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Category: French
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph HillWed-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
"Delicious French fare and a totally reasonable price. The cheese plate was a great starter. Recommend the flat iron steak-- the flavor was…" read more »
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Went there with my girlfriend a few months ago and I loved the restaurant! It's a small place with just a few tables and reminded me of a neighborhood restaurant in Paris. Since it wasn't too loud, it was a great place to catch up with an old friend. However, I could totally see this as a great date place too :)
We started with the French onion soup and I have to admit, it was a little too salty for my taste. For entree, we had wanted the crab souffle but they ran out so we shared the prosciutto and leek souffle and it came out soft and very satisfying--just the way you'd want a savory souffle. For dessert, we got the chocolate souffle and grand marnier sauce and that was decadently delicious! We saw two boys who walked in around 9 pm and just ordered the chocolate souffle so I hope that tells you just how good it is.
One word of caution--the food comes out pretty slow, as to be expected since each souffle is made to order, so make sure you come with good company.
It's good souffles, but yes, it's quite overpriced.
Get dinner elsewhere and come here for a spendy dessert.
I dont know WHY people think that's just cause it's French that they can smack you with an overpriced bill. I've made fluffymoist souffles and it takes attention to details, but it's no trickier than balancing a good fishsauce dressing or getting an eggplant basil stirfry to keep it's skin color and having the flesh turn silky/luscious (Sorry, I'm on my Lers Ros craving again).
Souffles arent really that great for savory flavors... it feels a little... gimmicky. Where as say, a savory crepe/gallette is amazing if not preferrable to sweet desert crepe, salty (and at times a lil too salty) souffles feel like you're eating an oversized amuse/appitizer, and actually, at Jacqueline's, it's not that oversized... Speaking of which: salad prices are a little ridiculous. The oil is really good (how did you get that umami flavor in there... omg- it's warm SALTED isnt it?!), but for 10bux, can it separate itself with some tomatoes before slathering itself of that childhand portion of watercress (and I love my watercress!), but really, greens and oil?
Service is appropriate but the attitude is kinda not.
This place something close to an institution here in SF, but it's really more like a relic. It would take me alot to venture inside the douchebag triangle, and Jacqueline: I'm just not that into you.
This place has been on my list for the looooongest time. Reservations are a must here! It's extremely hard to get a table for walk-ins unless you go right when they open. It takes a while to eat since Chef Jacqueline makes everything fresh when you order it.
- French Onion Soup: very salty but delicious flavor, cheese was very good
- Shitake Mushroom, Garlic, Chive Souffle: light, fluffy, savory, not too dense (had a tiny piece of hair in my share, but whatever)
- Strawberry Souffle: fluffy heaven, not too sweet, lots of fresh strawberries piled on top - yummy!
The souffles were very light & fluffy and made fresh! The savory one was okay, but the strawberry one was scrumptious! Topped with fresh strawberries (my favorite fruit!) and I'm in heaven.
The restaurant is small, intimate, cute, and romantic. Having more than 4 people in a party may be difficult. Service was excellent. It is a bit pricey considering the size of the souffles ($30-60), but I have never tasted a souffle that comes close to these. Besides the small hair in my savory souffle, everything was great!
Last Night, Friday the 2ed of Oct, I was with friends and we had 8:30 reservations ..we arrived and I must say IT WAS THE WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED IN MY LIFE.
We did not get our dinner until 11:00 our salad was served 45 minutes after we arrived and dinner nearly 3 hours.......the waiter should have told us....we would have left......when the food finally arrived, we were exhausted, stressed, furious, and than it was HORRIBLE.....dishes were salty and tasted similar, they were really awful, we canceled desert when we found out that was going to be more much more time. I had been there before and was excited to share with out of town friends but unfortunately it turned out to be a disaster, ruined the weekend, today exhausted and beat up from the evening did I mention expensive, it was!
"Eating a souffle should be like walking into a cloud." -- Google
Thank you for the many things I learned from you, Google, while dining at Cafe Jacqueline because our one main course and one dessert took *two* hours to serve. That seems to be the math here: for *n* courses ordered, prepared to seat your tushy in that adorable vintage-looking wooden chair for *n* hours while rolling your eyes at your dinner companion.
Luckily for Cafe Jacqueline, this is the most cloud-like, absolutely marvelous chocolate souffle I have ever dreamed of tasting. It's like eating air in a Willy Wonka factory.
Definitely take a date here for dessert after 9 pm, when the first and only seating of customers are starting to leave.
Skip having dinner here. I liked the white corn/garlic/ginger/gruyere souffle, but it was more like hiking on a little hill than walking in the clouds. Plus, your iPhone battery will die from the continued 2-3 hours of usage.
Just stopped by to have a dessert souffle and some wine on a beautifully sunny San Francisco day. We had the fruit of the day - white peach - and it was delicious, but expensive. It looked big, but it is really light and fluffy so I didn't walk away feeling sick. The waiter was really nice. Next time I'm going to have to try the chocolate.
This place has like 100 american express stickers on the door. I wonder what's up with that...
Definitely Romantic
Sitting with my back faced to Grant and looking in at the cute little restaurant, I felt like I was in France. Jacqueline, this cute little lady, is in the small kitchen in the back creating this soft fluffy aroma that made me so excited for the food to come. It was almost a four hour meal so they do leave you waiting and wanting. I didn't mind the wait at all since the bread they offered was one of the best baguettes I've ever had. It was super crunchy on the outside and warm, moist and fluffy on the inside.
We ordered a bottle of wine, French onion soup, special soufflé of the day (oysters and spinach, JACKPOT!!) and a strawberry soufflé for dessert.
The onion soup, wow wow WOW!! Best onion soup ever! The soup was perfectly flavored and perfectly cheesy. One was enough to share for two but if I were to come again, I'd get my own!
I don't know if I'm much of a soufflé person, but this soufflé was made for me. The soufflé was topped with a tons of thin slices of lemon which giving the zest I always need with my oysters. I love trying things I've never tastes before and this was a very enjoyable experience. The dessert soufflé was a bit much for me, it had pretty much the same texture as my oyster entry so it was a bit odd. It's like going straight from a beef burger to a chocolate covered strawberry burger. Maybe next time I would stop in for a soup and dessert only :)
I've only been here for dessert.
We as a group of 4 shared the Souffle. It's good and decent seize for 4 people as a dessert. If the price is little bit cheaper, I would rate 4 stars, and if the waiter was nicer, I would rate 5 stars.
But the souffle is very good so if you've never tried, it's good to try at least once.
Oh, but don't ever never go there when you don't have time. it will take about 40 min. after you order since it will be made after you order.
Oui Oui Oui!
Que Magnifique!!
small, quaint, intimate, french, verrrrry french. Jacqueline can be found in the back whipping up a huuuuuge bowl of eggs for the souffles, giant floppy white chef hat in tow!
the waiters are friendly and attentive and i love the way they scoop and serve the souffles for the entire table. now that is service!...if only they'd wipe the crumbs off my face :)
now, onto the FOOD!
major points for a vegetarian Onion Soup!!! a-fucking-mazing! besides a very nice french-canadian-spanish man making me my favorite soup of all time for Valentine's day (shout out DM), i have been without a good bowl of French Onion soup for years!...and now, finally i have found it. i feel so complete!
the souffles were HUGE and deeelish! one with Leek, and one with Shitake Mushroom, Basil & Garlic. yumm!
and for dessert we had the Chocolate and the Blueberry souffles, round it all out with 2bottles of wine and you have yourself one verrry satisfied table!
I will definitely be back to Cafe Jacqueline for special occasions and whenever i get a hankering for some incredible veg French Onion soup and my french-canadian-spanish chef is unavailable!
mon coeur et estomac sont pleins des oeufs et des oignons!!
I go here every time i visit SF. It's very intimate with just a few tables. The sommelier/waiter/receptionist is friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. As soon as you walk in, your nostrils are filled with the smell of Gruyere cheese since all the entrees are soufflés based in Gruyere cheese. Actually there's really nothing on the menu other than soufflés besides a couple soups and salads for appetizers. The bread is amazing and the cheese soufflés are good - I favor the mushroom and prosciutto ones - but the best part is dessert. There's the standard chocolate and lemon and lime, but what you have to try are the seasonal ones: kiwi, peach, blackberry, strawberry, etc. Sometimes I just go for dessert.
One soufflee is plenty big for 2 people. The first time we went, I didn't know the drill so we each got a soup or salad, shared one cheese souffle, and got 2 dessert ones (since we couldn't decided between chocolate and strawberry). They were all great but we barely made it through half of either dessert souffle so we took the leftovers home. They were actually decent reheated the next day :D
This place is nothing less than heavenly. It's wonderfully romantic, quaint, and very French. It's also a serious time commitment, seeing as how all the souffles are made to order (45-60min avg).
The reviewers who gave this place a one star review are idiots. I've been here several times and never once experienced a bad dish, bad service or anything else that would taint my opinion of Cafe Jaqueline.
It's best suited for a special occasion when you and your lover want to have an out of the ordinary dining experience.
The onion soup is great, and really any souffle that you have will certainly be one of the best you've ever had. I'm a chef....trust me on this.
All in all, you can't go wrong here. If you've got the time, and the cash, this is the place to take your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband or wife. You won't regret it.
Souffle. Magic. That is cafe Jacqueline. I came here once with my wife for an anniversary. (I recommend only coming here with someone you can carry on a good conversation with). The dinner takes time...hours. We spent almost 3. Just drink wine. I could care less about the sub-par service. . Why? because there is an old French women toiling in back with a huge bowl of eggs, punctuated by an ornate jeweled black egg, making souffle magic in back . We had a lobster souffle and chocolate dessert souffle, and wine.
horrible service, salty food, overpriced. we didn't even get bread until after an hour of sitting there drinking our ice water. our waiter also lost our order altogether (or forgot to place it with the kitchen) and we had to put our order in again after over an hour of thinking our souffle was in the oven. so it took them close to 3 hours to bring our savory souffle (crab) out. IF the souffle was exceptional (you'd think it would be considering how expensive it is), we would have overlooked some of the issues, but the crab souffle was SO salty and just disgusting. and the dessert souffle (we had the lemon) wasn't bad but not good enough for us to ever want to come back to this place.
This was an amazing place to eat. I went here for my first wedding anniversary, and it was great. It's terrific for a special romantic evening because they only have 12 tables in the restaurant, and dinner takes 2-3 hours. Just be sure to make a reservation.
I started off with the french onion soup because I'd seen how highly it was rated by everyone. It was perfect - I can't even put it into words. My husband got their cream of bell pepper soup, which also tasted great, but could compare the to french onion soup.
We got the mushroom souffle for dinner and the strawberry souffle for dessert, at the suggestion of our server. Both were amazing and light as air, and they complemented each other wonderfully.
I highly recommend this restaurant for a special occasion or romantic evening.
Most romantic restaurant in SF, hands down. The lighting is perfect, the aroma of butter and sugar are amazing. Jacqueline in the kitchen is super gifted with her talents of making the best souffle...in the world. (The only rival in SF is Gary Danko's Chocolate souffle with the 2 sauces).
My most ideal meal there would be Onion soup, then a salad, then the white chocolate Souffle, followed by the fresh Strawberry souffle.
YUM
I have been here half a dozen times. This place is special, romantic, unusual, outstanding and delicious. The people there are a team and a tight knit group. The waiter has been there for 12 years or so (Brent I think is his name) and if you are friendly and open and nice when you sit down, he will take such good care of you. Be sure to go to the back thru the kitchen towards the rest room and take a look at chef Jacqueline and her bowl of eggs. You'll never see anything like it. She was trained at the best cooking school on the planet in France and it shows. Souffle's are difficult to make. This is one of my most favorite restaurants. A totally unique dining experience. You must go.
Ah oui... L'amore. And what says love more than creamy, savory or sweet soufflés? I imagine cupid would compare love to soufflés in that a soufflé does not wait for you, but you wait for the soufflé.
And such is the case at the charming and oh-so-romantic Café Jacqueline. Each course takes an hour or so to be cracked, whisked, risen and served. All the better to languidly stare across tables into candlelit eyes and wine dappled lips.
The charm extends beyond the rosy dining area into a kitchen swimming in eggs. Here Jacqueline herself smiles and wishes you a fair "Bonsoir."
Our salad was delicate with a savory vinaigrette. The crab soufflé was a tad overdone, but utterly buttery with chunks of juicy, decadent crab.
For dessert the classic chocolate soufflé offered endless delight.
Unfortunately service stole Café Jacqueline's last star. We were greeted with a trite "Pick a seat, here here or here" before the waiter disappeared. And the rest of the evening service remained sporadic and disoriented - the worst being when the waiter freaked out when he thought he'd given us a lobster rather than crab soufflé.
I think I hyped up this place too much for myself and the souffles are definitely somewhat overrated. Let's just say dinner went from 8p to a bit over 11p. Woowee! You definitely have to come here with someone you LOVE talking to or else you're pretty much SCREWED. No joke.
Out of the 3 things we ordered: French Onion Soup, Crab Souffle, and Chocolate Souffle, the only thing I want to keep raving about is the awesome French Onion Soup.
FRENCH ONION SOUP
We had to wait about 30-40 minutes for this to come out. When it did, the cheese on top was baked to a good crust, and the soup was pippin' hot! The onions were tasty, the bread that was soaked in it was awesome, and overall the soup was not TOO salty. It was THE BEST. I would have totally wanted this all to myself but 2 ppl shared 1.
CRAB SOUFFLE
Waited about another 45-55 minutes for this to come out. When it did, I didn't get a chance to take a picture because our waiter began cutting it up and serving it to us. This was nice of him, but I wanted a picture. It's okay. At anyrate, after having a few bites, I felt like I was eating fluffy air. I kinda wanted to throw up after a few bites but told myself to keep it down. This was okay but I definitely didn't want more. I was then settling on the chocolate souffle....
CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
So we waited perhaps another 40 minutes for this. And WOW can there BE anymore powdered sugar on top? Mmm this definitely hit the spot and it was pretty tasty. I think their dessert souffles trump the savory ones. We only ate the top half of the souffle since everything else was too mushy and fluffy, just like the crab souffle. Soon, the rest of our souffle looked like dog food and I felt somewhat bad for not finishing it. Sorry Madame Jacqueline.
TEA
If you order tea after your meal, they bring out a heart shaped box filled with various tea packets -- all from France! Woowee! Being Asian, I picked up some green tea packet and had the server prepare it for me. It came in a teacup sitting ontop of a teaplate and a bowl of cubed brown sugar...mmm! I want to say the tea was better than the crab souffle...hmmm??
Let me comment about the servers. There are two of them: one is an older man and the other one is younger. The older man is definitely more grumpy than the younger one. The old man started walking off on us when we were deciding what we wanted to drink. He was so impatient. Had he been the only server there, I would have thrown a fit at how bad the service was. We tried avoiding him all night especially since the younger man was SO much more friendlier, helpful, and definitely MORE patient than the old man.
One recommendation for Cafe J is for them to make the souffles smaller so that customers can try more flavors AND it can be cooked better. I think the dessert souffles would have been 10x better had it not been served in such huge portions.
Total for 2 people was $145 after tip/tax. Not too bad for a French joint but the souffles were NOT worth it. Everyone says to make sure to use the bathroom before you leave and yes, do it. Let me give you a warning and say that the bathroom IS outdoors so on a cold SF night, don't go running out there in a tank top or something. At anyrate, Madame Jacqueline http://static.px.yelp.... keeps this HUGE HUGE HUGE wooden bowl filled with eggs in her kitchen. On top, there's one painted lucky egg. http://static.px.yelp....
I don't think I'll be returning to Cafe J....sorry!
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I FINALLY GOT A RESERVATION!!!
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Amazing food , but BAD Service.
the Waiter with glasses gave us a SHIT face, and took away our dishes even though we were not done yet ! it was the first time i bought my friends there, i was expected to surprise my friends. but it turn out to the other way. when we ask the waiter for suggestions, he silenced and gave me a bad attitude that he wanted to work off on time and we better hurry and not wasted any his time in taking order. the souffle was Delicious ...but i really had a hard time to enjoy the food when the server with a such BAD attitude.
for the next time,i rather bring my friends/dates to Fleur De Lys...
Cutest restaurant ever. I went with a couple of friends, and we split the corn and ginger savory souffle, and then had the Grand Marnier dessert souffle. Both were delicious, and I cannot wait to go back again.
If you go, definitely make sure you walk to the back to use the bathroom, because then you will see cute little Jacqueline doing her thing in the kitchen. My only wish is that we got two dessert souffles, so I could get more tastes.
And, yes, to be fair, I have never met a French Onion soup I did not like. But the one served here is literally perfect. Literally.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: After writing my initial review, I went through and read what some of the other posters wrote. Listen, I totally get it if you think the prices are high. However, there really is a cute little lady in the back whipping up these babies by herself. Sure, I can go out and give the same amount of money to tons of other dining establishments in SF, but does Michael Mina or other large restauranteurs really need more of my money? This money is going to her and her staff, and when you think about helping the local economy, and how much love she puts into those perfectly done souffles, I can't think of another place I'd rather be dining.
This place is charming and terribly romantic. I love everything on the menu from the escargot to the creative dessert souffles. I also enjoy seeing Jaqueline beating a large bowl of eggs as you walk through the kitchen to the restroom. She always has a welcoming smile and greets you with a cheerful "Bon Jour" and "Merci".
Sweet and tucked away in the streets of North Beach. Don't forget to make a reservation or plan to arrive early in the evening or you won't be dining at Cafe Jacqueline. Also remember to ask for wine suggestions.
1) I'm amazed that this establishment has only a dozen small tables, and almost 200 reviews.
2) I'm even more amazed that I haven't heard about it before. Even though I can now see that my friend Virginia Y has written a great review of it.
My husband found it right here on Yelp, and we lucked out because there was a 7pm cancellation for that night. Serendipity.
I'm always impressed by a great sommelier. He asks what kind of wine we like. We mumble something inarticulate and he asks a couple more questions. He runs off brings us each exactly the perfect wine. How do they do that? The sommelier here was like that.
The french onion soup was very good as previously reported. We shared one bowl because we wanted to have room for the main attraction.
The souffle menu had so many compelling choices, it was very hard to make a decision. We had the crab souffle because we both love us some crab. And we went with the chocolate souffle for dessert. Both souffles were wonderful, with a perfect consistency. We have already picked out which ones we are going to try next time, and we will be back.
Definitely a good choice for a romantic special date. The leisurely pace of the meal gives you lots of time for talking, gazing into each other's eyes and hand holding. And of course sharing the entrees is an intimate touch.
Cafe Jacqueline est une recette de l'amour.
Just a warning, this place is not for people who want to grab a quick dinner/dessert and get out. A lot of people were complaining about the service being slow, but I enjoyed the leisurely "European-style" service...it took us 3 hours to eat dinner but that's fine by me. Granted I was there with my sister and we were just talking, talking the whole time (my hubby says my sisters and I can probably talk all day long). You can go here with a close friend, family member, or significant other that you don't mind spending 3 straight hours with, but probably not the best place for a first date where there may be awkward lulls in the conversation.
On to the food. We started out with both a soup and a salad to share. The spinach salad with goat cheese was good, though it paled in comparison to the rest of the food that followed. They were all out of the french onion soup people seem to be raving about, but the soup of the day we had was quite amazing. I've never had bell pepper pureed soup before but I definitely want to try to make it after having it at this place. The bread was warm and seemed freshly baked, much better than what you usually get at small restaurants like this, but I guess bread is easy if they make souffles at a regular basis.
For our savory souffle, we had the shitake mushroom and basil, which was absolutely delicious. I thought it would be too rich but we polished off the whole souffle like it was nothing. It was nice and light, not too rich or eggy, almost like a very light quiche. What really made the dish was the gruyere crust on top, the bit of saltiness and crispiness helped balance out the custard. But of course the crowning glory of our meal was the chocolate souffle...there was no way I was going to a souffle restaurant and not get it. At first I was scared that it would be too sweet due to the full layer of confectioner's sugar on top, but the souffle itself was rich and not too sweet so that balanced it out. I came in with high expecations, knowing this is their specialty, but this still blew away chocolate souffles I've had at other, more expensive restaurants.
Sure, we came in at 8 and didn't leave until past 11, but I personally found the service to be very good. We were seated as soon as we came in (we had reservations), and got bread and water right away. Our appetizers came quickly and our water glasses were always filled. I asked for a recommendation on a nice french red wine with "body" and "lots of fruit" and the server recommended a great one from a region I've never heard of ("Minervois") that went perfectly with the meal and also affordable. Of course I couldn't resist stopping by the kitchen coming from the bathroom and saying hi to Madame Jacqueline herself, and she was very nice and sweet (it was right before we left and they were already closed so she was already done cooking).
We ordered soup, salad, 2 souffles, 2 glasses of wine, coffee, and tea and the bill came out to around $120, which I thought was very reasonable considering the amount of food we got (those souffles are huge!) We left a good tip since the service was really good and the server actually walked out the door and thanked us and wished us goodnight as we were already out on the sidewalk. I definitely want to come back, and I'm already planning to take my sister here again on her birthday. 5 well-deserved stars.
My wife and I love Cafe Jacqueline. We had our first date here, our rehearsal dinner here and our first anniversary dinner here. We went there tonight with two of her cousins and again we were not disappointed. We had a fantastic meal, great service and spent 3 wonderful hours enjoying the company we were with.
For those who don't know, do NOT go expecting a fast meal. You WILL wait for food - and it will be worth the wait. From the time you order expect that it will take at least an hour to get your first souffle - everything is done to order and is fresh made. Souffle's take time to make and time to bake. It's all served direct out of the oven - there are no heat lamps or "guessing" when you'll be ready.
They bring you warm crusty french bread that is great. The salads are simple and delicious. The onion soup is among the best I've had.
This is also unlike most other restaurants in that the mostly french wine list is very reasonably priced - we had a nice bottle of French Chardonnay for $30.
Tonight the four of us shared two dinner souffles - Lobster, which was fantastic - it was like a lobster thermidor souffle... the other one was prosciutto and mushroom that was also delicious. For dessert we had the strawberry souffle - it's covered on top with fresh ripe strawberries and is incredibly light and fluffy. My wife is a chocoholic and loves the chocolate souffle - but actually prefers the strawberry - it's the only time she'll order a fruit dessert over chocolate.
So when you're looking for a 2.5-3 hour meal and just want to enjoy a leisurely evening of dining and enjoying the company you're with, this is the place to go.
I came here last year and it is definitely a nice spot for a romantic date. Low light and reasonable calm atmosphere make conversation easy and the food will definitely fill you up. I wasn't overwhelmed with the quality of the food despite the pleasant waiters or the friendly lady in the back putting them all together.
It's all souffles here. We had a salad, a cheese and broccoli entree to share and a massive chocolate one at the end which I think put me to sleep. Like I said, they were good - but nothing amazing and it was a tad pricey for what we had.
That being said I'd still recommend people go for the experience. Just set your expectations appropriately. ;-)
Came here because of Jacqueline's ex-husband. Super sweet Argentinian who made conversation on a crowded muni and recommended his ex-wife's restaurant for a romantic night for two.
Souffles are hard to make, they're ridiculously sensitive, so this is definitely something I only have at restaurants. They're on the pricey side but one savory souffle is enough for two people to get FULL. You may even have to go back for the sweet one next time.
Nice, private and quaint. Service was really attentive (then again, we had a really early reservation and had the whole restaurant to ourselves) if a bit stuffy...but having lived in France a while, I just take it as part of the experience.
To anyone docking stars for the wait, please stick to your McDonald's drive-thru. It's a French restaurant, run by a French lady (also, the only cook!) that makes French food. You're going to experience a meal LIKE the French, leisurely and looooong.
After some reviews from yelp I heard they have a very tasty soufflés, so Iast time when I had a trip in SF, I guess I have to make a try. Well I got there late night for desserts, small tiny cozy Cafe, simple decor but clean, half open kitchen, friendly service, in general not too bad! I shared one Soufflés with my friend, lemon soufflés, taste good! As a Chicagoan is great to see a restaurant like Cafe Jacqueline in SF, soufflés is not easy to make so I wouldn't mind a little more to have a nice one, I guess I will go back again when next time I'm in bay area again!
I wish Cafe Jacqueline in Chicago!
I've only ever been here for dessert and this place has amazing dessert souffles. Depending on the time of year, the seasonal fruit dessert souffle will vary from strawberry to peach to raspberry to kiwi. They're all wonderful.
Favorites like lemon and white chocolate are staples available all year round (so is the chocolate, but I'm not a big fan since I can make my own chocolate souffles). I would not recommend getting the lemon and the white chocolate on the same visit, because then the lemon is just too tart.
Some general advice: you need to call back and nag for reservations since they don't always return voicemail messages. The better bet is to call in the evening when they're open (Wed-Sun after 5:30). Also, the service staff and Jacqueline can be very brusque. I've been coming here for over 10 years, and it's always been like that. Because of the lengthy cooking time of the souffles, reservations can run behind, but don't expect them to be apologetic if they push you off for 30 or 45 minutes.
The place is very intimate and not good for large groups. There is a lot of downtime while the souffles are in the oven, so take that into consideration if you are on a first date. Also, very tiny, so make your reservations for weekends well in advance. Reservations used to be 1 month in advance at most, but recently my sister called in and was told that they are now taking 2 months.
Btw, I've seen people try to drop in for dessert and walk out because of the price. It's not cheap: $30-40/dessert souffle. Coffee refills cost extra.
Bottom-line, souffles are perfect, service is not.
Who knew such a pleasant classy gem could be in the same little nook of North Beach as some of the city's most obnoxious bars (and by "obnoxious bars" I of course mean "establishments I frequent from time to time").
Very pleasant atmosphere inside: small, cozy, and soft lighting.
We started with the onion soup which was incredible and reminded me of what I used to get at Le pot au feu in Paris: a nice beef onion broth hidden under at least 3 centimeters of cheese.
Next we had the prosciutto souffle and it was divine. Split between the two of us, it was a lot of food, but I could not stop eating it. The combination of the savory flavors really took this to another heavenly level.
We finished with the chocolate souffle, which was also great, but was a little "soupy" in the middle, which made it more like chocolate moose. But lucky for everyone, I also love chocolate moose so I enjoyed this immensely.
Speaking of immense, I walked out of here incredibly full and happy.
A note on the time issue that so many other reviews have pointed out. From my understanding, the cook (Jacqueline) makes the souffles one at a time once they are ordered. This adds to the charm not to mention the quality of the final product.
So this is not a place to grab a quick bite, but it is an excellent place to linger over a wonderful dinner and stare into each other's eyes.
Great place. Waiter was funny, but busy. Great souffle, we ate too much.
the bf took me here for christmas a few years back and it's since been one of my favs. a hidden gem in northbeach. one room, a few tables and one very dear french chef who makes souffles as you order. go with people you like -- it's a long meal.
and go to the bathroom so you have an excuse to see jacqueline in her element.
this is a solid never-fails date night spot...
Simply put, don't bother. We had an 8pm reservation, were told there would be a 15 minute wait. At 8:30, when I asked for an update, the guy with the attitude rod up his ass shortly said it would take at least 20 more minutes, and then turned and walked away from me as I was asking him a question.
I don't care how good the souffle might be. Asshole service is just that. We took our business elsewhere, and so should you. That's the only way the service will get any better.
One hour and one chocolate souffle were experienced here. They were both fine. The souffle could've… Read more »
This place is probably one of the few gems in North Beach. I came here one night to have dinner with my better half. We got the onion soup, endives, scallions and chestnut souffle, and chocolate souffle. The entire dinner took 3 hours and was excellent.
Though I probably won't come back for a full meal, but I would definitely come back for a dessert when I'm in the area.
Romantic restaurant, good for date, especially dessert.
This place is pretty much for souffle only.
While the souffle is good, I personally think souffle is best for dessert.
The onion soup is the best I ever had, and the crunchy bread goes perfect with the soup.
If I come again, I might just order the onion soup and salad, then go straight to the dessert souffle.
Eating two souffle is just too much even for two people, and the main course souffle kinda ruin how good the dessert souffle is.
Just went here for a belated Valentine's Day dinner. The service was very doting and the staff very nice. We had one waiter who kept joking that there "seemed to be a dark cloud" over our table...maybe we seemed a bit serious whenever he walked by?...either way, I kind of felt like he broke the 4th wall or something. I want to feel anonymous when I am out with my honey...
The food was awesome and we had a lot of fun trying new things. The lobster souffle and the chocolate souffle were both really great. We also had the onion soup--sooo good--and the endive with roquefort salad--also yum.
Bordering on 5 stars. Great place to take a date or go in a group that you really enjoy spending time and catching up with. There will plenty of time to talk while you wait for the souffles. And it is definitely all about the souffles.
The French Onion Soup is six stars. When ordering, you will be tempted to share a bowl between two people, but I would say a bowl per person is a better idea. If you really want to share, you can share two bowls one after the next ;-)
The wine glass pours and prices are five stars. The dinner souffles that we got were very good, four stars. We went with the specials, but the menu has many flavors on it as well that I am sure are worthy. The souffles are light, fluffy and very flavorful. Natalie said they were a bit salty for her, but honestly, I did not notice that and I am usually a bit sensitive about salt.
The desert souffle was over top delicious. We got the seasonal fresh fruit souffle, which was strawberry. Wow. I don't think you can go wrong with it. We finished with some espresso, which really the coffee shop
The check was $230 with tax and generous tip for four. Pass your own judgment on that one. I was not upset.
I wish I could just say it with one word...... OVERRATED.
The place is very warm and adorable. The chocolate souffle could be better than Gary Danko IF ONLY they make it faster. Be prepared to wait for more than 40 mins (in my case, it is an hour). Don't worry they have lots of french bread to hold your appetite though.
Finding parking in Little Italy itself has been a stressful moment, adding the super slow service, a cocky waiter, and a mediocre dessert...A big disappointment. Being objective, maybe it was just not my day to eat souffle in Cafe Jacqueline.
But believe me, the reservation could make you think twice to go dine there. I've called 3 times and they always said, "We're fully booked" and they cannot take reservation for more than 2 people. The guy in the phone really creates this image of an arrogant french cafe that do not tolerate people who desperately wants to try their souffle. Even if the food is super delicious, lack of hospitality could bring a drawback to them.
Oh what can I say? I'm a Fine Food Gigolo! It is sooo true-The Way To A Man's Heart Is Through His Stomach, and, for well over a decade, Cafe Jacqueline has been one of my Greatest Culinary Lovers in SF! Madame Jacqueline, Je t'adore!
This veritably is one of THE MOST Romantic restaurants in San Francisco with soft candlelight, small and intimate tables, and delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. It's also the totally perfect place for one to make a heartfelt marriage proposal (mine took place in a Howard Johnson's, but that's another story).
For those who have written a negative review of our beloved Cafe Jacqueline, I have to ask you, Have You Ever Tried Cooking A Souffle Yourself?!?!?!
Here are four undeniable truths about Souffles:
#1 They ARE Delicious for Dinner
#2 They ARE Delicious for Dessert
#3 They take an inordinate amount of time to cook (there is a reason why most fine restaurants will ask you to place your souffle order well in advance of the rest of your meal)
#4 They are very difficult to prepare (I have tried three times in my life to make them- First Try it melted and became expensive Incontinent Looking Pudding, Second Try it burned and became a Ghetto Tasting Funnel Cake, Third Try I can't even talk about...)
Any visit to Cafe Jacqueline is a truly magnificent dining experience! Be prepared to share spoons, lovingly linger for a few hours over bottles of champagne and wine, engage in quiet conversations, and savor excellent salads, appetizers, and souffles that are painstakingly created through the loving talents of beautiful woman's heart!
Well worth the price and wait! But, if you want cheap and deep, just go to North Beach Pizza across the street!
Madame Jacqueline, A la prochaine! A votre sante!
One of the most romantic restaurants in all of San Francisco. Tucked away on a narrow street in North Beach, the restaurant is just a cute little mish mash of French knickknacks and somewhat cheesy accoutrement that somehow suddenly don't seem cheesy in the confines of the restaurant. Lovely, lovely, lovely. My husband and I came here for a nice date night and we could not have been more pleased. Be prepared for a loooooong meal. They must only do one seating a night because we had a reservation at 6:15 and did not leave before 9:00. It was just a nice leisurely eating experience which gave us time to relax, chat and enjoy each other's company. The menu is limited, only a few salads and lots of souffles but with souffles this perfect what more do you need? We started off with salads which were simply but perfectly dressed. Butter lettuce with a nice lemony dressing with maybe a hint of tarragon. Delicious! And then the crab souffle which was wonderful. Light and airy and extremely generous with crab. And then, the most sublime moment of the night, the fresh strawberry souffle. It was decadent and transcendent, my first bite and I was transported away to culinary heaven. Seriously, this is one of the best things I've ever had in my life. And I've done a lot of eating. Next time you want to impress a date, look no farther, this is the best date restaurant in town.
Tonight was a Cafe Jacqueline redux evening. I was rather hesitant about walking into the restaurant because of the "gruffy" waiter. I warned my BFF about him beforehand. He was in his usual perfunctory manner. She commented that he reminded her of "those waiters in France". But, she managed to get him to laugh when she asked about the cost of a bottle of wine & he told her some outrageous amt. as a joke. After that, it was a much nicer evening. His co-waiter was very nice. They kept our water glasses constantly filled but a couple of times, we refilled our wine glasses when they started to get real busy.
I had the watercress salad, which was a small pile of watercress with dressing. The butter lettuce would've been a better choice. I wanted to try the escargot but couldn't see paying $30 for a few gastropods when Chinatown was just blocks away & I could've ordered platefuls for that price.
The French bread baguette was crunchy. The brie and broccoli souffle was just as scrumptous and not as salty compared to our last visit. The proscuitto mushroom souffle was quite good. I was expecting the ham to be baked into the souffle but 4 slices were folded, then topped over the baked souffle. For dessert, we had the Grand Marnier. It was light, fluffy and infused with the tasty liquor. I still prefer the fruit souffles and smiled when I saw a strawberry souffle pass by to the next table. I knew they were going to have a great time enjoying that souffle.
As tiny as this place is, there IS a unisex bathroom. You pass the tiny kitchen and out the backdoor, make a right turn to this room that was probably a garden closet turned toilet. Make sure you walk SLLLOOOWWWLY back to your seat thru the kitchen so you can see petite Chez Jacqueline in her chef uniform and toque blanche, hard at work with her huge wire basket full of eggs. I could kiss that woman. *smooch*
Sequestered in the middle block of Grant Ave/cross Green Street, this restaurant has been in… Read more »
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: French
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: French
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: French
Neighborhood: Castro
Category: French
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: French
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