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Gamine
Categories: Restaurants French Restaurants Burgers French, Burgers [Edit]
2223 Union St(between Fillmore St & Steiner St)
San Francisco, CA 94123
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
(415) 771-7771
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Thu 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
Sun 11:30 am - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
543 reviews for Gamine
Review Highlights
"Chez Maman was worth every penny."
(in 68 reviews)
"Food - The French Onion soup was perfect."
(in 68 reviews)
"I highly reccomend the baked Cambozola to start."
(in 25 reviews)
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543 reviews in English
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Review from Denise L.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2012
I consider Gamine a restaurant that caters to my spoiled taste buds that is also very romantic and intimate.
My boyfriend is a very kind gentleman who treated me and my family here for our holiday dinner (so thank you so very much if you ever read this)!
The lamb dish my dad ordered was a bit small in size and I didn't sample it but it looked and smelled really nice. My mom ordered the grilled pork chop and that was DELICIOUS! The sauce for that dish itself is enough to make your stomach grumble. I ordered the moules catalane and let me tell you: $15 and you get at least 30++++ mussels. Is that a deal or what? And it is really flavored and enough for you to eat as an entree (or un plat principal as the French would say) with some extra to share with your company. ;) My love ordered a burger which is THE BEST BURGER I'VE HAD A BITE OF IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!
Anyway, I will definitely come back! Je vais manger beaucoup à la restaurant Gamine!
Maybe next time my conversational French will be good enough to talk to the waiters in French.
BTW- Bonus star because my bf found out about this restaurant through Yelp! (I converted him) teehee! -
Review from Nobu K.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 2/6/2012
The Fish Burger, $12, is a grilled salmon fillet.
It isn't salmon burger patty.
So, I think correct English name should be "grilled salmon sandwich".
But the salmon was nicely grilled.
The Basic Burger with cheese, $13.50, is not come with a hamburger-bun, it's a toasted french bread, so as the fish burger, so, the basic burger should be called like "Burger patty sandwich".
What a Perfect medium rare juicy burger patty!
Qu'est-ce que c'est?
it isn't sandwich, it's a burger.
et alors?
Both sandwiches, sorry, Burgers came with thin kind fries, 2 slice of fresh red tomato and grilled onion, were really good!
It's not the size, the flavor, nicely grilled a salmon fillet and a hamburger patty between a great toasted French bread, it satisfied me really really well.
Loved the great French bread here.
We came here around 2 pm and left around 3:30pm, there were 2 waiters, both very polite and friendly, it seemed to me that they didn't care how long we stay, I am sure they do but I didn't feel any pressure from the waiters at all.
We had one of crepe, but we wanted just butter and lemon, isn't in the menu, the waiter said, "OK, no problem.", That was nice.
You can see the kitchen, and the French speaking waiter was speaking Spanish to Latino lookin' chef, or cook. I don't know, I don't care who's in the kitchen.
The place is small, cozy, clean, kids safe, great service.
I was loving it.
I have to say, one of the best brunch place in SF.
I want to come back here for dinner sometime soon.Listed in: Burger Nazi
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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11/5/2010
Wasn't the place used be called Chez Maman?
I thought that the Chez Moi is the new name.
Typical Old… Read more »
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Review from Annalise F.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've been hearing great things about Gamine since I moved to San Francisco over a year ago. Although I've tried to go a few times- there was always an insanely long wait. On Thursday night, my boyfriend surprised me and took me there for a lovely meal. (We got there right around 6:30p and were seated immediately.)
The place is small. Super small! 9 tables total (yes- I counted.) And although it's nothing fancy inside- the food is amazing!
The server (and there only seems to be 1) was friendly, attentive, and joked around with us alot. We liked him well enough.
We ordered:
Calamari (This may be my favorite calamari to date in the city. I'm not a huge fan- but my boyfriend devours it. I gave him a run for his money this time though!)
Salmon Burger (A filet of salmon with gruyere on a delectably soft and wonderful bun. It also came with a mini-side salad and a side of fries.)
Roasted Chicken (Oh MY GOD. So delicious! It was fall-off-the-bone tender. The au jus was amazing and the little roasted potatoes- heaven!)
Haricots Verts (I didn't really care for these. They were flavorful, but way oily greasy.)
I would absolutely come back to Gamine- but probably on a weeknight. The place is ridiculous on the weekends! -
Review from Vithiet L.
San Francisco, CA
2/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
We really enjoyed the burger/fries and lamb stew. I do not eat snails ("escargots", whatever, it may sound more elegant in French but they're still slugs eww) but the wife said they were good.
Table next to us had mussels that looked particularly appetizing and I believe I will soon go back to try that.
They also have a decent wine selection; I only had a kir though, but it was very well done.
I found the prices to be decent for the Marina, and the decor, while pretty basic, was nice.
Also a lot of people seem to have had issues with the service, but our servers were nice and professional, no problem there. -
Review from ken w.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2012
The food was excellent! We were in the neighborhood and wanted to give it a try and I am glad we did. GF had the Brie Burger and I had the Porkchop. Both were excellent and we both left very happy. Has a really homey vibe and the smell of the food cooked there makes your mouth water. Yum!
Service was fantastic here. I used to be a waiter myself, and it's very rare that you get polite and good service that is genuine. I find a lot of places the staff may say polite things and be courteous, but you can tell they are faking it for tips. This place is the real deal and you can tell they care about their customers having a good experience. Highly recommended! -
Review from Gloria H.
On our recent visit - we had:
a bottle of Beaucanon - $44 - not bad
escargots - $11 - great garlicky sauce, get some bread to dip into it - delicious
mussels in white wine, parsley & garlic - $15 - love their mussels and the sauce was so good, i drank them by the spoonful. it was very flavorful and light enough to be like soup. hubby loved it too and the table next door did exactly the same!
brussel sprout - $5 - not bad
apple tart w/ ice cream - quite good and not very sweetListed in: French cuisine
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/19/2011
Finding a parking space across the street was the sign..if we didn't have such a perfect space, we… Read more »
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Review from Britt B.
San Francisco, CA
2/2/2012
This is a good little joint that is easy to overlook because it's on the side of union that starts to turn residential. It's nice and chill in here. All the food was good and the service was very good-- of course, I'm sure it helped that I was in a big friendly group but anyway, I would pop in here again and try some other stuff. The escargot was especially delish-- or as they might say in france... La cuisine est bonne...BOOYAH.
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Review from Christine S.
San Jose, CA
This restaurant has by far the WORST customer service. ONE waiter for the restaurant who was not attentive to our table (for 2 persons). Not only was it NOT busy, this place is TINY which means it's not very hard to keep track of your responsibilities. The COOK in the BACK had to tell this guy to go attend to a person who just walked in because he wasn't aware of it.
We sat in the restaurant for a total of 1.5 hours because this waiter was SLOW and very inattentive (we only ordered 3 items on the menu by the way!!). The only reason why I gave 2 stars because the food was actually decent. However, we will NEVER come back. EVER! -
Review from Aaron S.
Santa Clara, CA
2/2/2012
Great lamb entree. Favorless salad green. Creme brûlée tasted like fried marshmallow creme (not authentic)... Would not really recommend based on small amount of seating and poor waiter service. Lamb and gratin potatoes were good but not much else.
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Review from Janelle C.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2012
Atmosphere is cozy without being cramped - difficult to achieve in the dense restaurant world of San Francisco. It can be quite loud when the restaurant is full, which makes it less than ideal if you want to have deep conversation... luckily we did not - just friends getting together to have a good meal and enjoy company. The wait staff was very attentive and we appreciated that.
The food was great starting with the warm bread served nice and crunchy on the outside, soft and light on the inside. My bf had the burger which he thoroughly enjoyed on the unique French bread bun while my friend and I split the Ratatouille, mussels, steak tartare and lamb sausage. We also had the calamari as a starter for the table. Probably the least interesting of all we ordered was the calamari because there wasn't anything particularly unique about it compared to fried calamari at other restaurants but I did notice that the breading was very seasoned which I personally l liked. The lamb sausage was spicy, steak tartare well seasoned, and the mussels plentiful and served with a delicious broth. We were too full to order dessert.
The wine list has a nice offering of mid-priced wines for the table.
Give this a try if you're in the neighbourhood. We were able to talk in and be seated right away on a Thursday night around 7p. -
Review from Mattin N.
San Francisco, CA
1/29/2012
Really good French little bistro. The Salmon was perfectly cooked medium rare as I love it. Our waiter Chuma was excellent. Highly recommend it.
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Review from Mabel B.
San Francisco, CA
12/13/2011
Came here last Friday night with my boyfriend and the food was great. I ordered the chicken breast for my entree and the mixed green salad with pears for an appetizer for the both of us and honey ordered the flat iron steak in medium rare.
Chicken breast was very good, a little dry but still delicious. Honey's flat iron steak was awesome, I don't usually like medium rare meats, but this steak was cooked to perfection.
What wasn't great was the noise level from the table of annoying little pricks next to us. From what it looked like, they were doing secret santa or white elephant. Everytime a member of their group walked through the threshold, this is what happened...
/le walking thru threshold "(ENTER DOUCHEY NAME) IS HEREEEE!!!!!!1111111!!1111!"
Um wow, seriously? How unfortunate they didn't even know how obnoxious they sounded that night. I assume if we came any other Friday night, the noise level would not be 1,000+ decibels.
Food was good as well as service, I would go back, but not if there's a crowd of pricks there. -
Review from Guillermo K.
Ann Arbor, MI
1/29/2012
Had brunch here. Onion soup was very good. Croque madame was utter utter crap. I can make a better one with a hot plate, moldy Wonder Bread, and some generic supermarket ham.
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Review from Ila L.
Brooklyn, NY
2/4/2012
As a recent transplant from NYC, I have experienced far too many psedo French bistros that cut corners, use mediocre at best ingredients, and have down right awful service. Gamine was a wonderful little restaurant that has restored my faith. The food was delicious and solid, the service was perfectly on, and the ambiance was cozy but not too cozy. To top it off this very adult oriented restaurant treated our toddler wonderfully. I will be back soon!
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Review from Stephanie M.
San Francisco, CA
11/15/2011
If you ask for ketchup here, you are clearly a douche. I know I'm not ratatouille, but I have a highly developed sense of taste and smell every time I walk past or eat here. People think French cuisine is snooooty. But not so, it's truly phenomenal. You definitely want to be on the French owner's good side also, he told my roommate once if he didn't drink a beer, he was not a man, but I don't let that detract from my love of this bistro.
This little restaurant is cozy and romantic, good for a date or with friends. The best on their menu is the escargots with garlic butter, the bread with melted gorgonzola, and the burgers. Make sure you order it with goat cheese and avocado, half fries with aioli and half greens. J'en ai assez dit! (Nuff said). -
Review from jeremy L.
Salt Lake City, UT
11/16/2011
Fifth star is for the service by wait staff and hostess/manager. Myself and girlfriend were in town for a long weekend staying in the marina. French was a nice option especially for a moderate price.
When we arrived their was a bit of wait so we sat out front at a table. The hostess came out repeatedly to check on us and update on our wait. Very nice and accommodating.
When seated the waiter was very nice and friendly to start.
We started with the mussels which were very good. Great spicy broth. During this the hostess came over and saw we could use more bread so offered it to us. Nice we didnt have to ask.
Second course was the onion soup. Excellent as well.
To follow we split a burger. A little light on the patty but nuce soft french bread and tasty fries. If your very hungry this alone is probably not enough food.
We were stuffed though from the mussels and soup so no room for dessert.
Overall we really enjoyed the experience so for anybody considering dining here give it a try. -
Review from Doc M.
San Francisco, CA
12/27/2011
Food good. Coldest dining room ever. I had to eat with my coat on. Restrooms a disaster. 12/26/11 6:00 PM.
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Review from Cat P.
11/10/2011
The french onion soup was the best I have ever had.
The Norwegian eggs benedict with smoked salmon was good, and the croque monsieur was just divine. We also had the escargot, which was delicious buttery goodness.
After our dining experience, my bf (who loves to cook) was inspired to replicate the french onion soup and croque monsieur at home, which was REALLY good, but it was definitely hard to match the quality and goodness of the food from the actual restaurant.
Can't wait to return here and try out some of their other French delectables =) -
Review from Monelle P.
San Francisco, CA
11/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
We stumbled onto Gamine after a failed brunch attempt to get into Umami Burger.
My bf had the Crepe Savoyarde with proscuitto, brie, bechamel sauce, tomato, mixed greens. While the filling was certainly tasty, we weren't a fan of the taste or texture of the buckwheat crepe, which was bland and lackluster.
I had the Gamine Omelette with merguez sausage, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and harissa. This was a delightful entree and I really enjoyed it. The harissa sauce was a delicious blend of chili, spices, garlic, and tomatoes and was an excellent contrast to the creamy melted cheese and savory lamb sausage.
I may return to try the onion soup gratinee or burger, but I wouldn't go out of my way to brunch at Gamine unless I was in the area. -
Review from B F.
Columbus, OH
1/30/2012
Had a satisfying afternoon snack here: Crepes, desserts, coffee. All of them perfect. And priced very reasonably. Will go again at the drop of a hat.
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Review from Janell H.
San Francisco, CA
11/21/2011
Came into Gamine for dinner with 3 other people Thursday night. Gamine does not accept reservations for small parties but we had no trouble getting a table at 6:30pm.
Everything we all ordered was fantastic. The escargot was so tender, buttery and garlicky. A standout! Salads were also very good. I ordered the lamb stew and loved it. It was not a HUGE portion but that is perfect for me. The sauce was fantastic! Another stand out. The fries were also a winner. Thin and crispy.
The menu is limited in this cute small place. I will return hoping to find that they rotate it seasonably. -
Review from Steph C.
Mountain View, CA
1/5/2012
It's been at least two months since I've had dinner here with my boyfriend... and in all honesty, the entire experience was horrible. The service was utterly slow and the food was not worth the wait.
Yes, the restaurant was full and busy, but it's a tiny place and many customers were already eating their meal. It had to have been close to 9PM when we sat down and it took our garçon quite a good bit of time to provide us with silverware, water, and menu. When we were finally ready to order, he never came back to check on us until we flagged him over (since he was too busy chatting with his French speaking customers... he did this several times throughout the night).
The food was mediocre, and that's being generous. The bread was cold and chewy, smoked duck breast salad was nothing special, steamed mussels were overly salty, and our main entree--lamb stew--came out about 45 minutes after our appetizers... because our garçon had forgotten that we still had an entree coming! He actually asked us if we wanted dessert after we finished the mussels!! When we said we still had the stew coming, but wanted to cancel the order, he said he'll bring it out immediately--we weren't even hungry anymore by that point, with all the waiting. Turns out the stew was a failure. The lamb was overcooked and the potatoes and carrots completely undercooked... not the least bit soft.
Getting the check was also another long waiting game, because yet again, our waiter was too busy being friendly to his French speaking customers.
I will never recommend this place to anyone. -
Review from Zac A.
San Francisco, CA
12/5/2011
Late lunch and Umami Burger is packed. Don't despair! Head a couple blocks down Union to Gamine. Then, embrace your inner fat kid and order the burger with perfectly melted brie, bacon, and a gooey egg on top. One of the best things I have ever eaten. Period.
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Review from Assaf B.
San Francisco, CA
11/9/2011
Escargot, enough said.
Dining in their private room (upstairs) is very nice, the food and service were great and the ambiance was exactly what a romantic dinner or a fun group of friends dinner needs. -
Review from Josie M.
San Francisco, CA
11/22/2011
it's true, the burger is amazing. get it with brie. juicy & succulent with a perfect toasty french bread bun. medium rare is the way to go, you can really taste the fresh ground beef. accompanying fries were meh, a bit soggy, but twas ok, as i was too full from appetizers and burger.
also enjoyed were the escargots & beet salad.
but even on a friday late night 930ish for two, there is a wait. this is very much a neighborhood spot. make reservations if u can. service is warm, the owners seem to know all their patrons.
it should be noted that because the space is small and cozy with a visible kitchen, you will leave this place smelling of garlic and french fries and you will have to air out your clothes for a few days. -
Review from Gregory I.
Lafayette, CA
9/4/2011
A few words about the place:
This unassuming little restaurant looks like any other great weekday, after-work restaurant, but is really a gem of an addition to Union St. With great dinner ambiance, a classy clientele base, and quality food you can't really go wrong when you step in the door.
What I recommend:
I have to say, ordering a burger at a restaurant is one of the last things I do (unless the menu is meh), but the customizable fish (salmon) or beef burger are both delicious. I recommend the beef burger with brie ($14) that comes with crispy shoestring fries. Also the mussels mariniere ($15 in white wine, garlic, parsley broth make for a great appetizer and a melt in your mouth dip. Last but not least, this is a busy restaurant, so I recommend that you call ahead. Don't worry I went last night (Saturday) and grabbed a table for four in 20 minutes. If you can reserve the back room for a quieter more intimate meal for up to 8.
Bottom line:
With awesome service, friendly faces, and the atmosphere of a real neighborhood dining spot, you really can't go wrong. Above all else though, the attention to quality ingredients and freshness was really what made each dish tasty enough to question why doesn't everyone serve food with this same philosophy. -
Review from Jessica L.
San Francisco, CA
9/24/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Summary:
Food is great, dessert a bit disappointing
Service - quite terrible.
I'd only go here for take out, I wouldn't want to sit through the terrible service of this place. I'm usually a pretty friendly person, tips well, nice to the waiters or whatever, but seriously the waiters aren't so nice here. As I browse through the reviews for this place, it was interesting how different the experience of service for different people at this place was. I wonder what accounts for that, is it race? choice of clothing?
here's food!
Tilapia - delicious - highly recommend, the sauce is great, taste delicious. 5 stars
Grilled salmon - also delicious (4 stars)
berries crepes - pretty standard, love the creme frache, but a bit too sweet on the berries (3 stars)
crepes suzette - wtf... worse crepe ever, I can make better crepes. (1 stars)
I really wanted to love this place, it has decent food, close to my apt, but man the last thing I need when I want to relax is disrespectful / rude waiting staff. -
Review from E C.
San Francisco, CA
10/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
UMMMMMMMMMM! Yum!!
Best burger I've had to date. FO-reelz.
What we had:
Fried calamari
Niscoise salad
Basic burger w/ gruyere
I'll start with the burger since this was the star.
Basic burger it totally is, but it was the bombest burger ever. The meat was so fresh (and plentiful) that it didn't need accompaniments. No drowning of sauce or flavor. You could taste and feel how fresh the beef was.
No shitty hamburger bun. French roll, baby.
I know, I know.. "burgers" just sound standard but HOLY CRAP, come here and try this one! This is a real burger. I can't wait to come again :)
Fried calamari: perfectly fried golden calamari with an awesome sauce (I'm not sure what it was..)
Niscoise salad: Wow! This salad was chock full of goodies and not just a bed of greens. One of the better niscoise salads I've had to date as well :)
The free bread was also HELLA GOOD. I freakin' love bread it was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
All in all, cute place, attentive service and can't wait to come again!
I want to try their dinner menu! :) -
Review from Katrina M.
Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA
10/24/2011
We had the fried calamari. It was good. And some baked brie/blue cheese mixture, that was fantastic. It started with a c. But I can't remember the name of it. (dang, sorry guys)
I had the salmon, which was tender & full of flavor. It was set on a bed of leeks, they were delicious! I look leeks.
I drank the syrah during dinner. It was spicy and full of flavor. I recommend it, if you like syrahs.
I would recommend going to this place if you're in the area. It's small, but it's worth the wait. The hosts and servers are great! And will answer any questions you have about their menu. I went during the weekend at about 9pm. The wait wasn't long at all, about ten minutes.
It feels french to me! -
Review from Sara W.
San Francisco, CA
12/15/2011
Love this place! Great prices, best burger in SF and AWESOME room in the back for private parties (no extra cost). Whenever my friends and I want to do a group meal for 8-10 of us, this is definitely the place. Yummmmmmm
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Review from Jen H.
Fresno, CA
9/26/2011
4.5 stars
This place is really small and charming. Had a party of 10 people and we were seated in a back room with lots of heavy draped velvet. We had some escargo and calamari. Both were really delicious.
And throughout the evening you can't help but be engulfed in the delicious scents of butter and garlic.
I ordered the pork chop with mustard sauce and brussel sprouts.
I was iffy about the mustard sauce, but surprisingly not mustardy at all. Brussel sprouts were not the least bit bitter either, which was a very nice surprise. The server suggested medium rare on the pork chop, but I opted for going just medium since I'm so used to eating pork chops well done. But it was cooked perfectly. I tasted the roasted chicken from my neighbor as well. and it was so tender and juicy. The food was really great!
Lastly shared some desserts with everyone, crepes suzette, chocolate mousse, tart tatin, creme brulee. Everything was soooo delicious and the desserts are huge! so you can easily share it with someone else. The chocolate mousse was airy and chocolatey. and the creme brulee was definitely the best i've ever eaten!
Prices were great! From what I've seen I noticed French food tends to be more on the expensive side, but everything had to be at least under $20.
Service was really slow though, but other than that food was so DELICIOUS! -
Review from Angie Y.
San Francisco, CA
10/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here on a monday night with 4 other people and we shared some dishes:
escargot-buttery chewy deliciousness, dip bread in the garlicky butter!
mussels marniere-good but there could have been served with more juice
french onion soup-the cheese was melted burnt heaven, better than the one I've had at Zazie.
green bean and beet salad- a winner for me, although portion size was small, other people weren't a fan of beets
hangar steak-average
tilapia-portion size looked small, taste average
pork chop-recommended! great sauce
burger with brie-recommended! shoe string fries were weak though, I don't like them that thin and crispy.
I would pass on the dessert, we got the chocolate mousse and creme broulee, both seemed like they were just in a fridge somewhere and creme broulee was reheated in a few min.
I would come back and eat appetizers and a burger. -
Review from Katja J.
Palo Alto, CA
12/21/2011
I love that place! First the owner is so sweet! Typical french hospitality! The service was very good! Very friendly staff! The atmosphere was so amazing. We went here on a cold december evening. It was very warm in there because there's an open kitchen which I like. You can watch the cooks. It's a very cozy, romantic and small restaurant. It was pretty loud in there. I ate lots of that yummy bread which came before dinner. I had the sauteed Tilapa fish. And it was puuurfect! I loved it! My husband had the roasted chicken which was also very good. The steamed mussels looked amazing but we don't like mussels so we didn't try them but it seemed like people are coming here because of them. Very cute restaurtant!
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Review from Jennifer W.
Berkeley, CA
10/2/2011
I've eaten here twice already and both times have been pretty good.
We've gotten the mussels, basic burger with brie, fish burger (with avocado and some sort of cheese), pork chop thing, and beef tartare.
The pork chop was okay but the beef tartare was meh... I've had a lot better.
Everything else here was delicious and I recommend coming here! The only thing is that the restaurant is pretty small so make sure to either be prepared for a wait, or come early. -
Review from Julia G.
7/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
3.5 Stars...Game-on, Gamine.
I had my standard Wednesday night date with the Leading Lady and this time, instead of our usual Roam, Brixton, Paxti's choice, I went for the glory at Gamine.
I'm on a diet to get some tum issues in check so I was a tad finicky with my ordering. I had the burger (no bun) with a salad. I also ordered their gazpacho (minus croutons and creme fraiche) which was on special. They were very accommodating to my special requests which was nice.
The burger was juicy and flavorful. The soup was good...not fabulous but in all fairness, the toppings I skipped out on may have made it. The salad was standard, nothing special there (I'd love to see a restaurant do something interesting with their mixed greens).
I need to come back when I can expand my ordering. This 3 star review will more than likely trend upward. -
Review from Heather C.
San Francisco, CA
Small French Bistro nestled in the neighborhood of my old stomping grounds, Cow Hollow. =] Oh how I've missed you Cow Hollow, ANYWAYS!!
Came here for dinner on a Thursday evening and was a little shocked at how small this place really is. =X I think the maximum capacity is 20-30 people so you can imagine how making reservations would be important (they say that your entire party has to be present in order to be seated). We had a party of 7 and had an option of dining in the main dining room or a private dining area (upstairs), of course we chose the private dining area! Oh I forgot to add, there is a time limit of two hours for the private dining area. After your two hours is up they kick your ass to the curb. JK, I really don't know what happens if your dinner just so happens to go over the two hour limit.
The private dining room was very small, dimly lit and gave off a gothic vibe. =X The curtains draped over our heads and against the walls were dark red and reminded me of the inside lining of a vampire's bed (coffin). This area could have previously been used as a storage room and part of this room is used as a storage area, so you will have staff walking in and out through the curtains.
APPETIZERS
BEEF TARTARE- hand cut high quality raw beef also served with bread. The beef tartare was good but I thought it was just okay and was slightly bland.
ONION SOUP GRATINEE- OMG the onion soup was really, REALLY good. It was cheesy and flavorful, what more can you ask for?
ENTREE
GRILLED FLAT IRON STEAK- I want to thank the chef for cooking my steak medium-rare because most restaurants over cook the damn thing. The meat was very juicy and flavorful but I did not care too much for whatever was sitting on top of my steak and unfortunately I could not figure out what it was (was NOT caramelized onions). Accommodating my steak was a load of crispy fries, if you read some of my reviews before you'll know that I LOVE FRIES so that was a big plus for me.
Aside from the food, the service was not too great. It was VERY SLOW, the appetizers came out fairly quickly BUT when it came to the entrees it took at least 45 minutes or an hour to come out. In addition to the slow service I want to state how much I HATE when people reach across me to grab things, usually the waiter or whoever it may be would say, "excuse my reach or excuse me." Not to come off as being a snob or anything but I do believe that you should excuse yourself! =X
Though the food was good, the service kind of killed it for me and stopped me from giving this place 4 stars. That being said, 3.5 STARS! -
Review from Cherylynn N.
San Francisco, CA
7/11/2011 5 photos
Gamine is no Chez Maman....
After having dined at Chez Maman (Potrero Hill) last year, I had high hopes for Gamine especially when they use to be both owned by Maktub Group (Chez Papa, the original Potrero Maman et al.). Here's the link to my Chez Maman review: http://www.yelp.com/bi... However, there was a change of ownership in 2008. Although Gamine and Chez Maman still share similar menu with almost as equally delicious food, Gamine loses stars for their lackluster and cold service.
On Thursday, 7.7.11, my friends and I (party of 7) came to Gamine for dinner at 6 PM. I was fortunate to have made reservations (minimum party of 6 needed) the day prior. We had a last minute change in party size and they were nice enough to accommodate my request.
F O OD
*ONION SOUP GRATINEE ($7.50) - 4 STARS!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The onion soup was deliciously hearty with rich, complex stewed onion flavor with just the right amount of sweetness. It was generously crowed with bubbling, oooey gooey swiss cheese which stretched and pulled as I took a spoonful of soup.
*BAKED CAMBOZOLA w/ Roasted Garlic & Toast Points ($9.50) - 5 STARS!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The crunchy toast points were the perfect canvas for the buttery sweet roasted garlic and decadently rich, melted cambozola which was ultra-creamy with a mild pungency. Each bite was sinfully good and let me wanting more!
BEEF TARTARE (Entrée Size - $17) - 3 STARS!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Though the tartare was soft and tender, it was lacking in flavor (i.e. tang). I think more Worcestershire sauce would have been benefited the tartare.
BASIC BURGER w/ Brie, Bacon & an Egg ($12 + $1.50/topping) - 4 STARS!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Though a complete heart attack on the platter, I wanted to get the whole "French" burger experience so I decided to make my Basic Burger "French Style" by adding Brie, Bacon and an Egg.
The French roll was perfectly toasted creating a sog barrier which held the beef patty and all the accoutrements together well. Cooked medium rare as requested, the patty was tender, moist, and juicy. The heat from the patty gently melted the creamy and milky brie. The bacon was crisp with a nice porky smokiness. The egg, however, was overcooked and the yolk didn't ooze out as I expected. Completing the heart attack on the platter was the gentle smearing of garlic aioli which added a layer of creamy garlicky richness.
I opted for the salad instead of the fries, though I regret not getting the fries now. The salad was just a mixture of baby lettuces tossed in balsamic vinaigrette which was nothing special.
S E R V I C E
Being formerly linked to Chez Maman and after having a pleasant experience over the phone while making/changing my reservations, I expected the service to be similarly as good. However, our waiter had no personality and was cold in his interactions with us. This was a far cry from the charming experience we had while at Chez Maman.
Our appetizers came out within 10 minutes of ordering, but there was a lag when it came to our entrees. It took over 45 minutes to get our entrees after finishing our appetizers.
A M B I A N C E / D E C O R
Rustic and very intimate, Gamine is great for a small casual dinner (party of 2-4). The main dining room is small and can accommodate about 20 people. We were offered the private dining room upstairs for our group which I gladly accepted thinking we would have more room. But after being sat in the private room, I wish we would have sat at the main dining room instead.
The private dining room was small, stuffy, and claustrophobic. The ceiling was low but was made even lower from the burgundy curtain draping. There were fridges in back of one of the curtains which blew out hot air causing the room to be very humid and stuffy. We had to open one of the back doors and keep it ajar just to let in some ventilation.
P A R K I N G
Street parking which was easily found before 6 PM, however, I know parking in the area can be difficult on the weekends.
I initially was going to give Gamine 4 Stars but after pondering over it for several days, why reward a restaurant with 4 Stars with service that falls flat.Listed in: Français Alimentaire, BUN ME WITH A BEEF PATTY!
-
Review from Zora F.
San Diego, CA
11/10/2011
We were visiting the area and found this place on Yelp and we are so so happy we did! We never have had French food before and it was so so yummy! When we got thier we were the only ones there, by the time we left every table was full. This is a small cozy place.. The owner (?) was our waiter and he had such a real strong accent, but was very cool and helpful in explaining the food! My hubby got the Mussels and it was the bigest bowl of mussels he was evern seen! We also got some amzazing app with baked cheese (similar to hot bre) and with garlic and toasted bread aaaamazing!!!
My friend got the burger with bre and bacon and fried egg, i think it was the best burger she ever had! :)
Def a unique and affortable for some yummy food!! -
Review from susie k.
San Francisco, CA
12/8/2011
Gamine is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. It's good, simple, rustic French food-- unfussy and unpretentious. I go to Gamine about once every 3 weeks and I always leave satisfied.
I love the burgers, the steak, chicken, and pork chop.
Price is moderate as well. Entrees are about $17-25.
It's a pretty cute place for a date as well. -
Review from kacy g.
Concord, CA
11/10/2011
This place is awesome. The food was amazing and very affordable. We started with the Fried Calamari and Baked Cambozola apps which were both delicious. For dinner I got the burger and added Brie, Bacon and a fried egg to it which was to-die-for. Now I want Brie on all of my burgers. My boyfriend got the mussels but wasn't sure it'd be enough food but it totally was! Over 50 mussels for only $15 and they were sooo good! Our friends got the duck breast salad - delicious and the special which was a braised veal with pasta dish - also delicious.
We considered doing dessert because they had some delicious sounding crepes and stuff to choose from but by the time we finished our entrees we were all too stuffed to eat dessert.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good affordable restaurant in the Marina or anyone who has never been to a french restaurant. The staff were so kind and helpful and the service was great! We got there around 6 and it seemed kind of dead but by the time we left all of the tables were filled.
If you are thinking about trying Gamine, stop thinking and just go eat there. You will not be disappointed.
