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Categories: Cajun/Creole, Soul Food
Neighborhood: Bernal HeightsMon-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Pull up a rockin' chair, and tell Aunt Dee to retire her skillet. She has cooked her whole life, and now she can enjoy the fruits of other people's labors.
I'm a soul food girl to the core, and I have the hips and thighs to prove it, but it is a nice alternative to see american corner stone food given a kick and a twist. Last night, I had the Fried Chicken (which is "Friend" minus the "N") which was oh-so-nice...a little lemon flavor helped cut the grease; my leftovers were even crispy when I inhaled them for lunch today...when does THAT happen with Friend Chicken? I dabbled a couple people's plates, and can raise my hand high and Yelp a Hallaleujah for the Hush Puppies, Pickle Jar, Mac n' Cheese, Roast of the Day and a very special Amen for the Brussel Sprouts (which had capers...mmmm).
Desserts, while more French than Creole, were on point - Creme Brulee...I will always order you as you have yet to betray me; Apple Tartlette - oh carmel sauce, please be my secret lover. **WARNING** The Red Velvet Cake is no longer on the menu. So. Sad.
All the drinks were great, and I love that the bartender made them and delivered them...it was a nice touch...felt more personal.
The place has a great vibe, and is a nice spot to start or end your night.
Great experience all-around. We were told to expect a 40 minute wait for 2 on a Saturday at 7 pm, but it only ended up being 15. Even so, the brought blankets out to our rocking chairs outside because it was cold. Who does that? Awesome.
We decided to share an order of their famous fried chicken, a vegan special, and baked mac and cheese. Some of the best fried chicken I have ever had, if not the best. The veggies were perfect and displayed beautifully. The Red Velvet cake also delicious.
This has been on my to-try list forever! 15-minute wait on a Saturday night- not bad, I actually expected worse.
The girls shared a bucket of fried chicken (with chicken-flavored popcorn) which came with a side of creamy mashed potatoes and crisp green beans. Yeah, $33 is steep for fried chicken (especially when Popeyes has 99¢ Tuesdays!) but this was the real deal. The chicken was sooo juicy, flavorful, and fingerlickin'good! The homemade sauce complemented the flavor nicely (though it can definitely hold its own).The bucket is probably good for 3 people if you're not big eaters. The boys had the roasted quail, and shrimp po'boy with sweet potato fries (sold out that night), which they both seemed to enjoy.
The rocking chairs outside in the front (where we waited for our table) and the "car seats" we sat in during dinner were a nice touch! It gets kinda loud here so don't expect an intimate dinner. Overall, I had a jolly good time and I'll have to come back for happy hour.
The food is great, atmosphere proper, service excellent. Is it perfectly authentic? No. Is that reason to dock some points? Hell No. These people clearly care about their product, and their customers.
Lagniappe lives here. Love it.
If you are a fried chicken whore like I am, then I HIGHLY recommend this place! Their chicken is fucking good, man! No seriously. Of all the fried chicken joints I've been to (check out my fried chicken list), this is one of my favorites.
My friend and I shared a bucket. Yes, we're a bunch of fat asses and we ate it all! Just kidding. I was full after 2 pieces. I believe it came with 8 or 9 pieces. It also came with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans. For around $33, it was totally worth it. Damn man, that was one juicy ass piece of fried chicken! I had one piece left over that I was planning to eat for breakfast. (Omg, that would have been an awesome breakfast!) But I forgot to stick it in the fridge so my bf threw it away! WaAaAaaaaAah! Yes, I was very sad and I almost cried. =(
I also tried to make last minute reservations. Too bad they were full. We only waited about 15-20 minutes for a table. It was first come first serve and our names were on a list. Good thing we were able to drink beers outside. They had rocking chairs and tables. All they need are heat lamps. I'm definitely coming back here for their awesome happy hour.
IF I CAN GIVE THEM 10 STARS, I WOULD!!!
If you liked Hard Knox, then you will absolutely LOVE this…
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Nice atmosphere and decor of a southern style place or what I percieve it to be atleast.
The new organic, southern type of movement was in place a while before, its been probably almost 2 years since I've eaten here, but I'll review it hoping nothing has changed. Infact its due for another visit and I'll re review.
So onto the food which was good but not extraordinary to be quite honest. It wasn't THEE best fried chicken I've had, but it was good and it was cool that it came in a bucket. I do remember the cornbread being very tasty, but again not so extraordinary.
Three and a half stars instead of 4 or 5, because of the very aggressive mariachi they let come in and pester you until you tip him. I admire Front Porch for trying to support the community, but they should pay the mariachi and request that he not solicit patrons for tips when you're paying $33 for a bucket of chicken. If he were a little more gracious, that would have been okay. But he hung out at a nearby table that was ignoring his requests for five minutes hoping they would cough up something. We would have preferred the CD that was playing.
Also, I asked for bread, and our server said, "we have cornbread," but still didn't bring it out. Is there some code language I need to know to get bread?
Anyway, the food is reasonably priced for the quantity they give you and being in SF, besides the accompaniments to the fried chicken, which were a little small. The fried okra was really good, perfectly salted and fresh. The lime jalapeno aioli missed the mark - it was slimy and did not seem to go with the okra.
I loved that the fried chicken is presented in a popcorn tub with some popcorn that absorbs some of the chicken fat and gets much tastier as the night goes on. They just staple the bucket up with your leftovers, and I appreciate the minimal waste. The fried chicken was really moist and tasted like it had been marinated in citrus for hours.
They were out of the green beans, so it came with collard greens and mashed potatoes. Both were good, but this portion was really stingy for a dish meant to serve more than 2 people.
Cute, quaint, hipsterville. Good for dates and a small group of friends.
From the outside, the place looks like a regular front porch with an open door. When you walk in, the place turns into a small dive bar in the Mission. Bar is right next to the door and it's pretty small and very dim inside. We sat at the area of tables in the back that were surrounded by blue leather van seats. Cool touch.
The freebie madeline cornbread to start off was to die for. A spicey butter spread complimented it very well. I ordered the chicken fried steak and mash potatoes...and what? I get to order beer from tap, too? (point!) The chicken fried steak had a apple pie/cinnamon-y after taste, which I thought was freakin' AWESOME. Although, the quail looked delectable, the chicken fried steak will be my "default" here just for that after taste.
The portions were just right. We skipped dessert and walked across the street to Mitchell's for ice-cream.
Overall, winner!
Do you LOVE fried chicken, or spicy shrimp with grits? How about ordering a 24oz Tecate with dinner? Do you dig the Mission hipster vibe, but still consider yourself a foody with a delicate pallet? If so, then this is the place for you.
My girlfriend Stina raaaves about this place all the time. She calls it comfort food with a hefty price tag, and that's for sure. When my ex called to take me out to dinner, you know I was all about it. He suggested FP, I enthusiastically agreed.
We shared the fries (nothing special) and the cornbread (also unspecial). I had the shrimp and grits (soooooo good, sooo heavy), and he had the famous fried chicken, which he claimed tasted better in the past. I liked that it didn't really taste like "fried chicken" and actually had nice lemon taste.
We were too full for dessert...so the portions are good for the price.
I still love you Front Porch, but I must admit that the new chef is not killing it the way your old one did.
The burger was not as stellar, and why-oh-why are the crab grits gone?? Shrimp grits? Not the same. Bring back the crab grits!
Fear not, I'll be back. I'm a big fan of second and third chances. Especially when the food is so good that I want to go back for senconds and thirds!
Last night we had another stellar dinner at Front Porch. With 7 people at 8pm they were able to… Read more »
Great quality food served piping hot! I had the mac and cheese, chicken, and jambalaya. Great atmosphere, great service. We did have to wait about 45 min for a table. You can't make reservations unless you're a party of 6 or more. It would be great for a date, but not the first.
This is the kind of place that makes you proud to be a local.
Hidden away in the outer mission, this place will remind you of the south.
Good food, kinda heavy though but I really enjoyed my experience at this place and I will definitely go back.
I have been wanting to come here since I found out about it and I finally got a chance to last night. It was one of my friends friend birthday so of course we got wasted, on a Monday night....We started off with a round of 24oz. King Cobras. That's pretty awesome when a restaurant serves those.
We then moved on to Duvel which is a great Belgium beer and 7oz. Miller High-Life's.
Brynn (spelling?) our waitress was amazing, she has a great sense of humor and kept the mood fun and I even convinced her to shotgun a High-life with us, I mean that is freakin awesome!!
Food: they give you some cornbread with a spicy-butter spread which was amazing...we then ordered the Shrimp and Grits for an appetizer. Grits were cooked to perfection with the gravy and the shrimp was superb. We then had Fried Okra, God! what a creation, best thing ever.
As an entree I ordered the Shrimp Po'Boy which came on a roll with tomatoes and some slaw (unbelievable!)
I could go on and on about this place...I'll definitely be back!!
I try not to review places that already have a gazillion, but I want to address the "Good for Kids" factor here. Yelp says "no," but I brought my baby, and it was totally fine... on a Friday even.
The thing is, you gotta prep and time it right. Here's how the fam got to enjoy a nice dinner out.
* I called ahead to ask if they had high chairs. The answer I got was a very friendly and enthusiastic "Yes."
* Since the restaurant is a short walk from home, I wore baby instead of using a stroller. I figured there would be limited space to park the thing.
* This one's probably the most important. We made sure we got here right at 5:30, when they open. It's not super busy or crowded. We got to choose our table. The noise level is tolerable for baby so she doesn't get agitated and fussy. We finished just as the place filled up (plus baby's bedtime is at 7).
Hope that helps!
Charming, quaint and delicious but a bit pricey. Every experience I've had at The Front Porch has been delightful. The Fried chicken is to die for, honestly the best I've ever had. The spicy shrimp and grits is also amazing. The ambiance is welcoming and it definitely has that New Orleans vibe. I will go back many more times.
My two complaints, its a bit pricey especially on my budget and considering how pricey and swanky it is they should serve hard alcohol. All and All, a great restaurant experience.
We were all anticipating to go here base on one of our co-workers recommendation. He has been here 3x and raved about it. So as a bunch of chefs we were excited. Service was fine, the ambience was nice and cozy. How ever it stopped after that.
We were a bit disappointed with the food. 2/3 of us had the fried chicken and while the seasoning was tasty the chicken was over cooked. Too dark and crispy. I had to pluck all the crust off to get to the meat. The mashers was delish and I have to say the green beans was the best dish of the night. Wonderfully saute, seasoned, and my favorite garnished with fried garlic chips. We had housemade pickles and deep fried brandade which was ok. The salt was all over the place. Some were under and some were over.
My friend ordered the gumbo and sadly to say he didnt finished it. We asked why and he said it was a bit off. I tasted it and it was WAYYYY too salty. Another person tasted it and said the same thing. The third friend, our sous chef, was like "whoa, you need to send it back." Our friend didn't want to "complain" and was adamant about not saying anything. I told him, "if you don't say anything they will continue to serve this over salted food to other patrons." So we told one of the runner who picked it up that it was too salty. She said ok and took the plate. Never asked if he wanted something else. Then afterwards he told our waitress that. She acknowledge that.
When the bill came we were shocked that they left the gumbo on! We have worked at least in half a dozen restaurants each and we know this is not how you run a business. Just shocked.
I think the food here is going in the right direction. They just need to fine tune their food and maybe taste it more often before sending it out. Service was slow but friendly. But to produce a bad dish at the restaurant's fault, serve it then charge it to a customer was a bad judgement.
We agree we will not be coming back. Too bad, it had such good reviews.
This is some damn good fried chicken. Tender, juicy meat that was seasoned well, even before the batter went on. It had a slight lemon/citrus taste which was really nice and helped to balance out the heavier, saltier spices that were added to the perfectly battered fried skin.
The sides of mashed potatoes and green beans were great as well. The green beans were cooked just right, crunchy but not under done. Whatever they used to season them were fantastic, I kept reaching over to serve myself more. The potatoes were good but not necessarily rave worthy. Since my friends and I were so retardedly hungry, we also ordered a side of fried okra and mac'n'cheese. The okra was only okay, they were cut too small and the batter was the type you find on fried Twinkies at county fairs. The mac was also only okay, as it needed an extra kick of something...it mostly tasted like cream and noodles.
Again with the waiting though. When we arrived close to 10 pm, there were still a good amount of people waiting to be seated. Upon the suggestion of the manager, we put our name down and then walked down the block to a little sports-themed dive bar to have a drink while we waited. However, the wait was much quicker than anticipated, as we were just served our drinks and we received a call that our table was ready.
And here's where I learned something new while in the bay, the concept of a "roadie". Basically, a to-go cup for your booze. The really awesome older gentleman who was our bartender sent us along to the restaurant with roadies, since we didn't want to down our beers in a minute.
Oh, to live in a place so free spirited...
nom nom nom. I thought this place would be pretty good, but really, the food was just unexpectedly delicious. The fried chicken was flavored perfectly, with the flavor permeating into the meat itself. And the shrimp & grits were truly amazing. And even more surprisingly, great cocktails at affordable prices. My champagne sparkler at $6 was a steal. Maybe it was supposed to balance out the crazy $33 price tag on the fried chicken bucket - who knows. The only disappointing part of the meal was the red velvet cake which was too dry. Oh well, I guess I'll just stick to the chicken and grits next time ...
The Front Porch exceeded my expectations! I saw this place on Check Please Bay Area and thought I would give it a try. I went with a group of 4 and we loved everything about this place. We found parking a few blocks away, waited about 10 min for a table (which is pretty good for a Friday night in the City around 8:30pm) We enjoyed all of the food and drinks that we had, we enjoyed the wait staff and the other customers. The place just had a great vibe. We had the chicken fried steak, pork chops, mac and cheese and shrimp and grits. Everything was so great! We also had the red velvet cake and the creme brulee, both were really good. We will be going back to try the many other things on the menu that look so good!
My wife and I love this neighborhood spot . The Caribbean/Southern-influenced food is consistently good. It's one of our favorite spots in the city, atmosphere-wise.
The wait can be kind of long on weekends but every time so it's probably a good idea to make reservations especially if you have a larger party.
I wanted it to be good. The staff was great and, as my dinner companion observed, the decor was "cute"--she said while sitting on a car bench seat. It was not to be. I've seen reviews that commented on changes in management/kitchen staff; maybe that explains it.
The spicy shrimp & grits was fine. No complexity at all to the sauce, which is to be expected if it's really spicy, but this wasn't. In this case, the grits basically served as a sauce delivery mechanism, which is a bit unfortunate: buttered grits are essential soul food, but I only got any flavor of that when I found an edge of the dish that the sauce had sloshed away from. The mushrooms and shrimp were cooked satisfactorily. Satisfactory... good word for this place. Also an apt description of the complimentary cornbread.
For our entrees we ordered the chicken fried steak (with corn and mashed potatoes/gravy) and the fried chicken (with green beans and mashed potatoes/gravy). To their credit, the presentations of the two dishes were reasonably distinctive and appropriate, even though the mash+protein+vegetable format was the same.
While I'm giving credit, the fried chicken was decent. As my companion put it, it was "suspiciously juicy"--surely brined, but I'm not prepared to call obvious brining a bad thing. There were some crust adhesion issues but the flavor was good, although I was turned off when I encountered some undercooking in a particularly thick piece.
The mashed potatoes and the gravy were fine. If half-stars were available, they'd get one for the complimentary bites that were brought to the table: blue cheese and, I believe, walnut, on crostini with microgreens. Downside: it was just a bite. We had some thoughts on that, too, but since it was tasty and reasonably well-done, I'll leave the nitpicks aside.
The chicken fried steak, on the other hand, was a mess. First of all: no reasonable interpretation of the dish can involve a too-thick, too-tough cut of meat. The whole point of the thing is to pound the crap out of such a tough cut and then cook it until fork-tender. I needed my steak knife.
But even if you imagine that to be a quirk of interpretation, the breading situation was so bad that I couldn't help but joke that they'd come up with a deconstructed chicken fried steak, with the breading served on the side. It might have even been plausible had the whole thing not been hidden underneath a mess of average gravy. I honestly there was twice as much steak as there ended up being, just because of the amount of breading spread over the plate like shrapnel. There was one place where it wasn't to be found, though: on the meat.
So, I've got to give it a star for ambiance and a star for service, but I can get equal or better food at too many places to give real credit on that front. Maybe it was an off night; I'm not planning to increase my sample size, though.
It's been a while where I've been able to go to a restaurant and enjoy every dish that I ordered... this has broken that bad streak. I thought everything was scrumptious! :D
We had the Shrimp and Grits- Delish! I never had the chance to try the famous Crab and Grits.. but if its anything like the Shrimp one. I'd be a happy camper!
We had the bucket of chicken: Super crispy the way I like, if there was a downside.. it was perhaps the batter wasn't tasty enough... but I'd still order it next time
The Mac N Cheese-- comes out bubbling and oozing with butter.. so good.
Don't come here on a diet.. :D
Way better than Hard Knox. Not as great as Angeline's in Berkeley (for the chicken).. but I will come here for the grits.. OVER and OVER.. Good Job peeps!
Parking: 5
Service: 4.5
Food: 4.5
Company: 5+
Shoutout to dai lo Mike (DLM) and dai lo Dea (DLD). Told you I'd do it.
DLM picked me up from work to head over to the Front Porch. I was very excited given that it's been over a year since I last ate here.
Happy hour M-F, 5-7. Also, I think it's cute that they call it Blues Hour instead of happy hour. It's the little things...
We started with two cups of gumbo and the spicy popcorn, along with the comp corn bread. They were all amazing, and the popcorn was astoundingly good. I mean, the concept is so simple: Tabasco and popcorn. It's the simple things...
FYI, they don't make the spicy crab and grits anymore, because that was the creation of an old chef. They're now offering the spicy shrimp and grits, which is the most remarkable thing I've tasted on the menu, hands down. Now I see why everyone raves about it.
And of course, we got a big bucket of chicken. Yes, the one that spills out of a movie popcorn bucket. It's really cute. See, it is the little things...
Pretty darn good!! I've gone twice and would definitely go back. Why I love this place:
1) You put your rezi in, and if you decide to go to Club 3300 up the street to get a beer while waiting, the guy will either call the bar OR walk up himself to say your table is ready. How awesome is that?
2) Food is pretty good. Last night I had the burger with fries. Other people in our group had chicken fried steak (maybe the best I've ever had?) and someone else had fried chicken.
3) Prices are okay. I love that they offer $1.50 beer (I think it's Michelob). Hey, a buck fifty is a buck fifty - good deal.
4) The cornbread they give you is a nice touch. I wish it was warmed up though.
It makes me sorry to knock off all the stars from my original review but it must be done.
Management at FP: I hope that you actually read this review and makes some changes.
Let me preface this by saying that I have been to FP about 5 times and loved each visit before last night.
First, since the chef has changed from the Barbados to the Lousianna style, the fried chicken is NOT AS GOOD. The textures are still perfect but there is no flavor in the batter or in the meat. It used to be salty spicy and delicious. Please consider changing the recipe or at least offering a more flavorful variation. The fried green tomatoes were very stiff, not at the the tender and juicy flesh of a properly ripe and cooked green tomato.
And the service, dear lord, the service... It has gone way down hill. I know that there are off nights, but I have noticed a slow, steady spiral downward in service here. Last night we were told 30-45 minutes, off by about 20 minutes more. There was no concern shown about our hunger or patience. No "thanks for waiting," or "Sorry about the extra wait." I have worked in restaurants and bars for years and find this unacceptable. But, I was hungry and hopeful, so I let it go. I had also raved about this place to my dining companions and wanted it to live up to its reputation.
The restaurant was not extra busy and yet we waited and waited and waited. We did not order drinks, appetizers or dessert and yet we sat there for 2 hours, only 30 minutes of which was actually eating. Again, there was no explanation for the long waits for our food, for our check, for our change. There was no apology, no effort to check in with us, nothing.
At one point, our server brought by an amuse bouche (about 45 minutes after we had been waiting seated at the table) after the cornbread and with no explanation about why we were getting it.
Despite our incredible patience, at the end of our meal there was no exit greeting, "Thank you for being patient" or "Thanks for coming in" or "I hope you enjoyed your meal." The service was sloppy, very sloppy, and confusing. I'm not sure there was a manager on site since everyone working there seemed to be sauntering around, chatting with themselves and other customers.
I am sad to say that the Southern hospitality I could count on that made the Front Porch stand out among its competitors is gone.
pretty damn nice. I love the service (friendly and cool even when super slammed)
the bucket o'…
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FANTASTIC friend chicken!
MAGNIFICENT macaroni and cheese!
MARVELOUS mashed potatoes!
SENSATIONAL sweet tea!
DELICIOUS desserts!
STUPENDOUS service!
Quirky is the perfect word to describe FP. I'm inclined to like any place that I can get a bucket of fried chicken. I think more restaurants should offer a "bucket" sized entree.
My dining companion and I split the fried green tomatoes because it just doesn't get more Southern than that. The tomatoes had a nice crunch and came with a prawn salad thing that was quite tasty. I ordered the shrimp and grits because I can never resist grits. It was decent.
I had to order the chess pie. What the heck is chess pie? Well it happened to have chocolate and pecans in it. Tasty.
We wanted to like this place very much but...
My husband is from the South (North Carolina) and we go to Southern or Soul Food restaurants whenever we see one.
This place, he and I both said that we probably won't dine again.
The waitstaff was great but the food was just below OK.
Fried chicken... I make it better although mine is an oven baked fried chicken..
Side dishes... I make it better...
It was a huge disappointment.
It's never a good sign when the first thing I do after getting home from dinner is snacking on Honey Bunches Of Oats. Returning from Front Porch, it was not one, not two, but three handfuls before I felt full. Argh.
I knew my fabulous culinary streak was going to end. I just wish it wasn't tonight. Surrounded my two good friends at a restaurant I had been wanting to try forever, hopes were high. I even used the occasion to post a Facebook update I was eating fried chicken - a rare, rare occurrence by this Healthy Yelper.
Full disclosure: I only had a bite of the chicken, which was good, but it was no Little Skillet. I was very underwhelmed by my seafood perloo. It contained exactly one shrimp, a few clams and some sea bass. My mind and stomach both were wondering if part two was coming. It was not. What I had was good, but for $19, it wasn't enough, especially with no sides.
Sealing only two stars was the service. Friendly, but no where near as attentive as I've experience elsewhere. My biggest complaint - after an initial pour, our water pitcher sat empty the entire meal, which I just find unacceptable.
My friends enjoyed it, nice touch serving the chicken in a bucket, and it wasn't that expensive. But I've had better.
Don't you hate it when the night before you move from San Francisco, you finally discover yet another cool restaurant and think to yourself--why hadn't I done this before?!?
Ah well, it happened with The Front Porch. I went with my hubby, and our 2 friends (one, also hailing from the South originally), and we had a great time. Don't let the location dissuade you--just a short trip down the J, and ultimately across from Mitchell's--can you go wrong?
Anyway, the atmosphere was fun and lively, service was great, and loved the menu. I enjoyed my po'boy (it changes nightly), but couldn't get enough of the sweet potato fries on the side. We also ordered the special app (fried mushrooms...mmm) and I had to try the mac & cheese, which was tasty.
Carrie got the fried chicken--yum for her--and a huge portion.
I wish we could've done dessert, but man were we full.
Just a really fun night--it's a bit loud / lively, so if you need to have an intimate conversation, you may want to find another venue.
I think this just might be my favorite restaurant in the city. Bold claim, i know. The fried chicken is delish. I occasionally branch out, but always find myself missing the chicken. Also, (being from Texas) I have frequently lamented that nowhere in California could I find my favorite side dish: fried okra. Not only did I find it at the Front Porch, but it is hands down the best fried okra I've ever had. The spicy crab & grits are also a fave. And the corn shaped corn bread - whats not to love?
The wait is long on a weekend night, but if you can find a seat on the front porch it is a good time. They also let you head down to the 300 Club and will call you there when your table is ready.
So I broke my no pork rule for this place. Bad Jew!
We started with their complimentary corn bread and butter and some tasty cocktails. Then some steak fries with and their smoked paprika aioli. I love fries, but I don't like the thickness of steak cut, so that's my bad. Then Brussels sprouts. Yum, very tasty and brown buttery. For entrees we split the fried chicken and shrimp and grits. The shrimp and grits were amazing, a must have. The bacon (yes bacon!) and mushrooms worked perfectly in the yummy dish. The chicken was really good. It was moist and seasoned well, although I prefer Angeline's in Berkeley for excellent fried chicken. For dessert we shared the chocolate pecan chess pie and it was scrumptious. Overall a great meal.
Some of best fried chicken I've ever had. Being from San Francisco, I'm not exactly sure if that statement hold any water, but it's true.
The chicken was moist, spiced really well, and couldn't have been better.
Unfortunately, everything else wasn't in the same ballpark. Mac and Cheese was alright, they ran out of the greens, and the shrimp grits weren't that good (and over priced).
5 stars on the chicken and 24oz can of malt liquor
2 stars for everything else.
I'll be back for more chicken and beer.
Went here last night for an impromptu early dinner with the wifey. Thank God Granny came to babysit - we haven't had a nice meal out together in a long time.
We came at about happy hour and sampled a number of small plates. By the time we were done, we both hurt in that really good way. We tried the "Lawn Clippings" mixed green salad, shrimp and grits, mac and cheese, fried black cod po' boy, gumbo, greens, and corn bread. The Lillita - mojito but with Lillet - was ok. The two Abita's we had were great. We finished with chocolate chess pie and donut bread pudding.
A food spectacular for fairly cheap - at least SF-standards cheap.
Definitely get here before 7 to take advantage of the happy hour specials. Had some decent streak frites with amazing aioli, some really good churros, and decent spiced popcorn. Jalapeno cornbread was good, although I wish we got more. We split the shrimp and grits, which was absolutely delicious.
Wish it had been warmer so we could have sat outside. Just all in all a great place, nice chill vibe, good music, good decorations.
Hip, laid-back ambiance. Chill servers and wait staff. Amazing fried chicken and garlic mashers. OK green beans.
The hubs brought me here for my thirty-hhhmmphth birthday and I love loved it. We picked it from an article we saved rating the top 100 things to eat in SF (Front Porch was ranked for its crab and grits). Sadly, the crab was out of season but the shrimp and grits were money with a big fat M!
Service was a bit slow but every recommendation by our waitress was spot on so don't be shy about asking.
Fried chicken was crisp and tasty...but skip the green bean side (yeah, it's the only healthy thing on the plate but so what). The corn bread starter was also nice and a l'il spicy.
My only negative comment is that - while the red velvet cake hit the spot after 2+ glasses of wine - it still tasted previously frozen or chilled way ahead of time in the fridge. So I suggest skipping that.
Otherwise, I say go roll up the sleeves and don't hesitate to get some chicken grease dribbling down your arms!!
A fiver! How long has it been?
My Front Porch experience left little to be desired. Our waitress was casual yet quick and knowledgeable, the happy hours tapas/appetizers ranged between good and amazing, and the decor and general atmosphere were, if a bit hip, quite comfortable and classy.
Something to keep in mind is that this is not a soul food or southern restaurant as reviews led me to believe. It's more southern-meets-world fusion. Plantains reside next to okra resides next to aioli. The pulled pork (I'm going to see how much pork I can eat this week!) was amazing, a combination of Mexican spicy and sour that I've never had anywhere else.
If you're not looking for traditional preparations, but rather want to try something new, check it out. Bring your special lady or your fuckin' lady friend though, not your good drinkin' buddy or a small child. Because my drinking buddy will teach your small child to say all kinds of really inappropriate things.
I have to give proper compliments to the staff at The Front Porch. We've been here a few times since it opened (we live in Glen Park and it's a short walk to get there). The food is always good, especially if you're familiar with delta-style cooking. If you're up the stairs in the back, you get to see the preparation goin' on in the highly efficient kitchen.
I took my family for dinner a couple of nights ago. Like most Saturdays, the place was very crowded and noisy (that's something else to consider). Each person ordered a specialty cocktail (made with beer or wine - no spirits). Then each ordered according to his or her level of adventerousness - liver, burger, gumbo, catfish and chicken (which was the winner).
To my taste (and my daughter's) the catfish had a slightly off taste (I've since read that it is pretty common among even fresh catfish, which most aficionado's don't mind at all). I mentioned it to the waitress, just by way of information, and she took it back and offered us another dish or credit! That's amazing! It was really our mistake to order it... But anyway. Just want to make this public "thank-you" and give a recommendation to a restaurant with good food and great spirit (even without a license to sell spirits)
we planned a night at the drive in, and it was up to me to find good food. when fried chicken was mentioned as a suggestion for dinner, i began my hunt for some good stuff. i mean, why bother to try to make the stuff, spending hours in frustration only to find it's not very good? i had no idea finding good fried chicken in san francisco would be so daunting. i leaned on yelp to help me find the best fried chicken in the city to bring as take out for our night out in san jose. this is one of those times yelp proved its awesomeness.
*perfect* for an outing like this, the front porch will give you a bag of juicy deliciousness. for a little over $30, you get greens, mashed potatoes with a hint of gravy (not too overpowering), and a bucket of chicken. don't confuse this bucket with one by a guy in the military resembling a southern gentlemen. this chicken is the real thing- flavorful, crispy, homemade, and with a kick.
the bucket feeds about three people, so there's enough lemon infused goodness to go around. the mashed potatoes were creamy with a barely there flare of gravy, and the greens were fresh, crispy, and seasoned lightly.
there's even a small sampling of cornbread thrown in for extra carb adventures.
when i picked up the food, i really liked the vibe of the place. yes, the front porch has a front porch. were it nicer weather, it would have been the place to be. inside, it was cozy without feeling overcrowded or loud. i'll definitely be back to have a meal in house.
if you're planning a picnic, a night at the drive in, or just want to stay in for the night, front porch will give you the tools to trick your friend or your partner that you know how to make really good chicken. :)
...or you could just leave it in the bucket and say "um...yeah, i didn't make that." cuz if they loved it as much as we did, you'd end up making that chicken a heck of a lot to cover up that fib. :)
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Soul Food
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Dogpatch
Category: Southern
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights
Category: Greek
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