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Chapeau!
Category: Restaurants French French [Edit]
126 Clement St(between 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
(415) 750-9787
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Classy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Thuy M. said: "Chouquets is darling, cozy and refined. What was it about Friday, besides for staying up spontaneously late into the wee hours of the morning, getting all sorts of lucky perks. We found parking right in front of the restaurant and were…" read more »
1462 reviews for Chapeau!
Review Highlights
"The foie gras totally exceeded my expectations."
(in 239 reviews)
"Profiteroles and warm chocolate cake were delightful."
(in 76 reviews)
"the mussels and basil napoleon for desert."
(in 77 reviews)
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1460 reviews in English
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Review from Julie L.
Boston, MA
2/2/2012
The first time I came here, my friend and I felt surprised.
"What is this fancy French restaurant doing in the Richmond?"
Secondly, how do they have such an amazing $28 early bird prix fixe?
We definitely felt underdressed and a bit young for the 5:30 crowd. What can I say though - it's perfect - we both love to eat early and enjoy a great deal.
The service and food was wonderful and generally what I expect from a nice French restaurant. But what keeps us coming back (besides the $28 price tag) is the french toast dessert. It's unbelievable and one of those things where I wonder - 'why haven't other places thought of this yet?!" It's a nice slice of french toast in a shallow pool of caramel with hazelnut ice cream on top. I'm pretty sure I "finger-licked" the bowl the first time we had it.
And as always, you'll get a nice bisou from the chef on your way out! -
Review from Melissa P.
San Francisco, CA
2/8/2012
My boyfriend and I came here for DAT, but realized that they don't offer it on Fridays and Saturdays. I was a little bummed, but they have a fixed price menu that's $40, so the price different isn't too bad. My boyfriend got the 3 course dinner while I stuck with just one entree.
Fois Gras: This was my first time trying fois gras, so I don't have anything to compare it to. We thought we might as well take advantage of it before it's gone. I'm not a big fan of the overpowering richness, but that's just my personal preference. They serve it with some apple slices, which I thought was a good balance to the fatty dish.
Cassoulet: Another first. I thought it was good, but nothing special. It was a little bland and didn't stick out in my mind.
Wild Skate Wing: O.M.G. SOOOOO GOOOOD! The fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce had a touch of citrus that went well with the fish. The potatoes added a nice heartiness to an otherwise light dish. I was using our bread to mop up every last bit of the sauce.
Nuage de Noix: This dessert was delicious! Creamy, nutty with some citrus flavors. I loved it.
The food was a hit or a miss...I either loved a dish or didn't care for it. Despite the ridiculously good wild skate wing and dessert, I can only give this place 3 stars. The service and ambiance really took away from the experience. This place is so small and the tables are so close together that it was difficult for my boyfriend and I to hold a conversation without yelling...and we were sitting right next to each other! It was incredibly loud inside which took away from the experience and our server seemed very busy and wasn't very attentive. -
Review from Ben Y.
Monterey Park, CA
2/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Excellent service, excellent food. This is a pretty small french restaurant out in the middle of nowhere (if you ask me). But it's well worth the trip if you have a free day.
You are paying around 50 dollars (iirc) for basically what you would normally pay 100 bucks for at a "brand name" restaurant in a prime city location. -
Review from Seamus M.
San Francisco, CA
2/2/2012
Meh. I've experienced better.
The decor is completely lacking and the tables are too close together. We were ignored for a short while. My foie gras had cold spots inside it and the portions are tiny but the bread was excellent so I still got full. We were presented with an extra dessert to make things right because of the cold foie but it was covered in nuts so I had to refuse it and we were not offered a different one without nuts. I could see people having a good experience here but in short I've experienced better. -
Review from Jennifer S.
Redwood City, CA
1/31/2012 1 Check-in Here
Finally made it out here for DAT with a girl friend and ended up staying here for 4 HOURS!! Our waiter was so pleasant and patient with us, I was so amazed when I looked at how much time had passed. I never felt rushed or disrespected, which was absolutely amazing. Definitely deserving for the 20% tip i left him!
The DAT menu was just a limited selection of what they usually have on any other night. We ordered:
- Trio of Salmon: This was my FAVORITE! I love salmon and i really thought they did a great job with all the different flavors. It was fresh and the portion was perfect.
- Skate Wing: This dish is the reason that I'm giving it a 4 instead of a 5. The first wasn't really tender and it was extremely salty. I feel like this wasn't a good combo with the salad on the side..and it was not particularly pleasing to the eye.
- Pork Tenderloin: The Pork Tenderloin was DELISH! They really knew how to cook it so it wasn't tough and didn't dry out. The apple was so a sweet touch to such a savory dish. Definitely enjoyed this entree quite a bit.
- Creme Brulee: The dessert portion was much smaller than the one I had at Isa..but it was also really good. The caramelized sugar on top wasn't too burnt and had a good flavor/texture.
- Pistachio Mousse: This was a really unique dessert. I didn't appreciate it as much because it was really strange to me...especially after have the creme brulee. The mousse was bland to me. If I had it before the creme brulee, I think i may have been more in love with it.
FANTASTIC selection of wine..and LOVED their red selection. All of this on top of superb service and a friendly hello from the chef...I will definitely be back!! -
Review from Jackie M.
San Francisco, CA
Chapeau is such a charming little restaurant which reflects back on the owner very well! The only reason I didn't give Chapeau the 5 stars I know it deserves is because the wait for our food was quite long which made us a bit flustered, but I'm sure its not always like that.
I ordered:
Appetizer of the day - a potato pancake with leeks topped with melted brioche and a carmelized apple.
Entree - braised beef with fettucine
Dessert - profilates (?)
My appetizer was different, but very good. My entree looked amazing. The meat was so soft and tender. The noodles were light, but the sauce accompanying it all was a bit too salty for my liking. My favorite part of every dinner is the dessert! My dessert was so delicious from the whipped cream to the chocolae sauce. I loved every bit of it!
As I finished dessert the owner came to say hello. He is such a sweet heart. He's definitely the best part of my experience here at Chapeau. As myself and the rest of my party got up to say goodbye he gave us kisses on the cheek which is a lovely way to send us off with full bellies. Very happy with my experience here. -
Review from Lily S.
San Francisco, CA
2/1/2012
The first $$$ French restaurant I've had, so I might be biased, but I thought it was 4 star worthy.
The dining area is classy and inviting with candles and very patient staff. The best part was the executive chef/owner came around, multiple times, to check up on every patron! It was a nice personal touch that set Chapeau apart from the rest.
The food, overall, was memorable. I think Gary Danko makes better seafood and steakhouses make better steak, but there were some standout dishes.
The best dishes of the night, ranked from best to least, IMO:
1. Seared Scallop over Pesto Risotto rested above a Lobster Bisque was heavenly. All the flavors melded so well together and the flavors were perfectly balanced. The scallop was seared to perfection. I would definitely come back just for this dish.
2. Foie Gras Special - Delicious, perfect mix of sweet, salty, and fatttt.
3. Porcini Crusted Veal Sweetbreads - i learned from my roommate that this is a veal gland.. it was SURPRISINGLY delicious. You can tell it has more of an organ texture than meat. But the taste was so good, i forgot how weirded out i was originally.
4. Prime Rib - Only comes in portions for two. My other two roommates shared and I tasted some. It was cooked to the perfect temperature, came with bone marrow and bread and tasted amazing. The meat was so tender and juicy. I am usually not a fan of Prime Rib (hence why i've never been to House of Prime Rib) but this was delicious.
5. Traditional Escargots cooked in Butter, Parsley & Garlic presented inside what looks like an egg carton.. - way too salty
6. Filet Mignon with potatoes and mushrooms. Not impressed and very mediocre.
We also had drinks and the selection was limited but good enough for the average patron unless you are a connoisseur of wine and alcohol.
Our meal lasted 3 hours and we didn't feel rushed at all. Overall, it was a great experience from service to food to ambiance. Great place to bring a date. -
Review from Sabrina C.
Burlingame, CA
1/31/2012
I enjoyed the dessert and service, but...that was about it.
It definitely is not bad, and the price was great!
but I'm quite picky and I understand the quality depends on the price.
however, it wouldn't hurt to try this place because the experience was exceedingly pleasant! -
Review from Roy C.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Incredible neighborhood French restaurant hidden away in the Richmond district.
Oysters on a Half Shell = Very fresh and delicious.
Foie Gras Appetizer = The foie gras here seems a little too overcooked, but I mean, it's foie gras, so you can't really go wrong. Definitely not my favorite foie gras though.
Filet Mignon w/ Seared Foie Gras & Roasted Bone Marrow = I loved this piece of steak. Very good texture and flavor, especially when eaten with the foie gras and the bone marrow.
Warm Chocolate Cake = Delicious.
Rum Cake w/ Coffee Ice Cream = A little too sweet, but definitely good.
What makes Chapeau! so amazing is that not only is the food incredible, but the prices are ridiculously low for what you get. I would say Chapeau! is probably the best deal in SF for a nice, quiet night out to celebrate something special.Listed in: Top SF Restaurants
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Review from Peter L.
El Monte, CA
1/27/2012
Came here last year when I was in SF. The service was fantastic. The chef/owner came out and took orders for us and gave us recomendations. He was a very funny guy. After dinner, we walked out the restaurant and he came out to thank us for coming.
The food was very good. I got there three course Prix Fixed menu: foie gras, filet mignon, and a chocolate cake.
Will definitely go back when I'm in SF again. -
Review from Shelley J.
Lone Tree, CO
1/31/2012
Was recommended this place by a friend and the reviews indicated that the place is worth a try :) Do plan ahead for the parking adventure and practice your French greeting kisses (right cheek, then left)!
The owner is VERY warm and kind. Despite having no more availabilities on OpenTable, the restaurant typically accommodates phone reservations and walk-in's, and will do anything in their capacity to upgrade you from atrium to bar seating or bar seating to table... so don't lose hope to try this popular spot.
Chapeau has a lot of interesting dishes to try (escargot, bone marrow, skate have been pointed out by other reviewers as well) and these are all done very nicely. Specific notes regarding the courses we had at our table:
* Trio of Salmon - scrumptious but for the croutons which can get soggy quickly. I pushed the croutons aside, thinking that the chef might find a better substitute to give the intended texture. Although I'm a fan of this dish still, it's not a trademark since salmon, capers, mash, and sprigs come at a variety of restaurants done similarly well.***
* Escargot - well flavored and a hit! I had a lesser experience of escargot before, so I apprehended tasting the snail again, but this was as pleasant as calamari.
* Wild Skate - another dish with capers (yum!) that was well complemented with potato mash and awesome sauce :)
* Pork Tenderloin - the dish erred on the side of uniform sweetness incorporated by bacon... some may like this, but I felt perhaps the chef could have contrasted the pork and bacon more so with one salty and the latter mapled. Just my opinion that if you're going to have multiple meats in a dish, you might show the intention or some distinction between objects?***
* Nuage de Noix - MY. FAVORITE. ...I will come back for you.
* Creme Brulee - sets a good benchmark for the popular dessert.
***I'm not a chef myself and don't intend this to sound elevated, but soggy croutons and uniflavored, variable meats made me wonder.
All in all, this is my new French escape of choice. Good food and atmosphere, without the snobbery... it's all bisoux here! Oh yeah, wine pairings accentuated the food really well, so ask for them! -
Review from Tony L.
Foster City, CA
Yes, parking is going to be tough, what do you expect? It's the City!
We were here for Dine About Town. Their DAT menu is not bad a decent selection from their regular menu, but at $34.95 it is just $5.55 cheaper than their regular 3 course menu. So, if you don't see anything you like, you might as well go for their Menu 1.
They gave us a complimentary espresso sized soup of cauliflower purée with a drizzle of truffle oil. Good cauliflower taste but it was served luke warm.
For starters, I ordered the Trio of Salmon, which is a salmon tartar, wrapped in thin slices of Salmon with a sprinkling of Salmon roe. Served with broken hard boiled egg white, roasted Pistachio and some cream sauce. Fresh, but not special.
I also ordered a separate seared Foie Gras appetizer because you just can't have enough before the ban. The Foie Gras was a big disappointment. I think they cut it too thin (into two slices), leading it to be overcooked and ruining it. Totally not worth the $18.50.
For the main course I ordered the pork tenderloin. It was served on a bed of parsnip purée, with sautéed Swiss chard and a pool of some sauce reduction. There were three slices of cooked peaches buried in the middle. The pork was overcooked to the point being chewy on the outside. The sauce was a little on the salty side for me. The only tasty thing was the parsnip puree.
Thinking that all is lost, I waited for the dessert, the Nuage de Noix, which translate to a "cloud of nuts"; a perfect description of roasted nuts on a bed of ice cream with pistachio mixed in. This was probably the best part of the whole meal!
Perhaps it was because of DAT, service was just so so. Would I come back? Maybe not. -
Review from Quentin J.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came here for Dine About Town with my girlfriend. Nice, simple decor with paintings of hats adorning the walls to compliment its namesake. The seating is a little cramped so a crowded night might claustrophobic and we came on a Monday evening so my guess is this place is often crowded. I guess it can be considered cozy but you're close enough to the table next to hear the entirety of conversations so be forewarned if you're looking intimacy be prepared to train your focus or pop an adderall to achieve desired tunnel vision. I even saw some cross table mingling so maybe you'll make some fine dining friends.
For the first course I ordered the escargot with pesto which was quite good. The pesto balanced the escargot's natural saltiness nicely. My girlfriend enjoyed the Trio of Salmon (gravlax, tartar and salmon caviar with egg mimosa, creme fraiche) garnished with caviar and capers, which was delectable. The caviar married the salmon with a salty refreshing flavor.
For the main course we both had the bacon wrapped pork-lion that sat on a bed of spinach, mash potatoes, and pear jus. The pork was well prepared albeit a little chewy. The sweetness of pear jus will delicious at the onset became a tad overwhelming as the meal progressed. But the potatoes and spinach were quite tasty.
For desert we sampled the profiteroles topped with dark chocolate which was good but not suited to my tastes. I thought the overabundance of dark chocolate overwhelmed the profiteroles and ice cream but I'm not huge a dark chocolate fan--to each their own.
My favorite part of this restaurant was the chef personally greeted everyone and made sure they enjoyed their meals. He is clearly doing what he loves and takes pride in his work. Overall the staff was very friendly and the service was fairly prompt. Though the dessert did take some time to come out and when it did it had almonds sprinkled on top (I'm allergic and I don't recall being on the menu), they took it back no problem and brought a replacement dish immediately.
All and all it was okay experience. I'd be happy to try it again but it wasn't my favorite Dine about Town. -
Review from Andrew S.
2/5/2012 4 photos
Got the mussels+fries, stew, and had a bit of the skatewing. The mussels+fries were really delicious and came in a HUGE portion (even though it counted as an appetizer). The stew was very meh. It was kind of dry and not very special. The sauce for the skatewing was delicious. GREAT hazelnut icecream. Probably won't be back since it's out of the area but it seems like a very hit and miss restaurant.
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Review from Ruby K.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
The entrance to the restaurant was just odd with the curtains. Although we were late, the wife could have been more friendly in welcoming us. They changed our 5:30 reservation to 6:15 when we called to cancel our reservation, so I guess they can have an extra star for being couteous or desperate or whatever.
The main waiter got on my nerve. He was way too dramatic. I liked the water boy though. He was very hard working.
Now the food, I only liked the complimentary bread and liver spread. I ordered the 4 course menu- escargot, tasting fish, filet mignon, and baked alaska. Escargot was kinda too salty. Tasting fish of the day was seared scallop with lobster risotto and some green sauce. I didn't care for the sauce, and when the waiter walked by to tell me "don't forget the sauce." Really? I don't need you to tell me how to eat. Nothing special about the filet mignon either. It was my first time trying a baked alaska, so no comment since I am unfamiliar.
The place was way too crowded. I felt like my purse and a** were going to knock the condiments and flower on the table next to us over since I literally had 1 foot of space to get to my seat. The hallway to the bathroom should be remodeled. I stood for a good 5 mins waiting for the bathroom since someone was using it, and I felt like it was just so gloomy.
Overall, not impressed at all. Never again. -
Review from Kimberly F.
San Mateo, CA
1/19/2012
I now understand why Chapeau! has 4.5 stars with over 1k reviews.
I made reservations the day of, for dinner on a Wednesday at 7:30pm for SF's Dine About Town. We arrived about 15 minutes early, and got seated almost immediately. Here's the low down of what we ordered:
We got 1 dine about town set menu, and added on an additional entree -
Mesclun salad - Very yummy, pretty generous portion, so it was good we both shared. I would recommend not ordering this if you're not a fan of wasabi/horseradish as the taste of the dressing can be pretty strong.
Prince Edward Island Mussels - Also very delish. The broth the mussels were cooked in were FANTASTIC. It was so flavorful and yummy I could not help but to keep slurping it. They are pretty generous with the portions, so I thought I wouldn't be able to finish this, but I did! The bf ate my pomme frites as I was too full. He said they were also very tasty albeit a bit on the soggy side.
Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin - I only had a bite of this, but it was very tender. The bf said it was 5 stars.
To wrap up, we had the creme brulee. As creme brulee's one of my favorite desserts and it's a pretty easy dessert to make, there's not much that can go wrong with this.
I liked that the chef personally came and shook our hands, gave us a big smile and welcomed us to his restaurant. It was definitely very personable.
Total came up to $88 before tip (we also had 2 glasses of wine), which I thought was pretty inexpensive for a French dining establishment. Would love to come back again! -
Review from Berna T.
1/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Cute restaurant with a very friendly staff and nicely executed classics. I came here for my birthday dinner and had an amazing cassoulet (it was so big that I couldn't finish it).
The cocktails were lovely and I remember that at the end of the evening, everything was a little fuzzy and I was all smiles. I would definitely come here over and over again!!Listed in: Francophilia
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Review from Christine Y.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2012
Thank God I have friends who love to share. Two of us did the DAT menu, one ordered menu 1 for the foie gras appetizer. If I came here with non-sharers, I would do menu 1 with the foie gras, pork tenderloin, and meringue dessert.
Salmon trio-- YUUUUM
Escargot- Good, but I can pass
Foie gras- actually on the oilier side, so totally filling and delish.
Bacon pork tenderloin - SO. Delicious.
Skate Wing- Delicious but passable
Chicken- would not order. Just nothing spectacular.
Nuage de Noix- O. M. G. THE dessert to get.
Chocolate cake - pass. Although the ice cream paired with it was awesome.
Creme brulee- Yummy, but you know.... it's creme brulee.
A total lack of veggies tonight, but who cares. I'm going to sleep a fat happy kid. -
Review from Rose A.
Can I just say that my husband and I were very impressed with every dish we had. We loved it so much that my husband was planning on when we'd be coming back, even before our dessert was served.
Don't be afraid to try the escargot. They are not served in the shell, so they appear less intimidating. They're actually very tasty. I absolutely loved the Salad Landaise. The vinaigrette helps cut the richness of the duck. The roasted chicken, the braised short ribs, both so succulent. The creme brulee was creamy without being too sweet. The french toast and hazelnut ice cream was the perfect way to end our meal.
It's cute how the bill comes in a hat, which our server explained that chapeau means hat. -
Review from Daniel L.
San Francisco, CA
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place is Amazing, My date and I had the prix fixe and every single thing was delicious. I have to say this is one of my favorite and one of the best French restaurants in San Francisco.
I started my dinner off with the foie gras, all I can say about is it was heavenly, Then I had the Scallops with risotto in lobster sauce, It was the best scallops risotto I've had. For dessert, i had the apple tart with hazelnut ice cream on the side and that was amazing as well. ( I am not a big fan of desserts but that was good) As for my, date, she started with the Smoked Trout, she liked it, she said it was good but a bit too salty. For the main course, she had the Bouillabaisse, a delicious mixed seafood/ fish soup. She had the french toast for dessert and it was good. I had some and it was bit too sweet for me.
.Everything is amazing @ Chapeau! -
Review from Jen S.
2/2/2012
i came here with pretty high expectations because i had heard soo many good things about this place but was left wanting more. so i cant give it a 5 like everyone else. i did love the service though. the servers were great. but the owner came over and spoke to every table. he's a little sweetheart! i think that adds a nice little touch. the restaurant is small and intimate. we ordered:
- foie gras
- filet mignon
- salmon
- canard orange
- creme brulee
- nuage de noix
- chocolate cake -
Review from Steven B.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2012
I can see why this place is highly rated. The food is great and the service is perfect. Came here for Dine about Town and was treated really nicely. The restaurant doesn't have a sign on the windows so it's really easy to miss. Inside is a nice dimly lit restaurant atmosphere.
Trio of Salmon was delicious. Salmon eggs, chunks of salmon, and pieces of smoked salmon made up this appetizer. Everything was really fresh and tasty. The pork entree was cooked medium rare. It went perfectly with the mashed potatoes, gravy, and pear. Creme Brulee was nicely done. Sweet but not too sweet. -
Review from Jenny T.
1/6/2012 1 photo
Easily one of the best french restaurants in the city. Everyone knows it - the food is terrific, the portions are generous (generally uncommon for french fare) and the pricing is unbeatable.
Must haves: scallops & every dessert on the menu
Chapeau is ALWAYS crowded.. so make a reservation and come in early! -
Review from Jennifer T.
Quincy, MA
2/2/2012
Came here for a bridal dinner gathering, the staff were attentive, helpful, and accommodating. Some of our party were 30 minutes late, and they gave us no grief about it. Also, when some of our party had to rush out to catch the caltrain, our server did his best to expedite the process. I liked how the chef even came out to greet everybody. The seating was a bit cramped though, so seems like an odd layout for a place you'd go for a special occasion.
The food itself was very rich, and small portions.
Great place, definitely allot a couple of hours to fully enjoy your meal. -
Review from Rimi Y.
San Francisco, CA
1/18/2012
You know it's good when you still think about it the morning after..
My scallops and risotto were indescribable. The filet mignon was delectable. Our server, Michael, was also a delight.
Best vanilla creme brulee or so the boyfriend says.
I will be back Chapeau! -
Review from Rebecca A.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2012
Chapeau! lived up to its reputation.
Like many others we took the opportunity Dine About Town offered to sample the cuisine here and were delighted. The warm, personal atmosphere is lively (a little noisy, but friendly) and I like how the service has a personal touch.
For starters we had the trio of salmon (gravlax, tartar and salmon caviar with egg mimosa, creme fraiche) and the mesclun salad. I loved the salmon trio; the caviar added a nice bit of salty bite to the refreshing taste of the gravlax, and with the fried capers (my favorite touch) and creme fraiche the salmon was especially delicious. The mesclun salad seemed a little heavy on the dressing side but very good.
For our entrees we chose the wild-caught skate wing and the Prince Edward Island mussels; the skate wing, delicately flavored with a fantastic sauce grenobloise over tender fingerling potatoes and croutons, was easily the highlight of my meal. I ended up spooning more of the butter sauce on my fish than I intended (I probably need to detox today). The crouton bits were a little on the hard side and I liked the mache without the dressing, but those were the only things that I might have had differently. Delicious!
Dessert was nuage de noix - something I've never had admittedly - pistachios, almonds and hazelnuts (nougaty) in a creamy dessert. The nougat was a little sweet for me, liked the sauce and the dusting of powdered pistachio on top.
Liked how the chef comes to greet all the diners personally. Will come here again, as bf neglected to order the skate wing for himself despite my recommendation and regrets it. Am looking forward to trying the veal sweetbreads! -
Review from Liz H.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2012
Wow! (get it? :P) I came here last night for Dine About Town and very impressed! The food and service were both impeccable.
First off, the chef came out and introduced himself, which was pretty cool! Additionally, our waitress was very helpful and friendly. My water glass was kept filled throughout dinner and empty plates never lingered long on the table
And the food, oh my goodness it was so good! I started with the salad which came with greens, pistachios, grapes and a vinaigrette. It also came with walnut bread and fried camembert on the side, which was DELICIOUS. Next up came the the pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon. It was juicy and perfectly cooked. It came with a potato puree, grilled apple slices and an apple sauce. The combination of savory and sweet made for a great dish. For the finale, I order profiteroles. Although I had to enlist my dinner mate to help finish my entree, I ate ALL of the dessert. The fried pastry + ice cream + chocolate combination was to die for.
As a final note, they offer a great wine list where you can order 3 oz or 6 oz pours in addition to full and half bottles. My dinner mate and I wanted to enjoy wine with our dinners but didn't necessarily each want a full glass of wine so the 3 oz option was perfect!
I would highly recommend Chapeau! whether it is DAT season or not. The food and service are definitely worth the price. -
Review from Jetlagged S.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2012
DH and I came to Chapeau! for our anniversary after several wonderful experiences early in our courtship in the previous location. As it had been a few years, this was the first time we had dined in their new location, previously Clementine (which we had also dined at and enjoyed before). Despite having a reservation, there was a bit of a wait while the hostess scurried around and finally located "our" table (keep in mind this was clearly reserved as an anniversary, e.g. special occasion). The table was something that had been set, diagonally, between the bar area and the corridor to the kitchen - obviously an attempt to pack in one more 2-top as it had to be moved in and out for one person to be seated (and knocking into the patron in the next-door diagonally-placed table as well).
The place was packed and the waitstaff kept brushing against us as they made their way to/from the bar and the kitchen. Not their fault...but there should never have been a table placed in the aisle location. My conjecture is that the owner greedily wanted to increase the number of tables to make up what he lost on the prix-fixe dinner (it was restaurant week, unbeknownst to us. We actually had no intention of ordering the restaurant week or prix fixe menu but wanted to re-create our earlier romantic dinners at the old Chapeau! from our earlier dates).
After waiting some time for a waiter, and being hit one too many times by the staff, we asked to be reseated to a different location and mentioned that it was our anniversary and we had enjoyed Chapeau! several times earlier. The waiter was apologetic, noted that the dining room was full but assured us that a table against the opposite wall would be vacating soon and he would place us there as soon as he could. In the meantime, he asked, would we care for a glass of champagne? We were pleased with the response, accepted the champagne with thanks and waited to be relocated to the new table.
Finally, we were reseated to a better location and enjoyed a very nice a la carte meal with our old favorites. Service was somewhat slow, however, simply because of the number of patrons in the dining room (perhaps additional help would have improved that...or the kitchen was too small to accommodate all the orders? What do I know - I am only a patron and cannot guess at what goes on in the back of the house). But from a diner's experience, there were too many missteps, culminating in the fact that, when the check arrived, we were charged for the glasses of champagne that had been offered for our inconvenience. Because it was so hard to flag down any service person for anything during the meal (refills on water and coffee - ordering another bottle of wine) DH just paid the bill, told me to stop eating and we left.
Ironically, the owner/chef has so much time that he can greet patrons as they arrive, check on them in the dining room and double-kiss them all on the way out. Perhaps his time would be better spent expediting in the kitchen and rearranging his dining room and menu to focus on quality and not quantity. Very disappointing but certainly an anniversary dinner we will remember. -
Review from Tutram N.
Oakland, CA
1/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Dang. I was feeling some NYE in Paris nostalgia, so we found this highly reviewed French restaurant as a treat for my birthday. The only memorable parts of this meal (and no, not because I had too much to drink before dinner :P), is the fois gras (or as my honey likes to say it, "foy grass"). Yes yes, you must have this delectable duck liver, note that it's not on the menu (no need to panic!), they will announce it as one of the specials. Oh, and any of the desserts (the French know their desserts).
The chef came out to say hello and later to say good bye - that sort stuff is nice.
That said, everything else we ate was not as impressive, just okay and in my opinion "skippable" - i.e. good, cute place for appetizers and desserts. -
Review from Chi N.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2012
One of my favorite restaurants in the city, i've sent many people here and Chapeau never disappoints. I love everything about this restaurant, everything about the food, the service, the chef, and the price. There's really no highlight because everything about this place is a highlight. (with that said, escargot, foie gras, and bone marrow are to die for, make sure u try those =) ).
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Review from Jeanne C.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Damn, this place lives up to the "Top 100" hype and I'm so glad I live in the hood! I got the prix fixe and I don't even remember what I ordered! Everything was amazing from appetizers to entrees, and plus we got a free creme brulee at the end of the night courtesy of the house. Can I go back yet?
Reservations accepted! -
Review from Thanh N.
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
Ohhhhh delicious! Order the three course meal! The mushroom alfredo, filet mignon, and french toast dessert were amazing!
We will definitely be coming back =] I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant to EVERYONE. It is near the top of my favorite restaurant list, if not the first! -
Review from Christine W.
San Francisco, CA
1/5/2012
I'm so glad I get to rate one of the top restaurants on Yelp in SF!
This place was awesome. The atmosphere, the service, THE FOOD. I had the Skate Wing and it's was delicious! They served it pretty fast, too.
My experience here was lovely. I do hope I go back one day (: -
Review from Meixing L.
San Francisco, CA
1/30/2012
The food and service were both excellent.
I came here with my French boyfriend who is very picky and pretentious about French food because his father is a French chef in Paris (go figure). Therefore, I was nervous to take him here. BUT he loved everything we ordered (escargot, trio salmon, pork tenderloin, fish dish, profiteroles and creme brulee) as did I. The only unexpected thing was that the creme brulee was served cold. This threw us off a bit but we figured it was because it was baked ahead of time the proper way so that the crust on top was even instead of torched. However, the flavor was still superb.
All in all a great meal with good timing and energy. Looking forward to returning. -
Review from Owen M.
Pacifica, CA
12/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
When French restaurants are reviewed this often and emerge with a 4.5 star rating, the desire of first timers to be blown away is understandable - to a point. But Chapeau! is a bistro, *not* a super-lux spot designed to rock your foundations like the Laundry or Danko. $38 gets you an honest (no tiny portions) three-course French meal plus bread & an amuse.
Those other places? Maybe you can peek thru the window for 38 bucks.
Anyway, it does my heart good to see that most Yelpers come here with expectations aptly calibrated & leave 4-to-5 stars happy. We first tried Chapeau! at its old site west of Park Presidio Blvd 10 years ago & have returned 15+ times. I could over-analyze & rate Chapeau! lower, but why? I'm a fan, plain 'n simple. Five stars it is.
But our most recent visit was unique: M. & Mme. Gardelle, the omnipresent proprietors, were on vacation.
Uh-oh!
Philippe Gardelle is a whirlwind: greeting guests; talking about, opening & pouring wine; explaining his menu; overseeing the dining room; ensuring that the kitchen runs smoothly; carving classic côte de boeuf (pour deux) tableside; wishing departing guests farewell with handshakes & two-cheek kisses. But I miss the good old days, when M. Gardelle wore a silver tastevin & personally took the first sip from every bottle he opened to ensure his guests' approval. No time for such niceties in the newer digs.
Anyway, you're obviously privy only to a fraction of what the man does. He runs the kitchen, after all. And I'd bet that he knows the state of repair of every piece of equipment in the house.
Best of all? He makes it look easy.
Do not come here to observe if you harbor amateur ambitions of opening your own restaurant. You'll leave thinking, "well, *that* doesn't look too hard. He's ... happy. Like he's not even working. *I* can do that!"
Hmm, maybe, but probably not. This guy's a natural & he's been doing this a long time. For my money, he's the grandmaster of SF French bistros.
What was it like dining with the boss away?
Well, the room lacked its usual joie de vivre & warmth. And we'd never before waited more than 2 minutes for a reserved table. This time it took 30. (But we were comfy sipping aperitifs at the bar and, in the hostess's defense, diners at 2 tables had finished eating & simply wouldn't leave.)
But this is real life. No one (especially with a toddler at home), can work 6 or 7 days/week without taking a vacation or losing his mind. The experience wasn't the same, but it's proof of the Gardelles' leadership and the staff's training & skill that Chapeau! can provide a satisfying dining experience in the owners' absence.
Unlike a lot of Bay Area restaurants, Chapeau! doesn't change its menu very often, just here 'n there. Know what? In this case, fantastic.
I *love* knowing that I can get cassoulet whenever I want it. Or a salade Landaise, maybe with a bonus tidbit of sautéed foie gras. Or Burgundy-style escargot bathing in a surfeit of persillade. Or mussels - steamed or in a rich soup. And the meat sauces? Unapologetically old-school French, baby!
We both ordered the pick-your-own app, entree & dessert menu for $38. (No pics - they came out orange w/out a flash.)
Apps: TRADITIONAL ONION SOUP, which was relatively thin in body but tasted richly of caramelized onion, good broth, brandy & gruyère. And PORCINI-CRUSTED SWEETBREADS with king trumpet & oyster mushrooms, baby carrots & turnips, truffle sauce & fried leeks. Very rich. The four properly tender 'n dense sweetbreads were delicious & the essence of a forest of mushrooms pervaded each bite.
Entrees: CASSOULET DE TOULOUSE with cannellini beans, braised lamb shoulder, duck leg confit, and garlic & Toulouse sausages. When I first tried it 9 years ago, I doubted the choice of small white beans when larger, meatier beans were available. But that and other issues faded immediately b/c the dish is rib-sticking & delicious and, after all, it's their version, not mine. I can't help but admire how consistently it's prepared. It was a little "loose" this time in the master's absence and one of the coins of sausage was excessively colored, but that's picky-picky.
I tried the relatively new SAUTEED SEA BASS with BRAISED OXTAILS, yukon gold mashed potatoes, pearl onions & jus de poulet. I wanted a relatively light entree *and* red wine, and bridging those two is this dish's raison d'etre. It played its role successfully, though the poissonier came within a hair's breadth of overdoing it on the skin.
Dessert: My wife ordered old-school BAKED ALASKA with rum-soaked sponge cake & coffee ice cream covered in Italian meringue, sauced with chocolate & scattered with sugared almond slivers. Like rum? Meringue? If so, you'll love it. I had the TARTE DU JOUR, which was Gardelle's tarte grand-mère (apple) flanked by hazelnut ice cream & caramel sauce. How was it?
Simple. Classic. French. Chapeau! -
Review from David L.
Oakland, CA
12/12/2011
Chapeau!
I've no idea how to pronounce this so I'll leave it at that.
I didn't know what to expect going in this restaurant.
This was the first "fine dining" experience I've ever had considering I was a poor college student and am now a semi-less poor college student I was able to take my awesome girlfriend out to this restaurant for her birthday.
So we enter and it's this dim lit ambiance, obviously for the whole dilated pupils make the other person look better and sexier etc, but its pretty busy, lots of conversation floating around and an overall a very relaxed atmosphere.
Service was prompt and very polite and to our surprise the head chef actually came out and asked us what we would like to order and which dishes he recommends!
Anyway, we were ready to order so we ordered the wild caught skate wing for the birthday girl and cassoulet for moi.
The skate wing was very good, if you like light flavors and a slightly chewy fish with a delicious side of potatoes. It has a light buttery and salty flavor to it and it is well accompanied with a nice glass of whatever wine you call them. (I'm not a very classy person and would rather stick to beers than wine but alcohol is good anywhere.)
The cassoulet is a very heavy dish with a lot of beans and sauce, the meats in it (lamb, sausage, duck) are all on the heavier side and coupled with those soft delicious beans, its definitely a man's dish.
I wouldn't think twice of coming here again, given I have plenty of funds but alas, I am not very money. Yes, I accidentally a word but you get the point.
To top off our journey of food at this great restaurant, we each ordered a dessert called the Nuage de Noix (fancy, I know I've also no idea how to pronounce this) which was this light and fluffy, yet very sweet cake like dish.
This whole dinner was pretty amazing to me, albeit I've never been to such a nice restaurant, the head chef came out again as we were leaving and thanked us for coming to his restaurant and shook our hands.
If you have the opportunity to go to Chapeau! Please do, the chef makes it all worth it. -
Review from Jessica L.
San Francisco, CA
1/3/2012
Took my boyfriend & his family out for my boyfriends birthday. I had the escargot, bay scallops & the cream puff things. The escargot was so-so. It was just over powered by the garlic flavor they put on top. The scallop dish was DELICIOUS though. 3 big scallops on top of some risotto, lobster bisque, and a cheese crisp. I cleaned my plate so fast. It was really, really good. The dessert was good too, but didn't really stand out. Everything on their dessert list is very standard, IMO. Boyfriend got the baked Alaska. Presentation is great, but not a fan of it.
His mom had the cassoulet. Don't think she really enjoyed it. She said there were too many beans at the bottom. Boyfriend had the filet mignon, medium rare. Was tender but nothing wow. I'm not a steak lover though.
Service is good, literally didn't notice them refilling my water. Environment is pretty loose and loud. They were very helpful when making the reservation. However I did request that a warm chocolate cake be brought out for his birthday but they forgot. Everyone was too stuffed to eat anything else anyways.
Definitely would come back again to try other things. Would definitely order a more festive appetizer. -
Review from Anonymous F.
San Francisco, CA
1/20/2012
My dinner here a few nights ago made me very, very sad. We'd previously eaten here with friends and had one of the best (albeit most expensive) meals I've had in SF. With that excellent experience in mind, I was excited to see Chapeau on the Dine About Town list. We've been trying to save money of late so this was a bit of a splurge, but I figured it would be worth it to replicate that initial experience. Sadly, this one did not measure up. The cauliflower soup was incredible, but it went downhill from there. The salad had too much dressing and the ingredients didn't blend. My husband was unimpressed with his salmon appetizer. But perhaps the biggest disappointment was the entrees. My pork literally had no flavor. How you can wrap something in bacon without imparting any flavor, I don't know, but it was incredibly bland. My husband said his skatewing had a strange texture and was also lacking in flavor. Both the dishes had excellent sauces but they couldn't quite compensate for the poor quality mains. The profiteroles were excellent, but couldn't redeem the disappointing remainder of the meal. The service was also slow (albeit friendly) and the room was loud and freezing.
We left very disappointed. I can only assume that they skimp on the quality of the ingredients for DAT, which is unfortunate given that it isn't even *that* cheap. I'll probably go back, but never again through DAT, and I'll stick with the steak. -
Review from Margo G.
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hunker down people because this will be a long one. . .
The hubby took me here for our anniversary and thought we were in for one of the best dining experiences of our lives. Sadly, it was not. I think we fell for the hype and expected too much. We wanted to be blown away and we kinda were but for totally the wrong reasons.
We were seated right away since we had reservations. Our server gave us menus and took our drink order. He gave us the specials and came back with water and bread. We looked over the menu and made our decisions but had to wait a bit for our server to come by. While we were waiting, another couple was seated next to us. Since the tables are so close together, we actually became friendly with them.
We both ordered the prix fixe menu 1.
I had:
- Salade Landaise: Frisée, Duck Confit & Smoked Duck Magret, Fingerling Potato Chips, Classic French Vinaigrette
- Wild Caught Skate Wing in a Brown Butter, Fingerling Potato, Sauce Grenobloise, Mache
- Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Banana Flambée & Rum-Raisin Ice Cream,
Caramel Sauce
The hubby had:
- the special foie gras
- Cassoulet de Toulouse: Canellini Beans, Shredded Braised Lamb Shoulder,
Duck Leg Confit, Garlic & Toulouse Sausage
- French Toast, Soft Caramel, Hazelnut Ice Cream
The server brought a complimentary roasted cauliflower soup which came in a demi tasse. Really good and was great with the warm bread and butter.
The chef came out to make his rounds and greeted everyone. Nice touch I thought.
Our appetizers arrived and we really enjoyed them. I loved my salad and wished there were more duck in it. The hubby liked his foie gras too.
Our neighbors got mussels and raved about them.
Then we waited a REALLY long time for our entrees to come. Our neighbors got their entrees before we did. We were all a little shocked since we had arrived at least 30 minutes before them.
Our server was no where to be found.
We not only were hungry since a lot of time had gone by since our appetizers but we just wanted to see how much longer it was going to be. Our neighbors were almost done with their food when we finally got a hold of our server who just came by and said "I'll go check on your entrees" and walked off.
We were actually thinking of leaving but decided against it since it was our anniversary. If we were anywhere else on any other day, we would have just asked for the check for the apps and been out.
Couple of minutes went by and he came back to say "They are working on them" and walked off. Then we waited some more. By this time our neighbors were done with their entrees. I was not happy.
We finally got our entrees and even though I was hungry, my skate wing was just ok. My hubby did not like his dish at all. We thought the food would be amazing and it was just ok. It was very disappointing after waiting that long.
Our neighbors and we started talking and we didn't like that our server was so nonchalant about our wait. A simple "I'm sorry for the wait" or any information or some sort of apology would have been nice. Even when he dropped off the entrees, he didn't say a word. If you're in a nice establishment, you expect a certain level of service and we just didn't get it.
Our entrees were cleared and while we were waiting for dessert, the chef came by. I guess he heard about our wait and our conversation because he apologized for it. He acknowledged that it's not only the food but the service that makes for a memorable dining experience. I really appreciated the apology and wish the server would have done something as well. If it was a mistake in the kitchen like the chef indicated, the server could have said so.
When we got our desserts, he included an extra one which was; Nuage de Noix Roasted Pistachios, Almonds & Hazelnuts in a Frozen Chantilly & Italian Meringue. I had a candle on my cake too to celebrate our anniversary. It was a nice touch but maybe a little too late.
By that time we had been there for over 2 hours. We just wanted to finish eating and go home.
We just thought it was over hyped and maybe our experience wasn't the norm but it was enough for us to think about not going back which is sad because I should have tried the mussels. -
Review from Tiff C.
Came here for the second time and to no surprise my taste buds were very happy again.
Had the escargot as a starter.. delicious as always..
for my entree I had the scallops and risotto which was very tasty and the perfect amount of everything.. the sauce was creamy and flavorful.. also complimented the scallops very well.
I have yet to try the sweetbreads and other dishes that Chapeau! has to offer.. Will definitely be back..1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/3/2011
Délicieux!
I wasn't expecting a whole lot from Chapeau simply because I hate hyping up restaurants… Read more »
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