When you want that cozy comfort of home cooked food, BLUE is the place for you. I usually stick with the M&C but also like the fried calemari...really good with the spicy dipping sauce...I have yet to try the dessert but need to give it a try. Very nice and attentive wait staff.
Ohhhh lordy.
Mac and cheese, anyone?
Don't let the trendy decor and ambient lighting fool you -- you CAN afford it! (Trust me, that's the only reason we went in)
Seating is a little cramped, but when the food is this good, who the hell cares?
I came in for the spicy mac, but chickened out. I think a return trip is in my future.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
Pros:
-mac n cheese- YUM-O! rich and creamy.
-tuna casserole-Very Tasty.
-calamari- Best ones I've ever tasted in the city.
-they gave us free samplers
-friendly service
Cons:
-expand the place more!
Our server was the best part! Derrick, you rock brother!
The food here is really good too. The mac and cheese is a must try! The salmon s really good and the cheese dip for the bread is a winner winner winer!
Can't wait to go back!
Tip well, they deserve it!
Yikes.
Came here for lunch.
. Way too slow for such a small place.
. Boring Sloppy Joes.
. "Strawberry lemonade" was just syrup.
. They didn't mention the root beer was that low-cal Splenda shit.
. French toast was adequate, but their syrup was just flavored Karo. Gross.
Basically, sub-adequate overall. Friendly service, though. Won't be coming back -- there are about a thousand better places to eat within 3 blocks.
I don't know what is up with all these good reviews on here!!
the last time I went with my partner, even though the server was really nice, I looked at the menu!! The prices are super expensive for the quality... so I ordered the fusilli, and they came out to be this watery pieces of pasta floating in some weird extremely salty sauce!!! gross!
Food is nasty, prices are ridiculously high... but service is good! =)
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
:::AHEM:::: sung to the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree"
Oh Mac N Cheese
Oh Mac N Cheese....
How lovely are your breadcrumbs
Oh Mac N Cheese
Oh Mac N Cheese
You make me want to..... drive 45 minutes into the city and fight parking near the castro so that I can dodge and weave homless men and endanger my life trying to cross market street only to end up waiting awkwardly in that tiny front area while i wait for a table to open up so that i can order a diet coke and a mac and chese then debate if i should have the chicken pot pie because thats hella good too......
How I love comfort food.... makes me break out into song and rhyme
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (3)
Cool (2)
cute, cozy and definitely blue on the interior, this is a happy little comfort food joint with a tremendously adorable, helpful and lovely staff. we came for the mac and cheese that had been much-touted earlier in the evening. we came expecting greatness and we were not disappointed. their crispy-topped, bubbling and glorious take on the comfort classic was so good it made me want to give up my apartment in new york and live under their tables catching any stray globs that might not get gobbled up immediately. i also had a really nice chicken pot pie that was reminiscent of something someone's cute and cuddly grandma would make. their mashed potatoes lived up to my exacting standards and even surpassed them. blue is a great place to have many glasses of wine with good people and carbo-load. love love love.
Green Bunny and I needed a quick bite before a show at Cafe du Nord. I hadn't been to Blue in awhile, and was thinking that a steaming crock of Flaming Mac & Cheese sounded kind of nice.
We sat down, and the food came out quickly. Our waiter was adorable and so nice. We shared a Monte Cristo with strawberry dipping sauce, and the mac & cheese. The Monte Cristo was pretty tasty, and the fries that came with it were lovely little shoestrings of goodness. I could have eaten a bucket of them.
The Flaming Mac & Cheese? Mild. As in, not flaming. Not in the least. It had red bits in it, but there was no fire. It was creamy, it was cheesy, it was gooey, but it was as far from flaming as my great-uncle in Massachusetts. No, I take that back, even HE is more flaming than this dish.
OK, if you can't get "flaming" right in the Castro, I just don't know what to say.
People thought this was:
Useful (10)
Funny (10)
Cool (11)
I don't order macaroni and cheese in restaurants. It usually seems like a waste. But I was taken to Blue by a friend who was very adamant about my trying the (slightly pricey) mac and cheese. Holy crap. Now I know why he called it crack and cheese.
People thought this was:
Funny (2)
Homey and unpretentious with a nice wait staff. The chicken tortilla soup was the best I've ever had and the Nieman Ranch hamburgers are fantastic. I keep coming back! OOOHhh Ohhh and the strawberry lemonade and the warm brie with garlic...
Mac & cheese is excellent as are some of the other dishes.
Dinner service has been pretty good, but lunch service is often inconsistent. It seems like they usually only have one person at lunch so if it gets busy it will take while.
I used to like Blue more when it first opened. Now I find myself going other places first.
A solid 4 star effort. Our server was very friendly and sincere although we had to wait 30 min to get in at 8:30pm on a Friday. Spicy calamari: way too much dough - they're more like squid fritters than calamari - though the sauces are good. The spicy mac and cheese was a bit of a disappointment only because it's been talked about so much on here. It's a tad too spicy in an artificial way that leaves you not wanting more. Go for the gourment mac and cheese instead (adding the chicken is yummy). Finally, the citrus salad was our favourite - what's fennel?
There are lots of great items on the menu at very reasonable prices. Portions are quite generous so don't get carried away. If you can sit outside with a bottle of wine at the end of the night it's a real treat to be people watching right there.
Oh, at least 0.5 stars docked for having a shite wine list. Nothing foreign on it. Avoid the Kenwood. Blech.
Comfort food at a comfortable price in comfortable seats, with comfortable servers in comfortable clothes who are comfortable with their straightness (if they are), who comfortably dart about the comfortable room with their comfortable ways of delivering comfort food, comfortingly. One of my staple restaurants in SF.
The portions are generous (except for the salads - let's make it a MEAL, kids), and I'm partial to the meatloaf. I was also partial to the flatiron steak until they decided to smother it - so I ask for it unsmothered, but that makes less of "comfort food" doesn't it?
Try the chili, try the spicy calamari, try the spinach salad with currants, try the burger, try the Niman ranch pork chop, but skip the mashed potatoes and get extra spinach or carrots (Mom said).
Wandered over here with two friends for dinner after work one evening... were glad to find our way to a table quickly (evidently American Idol nights are great nights to get tables in the Castro).
Service was quick, restaurant had nice ambiance, and food was good and comfortable (and who dosn't love some good comfort food).
The three of us decided to just share everything and have it come in waves (my favorite way to eat... I love tasting menus). Started with the Waldorf salad... light and crisp. Followed up by the calamari which could not have been further from what I was thinking... beer battered, thick, heavy... more dough than squid... and tasted of chicken. I think its worth avoiding. However, all was redeemed with the spicy mac&cheese (could have been a bit thicker though... but the flavor was great, so no complaints in the end) and the spicy chicken sandwich.
Worth the return visit for the atmosphere, attentive service, and comfort food... all well needed in the city by the bay.
They do a mean burger with bleu cheese. It's diner-ish. A more relaxed version of Home if you will. Food is all comfort / greasy spoon, without the sticky tables or Flo, Mel, Vera and Alice. In their stead, you get fancy cocktails and cute boys.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Trust me, the mac 'n' cheese alone is worth coming into Blue. You don't have to bother with anything else. But you should. I haven't had meatloaf since my mother made it years ago at home and it was humongous and filling and dare I say (sorry Mom) the best meatloaf I've had. Top it off with the Irony Cab, a great cheap bottle of wine and some good conversation with my friend Stephy and it made for a great dinner. I'm not usually a fan of the whole minimalist decor thing, but they make it work to the point where it still feels cozy and not too loud. That and the staff is cool, which helps. Just a quick tip, though Blue, fix your door. I got up from my booth no less than half dozen times to shut it because people just didn't seem to notice it wouldn't shut on its own. But that's more docking people stars for bad manners than the actual business. :)
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Cool (3)
Big satisfied sigh.
I had the Mac 'n Cheese and tried some of my friend's Mac with Chicken. Mine was delicious - cheesey, gooey, melty, with just enough panko crumbs on top (use of panko is BRILLIANT, by the way).
But sorry waistline, I'm going to have to get my Mac n' Cheese with chicken next time. All the cheesey, gooey, melty goodness of the regular Mac n Cheese, but with moist chicken hunks and peas sprinkled on top.
Oh, and there was nothing Ironic about the Irony Cab we had with our cheese. Yes, there are few greater gustatory combinations than wine and cheese. And yes, it was a splendid bottle of cab, FOR CHEAP.
People thought this was:
Useful (6)
Funny (1)
Cool (4)
Dinner was years ago, and remember it being solid and reasonably priced. Today I returned for breakfast, and had no complaints with the food (eggs + veggies+ hashbrowns + fruit), price ($7) and service (no problem to heavy up on the fruit instead of hashbrowns).
MACARONI & CHEEEEEEESE!
This ain't your poor/lazy college student's version of mac'n'cheez, that's for sure! Just go and eat it. If there ever was such thing as gourmet Mac & Cheese, this is probably it. And that's what they're known for.
Just a helpful note: if you're trying to decide between the Flaming Mac & Cheese and the regular one, get the regular one. I ordered the flaming cuz I'm a fan of spicy food, and though it was delicious, I have to admit that the spicy sauce was a bit distracting and stole the spotlight from the true star, the cheese. I ended up wanting to eat out of my friends' regular mac & cheese instead. Still delicious (umm I ate the whole damn thing...no shame!), but next time I'm orderin the regular one.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Very friendly service; however, they weren't very organized. I waited an hour for my meatloaf - I reminded several waiters several times. I finally got it two minutes later.
The food is pretty good. The flaming mac n cheese had just enough kick so that you could still taste it. The chicken wings and crispy fries were alright. Anything pork was good - Niman pork chop, pork shank. Meatloaf was good. The chicken pot pie was just alright.
Overall a good place but service still needs some work. I'll give it another shot.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Roses are red
My dinner was blue
The mac n cheese rumors
Are totally friggin true!!!
Oh my god, if you love Mac n Cheese then I would like to introduce you to cheesy heaven on Earth. This mac n cheese is simply to die for. Wow! I want more right now. Like seriously, I was just there last night and I am debating going back again tonight. And according to my 100 year old adorable sweet little landlady, my downstairs neighbor is the owner of this place. Can you say hello my new best friend of a neighbor, haha :)
Anyhoo, I was hit with a craving for MnC yesterday and after taking an informal poll around the office, Blue sounded like the winner and after checking the Yelp reviews, well, it was a no brainer. And so my friend Michael and I strolled on down here and decided to check it out. When it arrived it came in a bowl with the burnt cheese on the side. Yay, always a great sign. Then once we dug in it was a hot and creamy explosion of cheese and noodles and damn, just sheer perfection.
But since one cannot live on just MnC alone (actually I would be willing to debate that fact!), we also ordered a main course as well. Michael tried the meatloaf and I ordered the rib eye with the spicy butter, broccoli and garlic mashed taters. This was a bit of a disappointment, but ONLY because of the spicy butter. Just wasn't a fan, but the steak and other items were deeeelish, I just would order it without the the butter next time.
What I thought was pretty awesome is that after Jesse, our waiter, realized that I wasn't really feeling the butter sitch, he immediately asked if I wanted something else and since I was pretty full, I passed, but he still insisted on making it right and brought us a comped creme brulee. That was incredibly cool and definitely a great thing for a restaurant to do, because they made a returning customer out of me with that simple step. Oh and the creme brulee is fantastic as well. Yum!
We also ordered a bottle of the Irony Cab Sauv and it was tasty and a great deal for $32. Overall, I loved this place and will definitely be returning. In the meantime, i am going to practice tapping out m-a-c-n-c-h-e-e-s-e-p-l-e-a-s-e on my hardwood floors in the hopes that my neighbor will bring me some cheesy lovin, hehe ;)
People thought this was:
Useful (6)
Funny (7)
Cool (7)
Hi, my name is Jaime and I'm addicted to the Castro.
::Hi Jaime::
I came here on saturday and went back yesterday AND today. If someone is going to ask me where we should go for lunch/dinner, they should only fucking expect that the sole answer to everything is "THE CASTRO". Who gives a shit where? They're pretty much all good. Not an exception, is Blue.
I wanted their Flaming Mac n Cheese with Chicken. When it came time to put in our order, we got the spicy calamari and obviously the mac n cheese. But when Rob confirmed the mac n cheese, he said bbq chicken. I thought "what the hell, I'm sure he heard mac n cheese first and didn't listen to him the second time he talked". Nope. Was wrong. Oh noes! So we got three items :D
I'm on the ANTM diet. Be warned if you are too.
YUM.
Oh yeah and our waiter was a fucking awesome dancer. And super hot too. AGAIN, ENOUGH WITH THE EYE CANDY.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (8)
Cool (6)
This is where my boyfriend and I go when we need comfort food. He gets the chicken pot pie, I get the mac and cheese. And we never stray from those two dishes.
It took us a relatively long time to figure out that they serve ranch with their bread. We were like, "Hmmm, I know it has dairy in it. And it's cold... What is it?!" I know, so dumb. But it's not something you'd normally expect!
Comfort, all the way.
Very mixed review from me on this one. On one hand, the burger I had was mighty tasty. I would go back for that again hands down. But here is what annoyed me. I got the sauteed spinach as a side for the burger and it was swimming is what seemed to be italian dressing, or something. It was so strong I couldn't even eat it. Bad. Just bad.
Service was very hit or miss. They staff was really friendly which is always a plus, but everyone seemed to be annoyed with how long it was taking to get orders out. Kitchen problem? Then one staff member says, "we only have two waiters tonight". Ummmm, the place is small. It has about 10 tables, most seating only two. Do you really need more than two waiters?
Speaking of small, with the place full the volume is almost deafening in this place. Everyone is yelling so their dinner partner can hear them. I was very ready to leave at the end of my tasty burger.
Now that I'm no longer a Broke Ass College Student (BACS) I've upgrated from Velveeta Shells n' Cheese (the full fat kind!) to Blue's Mac and Cheese with Grilled Chicken.
Man, this stuff is so good that I think about it constantly. It's pratically become a sexual fantasy of mine. I hope to one day cover myself in this Mac and Cheese and have you lick it off. Yes, you. Actually not you. This stuff is all mine. I will cover myself in it and lick it off of myself. This sista is doing it for herself.
Also, the flaming style of this stuff is super spicy and I might have shed some tears while eating it but I'm comfortable in my masculinity and will never order that kind again so it's ok.
Oh, and the last time I ate here, my dining companion was like "I had the strangest dream about Bea Arthur last night." I didn't know what to say then and I don't know what to say now.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (8)
Cool (8)
Initially, the mo and the beau were supposed to go to Lime for brunch with me this past Sunday---hell, no. That is too much noise for me on a Sunday morning brunch. So the beau decides we should go to Blue, "It's comfort food." There's nothing wrong with comfort to me.
So we go and omg, they serve hash browns, "hash BROWNS." Real ones, real crunchy ones. Why don't people come here?? I don't know. But they should. I wish they were closer to my house. I had the chorizo scramble, but I wasn't crazy about it. Their fruit is fresh. Not poor man fruit either..good fruit. I had some french fries, which were awesome too because they were skinny (I despise fat fries!). The omlette looked good because the mo got it. The strawberry lemonade mimosa was on the strong side for me, but the beau said it was nothing. I'm not much of a drinker though too. The service was great...it helped that our server called us the beautiful people. I totally recommend this place..I would have come back that same day for more hash BROWNS...but summer is only two months away..
I am a big mac & cheese fan and I have to cast by ballot for Blue for serving the best mac & cheese I have ever had! It comes to your table piping hot so you gotta let it sit a couple minutes lest you want to burn your tongue. Another favorite of mine is the osso bucco. The meat is slowly cooked leaving it all the right kinds of tender. The servers are always pleasant and friendly.
Had dinner at Blue last night with my boyfriend and a friend. After downing several drinks at Sadland's Happy Hour, we were all in the mood for some grub to soak up the alcohol in our bellies. We decided to take advantage of 2223's infamous $12 Tuesday. Walking up Market on our way to 2223, we took a look at Blue's menu. We hadn't been to Blue in ages and thought "Hey this place has survived this long it must still be pretty good. Let's give it another try." Boy were we right. After a 5 minute wait we were seated. (I love when that happens.)
We started with piping hot onion rings for apps - delish. For dinner, I had the dreamy creamy spicy mac n cheese, my guy had a perfectly cooked pork chop (the sauce was a tad too sweet for his taste but it was still ok) and mashies, girlfriend had fried chicken and mashies.
The menu and prices are similar to Home up the street but that's where the similarities end. Blue's space is cozy and intimate but not cramped and the service was excellent! I am glad we rediscovered Blue - we'll be back very soon.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (3)
Cool (3)
The food here is spot on if you're looking for generous portions of delicious amercian comfort food. The service is always friendly and no nonsense, so it's always a comfortable place at which to eat.
I love this place especially for one weird reason - they refrigerate their ketchup bottles until they are needed at each table. No warm, runny ketchup of dubious freshness at this place. I know it's a small thing, but it's little thoughtful touches like that that make an already nice dining experience an even better one.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Top Restaurants
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the… -
My Neighborhood
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,… -
Rise and Shine Brunch/Dim…
People in SF like to eat brunch. Here's some of…
