Tads Steak Restaurant

Its important to understand that Tads is not a super-fancy steakhouse, as I believe some people misconceive based on the name, but rather an affordable eatery near Union Square that serves steaks.

Yes, Tad's is a tourist trap near Union Square. Yes, Tad's is quite humble. Yes, at Tad's you order at a counter and get handed a tray. Yes, Tad's has mediocre service. And, yes, at Tad's you get little paper napkins.

However, the prices are wonderful!

This is the cheapest place to get a large meal in the city.

PRO-TIP: Go to Tad's from 7am to noon - they serve a cheap breakfast. For $8.99 you can get 2 eggs, breakfast potatoes, and toast.

PRO-TIP: If you are on a budget, I recommend getting the "Hamburger Steak" meal off the dinner menu. It's only $12.99 and includes a 1/2 pound of ground chuck, a green salad, a baked potato, and garlic bread. You will not leave hungry.

Tad's Steakhouse is like an old friend. We used to come here for brunch after church on Sunday. Every time I come back here, I can still see this little scrawny eight year old kid, digging his booger and rubbing it under the table. Oh what great memories! Hahaha....

Tad's haven't changed much - looks to be about the same, dark, dingy and musky. Service also have remained the same, always great. What also hasn't changed is their large portions. Prices have gone up a bit but not by much. You can get a good breakfast here with eggs, hash brown/fresh fruits and toast for around $10. Oh one thing that did get upgraded - they now serve fresh fruits instead of canned.

If you're looking for a homey vibe with old school and small town service, this place is legit. The nice Asian lady who served us deserves a rock star medal. She was attentive and service with a smile.

Cheers!

It's a good deal for what you get. Tad's is NOT high end. So don'tt compare it to high end. Compare it to Denny's or Sizzler.


You order as you enter and then take a seat.

Neither of us could figure out exactly what part of the cow the tad's "special cut" is from. Seemed somewhat ribbish. My friend raved about the seasoning but found it gristly.

I chose country fried steak. I couldn't tell for sure if it was pan or deep fried, but it was satisfactory despite no mashed potato option.

We both agreed we'd try the hamburger steak option next time.

Neither of us was blown away, but it was a decent meal for a decent price in San Francisco in tourist central.

I'd lived here for 13 years before trying it.

My family used to go here once a month as a treat when we were younger. My dad loves steak and nothing compared to this place. Now I would say it is ok. The quality of the food is ok, place is clean, but front staff was not too happy.

When we came in they seemed impatient because there were a lot of us. So the deal here is you order your food then take a seat and they bring the food to you. There were a few of us so it took awhile. When our food came, they forgot some items and we had to wait to get it. The person bringing out the food was great, I have to say it was just the ones taking orders that were not happy.

Anyways, here are some things we had:

Cheese steak sandwich: this was good, the bread was soft, loved the cheese on the steak. They also put a lot of meat and cheese in there, no skimping out. Also the toppings they had were yum too.

Tad's Steak plate: steak with baked potato and garlic bread - the steak was cooked great, nice and smooth taste, not overly chewy or rubbery, so you know it is good quality. The bread was super good and baked potato was cooked just right.

Lemon meringue pie: not good, the lemon part was like hard jelly and meringue was the same.

Overall, I would give this place another try. Maybe bring my family this time. Maybe the front staff was not having a good day.

Food wise, I would recommend you try it at least once. Just don't get the pie or at least the lemon meringue, as a baker I do not suggest it. Regular food, go for it!

Of all the times that I have walk by the San Francisco Downtown area... Tad's Steak Restaurant was the one place that, I have never been to until last Thursday on my day off from work...

I have decided that, I wanted to try this Tad's Steak Restaurant Place and I did!!! When I got in and I ordered myself a Tad's Big Burger w/fries and also had Corona Beer to go with it I also ate some Salad with Thousand Island Dressing!!!

Now that I ate at Tad's Steak Restaurant for the 1st Time... This place isn't that bad of a place!!! This place does get crowded with tourist and locals like me!!! If there is any out of towners visitng Downtown San Francisco go to Tad's Steak Restaurant!!!

Not only that when passing by this restaurant at night... I like the night lights of Tad's Steak Restaurant!!!

Saw a deal that I couldn't resist. Gavin and I were getting hungry and since I am trying to be smart w/ my money, I constantly look for deals and meals that Gavin and I can share.

Service was a little iffy at first but after we got our food, staff seemed to have warmed up. This place is huge but we were the only patrons there at the time. Food did not take long at all, less than 10 minutes. My cheesesteak came w/ fries and a side salad which I thought was awesome.

The cheesesteak breakdown: hoagie wasn't fresh, needed more cheese but the beef was tasty but a little over cooked. I am used to having my beef rare so my expectations might be unreasonable. The lettuce and tomatoes threw me off because this isn't a sandwich but I added it to the hoagie.

Overall: not bad for a tourist spot.

Taste: it's a basic steak, baked potato, garlic bread and a salad from a bag... With that said it was delicious and the price can't be beat! $18.
Cons: I really hate places that charge for extras, such as cheese and sour cream it's such a buzz-kill.... Like seriously, is it That expensive???
And the garlic bread could have been split a little more evenly. See pic. But that's just me

So apparently you can call yourself a steakhouse as long you serve steak under a roof with four walls. Tad's Steakhouse is not your traditional white table-cloth steakhouse. You will not find those fancy USDA prime steaks or $20 dollar appetizers here. Upon entering the cafeteria-style restaurant, you will order your food at the cashier and then waddle over to a table of your choice. When your assigned-pager beeps, you will be summoned to retrieve your food from the counter.

Portions are ENORMOUS here, so best be prepared to take home a doggy bag. Whether you order a steak or the pork chop dinner plate, a baked potato, side salad and garlic toast will accompany your protein. While my pork chop was not of the highest quality, it was cooked and seasoned appropriately. I found the side salad to be inedible and the baked potato a bit bland without additional garnish.

Tad's is not your typical steakhouse, but then you also aren't paying a foot and a leg for a B-grade steak dinner. If you are hungry after a long day of shopping at Union Square, come here for an inexpensive hearty meal!

I'm not sure why I haven't reviewed this place I've been coming here since I was a little girl. This place is in the heart of San Francisco. You walk in and you have to get your tray and walk down a line. You order your food and the menu is up top and it's huge so everyone can see it. I think the most popular thing is the steak dinner. It comes with a salad, bread, bake potato,and a huge steak. I think the meal with a drink is $18. For this restaurant to be down town it's extremely reasonable and delicious. If you have never been here it's a must try.

The last time I ate at Tad's was in 1984 when we lived in the city. As a young person making $3.15 an hour as a bank teller, this seem to be a place for a reasonably priced steak which was $5.49 back then. My colleague and I went and had the famous steak for dinner and what I recall was that the steak was tough and grizzly. There was a person in the restaurant who was coughing and hacking like he had tuberculosis.

We moved out of the city in 1991 but we come back about 4-5 times a year to visit. Every time I walk by Tads, I keep thinking of going back again for old time sake and so today, I went there for breakfast. I ordered the famous steak with eggs and hash for $18.99. It reminded me of my 1984 experience and nothing really has changed. Steak was still tough and grizzly, then a crazy filthy looking woman came in yelling and mumbling incoherently for a menu and then left. The staff act like this is no big deal, it happens all the time so they ignored the situation. Now it solidified my decision never to return to this place again. You get what you pay for!