Canteen

Sunday, 9:30AM.
Reservations.
Quickie:
+Good food
+Clean
— Limited menu
*Mediocre service
And then???
Make reservations. Verify that you dig the menu. Enjoy!
**********
Stuffed my face in:
1. French toast with blueberry and raspberry jam
+Fluffy
+JAM
— Small toast

Smoked trout salad
Cold vegetable soup
White bass with wax beans, red onion, artichokes vinaigrette
Beef filet with polenta and chanterelles
Chocolate mousse
Raspberry hazel nut tart
Once again just superb. We got on waiting list for last night cause we are so sad they are closing,

The Good: Great atmosphere (feels like a hip library and good date environment), great service, top notch counter service
The Bad: Tad pricey relative to the quality of the food. The food is great and perfectly/​expertly cooked; however, it wasn’t cheap or generous in portion relatively speaking. $ 52 + $ 2 SF healthy tax charge for the pre-​fixe menu (no other choice). I got 1 smoked trout endive salad, a salt cod soup, 4 slices (not chops) of lamb, and a strawberry short cake.
All in all, I thought it was satisfactory and has a potential to be amazing depending on the daily menu so I’d give it another shot.

Canteen is an odd little duck of a closet sized restaurant attached to the lobby of an Academy of Art dorm. The food was tasty, fresh, and cooked nicely just not particularly memorable for the price. The wine was outstanding.
They are currently running something called the 100 menu project (based on a french cookbook) which they describe on their website as somewhere between a la carte and fixed price. My experience was that it was 100% in the fixed price category. Four courses, no choice on the opening salad or soup, a choice between two for the entrée and dessert, $ 53/​ea. They were accommodating to the shellfish allergies two of us had. My main entrée of fish with green olives, etc was the star of the meal for me. Anything on the main entrees that might be considered a «side» was super minimal.
Only two seatings per evening. They used to serve brunch, but no longer do. To get to the restroom (which really is a water closet) you walk through the hall of the dorm. There is a parking garage across the street. Street parking not too plentiful.

Cute restaurant, decent food, but wouldn’t return:
set prix fixe menu with only 2 options for main entrée. Couldn’t order anything a la carte, even when we asked and begged. Ok FINE. we will have the vegetable soup even though I don’t eat vegetables. and we’ll force ourselves with the last course even though we don’t eat dessert and we’re not a fan of roquefort cheese. Some flexibility, please!
+ dungeness crab salad was DELICIOUS
+ wine selection — first pinot was the adelscheim pinot from williamette valley. my fave
+ duck and white bass entrees were good
+ bread/​croissant was delicious. best bread I’ve had in some time
— presentation of each dish was «eh»
— sides to the main dishes were un-​edible
— bathroom was next door, in what looked like a homeless community center

Late night dinner and drinks here last week, Canteen has a fixed price menu and fortunately are willing to make adjustments to their servings for those who have dietary restrictions.
We had a soup, salad, entrée and dessert served to us from the menu, as well as some amazing wines to compliment the food. The place is small so we were seated at the bar, which was quite workable.
The mushroom soup was great, I enjoyed my salad, and the kale with cheese dish blew us away, but I’d have to say the soft, warm buns served with our meal was the showstealer. So soft, squishy and delicious. I’d go back just for more of those buns.
Quite pricey, but worth it for some great food and wine!

Came in on Tuesday night for the 6pm seating. Canteen definitely made it on my Top 5 favorite restaurants in the City.
Amuse bouche: pickled cabbage and venison
Soup: Artichoke soup with mushroom
Entrée: Whtie bass with onion purée
Dessert: Almond pear torte
Nothing new but each dish kept getting better. The brioche that they gave out in between the courses was phenomenal. I would come back just for that!
Tasting menu was $ 43. Quite a deal for such an amazing meal. Service was spot on despite having only 1 person and there were about 20 guests in the room. She did a great job.
Impressive overall. I’m looking forward to coming back.

Wow. Talk about a small space. You walk into the restaurant and kind of look around and wonder, is there another room I don’t see? It’s five booths. FIVE. And some counter seating.
Diner is prix fixe only. At $ 52/​person for a 4 course meal, it’s not expensive, but we didn’t LOVE any of the dishes. And since we don’t dine in SF often, I left wishing we picked another restaurant instead.
For a Zagat food rating of 27, we expected much more.
Plus: a quick 3 – 5 minute walk to the Curran Theatre.
Minus: No in-​restaurant restroom. Canteen shares a restroom with the Academy of Arts next door. And the restroom is SO TINY that my husband had to hold my umbrella and jacket for me. It’s also the ONLY restroom, for guys or girls.

I am a fan of the dining experience and the food. The website needs to be updated with the current pricing though. Expecting to pay $ 35 for their Tuesday prix-​fixe menu, it was $ 41 when I sat down. I was lucky to get a reservation for the same night when I called that morning. There were literally 4 tables and 8 seats at the bar. It felt so cosy, intimate and exclusive, plus the service was impeccable.
The food was amazing. For appetizer, we were served the chilled green tomato soup with dill, bay shrimp and fresh peppers were delightful. The taste profile was complex with every bite, yet looked so simple and elegant. The brioche roll was so buttery and comforting. For the main course, we had the pork tenderloin. The meat was so tender and juicy and perfectly seasoned. I took each bite real slow, I was secretly wishing it won’t come to an end. I even had to confess that to the waitress and she offered to bring more. I declined and didn’t want the whole restaurant waiting on me to finish my food. They serve everyone each course simultaneously. The dessert was some berries with sponge cake. That was just alright.
Please do not go to the restroom if you can wait to get home. How unfortunate, it ruined my experience that night. They do not have their own restroom so we had to go over next-​door to the Art Institute’s dormitory. Not only was the toilet so small, the corridors were filled with annoyingly rude students.
I will return when I am in town, but I will not go to the restroom.

Came here for a quick breakfast before leaving the city. The restaurant is TINY and we had to wait for a table so be advised — make reservations!
I ordered my all time favorite — an Eggs Benedict ($ 10.95). Nothing too out of the ordinary, I got 2 poached eggs on top of ham + english muffin. Dish also comes with potatoes on the side. I would say one unique aspect of this dish is that the english muffins seems to have been grilled for a more crispy texture. But all in all, I was a little underwhelmed and a bit turned off by the amount of hollidanse sauce — WAY too much. The dish was drowned in sauce!
BF ordered the Smoked Salmon Omelet ($ 8.95). His dish came with a side of sauteed green beans + toast. Omelet was delicious! The saltiness of the smoked salmon went well with the creamy cream cheese. A bit heavy — but small portioned. Definitely not enough for him!
Service was super slow — looked like only 2 servers for the entire restaurant (to serve, seat, clean, host). It took over an hour to do breakfast — and we wanted to get out of the city quick! On a positive note, the décor was super cute (books, retro tables/​lights) and their coffee is DELISH! And though the servers were slow, they were very nice. When we pointed out to them that they forgot to bring out toast for the salmon omelet, they graciously took a few dollars off our tab without us even having to ask!

I’ve been curious about Canteen, but have been discouraged by the wait. Tonight I noticed that Canteen was half full. Since it was a half hour into the 6pm dinner seating, the server said we can either jump to the entrée course now or return at 7:30pm for the next seating. We decided to eat now before the restaurant gets crowded. The place is tiny but cozy (at least when it wasn’t full), with around 4 booths and bar seating. We took the booth in the back corner next to the bookshelf. Service was friendly. Our server said they might still be able to get us a starter, but we weren’t hungry so we skipped the starters. Our meal started with complimentary amuse-​bouche of cantelope juice with grapes, as well as delicious, hot, and fluffy rolls (although slightly blackened on top) with butter.
The menu changes daily, and is prix fixe only on certain nights. For entrees, my boyfriend tried the pork, and I tried the skate (other ala carte options for the night were a vegetarian gratin or lamb). My skate arrived piping hot. The entrée portions were smaller than I expected for $ 27, but I enjoyed the skate at first. It was my first time eating skate, which I only knew was a type of fish. The skate was very moist and soft, and was served with crunchy greens and a creamy artichoke dip. I liked the flavor of the skate more than the pork, which was tender but slightly bland (but the lentils were good). However when I got to the other end of the fish, the meat was translucent, pink, viscous and wet. I asked the server if it’s supposed to be pink, and she said yes so I finished the rest of it, which might’ve been a mistake. Now I have an upset stomach, I wonder if the pink skate was the culprit. I just read online that skate is like a stingray and is usually cooked until it’s opaque and white …
Our server miscalculated our bill. We were about to pay the total, before realizing that they calculated a 13% tax — either an honest mistake or they thought we were tourists who didn’t know any better! Also note that despite the high prices, their bathroom is the tiny shared one in the adjacent art school dorm. I didn’t think the entrees were worth the price, but I did like the panna cotta dessert. Served with raspberries and mint, the panna cotta was perfect. I’m not sure if they’d let me return just to have dessert, or if panna cotta is ever served during brunch time.

This place is cute as can be and the food (I had the blueberry cream cheese french toast) was just what my chubby ass was craving for on a Sunday morning after a long Saturday of walking everywhere and drinking everything.
My friend spotted this on my Unilocal App (the name turned me off so I’m glad she pointed it out) and we walked over there to luckily find a booth for 2 calling our name (the place is very small FYI).
Everything was great except for 2 things — it was hot as hell in there and our server forgot to bring us a second round of bellinis toward the end of our meal. We waited a LONG time for someone to check on us and finally just paid instead of waiting longer in that sauna to get cooled off.

BEST BREAKFAST IN SF! Hands down, unquestionably, the best.
Canteen is a great little restaurant downtown. It’s very small and its best to go with max 2 – 4 people. There are only about 4 booths and a number of high chairs. It’s always a 10−15min wait and they give you free coffee while you wait. The chef and cooks are rockstars to cook in that kitchen, its unbelievably tiny.
I have never been here at night because you need to make reservations 2 – 3 months in advance. I always come here for breakfast and its always excellent. What I love most about Canteen is the menu, it’s simple, and you won’t experience decision paralysis.
I have tried everything on the menu and I have to say the Benedict and a Big Pancake are the best! If you are with someone, I recommend both of you ordering the Benedict and sharing half of a Big Pancake. The prices are great and everyone that works here is very friendly. Trust me, you won’t regret this brunch experience, check it out.

Been here twice now and I love the experience!
The food is phenomenal. If you are craving a place that serves food a little differently (by presentation) this would be the place! The first time I came here, I had the prxi-​fixe menu and because I was allergic to crab, they gave me a winter salad. The neat thing was, when it came to my table it looked like a PASTA! They had cut the radish and other various vegetables by shaving them to look like pasta, added some goat cheese and parsley, and that was it. It was so delicious. My favorite part is that the food looked so FUTURISTIC. However, the restaurant itself is very old-​school diner, with used books on the wall. It’s ironic how the food and ambiance play opposite roles here.
Beef shoulder was awesome as well. The portion was tiny but it had so much flavor, and the beef was so tender that it tasted like a stew. It also had some homemade pasta in the shape of mini-​dreadlocks; very cool. Peach tart for dessert was also yummy — it was served warm with some ice cream!
After eating the prix-​fixe menu, my boyfriend and I weren’t too full. But after eating the ala-​carte menu, we were full. I got the polenta soup with rabbit, which really hit the spot for me. Some people may say it was plain but I really appreciated the flavor and the little bits of surprise meat every so often. I then got the Veal Shortrib for entrée… this tasted so homey and melted in my mouth. The flavors were intense (had mustard and peas) but it took the veal to another level.
Lastly for dessert I had the Vanilla Soufflé… something you MUST try if it is on the menu. The waitress comes with a little pot of cream and pours it into the middle of the soufflé, and the soufflé is so hot that it is still boiling right in front of you. THAT is what impresses me!
Service is a hit or miss. The first time was alright, but I really appreciated the second waitress I had, who was funny and knew her food pretty well. She even asked my mom if she wanted another piece of bread to soak up all the extra sauce from her fish plate! (something I always do)
Can’t wait to return.

Lovely little place, friendly service, good food.
There’s a fixed dinner menu for Christmas eve eve which I didn’t know about when I made the reservation, but I don’t regret trying it. The dinner was good in general with fresh ingredients and pleasant presentation. For me the flavor wasn’t particularly memorable though. It could just be the dishes in the fixed menu didn’t really match my taste.
Going to try the brunch next time.

I love this place. Whenever I visit to SF, Saturday or Sunday brunch finds me ambling along Sutter Street to the Canteen.
I’m happy I get there early cause it fills up. It’s always the blueberry french toast for me, which just makes me all kind of happy. It helps after wards I take that walk back cause I gotta work that stuff off.

Went back on Saturday for a second helping of the blueberry French toast. SO good! Not sure if it’s the blueberry syrup of the sweet crème cheese topping that’s more delicious. Either way, it’s pure heaven.
Nomnomnomnomnom!
At some point, I should probably come to Canteen for dinner. But with such an effing delicious brunch menu, why bother?

Canteen has been my recommendation for a brunch spot near Union Square for a long time. After a long while since our last visit, it was nice to return and see it still be strong choice.
The old caveats exist. Its a small space, the booths are cramped and
small, and its inevitable that you’ll have a wait of some sort.
The brunch menu is largely the same as my prior visit a few years ago, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, I was hoping to find a new hit dish. On the other, the choices they’ve kept are popular.
Eggs Benedict — my first time having this. Canteen does eggs well.
Period. Whether you want them soft boiled, poached, scambled or
whatever, the eggs here are consistently the best prepared I’ve had.
This was no different. Creamy and delicious with hollandaise sauce.
Its an absolute classic preparation. No fancy over the top lobster,
prime rib, or tex mex version here. Just plain good.
Chupacabra — I’ve had this before and its good. Very fresh
ingredients and again perfectly scrambled eggs.
Coffee Cake — first time. Great coffee cakes. Light and fluffy.
Worlds better than the chain Hobbee’s.
Brioche — wow. I didn’t even know what these were. Soft and light
and great for dipping in the dishes.
Canteen is still a great brunch spot. Sure, its a tad pricey, service
can be a bit uninspired, but the food is quite good. If this type of
cuisine is your thing, you deserve to come here. Just make sure to
try some sort of egg dish and splurge for the brioche or coffee cake.
Canteen accepts credit cards, including American Express.

My all time favorite. I’ve been here twice and I am hooked. Came here last night for dinner. Here is a breakdown of what was yummy:
Spring Game Stew: yummy tender chicken with crispy crusted rabbit; baby artichoke, spring onion, and carrots. so good!
Vitello Tonnato: seared veal with celery and endive salad, so delicate and yummy.
Strawberry and Rhubarb cake: layered with whipped cream, tart, sweet, and just right with the cake sandwich presentation.
Lamb loin with garbanzo beans, very light and perfectly cooked.
Aside from the food, I love the service and the ambiance. This is definitely a nice place for a date and I plan on returning for their brunch soon!

(See pics)
Familiarity is not what becomes a habit, but what naturally matches you and your body agrees, everything fits and you know you found the perfect spot.
The amazing creation from Leary is unmatchable with anything. It’s simply taking your attention in full force. The food is sublime and you tune out the world while you are taking in every bite, a creation of Food God.
This time I had the popular blueberry French toast with the sweet cream cheese. Not the usual French toast as it had crispy edges and I could not pinpoint the kind of bread it was but it looked and tasted like brioche. The bread happily laid on a rich bed of blueberry sauce. And the sweet cream cheese was an excellent compliment to bring out the taste. I don’t know how he did it.
If there’s Michelangelo The Creation of Adam, then there’s Leary The Creation of Food who brought all these natural ingredients to fruition.
The vibe was as usual bustling with music that makes you tap your feet. It’s always fast service and never more than 15 minute wait even for such a small venue and so many patrons.
It’s plate licking good that I can easily finish and yearn for more.
It’s liberating.

OMG.
The blueberry french toast are the best!!! Soft and fluffy goodness!
We came here for Sunday brunch and it was the best!
The Omelettes are the greatest… I love the potatoes too…
Come early because its a small cute restaurant and a line forms!