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Categories: American (New), Italian
Neighborhood: SOMAMon-Wed. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Thu-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"I tried this place the other day and thought the pizza was pretty good. Food: They serve pasta, salads, and most importantly pizza. It's…" read more »
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i love this place for happy hour!! their food is delicious!
i love that their open "late night" (till 12pm) and serve late night happy hour because most places dont and they have it mon-sat!
i love their crab and artichoke dip, mussels, calamari, and pizza! everything is a bargain here! selected appetizers are 50% off and the pizzas are only $5! they are "small" flat pizzas but great to share! they are actually pretty big when you get them...
the only down side to this place is their wait staff is pretty rude...they sort of kick u out and last call is at 10:45!
My coworker James Winans, a Realtor also recommends Palomino. He said that the chicken salad with the caramelized blue cheese dressing is so good.
I want to go back and try that salad. I also want to try one of Palomino's Pizza's. James also mentioned that they are very good.
Occasionally, James likes to take clients and business associates here. James and his associates have posted a new web site to help people understand the ongoing changes with the real estate market. See web link:
http://www.pulsefactor.../
Will post when I get to try the chicken salad or the pizza that James raved about.
This is a really nice place. Lots of class with good food. The prices seem a bit high but the food… Read more »
ALL DAY HAPPY HOUR. That's really all you really need to know =) [SUMMARY] Most appetizers half off, $5 on ALL of their pizzas that can feed at least 2 people, if not 3. And $4 for a few of their cocktail drinks, wine and light beer. AMAZING deal if you ask me.
[PARKING] If you are often in the city, it's hard to find a place that has happy hour ALL DAY and Palomino definitely hits the spot. They also validate if you park in the garage. But I suggest if you do, get your car before the garage closes or else you have to go through the lobby to get another ticket by the security men. It's just much easier to pay the guy at the booth in the garage.
[OUR ORDER] So a friend was in SF for work and we took him out to dinner. Our order for the table:
-Brick Oven Roasted Clams: really small clams but tasty
-Hot Blue Crab and Artichoke Dip: It was really good and served with a large looking type of cracker (to me at least). But it's a bit on the creamy side and I got tired of it after a few bites. However it was really flavorful
-Sausage and roasted mushroom pizza with added pepperoni: Thin crust (my fav). Very good and cook perfectly to a crisp.
-Candied Apple Drop cocktail: taste like an apple jolly rancher. YUM.
-Pomegranate Margarita: too sweet. I don't like sweet drinks and this was hard for me to take down after my apple drop.
-Cranberry Mojito: better than the pomegranate Margarita.
[TIP] If you want to order pizza, be smart and order off the happy hour menu. Why pay $12-$13 a pizza when it's $5 ALL DAY LONG?
[CONCLUSION] 2 guys, 1 girl, all this food and drinks=$47 tab. WOW. Plus free parking. SCORE!
This review is srictly for their Happy Hour.
Came here last night with some old friends and were expecting it to be pretty darn expensive, considering it along the Embarcadero. The little pizzas were a great compliment to the beers we were drinking. We each had a few beers (there were 5 of us) and shared 3 pizzas. The Bill came out to $80! Not too shabby! The waitstaff was fairly attentive, and the place is clean and spacious. The beer selection was decent. I've usually avoided this place thinking of it more as a tourist trap, but I've been proven wrong. Can't tell you much about the full dining experience, so look at another review if you're trying to see about their dining experience.
now here's a cause for celebration - they've extended their Happy Hour to ALL DAY!
hours:
Sunday 11am-10pm,
Mon-Wed 11am-11pm
Thurs-Sat 11am-12:30am
enjoy!
4 stars for the happy hour alone.
take your pick from $5 pizzas to half off appetizers and select $4…
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Having recovered from my recent layoff, I've taken matters into my own hands as a free agent in pursuing my own private venture. If the job doesn't exist, make it. If you want to take over the world, start by building death rays.
Business meetings no longer hover around teleconference hubs, but rather multicolored cocktails and goblets of wine. Being poor, I can't keep this facade up for long, so I thank Palomino for their amazing happy hour - $4 selections of cocktails and wine, beer on draft and appetizers, including their razor-thin pizza.
Because every dollar I save is a dollar I can spend on my future empire, a dollar saved for my crimson monkey army.
The menu has a lot of variety and the drinks from the bar are really good. On top of that, you can enjoy a great view of the Bay Bridge. Pretty good food for a chain.
Did you say that Palomino's is extending their Happy Hour prices all day long now? It used to be a game of survivor to get seating during the week with people cramming in before the 6 pm cut-off. But apparently people are still fighting to get seats in this place; you have to be a bit aggressive and pull a table vulture move as patrons are leaving. Yes the prices are that good for the quality.
I clearly forgot how massive the portions are and we over-ordered looking like a couple of greedy gluttons at our small table. All the items listed are half off with $4 cocktails and wines. The mussels are fresh, the artichoke dip was a hot artery clogger, the marinara pizza was a perfect thin crust, and the mushroom salad- yummy. All the items were about $6.50 with $5 for all the pizzas.
Everything was pretty top-notch for happy hour standards, but my only gripe is with the dip. When you list something as "crab" you should state that it's "imitation crab"- especially in a dip. And I suspect they were hoping we wouldn't notice by drowning out our taste buds with garlic.
After a long and nourishing conversation with a good friend, and two glasses of wine later, our bill was amazingly cheap. Including tip between two people = $24 each...and leftovers. That's what I'm talkin about.
The highs and lows:
Calamari fritto (the garlic-lemon aioli was delicious!) 5/5
Rigatoni bolognese 4/5
Baked Four Cheese Penne 3/5
Complimentary bread and sauce 2/5
Roma tomato and basil flat bread pizza 1/5
Overall, it was an mediocre food experience. I think I should have eaten one slice of the complimentary bread instead of several slices... This is what I get for not eating a small snack before heading out to dinner.
The baked four cheese penne was way TOO cheesy and the tomato and basil pizza SUCKED. And they have the nerve to call their pizzas "Signature"... On the other hand, I really liked the calamari fritto. I think I should have ordered another round of that instead of the nasty pizza, which I ended up throwing half of it away.
I don't want to be bitter, so I will end on a good note. The staff, waiters, and waitresses were all friendly and bubbly. Some even offered to help us take group pictures since it was one of my friend's birthday that evening. However, one of the waiters looked and smiled like a creeper.
Oops, so much for ending on a good note.
This place really got me on the fence. With the introduction of extended happy hours, it was hard to decide whether or not it was worth four stars. I rarely paste my fan appreciation based on pricing, but it's hard not to like this place for that very reason.
We ordered the sausage and mushroom pizza and the crab artichoke dip, and my mouth has not ceased to taste like garlic. It didn't take much for me to kill all lifeforms around me through my breath. The garlic stayed with me until this morning. I did stuff my face, all to the tune of less than $30 for two people.
My suggestions:
1. Rectify the entrances. I don't know where's in and where's out and where the hostess' register is. Neither end tells me where my evening starts or ends. I couldn't easily find the entrance on Spear street.
2. Really advertise the happy hour. It's totally worth it.
3. Parking. Is the garage open late? It was closed by 7.
The 2 stars is from the self proclaimed "Italian food critic" eating with me, but over all the food was poor. The polenta was bland, the chicken was dry, scalips were small and the artichokes tasted like cole slaw. The drinks were okay but sadly the two drinks we each had didn't make the food taste any better. Sadly, over rated.
I've decided that happy hour earned Palomino an extra star. I still have a sour taste in my mouth from what happened here the first time (see previous review and be prepared to feel sorry for me), but with half-off appetizers that are quite yummy, I've grudgingly decided that I can get over said incident.
Parking sucks if you get there before 6, so it's a bonus to be able to walk here either from work or home. I heard a pair remark that their cab was nowhere to be seen, even though they had the hostess call for one several times. Didn't know she doubled as a concierge, but okay.
So, I'll take advantage of the nice weather thus far and enjoy more happy hours, sans date. Mmm crab artichoke dip.
Never again am I letting my idiot friends set me up on a blind date. This may or may not turn into… Read more »
I've passed this place a ton of times on the Muni. I went for lunch and it was OK. Then I brought my parents for dinner when they came to see us. What a disappointment!
We were seated right away at a table by the window. We ordered an inexpensive bottle of malbec that was decent. Our appetizer was a Brick oven fired Taleggio and cambozola fondue served with flatbread that we thoroughly enjoyed. I had great expectations for the rest of our meal.
Three of us got our entrees...and one of us...got "rigatoni". I'm sorry, but how does "rigatoni" sound like "rib eye" except for the fact that they both start with an "R"! So we sent the pasta back and waited...and waited...and waited...for our fourth entree which came...at least 15 minutes later as the rest of us were finishing our dishes. Two of the three existing entrees were lukewarm. The rib eye was good, probably the best of the entrees, but it certainly wasn't good enough to wait for.
Between the time the server brought the wrong dish and the time we actually got the right one, our server didn't check on us at all. After we received the entree, he didn't either. And at the end of the meal when we asked for a dessert menu and then our bill, he brought us an ice cream sundae.
Our bill was over $200 for the four of us. The food was mediocre and the service was slow.
My advice - stick to appetizers and drinks at this place, if you go at all.
Came back with a few of my friends. Still 4 stars for me. I would give it 3.5 because my friend's mojito was pretty bad..... I guess I'm going to review this one based solely on the food I had myself that evening.
Calamari = YUUUUUUUUUM!!!!!! Must try/order if you're ever there for happy hour. It's only a few bucks for a whole platter-full of it! My pomegranate margarita was really good too! We also ordered a Pizza for 5 bucks. I forgot what pizza it was, something with chicken, which was alright. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but it was good overall.
This is a great place to check out for happy hour for the price and the awesome awesome view of the Embarcadero!
Food:
Good overall. The drinks are good too, but I do not recommend their cabernet. I love the…
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Haven't been here for years until recently for a birthday lunch. Still average as what I remembered.
Appetizers - fried calamari and waffle fries with gorgonzola cheese are good
My gut told me to stick to something basic, but since their lobster ravioli is a signature dish, I went with it. It was seasoned with some herb I didn't know and was not good at all. As a matter of fact, I didn't taste any lobster or scallops in the dish. The nasty herb overwhelmed all of the other ingredients.
The burger and cheese pizza were good. The Kobe ravioli was okay.
The fries that came with the burger and kid's pizza were unsatisfactorily salty!! We immediately felt the swelling in our bodies from the water retention.
Best bet - stick to the basics
Three Stars for the service, appetizers, basics and the delightful Mojito!
My favorite happy hour in the city...!
A great selection of half-off apps (YUM!), and $4 beers on tap (aaahh!). The mojitos can be yummy or yucky depending on the day. Personal faves include the calamari, gorgonzola criss-cut fries, crab & artichoke dip. Service is never that great, but hey, it's usually busy during happy hour. 2-hour validated parking starting at 5.
If you're eating on the patio, it's a great view. But watch out for hungry hungry pigeons!
As of now, I don't have a single complaint about Palomino's - especially their happy hour deals! One of my favorite happy hour spots here in the city...for several reasons-
First, the happy hour prices are cheap. Cocktails and beer are $4 each and appetizers are 50% off. Between my boyfriend and I, we ordered a total of 4 drinks and 4 appetizers, and the bill was about $50! I had two pomegranate margaritas and he had a beer and pear ale. We shared the crab artichoke dip, mussels, prosciutto pizza and cheese fondue. All excellent choices. But, I'd have to say the prosciutto was my favorite!
Second, the service was friendly and excellent. Our server was this very nice young woman who made sure we were taken care of and she understood that we wanted to take advantage of the happy hour (which only lasts til 6 pm, and then again after 10 pm)...so she helped in getting our orders in on time. What a sweetheart!
Finally, the patio overlooks the water along the Embarcadero and the Bay Bridge. Gorgeous! Too bad Epic and Waterbar block a lot of the view of the water, but seeing the bridge from the patio was still amazing!
This place is nice for dinner, too. But, I would rather come for happy hour to take advantage of the specials! :)
Def a fan of their happy hour and it's great to come on a sunny day and sit outside.
Their happy hour, is a deal drinks and beers start at $4 and the appetizers are half off. I think it's from 4-6pm.
Their dinner is also pretty good. The crisp cut fries, calamari, pizzas, and they have a chicken piccata plate that is deelish!
There's a parking lot downstairs and they validate, great to come here on a date too.
I love coming here for happy hour, not many places in SF that have happy hour all week long.
I took my friend here the other day and on their happy hour pizza menu they mention they have this clam pizza. So my friend and I try to order it but the waitress told us that they stopped making this pizza then said that we can have the multi cheese pizza and get the clams on the side. We thought we could get a bowl of shucked clams that we can throw on top of the pizza. Instead we get an order of steamed clams with an awful butter overly salted dipping sauce.
Other than that you can't really beat $5 pizzas and $4 drinks.
Ate here yesterday and they had two new seafood items on the menu (not listed on the online menu) so ordered the Groper. Served as two (very) fillet with huge beans and a very tasty but interesting sauce. Garnished with leeks(?) but I keep joking it was clippings from cutting someone's lawn...
Just ate there again today - had the Paella dish since I used to live in Spain. I've been dreading… Read more »
3.5 Stars
Finally got to try this place with a few of my friends. We came during happy hour (everyday, 4-6pm and 10pm-close) on a Saturday. There were plenty of tables, but it wasn't empty. We were seated promptly near the bar area. There was only one menu per table, so we had to pick up menus from surrounding tables.
We ordered the brick oven roasted mussels and clams, sausage and mushroom pizza, calamari, potatoes gorgonzola. My friends ordered a mojito and a pomegranate margarita. I had a sip of both - not too bad, better than most places.
Mussels and clams were good. We had a mussel that didn't open on us, but other than that, they were good. The dipping sauce that came with it had a kick of lime which, for some reason, I wasn't expecting. The sausage and mushroom pizza was also good. It was the thin style pizza which left me wanting more after. Calamari was also good, not too fried and oily like many places, and same goes for the potatoes gorgonzola.
Overall the food and drinks were really good for the price, but the service was really spotty. I was the DD so I drank my water, but always caught myself waiting on refills. Other than that, nice place to hit up after work or to relax with some grub.
I've been here only twice, but both times had pretty okay to good experiences.
The first time was with dinner with my friends for a graduation celebration.
We went to the dinner side and I had what looked to be a paella version but with duck involved. Pricey and it was okay, but not great. It should be shared with others, because it was pretty heavy to eat.
For drink a white sangria - fruity and easy to drink. If you're not a heavy drinker, I would suggest it.
Shared Dessert chocolate torte- nothing outstanding, but it was a nice way to end the dinner. They did serve it looking nice with that nice vanilla ice cream and strawberry compote.
I felt that the experience was nice, but overpriced.
Next experience was with the Happy Hour side.
I think the place is suitable for a happy hour experience with a good sized group of people. We went there not too long ago (yesterday, in fact).
The drinks that were tried - candied apple drop, cranberry mojito, and pomegranate margarita. Good price for a mixed drink for only $4.
Appetizer special: calamari, criss-cut fries, and different types of pizza.
If you go to happy hour - definitely get the calamari and criss-cut fries. We ended up getting a second order of those fries. :D
The pizza should receive mixed feelings. It's pretty cheap for $5 and it's a whole pizza that can be shared in a group.
If you like ultra-thin cruse, then these types of pizza is for you. However, if you don't - then probably not. I'm with the latter. But what i did like from the pizza was the one with the roma tomato. The vongole pizza (cheese and clams on top) was not that great. They pretty much just threw in the clams on top of the pizza that was quickly growing cold. By the time you take it out of its shell and eat it with the pizza, it was cold. :/ Not good.
Overall it was just and about average place to head for. Go with a big group and split the bill during happy hour.
Parking:
You can also get validation after 5 pm ( we ended up paying $6 for the hour we spent there (arrived at 4). Pretty handy, considering that the parking around there is awful. Parking after 6 is pretty difficult.
If you don't mind, you can always take the muni train ( the N train) and stop in front of Folsom.
This place is pretty average just a step up from chains like TGI or Ruby Tuesay, but if you stick with simple bar food items, draft beer or wine, they are usually not too bad. You can be disappointed if you order one of their special entrees or anything "gourmet" as the chefs here are not trained for them.
Since I am normally here with a group of colleagues for happy hour, I've had a few of their apps. The fried calamari with Aioli & Marinara sauce, the seafood salad with calamari, scallops and kidney beans, and fried potato with Gorgonzola cheese (waffle fries) are all quite good!
Entrees and Pizzas are not that great in general. They also have a large selection of beers on tap and if you arrive before 6, there's a special Happy hour menu with a 50% discount on appetizers.
There is a patio that is on Embarcadero with a bay bridge / bay view. On a sunny day, it's a good place to hang out after work in the financial district.
4 stars for appetizers and beer on tap selection
2 stars for entrees and pizza
The location of Palomino is magnificent. On a nice sunny San Francisco day...it's really nice to sit in their outside patio, eat, and enjoy the scenery.
I've tried two different pizzas here. One being with roma tomatoes, shaved garlic, basil, and mozzerella ($10). Really basic ingredients, but each held their own and brought together a great symphony of flavors. The other pizza I had was with prosciutto and roma tomatoes ($12). The combination of the prosciutto, marinara, and cracker-thin crust didn't do it for me. I love prosciutto, but this pizza was a bit on the salty side for me.
Another dish I also tried at Palomino was their crab sandwich ($14). It is an open-faced crab sandwich. The crab is mixed with artichoke, parmasean, sweet onions, and cheddar and is accompanied with a side of french fries. I did not care for this sandwich at all. Way too heavy. I could barely taste the crab...I felt as though I was eating an open-faced grilled cheese with hints of crab meat. I also had the opportunity to sample my friend's paella. It was a mediocre attempt to recreate this Spanish dish. It wasn't terribly horrible, but for $18, just get you're paella fix at a Spanish restaurant.
Although I struck out on the sandwich and the paella, I would like to come back here for happy hour at least. I hear appetizers are half off, pizzas are $5, and drinks are $4!
I liked the spacious and comfortable atmosphere at Palomino but food and price wise, I would rather go elsewhere. The food was a little hit and miss.
I was feeling like steak but their 20oz bone in rib eye seemed a little pricey for $38. Also, I didn't want to go for the cheaper $19 steak frites. But one person in our party ended up ordering the steak frites. When that dish came out, the steak looked awkward.
Is that a long, crisp... chocolate log?
... a burnt up Mr. Hankey?
Anyways, I felt relieved that I went with something. I started off with an Arnold Palmer and the Tuscan white bean hummus appetizer. Although my drink tasted more like snapple, my appetizer was pretty good. I was starting to get pretty full from the bread and appetizer by the time my Four Cheese Penne came out.
I guess the penne was just ok, since I asked for my leftovers to be boxed but I forgot the box when I left. Oh well.
Like the general consensus, this is one of my favorite places for happy hour, reason being there is a good balance of food and drink. Decent food, not cheap hot dogs, tacos, and fries. The normal crowd is the classy type which gives you an idea of the price of this place. The happy hour discount price is the normal of most place. With the said, you are paying for the ambiance, service, and quality, which is worth it
Will definitely go again.
So why is Palomino my favorite HAPPY HOUR spot in the city?
1. It's a FOOD-CENTERED happy hour, for all you fatties out there
2. $5 pizzas--personal size, these bad boys converted me from a thick crust lover to thin
3. $4 cranberry mojitos--doesn't taste like there's any alcohol in there but gets me red every time (stupid Asian glow!)
4. 1/2 off appetizers (fancy-smancy things like fondue and gorgonzola fries)
5. Right on the Embarcadero--gorgeous!
6. I'm bringing the classy scale down: Me and the boy come in sweats or gym clothes whenever humanly possible (I love that my bf lives a few blocks away)--take that FiDi-ers! I'm fixin' to bring my 3-legged dog and my cousin Jedediah with me next time...
But why do I hate it?
1. Service is usually pretty shitty, especially lately. They're fake nice enough but these waitresses are NOT HOT enough be so negligent. Serious. But I keep coming back because I loves me a deal! You win, Palomino...you always do...
P.s. It's a pretty decent spot to watch sports if you want a more laid-back scene than a bar/ pub--flat screens on top of the bar.
Ugghhhh don't bother coming here for dinner at all. I've always had happy hour here and always got such a great deal with half off appetizers and drink specials.
Since I've always had such a great deal for happy hour I figured dinner couldn't be that bad right? We had a group of 8 and all ordered items off the dinner menu. Everything was extremely over priced for what you are getting. No one even particularly cared for their dish and was shocked when the bill came out and it was $50/person. With 18% gratuity, city tax, and 4% health care tax, we paid way more then we anticipated.
If the food was good I probably wouldn't be complaining at all. I never mind throwing down money for food that actually was GOOD!
So there is my warning...stick with the HAPPY HOUR MENU!!!!
My favorite happy hour. I love the food and the price of the food. I love the pizza which is $5. I not really into alcohol but the price is decent. This is a great place to get an early dinner during happy hou 4-6pm.
I heard good things about this place. I thought it was really popular so I made reservations for three for last Friday. Went there and there was a lot of tables. It was almost 10 though so that may be it.
The place is really big and spacious. The atmosphere would be a bit better if there was more diners.
The bread they gave I thought was kind of bland. I wasn't too hungry so I just wanted to have small things to pick at. I ordered Roasted Garlic with Cambozola, tomato chutney, marinated olives. It sucked! It was 11 bucks and the pizza crisps were not tasty. There was very little cheese although it was good. The olives were the disgusting olives.
I also got the hot red king crab and artichoke dip. It also came with the crappy pizza crisps.
My choices sucked so I was really unhappy. I would have given them 2 stars but my friends' orders were pretty good. My friends ordered the Corn Bisque,
scallops and prawns, fettuccine, alfredo cream sauce, cracked black pepper
chicken piccata
We also ordered the Crème Brûlée Duo. It was good except the Chocolate one had no caramelized layer.
Salty and greasy food, candy-sweet cocktails and a limited selection of beer coupled with the initial high prices of the fare makes Palomino an undesirable happy hour locale, in my book. It's nice that pizzas and select appetizers are offered at a discount of 50%, but when it's unfathomable how a restaurant can charge original price at any time outside of happy hour, we have a problem.
Rather than bread, overly-oily flatbreads are served with dips, and pizzas are much the same. The pomegranate mojito and candied apple drop were sweeter, really, than candy, and I couldn't properly gauge how much alcohol was in my cocktails until it was way too late. On top of that, when someone in our party asked the waitress about a cocktail, the once-friendly staffer promptly brushed him off and actually said, "I don't have time for that." During happy hours on game days, I would think that a restaurant who seeks to attract many baseball fans would take precaution to staff accordingly. I guess since the Giants are so horrible, Palomino just hasn't bothered to address the issue.
I left Palomino feeling bloated, too full and drunk with a headache and a sticky mouth. Heed with caution; not all deals are good ones.
from 4 - 6 - good and cheap eats and "okay" menu.
We stopped in today at 5 PM and enjoyed a pizza ($5) and Mussels ($6.50) The mussels were not de-bearded (which I handled myself but it was okay - I am not squeamish and they were giant and tasty) The pizza was good but a bit salty - yes prosciutto is salty but not THAT salty. We ordered pork loin to split and after 30 minutes were told it was taken off the menu. By that point we were not in the mood to order anything more and were a bit disappointed at not being alerted earlier (though thankful to the kitchen in case they suddenly discovered it was 'bad' and made an executive decision)
Would go back for the view under the bridge - the kick back atmosphere and the half price shell fish and pizza - I could make a dinner out of three orders of half price mussels and a couple full price manhattens. Though they were a little weak.... Flagstaff has created my standard by which all other manhattens (even in Manhatten) are judged. Though the cherries and GC are still the best...
Wow...I must say I was somewhat impressed last night with this restaurant. So we came here to celebrate my friend's birthday. She chose this place because she had a promotional coupon for a fixed price meal of ceasar salad, salmon, and creme brulee for only $20. We were a big group of almost 25 people and practically all of us go the $20 meal - I know, pretty ghetto huh?
The meal was pretty darn good for $20. The salad was alright, nothing to rave about. The salmon was really good, and I especially loved the tomato with balsalmic vinegar...big fan! Then, as the dessert came out it included two servings of creme brulee. So we all thought that we had to share, but actually all of us had two bowls of creme brulee! One was chocolate, and the other was vanilla spiked with some alcohol. It also included a flakey pastry...yum!
We ordered some champagne and their famous blue cheese fries or something. It was good. The ambiance is great. If you go on the street right behind the restaurant there's ample parking at night and for only $0.50 an hour!! I like this place a lot for big group celebrations.
Happy Birthday Zora!
2 stars for the view, 1 star for the bread.
Came here for a late lunch on the way to SFO, and it was a gorgeous day, but the shade in SF is always particularly cold. Had the lobster ravioli, which was denoted as a one of their signature dishes..... and I get a grand total of 2 giant raviolis? This is after the world's longest wait for our food and more bread... There were maybe 2 other parties sitting outside, or even in the restaurant, and we didn't get our bread to munch on until just before our meal. Good bread though.
The desserts, the creme bruele and the pear bread pudding were edible, but nothing that screams omg. Waaay too much cinnimon for the bread pudding.
Luckily this time my friend picked up the tab. I'm not sure I'd want to come here and pay that much for a mediocre meal.
I'll echo what others have said about the happy hour. The food is not pricey... but it is overpriced for it's quality. Everything is about average, I tried the calamari appetizer and the gorgonzola fries along with the four cheese baked penne and one of their pizzas. The best part of my meal was the garlic aioli that came with the calamari, along with the gorgonzola bechemel on the fries.
It's a fine location to dine outdoors because of the magnificent view of the bridge and the bay, but I'd only recommend this place for happy hour.
Oh, they also charged us a fee(~$40) to cut up our cake for our friends birthday.
Love their happy hour here! Everything is cheap but even better, the food and drinks are so tasty! I had some sort of margarita, but I honestly cannot remember what it was. I remember it was good! And the food was MMMMM!!! Better than usual bar food.
*Crab dip: YES. My favorite, by far.
*Oyster pizza: also very good, and if I remember correctly I think it had a hint of spicy.
*Calamari: nothing too too special, but it was good!
*Criss Cut Fries with cheese: SO good. I wasn't a huge fan of the cheese (it was like goat cheese or something crumbly up top) but the fries were good.
I wish I could remember what else we had! Come here for happy hour. It's totally worth it. And the service is good! Friendly and efficient.
Our pick for a Sat afternoon lunch was Palomino. I've only been here for their happy hour so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was really empty when we walked in but we didn't let that ruin our mood. We were seated by the window overlooking the Bay Bridge so that was pretty sweet. Our waiter was funny throughout the meal and made sure to check all of the IDs for those who were drinking.
We shared the king crab and artichoke dip ($15) as an appetizer. Even though it wasn't on the lunch menu, they still made it for us. Brownie points! BUT I was disappointed when it finally came out. Look at how tiny it was! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) And the king crab?? Where the heck was our $15 worth?? All I tasted was gooey parmesan cheese and onion with tiny shreds of crab. The crisps used for the dip were too thin and fell apart easily as well. Not a good start.
For my entree, I ordered the baby field greens with chèvre cheese and pumpkin seeds ($7) since I wasn't super hungry. The plate was big and the portion was minuscule once again. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) It lacked in flavor and was something I could have made on my own. The cheese was bold/tasty and the pumpkin seeds were nicely toasted but nothing special overall.
The only positives were the service and drinks. The food also took way too long to arrive at our table. It doesn't take that long to make some pasta and sandwiches (what the rest of the group ordered).
Bottom line: Stick to Palomino happy hour instead since it's NOT worth it during regular hours! I like their mojitos, gorgonzola fries, and thin crust pizzas though.
What a great place. We spent a long lunch with our friend Audrey who lives close by on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We sat outside. The service was fantastic. No complaints when we wanted to move tables because of the changing sun. No problem with getting the fried calamari which I saw on the menu online but were not on the menu at the time. I had the lunch combo with capellini pomodoro. It tasted great. The caesar salad was also "right". You could certainly taste the anchovies. Good priced wines, too!
This is the perfect place to have lunch with your co-workers. It's not too pricey, but still a sit down with a nice waterfront view.
My favorite things to eat are the GORGONZOLA FRIES. These are the best fries i've ever had. I love drinking a nice cold beer and eating these fries.... mmmm mmm good!
Things I've tried:
portabella mushroom soup - yummy
chop chop - a good salad
incredible pepperoni - cracker thin crust pizza.... i love it!
panini club - this comes with turkey and genoa salami!! I LOVE IT
bistro burger - angus beef, aged cheddar, and pepper bacon... DAMN heart attack combo, but so damn GOOD
pan seared piccata - the fingerling potatoes that comes with this is OFF THE HOOK!
steak frites - when the steak pieces are well done, they are AMAZING!
my co-worker always orders the warm pear bread pudding. you have to order this 10 minutes in advance.... when it comes out, it is perfection.
On a cool Friday night, with the Bay Bridge as a backdrop and the sound of they bay asserting it's presence, my friend and I entered Palomino.
Immediately, the colors evoked a warm feeling, with the contrast of the light floors to the dark wood surroundings. It was crowded and there were equal parts of young and old mixed into the crowd, and the hostess didn't even acknowledge us for a good 10 minutes. If my impression was solely based on that first impression, it would not do justice to how the rest of the night unfolded.
So 10 minutes passed and the hostess finally acknowledges us and says it will be a few minutes before we would be seated, so we sat and chatted. A few minutes passed and she introduced us to our server for the night, a beautiful girl named Jessica (hopefully she's reading this and remembers me). Service was phenominal--equal balance of attention and privacy, along with efficiency.
Now for the meal:
1) King Crab and Artichoke Dip, served with crispy flatbread which was coated with a garlic, pesto, olive oil spread
2) Portabella Mushroom Soup
3) Lobster & Scallop Ravioli with alfredo/marinara sauce
*as a note: the portions are fairly large and can be shared amongst 2 people, which is what we did.
The King Crab and Artichoke with the flatbread was fantastic. The dip came sizzling, fresh out of the broiler. The broiler added a nice dimension to the dip as far as flavor and texture, with the slightly crispy top and the chunky, creamy goodness that lied beneath. The bread, with the garlic, pesto, olive oil spread was a prefect compliment to the dip.
Not much I could say about the soup...it was mushroom soup. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding either, so we'll move on to the main dish.
The ravioli was the revelation of the meal. The pasta was the perfect texture, not over or under-cooked. Not to take away from the pasta, but the sauce made the dish. It was alfredo with dots of marinara throughout the dish. The marinara helped balance out the typical richness of the creamy alfredo and the alfredo balanced out the acidity of the marinara. It was absolutely balanced as far as sauces go. The only criticism I have is that the lobster in the ravioli wasn't as pronounced, which I would've liked. This could've easily been accomplished by not puree'ing the lobster up as much. Let the diner feel a little bit of the lobster texture in their mouth.
The extra touch that the server added, which we didn't expect but was pleasantly surprised was the fact that she automatically split all the dishes into two portions for us. This kept our thinking and asking questions to a minimum so we would enjoy our evening.
All in all, it was a great dining experience. The waterfront location couldn't be any better, and the service is impeccable. The food is traditional, yet innovative, using the highest quality ingredients. I recommend this for a first date if you want to impress but check the weather forecast before you go!
Solid 4 1/2 stars
Happy Hour and Football…
Neighborhood: Western…
3 courses Prix fixe $31.95
Neighborhood: Mission
San Francisco, CA
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Food Stands
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: American (Traditional)
San Francisco, CA
Category: French
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