Claudine

I can’t believe this restaurant has shut down. Claudine was a very difficult place to get a reservation, and I could understand why. From the moment I walked in until I would ask for the check I was treated like a valued customer. I used to liked the house wine sold by the ounce so because I never had to worry about too much or too little. Not the usual poor house wine, but more in the European tradition of pumping from the barrel. The food was quite original and very exquisite. Service was always excellent and I loved trying different things in each one of my visits. I hope this restaurant opens again, otherwise I will miss my dinners there.

Stopped by for lunch with a friend. We both got the express lunch $ 20 for a huge fried chicken sandwich or BLT of tartine with soup or salad and a dessert.
I had the soup, a cheese and broccoli heavy on the cream. Fantastic! The sandwich was as good as it was big. I couldn’t finish it. They used chicken thighs I believe.
Sitting in the alley almost like being in France.
Service was excellent.

Claudine’s is a cute little establishment with a really nice set up. I met up with my sorority sisters here on a Friday night at 7 pm. We had a reservation, but it wasn’t really full.
The price per glass is pretty standard for San Francisco, and the wine we had (Rose) was really good. However, the price per carafe wasn’t much cheaper than the price per glass (it was a $ 1 discount, was 2.5 glasses, basically a $ 0.50 discount per person). Seems like the happy hour prices are true deals, but expect to pay the same as other San Francisco establishments during normal hours.
The food was decent, and was $ 18 for a bowl of pasta. With a bunch of wine, this tends to get a little expensive. I think Claudine’s is worth it for small bites and wine. I will come back for the wine, but not for the food.
Our waitress was friendly and the bar seating surprisingly had ample room.

Love the spunky manager. Staff was pleasant and knew there offerings! Delightful and enjoyable space that is minimal yet intimate, with a lot of character.

What a shame. I had my eye on this spot during this visit and it was a total disappointment. Service = marginal. Food = marginal. Upside = didn’t get charged for «still» tap water. I guess it’s still [just] tap water, even during a drought.
Started with the olives and pickles. Meh. Warmed Spanish olives, I think I saw a few pitted Kalamatas and something else but either way, they were uninspired. The pickles, now we’re really talking uninspired. I guess I need to get with this whole pickling thing, because they are often terrible. Sure throw some veggies in a brine and call them pickled. F**k son, mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower — this stuff isn’t ideal for pickling at least not in a general brine. #miss
My server stared blankly when I asked to pair my wine with the mussels (what an a**hole I must sound like).
Moules and Brussels Sprouts to finish, I mean why not try the Brussel Sprouts, they’re all the rage, hell so are mussels. Moules… mussels, whatever — these things sounded good (standard hipster recipe of fennel sausage, herb butter, white wine) these things served with 4 slabs of toast… I mean, TOAST, rock hard toast, and the dish was dry. Have a look for yourself. You can’t feel the toast but trust me, it was like granite. Inspired by a famous 80s ad campaign.“Where’s the Juice?!!” Saving grace, the Brussel Sprouts were pretty decent.
(off the soapbox) — I think this team is trying. The bar was packed. The waitstaff has to hustle up and down the stairs, they menu is limited and I assume that’s intentional to be able to focus on their dishes. I wanted to like this spot so bad but I couldn’t.
*EDIT* I take that back the service was ok. There was a team thing happening and one server I really liked her attitude, what appeared to be the manager though was a bit of a drag.

Cute and quaint little nook of a wine bar overlooking Claude Lane. Kind of a hidden gem for me, I’m glad I stopped by with colleagues for a quick drink after work.
The happy hour here is $ 1/​ounce of wine on tap and it’s a pretty wide range of red and whites that they have on tap. I settled on the Malbec and liked it. It was pretty smooth, had good body, and not too tannic. The solo bartender was really efficient despite being by herself. Little bites to go with the wine include cheeses, deviled eggs, and curry popcorn.
They’re open for lunch and dinner and I look forward to going back to try more of the food. For now, it’s nice to know there’s this great spot for HH, even though I prefer my beers, for when I’m out with vino-​loving friends.

Like Larry David would say, Claudine is pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretttty good!
I have been to one or two of the restaurants on Claude Lane, but never Claudine. My friend and I had plans in Union Square and decided to give it a try. I made a reservation on OpenTable for a Friday evening. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated promptly. We both ordered the roast chicken breast with brussels sprouts, parsnips, and a chile-​mint sauce. The food was delicious! The chicken was cooked perfectly, and the sauce that came along with it was very unique. We both enjoyed our dinner.
Claudine has a pretty cool vibe– very European. I love that the entire ally is a lit up at night, it really feels like an escape from the city. Our waitress was very friendly and she let us know that they offer happy hour Monday-​Friday, from 4−6pm. I would definitely return for it the next time I’m in Union Square. One star off for no applesauce on the menu. just kidding! LD would approve :)

Maybe my expectations were way too high, but I didn’t enjoy anything I ate here :(. I think I ordered the wrong things… so here are some items on the menu that I don’t recommend lol:
— Deviled Eggs: they were ooooookay. i’ve had better, but i’ve also had worse. i would say this was the best out of everything i had here that night.
— Shaved Brussels Sprout Slaw: no…
— Seared Tuna: it didn’t taste bad, but it didn’t taste good… i forced myself to eat it because i knew i was going to get my draaank on later.
— the malbec that only comes in a bottle: i forgot if it tasted very acidic or very sour, but it just wasnt a pleasant taste. the other malbec is so much better, but it doesn’t come in a bottle… so save money and get a glass or half bottle of the other malbec.
I want to give this place another try!

Recently had a client lunch at Claudine. I had a reservation but it took a very long time until we were led to our table. We kept standing by the host stand and waited a while until a person came by to even ask us if we’ve been helped.
The meal itself was pretty good and the price was good, too. Once seated, the service was excellent as well.
I’d come back here for business lunch, but the restaurant should improve the way they greet customers coming in.

I haven’t been able to get myself back to Café Claude since the passing of my dear departed BFF, Jan, a couple of years ago. We often met there for lunch and munched on tasty merquez sausage or the like. If she can’t go, then neither shall I. But, I don’t think going to Claudine is a violation. So with memories in my head, I head over to meet M. and S. for a midweek lunch. Surprised, as some others have commented, that it was so sparsely seated. Hope they get enough at dinner to offset the lack of revenues during the day.
The server (didn’t catch her name) was delightful. She was sincerely excited about the food as she described it and made suggestions. She was patient with us and didn’t seem to mind as we lingered on gabbing after everyone else was gone.
Here’s what we had:
Shaved Apple Salad $ 11
shaved apples, little gem lettuce and delicata squash with cabernet and blue cheese dressing
4.5 stars. This was delicious. We split it as a starter, and it was just the right amount. The dressing was actually a not too tart vinaigrette, with lots of tasty crumbled blue cheese. I wasn’t sure about the combo of delicata and apple, afraid it might be overly sweet. The apple was a granny smith, though, and gave just the right contrast, both texturally and flavor.
Fried Chicken Sandwich $ 13
buttermilk fried chicken, jalapeño slaw, pickled onions and chile-​mint aioli on a torpedo roll
3.5 stars. Wasn’t too sure about the chile mint aioli, since mint can really tend to dominate, and I like it only as an accent, or as part of a multi– herb/​spice blend. The slaw and the aioli were very good, and would have benefitted from a little higher jalapeño kick. The chicken seemed awfully skimpy, though. My guess would be about 4– 5 oz. I felt stingy when it came time to share tastes. Make a full sized breast!
BLC Sandwich $ 13
nueske’s bacon, arugula and celery root remoulade on a brioche bun
3.5 stars. I only got a smidgeon of this, because M and S were sharing it, and it wasn’t very big. With all the richness of the bacon, the brioche and the remoulade, if only one person had been eating it, I’m sure it would have satisfied.
For dessert we shared the banana cream pie (5 stars; nearly perfect, if only the crust had been a little flakier), the panna cotto (3, pretty average, couldn’t taste the lime at all), and the «daily bite» which turned out to be a smaller serving of Chocolate Brownie: salted caramel, spiced pecans, whipped crème fraîche (3.5 stars. It was a bit chalky in texture and not vivid enough chocolate, but for a dessert averse one like me, this smaller portion is a great idea.)
I’m glad to have found Claudine, and would definitely try it again, especially as a lunch gab-​fest location.
Food: ³¹⁄₄₀
Service: ¹⁸⁄₂₀
Atmos/​intang: ¹⁷⁄₂₀
Value: ¹⁷⁄₂₀
Overall: ⁸³⁄₁₀₀

Mushroom grautin, brussel sprout slaw, and lentil stew. Holy cow they were good. The bread and butter were also delicious.
The servers were extremely attentive — our glasses were never empty. The atmosphere was mellow and while the bar was relatively tiny, it held about 10ppl comfortably.
Wine on tap, beer in a bottle. A little confusing for me as it’s typically the other way around, but I recognize the times they are ‘a changin’

My girlfriend wanted to do a double date with the roommate and I, so we decided to try Claudine. It was nice summer day in August 2013, so we sat outside and had dinner.
*Hefeweizen ($ 6)
*Assiette de charcuterie ($ 20)
*Assiette de fromage ($ 18)
*Assiette de pâté ($ 18)
*Moules marinieres ($ 20)
*Saumon grille ($ 21)
I love a good charcuterie and cheese plate, so we ordered them all! Good variety, but I did wish they offered a charcuterie that had pâté as well instead of splitting them into an assiette de charcuterie and an assiette de pâté. We had to spend $ 38 to get both. The mussels were tender and plump. I wish there was more sauce though. And $ 20 for what looked like an appetizer portion of mussels? I thought that was a little on the pricier side. I didn’t try the salmon, but my friend seemed to enjoy it.
Maybe we didn’t order enough to really sample what Claudine had to offer, but based on value I thought everything was okay. I still haven’t tried Café Claude next door. Maybe I’ll fare better there.

Claudine continues to be on my list of favorite restaurants in San Francisco.
The service is friendly, thoughtful, and efficient. Reservations are easy to make online through Open Table and through their website.
The atmosphere is modern and relaxing — nice bathroom too (single room), and I especially love their horseshoe bar. Speaking of which, they have a great happy hour Monday through Friday from 4p to 6p offering dollar per ounce wines and snacks.
One a recent windy and cold afternoon, their Lentil Stew ($ 16) warmed my soul — came with a poached egg, squash, and a piece of grilled bread. It was so good, I wish I had some right now.
For dessert we had the Seasonal Fruit Crisp — the fruit was pear and huckleberry, as well as Valrhona chocolate chip cookies. Everything was full of flavor and delicious!
Note their menu changes depending on what’s in season, and available on their website.

The meal started off very strong. Especially strong because the happy hour wine specials of $ 1 per ounce! I ordered the Grenache Blend, which was the servers suggestion, and it was awesome! I’ve actually never had it before, and now have noted that as something to pick up at the wine store.
Our cheese plate was phenomenal. I rarely like every single cheese, and I liked all of them. Plus, the fig jam and bread… To. Die. For.
My meal went a little south after that. I ordered the steak and kale salad. While the steak was good, and cooked medium rare, which I like, the salad fell flat. It didn’t have much flavor other than kale. I know kale is a powerful leafy green, but I would have appreciated a more powerful dressing. Which was weird considering it was a creamy garlic dressing!
I think I was essentially bummed because the meal started off so strong. Maybe I ordered wrong? Everything on the menu looked good, so my hope is that this was just a fluke among some good dishes.

That lamb burger though!
Picked this spot from Unilocal reviews. Easy to make a Friday night reservation for four. Hostess and waitress were very friendly. Inside is pretty cozy and small, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. They have a neat round bar at the entrance, and it’s on the second story so it’s nice to be above the street level.
Menu is a little limited. All four is ordered the lamb burger because it really seemed like the best choice available. Some other dishes looked appealing, but not as much as the burger did.
Got some wine in a beaker, as suggested by the waitress to save on ordering multiple glasses.
Charcuterie plate was good, but we were disappointed that there wasn’t an option to get meats and cheeses, you’d have to just order both plates.
Nice place to try, I could see myself going back, but it’s not going to be part of my regular trips when I’m in town.

Trendy décor, good service, weekday happy hour with wines at $ 1/​oz, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to find a seat here. Those are probably the few upsides about Claudine. Don’t expect the food to blow your mind.
: Meatball Soup — too salty
: Kale Salad — it’s a salad.
: Moules Marinieres — mussels were quite small with a shallow dish of sauce.
: Lamb Burger — Actually the POTATO WEDGES were the best part about this dish (and quite possibly the meal).
: Rigatoni Vert (walnut pesto pasta) — bland and nothing special; couldn’t taste the walnuts. I’d avoid this one.
Overall, it was a ‘meh’ food experience. There are definitely much better restaurants in the city at these prices!

Loveeeeeeed this place. It’s so quaint and cozy.
The happy hour (M-​F, 4−6PM) is amazing. You can get a glass (5oz pour) for $ 5, or just opt for however many ounces you’d like. I tried several different reds and got 2oz pours — amazing way to build a mini flight! On their regular menu, wine glasses range from $ 8-​$ 12 per glass so the HH is a creative way to get an awesome bargain!
The foods on the HH menu are also reasonable and delicious. You can get 1 cheese with a pairing of jam for $ 5, deviled eggs for $ 1.50 each, small sandwich for $ 3, and a few other mini dishes for $ 3 – 5.
Will plan to return!

This little French restaurant is located on Bush and Claude Ln, alongside other French/​Belgium restaurants and bars — I’ll call this area San Francisco’s French Quarter from now on!
My experience here was okay, if you like French food and the vibe you’ll definitely be satisfied. I went with a bunch of Frenchies and they liked it. I don’t normally go for French food but the staff was very helpful and knowledgeable in explaining things.
The starter plate (EGGS&CUCUMBER, $ 9) was a good way to start the dinner. My ROASTED CHICKEN ($ 21) was good — roasted chicken breast, served with potatoes and a delicious sauce on the side. The LAMB BURGER ($ 15) was tasty and had a decent size, and the GREEN PASTA ($ 12) was green indeed — look&taste well suited for fans of veggies.
Sadly, it seemed to be a theme here that the portion size was kept rather small — you’ll end up ordering dessert (or drink a bottle of Red) if you don’t want to walk out hungry.
That’s not too much of a bummer though as the dessert was delicious: CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER as well as the PROFITEROLES were fantastic.

FRIED CHICKEN SANDO w/​SALAD
Pretty good. Nicely fried and the coleslaw in the sandwich helped with the pleasant crunchiness. Totally thrown off by the jalapenos in there though. Nowhere did it say they’re gonna be in there! The bread looks and tastes like it’s from Lee’s, which is a bit disappointing. Especially since it wasn’t even toasted.
LAMB BURGER w/​FRIED POTATOES
Totally tastes the gaminess of the lamb. It was a miss for me since I can only enjoy so much lamb meat (one bite) but if you like lamb, you should definitely try it! Howeverrrrr, for whatever reason, the bun was freakin hard as fuhhh. It reminded me of when I microwaved a frozen chicken burger (from Costco lol) past the point of no return.
The meat was good but my biggest concern is the bread. I’m convinced it’s kept frozen and reheated by a microwave… bad vibes. At least use a toaster!

WOW. If I ever choose to eat salads for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t mind having their trout salad. Yes, it’s $ 19 for their salad but trust me, it’s filling!!! The only thing is the dressing does get on the saltier side the farther you get into your meal, but it goes perfectly with bread… which by the way you have to actually order your waitress. They charge you $ 2 for it, which is a little odd since many French eateries complement it on the house (like Café Claude next door). But oh well, it’s nothing that will break your wallet.
Anyways, back to the food! I really was torn whether I wanted the mussels with fennel sausage or the trout salad. The waitress assured me that I couldn’t go wrong with the trout. And I’m sooo glad I did go with that! Paired with trout, crisp potatoes, frisée, and a beautifully cooked poach egg on top. I didn’t think a salad would fill me up, but surprisingly enough, it was just the right amount. I also tried the braised beef in horseradish cream with a side of carrots and onions, and this will probably be the only time I say it… but I actually preferred my salad more! =X Not that there was anything wrong with it or anything, but sometimes you gotta switch it up a little.
I’m really surprised though that this place isn’t more packed during the lunch rush. Great ambiance and lighting inside with ample seating, and of course great food and company!