Yabbies Coastal Kitchen

10/4/2011

This is really a 3.5 star review
I would have never thought to come to this place if it weren't for the fact that my friend lived across the street and we were too lazy to walk any further. That being said, it is quite good for seafood. Unfortunately I've been told it is closing but before it does, you should check it out. Think that is one of the reasons why you'll see a smaller crowd there.

We came during happy hour so everything was pretty cheap (wine was $4 and actually decent). They were also super nice to us. They did take a while to come take our order etc but were really nice about it

Recommend the following
-Oysters
-Fish tacos
-Dungeness house made crab cake - this was really good and cheap on the happy hour menu
-House made potato gnocchi
-Seafood fettuccini - it is only prawns and mussels so not a fish overload. Was rich and creamy given lobster sauce base but delicious

6/16/2011

Yabbie's is most certainly a classier place than I might ever choose to patron.  My friend was in town and swore by the recommendation of his concierge about this place.  He sadly did not realize that power of my Yelp skillz.  In this case, however, I was glad he did not.  What a delicious meal I had here.  Gnocchi that were literally clouds of potato in a sea of pesto sauce with 6 huge grilled shrimp.  Can you ask for better?

Well, they could have given us salt and pepper with our bread, especially when they gave us a sauce container of olive oil.  Other than that, the service and attention to detail was on point.

2/16/2011

Incredible seafood!! The Tuna Poke was absolutely amazing. Looooved the fresh tuna, cucumbers, sesame oil and everything about the dish was melt in your mouth.

We started out with the Poke, Round of Oysters and split the Sea Bass for dinner.

Cute place for a date, great location, we strolled down the street for dessert afterward.

As far as service they might have had an off night. We had to ask for bread, never got checked on and the wine we ordered was out.

Other than that, this place has great food and cute simple decor.

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  Delicious Sea Bass

  Delicious Sea Bass
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  Super yummy Tuna Poke

  Super yummy Tuna Poke
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  Bread & super yummy Ahi Poke!

  Bread & super yummy Ahi Poke!

3/6/2011

(See pics)

More of 3.8 stars.

There are 2 bar areas, one facing the wines and the other oyster section. They don't have a lot of wines so you are really facing a simple wall. The oyster seating is also just facing the back of the guy who's cracking the oysters open.

Saturday night I came by was a somewhat busy evening. The place was a bit loud with the walls not very absorbing the sound.

The 2 "tours" of oysters ($10 each for 4) was $1 more than what was mentioned on the website but they were actually of quite good quality albeit a bit chilled. They were also properly cracked and ready to slurp without an oyster fork. Cioppino's broth was really the highlight, slightly undercurrent spicy and flavorful, the single crab claw, a mussel, a bunch of shrimps and a couple clams were okay.

The tiramisu was a bit unusual because the cocoa topping powder was light and sweeter than I expected but was delicious, soft, moist and gentle to the taste.

They don't have a lot of wines to choose from but the prices were fairly good. Corkage fee is $20 (check) so it might not worth to bring your own bottle, though you should check out the wine merchant 2 doors north (William Cross) as they open until 10pm on Saturdays and definitely carry a great selection.

Service was good as there were really only 3 people serving the whole place. Food was served rather quickly once the order was in.

There is one thing that bothered me a bit. I was sitting at the edge of the bar and it might be a bit tight space to the other tables as most people who passed behind me had brushed up my jacket. It was a busy corner too.

Overall, the food was good but on the pricier side. But hey, they have happy hours everyday that I would love to come by and check it out!

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• See all photos from Tammy C. for Yabbies Coastal Kitchen

11/15/2010

So I am becoming a San Francisco resident, against all my better judgement.  How do I know this?  Because I was able to get to this restaurant without relying on the NAV system in my car!  Oy vey!

Now for the review: I came here last night with some friends for the kick-off to this "2010 Dungeness Crab Season!" Yay!  I was so excited for this opportunity that I barely ate all day.  I got to the restaurant and we ordered two platters of oysters on the half shell. The oysters were so fresh they tasted of the ocean...a little sweet, a little salty, very gritty!  Some of my best childhood memories are just like this. We also received an "on-the-house" appetizer of crab cakes.  Please don't talk to a Marylander about crab cakes...that is all. Let's just leave it at that

Next, the main event: I ordered the caesar salad and the whole roasted Dungeness crab.  What's with no anchovies in the caesar?  Actually, most restaurants serve it that way.  But, despite the lack of fishy, salty, goodness, the salad was very good.  Very tangy vinaigrette salad dressing, and large shavings of parmigiano reggiano. And the crab? I wish I could say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, but alas... the crab was not very meaty, and the price? Thirty-eight dollars! I felt like I was going through the motions.

I do give this place four stars because the waiters are hot and very charming. Not only that, they are also very attentive to their patrons; my water glass was never empty. I do believe that the food is really good, I probably should've ordered differently. And the dessert, how could I forget that? One of the best slices of pumpkin cheesecake I have had in a long time. Creamy, spicy, delicious.

Better than a three star restaurant, and I look forward to seeing what else they have to offer.

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  Cioppino

  Cioppino
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  Whole Roasted Dungeness Crab

  Whole Roasted Dungeness Crab
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  Oysters on the half-shell

  Oysters on the half-shell

5/1/2010

It's ok - not great, but not awful.

They were super empty on a Friday night and we ordered the chard and miso cod because we had big appetizers for happy hour.  The chard was fine although still garlicky.  The cod was good, but not as good as we have had at other places. I'm surprised they have been recommended by the Michelin guide (as of 2009).

The filo feta dessert - awful! So bland and tasteless - yuck!

8/14/2010

Super cute place, friendly service and atmosphere but the food was nothing special.  Enter Friday night my best friend and me having dinner.

For the appetizer we got the heirloom tomato salad.  Well first I'm not sure those were heirloom tomatoes, they didn't taste like it and there was only 3 slices sprinkled with some lettuce and cheese.  Bad presentation and combination of food.  

I think we'll give it one more try for the happy hour menu.

Dinner, I  had the ahi and she shad the chicken.  The ahi was good, very well cooked and flavored.  I could have done with something other than the sticky rice that came with it and had a bit more of the topping to bring out the flavors.
The chicken from what I saw looked pretty but my girlfriend said there wasn't much chicken in the portion and based on how she cut it, it could be more tender as well.

8/15/2011

Meh. I've had better experiences really sums up the meal we had at Yabbies.

The restaurant was never more than a quarter full during the evening, but one person's beer didn't show up for a good 10 - 15 min after everyone else received theirs, and 2 people's waters were empty for half the meal.

The oysters were pretty good, but they are $1.50 not $1 like it says on yelp.
The calamari was limp and not particularly warm.
The shrimp in my dish had a metallic taste.
We were so unimpressed we decided to go some place else for dessert.
The meal was around $50 per person and we had an issue with the bill that the waitress wasn't able to fix because the manager wasn't around.

I'll take bad service and good food, or the other way around, but not both.

I had been planning to return with a group of friends later this week, but after this meal we are going somewhere else.

8/19/2009

Came here when the parentals were in town as they rarely venture outside of Noe Valley and I live nearby, love seafood, and have tried most other seafood places nearby.  It was pretty easy to get reservations last minute, and while the tables are somewhat crowded (not compared to pesce), its still cute and classy inside.  

The place was nearly empty when we got there, so i guess reservations are probably not necessary, and I'd read quite a few negative reviews in advance so wasn't expecting too much.

While its been awhile and I cant give as accurate reviews/descriptions as I'd like, we ordered the mango salmon eggrolls, ahi tuna (sesame crusted), halibut, ahi poke and my dad got the fish and chips.  One con i do recall was that everything we asked the waiter with regards to making decisions between two items got us no where, he would insist that both of each two one of us was deciding between were great, which wasn't especially helpful with regards to decision making.

For this reason, my mother and i split the halibut and sesame crusted ahi.  Everything was pretty good, but not spectacular, and I definitely prefer ahi poke from other locales (pac catch), although it was presented nicely.  The portions weren't large, but somewhat typical for SF, and our bill ended up being $120 without tip.  All in all, I'd come back, but for what you pay vs. what you get, it wouldnt necessarily be my top choice seafood destination.

2/20/2010

I took my GF here for Valentine's Day and had a good first experience.

We had reservations for a later time, but were able to get squeezed in earlier. Soon after we were seated more and more people came to where the entire restaurant looked to be full.

Located along the street of many bars and eateries on Russian Hill on Polk St, it is a very easy to find although not a very big restaurant. Parking may be difficult to find, but enjoy the walk browsing the many shops and people around.

The ambiance was perfect for a nice Valentine's Day dinner. It was dim with just enough accent lights around to illuminate the place. It definitely had a nice romantic feel to it.

Our waiter was very bright and enthusiastic. No complaints at all about being too annoying during mid-meal, or having to ask to refill my glass of water.

We started with the grilled calamari to share. I had a cod special, and my GF had the ahi tuna.

The grilled  calamari was ok, but portions are very tiny. Don't expect more than 2 people to share an order. It was ok, but I would prefer the normal battered and fried calamari.

My fish was superb. It was juicy and tender. It was served a long a beet risotto.

My GF enjoyed her ahi tuna. I tried it myself, and the ahi tuna itself was good, but the sauce that accompanied was a bit too salty.

Overall had a pleasant time and would definitely go here again if opportunity arises. Minus 1 star for the said disappointments.

**TIP** There is a great bar next door to grab a drink before dinner. Nice atmosphere, great bartender, and strong drinks!

9/2/2011

Definitely pass on this place especially with all the other great options on Polk Street. Everything is overpriced and the food is average at best. The fried calamari was rubbery and the shrimp cocktail had barely any cocktail sauce - instead, they filled the glass with lettuce.  

Most of all, the service was poor - the place was empty, yet the bartender seemed like she didn't want to be bothered.

8/10/2009

I went to Yabbies last Friday evening with my boyfriend.  We were SOOOOOO disappointed as we had been wanting to check it out for awhile.  There was no wait when we went in which was great which we assumed would lead to stellar service, but boy were we wrong.  The waitress had no clue about any of the wines.  I specifically asked for something on the sweeter side and what she gave me was terrible.  My boyfriend had a similar experience.  The whole time we were thinking that even though the service was terrible & the waitress never checked on us, the food must be terrific.....um, no.  Not the case.

For starters, we ordered the crab cakes & oysters.  The oysters were very good, but crab cakes were average.  For dinner we tried the salmon & halibut.  Both were not seasoned appropriately and were dry.  The gnocchi that came with the halibut was overdone and also had no taste.  We probably would have ordered dessert, but honestly we just wanted out of this place.  A huge disappointment.

8/15/2011

Yabbies was tasty. My friends ordered oysters which I'm not a huge fan of, but had them anyways. My main dish however was spot on. The linguine and seafood dish came with a creamy sauce.

We decided to get a bottle of sav blanc for the table, it paired well with all of our meals. A great local spot on Polk that I'd recommend right along with Pesce.

3/22/2011

I've been here twice and waited until the second time to post this review. I went here a couple of weeks ago and upon sitting down the waitress informs us that they are out of oysters, tuna (for the tuna tartare), scallops, and another dish. This is a coastal kitchen and seafood restaurant and they were out of half the dishes. The food was average at best, I seriously make better stuff at home, and the service was extremely slow. We had to ask them to bring out bill twice because we didn't want to sit there all night. On the first visit the oysters were pretty fresh. I miiiight return for they're happy hour, but the ambiance of the place doesn't make up average (at best) food and bad service.
Pesce a couple of doors down is a much better option.

10/14/2010

Must admit we have checked out their menu and walked by this place many times - for whatever reason, it didn't look like a place we wanted to check out...  Wanted seafood, yelped and read some reviews on this place.  Checked out their menu online and we headed over.

Our waiter, Nicolo, was standing outside and his friendly greeting just made us felt better about trying this place.  We were brought to the table behind the raw bar next to the side door.  The inside is definitely better than expected.  Nice ambiance lighting.  Raw seafood bar to the right as you entered, a full bar to the left as you walk inside...

What we had:

Glass of Chardonnay $10 and Sauvignon Blanc $9

Ceviche - halibut - $12 - very good, not overly tart, served with some tortilla chips.

Oyster tour - one each of four differnt style of oysters - $9 - yummy

Seafood fettuccini - $18 - piping hot in a creamy tomato sauce - very tasty

Albacore tuna - special of the day - $18 - we asked if they can not cook it too much and it came out just seared on the outside...melts in the mouth.

We had wanted sauteed chard but they went out so we had the squash instead - the Italian herb seasoning really enhanced the flavor

A very enjoyable dinner and we look forward to returning soon.

2/23/2011

Best Happy Hour.  Is a shame that more people do not take advantage of this special.  They do not advertise it, I guess it is too good of a deal.

Everything is good on the happy hour special, I love the mussels in curry.

Try it

8/11/2011

Having lived right off of Polk for three years, Yabbies was definitely on my short list of great, super walkable restaurants. I've been a few times now and always enjoy it. Obviously you have to order seafood, so it that's not your thing then go somewhere else. The salmon is delicious and at $18 a pretty good deal in my book. The fettuccini is  great too and the overall experience is always pleasant. Great spot to bring family or friends looking for a relaxing dinner.

Also obvious: Polk Street rocks. Eat dinner here so you can hit the slew of Polk bars afterward!!

11/1/2010 Updated review

Happy hour here is still the way to go.  Their surf and turf tacos are excellent: Carnitas and shrimp pair very well together.  Grab a little pizza, some wine or a beer and enjoy.

6/20/2008

Perfection....and I am not even a seafood person!

We brought my sister here for a seafood feast, essentially her wet dream. When we got there they didnt even care that we were a bit late. The menu looked amazing and sarah and jessie K. went right for the biggest, most fantastic spread of seafood madness. I got the ahi tuna....I felt boring but it was soooooo good! I can't decide if I got more enjoyment out of the ahi or the fact that I got to sit and watch my sister make sweet sweet love to half the ocean.

Be sure to try the vino verde to drink, the waiter hooked it up and now I am in love with it!

10/23/2010

Nice little restaurant. Had an early dinner - so they had some really good early bird specials.

I enjoyed the Caesar salad, lots of anchovy flavor, which I love. I had the surf and turf which was pretty good and swallowed it down with 1/2 carafe of some tasty Pino Grig which was only $8.00.

Good place to dine, as there is a little of everything. I would go again, but only for an early dinner to save a buck. Service was good.