Balboa Cafe

After going to Balboa for 25 years was treated like a noone! I have probably spent over 200k easy and these new people working there with no smiles and treating people like garbage apart from the regular bartenders who have been there forever who are always awesome. Very sad. I may have looked a little rough after a hard days work helping my cousin with his band… but even if I looked like I was bridge and tunnel… completely inexcusable. I really hope Balboa is not going to treat people like crap after the high standards they have always upheld. Good night sir!

Atmosphere, bathrooms, service and food were all great. Management paid very close attention to detail and ensure our visit was perfect. So glad we stumbled on this spot and would be happy to come back for lunch next time we’re in the area.

What has happened to the menu? I have been a regular here for years and recently my brunch experience — food wise, the bartenders are always fabulous — has been very poor. The menu has shrunk, so have the portions. And I just ordered the only «soup» on the menu, the chili, which was so sweet and watery and the chips so chewy that I had to send it back. I am moving cross town and while I will surely come back for the chicken palliard and to see the crew, I am not rushing back for brunch! Bring back the old menu, lose the bready «home made» muffins and I might reconsider.

Came to SF on a mini vacation and happened to be in the area so we came in for lunch.
FOOD:
I got the fish (Cod) and chips and it was outstanding. The batter was seasoned very well and cooked perfectly. The fish practically melted in your mouth and the tartar was excellent. Nothing special about the fries but they were fresh and tasted good.
My fiancé got the crispy chicken sandwich and it too was very tasty and prepared perfectly. The baguette was a little harder than expected and it caused the sandwich to fall apart when you took a bite. But still delicious.
SERVICE:
The restaurant had a decent crowd when we arrived and we were seated immediately. The staff was very friendly and provided excellent service. We had a minimal wait time for our food and the staff made sure we were happy and had everything we needed.
As a tourist from San Diego, I would definitely recommend this place.

Fantastic food (we had the crispy grilled chicken sandwich and the Friday special — fish & chips). Fish was melting in your mouth and the batter used in both Chicken and fish was one of the best I’ve ever had. Awesome staff too!

A San Francisco old establishment. Cream of the crop. This is what SF feels like. The food top notch along with the service. Always busy and festive. I leave my heart at The Balboa Café when I walk out the door. One of SF’s finest.

Amazing lunch today at the Balboa Café. The new Ahi tuna salad is a must try! Wonderful service, warm décor, and a historic location paired nicely with the mouth watering dish. From the host to the manager everyone made sure I was kindly taken care of. I will be back soon!

I have always wanted to have a drink here and finally did. Balboa café felt very homey with an old soda fountain vibe which matched my idea of what it would look like and the mood I was in. The place was packed, all seats and the bar were full. Eric, I believe his name was, helped me promptly at the bar and made a delicious whisky cocktail. I zoned out and people watched, sipped my cocktail and hit the road. Can wait to come back to chow down.

My friend and I went to have a sat night cocktail. Seated at the bar, the place is lively. Lots of 24 year old girls with tons of attitude. Bouncers came to us, said we had to leave. Some girls complained, didn’t like us. No explanation. Dragged out by our twisted arms. Manager; useless. Bouncers; typical baboon mentality. Bartender; subpar mixology.
Balboa café; I recommend many other places. Not here.
Btw; I’ve been there for brunch. Mediocre food too.

Love the place but hate the service. I was here on a Sunday for some drinks with friends and it is almost impossible to get the bartender’s attention. To make it worst when we finally got the bartender’s attention he is straight but rude and disrespectful like we were committing a crime! I really hope that the management see this review and work on improving the service because I like the place.

My kid needed a bathroom. Mom and Dad used it as an opportunity to sit at the gorgeous bar and have a quick drink. It was a quiet afternoon, we were warmly welcomed, swiftly and courteously served and treated very well. If I lived in this city, I’d be a frequent patron of this establishment.

What a great place. I had the Trumer pils– and loved it. The bar was full, but a very kind server let us have a table. It was pouring outside, and we needed to sit and have a drink. I love the vibe in this place (and I’m so glad our cab driver recommended it! Because from the outside it looked like a store). We will definitely go back to grab a meal.

Joke. Thrown to grown and handcuffed before the cops called. released immediately when the police showed up because this bar is out of Control. Mangers hung up on me at least nine time trying to get the names of who was running the bar that night. Complete bs no one answers the phone for 2 hours trying to get a managers name. One employee even said I was calling McDonald’s not Balboa bar and grill… Really? I’ll see you in the morning when I file my police report with your manager at your location

I ordered the petrale sole. It was good, however the bulgar wheat and sautéed greens it rested upon were boring and bland, and I felt like I was suffering through them rather than savoring every bite. I ate it all because I know it is good for me, but bleh. The key lime dessert was pretty good! It is a beautiful space with a nice staff.
Note to Gavin Newsom (partial owner): Mr. Lt. Governor, if you ever decide to start serving some good mashers with the sole, you will have my vote for Governor. Well, you’ll get my vote anyways because I think you’d do a good job but please, Sir, help a brother out with some well made mashers.

This is a more upscale bar/​restaurant. I thought it was too overpriced for what they offer. We got the salmon and ahi tartar and the New York strip. The fish was not that fresh and the beef was over done. The service was 2 star as well.

Note: this is not a critique of the staff, but of the clientele. Delicious drinks by a bartender named Brian were ruined by the following:
Women beware of this place. I’m a Bay Area native and have never experienced this kind of aggressive misogynistic behavior before. Ever. I guess this place is notorious for this kind of behavior (as I learned later), but a friend and I came here after a friend’s gallery showing across the street and found ourselves repeatedly interrupted and harassed by presumptuous and entitled men with no respect or awareness for our privacy or space. Honestly, we felt like animals in a cage. Even waiting for a cab, we found ourselves surrounded by men who assumed we were there for their entertainment and took a great deal of convincing and aggressive language to move on. These are men who feel like they can touch you without being invited and clearly seem to be expecting something. These are men who scare me.
Having lived in a very different part of the city, I’ve been blissfully unaware that this form of person exists. However, after experiencing this for the first (and last) time, I am sorry to say that I have met some of the most revolting members of the opposite sex that I hope to ever meet and will not be back to this spot in spite of its excellent service and food/​drinks.

Up the hill, down the hill, all around the hill. I got my 20,000 steps in and with that, I needed a break. The Balboa Café hit that spot. There was a seat at the bar open, there was a bartender to bring me a beer while I rested my feet and there was some sort of sports on TV to distract me from the yuppies behind me who wanted hot toddies and were willing to block the entire front entrance while they had them.
Other than them, it was a nice spot. The food my neighbors enjoyed looked great and my beer was super cold.

On May 14, 1991, Gavin Newsom and his investors created the company PlumpJack Associates L.P. In 1992, the group started the PlumpJack Winery with the financial help of his family friend Gordon Getty. PlumpJack was the name of an opera written by Getty, who invested in 10 of Newsom’s 11 businesses, one of them is the Balboa Café Bar and Grill (1995). Newsom sold his share of his San Francisco businesses when he became the mayor in 2004. Yet, the food is still delicious here, the service and ambiance are great, the restaurant is open late, unlike the others in the neighborhood. Always a great experience here! Love this place. Must visit!

I love this place. The cocktails are amazing and so reasonably priced.
I like to come here before dinner for a cocktail or two. Fun scene and its nice having the old timey waiters.

I have been coming here longer than I care to admit (well over 15 years). And up until last month, I have always been a huge fan. No longer. While the cocktails, wine list and the bar staff are still up to par, the food has taken a serious dive. The famed (and once incredibly delicious) Balboa burger is barely edible. The «baguette» barely qualifies as bread, let alone a baguette. On my last visit it was stale, and crumbly. This is the third iteration of the bread since I have been going here, and this most recent change was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Also, the chopped salad failed to be chopped — caesar salad sized pieces of romaine lettuce, two quartered (one undercooked and one overcooked!) beets, minced bacon, blobs of blue cheese and huge slivers of red onion (nearly a half onion worth). To say I was disappointed is an understatement. It’s incredibly sad to see this once venerable institution go down the drain.

The last time I was in San Fran (6 years ago) they had the best Eggs Benedict and Bloody Mary’s and still do today!

This place is great, but an older crowd. If you’re trying to escape the marina crowd, this is your place.

Classic and always buzzing but not what it used to be. Great for a drink after work or Sunday brunch. But the cheers days seem to be over :)

I’ve been wanting to go to Balboa for years. I eat out a lot so I don’t know why I didn’t prior to this visit.
Three of us went for lunch. We got there early so had a choice of seats. The service was good. He seemed new but friendly and the busboys were very attentive. Never had to ask for water to be filled.
Two of us had a basic salad. Both were pretty awful. I had a Cesar salad. The photo online were spears of romaine. What I got was old looking chopped salad. The waiter said the menu recently was changed but I didn’t think to ask about spears. The dressing was awful. I don’t think they used anchovies. Just a tasteless chopped salad and too peppery!
My friend had a Cobbs salad and again. Everything tasted like it was refrigerated to a long while. Not a fresh taste and salad dressing was not memorable. The only one that seemed to be ok was an ahi tuna appetizer. That person did have an alcoholic drink so maybe thats what you need to make the food papalable.
I don’t think I’ll be back unless someone really wants to go there. Then maybe I’ll order a hamburger. I heard the burger and pot pie are good.

Their brunch items are delicious. Pricing may be a bit high for the quality/​amount, but be prepared to spend ~$ 17 on a regular brunch dish. Bloody Marys are great here. Our waitress got us a side of bacon to put in our drinks — great.
Service was really good, they have bus boys walking around making sure all is clean and your water is full.
Only thing I thought they could do better is put the prices on the menu for each item. We got our bill unknowingly charged $ 10 per drink for 8 drinks.

Puke!
This place is only good for a mediocre cocktail.
The food is incredibly mediocre, and the staff is made up of mostly a-​holes who judge folks that don’t look just like Chad, Todd, and Steve.
The location is great for Marina guys to pick up trashy babes looking for dudes who try to flash new money.
Prospective Diner: Be more adventurous.
To the Owners: Shame on your poor ability to try harder with making sure customer service is even near average.

Just a classic San Francisco restaurant. The bartenders know their way around old school cocktails. The burger on a baguette looks outstanding but I had risotto with scallops which did not disappoint. I’m surprised this place doesn’t have a higher rating on Unilocal

So this place was highly recommended by friends so I was expecting it to be amazing, but it was by far the opposite of that!!! First of all, we were given dinner menus instead of the brunch menus (not really that big of a deal). When our server came over, we were ready to order so we ordered all three of our meals, plus coffee and water. I had to go outside because I had a situation I had to deal with. I was outside for a good 10 – 15 minutes, and when I came back in our coffees had not arrived and only two of the iced waters we had ordered, had arrived. A few minutes later our food arrived, and our coffee was still nowhere to be found. We asked the person who brought our food out for our coffee and then it finally arrived a few minutes later. Our server came over a few minutes later and I asked her if we could have our third water which hadn’t arrived. She brought it over. The food was nothing to rave about. I got the omelette, my friend got the chicken sandwich, and my husband got the waffles. My omelette was ok– it felt really dry and bland. My friend’s chicken sandwich was ok– her french fries were cold and stale, it was almost as if they had been sitting out for a really long time. I was really annoyed at this point, but we just didn’t want to deal with this place anymore so we didn’t say anything, which in hindsight I regret. My husband’s waffles were actually good, but they definitely did not make up for all the other food and lack of service. I just find it really irritating that restaurants like this feel it’s ok to charge $ 15 for a dry and bland omelette or cold and stale french fries. Restaurants should take pride in the the food they put out and make sure it’s up to the highest standards. I didn’t have any of the alcoholic drinks, so I can’t say anything about those. I’ve heard that their bloody mary’s are supposed to be delicious, too bad I will never go back to try them just based on my first experience here.

The restaurant is popular for its location, atmosphere and décor. The food is good but not spectacular. I found the portions a bit small for the price in my opinion but that may be due to my ridiculous appetite. The staff is friendly and prompt. If you’re looking for decent food with a great atmosphere, this place is for you.

Incredible spot in San Francisco, stopped in for brunch and ended up staying for the drinks! Food was delicious, service was phenomenal and the bartender offered up tailored cocktail suggestions. Highly recommend for any foodies in San Francisco!

I have yet to come here after dark but this is in my weekly rotation for lunch (weekdays) and brunch (weekend). Seared ahi salad or burgers during the week, washed down with a lovely alcoholic beverage and waffles on the weekend. I wonder if the Cougars still hunt here at night. Im going to have to stay up late sometime and find out.

The service is awful! The bartenders and waitresses are not so friendly and not quick. Food is so-​so.

If you like the Buena Vista, but hate the tourist traps, you will love this place. It’s also a great spot for young single men to meet hungry cougars… or ordinary folks who just want to people watch. The later you come, the more you’ll see.

Went for the Warriors game last night and the staff was so friendly and accommodating about placing us at a table where we could watch the game and not rushing us out of the restaurant. The drinks were fabulous, and the tomato soup is a must try!

STARS: 3.5
The sis and I went here last night after battling the day after XMAS shopping in downtown… since it was freezing… it was nice to be able to walk in the place where it’s warm and cozy.
Upon walking in… the bar was really prominent and it was packed. The bartenders were all wearing white coats channeling the mob era days.
We waited for 10 mins to get a table for two… so we had an Amstel Light each at the bar. The bartender was friendly and it was nice to watch him make cocktails (in general I think bartenders are über cool!)
After being seated… our server was apologetic of her whereabouts but we told her it was all good… the sis ordered a bunch of stuff (which were all salad related so I blocked it out and I didn’t taste it…) but I got their daily pasta which was chicken with tomatoes. The pasta itself was okay… it was lacked seasoning and I tried adding salt but it didn’t really do anything.
It got busy later on the night so our server went missing a couple of times.
Overall… it was nice to check out another Gavin N. restaurant… I hope to check it out again and maybe I can get the right entrée next time out.

From whence I was a young go-​hard, I’ve been subjecting myself to the bar scene, most times by choice. Now in my mid-​to-​late 20s, I try to keep it together and do nice things for myself from time to time, not just drink myself silly on tequila and vodka till I’m hugging le toilet and regretting major life choices.
Anywho, Balboa Café, what can I say about you that has not already been said? Yes of course the crowd and general vibe is not my scene. Cougar central with silicone implants galore, salt and pepper haired men making eyes at the spray tanned ladies, prancing through the door in 6 inch wedges and mini skirts, bros filtering in and out.
Becca M and I snuggled into a half booth with our freshly bought white wine from PlumpJack across the way. *Pro Tip: purchase your wine from PlumpJack, pay no corking fee!*. Apparently I’ve been dining at lower-​scale restaurants, and so I was a little off-​put by the upsell of every single dish we asked about by our eager-​to-​please waitress. «Oh, that’s my favorite dish!”-this and «the flavors meld together SO nicely on your palate!”-that.
Either way, we went with the Ceasar Salad ($ 10.50) and Risotto ($ 17.50 without protien, but the option of chicken or scallops for an additional $ 4 — $ 7 respectively) to split. The salad was a regualr Ceasar salad, nothing too spesh, but the Risotto, oh ladies and germs, I may go back for dat Risotto. Becca and I looked at each other like, hmm that’s a lot of onion. But, oh, wait, doth the heavens open on our plates of beautfiul Risotto and shine a light so lovely and new? These onions aren’t onions at all, but rather gorgeous flakey slivers of Manchego cheese! Buttery, creamy with a slight piquancy, the Risotto had me at the cheese. Not to mention is was spruced up and kept pretty with bright green English peas, Summer squash, and sprouts.
All in all, it was good. If it was in a different locale, I would be more inclined to go back. But since that’s not going to just up and happen, I will save my sheckles for the food of elsewhere.