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Thrill Of The Grill
Categories: Restaurants Burgers Restaurants Pizza Burgers, Pizza [Edit]
535 Valencia St(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 776-7100
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 2:30 am
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Alcohol:
- No
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
72 reviews for Thrill Of The Grill
Review Highlights
"Their philly cheese steaks are yummy as well."
(in 11 reviews)
"I frequently crave late night pizza."
(in 7 reviews)
"...joints in town will charge you $3 simply for the slice."
(in 12 reviews)
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72 reviews in English
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Review from Andrew C.
11/30/2011
I stumbled across this place while walking along Valencia street and saw that they served cheese steaks. I had an immediate craving. I ordered their large Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich ($7.50) along with a large side of curly fries ($4). Not bad for the portion you get.
The steak was moist and filling. Grilled right but needs more seasoning. The Cheez Whiz accounted for most of the flavor. The curly fries were good and came with ketchup on the side. A good place for a late night snack or something on the go. They serve pizza as well. -
Review from Adam H.
San Francisco, CA
12/6/2011
Why come down so hard on a restaurant obviously designed to please only the drunkest of drunk mission crawlers? Well, because It;s a wonder to me how absolutely without fail they are able to fuck up every single item on their menu so thoroughly! I mean, Jesus, Pizza, cheesesteak, burgers, fries (yeah, they figured out a way to fuck up a fry.) all have been rendered absolutely positively without any merit whatsoever. What you end up with is unhealthy food not even worth its blow to your stomach taste/texture-wise.
I mean, can ground beef and cheese really turn out this awful? It's against God and nature that any of the delicious ingredients greasy pizza/drunk food places make their meals out of can possibly turn out tasting like this unless they cut their beef with shredded nerf balls, their cheese with bird shit, and leave their fries to rot underneath the deep fryer two weeks before serving them.
Oh, and the Pizza? Sad. So so sad. Even fresh it still winds up tasting like it's been sitting out on one of those platters all day.
Really hope these guys get bought out by some one who gives a shit about what they're serving their patrons because I love eating food that will one day lead to an untimely demise, but this... this is just depressing. -
Review from Scot R.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2012
Love this place.
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Review from ANITRA M.
Oakland, CA
10/30/2011
I was craving a cheese steak and got exactly what I wanted. Very delicious! Fries were great also. Gotta go back to try the pizza and burgers.
-
Review from Amy S.
San Francisco, CA
3/28/2011
8:30am.
A) I contacted the health department because...
B) This is disgusting that you left the restaurant this dirty last night (4 tables) and...
C) You need to fire the person who closed last night because...
D) There are rats in the Mission and...
E) You have lost my business permanently -
Review from Andrew D.
Fremont, CA
12/20/2010
A nice fat'ncheesy slice!
Not the greatest joint to hit after the bars let out, but they do serve a decent slice, with decent prices. A must try is their Philly, with all the melty, cheesey, and oh ya, GAAAAAAAreasy goodness you want after drinking thousands of carbs in beer back at that bar you were at where you kept waiting for your opportunity to approach that hot chick, but the opportunity never arrived and you really just ended up drunk. Don't worry, a few hours at the gym the next day will repair the damage done to your body and your ego!
But I digress, if you need a place to sober up and grab a bite 'ALONE' or with friends, you'll be thrilled with this Grill. (Yea yea, corny, but I couldn't help it!) -
Review from Desiree C.
San Francisco, CA
5/10/2011
Cheap food, large portions and delicious. What more can I want?
I used to come here all the time since I work in the area. The pizza I get is by the slice ($3 for pizza & drink from 1 - 7!) and the burgers are large, juicy and freshly made. The price is way better than Urbun Burger, which I personally think isn't all that great, and the food tastes better too. The place does get a little dirty at night, but after closing at 3AM, I doubt the workers would want to clean much. Their philly cheese steaks are yummy as well. I love this place (= -
Review from Tony L.
1/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
When you're chillin' with your villains and you're drunk up in the Mission, and there's a voice inside your stomach saying, "Yo, let's find a kitchen," go ahead and get your fill at Thrill of the Grill.
Forget the diet, stuff your face with Philly cheesesteak and gooey pepperoni pizza. Wash it down with a coke, and don't forget a dash of parmesan and red pepper chili flakes.
It's just another dive, yo, that you don't have to drive to. And when you wake up the next morning you'll be feeling alive, though, cause you had something to eat, foo. And the next time you're in line, get a slice of pizza for me, too. -
Review from Jason B.
1/14/2011
The sandwich: Blondie's Veggie (perhaps inspired by Blondie's bar across the street).
The details: Tofu. Spinach. Bell Peppers. Onion. Zucchini. (and cheese and guacamole if you're into it)
The verdict: Oily. Probably not very healthy. But so freaking packed with all the above and good and cheap ($5?!) how could you not be a fan? I am. -
Review from international super bert a.
San Francisco, CA
10/22/2010
this is my new favorite grill spot in the mission. We stopped in on the recommendation of a street dweller. Boy were we surprised.
The service was pretty good, considering the giants game was on. Our order was taken with the promptness and we were able to find a seat near the window. our food came out looking scrumptious. we ordered burgers and fries. The burgers were fat and tasted like real meat.
the fries were ok, however the garlic fries sure had a kick. I was tasting garlic for days.
I would say if you are on valencia near 16th and need something other than indian, or pakistani, or thai, or mexican ,or salvadorean, or vegetarian, or vegan food, stop in this joint and rock it. -
Review from Katty K.
San Jose, CA
8/6/2010
Wow. This is place is completely unacceptable.
After waiting in line and finally moving to the counter to order, the employee told me "Get out and Go Away." Seriously? All I said was "Can I order now?"
Horrible customer service. Completely unprofessional. Never ever going back. -
Review from Chris D.
San Jose, CA
Stumbled upon this place in the wee hours of the night while I was on my break. It was one of the few places that was open around 1:30AM on a Sunday night... There was quite a selection on the pizza that was ready to go. One of the deals is a small soda and fries for $2.50 which isn't bad. I ordered a philly cheese steak (small) which wasn't bad either. It was a decent size and it was tasty enough to satisfy my appetite. Came out to about $6.25 for the sandwich alone which is a bit more than I expected for the size that it was. But overall, this place is alright if you're looking for a place open late to grab a bite.
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Review from Erik S.
Manchester, NH
11/1/2010 5 Check-ins Here
I love this place. I usually end up here at 1 or 2 am after some heavy drinking. They make a pretty dope cheesesteak and the pizza is awesome. They do only have one bathroom waaaay in the back but that's whatever. The staff is good and the service is good.
I def reccomend -
Review from Cally L.
Mesquite, TX
7/20/2010
Horrible customer service. Often yelled at employee's while customers were around. Fake money runs rampant in this place!
No health department grade in sight.
Unorganized. Unproffessional. -
Review from O. S.
San Francisco, CA
4/28/2010
Worst slice ever!
Might not of been that bad except it was cold and stale. And I got attitude when I asked if could be heated agian.
I felt like throwing it on the floor.
I miss Cable Car pizza :-( -
Review from Edrian D.
San Francisco, CA
8/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
Thrill of The Grill...let's see
What can I say about this place...well for starters, it's better than a fast food joint, no hot lights, food made by order. Your typical yummy, greasy, fried, fattening all around good food.
I had the special...burger and fries. med-rare (pink but no blood, ::shruggs::) the fries were great and I topped it off with parmesan cheese and garlic. Hefty portion, I was definitely full. When you order the special it also comes with a drink and came to a decent price 6 bucks or so. My sister had a pepperoni and sausage pizza (haha i was picking off her sausage when she wasn't looking) very yum. Her friend had a pesto tomato pizza it looked REALLY GOOD and there was also a HUGE salad that they split and drenched it with ranch.
No downside. The counter guy was super nice and knowledgeable about the menu and what was going on in the shop. A nice "hole in the wall" what happened to cable car?
Why didn't it get a 5? Plainly, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here. More of a spot to check out if you're already in the mission. -
Review from Tom R.
San Francisco, CA
5/28/2009
This is a place for drunk people.
They specialize in burgers, pizza slices, and cheese steaks, everything a lush that needs grease could possibly want.
I can honestly say that I enjoyed their burger better than the one I had a Zuni for quadruple the price. -
Review from ruggy j.
2/3/2009 1 photo
Got **pretty hammered with some coworkers last night after a big company dinner in the skids. I can't recall the name of the restaurant at this moment because my brain is a little fuzzy right now, but it was in a pretty seedy section of the city, from what I gathered.
**If any of my bosses are reading this, I was hammered on green tea, naturally :)
Afterward, a few hard chargers (including myself) lit the night on fire. We danced in the streets, we wore bright, Bollywood colors, we kissed strangers and did shots. After roughly two or three hours of debauchery, I worked up a pretty mean hunger. When I get to the point where I'm tipsy and hungry, I'll eat just about anything. Squirrels, possums, nacho cheese gorditas, etc... If it's edible, I'm probably going to shovel it down my throat. Lucky for me, I didn't have to resort to eating animals that live in the gutter.
Stumbled upon Thrill of the Grill and decided to give it a go. I imagine it's only purpose is to feed drunks at 1:00am... which was perfect for me at the time. My friends went with the pizza, but I chose the chicken philly cheese steak. I rarely eat meat, so you know I was a hungry mother trucker.
The sando definitely did the trick... and you know what? It wasn't half bad! I smothered that bitch in some hot sauce sitting on the table, and devoured it in about 47 seconds. On second thought, I'm not even sure my tongue hit the bread at all. I'm pretty sure I just inhaled it whole.
I'd never think to patronize this place outside of the drunk rush, but for having my back when a deep-fried field mouse would have sufficed, I gotta give 'em three glorious stars.Listed in: "From Oakland to Sac Town...…
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Review from Chi C.
Tucson, AZ
7/13/2009
Hideki dump me for white woman, and Bradry took me here after a night of crubing and drinking and before we go to his mansion for more drinking and seductions. I was feeling not so good from drinking the Tokyo Tea--which not from Tokyo! It made me to throws up, but Bradry holds my hairs back because he is such gentlemans, unlike stupid Hideki, who just rets me throws up by myself and not rub my back gentle like Bradry-san.
Then Bradry-san bought the California chesesteak and garlic poteto for us to share--so romantic! However, not such a clean and nice restaurant, and even though Bradry pays, I still think too expensive to a cheese sandwich and microwaved poteto.
I was very much happy to come here and eat with Bradry, but probably never come by myself and buy because not a good deals, and also kind of scary peoples inside and outside. Thank you for holding my hair, Bradry-san~! -
Review from Earl G.
2/25/2009
Thrill of the Grill eh?
More like nil thrill for the scrill.
I'm sure some drunkies won't mind paying $10 bucks to go chew on some cottonball cheesesteak. My cheesesteak actually got drier from putting on two packets of mayonaise.Listed in: Real Man Food, Sandwich Guide
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Review from Karsten P.
San Francisco, CA
2/10/2009
INSTANTANEOUS HEARTBURN.
But sometines a cheesssteakh with cheezwhiz is 'ssackhly what a drrunk dood nees, ya know . . .? -
Review from Mariko F.
1/26/2010
Really great HUGE cheesesteaks. And get this, they deliver!
They have a $20 min delivery charge and my boyfriend and I struggled to make that amount. In fact, I ordered 2 large cheesesteaks with a bunch of extra toppings and a Caesar salad (which I didn't touch and will be my lunch tomorrow) and we finally got to the $20.
The cheesesteaks are juicy and packed with meat. I think this place is definitely a great find!Listed in: Time for delivery to Potrero…
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Review from nancy k.
San Francisco, CA
7/28/2009
I'll be honest with you here. I am super broke. I haven't been this broke since I was in my irresponsible early 20's. I've had financial ups and downs, and now I am wiser than my early 20's, but none the richer.
I've been sustained by a dish of lentils, potatoes, onion and carrots over the last month ( I've actually splurged on some feta as an extra treat for the dish a few times.) Unfortunately, the glorious words "Employee Family Meal" only happen a few times a week, leaving me 2 options: sell myself for date meals (not worh it) or resort to the good old homecooked, yet monotonous peasant meal of lentils and potatoes.
I've noticed some weight loss this month and am not surprised since my tummy has been growling non stop. So I took myself out for some fine dining at Thrill of the Grill. 3 dollars will get you a mediocre slice of pizza and a can of coke! Who am I to argue? Little things like a can of coke with the pizza normally would just be a bonus, but this was extra calories (San Pelligrino Aranciatas count) and fat so this was quite a pleasant surprise!
I won't let the fact that there was a man standing against the wall glaring at me the whole time I was eating detract from my rating. I was in my zone of some long lost serene pizza eating and nobody, no-nothing, was going to stop me. -
Review from Will A.
Alameda, CA
6/21/2009
Wow, another place that has reviews all over the place. Timing is everything, I guess.
I came here at about 2 pm on a Sunday afternoon. I ordered a large cheese steak with provolone and my order was ready within a couple of minutes. They do have a sweet HD set up, and I was watching US Soccer thump Egypt and the guys behind the counter were very friendly.
There was no one else in the place, so seems obvious that if this place gets hoppin', they might not be set up to handle chaos. Low key, they seem to do the job well. -
Review from Mark G.
Sacramento, CA
11/13/2008
Here's the 411 on this place:
It's across the street from Blondie's (I think it used to be a Cable Car Pizza).
It stays open really really late.
I tried a cheesesteak and it was awesome, the fries were really good too.
Pay this joint a visit after a night out in the Mission and your morning won't seem half as bad. Five stars! -
Review from amber k.
6/1/2009
nope.
I went in hungry for curly fries, ordered them and waited. and waited. and waited. in an almost-empty restaurant. where there were at least four employees. and it was like, 7 PM.
yeah, not so much. -
Review from John S.
San Francisco, CA
5/9/2009
I've only had the pizza from here, and apparently, that isn't their specialty. But you can also tell a lot about a place from how they do the things they don't specialize in. Based on that odd criterion, Thrill of the Grill is pretty bad. The pizza reminded me of those non-name-brand mini pizzas you get at your campus food place (also, oddly, often called "grills"). I'm not talking about the often great pizza you get in the cafeteria; I'm talking about the throwaway place in which hot dogs and pizzas bake under heat lamps all day long.
So the cheese is well done but not good. And the crust is just OK. -
Review from gene x.
San Francisco, CA
5/29/2009 2 Check-ins Here
So I noticed a new burger place on Valencia and this place at the same time but the burger place looked a bit schmancier and i was looking for something super casual so I picked Thrill of the Grill. As a long time Giants fan, I appreciated that finally there was a restaurant honoring Will Clark!
Anyhow on to the food. So I saw that they were related to Buster's in North Beach and that's really why I went in to try out their cheese steaks and see if they compared to Busters and they definitely do! I still would say that The Cheese Steak Shop on Divis is my fave cheese steak spot in the city, but Busters is in second place and Thrill replicates it well.
The fries were overly salted for my taste but I know most people seem to add salt to their fries so maybe it's just me. The bread was nicely crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside which is just the way I like it.
Staff is very "Mission" - take that however you like but they are helpful and pretty nice while they still try to look tough and urban. I was even sober so I imagine it's even better late night! -
Review from John B.
San Francisco, CA
12/9/2008
Yikes.
Hands down winner for the worst burger I've ever had in San Francisco award. I've had better burgers at ATT Park - really.
I'm not super fussy about my burgers but I don't eat them very often so when I do I like to make sure it's a decent one. Was sucked in by the SF Weekly ad for deal on what looked like delicious burgers. Buddy and I were looking for a burger lunch so figured why not. Big mistake. Clearly frozen burgers thrown on to a flat griddle. No grill in sight. Burgers were undercooked but not in a good way and had that flat, compressed look to the beef that screams mass produced. Looked like something that came out of a bag of 100 from Costco. Also, incredibly salty and I like salt. Fries were OK but pretty skimpy.
Meal deal with burger, fries and drink was $5.95 but honestly I would have enjoyed a Mickey D's Happy Meal more. Also, for roughly the same price you can get an awesome burger at Zeitgist on Rosamunde Sausage on tuesdays. Can't speak for the pizza but with Arnell's 2 doors down does it really matter.
To OP point, clearly the name is not meant to be taken seriously. -
Review from Unemployed D.
San Francisco, CA
7/13/2010
The pizza is good enough for the $3 special: a slice with toppings and a can of soda. Not great in and of itself, but for a $3 special, this Unemployed Dragon is happy.
Just went in a few minutes ago, and before I was halfway into the place the guy behind the counter was pushing the cheese steak special, and looked crestfallen when I said "nah..I want the pizza special" He's a weirdo and they really need to call him off. I saw him push the same cheese steak special at the person who walked in behind me. Clueless to the idea that this is the Mission,...folks enjoy a quick slice and don't want to spend the better part of $10 on a quick lunch. -
Review from michael k.
Irvine, CA
12/10/2008
I'm not a fan of the pizza here - for pizza I'll always head just a little further down Valencia to my friends at Pizzeria (http://www.sfpizzeria.com, which is the best in the city for East Coast-style thin-crust, honestly). Why do I start a positive review of a grill place with a negative comment about its pizza? TOTG used to be Cable Car, and the pizza, I mean, you understand. Not great.
BUT -- and this is important -- they also make other stuff. I saw a complaint, probably valid, that TOTG's burgers are nasty because the patties are frozen Costco stuff, etc., and i don't doubt it. So the thing is, that doesn't work for most foods -- frozen, processed, etc. Again, why mention something negative if I really, honestly believe this place is worth four stars? Because there's one thing they make -- one thing that doesn't so much suffer from lousy ingredients but rather requires them, and thrives on them -- that makes this place The Go-To place for this particular item.
It's all about the Philly-style cheesesteaks. Because, for once, the real thing should be frozen, Costco "steak," with "cheese" on a roll of "bread" -- and when those three elements line up in mass-produced, griddle-revived order, you end up with a very tasty (and pretty authentic) Philly-style cheesesteak. Which is what they have.
So: no on pizza, no on burgers, yes on cheesesteaks. You can get it with mushrooms on it (recommended) and it comes with fries. $6.50 for a small (which is not small). -
Review from Peter S.
Oakland, CA
5/15/2009
Last Friday, all of us at the office were jonesin for cheese steak and we wanted to try a new place so we ordered from Thrill Grill.
Here's what they do right:
1) Free Delivery
2) The cheese steaks ain't bad. They'd rate higher if they used better bread
Here's why we'll never order from this place again and why you shouldn't either:
1) We ordered and paid for 12 cheese steaks. They delivered 8.
2) They said it'll take 45 mins to deliver but took over an hour (and didn't have everyone's food!)
3) When we called them to get the missing food, they said they'll re-deliver in 15 mins but again took over and hour.
4) They promised our next order would be free. When we called today to order our "Keep a potential good customer happy" free food, they remembered us but only wanted to give us half off. When we insisted they keep their word or lose our business, they reluctantly agreed and said delivery in an hour.
5) An hour later their manager calls and reneges on their word.
Needless to say we won't be eating this joint's food again. The food ain't great anyway and the way they do business, I doubt we are the only customers they've chased away. -
Review from Nicole L.
Brooklyn, NY
6/1/2009
So I've never actually been to Thrill of the Grill, but they deliver food to my house. A lot. Mmm.
They're reasonably priced, they're fast, their delivery people are competent, and god damn do they have some delicious food.
I'm a huge fan of their cheese ravioli, my boy likes their Philly cheese steaks, and who doesn't like their fries? Oh that's right, nobody doesn't not-like their fries. Because their fries are really awesome. -
Review from Alan F.
Mission District, CA
1/3/2010
So it's 2 AM in the mission and after a hard night of drinking you are looking for pizza, and also to fight a stranger who wants pizza.
Perhaps you were tossed out of Medjool and you need to proove that you are through and through a man, and also you need a snacky-wacky. Or maybe, like me, you are at first a mere obstacle, and then a soothsayer to these huffy hostile hungry hucksters.
Perhaps you are a smug racist, waiting in line, who straight up asks my bearded buddy if he's a Muslim and then goes on to declare that the Koran is about violence and is bad and the bible is about peace and is good. Or maybe, like me, you simply have the honor of congratulating the bigots on their dedication to viewing the world in such simple terms.
Or perhaps you have a skateboard, and would rather smack someone in the head with it than ride on it. I don't know; I hear this is all the rage these days!
If any of those descriptions sound like you, you'd be right at home here! This is the perfect place to get your grease on and pick a fight in the mission after hours. -
Review from Jordan S.
San Francisco, CA
3/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'd go back for late night pizza and beer (which they were willing to sell to me after 2am if i promised to take it to go in a bag on a thursday night) - haha. I had to convince them of this btw, but either way it was pretty exciting. I'm sure the owner will probably throw up in his mouth a little bit if he reads this.
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Review from Valerie G.
Santa Clara, CA
8/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
After roaming the mission district we were on a hunt for some pizza. The first location we had stopped at seemed to have pizza that was left out all night and just heated up so we opted to check out Thrill of the Grill. It was pretty clean inside and the pizza was mediocre. One funny memory about this place was the fact that I was shit on by some sort of dingy bird while arriving to this location. Apparently this is good luck. Tell that to my poor coat. hahaha
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Review from meg w.
Chicago, IL
6/6/2010
I had the kobe burger and it was huge and delicious.
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Review from Alex E.
San Francisco, CA
3/5/2010
Tasty cheesesteaks. TA-STAY. And greas-ay.
If that's not what you're looking for, then you are at the wrong place.
Oh yeah, they deliver as well.
Yummm! -
Review from Jung L.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2010
So you have to know a little about this place before you go.
This place took over Cable Car pizza. The pizza tastes the same as the old Cable Car days, so it's not so great.
What is great, however, is their cheese steaks. It's the same owner as the great Buster's cheese steak in North Beach! I've even seen one of the worker's from Buster's work here when they first opened up...probably to train people. The cheese steaks are really fantastic. You can even get it authentic style with cheese whiz here. It's tough to find a better tasting cheese steak, anywhere, not just in SF.
I feel that this place has a bad reputation because they think it's a pizza place. Please stop eating their pizza and eat their cheese steaks! They're both gonna kill you, but you can die happy with their philly cheese!
btw, the cheese steak tastes good sober or shit faced drunk. so it's totally legit -
Review from Jennifer J.
San Francisco, CA
5/29/2009
We went there last night and ordered two large cheese steaks with provolone, mushrooms and curly fries. They took a while, but they were worth the wait. We watched basketball on the large flat screen and enjoyed some Aranciata.
The beef was juicy, tender and hot, the cheese melty, the peppers were heated with the beef as well. This is the best place for cheese steaks in SF, the other places don't compare. They have a huge selection of cheeses and toppings for all the food there which is great for variety.
Thanks for the great food last night.
By the way, the pizza didn't look too appetizing, it looked like it was sitting there all day.
