The 49 best pubs in San Francisco (2025)

3 lists

Amazing food and presentation of each dish. Celery soup was very unique and worth to try new menu :) Mussels were my favorite!! But too quiet for me to celebrate my birthday😋

I recently dined at Absinthe in Hayes Valley, and I must say, it was a delightful experience from start to finish! The atmosphere is charming and cozy, making it the perfect spot for a special occasion or a casual night out.What truly stood out was the attentive service. Our server and server assists were all friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and made excellent recommendations. They checked in on us just the right amount, ensuring we had everything we needed without being intrusive.The food was exceptional! I highly recommend trying their stand out dishes, the duck breast with truffle accompaniment, steak and the truffle burger all bursting with flavor.Overall, Absinthe is a gem in San Francisco located in the great Hayes valley neighborhood With its fantastic service and delicious cuisine,

Wonderful drinks, food, and a très français experience. Outdoor park let seating is well heated. Highly recommend the pan seared duck breast with lentils if still available.

Beautiful atmosphere, great food. The duck breast on lentils was delicious. The crab salad refreshing and tasty. A bit expensive but worth it. Decent wine selection. Recommended.

Yes excellent food. Flavor profiles and textures abound. Impressive and well thought out menu. We started with Escargot and Squash-Fennel soup. Entrees of Scallops and Grilled Octopus. Local Sole Picatta. Highly recommended

It is a decent French restaurant. The menu is limited, but everything we tried was delicious. The service was great.

Absinthe is a lovely place to have a quiet lunch or romantic dinner. The service and hospitality are excellent; atmosphere is very nice; food and drinks are great. However, it is incredibly expensive—even by SF standards—and not worth the price you pay. They would have a lot more business (and profit) if the prices were not so inflated. I will return—when they have more reasonable prices.

Though a touch subdued in flavor, the service is excellent and the interior, unique. Clever mosaics, white tablecloths and banquette seating make for a special night out either pre- or post- opera or ballet.The vibe is highly reminiscent of New York Theater District dining. The bar, equipped with the quintessential absinthe fountain, is lively and perfect for a date.

Visited for the first time in years… have to say it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable, and so attentive. Everyone in our party absolutely loved their dishes. I absolutely enjoyed the Mushroom Tagliatelle, but the dessert of Pear Ice Cream that was beyond exceptional. The cocktails and appetizers were also fantastic. Cannot wait to dine here again!

So glad we finally tried Absinthe.We just walked in without reservation in a Saturday noon time, get a great seat right away.The food is amazing and feel so different from other restaurants, from the bread they use, to the sauce taste like. It's indeed out of the world.Love our waiter, very friendly & give out best suggestions.Dessert didn't surprise me, but love all the food we ordered and the cocktail is top-notch.

It is nice to still have a classic French restaurant where you can get all the expected luxuries like escargot, caviar, and Beef Bourgogne. Nice non-alcoholic cocktails. Professional service. $105 per person including appetizer, main course dessert, tip, 6% mandate but no alcohol.

Popped in & sat at the bar. I ordered a half dozen of Kumamoto oysters, & before finishing ordered another six. A proper martini & mignonette make all the difference. The service was very kind & attentive.

The food was good but the service was below average. Wouldn’t recommend for special occasions but good for casual dinners. Given the price didn’t seem like a good deal.

This French food restaurant serves delectably flavorful brunch. There aren't that many choices for the brunch menu, but everyone that we tried is absolutely delicious. The dessert was great but not extraordinary. And the service is excellent in a classy French venue with nice ambience.

My husband and I are visiting from Upstate NY and this restaurant was recommended by my cousin who lives here. The ambiance was chic and romantic, the food was delicious, and the service was great! Our waiter was helpful and answered any questions we had. It was my first time having French food and escargot, I enjoyed it very much! We had a lovely evening.

Cozy beautiful seating. The food was expensive yet super delicious. I also love that they had a vegetarian option in each category. I'll highly recommend the squash soup and the sweet potato agnolotti. Taking down 1 star because my husband didn't enjoy his burger as much.

Went in on a wonderful Sunday afternoon after eating and drinking around our neighborhood enjoying the sun. We sat at the bar, the pace was quiet. The head bartender that was too busy making drinks for the floor manager, the chef and the bar back ignored us. The other bartender Chris was a nice guy and came over to help us though so we grabbed a couple glasses of wine to start out. When we decided to eat, we asked the main bartender if they had any pate’ or meat apps to pair with our wine. He said the seared pork terrine that was great so we ordered it. We sat there for 15 minutes and then a food runner came over with the terrine looking for some guidance from someone behind the bar but the bartender, the bar back and the floor manager were too busy drinking drinks the main bartender was trying out to help so I told the runner it was for us. (Chris was in a break) We ate the cold, cold terrine on a hot plate because NOBODY asked us if anything was ok or if we needed anything the entire time we were seated eating. When we were done, our glasses were empty not a single person took anything away until Chris came back from break and asked us if we wanted this taken away. Not sure if you shouldn’t go into Absinthe on Sundays or if you should skip it all together because the lead bartender, the floor manager and the chef are too busy drinking at the bar to make sure the customers have drinks, hot food and service, you decide. We live a block away and we won’t be back on Sundays for sure. Sad.

Beautiful romantic eatery for a date night or business meeting. Unique flavors and eats.

Lovely French restaurant in the heart of Hayes Valley.Ambiance is very chic and lively.Service is attentive and watchful. Our waiter was observant of when to "interrupt" conversation to get our orders and when we needed another cocktail or when it was time for dessert. In the beginning he kindly served us drinks while waiting for our friends to park.Food was beautiful and delicious. The french onion soup was outstanding. One of the best I've had. The cauliflower soup was also a stand out.For the main we enjoyed the Sole Meunier and Beef Bourguignon.The dessert was pretty. But just ok IMHO. Maybe it was thr chestnut I wasn't fond of...Overall we had a magnificent Christmas celebration dinner with our friends.

Well, there I was..right there on Hayes street kickin dirt clods like a rodeo clown facing off a mad bull, when all the sudden I get a tap tap tap on the back, and I whipped around ready to go fist to cuffs...And what'd you know...it's my old pal from Motown, Darayn Jones and his little stab Trochella Rey! They were out looking for a place to eat....And look..we're right in front of probably the best French Restaurant in the city! That's right Pilgrim..Absinthe Brassiere & Bar where the French Onion Soup is second to none, always a 5 star experience. ☆☆☆☆☆

I've loved this place since first trying it almost a decade ago when I moved here. I still remember that first French Onion soup, it was amazing. And even after my expectations for the restaurant scene have risen over the years, Absinthe continues to maintain its status as one of my favorites, as evidenced by me still loving that soup years later!The restaurant service here is solid and the food is always good to very good, there's rarely a disappointment on either end. I recommend their filet mignon, it's solid.Their cocktails are famous and there's a reason, I even have one of their cocktail books at home. The bartenders are phenomenally skilled and professional, and its a labor of love for them to create every cocktail as a little work of art. You just have to be a little patient for them to not rush their craft.Apr 15, 2012

A little piece of Paris in our own city. Food and service and atmosphere were absolutely excellent. The cocktails were delicious too. This will be one of our regular spots now. Also, whoever came up with this peach dessert is a genius!

My hamburger was enormous and cooked perfectly. Her French onion soup was delicious. The busser was excellent, although our waiter was hard to find when we wished to add to our order. Otherwise, we would have given 5 stars.

398 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA•http://www.absinthe.com/•(415) 551-1590•