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Categories: Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches
Neighborhoods: Civic Center/Tenderloin, Union SquareMon-Thu. 10:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
"Birley's a new favorite of mine in the FiDi. I've tried a couple of really fantastic sandwiches and will plan on working through the rest of…" read more »
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Three words - Aioli Dipping Sauce. It's why this is one of my favorite restaurants. Great view of SF, great staff, and great AIOLI SAUCE for my fries. :D
Their club sandwich is fat. I'm talking stacked with avocado, bacon, chicken, etc. It is absolutely delicious. I don't think I've had a better club than this. BTW, it comes with fries and AIOLI SAUCE. Ah, I love that purple sauce! It's also a great place to grab dessert. Their chocolate cake on top of caramel sauce is heavenly.
You may get dizzy going up the windy escalators for more than six or more floors, so try the elevators if you're feeling hungry after all that shopping. Great food! I love this place. Mmmm...tonight, I dream of Aioli!
I am a big fan of Nordstrom Cafe! After some hardcore holiday shopping, we ate here because it was… Read more »
Ahh!! A McFatty shopaholic's dream come true: a classy restaurant with a fantastic city view and delicious food...INSIDE OF ONE OF THE BEST DEPARTMENT STORES EVER?! Yes, that is Nordstrom Cafe Bistro, and yes, I am a McFatty...and a shopaholic.
At first, I thought that the two shoe sections on the first and second floors were enough reason to spend 3 hours at SF's Nordstrom. Then, I discovered Cafe Bistro...and their steak sandwich, shoestring fries, and olive dipping sauce. YUM. I can now spend 4-5 hours here!
Perfect date: dinner at Nordstrom Cafe Bistro + a pair of new shoes--on you. :)
Leave your preconceived notions that eating at the mall lacks ambience and head to this Nordstrom Cafe Bistro for a meal with a view where SF looks postcard perfect.
Food is consistently good without having your accountant question your lunch spending limits. While I am a fan of their Nicoise salad, seeing Cipiono on the menu was a nice and tasty surprise.
However, a bit unexpected on service when the waitress was initially unwilling to send back the very burnt toast. Otherwise, service at all other times reflects the Nordstrom commitment to customer service.
Went here for a going away luncheon. Food was decent. I had a cup of lobster bisque, not bad and a tomato salad with some crumbly feta type cheese on top. The salad was very tasty. Others had salmon, which they said was good, caesar salad, also good, and steak sandwich.
The service was spotty. Good thru main courses, disappearing when dessert time arrived. Not a bad place to go for lunch, just be prepared to wait for dessert!
This place is awesome!
The View!
The Price!
The People!
I'm glad i stumbled upon this place its all the way to the top .. I took the escaltors 6 floors up or something and saw Bistros :) go for it and enjoy a romantic evening with your Girl!
the food here is pretty good. the staff, like any employee in sf, is snooty and sneers at me and my boyfriend when all we order are desserts and drinks. honestly, why do i always get attitude from sf workers?
anyway, on to the food
white raspberry bread pudding--amazing..so decadent and soft
chocolate cake--sits in a pond of caramel and covered in cocoa powder. not too crazy about the cocoa powder because if you inhale it... it's kind of painful
pizzas--always freshly made and hot
soups--they don't have the signature creamy roma tomato soup with basil. WHAT A GYP. I only like nordstroms cafes that have this soup.
drinks--the bellini was delicious. kind of nice fresh twist away from a mimosa.
pastas--good portions (not too large) and just the perfect amount of sauce, cheese, and meat. great. better than cheesecake factory's imo.
great views and no need to wait for a table (at least in my experience)
nordies, please work on your attitude.
My oh my oh my. My friend said that the white chocolate bread pudding here was to die for...and boy was she right. You get a huge slice of pretty dense bread that has soaked up all kinds of wonderful sweet flavors. It rests on a bed of white chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce, fresh raspberries, whipped cream, and shavings of white chocolate that begin to melt from the bread's heat before your very eyes. Sinfully delicious...the perfect way to end a dinner downtown...overlooking the beautiful San Francisco buildings.
I came here with a gal pal after doing some shopping in downtown and we perched ourselves at a nice little table overlooking the street below us. Although it's not a fantastic view, it's high up and gives a view of the outdoors so that you don't feel too cooped up inside, especially after a day inside shops and walking down sidewalks shaded by the tall buildings. The service was great, and I enjoyed the gelato options they had to offer - I particularly enjoyed this red wine raspberry gelato they had. The coffee service was delish and did the trick for me as well.
Nordy's Bistro tends to be one of those really safe choices that automatically warrants a 4/5 star rating.
The staff is always friendly, the view from the top floor of the Westfield overlooking Market makes for such a pleasant dining experience, it's the perfect place to grab a relatively decent-priced dinner after work, during a shopping break, or just if you're in the Union Square/downtown area and want a guaranteed tasty, bistro-style meal. Choose from from their signature items that are all overwhelmingly delicious - from the savory, flavor loaded crab bisque (served with a tasty cheesy crunchy sliced baguette), the huge colorful/chunky salads, the filling, tasty sandwiches, the the crispy-thin shoestring fries with that creamy, purple, crack-laced olive dip (and spread), and ending with the huge, thick, fluffy slice of bread pudding with a warm white chocolate and raspberry sauce.
Don't lie - one of those had to have appealed to you if you're hungry and reading this.
But, still, it feels like a four star place, right? Something about it - maybe because it's a chain, maybe because it's not some exotic, hidden gem of a hole in the wall?
I don't buy into that at all - the food is (dare I say) memorably delicious, the prices are just right, and that chocolate-y mint stick they give you with your check at the end just seals the deal.
Give me a better reason to dock off a star. 'Cause, until you do - I'm not taking this one back.
Five stars, for sure.
You'd think that in this glorious city, full of hole-in-the-wall authentic and cheap eats, I'd go to one of those places. Nope.
Great views of the city are definitely a bonus in this place. The service is great, the food is excellent. It's definitely one of those places where you know you'll get a good meal in a classy-ish environment.
I highly recommend their chicken - it's roasted with yummy herbs and served with fries and a wonderful garlic aioli-olive dip. Yum! Oh, and of course you have to sit and admire the view while you're there.
If only I shopped at Nordstroms more.
Wow, loved the view. I couldn't handle the mall any longer, and I really appreciated the quiet ambiance of the restaurant. Good place to grab a quick bite at a nice place without a big bill.
The food I guess could've been better. I am a huge fan of french onion soup, and expected more from them. It was okay, but it wasn't I guess, dark tasting enough? if that makes any sense. The lobster bisque did not disappoint, the cheesy bread it came with went really well with it. I got one of the sandwiches with grilled chicken with bacon...The fries and the raspberry dip were good, but the sandwich seemed a bit too dry.
Service was fast and prompt, and I definitely will come back to try other items.
In true Nordy fashion, this place delivers top notch service! I have been to this bistro many times since my move to SOMA and there's never been a miss. I love how the host always appears happy to seat you and the waiter is available for your drink order in just the right amount of time, along with prompt delivery of bread & comp olive oil + olives (yummmm, yes you read right - FREE olives!) They must be trained well to deal w/ ladies that have built an appetite after marathon shopping.
These dishes have never failed me, so I'd highly recommend:
-Fried Calamari App
-Pear, Gorgonzola + candied walnut salad
-Chicken breast sandwich
-French Fries with Kalamata Olive Aioli Sauce **a must**
-French Onion Soup
Located on Nordstrom Level 4, it's a nice place to rest your tired feet - quiet enough to chat with your girls and has a bar for those that require spirits to enhance their shopping experience. Since I'm a non drinker, their Iced Teas and Arnold Palmers hit the spot.
Hidden gem with great food, portions, service and an awesome view!
Food: A bit pricey, but sooo worth it. Well prepared/displayed fresh tasting, good portions. I really liked the salmon w/ fresh mango salsa (and I usually hate mango salsa), potatoes and string beans...mmmm
Service: attentive, friendly, prompt, knew when to do table service and ask us questions snuck in at moments during breaks in a deep conversation w/ a friend. Server (wish I caught her name!)knew ingredients in the food, even down to hidden ones (I have food allergies and I was amazed w/ her knowledge of hidden ingredients).
View speaks for itself. It especially makes an awesome date or something to show someone new to town or even just a little treat!
** They have NO espresso drinks. ACK! **
The bread pudding is not so great (See my photo - it's not as good as it looks): The white chocolate bread pudding at Commander's Palace in New Orleans is much better.
Date: April 11, 2009 @ 6PM
Occasion: Pre-Broadway Show Dinner with Boyfriend
Venue: A bistro on the top floor of Nordstrom
Decor: A nice bar as soon as you walk in. The bistro was one long hallway. The tables were placed either by the wall or by the big windows. There's a wraparound view of the San Francisco Buildings pretty much from every seat.
Social Scene: Tourists and people taking a break from shopping.
Service: Nice, friendly and flattering.
Salud!: 1 glass of Napa Cabernet $9 and Iced Tea $1.95
BF and I shared: Calamari with sesame sauce $9.95
BF: Bistro Steak with pomme frittes $19.95
Me: Chicken Breast Sandwich with pesto sans pancetta bacon $10.95
Tab: $65.73 (including tax and tip)
Overall:
1. This is a nice oasis in the heart of Union Square when you want to rest your weary legs from shopping.
2. Beautiful place with a view to have a drink.
3. The food was reliable but nothing special. The meat was tender and the flavors were okay.
4. The glass of wine was generous, fresh and very good. I hate a scanty and stingy glass of wine.
5. I've been here twice for dinner and each time the sun was just in my eyes. The view was nice but those rays were hard on the eyes. The window blinds would not go down. I've seen few people asked to be moved to different tables.
6. If you have an Opentable account, Cafe Bistro offers lots of 1000 point opportunities.
7. I will come back here for a quick drink with my girlfriends before jumping on the BART.
good place to stop for a refreshment when doing the girlie girl large scale american retail shopping thing with a good friend.
like previous reviews have stated, there are great views of the city and is a good place to get a little afternoon sunshine (if you happen to be so lucky for a sunny sf day). we stopped here for some coffee, tea and dessert among some girlie chit-chat.
their selection of ice cream, sorbets, and sorbetto's are delicious. given the choice of three, we selected the coconut macadamia, blackberry cabernet, and chocolate. all had intense flavor and good balance of richness and sugar.
overall, a good alternative to the noisy bustling food court down below.
As I previously stated I would no longer order the steak, so i opt for the margherita pizza last saturday it was absolutely amazing!! My sister had the Cesar salad ... if you order it without the chicken you save almost $3, which is great since you only get a small portion of chicken and its dry. If you order the pomme frites on the side its only $3!! I came back on friday and my sister and I had the same order, but there were some inconsistencies with both our orders. I wonder if it may be the difference in the day and night chef, but i dont know. The crust of my pizza was much tougher than the last time and my sister's salad dressing was watery and bland.
I used to come here often and craved the amazing pomme frites with kalamata olive sauce. I've been… Read more »
During the once a year sale I dropped in here for a quick latte and scone. Did not give one thought of the snack since I was still thinking about the Marc Nash boots I had just put on hold. Then it hit me. This is a really god scone and the late is perfect. Yea, yea, yea, the service is always great at Nordies, but the cafe was great. Oh yea, I did get the boots :)
When you don't want to be bothered by the hubbub of the city, have pleasant service, and have a quiet view... this is a place to have the peaceful meal.
Bf and I were tired of walking, tired from the commute from East Bay to Sf, tired of the shopping scene, and not really wanting to go back to the hotel room so we came here. It was a nice vacation from vacation, if you know what I mean. It was like sitting in the library where you can eat in private. At least that's how I felt.
It is amazing! Nothing more to say... good shopping & great food.
Parking can get pricey at the lot, but it's worth it!
This is a wonderful restaurant. Great service. It has a very good view of the city through the huge window. Their food is awesome:
Warm Asian Chicken Salad
Chicken Grand Ma' Mere
Caesar Salad
Fries with Aioli
Grilled Herb Chicken Sandwich
and many more dishes are spectacular! I know what you're thinking...
the food at a shopping mall bistro can't be THAT good. Well, here's the truth: it can, and it has a the Nordstrom Cafe Bistro.
Actually a nice, refreshingly quiet place tucked away on the 7th floor (or "N4") in Nordstrom's.
It's not the least bit hip or cool, but the food is quite good and the view is awesome. The crab bisque was great, caesar salad was okay.
Pretty much the perfect place for a business lunch, or to take your mom and grandma.
Excellent location for a shopping break and food. They definitely did a good job remodeling. I recommend this as a break spot for the union square shopper who needs a place to recuperate, rehydrate, and reenergize.
Service is fast and efficient and the waiter never lets your drink run low.
I remember when this Nordy's had three bars... The pub on the first level and the champagne exchange on the third level and a bar on the fourth level...
I sat @ the only bar left(this Nordstrom opened in 1988), after shopping for some K-Swiss tennis shoes and a pair of North Face workout long pants...
The coffee is very good and it cost only $1.95. Coffee @ The Rotunda is four bones... The server was so nice that he offered to give me a to go cup of coffee. I graciously declined, but that was very nice of him.
I had the club sandwich with fries. Unfortunately, the fries were cold when they arrived. The server/bartender immediately remedied this by going back into the kitchen and getting me a hot and crispy order of pomme frites.
The sandwich is good, but I wish they would use actual roasted chicken breast, as opposed to the thinly sliced deli type of pressed breast of chicken, which just isn't very good and I question whether actual chicken is used...
The service is very good and I really need to go to the joint more often...
No 4% surcharge @ this place...
I have never had bad food here, ever. That's pretty amazing.
This place is great, because it's in Nordstrom, so i don't have to leave my shopping to eat. I just stop shopping, eat, and continue shopping. It's almost as good as eating a sandwich while i shop, which is, I'm sure, not allowed.
I love their vodka lemonade, and they have yummy kalamata olive aioli dipping sauce for french fries or whatever else you want to dip, like your fingers. Their pizzas and salads are also great, and they have a soup and sandwich combo that's pretty affordable. I recommend the tomato soup.
The service is usually excellent, and I've never had to wait long long for a table. Another nice bonus is the view. It is of the tops of other buildings, and gives that fun sensation of being high up.
An excellent Salmon Salad Nicoise and great fresh lemonade.
It has a bit of a city view. I was there on Mother's Day Sunday so it was not very busy which is why I don't understand why we had to wait so long to be approached after we were seated. However, the server was personable and attentive once it all got going.
Best turkey sandwich (bistro club). This is what I normally order when I eat at Cafe Bistro. Nice fresh turkey with avocado and bacon, real bacon. It comes with fries and a mayo dipping sauce. Soooo good.
I always say to myself I'll try something different next time but I wind up ordering the same thing. I don't come often because it is a bit pricey but if I need a special treat this is where I go. For dessert I order the bread pudding which is excellent.
In a city like San Francisco, I just can't get too worked up about a department store restaurant. That said, the food here is pretty decent--my french onion soup was too salty, but the pasta entree redeemed the meal a bit. Come here for lunch or drinks and enjoy the view, which is really great.
Been here a lot for lunch, never for dinner, so I was surprised when we came here after 6pm and the place was transformed. Candles, perfect lighting and a great view of Market (much nicer at night).
My children are used to high end restaurants, but if I wanted to give them the experience at a reasonable price I'd come here.
Food is not cheap, but reasonable for what you get. The kids still get to order from the cheap child menu, yet the ambiance is that of a high-end place.
Yes. . . I am a Nordie's junkie. But as a mom this is the perfect spot for testing your kids before you waste a lot of money on a high-end meal only to wrangle them the entire time.
Besides, they always make good salmon.
The cheese plate was pretty good-- with a minor flaw. A good variety of cheese and olives and so on. Very fresh--except one of the cheeses was sorta looking oldish (and not in a good old cheese way)--it kinda looked like they had partially prepared the plate ahead and so the cheeses sort of melded together.
My friend had a good club sandwich but her fries were too salty.
Great views and, of course, great service. I can't wait to try the brunch.
All Nordstrom Cafes are places you can expect good food and service, but this one goes above and beyond. It has a beautiful view of the downtown area of San Francisco and feels much more like a restaurant than a cafe. It has a wide variety of choices and is pretty reasonably priced for the high quality you get. Service is usually attentive and prompt. If you've been shopping or working in the Union Square area you can't beat this restaurant for a great bite to eat.
Great find. Can't believe this was right under my nose and I was totally unaware. Stopped in on my way to ACT (sure beats Lori's) and had a nice meal with just enough 'walk' afterwards. Everything was really good--not spectacular--but really good and really convenient. I can see this would be a good chill spot when the downtown crowds are getting on your nerves. The menu was surprisingly reasonable AND I got 1000 points on Open Table!
It's all about the giant PB&J cookies!
Extra points for excellent service at the bar and very friendly hosts.
The wild mushroom pizza sufficed fine. Great flavors with a decent amount of mushrooms, garlic paste, and good carmelized balsamic onions. It didn't really need that much cheese and the filling kind of pooled in the middle of the rather thick crust, but I'd get that pizza again. It was hot and fresh.
One off for annoying Nordstrom employee on amphetamines sitting at the bar next to you while you're eating your pizza and saying they have the same salad every day at lunch and if they splurge at lunch they can't eat any dinner because they just bought a cocktail dress for the holidays and have to be skinny. The running monologue about the photos in the fashion magazine they're nervously flipping through doesn't help either. But my brother worked at Nordie's in Seattle and he used to eat at the bar in their cafe, so I'll treat that as an exception.
Looks like the bartenders make a mean cosmopolitain -- could be a great destination for a cocktail during christmas shopping.
So, my mother is constantly telling me to "dress more age-appropriate".
I would argue--and indeed I will-- that I have no desire to look my real age, and even less of a desire to be "appropriate". Regardless, as long as I can squeeze my womanly ass into a pair of cute stretchy jeans in the juniors department, I plan to do so. Until I am officially plus-size and/or a grandmother, I plan to throw caution to the wind and wear cheap textiles designed in revealing cuts that bind and grab in the most inappropriate of places. Because I'm pro-America like that.
Nonetheless, I still love shopping with my mother. I try on pants that barely cover my pubic hair, and she tries on pants with a waistband that rests daringly close her brassiere.
We roll our eyes at each other. There is a lot of eye-rolling. Then we go to the Salon Shoes department and try on Louboutins and cry.
And once we've worked up an appetite stretching out Manolos we have no intention of buying, we go and eat crab louis at the Nordstrom Bistro. It's pretty tasty and the view is great. I can even get a COCKtail if I so desire. COCKtails are good, because I have noticed that the more I drink, the more entitled I feel to buy hot pants and bustiers in the Brass Plum department.
Like, omigod.
If you like salads and work around this area, you ought to add Cafe Bistro to your rotation. I always forget about this place. Asian chicken salad, ceasar salad, salmon nicoise salad, french onion soup, french fries, all delicious!!!
Wait... are you a cafe or a bistro??? So confused.
Hmm...we went because I've had their crab cakes for lunch before and it was decent. (not the best, but decent) Since we were at Nordie's anyway, it's more convenient to just go here after shopping (I really didn't want to lug all my shopping bags around)
Let me just say that the food here is just very, VERY average. Our calamari was doused in oil. (it was served on this cone-shaped stand, so the oil was literally dripping onto the parchment paper) My grilled shrimp and asparagus risotto, I didn't think anything of it, I could've probably made a better version at home. My hunny went with a safe choice -- turkey club sandwich. (couldn't really mess that up you know?)
While the food at Bistro Cafe maybe average, our server Angelica was definitely not. She is just super. I wanted to branch out from my usual "cosmo" so I decided to try a different martini. Grey goose, champagne, Chambord and pineapple juice; sounds good huh? well, NOT really!
It wasn't my cup of tea. (or glass of cocktail, for that matter) It had a real strong cherry flavor which reminded me so much of cough syrup. I informed Angelica, rather hesitantly , that I needed to exchange my drink for something else. As she picked up the unwanted concoction, I blurted out "it tastes like cough syrup!" Oops.
She smiled and said no problem, but I seriously had to stretch my neck and see if the bartender was gonna spit in my drink or something...
Great choice for a meal while shopping. You'll spend just a little more than downstairs in the food court, only with real food, good service, and no screaming babies and aggressive shoppaholic stay at home moms with baby strollers, piles of shopping bags taking up valuable seating and long lines at each food vendor.
They have some awesome salads and crab cakes. Though a bit on the pricey side relative to the Stonestown Nordstrom Cafe, food comes out in good time and it's served with a smile.
They accept Nordstrom Notes!
Yuuummmm.. Writing this review makes me want to have lunch there tomorrow.
I will forever be a Nordies girl. During my shopping sprees, I'll pay a visit to the Nordstrom cafe to grab a salmon salad, fries, or pasta dish.
Everything I've ever ordered from the Nordstrom bistro cafe has been tasty. Service has always been great! After all Nordstrom is well known for their great service and the cafe never falls short on this.
You also get a cute view of the downtown area while dining here! yummy plus they give you chocolate mints after your meal. Don't forget to tip your server!
Love Nordy's Cafe.
I worked at the Valley Fair Nordy's back in '06 and would grab lunch at the cafe AT LEAST 3 times a week! Miss my discount. However, the food and service always keep me coming back.
Spent the weekend visiting my friend in SF and we grabbed a late lunch on a Saturday. It wasn't too busy at 4:00 PM. And, I love that this location has a full bar for all the men (husbands, dads, boyfriends) to grab a beer and catch some sports on the flat screen while waiting for their women to shop.
This time I ordered a cup of crab bisque (YUMMY!), the pepperoni pizza (good), and an earl grey tea. I love that they serve Mighty Leaf (my fave!) and the waitress was very attentive to make sure my little tea pot was filled with hot water. My friend ordered the NY Steak sandwich which was cooked perfectly medium, the fries were crispy and the kalamata aioli was divine.
The mint chocolate straws you get with your check remind me of Andes Creme de Menthe thins!
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