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The Butler & The Chef Bistro
Categories: Restaurants French Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch French, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
155A S Park St(at 3rd St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 896-2075
- Hours:
Tue-Sat 8 am - 3 pm
Sun 10 am - 3 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Breakfast, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Thuy M. said: "Chouquets is darling, cozy and refined. What was it about Friday, besides for staying up spontaneously late into the wee hours of the morning, getting all sorts of lucky perks. We found parking right in front of the restaurant and were…" read more »
925 reviews for The Butler & The Chef Bistro
Review Highlights
"Croque monsieur is absolutely delicious."
(in 113 reviews)
"The eggs Benedict is outstanding as well."
(in 269 reviews)
"The Niman Ranch ham benedict looked wonderful as well."
(in 24 reviews)
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925 reviews in English
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Review from Michael C.
Berkeley, CA
2/6/2012
Awesome and quaint place that the girls who love France or French things (which is literally 100% of the female population) will love. Visited this place for brunch around 11 AM on a Sunday, and luckily the wait wasn't too long. Although when we left an hour later, the line was much longer, so get here early!
As their menu says, this really is the "cheapest round-trip ticket to France," and I felt like I'd been instantly transported to Europe. Their eggs benedict is supposedly one of the most popular dishes, but I opted for the Croque Mademoiselle instead. The croque was SUPER rich and topped with a bed of creme fraiche, and by the time I finished it, I was super full and satisfied.
My friend ordered the salmon quiche, and it was as hefty a quiche as I' ve ever seen. This thing was delicious, and everything that you would want a quiche to be (fluffy, flaky, filling). House coffee was great, and service was quick and attentive; my cup was never empty.
Also tried the pate as an appetizer, but it wasn't anything super amazing. Prices are extremely reasonable for what you get. This place is a definite winner, and I'll definitely be coming back! -
Review from Kristal D.
Daly City, CA
2/6/2012
An adorable little cafe somewhat hidden in South Park. We went on a particularly cold day in December and had the French Onion soup Gratin. Dear lord, I don't think any soup has ever made me feel more delighted. It was so simply and delicious. Also split a baguette sandwich with a friend.
Wait staff were friendly. The place was pretty packed, but due to the weather it was a pretty cozy experience overall.
I haven't been here for brunch yet but I've heard it's amazing so it's on my to-eat list. -
Review from Mike H.
2/4/2012
It was already in the 60s by 11am on a Sat in Feb. Does a 40 minute wait for 2 people sound surprising? We expected as much, whatever the weather.
The service was great - everyone was kind, smiling. Our server in particular was attentive and quick to refill coffee and water. And very good coffee it was, too. The orange juice also was clearly fresh. Note that only the OJ came in what I'd call an American-sized glass, while the coffee mug and water glass were French-sized...not that that's a bad thing by any stretch.
My friend had a great pick with the quiche of the day, from a choice of 3. She chose salmon. It had to be 3-4 inches high of eggy tastiness, not to mention a flaky crust.
My croque monseur was very rich, more than I'd anticipated. While I knew of the creme fraiche, I didn't expect that "topping it" meant "a good 1/2 inch layer baked on top." Again, not a bad thing, just something to note.
Pro move: If parking is challenging around South Park, try making two quick rights and on to Bryant and getting one of the street meters. They'll take regular credit cards if you don't have an MTA parking card or coins. -
Review from Helen D.
San Francisco, CA
1/30/2012
I'm hoping / suspecting our experience wasn't representative of the normal brunch-goer, however it was definitely a 2-star experience (i.e. memorably negative)!
I met a friend at 10:25am. We were seated at 10:35. We ordered by 10:40. By 11:20, we still hadn't received our eggs benedict / croque monsieur. We asked the waitress if our food was coming out soon, and she said "yes - very soon". Then she disappeared to the kitchen. Upon reappearing - she said "wait - what did you guys order again?". When we told her - she went back to the computer and entered something (it's hard to say for sure that she only then entered our order - but this was our suspicion). 15-20 minutes later, our food came out (an hour after we had ordered). Her excuse was "they had to remake it because they ran out". (What? That doesn't make any sense! If they ran out, how did they make it in the first place?)
For that experience alone - I wouldn't have written a review at all. The company was fantastic, the food was ok (eggs benedict weren't nearly as good as those at Zazie nor Baker & Banker), the decor was cute (loved the little individual french bistro tables). But just as we were finishing our meals, the waitress came back to our table and asked us to leave because people were waiting....
Maybe if our food hadn't taken an hour to come out, we wouldn't have stayed so long!
Will not be returning. -
Review from Mary F.
SOMA, San Francisco, CA
2/9/2012
This place always looked so friendly and inviting walking past on my way to work. Unfortunately reality is so very different and arrogance rules. No table for you unless you pay extra and no sitting at an outside table even if the place is empty for 5 minutes while you drink what they refer to as cafe au lait. And you can be insulted for no extra charge. Just a very rude presumably owner who serves dry croissants and weak tasteless coffee with thin milk that is more reminiscent of yesterday's work coffee pot and far from anything served in the cheapest European cafe where you can sit for 5 minutes at no extra charge and even have a smile. If this guy is clearly so unhappy living in this country he should go home. No stars here but have to give it one for another pretty face and Yelp requires some sort of rating.
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Review from Mona E.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2012
Beware: just checked my bank statement and server 'ellary' increased her tip. This is highly immoral, not to mention illegal. Please stop ripping customers off.
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Review from Vicki h.
1/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place reminds me of Paris :)
I love the neighborhood, love the decor of the restaurant, love love love the food!
I had the Croque Monsieur (I should have ordered an extra side of ham) MmMMmmmM
The Croque Monsieur was gooey, cheesey, and you can't beat a slice of hand carved ham. *droooool*
The resturant has a wonderful chef and kitchen staff, but horrible servers.
I want to visit this french hidden gem again.... to try their sweet crepes :)
I left my heart in sf :) -
Review from Shai G.
Culver City, CA
1/24/2012
The butler and chef set the bar for all eggs benedict after coming here.
I'm not exaggerating when I say this, this eggs benedict is the best I have ever had. Ever.
It came with a side of raw spinach. I could have done without that, and substituted fries instead, but the main dish was flawless.
My latte was fantastic. They also give you a piece of chocolate when you get the bill, very cute touch.
The location is a big far from the city, but its worth the drive. The neighborhood is really cute, feels a bit like new york. -
Review from Fancypants X.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
Recipe:
Take 2 super fresh BFFs
Add equal parts laughter, gossip & travel planning
Whisk in a dash of snarkiness (any brand will do)
Sprinkle in a cozy French brunch spot
Incorporate a hearty buckwheat crepe filled with Neiman Ranch ham, an egg & gruyere with a side of sliced tomatoes
Finish with a swing in the park (South Park)
Let simmer for two hours & you have the makings of a delicious, sunny Sunday afternoon.Listed in: Breakfast & Brunch Spots
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Review from Megan C.
1/7/2012
Quality + King service
Too bad they don't have the "original" french toast that was rumored to be unreal. The current version is as thick as three regular slices of bread, and with two heaping pieces it's easy to share. The salad that I had was generous in portion size, and all of the greens were market fresh/ not overly seasoned. The quality of the food is not masked by salt and spices.
Our waitress was exceptionally sweet and seemed happy to be working at this restaurant. Prompt, and attentive, she paid attention to the details. A great little casual dining spot that I would go back to again.
Date Rating: 7
Pick up Scale: 2
Strong Suggestion: If you're in the mood for "organic" and breakfast this could be a good spot. -
Review from Michelle L.
San Francisco, CA
1/21/2012 1 photo
I love how this place definitely feels like it has a french atmosphere.
I had never ventured in South Park before but the minute I walked in, for a second I felt like I was in London or some place in Europe. With the narrow green South Park and nifty apartment housing/shops/restaurants surrounding it.
The Butler & The Chef Bistro was great. I had the Croque Monsieur and it was very filling, so perfect if you want to have a hearty breakfast/lunch.
I also had the french onion gratinee...it was good...although the bread and cheese filled up the whole top half of the small bowl that I barely had any soup...basically I've actually had better...
My boyfriend got some almond belgian waffle and mm I like that one. It was light and an airy feel of goodness.
Next time I'm definitely coming to try the crepes.
I also loved the part when the bill came and they gave us french truffles instead of the usual standard candy or none at all...
And we were able to get a seat pretty fast because we came in when it just practically opened but within 30 minutes of that it was packed! And people were outside waiting...so be prepared! Or I recommend going when its just about opening... -
Review from Allie Y.
Philadelphia, PA
1/20/2012
What a cute place in an equally adorable little alcove of the city! I can't comment on the long waits on the weekends - I came with two others at 9am on a Tuesday and we walked right in. What I can comment on though is the food - which was good! Here's a breakdown of our breakfast choices and my thoughts:
1. Parisienne crepe. I was so hopeful that this one would be good. Buckwheat crepe (ok even if I'm a bit of a purist and sucker for the good ol' fashioned type I've had good buckwheat crepes too), emmental, ham... what could go wrong? I don't know what they did but this crepe just didn't meet standards. The filling wasn't even warm enough to fully melt the cheese and that resulted in a sort of dry, less than satisfactory crepe with each bite. Too too bad. This was my least favorite.
2. Smoked salmon eggs benedict. Eggs were cooked perfectly (i.e. whites weren't rubbery, yolks were runny = awesome) and the rest was good too. I think eggs benny here is probably a solid choice no matter what version you pick.
3. Belgian Waffle. Get the Myrtilles waffle - the blueberry preserves, oh my! This is perfection. You might think, Oh it's just a waffle, why go out to eat a waffle when I could make this at home if I had a waffle maker. First, do you actually have a waffle maker? But second, and more importantly, do you have the skills to pull it off perfectly? There are so many things going right about this waffle. The batter tastes great, the waffle is cooked with just the right balance of crunch/crisp and chewiness, and the blueberry preserves definitely top it off with the right amount of tart/sweetness. It also comes lightly dusted with powdered sugar, and I did appreciate that they didn't douse the entire thing with a thick blanket of sugar. It's not the sweetest breakfast waffle you'll get and that's what makes it so great.
4. Drinks. I didn't try any of my friends' other coffee drinks but I got a noisette, which reminded me of my days sipping noisettes in Paris. If you're into espresso, I would highly recommend trying a noisette, which is essentially a shot of espresso with a dash of cream. It's usually a morning/breakfast drink for Parisiens anyway and it's sort of like a more intensely tasting tiny latte. It is delicious.
Overall, the food and drink is great and I would definitely come again! It's a cute French themed place with nice ambience and pretty good food. My only mini gripe is that in a fairly empty place that morning (there were maybe 2-3 other parties there total), the waitress sat our party of 3 at a table much better suited for a duo, but just added a chair on the end. Really, there wasn't enough empty space to give us a little more space? -
Review from Christy T.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2012
The crepe was bland but the bacon was delicious. The waitress was really short with us when we requested a substitution, which they WON'T do. It took her 15 minutes before she even gave us any water.
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Review from Eran D.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2011
Fraud alert!
I was there at the beginning of the month with a friend. Food was ok, service was ok, our bills (we split the bill) were about $18 after the tip. What we actually got charged on our credit cards was $30.73 and $23.74 respectively.
Check your credit card statement or pay cash. -
Review from L C.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2012
This place gets crowded around lunch time. So get here earlier. It's best for brunch.
I've had the croque monsieur, eggs Benedict, and french toast. All good things, nothing really spectacular in my opinion though. Mimosas are good. Service is typically slow.
Kind of torn with this place. I'd say that I'd go any day, but I'm not always in the mood. Waiting to be seated in a small space with moderately heavy food typically leads to a food coma. Not your everyday breakfast joint, but good on occasion to switch things up. -
Review from Lainey D.
San Francisco, CA
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
BAD Waitresses. Charming Chef Owner. Yummy food.
Started off really bad (waitresses are mean!) but brunch ended in a bang!
Had a large group of 5, so we had to wait 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, we asked the waitress if we could come in and she rudely told us there was no food and to leave. (She showed absolutely no sympathy, no apologetic gesture, nada.)
Fortunately, the host came out right when we were about to leave and said he could seat us but warned us there would be limited choices. The chef witnessed the rude waitress and wound up treating us to chocolate mousse and truffles at the end of our delicious brunch! My group had two kinds of crepes, eggs benedict, the Parisien, Jardinier. All AMAZING! Unfortunately, they ran out of what I really wanted which was the Croque Monsieur, but I'll just have to try another day.
P.S.
This place would have gotten 5 stars if a few of the waitresses were half decent people. While at the restaurant, there were at least 3 or 4 waitresses loudly complaining practically the entire time. It took awhile for me to tune them out and actually enjoy the food... Luckily, my table's waitress was okay- not super friendly, but at least she didn't have a sour face and a horrible attitude. -
Review from Matt D.
San Francisco, CA
1/28/2012
La beauté d'un repas français!! Certainly one of the more authentic French restaurants in the city, with the exception of the waitresses (definitiely not French!). The Croque Monsieur was phenomenal! The eggs benedict was interesting, with a very thick piece of ham, but was very tasty! If you're looking for a nice relaxing French oasis for breakfast that takes you away from the city, check out The Butler & The Chef! Bon journee!
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Review from Annie Z.
San Francisco, CA
12/27/2011
One of my favorite brunch places in the city! It's ridiculously hard to find parking in this area so if you can, just walk. It's always a nice walk in the morning (when there's no rain.) I was lucky enough to meet the chef once and he served this AMAZING pumpkin pie. I'm usually a lover of pumpkin pie, but this pie was out of this world. What's even more amazing than the pie was the whipped cream. Best whipped cream I have ever had!
Aside from the awesome pastry selection, I really like their eggs benedict. I hope they add a crab eggs benedict soon =) (Currently, I think there's only salmon and ham) I'll definitely be back to try the other things on the menu! -
Review from Ben H L.
11/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
I always park in the lot below the overpass for Giants games and I always glance over a the South Park neighborhood briefly as I walk briskly to the game. I guess there is a restaurant in there somewhere and I got there today. One of two restaurants inside this neighborhood, Butler &The Chef Bistro had a busy full house on the rainy Sunday morning when I arrived with my friend.
After a small wait, we got seated in the moderately sized but cozy dining room area. With the word "Bistro" in the restaurant name, I kind of got the gist that this was going to be French cuisine and based on the menu, they had lots of the French favs. Crepes, the sandwiches on fresh baguettes, poached eggs specialties, waffles, pancakes, and fresh pastries as well. Being a traditional American breakfast kind of guy, I naturally searched for a option for "potatoes" of some kind. Alas, to my regret, they don't do potatoes here. I got a healthy and delicious spinach salad on the side.
My main dish was the chicken crepe, made from buckwheat and filled with chicken and stone ground mustard and spices. It was quite large and had to be folded upon itself just to fit my plate. I also got their blueberry danish, also freshly made, and it was a nice breakfast appetizer before my meal. The blueberries were real, not premade or bought in.
The service was pretty good despite the full house of customers and although this was not set at bargain diner pricing, the food is between the $12-$15 range, the payoff is in the taste and quality. I definitely would like to come back here or to find other SF sunday brunch establishments that can execute a similar experience as I received today. -
Review from Arissa C.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 11/10/2011
Went back for a brunch and was a little disappointed :-(
Had the crepe with ham (Parisienne) but the crepe was over done: dry and hard. All the slices of ham were dry as well :-((
My friend tried the Salmon Eggs Benedict which was as pleasing as ever.
I think I will stick with the croque and benedicts from the menu.Listed in: The Perfect Breakfast meal:…
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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10/20/2008
Other delectables worth the visit:
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict- Thick slices of Salmon atop toasted… Read more »
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Review from Fontane M.
Davis, CA
11/30/2011
Came for Sunday Brunch with some friends, and it was super tasty! The wait was long, but worth it. Tip: grab a coffee from the counter to keep warm during the wait! :)
I had the Croque Mademoiselle, which was totally delish! Will definitely be back to try the other tasty offerings. The crepes look amazing. YUM! -
Review from Rachel Z.
San Francisco, CA
11/21/2011
I had the egg benedict on salmon and it was quite delicious, although personally I'd really like the eggs to be a bit warmer.
It seems to be a popular place for Sunday brunch. There was line up ahead of us but it moved really quickly. The table for two was tiny, but the service was decent.
May go back and try their waffles and crepes next time. -
Review from Razan R.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2012
Very bad and arrogant attitude...no matter how good the food is, it is not worth it!
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Review from Sarah S.
11/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
4.5
The Butler & the Chef besides having an adorable name, is located in an adorable neighborhood of SF! Even though it's close to Emarcardero, etc. It's next to a park and away from the hustle and bustle.
My French toast was deeeeelicious. dear i say, my favorite french toast to date? It was SO fluffy and soft and not overly sweet or heavy. The ambiance at the bisto is very quaint (loved the string of lights! coat check, etc) and the bathroom was thankfully well lit and clean for a coed bathroom. And if you sit at the back, you can see the chef cooking.
The downside is that the place can be small. Which means on a cold day, if there is a wait, you'll be waiting outside. Service was also a bit slow because it was so busy, and they charged us for hot water (who does that? ) but I guess it did come in a adorable tea pot.
I can see why this place is Michelin recommended! loved it :) -
Review from Rachel T.
11/13/2011
This is a great place for a weekend brunch. It has delicious food and drinks (try the cafe au lait here, yum!) and the atmosphere is very French bistro. The service here is great as well. I went here in a party of four, and we arrived a little before it opened at 10 am and there was already 3 parties on a waiting list ahead of us. They don't take parties larger than 6, and they won't seat you unless your whole party is here, so keep that in mind when you go there.
I got the smoked salmon eggs benedict, and it was probably the best eggs benedict that I've had before, so I highly recommend it. I will be going here again to try the other things on the menu as well. -
Review from Amanda s.
Las Colinas
12/19/2011 5 photos
came here for brunch on a cold rainy day...shared the the eggs benedict and buckwheat crepe...both came with a simple but very fresh spinach salad...i thought the eggs benedict was good for the most part, except for the thick bread with olives it was perched on...the crepe was a little dry...the standouts were the desserts: profiteroles with vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate...probably one of the better versions of profiteroles...and the pumpkin pie gallette...the best pumpkin dessert ever...EV--VER...
niman ranch ham eggs benedict with spinach salad
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
buckwheat crepe with spinach salad
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pumpkin pie gallette
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profiteroles
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi... -
Review from Brandon R.
San Francisco, CA
11/13/2011
This has been a really good couple of days for me. This brunch was absolutely perfect. I got the ham eggs benedict and the eggs were poached perfectly (I didn't know they could come like that before I came to this place). It was served over these nice thick slices of olive bread with big bits of olive that went really well with the rest of the dish. The ham was also absolutely delicious.
Oh yeah, at one point, I want to point this out. It looked like the head chef was unhappy with one of the salads that was about to be served, and I saw him just straight up throw it out. That, to me, was a great sign, that these people care about what they serve. -
Review from Jose R.
San Francisco, CA
11/13/2011
A buddy told me to eat here. No more dining recommendations from that a**hole! This place is terrible: long waits to get in, lousy service, and over-priced, crappy food, to wit:
We pick up the menu, and it's chock-full of delicious-sounding options. And then my eyes scroll down to the bottom. HOLY BALLS THEY HAVE PICKLE SANGWICHES. Hell yeah! Brie and cornichons?!! Sign me the funk up! Order a couple of those, plus a tomato and mozzarella sand-o. Great.
The waitress then comes out and brings us some bread. We start eating it. Then she comes back. "THAT'S NOT YOUR BREAD!" Oh, my bad. Why would I have thought that?!! PERHAPS BECAUSE YOUR DUMB A** SET IT ON MY TABLE. "You can't eat that," we were informed. So we put it back on the plate, she takes it back, and promptly throws it in the garbage. Really.
But I'm getting a friggin' pickle sangwich, mind you, so all is well in the world.
Then the pickle sangwich comes. About a foot and a half of dry bread, a half-pound of brie, and . . . TWO G-D- CORNICHONS! TWO. Cut in half to give it the appearance of four.
I literally cried.
The other sangwich was fine, though you could easily make it at home for about a quarter of the sixteen bucks they charge for the dang thing. What a ripoff.
The split-pea soup was quite good, though. So was the French onion. -
Review from Jeanette Y.
Oakland, CA
Salmon eggs benedict, french toast, belgian waffle with nutella and strawberries! They were all good, but nothing that says I WANT MORE!
The wait was just insane. One and a half hour wait for a table of three for brunch - my stomach was angry. It was growling. -
Review from Mike L.
9/29/2011
I first tried The Butler and The Chef a while back, when my friend mentioned she had discovered some cute, French cafe in SF. Besides the food and ambiance, the one thing I've always remembered about that trip was how the place looked nothing like I had imagined. In SOMA, off 2nd St., and a few blocks up from the ballpark? I pictured something like the trendy, commercial vibe that so many other restaurants in the area have. And yet, here was this cozy little spot, tucked away on a looping street encircling a quaint park, right off a bustling strip of restaurants and bars. Just another reason to love San Francisco!
In the times that I've been to The Butler and The Chef, I always seem to end up with one of two dishes. Since it's only offered in the mornings before 11:00 and on the weekends, the first is the Eggs Benedict with Niman Ranch Ham. Although it's a bit different having it served on bread rather than the usual English muffin, the baguette/loaf they use is pretty fresh. The poached eggs are done well, and I like their Hollandaise sauce more than the typical variety you get. And of course, I can't forget to mention the tasty pieces of ham they lag the eggs on!
Otherwise, if not the Eggs Benedict, I usually get the Croque Monsieur - Baked Niman Ranch Ham and Emmental cheese on white bread with creme fraiche. I had never tried a Croque Monsieur until coming here, but it's better than the ones I've had since then. Hard to argue with the gooey, melted cheese on top of the sandwich, especially when it's paired with the Niman Ranch Ham (yes, I know it's in both plates!). However, the cheese and the creme fraiche make it a pretty rich dish, so it might not be a bad idea to share it with the table. Definitely worth trying and still a pretty good sandwich even though it wasn't as good this last time as it has been in the past.
The menu also includes a "Quiche of the Day" which was pretty good when I tried it, but I can't remember what type it was. Otherwise, the rest of the menu offers a lot of cafe offerings like salads and sandwiches, along with some sweet pastries and crepes. Just the right mix of offerings and decor to give you a taste of a French getaway by a park...in the middle of SOMA in San Francisco.Listed in: Brunch!
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Review from Sandy L.
this place is soooooooo delightful. my cousins wanted to come here for sunday brunch and the restaurant with the yellow doors was such a pleasant surprise. i saw the great reviews but when we arrived, i couldn't help but smile at the quaint little restaurant with so much home-like character. we got lucky and got seated right when we arrived at 10:30am.
i shared the ham eggs benedict with my cousin and we both were totally full. the base toast was crunchy and each bite individually has so much flavor. the egg was cooked perfectly and the ham added just the right amount of savory to the plate. it also came with spinach which was a perfect complement to the overall plate and also added some green color =)
we also got a center shared blueberry waffle which was AMAZING. i thought i would only try one piece but i ended up going back x2...then x3 just because it was perfectly sweet and crunchy on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside. i had so much cravings for the waffle that we tried to go back yesterday and found out that theyre closed for the holidays until the 28th! ahhhhh i cant wait to go back!
it's a little bit difficult to find this spot if you don't have a GPS. it's in this center park and you walk around and you feel like you're not in SF anymore. when we left there was a very long line/wait so i think it's smartest to either arrive for first seating when it opens or later in the afternoon but beware... it closes early!
i will definitely be going back! -
Review from Lam N.
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Who needs France? I could eat baguettes and cheese here all day long.
I'm a big fan of Croques -- The monsieur, mademoiselle, any bi-curious variety really. Butler has possibly the best in the city. The way the emmenthal melts together with the crème fraîche can't be described. And i'm not a cheese snob either. If they made that combo in a can, I would be taking it straight up.
The GF ordered the Chicken Buckwheat Crepe, which looked like a paper bag with capers in it, (and tasted like a paperbag too). But she loved it. For me, you will never get me to like crepes -- the pretentious, hipster burritos of France.
Service wasn't very personable, but our robot waitress was efficient and fast, and my coffee was refilled twice without me even realizing it. Can't really complain there.
I hear their Eggs Benedict is awesome too, I would have gotten that except this breakfast/brunch place doesn't serve breakfast during lunch hours on weekdays. Seems like a miss since my table and the people who came to sit around us afterwards all ordered breakfast only to be shot down by our iron-fisted waitress.
Well, it only gives more of a reason to come back. -
Review from Linus W.
San Francisco, CA
11/19/2011
(4 stars for brunch; I'd give 2 for their sandwiches, so stay away from those.)
At first I thought they were the best french toast in town, so thick and fluffy with a nice crust, none of the soggy deflated mess you find in some diners and lesser brunches. However, I went back again today and ordered the same; this time the toast was soaked through and through. It still impressively retained its shape, but did not have the drier yet pillowy texture I was looking to re-experience. So, no 5 stars due to inconsistency. I don't know which style the Chef is aiming for, but if you do want an awesome heavy dessert-style moist french toast, almost like a bread pudding, try Chapeau in the Richmond.
Will come back to try their belgian waffles again, which were also very good from what I recall. -
Review from Eve L.
San Francisco, CA
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
First time i went there with my boyfriend, I ordered the Croque monsieur, and he had the salmon eggs benedict. The croque monsieur was really good. just so u know its also very rich. so maybe share that with someone? the salmon eggs benedict was pretty bad. Dont like it. Went there today for the second time by myself cus i was cutting my hair across the park, had the ham baguette, it sucked. it came with two 6 inch baguettes and each 6 inch had 2 slices of ham. it was too much baguette for 2 pieces of ham. so i took the other two hams in the other baguette and stuffed it in to one. but it still looked funny. so i stuffed the side of mixed greens salad into the sandwich, and it looked more edible.
other than that, the chai latte was good. -
Review from Zachery A.
San Francisco, CA
1/2/2012
Not sure if it was just an off day, but this meal was bad enough we won't go back, even though we live a block away.
I had the crepe with egg and ham. The egg was undercooked the cheese was not melted and the crepe was stiff and dry. I could not even finish it.
My wife had eggs Benedict, the eggs were overcooked, the hollindays had too much acid from both vinegar and lemon. The bread was two inches thick and not toasted, so it was dry and boring, maybe if the eggs were properly cooked and the sauce was better and more plentiful it would have been paasible, but they weren't and it wasn't.
On the bright side the coffee was good and the service was cheerfull. When the watrice noticed that my wife had barley touched her bendict she offered to refund the money. That gets an extra star. -
Review from Sarah S.
Daly City, CA
12/28/2011
So I went here once and really liked it. Authentically French with simple baguettes and Brie and whatnot. I wanted to take some family here and since there were six of us (which is the max party as this place is also authentically small with tiny tables) so I called ahead to see if they could take us. They do not take reservations but they said they had room for us so I told them we'd be right over. In the five minutes it took us to get there it was packed and they told us they couldn't take us for 30 minutes. Now I get they don't take reservations but if you told a paying customer that you had room for them and knew they were on their way wouldn't you make sure there was a table available? I'll try it one more time because the food was good but if I don't get better customer service I'm out.
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Review from Hooria T.
10/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was really looking forward to checking out Butler & The Chef, unfortunately, like many places in San Francisco, it's over-hyped. We were prepared for a long wait on a Saturday morning and were pleasantly surprised when we were seated within 15 minutes.
They had several vegetarian breakfast options available - eggs benedict, belgium waffles, and an egg & cheese crepe. I went for the egg & cheese crepe. The crepe was very disappointing, it was mostly crepe and not very much egg or cheese. The buckwheat was also a weird texture. The prices here are a bit pricey.
Bottom line, although the ambiance is very quaint and Parisian, with the mediocre food at Butler & The Chef, I don't think I'll be returning. -
Review from Michelle M.
Houston, TX
10/30/2011
So delish! Went here with a girlfriend for breakfast. Though it's my least favorite meal of the day, what a treat! My friend at the croque mademoiselle whilst I had the Fermier sandwich with onion soup. We both gorged ourselves on this and on the organic OJ.
Be wary - it seems to get really busy at 10am (on a Saturday). Very cute cafe-like ambience. -
Review from sasha h.
9/30/2011
I've been on a quest to find ny style brunch in SF and haven't been very successful. I do however like butler and the chef, which is a cute french bistro in SOMA. The line can sometimes be long, especially for brunch on the weekends (20 min+) and they won't seat you until your full party is there.
Recommend the onion soup, Croque Monsieur, most of the Baguette Sandwiches (they taste like they do in france - or at least the bread does), eggs benedict, Croque Vegetarian, Goat Cheese and Beets -
Review from Christine Y.
San Jose, CA
Updated - 10/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Expect a wait for at least 20-30 minutes if not more... But hey it's SF - what good restaurant doesn't have a wait?! Food is great so stick around.
I love the buckwheat crepe with salmon, spinach, cream cheese and capers. The croque monsieur has emmenthal cheese but it's much too rich and quite heavy - worth splitting between two. The leek quiche is mediocre and I probably wouldn't order it again. Stick to the eggs Benedict or crepes. Love.Listed in: Top Restaurants
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/11/2009
Nice spot in a nice little area! The service is great, and cute :) Their menu is very simple but… Read more »
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