Chez Fayala

I work in Fidi and go eat their spicy chicken sandwich at least once every two weeks or so and it has always been great. Today, I went there around 12:30 ish to get a sandwich which was prepared by a guy who I’ve never seen before (wearing Metallica shirt). The sandwich looked nothing like usual which already kinda disappointed me. When I came back to my office with the sandwich and took a bite, chicken was raw and it felt like I was trying g to bite off a thick rubber band. Disgusting sandwich, Not going back there anytime soon.

Chez Fayala is a great spot if you like buffet style. I’ve incorporated it into my FiDi lunch routine for when I’m in the mood for variety. I like that they have consistent options for lunch, but also dishes that they rotate so I can try new foods while still getting stuff I know I like. Some of my faves include the kale salad, the Brussels sprouts, fruit salad, quinoa, fried bass, and beef. Prices can be hard to estimate given it’s buffet style, but I’ve always found the $$ to be very reasonable compared to other lunch places in this neighborhood. Chez Fayala is mostly grab and go, though for warm days they also have some tables set up outside on the sidewalk. On Fridays, lunch comes with a free dessert!

Great food but poor service.
There were no cashiers standing at the counter to pay. I waited and the lady, who looks to be the owner (the only one wearing fancy clothes) comes out, serves two men who got in line after me. When it comes around to my turn, no greeting or thank you. Just tells me the amount to pay. Hmm customer service has seen better days. :(

No doubt the salads are tasty here. But I found a bug too, like literally a live fly came out of my salad. It just sat there grossing me out. I threw all of it. Your food is nice, you have everything going for you. Will you please look into the hygiene part though? Also while you bill customers, it won’t hurt if you smile and ask them if they need receipts. When someone pays for food, all they want is it to be clean and served with warmth. Just saying. Just because customers are in a rush doesn’t mean you stop caring.

2 pounds of food for $ 6 after 2 p.m., I think I’ve shifted my lunch break subconsciously just so I can get this deal because food is so overpriced in the Financial District. If you can come around 2 p.m., this is simply the best variety of food for the best value around the Financial District. Some of the proteins include Rosemary Chicken, Lemon Tilapia, Beef Stew, Fried Chicken, and veggies include Butternut Squash, Spinach, Green Beans, etc. The selections varies slightly from day to day.

Sign outside says they’re now half-​off «ALL DAY». They used to be half-​off after 2 pm, but now after 2, you get up to two pounds for $ 6. Here’s the problem: I got about what I used to get for the half-​off deal after 2 pm today before 2 pm. Now, since it’s half-​off «all day», it should have cost the same as what I used to pay after 2 pm. You still with me? But the price was at least double what I used to pay for the same amount of food. So if they are indeed doing half-​off ALL DAY, as the sign outside suggests, then it seems to me they simply doubled their prices, which if you ask me, is pretty shady. Too bad.

Went to their salad bar by weight… The marinated salads were just too high in sodium and no longer that fresh as it used to be… need to find a new alternative. fish, poltury, and pastas were were going downhill. even though prices slightly went up… sad

Obsessed with their KALE salad at the salad bar. Obsessed with their Chicken Prima Facie sandwich on a sweet roll.
The dressing on the kale salad is balsamic, and I absolutely LOVE the red onions and carrots mixed in. Super delicious. The sandwich is also awesome. They load up on sundried tomatoes, pesto, mushrooms, and chicken. It is seriously the best.

This is a popular place with my coworkers because they have a great salad bar deal starting at 2pm when they’re trying to liquidate their food before closing at 3pm. I’m giving it 2 stars because I got bad food poisoning here twice. Usually I’ll go back after one bad experience but after two, I am done. No one else at my office have bad reactions to their food so maybe it’s just me. I won’t know because I’m not going back. I will admit that the food tastes pretty good.

On Jan 13, 2016, I received a mail from the owner of Chez Fayala. She apolozised for the whole incident and informed me that the manager during the time of my last review was terminated. She invited me for a free meal along with a friend. Raouf greeted me at the restaurant and was super nice about everything.
This was a very nice gesture on Chez Fayala’s part and it shows they care about customer service a great deal. It also shows that they take steps to change for better. I really appreciate it!

So Chez Fayala lists a price of $ 5.99/lb for their «salad» bar, which I would probably give 5 stars, but is it me or has anyone other patron feel like Chez Fayala systematically overcharges? When factoring the weight of my food and SF tax, I almost never re-​calculate what they charge me — which is higher but not more than a $ 1 higher. I have not brought myself to complain since it’s not a significant overcharge and the food is good, but if they systematically did this to all customers, they would be ripping off their patrons a good profit.
Anyone else besides me notice this?

Came in to grab a quick lunch and saw the hordes of people milling about. Thought hell naw, I don’t have time for this until someone told me that’s just for the salad bar. Great because I don’t mess with salads.
Ordered the spicy chicken sandwich at the recommendation of a coworker and have to say it’s my second favorite sandwich after the Sentinel. Tender, moist and flavorful chicken on foccacia. The other sandwiches are pretty good too but spicy chicken is king. Grab a table outside and people watch if it’s not freezing :)

I go to this place every day. Literally… every day. My co-​workers make fun of me. I would say that the staff there also makes fun of me for going every day, but they’re the most genuinely friendly folks. I could almost go there just for the staff, but that alone wouldn’t satisfy my hunger.
The wide selection of food is extremely tasty. I’m proudly not a «FOODIE», so I’m not really good at describing food. But I’ll try. They have this macaroni stuff that’s creamy and seasoned perfectly. There’s this banana in cream thing with strawberries that has stolen my heart. The potato fry things always hit the spot (I always throw some Ranch on them)…wish I could drink beer during lunch along with them. All of the meats are seasoned with some soul! I don’t say that lightly. There are some places where you get roast beef or chicken, and it’s like, Hey, this tastes like roast beef or chicken. But the way they season their meat at Chez Fayala makes one say, This, this here? This is Chez Fayala roast beef or chicken. They have lots of other stuff, too, that’s real good. I don’t know why I even tried to describe food. Just trust me. Their sandwiches are next level, too.
The prices are ridiculously low. It doesn’t even feel right that they’re so low. What an amazing deal. Their prices are so low that it makes me look at other places with a side-​eye, on some «Wait a minute, if these prices are so low, then why does [you know what place I’m talking about] charge so much for so little?» The prices are so low that each time I pay, I kind of walk out very quickly and expect them to yell after me, «HEY! YOU STILL OWE FIVE DOLLARS!» before I break into a full getaway sprint. The prices get lower the later you go, but I’m sure plenty of people have already Unilocaled that. You also get a free drink if your order exceeds a certain amount. At first I thought the lady was doing that because she maybe had a thing for me, but then I found out that all the cashiers do that for everybody. That actually hurt my ego a bit.
Very low prices, very good food, very friendly staff. It’s a win-​win-​win; great value. I’m still trying to figure out the secret; this place is almost too good to be true. If this spot was trading publicly, I would buy in to own at least 10% of it. OK, that last part was meant for the owners… I want in if it’s available!

Great selection of hot prepared food & salads. Grab a container at the back and load up on what looks good. It’s always packed during lunch but with two cashier registers, the line moves quickly. The great thing about this crowded spot is that they quickly replenish full trays of hot food from the kitchen. If you’re lucky the fried catfish will be piping hot & crispy!
There’s a sandwich station at the back. I tried the spicy chicken sandwich and thought it was just ok. I’d rather stick to food by the pound selection. The first time I visited this spot My eyes were hungrier than my stomach. Nowadays, I’m better at estimating how much food I should select and my lunch is typically ~$ 6. Not bad for Fidi!
There’s limited indoor seating but can get quite cramped so many people either take their food to go or sit outdoors.

–3 Stars for having a bug in their salad. Fellow patron screamed and pointed out to a worker that there’s a live crawling moth in the salad bin that everyone gets their food from. Worker took the moth and said «oh, it’s a beautiful butterfly» and took it out but left the salad there for other people to eat instead of replacing the salad bin.
+2 stars for being cheap, delicious, and convenient, if you don’t mind the extra protein. Granted it only happened once. I liked the fried sea bass the most. Very limited seating, mostly takeout. Very warm and steamy inside because of the lunchtime crowd.

Chez Fayala is one of my favorite spots for lunch in the Financial District area. This place is reasonably priced, and after 2pm, you can get 2lbs of food from the buffet for $ 6. I can’t speak for the sandwiches and salads here but I love the buffet. It has a great variety of options, ranging from Asian to Mediterranean. My favorite dishes in the buffet are the tilapia, brussels sprouts, guacamole, and the kale salad. What I love about Chez Fayala is that the quality of food here is great. It’s much better than Café Med across the street.
My only recommendation for this place would be to change up the options provided in the buffet a little bit more. The menu items are usually the same and it wouldn’t hurt to try something new.

This was one of my favorite places. BUT… my friend bought a wrap here today for lunch. After her first bite, she found a bug inside of the wrap with the beef. Please do something, otherwise we will report it to the healthcare department. Very disappointing
Story continues: the owner commented and said it was fake… THIS IS NOT FAKE. I am going to post the picture of the rest of the wrap, along with the bank statement to show the purchase made on 07/​24/​2015. You are not going out of this issue. That $ 10,000, you better prepare it. I was a big fan of your place, and my cowork was giving you 4 stars. You are just pissing us off. BTW, we are professionals working at financial district, not some of your competitors. You are going to pay for what you have been saying. Another BTW, I captured the owner’s comment already, so he/​she is not going to go away…
Another story is going on: owner claimed the bug was with the side salad. First of all, it was inside of the wrap. We took it out to take the picture. Secondly, you just commited that your food is having bugs. And until now, I have not heard any apology yet. I would not recommend your business to anyone anymore. I will report it to BBB and healthcare department. You need to learn how to treat your customers, and you are very rude!
And stop trying. You lost credibility at the second when you deleted your previous comment. Go fix your food is the right thing to do.

LUNCH SPECIAL
The deal is $ 6 for a to-​go box after 2pm. Note that the deal is only for a max of 2 pounds. The overage charge is a bit unclear, but they charged me $ 1 for the one pound I went over. (Sign details behind the cashier.)
Make sure you come right around 2pm. By 2:30pm, there was still food left, but it’s mostly slim pickings at that point.
Some offerings:
Meats: tilapia, seabass (fried and grilled), rotisserie chicken, beef bourguignon
Salad bar, fruit, grape leaves, hummus, breads
Sides: chicken alfredo, pasta salads, roasted veggies, roasted potatoes

Went here with a friend to have a quick lunch. We arrived around 11am which was great as there wasn’t a crowd but wouldn’t be able to partake in their $ 6/​box after 2p (rumored 2lb limit on that)
Décor: cute french café style and surprisingly nice for a grab and go buffet kind of place
Cleanliness: you can only be so clean at a buffet when 100+ other people may have been grabbing at the same food and we’ll breathing all over it. I came early so it was nice and tj e employees seem to keep things clean.
Food: french inspired but with global elements. kale salad is great and the fried fish is very fresh. The beef was tender and the seafood pasta was forgettable. The Brussel sprouts tasted steamed but I guess looked more carmalized (miss there unless you like the pure healthy green stuff) I sort of sampled everything but on my next go around I’ll try for a more composed meal. Overall I could tell there was some quality and thought in the food.
Service: nothing to remark. If you want a stamp card you got to spend $ 10+ (10 stamps is a free meal).
Cost: I went a little overboard and stacked on heavy foods like guac and potatoes and 2 pieces of fish among many things. Needless to say I over ate but hey I finished my plate. $ 11.03 total and ~$ 6/​lb
Overall I liked it better than café med in terms of freshness and taste; however note these places serve two different cuisines as well so go where you crave the food.

Yummmm!!! Located in the financial district so no parking available!
How does it work?
–Grab a to-​go box
–Fill the box with whatever you want from the salad bar
–Weigh the box at the cashier
–Pay
–ENJOY :)
When passing by this place, you’ll see a giant sign that says ½ off salad bar after 2pm. Well, this isn’t a regular «salad» bar, its full of delicious meaty choices! My favorite is the FRIED SEA BASS, TILAPIA, AND KALE SALAD. I wish I tried more stuff, but my box was already getting so full! My box ended up to be $ 7.17 which Is not bad because it was pretty full.
The line during lunch gets long but it goes by quickly! There is also outside seating if you want to enjoy your to-​go box outside.
The only thing I would recommend is that they put a giant sign that tells you what to do for first timers because when I walked in there my first time, I was lost! There was a line for people holding to-​go boxes, another line of people waiting for the salad bar and a line for sandwiches. I didn’t even know where people got the boxes (it’s hidden in the corner next to the sandwiches)
Highly recommend for people with a heavy appetite and want to save money :)