Eos Restaurant & Wine Bar

I remember when this place was the snootiest in the whole ‘hood. But I always loved the low-​key atmosphere in the wine bar. Now it is in decline, and I have to say I am a bit sad.
I hear it will be closing soon.

In Greek mythology, Eos is the Titan goddess of the dawn. In San Francisco, Eos Restaurant & Wine Bar is an establishment in its sunset – the service and food indicate that it is in the last phases of its life.
Not one of the cozier choices in The City, Eos’ dining room features stark wood and metal chairs and stone topped tables without any linens.
While the menu sounds interesting, execution in the kitchen is sorely lacking, making Eos a poor dining choice. Incredibly runny, the butternut squash risotto ($ 8) was more like a butternut squash soup. Your nonna (Italian grandmother) would turn in her grave at this dish being called risotto. Likewise the mixed chicory salad ($ 9) with smoked almonds, dates, and Andante Farm crottin cheese was absolutely swimming in dressing. Even though ordered medium-​rare, the grilled Angus hanger steak ($ 20) with mushroom barley, broccoli di ciccio, and balsamic vinegar was served medium-​well. Strike One-​Strike Two-​Strike Three.
Back in the day, Eos Restaurant & Wine Bar was a great place to enjoy some tasty food and a glass (or two) of wine from a well-​chosen wine list. Today, the establishment is breathing its last gasp. Rather than serving sub-​standard fare until they are scheduled to close on 25 Feb, management should put the business out of its misery and save San Francisco diners some pain.

Sis, S.O. and I walked in here this past Wednesday for another random outing… it wasn’t packed as we thought it would be on the restaurant side… so we got seated right away.
Ambiance: definitely date place since the lighting as all dimmed… modern décor… if you seat by the wall inside… the black wall isn’t cushioned so watch your back /​butt.
We ordered the following:
— Shiitake Mushroom Dumplings: It was good… tasty…plenty of mushroom but this had some kick into it at the end. Not spicy but a tad too much vinegar.
— Butternut Squash Risotto: this was the group’s favorite dish! It tasty though we ordered it as a side but it came as an appetizer…
— Soy Glazed Kampachi: the fish was really crispy and tasty… fried quinoa, peanuts were a good addition… this tasted healthy.
— Soy Braised Chicken: we weren’t fans… the taste didn’t really go together with each ingredients and the taste looked as bad as its presentation.
— Tea Smoked Duck Breast: this came… and we all looked at it… and decided that we were going take it to go… the duck came like it was steak… reddish on the inside and the porridge that they said on the menu… was just rice… not the typical porridge that we Asians are used to… so beware!
As a group… we got full from the dumplings and the risotto. Their cooking time was way too long in between each meal and that got annoying really fast.
Please remember the following:
* cooking time = they TAKE their time so if you have plans after dinner… make a note of that!
* porridge isn’t really porridge… its rice.
****Bathroom lock DOES NOT WORK! I thought I locked it but a guy walked in… so to the management… FIX THIS!****
Overall… we probably wouldn’t go back here… just didn’t leave on a good note.

Got the Open Table offer — 8 course prix fixe tasting menu w/​a bottle of wine for two at $ 80, sounds like a great deal and I was looking forward to it.
We didn’t make it there until the offer was about to expire, apparently that was the case for many because the night we were there — most people had some kind of deals having the same meal.
We sat at the main dining room as you enter, which I don’t care for — at least, I was able to ask for a table closer to the back.
On the wine, you have a choice of a red, white or sparkling. We opted for the sparkling and the meat menu (the alternative was vegetarian).
Plus, the sparkling wine was kept chilled throughout the evening.
The menu:
amuse bouche — oysters on half shell w/​caviar — ok
wild arugula salad w/​Marin root farm veggies, brown butter vinaigrette — generous portion, not bad
Lemongrass crusted ahi tuna tower w/​crispy wontons, white miso — take a look at the picture, does it look like a tower to you? did not taste any lemongrass. it was basically seared ahi served on a fried wonton chip. not impressed.
butternut squash risotto w/​coriander-​maple emulsion — rich — ok
herb roasted chicken over creamy grits, wilted greens — it reminded me of the crispy chicken one orders from Chinese restaurants, the dish they serve with colorful shrimp chips and a side dish of flavored salt? it was tender and better than i had expected but nothing to write home about
roasted organic brussel sprouts w/​chevre, honey and cranberries — had better
slow cooked pork belly w/​apple potato gratin, andante cheddar — this was the biggest disappointment of the evening, especially when this was the one dish hubby looked forward to most. it did not melt in the mouth as expected — instead it was a bit dry and tough.
ice cream sampler — 5 homemade ice cream in coffee, cheesecake, gingerbread, mango and jasmine. interesting — i liked jasmine best, reminded me a bit like green tea.

Went here on a special deal set menu adventure. Everything was pretty damn tasty.
Amuse Bouche (I don’t care for oysters but my GF liked this).
Wild Arugula Salad
Marin Root Farm Veggies, brown butter vinaigrette (I loved this!)
Lemongrass Crusted Ahi Tuna Tower (tasty good)
crispy wontons, white miso
Butternut Squash Risotto
coriander-​maple emulsion (yumm!)
Herb Roasted Chicken
creamy grits, wilted greens (nicely done)
Roasted Organic Brussels Spouts (awesome style but I was almost full by this time)
chevre, honey, cranberries
Slow-​Cooked Pork Belly
apple potato gratin, andante cheddar 9not my fav but I don’t care for pork belly much)
Ice Cream Sampler
5 homemade ice creams (this was perhaps my least favorite part but i liked the concept of small tastes on ice cream)
Service was good and the overall style was spartan and hence I was comfortable.

came here for my birthday with le bf, never heard of this place but when we came to the area, I recognized Zazie’s. lol
Parking was a bit hard… we circled for a bit, even with a mini cooper, not much spots to park in. but we got lucky and it was a tuesday.
the restuarant was cozy feeling, but the tables were all so close together, hearing other people’s conversations wasn’t that fun.
now when they recommend sharing 4 plates for two people, listen to them. haha
we were pretty hungry since we had reservations at 8pm. So we ordered more than we should have… like always.
We ordered:
the dumplings: of course we had to, and it was SO GOOD… kinda salty, but really good.
the pork belly: wasn’t that great, I prefer the asian kind or even just the way my mom makes it.
5 spice sausage stuffed calamari– it looks funny but tastes good.
fried quinoa-…so i had no idea what this was, and my bf already chose the steak, so I decided to try something new… almost like a fusion bibimbap… but not as good. the quinoa… which is the rice grain thing was not to my liking. it was okay, a vegetarian dish probably… i’ll pass
grilled angus hanger steak– YUM! perfect medium rare, yummy sauce… but yet again… just a tad bit salty.
no room for dessert! SIGH we never do.
overall very nice dinner, could come here casually, server was great.

You need the grace of Parking God to be able to find parking in the neighborhood without having to spend 45 mins circling around the block. Thankfully the Parking God had mercy on us — all of us found spots within 2 blocks of the restaurant (and while I know that driving 3 separate cars for 6 individuals who all live within San Francisco proper is a frowned upon exercise, the city’s dire cab and public transport situation left us with little to no choice).
Anyway.
We got a 6PM seating — it was definitely earlier than my normal dinner time — but I was glad we had the early seating because the place started filling up right after we got seated and we were able to get our food out in no time AND take our time for the rest of the night. Eos is definitely not one of those restaurants that rush you out the door right after serving you dessert.
Our food (served family style, just as the server recommended) was great. I guess the only dish that isn’t family style-​friendly was the burger and fries, but we managed to somehow split the burger 6 ways (probably wouldn’t ever have to do that again!) and everyone loved it. Thankfully the other dishes were a little bit easier to share: tea-​smoked duck breast (very smoky, almost tasted as if they put in a dash of liquid smoke in there), grilled hanger steak (lovely, not as chewy as I thought), roasted pacific salmon (after a few failed attempts I now have an appreciation of how hard it is to cook a piece of salmon steak properly — overcook it and it becomes dry and flaky — these guys did it just right!), arugula salad and slow-​cooked pork belly.
The desserts (also served family style) were amazing — the pear upside down cake was my favorite. It had just the right amount of sweetness and wasn’t as rich as the chocolate molten cake — our other dessert (which was JUST as good). The third that we had was the ice-​cream and sorbet sampler, which was 4 — 5 different scoops of ice-​cream… just because any desserts taste better a la mode…

I came here for the first time on a whim because I wanted to try some place new and it just so happened that Unilocal was offering a deal for 7-​Course shared menu & bottle of wine for 2.
The server gave us the option of having either red, white, or a sparkling bottle of wine. When asked for her opinion, she said she preferred either the white or the sparkling wine, and when we couldn’t make up our mind she was most gracious enough to poor a tasting of both the white and the sparkling wine for us. While both wines were good, we opted to enjoy our meal with the white, a 2009 Vinho Verde wine from Portugal.
Now let me just say the food here is outstanding. The chef (s) in the kitchen really understands how to balance both presentation, taste, and texture of each course that was offered. Even my girlfriend, who is not a fan of the texture of tuna or mushrooms, really enjoyed the Lemongrass Crusted Ahi Tuna Tower and the Mushroom Dumpings.
Tasting Menu Break Down:
Amuse Bouche: Oysters topped with miso sauce and caviar. I really enjoyed the combination of the fleshy oyster with the crunch of the caviar and the miso sauce rounded out the taste quite nicely. ⁴⁄₅
Lemongrass Crusted Ahi Tuna Tower: Very fresh tasting Ahi Tuna. It is seared on the edges to give it a contrast in color, and the texture of it is again balanced nicely with a crisp wonton wrapper and is also topped with a bit of caviar and delicious miso sauce. ⁴⁄₅
Butternut Squash Risotto: One of our favorite dishes from the night, risotto was very rich and creamy and packed with so much flavor. ⁵⁄₅
Mushroom Dumplings: Heard from other Unilocalers that this is a must order. Dish did not disappoint. Pieces were very tender and juicy to the taste, and the sauce was immaculate. I wanted to keep the sauce and soak up all the bread with its delicious taste. ⁵⁄₅
Crispy Chicken: Very good, crispy and flavorful pieces of chicken prepared with an herb stuffing, potato hash, and charred figs. ⁴⁄₅
Roasted Organic Brussel Sprouts: Not necessarily a fan of brussel sprouts, but they were cooked adequately enough and had a complimentary taste to them that had a spicy kick paired with little bit of honey. A very flavorful dish for those interested, but did not tickle my fancy. ³⁄₅
Slow Cooked Pork Belly: Pork belly was very tender and juicy, but also very salty on its own, but when I tasted it together with the chutney and bed of grits that accompanied it, it improved in flavor and pairing dramatically. 3.5÷5
Ice Cream Sampler: Sample scoop of 5 Ice creams which included, peanut butter, coconut, coffee, mint, passion fruit. Very straightforward, solid tasting, flavorful ice cream. Passion fruit had an delightful fruity kick to it. The mint, was very minty, almost reminded me of mojito, didn’t care too much for it. My favorite was the peanut butter and coconut, good rich flavor in both of those.
All in all, I would visit this restaurant again, and consider it to be a neighborhood gem. I was very satisfied with their tasting menu and felt I got my money’s worth. I would definitely return for the mushroom dumplings and risotto, and perhaps the chicken, or any other entrée that looks appetizing.

The GF and I decided to try this last night as a change of pace. The food was great, the service was quick, and the wine was tasty. Of particular note was the side of fingerling potatoes which both of us agreed might be the best potatoes we’ve ever had. Amazingly crispy skin while remaining moist in the center.
The atmosphere is a bit lacking in my opinion, and I’m not at all a fan of the «bar» setup that faces the two tops so that you end up eating your meal staring at these people right in front of you.
It was a good meal, but at $ 100+ before tip for two it’s also difficult to overwhelmingly endorse given that you can eat at Nopa for the same amount.

Strong Creative small and large dishes served family style. Strong wine selection. Strong happy hour choices.
Sangria: A
— Nice mixture of cranberry flavors and fruit wine. Large serving was only five dollars during happy hour.
Raw Oysters
Ahi Tuna Tower: A
— Recommended by the waiter. Seared slices of ahi tuna served over fried chips with ginger and spicy mayo. Delicious flavors and textures.
Shitake Mushroom Dumplings: A
— Strong mushroom flavors. Skin was delicate. Sauce was to die for.
Duck Breast: A+
— Medium rare, served over a bed of dark rice. Strong acidic and duck flavor in the rice. Duck breast itself was tender and cooked perfectly to a nice pink in the center.
Hangar Steak: B
— Served over some fried macaroni and cheese. Topped with three onion rings. Dish was a little too heavy for my liking, but tasted very hearty. The steak itself was cooked to a perfect medium rare.
Nice atmosphere. Service was attentive. Solid four stars. I would come back in a heartbeat.

Came here with my partner (and a Groupon!) for a special night out. Drank some delicious fruity cocktails and split:
— Ahi Tuna Tower (absolutely delicious)
— Mushroom Dumplings (to die for)
— Ahi Tuna & Salmon Poke Rolls (alright)
— Calamaria (pretty good, but nothing to write home about)
The mushroom dumplings definitely stole the show and I would definitely order the Ahi Tuna Tower again. Based on previous reviews I expected to leave hungry, but there was no room for dessert after this meal (maybe this is because we’re both small girls?). We did, however take home some amazing Guava-​Pineapple sorbet that they make in house (which we saved for breakfast).
I do think that this place is quite pricey, however I would definitely come back for their happy hour specials sometime!

I have mixed feelings about this place and in the end I have to give it a 3 star review because I feel like it really doesn’t quite warrant a 4 star experience.
We came here on a gift certificate, so maybe that’s why the experience was ok, or maybe because we came here with high expectations and spent a lot of money in the end that I didn’t feel like it was quite worth it. The tuna tower was meh, it didn’t wow me or make me feel like it was some amazing piece of work and it was $ 14. The mushroom dumplings were good, but were they also $ 14 worth of good? I don’t think so. I can get regular dumplings with any filling I want in it (even mushroom) for far less in a far heartier portion and meal.
Now the wine, I noticed that they are a wine bar but they don’t decant your wine when you order a bottle. We ordered a bottle of very old wine and had to ask the waiter to decant it, and he looked at me strangely as if no one has ever asked him this before. After fumbling around the place behind the bar and elsewhere (probably in storage?) he fished out a very old, very abused looking decanter (again nothing fancy or special) and had to wash it quite a few times since it was so dusty and dirty from non-​use.
This surprised me quite a bit since it was, after all, a wine bar, and this isn’t really something I was asking completely out of the ordinary for wine so how come they don’t normally decant wines for their patrons? We also ordered main entrees which came out in small portions for the price and they weren’t really that good to warrant the price nor the small portions. Exquisite food comes in small portions, not normal overcooked fish or steak, although I suppose I should be thankful for the small portions since the food was subpar.
The wine was good, but it really did take about an hour’s worth of decanting to really come out since it was a 2002. It is a cute space though and great for first date impressions I suppose?

If this review was solely for the food, I’d be giving EOS five stars. Both my friend and I had wanted to try this place for awhile but for some reason or another kept putting it off. Thanks to the Groupon gods we had a reason to finally cross the threshold.
The décor is modern asian and would be a great date destination except for the fact that the volume in the dining room means you have to shout at your dining companions (three stars).
The food was some of the best dishes I’ve had in recent weeks. Grilled artichoke, wild mushroom risotto, duck with applesauce, and sea bass. All were delicious and after a glance at nearby diners dishes, I would venture to say that most of the dishes on the menu are good (five stars).
My issue with EOS is with the service. It was insanely slow. It took our waiter at least ten minutes to acknowledge us, when he did, he said he’d be «right back» to take our order. Then another ten minutes later he did come back. Uh… twenty minutes before taking a drink order. Are you kidding me?! (At this point they had 2.5 stars). Then we ordered our food, and it took quite awhile to get the first dish. then there was a sizable gap between our two appetizers and our first entrée. For some reason my friend’s sea bass came out first. Then after waiting more than fifteen minutes, I finally flagged down someone to check on my duck (a good server should have noticed that only one of us was eating and should have checked on my dish without me having to flag down some random food runner). So my dish arrived probably half an hour after my friend’s dish (at this point they’re at two stars in my book). The server was extremely apologetic and offered a dessert to fix the problem (back up to three stars… hey everyone makes mistakes).
I would definitely go back here since the food is so good but I hope and pray that we get passable service next time.

A Groupon voucher reminded me of the delicious mushroom dumplings I had here years ago; I had to have them again! My bf and I came on a Thrus during happy hour, even though our voucher was only good for the regular menu. You definitely need a reservation because by mid meal, the restaurant was full. The décor was a little industrial, with interesting little details to tie the whole theme together. Be prepared to get cozy because they lack space there. Oh, and we were seated in the main room, below the elevated bar-​ish table. A group of 3 sat right behind me, which was a little awkward since the platform they were on was raised. I felt like they were watching us the whole time. A little paranoid here. haha
We ordered:
— Madras Curry Potato Cakes (HH menu) $ 6 Their online menu says $ 5. These were NOT as good as they sounded. The potato cakes were kinda dry and cornbread-​ish.
— Regular Calamari (HH menu) $ 6 This was very good. The squid was cut into strips, like french fries. They must have killed a giant squid to get meat that thick!
— Seared Rare Ahi Tuna Tower $ 13 This was a pathetic attempt in creating a «tower». They put 3 slices of ahi on top of three pieces of kettle like chips that didn’t seem very stable but ended up getting the job done. Although the «tower» lacked height, it was delicious.
— Thai Spiced Chorizo Stuffed Calamari $ 10 Remember that giant squid they killed for the fried calamari? Well, they got little tiny ones this time and shoved chorizo into them. The shape, with the little fin they left behind made me stop at one.
— Shitake Mushroom Dumplings $ 13 These were as delicious as I first remembered. If I had known there were going to be this good again, I would have just gotten $ 40 worth of dumplings. Mmm, mmm good!
— A scoop of salted caramel ice cream $ 4 A perfect way to end the meal. Oh, so decadent! Although I thought the salted caramel was a tad too salty for me, my bf thought it was perfect.
The bill came to about $ 65 with tip (minus $ 40 w/​the Groupon voucher).

We tried a variety of their Asian Fusion dishes. Tasty, but unmemorable. The one item that shined for me was their Shiitake Mushroom dumplings. A couple orders of those along with their delicious bread to sop up the sauce and a flight of wine = happy camper.
The servers were friendly, knowledgeable and very attentive — perhaps overly so when it came to taking our dishes away. Even though there weren’t that many diners when we were there, we kept having to say that we were still working on them.
PS: Their dishes are like plated art. Good place to treat yourself or a loved one.

Apparently I can give out another half star or else I would.
I came here for happy hours because of the great $ 1 oyster deal! Yes…$ 1 osyters! That’s the way I like it. They also had $ 5 wine and sake cocktails which was great and I won’t complain about that! The atomosphere was very nice and enjoyable especially after work. A lot of the appetizers were also half off but I thought they were very small. The dishes are plated very nicely but 5 pieces of small calamari wasn’t enough. Yea. That’s not good enough for me. Overall the food wasn’t bad, wasn’t great. I would come again for the oysters and drinks though.

[M]ona: 4 Stars
[W]ayne: 3.5 Stars
Average: 3.75 Stars
+ Happy Hour
+ $ 1 Oysters during Happy Hour
+ Accepts Credit Cards
— Dark
— Hard to find parking
— Credit Card Machine was down
[W] Originally me and Mona wanted to come here for their Happy Hour Oysters which are TOTALLY worth it since it’s $ 1 per oyster. So this place is right near the Haight/​Ashbury. When you come here, definitely put aside some time to look for some parking. Luckily I took the Miata today and parking wasn’t an issue at all since I can squeeze into tiny spots.
Going right into the food, we had the Rare Ahi Tuna
and the Shitake Mushrooms
for an appetizer. Mona had the Virgin Pina Colada
. I had the steak with onion rings for an entrée
. Dessert was the Hazelnut Espresso Panna Cotta
.
My favorites were the oysters and the tuna tower. The tuna was stacked on top of other slices and the salad on the bottom was really good. My steak was extremely dry and I didnt even finish it. The onion rings on it wasn’t as crispy and hot as I would like it neither. The mushrooms were ok as well. The taste wasn’t really all there so i’m saying it’s so-​so.
Ambiance of this place is quite dark. Nomally I don’t prefer spots like this because it gets me really sleepy. They try to make themselves look more like a modern upper scale restaurant but I still see people bring in their baby wih stroller and all.
We’re probably just come back for the happy hour oysters.

Be forewarned that if you give this place a bad review that you will receive a nasty message from «Dean P.» Not sure if he owns it, works here, or what … but it isn’t a very pleasant feeling to know that you cannot review a place in all honestly without getting a message from someone filled with anger, rudeness, and disdain.
So Ross S., you are not the only one that has received those types of messages. Keep doing what you do.

The trip to Cole Valley was pleasant enough, 10 minute cab ride from downtown. I was excited, the reviews on Unilocal said positive things about the food, evidently I just needed to avoid pissing off this Dean guy. I was ready to consume good food and wine.
A damper at first, it seemed our server was having a case of the downers. Not down syndrome mind you, but down as in «not happy to be there.» Very low tones, no energy, my initial vibe was we were not welcome. But through the assisted ordering process I found her to be extremely knowledgeable and eager to help, it seems the lackluster attitude was not mood but rather personality. No big deal, can’t be helped.
My girlfriend doesn’t drink so I was concerned it was going to be a task to get her excited about choice of drink. I love wine, especially from a wine bar to really see if they know their craft. Luckily for the girlfriend (and vicariously myself) EOS had an extensive tea list as well, one our server was happy to discuss in depth.
My wine was perfect, a nice shiraz that fit the exact description from our server. Each small plate was delicious and flavored well. Whoever cooked up the idea of pineapple mint sorbet should get an award. It’s rare I venture to Cole Valley but for how good the night turned out I could be seeing another trip to EOS soon.

10.11.08: This place is freaking AMAZZZZZAAAZING! One of the girl’s boyfriend is the top chef at this place so he made a special menu for us. You don’t have to know someone to get a special menu. If you have a big party you can simply call them to set the whole thing up. Or it doesn’t really matter cause everything on this menu was just a selection of what the chef wanted us to have from the regular menu. Our menu: www.yelp.com/biz_photos/DX7k1­IWWRkSXVa5FtRxVLg?select=rvuo7Tufy5_NuSLUbZQFIQ So anyhow I love the menu. Everything he chose was simply amazing. The menu items sounded mediocre on paper. But boy every little thing I ate was a kung pow in my mouth.
My all time favorite have to be the mushroom dumplings. It was so juicy and so suprising that the birthday boy who doesn’t like mushrooms thought it was so goooodd, and of course he didn’t know the he ate mushrooms until after he was done chewing. Another dish that surprised me was the salmon that came with the cauliflower purée. The cauliflower purée looked like mash potatoes but it wasn’t at all. I think this is the cleverest idea to secretly have vegetables on someone dish. Clever and very tasty (btw the salmon was okay). Oh almost forgot to mention their other vegetable dish everyone was also amazed about was their brussel sprouts. I swear all 11 of was like I never really like brussel srpouts but these are irresistible.
Every dish that came out just made me so excited. Seriously I didn’t know what to expect. I really have to give it up to the two chefs that was there that night. I believe both of the chefs names were Mike. They both came out to check on our dishes and with our mouths full and bellies happy it was great to have met the chefs. The dishes were Asian Fusion inspired and I definitely have not tried anything quite like it in LA. So I have to say if you come to SF this is a must try.
Or if you’re someone who is already living in SF, you are completely missing out if you haven’t come here yet.