On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: American (New), Caterers
Neighborhood: SOMAMon-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"While on a mission to gather some meat for a little bbq without the hassle of having to drive somewhere, my friend and I stumbled into La…" read more »
Loading...
Last time I visited SF I found Ike's, which instantly became my favorite sandwich place ever. Literally.
Now I work on King St. near the stadium, and today I enjoyed my first lunch as a SF resident at Ironside.
It may not have the selection that Ike's does, but Ironside matches Ike's in quality and surpasses it in ambiance and decor.
Ironside feels very American (kinda of Chicago-y), with thick wood blocks for stairs and (naturally) iron elements around the kitchen and dining area. Even the plates are made of nice, black iron (or perhaps steel...they weren't as heavy as iron).
Anyway, the food is delicous (I recommend the turkey), and the prices are fair (8-10 bucks). I'll definitely be a regular.
Evil. Breakfast. Bun.
Oh yes, you want this. A baby cinnamon roll filled with cream cheese and bacon.
Now I am going to blather on about the cool industrial interior, the Four Barrel Coffee, the savory food, but you won't be paying attention because all you are thinking is....
Evil. Breakfast. Bun.
This review only applies to dinner, since Ironside is too far from my workplace to bother trying it out for lunch.
My boyfriend and I had a very good last-minute date at Ironside. We couldn't make up our minds on where to go out, and ended up here only because it was fairly new and because it was within walking distance. When your stomachs are growling loudly, you don't really want to wait for Muni.
We split a Caesar salad and the 14" autumn harvest pizza. The salad was self-consciously inventive, with huge pieces of bitter greens (possibly lettuce, but it seemed more flavorful) and fried maybe-croutons; I'm not so sure, because a lot of carbs end up being the same consistency when they're fried. The concept was a little cheesy, but it was absolutely delicious.
The pizza was sweet, which hopefully you've figured out while ordering it and not while eating it. That flavor combination isn't for everyone, so while I thought the pizza was absolutely brilliant, Charles didn't care for it. By the way, 14" is far too large for two people, probably even if we hadn't eaten salad or an appetizer beforehand. I guess that makes the pizza a good deal, if you're being thrifty about food.
My vanilla soda (sweetened with agave) was very good. It tasted like a pretty normal cream soda, but with a fresher taste than the typical fountain sodas you get at fast food places. I hear they have free refills, which has me regretting not getting even more soda.
Finally, the dessert was very, very rich. If you like your desserts delicate and subtle, the brownie a la mode is not for you. However, if you like chocolate decadence, order it! You won't regret it.
Our waiter was also friendly without being overbearing. Great service, even though the restaurant was very loud. (I suspect it's all the harsh materials on the walls... sound bounces around.) I'm looking forward very much to my next visit to Ironside.
With a little work, Ironside could be a South Beach star.
Located in the Chronicle Books building and named for the foundry that previously occupied the space, Ironside offers patrons unpretentious dining in trendy South Beach. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the establishment echos the cool, edgy, yet homey, atmosphere of the neighborhood with walnut tables and a two-level, exposed brick interior.
At breakfast, Ironside gives hipsters and techies their morning jolt with Four Barrel coffee and espresso drinks paired with to-die-for cinnamon rolls filled with bacon (yes, bacon) and cream cheese. (Does that come with a free angioplasty kit?)
For lunch, there is no table service; rather diners order at the register, receive a number, and servers bring food to the table. The menu features a variety of sandwiches, pizzas, and salads, so even the pickiest will be able to make a selection. The seasonal vegetable pizza with squash and goat cheese ($11) was delicious. While the romaine lettuce in the Caesar salad ($7) should have been separated into individual leaves and was drenched in too much dressing, the warm, toasted polenta croutons were a redeeming addition.
Service is slow, slow, slow: like molasses in January. The aforementioned pizza and salad took nearly 25 minutes to arrive. One would think management would realize patrons have only a limited time for lunch and plan accordingly. Also, needing to grab one's own silverware, fetch salt, pepper, and other condiments, and hunt someone down for a refill on soft drinks puts a dent in any dining experience.
Dinner adds table service and some larger entrées like vegetable paellla ($16) and flatiron steak ($22). Still, service reeks of inexperience; so be prepared to wait and wait and wait.
Featuring well prepared, tasty food at prices that are (a little expensive, but) not unreasonable (for The City), Ironside has the potential to be a big hit ... after a little fine tuning and a good deal of service training.
i was really excited to try this place and finally got the chance with some family in town. they were able to seat 6 of us for dinner right away upstairs, which was nice. i expected the menu to be similar to 21st amendment, but a little more upscale and foodie, which it was also. lots of tasty sounding appetizers, pizzas and entrees to choose from.
we were intrigued by the deep fried avocado appetizer, which turned out to be nothing special in my opinion. the dipping sauce was more interesting than the slices of breaded avo... i'll take mine raw next time thanks. the pancetta flatbread app was really tasty - came out looking more like a pizza but the cheesy bacony flavors were a crowd pleaser to be sure.
3 out of 6 of us ordered the burger - which came out with zero dressings (no tomato, lettuce, onion - nada) except for a bbq type sauce on the side. good flavor but really why skimp on the fixings? and we had to ask for ketchup for the handful or so fries that came on the lonely looking plate.
someone ordered the paella which was good but huge for one person - better off splitting this dish for 2 if you go for it. another person got one of the pizzas which was also good but apparently nothing special.
the highlight of the meal was actually the butter that came with the bread - there was some sweet taste to it that we couldn't put our fingers on until the waiter explained that it was agave. +1 for getting creative with that, would never have thought!
all in all i'd say the experience was good but it didn't blow my mind... i would def go here again but it didn't do much to sway me from the tried and true 21st Amendment up the street.
Snapper sandwich with jalapeño aioli on perfectly soft bread?
Thank you sir, may I have another?
I've eaten here for breakfast, lunch and dinner and each experience was awesome.
The coffee is awesome, and despite the sometimes long line, the barista's are actually friendly. Wow, guess they didn't hear SF baristas are supposed to be an untrained pack of dicks.
Oh, and they have cinnamon buns with Bacon in them. That's not a typo, cinnamon buns with M***** F****** BACON. Is 10 am too early for beer? I'm going to find out next time I see those buns...what was I talking about? Oh, yeah...
Lunch is not only tasty but surprisingly affordable, considering the ass rape alley that is lunch options around here. Be forewarned, the pizzas are excellent BUT made fresh to order (they might be flown in from Italy) and take awhile. If you've got to go back to work in 30, try the meatball Parmesan sandwich. I would eat one every day, if I wasn't afraid to get sick of it. So god damn good.
I sat in the ambient upstairs loft area for dinner. We had the Corn on the Cob salad, the Bison Burger and the Flat Iron stomach and a couple pints of Beer. I wish I had three more stomachs when I eat here.
The staff is alert, not pushy, funky and professional. So much so, you might forget your eating in SF. And if you order something to go, the counter girl might even draw cartoons on it, making it an awesome lunch and a collectors item.
Give it a shot if your in the area.
Avocado tempura. Yum!
Pizza with mushrooms, kale, and hella garlic.
Delicious seafood dishes.
Super friendly service with great wine recommendations.
We came here for dinner tonight. No reservations were made, and we got seated right away! This restaurant is two floors, and there's a nice look and feel to this place. I like!
So now . . . how's the food? Between the two of us, we ordered the Fig & Prosciutto Pizza (small) and the Paella Mixta. The fig pizza was interesting, but delicious. The Paella was good too, but not as good as the ones I had in Buenos Aires, of course. And at almost triple the price. Damn San Francisco prices! Ha.
I'd definitely recommend this place. Oh yeah, they have happy hour. Buy a pitcher of beer and you get $5 off a pizza. Just check out their Happy Hour menu.
Is it just me, or does SOMA seem to get cooler and cooler by the day? Sure, it's expensive to live in the fancy condos that make up most of the urban living spaces in the area, and it can be almost as bad has hangin' on Chestnut on a Friday when the weekend warriors invade the scene, but pound for pound, there's come cool stuff popping up on the regular south of Market.
Ironside has been open for about 1.5 months now, and it's becoming a favorite among the working class in the area. If it's lunch you're looking for, they've got you covered. On the flip side, if you're into an after work snack accompanied by a glass of vino, they can fuel your needs there as well.
I can't comment on the dinner menu, but the lunch menu is pretty legit. Like some other trendy restaurants in the city, they're reviving the panini with an artisan twist. They feature sandwiches like pressed cubanos, pulled chicken and grilled snapper... all served hot, melty and delicious.
If you're not in the mood for sandwiches, they also have soups, salads, and the other lunch fare you'd come to expect.
You can choose to wash your meal down with Four Barrel coffee from the heart of the Mission, or imbibe in a three-martini lunch (figuratively speaking, as they only serve beer/wine). Their wine comes from a tap, which apparently cuts cost on the wholesale side of things, and that trickles down to savings for the consumer. Cheap wine, without the gnarly hangover later.
All in all, a hip space with moderately priced, quality grub and a smiling wait staff. What more could you ask for?
3.5 stars.
I loved the vibe at Ironside, but I didn't love the food... well, except for dessert. I'd go back just for that alone.
Located in the Chronicle Books building, the restaurant is named for the foundry that once occupied the space. The loft space is warm and inviting, with exposed brick and beams, walnut wood tables and a cool vintage beer billboard on the wall. On the bottom level, there's a communal table that allows you to get cozy with your neighbors. It's kind of like the newer, smaller version of NOPA in SOMA.
The menu is filled with comfort food selections, and everything looks mouth-wateringly good. We decided to share and got the fig and prosciutto pizza and the baked mac 'n' cheese with bacon and broccoli. Let's just say, they looked better than they tasted. The pizza had potential, with gobs of goat cheese, sweet figs and prosciutto covered by a layer of spinach. However, it was a little bland (I know, how could that be with all those toppings) and the thin crust was baked to a crisp, which I'm not a fan of. The mac 'n' cheese was way too runny for my taste. I began to wish I'd ordered the bison burger or seafood paella instead. But the dessert redeemed the meal. The brownie and banana sundae was scrumptious. The bananas were caramelized perfectly on the inside, and the maple-walnut ice cream on top was super creamy.
Service was awesome, and for that I'll most likely return for breakfast or lunch, and possibly for dinner again. I also want to try their wine on tap, so I'll probably check out their happy hour.
Coffee fiends will be happy to know they serve Four Barrel Coffee, and sweettooths should follow them on Twitter @ironsidesf for daily alerts about their freshly baked cookies. If you're on the go, or need to take lunch back to the office, you can also place your order online for pick up.
Unlike Old Ironsides in Sac, this is the new Ironside in SF.
On the service side, everyone we encountered was perfect and sublime. When we arrived, the hostess set the mood. Maybe it was just me, but she seemed more like an old friend, both happy and a bit inquisitive to see us at her door. She was super laid back, but not in a bad way.
Waiter and all other servers/helpers were patient, nice and attentive.
The food was ... pretty good. I might not get the fig and goat cheese pizza again but it wasn't bad. Mac 'n' cheese was good and flavorful, but a bit runny as my friend, Connie C, pointed out.
Dessert? Brownie and Banana Sundae. This is the kind of goodness that shuts you up in mid-ramble and helps gravity pull you down in your chair.
I would like to see what would happen if say, Wall Street collectively shared one of these desserts. "BUY!! BUY!! SELL!! SE--"
*Thud. Hundreds of brokers splayed out on the floor, zen'd out and doodling on napkins."
Hey, for all we know, this is what really goes down when the cameras aren't rolling.
Went here for lunch with a large group of people on a Friday afternoon.
You order at the cash register, the line moved quickly and there are plenty of menus to look at while you wait.
We quickly found a table big enough for everyone (8 or 9 of us) at peak lunch hour.
The food came out a little slowly, but smaller parties got their food quickly so we decided if we had a smaller group things would have gone smoother.
I had regular cola, sweetened with agave syrup (not the corn syrup garbage used in Coca Cola) and it was delicious. My lunch was the Slow Roasted Turkey Sandwich with balsamic onion jam - delicious. I would order it again in a heart beat, but my co-worker had the Pressed Cubano and I plan on trying that next time.
The interior has a laid back / rustic aesthetic.
Would definitely recommend trying it out. The pastries looked good, too, but I didn't get a chance to try them.
Great spot near the ballpark with incredibly tasty food options and a fun, upbeat ambiance. The service was exceptional and everything from starters to dessert was top-notch.
I highly recommend Ironside for groups. I went tonight with 8 friends and we were seated quickly and were able to share most of the entrees "family style", which was great because we wanted to try pretty much everything on the menu.
You gotta try the fried avocado and the raclette was superb (gotta eat it quickly before the cheese gets cold). The steak and the pork was amazing too...
mostly - the chocolate brownie sundae and the apple tart made the end of the evening as amazing as possible.
Definitely going back soon!
I have been coming here pretty regularly since I am just around the corner - haven't had a repeat experience of my first online order. Now, everytime I get there, my order is ready and waiting for me, sometimes much earlier than the time promised! If I didn't know better I'd say they have me on some kind of list or something!
Anyway, haven't made it here to actually eat inside yet, but definitely my favorite for takeout. Their food is always tastes fresh and is dependably delicious!
Really great addition to the area. I am so bored of the usual South Park fare. Let me tell you,… Read more »
I heart Ironside ...oh wait, you didn't mean the TV show starring Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-bound San Francisco detective, did you? Well, did you know Natalie Wood was his beard in the 1950's as she was secretly romancing Robert Wagner, who was apparently going hot and heavy with Barbara Stanwyck, about a quarter-century his senior? Blech. OK, OK, I'm stalling, I'm stalling ...'cause well, I just wasn't culinarily thrilled with Ironside despite its appetizing menu.
There's a nice vibe to the place, kind of a warehouse-feeling cross between Salt House and Chow, with a way-too-loud bar area where several Blackberry-dependent colleagues were hoisting a few at several decibels above a whale's mating call. The waiter immediately sensed our growing deafness and moved us up to the loft area where we had a more comfortable table for two. Jamie W. and I started with two appetizers. The first was the $5 Tempura-Fried Avocado with a sweet chile aioli. I have nothing against tempura or avocados, but together, it was a case of the bland leading the bland. The aioli only made it all taste heavier.
The second actually required labor. It was the $7 Roasted Corn on the Cob with queso fresco, chipotle aioli and a carnitas salad (see photo). They give you a large steak knife to shave the kernels off the cob and have you mix it in the salad yourself. It took such a long time to pull together that I was hoping to get benefits and incentive comp from the restaurant. The result was tasty though. So was my entree, the tender $22 Flatiron Steak prepared medium rare and covered in a big pat of le frere butter. It was just that the portion seemed small for the money, and unfortunately the sliced bistro potatoes were swimming in the greasy sauce underneath the steak.
Jamie tried the $17 Porchetta, a big slab of meat which is described as "slow roasted pork saddle" (see photo). I didn't know pigs had saddles. Giddy-yup, Porky. It tasted like a cross between ham and a pork chop. Not bad but it came in an extremely oversalted bath of stewed cannellini beans so watery that when Jamie's knife slipped the bowl, he received a big splash stain on his prized Powell's Books T-shirt. We did manage to share the dessert that was the waiter's recommendation, the $8 Heirloom Apple Tartlet which came a la mode. Now that was an unqualified winner.
The service is so nice there that I wish the execution on the food could match that. Perhaps in time, perhaps not. I'm not dying to come back, but I could see the likelihood of me watching a rerun of "Ironside" on TV Land slightly higher than a return visit back here. The retro water skiing poster on the brick wall is a pip (see photo), although that decorating touch seems so five-years-ago.
FOOD - 3 stars...nice ideas, execution still needs a lot of work
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...a very SoMa vibe
SERVICE - 4 stars....solid and quite accommodating
TOTAL - 3 stars...but it's really about the food, isn't it?
Cute, sleek new spot in the Soma with beautiful exposed brick walls and delicious food. The staff was friendly and again, the food delicious.
Lunch: Autumn Vegetable Pizza- a touch sweet with cohesive pop in your mouth flavors that work well together
Snapper Sandwich- fresh, the bread soft & tasty, accompanying salad simple and vibrant.
Nicoise Salad- the usual suspects of a Nicoise salad- tasty and fresh
Would definitely come back again! Looking forward to Happy Hour then dinner.
I've been here twice now, once for coffee, and once for lunch. The coffee was good, and the lunch food was delicious! We had an ironside pizza and their turkey sandwich. The pizza was good: thin crust, nice boar sausage, and good sized. The sandwich was out of this world! Definitely try that first.
The ambiance is really cool, and there's a fair amount of seating, but you should know one thing: they are not fast! We waited for 35 minutes to get our food. It was a long 35 minutes for a small restaurant. Go when it's not busy, and be wary that the pizza takes a while.
Thumbs up: Delicious food, great ambiance, delicious food.
Thumbs down: slow as molasses, street parking, gets real chaotic when they're busy.
My friend Dani and I hadn't had a chance to catch up in a while, so we decided to try the new neighborhood restaurant, Ironside. OK, so it's not really so new anymore, but it was new to us.
No reservations necessary for a Monday night. I got there a few mins before Dani and decided to wait at the bar. Oops... there is no bar. Strike 1.
I sat on the bench at the front had had the Michael Jackson look-alike hostess ask me several times if I wanted to sit at a table and get a cocktail. I heard her the first three times she asked in a 5 minute window, and my answer didn't change. No stop pestering me! No, I wouldn't be more comfortable waiting at the table with a cocktail!! Strike 2.
Sat down at our table, upstairs. Waitress came over and offered us drinks. We ordered two beers. She returned and put Dani's on the table, then promptly spilled mine all over Dani's purse and the tray she was carrying it on. Strike 3. No effort to clean the purse or find a napkin. But she did quickly scamper back downstairs to get me another beer. Her focus on getting me suds keeps Strike 3 away - for now.
We ordered the Corn appetizer to share, and we both ordered a salad and a pizza to split. Dani got the mixed greens and I got the Caesar salad. Salad and corn came after what seemed to be a long wait. We're not in any hurry, but seemed to take a long time to make the salads. Corn was accompanied by a knife so we could cut it off the cob and mix it with the salad it came with. Overall, tasty.
Both the mixed green salad and Caesar salad were both doused with dressing. My comment to Dani: Good thing they gave me some lettuce to go with my salad dressing. Hers was the same.
Waitress asked if we wanted pepper for the salad. No for me, yes for Dani. The waitress then crushed fresh pepper into a giant pile in the same spot on Dani's salad. No movement to sprinkle around. The waitress walked away and Dani and I just looked at each other. Clearly this waitress has never waited tables before.
Overdressed salads out of the way, the pizza came. But first, the busboy came over and asked us a few questions so he could take the dishes away. It reminded us of the low-talker from Seinfeld. We had no idea what this dude said. He was back a few more times and eventually I answered his question with my lips moving and no voice, just because it was funny and ridiculous.
On to the pizza... we got the Ironside, tomato sauce and mozzarella, with Arugula and Prosciutto. Overall the pizza was good. I mentioend that I thought Amici's was better. Dani enjoyed this better than Amici's. No salt and pepper on the table, so good thing we didn't want any.
Desserts were offered, but we passed. Total cost with a generous 18% tip was $71. I won't mind going back, but I certainly won't hurry. Better service, better food elsewhere nearby.
2nd Street South was in serious need of some new lunch places, so I was super excited to give Ironside a try. I love this place. It feels a bit like I'm eating in a cafeteria...but I mean that in the best way possible. Its a line-up-order-grab-a-number-sit-at-a-community-tab le-and-enjoy type restaurant. Casual, comfortable, and classic. Exposed brick and beams make this place feel "lived in".
But let's talk food...theirs is delicious. Light, fresh, filling. I've had the clam chowder 3 times now. You can't go wrong with smokey bacon & tabasco butter (What? Genius!) on top. The caesar salad is also good. I shared the Ironside pizza with friends and we were fighting over the last piece. Simple. Fantastic.
Lastly, don't overlook the goodies at the register. We got the oatmeal cookie AND the chocolate chip w/ cayenne to share. SO GOOD!
Looking forward to trying this place for dinner and/or happy hour!
Love this place! Hearts for the decor, it sounds just like the name.
Order at the front, take a number & place settings (wrapped in a cute kitchen like hand towel) and they deliver to you. Sit up or downstairs - your choice. Lots of parking during lunch hour.
My bestie and I shared the meatball sandwich and the ironside pizza w/ white anchovy & boar sausage. Both really good. I really enjoyed the pizza - the anchovies weren't overpowering, subtle and delicious. I've seen other reviews disliking the tastiness but I think it's simple and you can always alter w/ salt, pepper, etc. Their lunch menu has a good variety from delicious butternut squash soup, cobb salad, pizza, and warm sandwiches. I'll be back!
This place is a pretty good addition to the slightly bland SOMA. It's not really sure what it is, I think, but that may not be a bad thing.
I showed up just as they were setting up tables for dinner service. It was little intimidating. There was no hostess (yet), there is no bar, and all the tables had place settings, so I didn't know what to do. Do I order at the counter? Do I seat myself? Is there a bar upstairs?
One of the chefs/cooks actually rescued me. He said that I could sit anywhere and also could order a beer at the counter while I waited for friends to arrive. So, it's kind of like a neighborhood coffee bar, but you can order a beer, but then you can also sit at a table and order dinner. Make sense? Well, not really to me either but I think it works.
The food was pretty good but everything was a bit salty and everything must have an incredibly high fat content. (Maybe this had something to do with how we ordered... mac & cheese, baked raclette, flatbread with creme fraiche, bison burger, deep fried avacado, steak, apple tart with ice cream, banana chocolate brownie with ice cream...) Yikes! Anyway, everything was tasty but it would be hard to mess up food that is so ridiculously high in fat content, no?
Plus one for attentive servers, minus one for ultra caloric (but very tasty!) bar food, plus one for Four Barrel coffee(!), minus one for a beer selection that includes pseudo-micro brews (Shock Top from budweiser? come on, guys!), plus one for atmosphere/design, minus one for slightly confusing format.
If they fix the beer list and tone down the over present butter and cheese from the menu a bit, I will be back.
Not insanely good. Not terribly bad either.
Loved the decor and the huge Lucky Lager installation against the brick wall. Service was friendly. But my pressed Cubano needed a tad bit of juiciness. The pork was DRY. The saving grace was the gruyere cheese.
It's one of those places that are been there done that. Not sure if I'd go back.
Pretty good burger. And mac and cheese.
The wait: expect to wait at least 20-30 minutes for a table.
The atmosphere: It's pretty loud; don't expect to have much of a conversation.
The food: the burger was great. the mac and cheese was good. the avocado tempura was just OK.
I'd definitely order food from here, but it wouldn't be my first choice of places to dine out. I will say though it's a nice addition to the neighborhood.
The food is great, but don't park outside. My car got broken into last night, right outside the entrance. What's worse is that the owner was notified that someone was casing my car by another victim who has his windows smashed right across the street and he didn't bother to ask anyone in the restaurant while we were eating or even call the police. They need better security at night in that area.
Came here for dinner two Fridays ago after an insane busy work week.
Notes: they don't take reservations. They don't have a full bar. Their happy hour has been described to me as "not so happy".
But Ironside had me at corn (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). This was AMAZING. You cut it off the cob (see giant steak knife). Then you mix it all together with the queso fresco, chipotle aioli, and carnitas salad. So delicious. You can't go wrong!
Skip the overpriced mac and cheese (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). Looks better than it tastes.
By the time we got to our flatbread (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) I was pretty stuffed. This one came with bacon, caramelized onion and crème fraîche. The crust was thin and crunchy, just the way I like it.
Also skip the wine. The one we had was forgettable. Very forgettable.
A friend and I decided to walk over to Ironside for lunch yesterday, and I'm glad we did. The decor of the place is great....a lot of impressive custom steel work and use of reclaimed wood.
I was just feeling like a salad, so I went with the classic Chicken Caesar. First of all, it came as a wedge - minus one star. If I pay $12 for a salad, at least toss it for me, so I don't make a mess all over the table. Then I ate a crouton, and to my surprise there was yummy cheese inside - plus one star. DElicious! They also have a few really good beers on tap too, if you can avoid falling asleep at your desk an hour later.
All in all, I'm glad to see another lunch spot pop up on 2nd Street. It's about time.
We stopped by here for dinner on Saturday. The first impression was that they did a great job renovating the place. They've added a lot of nice touches including the historical photos and custom wood chairs.
The menu also looked pretty good. They have a selection of reasonably priced pizzas and some more expensive entrees. I got the mushroom pizza while my wife got the veggie paella and butternut squash soup. The food was good but all in all I wasn't that impressed. The pizza lacked flavor and the paella could have been crunchier. The soup was probably the best part of the meal.
I'm sure I'll be back and hopefully one of the other entrees will exceed my expectations.
We risked life and limb to come here. No seriously, we did. Our walk included a very scary looking blade cutting open the street (one loose screw and that thing could have come flying our way), as well a car crash right after we passed through an intersection. We paused. Fortunately everyone emerged from their cars fine. We marched onward.
The risk/reward was outstanding.
The District team (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) has done it again. I quickly fell in love with the space - modern, rustic, inviting and spacious with seating upstairs and downstairs. She enjoyed her pizza, and I had the slow roasted turkey sandwich. A slight miss on the first attempt (forgetting to leave off the cheese) was quickly replaced with an even larger second attempt. Afterwards I declared it to be one of the best I've had all year. Maybe ever. Do not miss the outstanding balsamic onion jam. I asked for it on the side. Every bit was used.
Bonus points for the unexpected side salad. Be sure to ask for no dressing if that is your preference. They redid mine no questions asked.
The coffee, breakfast, dinner and cookie offerings look equally good. I can't wait to come back. Again and again.
I really enjoyed dinner at Ironside on a Thursday night. Since I was with 3 others we were able to order a variety of dishes and get a good feel for the menu. I read yelp reviews before our visit and it was pretty consistent to what others had said.
Hits: Snapper was delicious, wild mushroom pizza was divine, and the cukes and quinoa salad was something I want to try and replicate at home -- so refreshing!
Misses: Wild boar pizza, seafood paella
For a more intimate dinner or a date I would definitely have waited for an upstairs table, as the downstairs is very action packed - sports on the flat screens, tons of action in the kitchen! Regardless, I am so excited to have a new spot in the neighborhood that is casual but still charming!
This is a great new spot, I recommended the tempura avocado and the pizza was worth a trip back. I can't wait to go back an try and mac n' cheese and corn.
The decor is historic and noteworthy. Our server was very friendly and accomodating. I think this is a great new addition to the neighborhood. I recommending checking it out, I'll be back again.
You know when you buy a sandwich and you say to yourself, "Okay, I'm only going to eat half now, and I'll save the other half for dinner tonight," but then the sandwich is so magically delicious that, after that 1st half, you stare at the rest in agony trying to decide if you should go for it or not? Like, people could be talking to you and really you're just nodding and thinking, "Man, am I gonna eat this sandwich? Maybe just 1 bite..."
This has happened to me every time I have been to Ironside for lunch, and damnit, if they weren't so good maybe I'd be able to resist that 2nd half. But alas, 4 out of 4 times I've failed.
Their sandwiches dominate me for a few reasons. First, the people here know their meat-to-bread ratio - the first step in making world class sandwich. Second, the bread is warm and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. Finally, it seems like in every sandwich they know how to balance out flavors - something salty with something sweet. They have a sweet onion jam that goes with the turkey, or a sweetness of pickle with the cubano, or pickled onion on the red snapper. Of course, you're paying for this kind of expertise (as my friend put it, "They have balls to charge $13 for a sandwich"), but who cares when you're putting it on the company card?
This place has been crazy crowded around lunch, so be weary of just popping in if you're in a rush. But they've found a way to get around this problem - ONLINE ORDERING. It's like the owners sat in a room and said, "What will make us the most baller lunch spot around? BOOM - Online orders." Your food is ready (and warm) for pickup whenever you need it. It saves you the waiting in line/around for your food time, and gives you more time to sit down and enjoy the lively, modern atmosphere.
One last thing - I saw a bi-rite truck in front of this place. And, if they are getting their food from Bi-rite (the center of my universe), there is no wonder why the quality is impeccable.
Bottom line, this place makes one mean sandwich and I have no doubt the rest of the menu will live up to my highest expectations.
Im an AAU student getting tired of the usual packed sandwiches I make in the morning. Being a yelp addict, i decided to check this place out after hearing of it a couple times.
Pretty cool place. It's got a modern tavern feeling to it, 2 floors. Great place to sit down and eat in.
Anyway, I had the cold snapper sandwich. No complaints. The fish is fresh and all the other ingredients are too. It's not too heavy.
But with all the places to eat around the bay area, this one didn't really stand out. I guess if you're on the run or watching a game and looking for a quick bite before/after, then well it's probably better than most places to eat in the district.
I enjoyed this place. They had a small but decent beer selection and the menu was interesting. I had the Buffalo burger with delicious caramelized onions and blue cheese. My fries came with an aioli dipping sauce which I remember being a little addictive. They did cook my burger more then I would expect for medium rare but it was delicious all the same. The waiter was awesome and had a non pushy way of making sure our needs were met at all times. The space was what you would expect from the name/location. Being in SOMA it had a hipster/polished industrial feel to it. I especially liked the staircase which leads to the top floor.
After six years of patiently enduring all of the mediocre lunch options in this neighborhood, I have finally been rewarded with the appearance of Ironside.
Today I ate the most delicious turkey sandwich for lunch. It was a perfect blend of turkey, smoked gouda and balsamic onion jam. And the bread was to die for-- at once flaky and soft. I am instantly addicted.
One of my coworkers had the steak and cheese sandwich and the other had the tomato and mozzarella sandwich. We were all jumping for joy, finally having discovered another restaurant to patronize that will please both our wallets and our tummies. I look forward to trying pretty much everything on that tempting menu. Why the hell not?
And for dessert I had an evil breakfast bun (it has bacon on it), which is thankfully very tiny, because it was sinfully delicious.
Decor was very nice and the service was friendly and professional.
Hmph! Justin R. stole my thunder! Apparently, all discussion of our eventide meal has been hashed out under the melodious ramblings of his droll wit. My thoughts robbed, minute details displayed with the precision of a magnifying glass, but nevertheless well-written. So no argument on that aspect. Welcome back.
xoxo,
Miss drowsy raccoon
You know a restaurant is great when the worse thing you can say about it is that they have too many tempting dishes on their menu.
I ordered the game hen after a very long internal debate in which I changed my mind from the game hen to the paella to the game hen and baked mac and cheese and back again. The game hen was perfectly cooked but a tad on the salty side. The accompanying semolina pudding cake and braised escarole rounded out the balanced dish.
The wine on tap is surprising good. I ordered the Rhone blend and was pleasantly surprised to discover that a house wine could be so affordable and drinkable.
Oh and our server gets bonus points for going above and beyond. He noticed that our table was a tad wobbly, went to get something to wedge under the leg and fixed it in 10 seconds. A very small thing but something that surely would have annoyed us throughout our meal. It was great that he took the extra step to notice the minor annoyance and did something about it without being asked. Such a nice change from the I'm-too-cool-to-care-or-to-do-my-job waitstaff that I normally encounter in new places.
Now I have to go back so I can try all the dishes not yet chosen.
The fellas from District have done it again, and in a very different sort of way. With Ironside, we get a casual eatery, serving breakfast, lunch, happy hour (yes, that is a meal) and soon dinner. The food is all comforting, not quite heartland, but there's something very new American to it all; and that's a compliment.
I was there just this past Friday for lunch, and enjoyed a pitch perfect pizza, along with some Shock Top White Beer (I went with a pint, but if it were just a little later, a little more sunny and lazy in the day, a pitcher would have been ideal). And if you're feeling (relatively) fancy, they have 1 red and 1 white on tap! It's rather good adult grape juice, too, without the high costs of bottling and distribution tagged on. There's also a nice selection of salads, which are pretty easy to split, and some solid-sounding sandwiches (pressed cubano, cheese steak, grilled snapper...).
As to the space, it's just that: spacious and lofty with sturdy wood beams and benches, giving it a nice modern rustic juxtaposition. It's housed in what was once a shipbuilding company, so the name "Ironside" is in homage to that history. The downstairs is bustling, and that's also where you order from, but for me, the upstairs offers a bit more solitude while remaining convivial.
Ironside is sure to be hit, whether before a ball game, for meetings throughout the day (they serve Four Barrel Coffee), or for a relaxed and simple but satisfying meal. Still, my bet is on the hours from 4-7pm, when the sun is setting but the fun is just beginning. Hope to see you there.
I went to Ironside last night for dinner and had a great experience!
First, they have the most incredibly friendly staff. The hostesses were so helpful and accommodating as was the wait staff. They really contributed to an overall great evening.
The food was really great. It is all reasonably priced but delicious and, in my opinion, as good as any overpriced restaurant. We got many different dishes and all shared. All were equally good. The fried Avocado was delicious, the pizzas were great. The macaroni and cheese and baked raclette were also very good.
Lastly, the decor of the restaurant is beautiful and comfortable.
Overall, this is a great place and I would recommend anyone give it a try. I hope to see that the restaurant continues to be successful.
Food: 4 stars
Had dinner here with a large group of friends. The food was pretty delicious, especially the corn with carnitas appetizer. The house red is delish too.
Overall staff: 4 stars
Our server: 1 star
The staff was nice and accommodating for our party of 12...the downside, our server is very off-putting. Telling your diners how they should order their food, and where they should sit is not cool.
$15 Dinner Special
Neighborhood: Castro
Sundays & Mondays NFL Ticket
Neighborhood: Old Oakland
I don't have a car so you better believe I'm…
My boyfriend and I go out to dinner together at…
If you need to get lunch near the CalTrain…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
For those outside of SoMa who think life as we…
