Frances

It’s tough to get a reservation here, so my hopes were high. We started off with the «Linguine ‘Cacio e Pepe’» with pecorino romano, bloomsdale spinach, and pangrattato. Nothing amazing. Tiny portions. Next, the grilled calamari with garnet yam, mission olive, tapenade, and pimenton aioli. Same idea. Nothing amazing and tiny portions.
For entrees, we got the american red snapper and the five-​dot bavette steak. The five-​dot bavette steak was solid, and the combination of king trumpet mushrooms and taleggio smashed potatoes was great. The red snapper was a bit overcooked, but all around much better than the appetizers.
When you go here, I would avoid the appetizers, small plates, and desserts. Just go for the entrees! My low review really came down to the stark contrast of the appetizers, small plates, and desserts with the entrees. There’s just such a difference.
Also, service here sucks.
This place is basically run by a bunch of rude, butch women. My server barely said a word to our table, and you could tell she didn’t give a s*%$ about our dining experience. She had short blonde hair, was a little chubby, and wore a wedding ring. She was pretty rude and never followed up about a request we previously put in. Frances, you should work on training your staff to act more appropriately.

I will say that the service was outstanding, and it did seem like the chef was trying really hard. I think though that they were just trying to hard to be different, and that got in the way of it being good.
Wierdly every dish we tried had a burnt flavor to it, they called it smoked or charred but it really just tasted like someone burnt toast and scrapped it onto everyhing. We started with the bacon beignets and the chutney dipping sauce. The sauce was unmemorable, and the frietes were okay, but mostly they were just mushy bean paste,
we had a second appetiser, i forgot what it was called but it had carrots and seafood, again with way too much paprika and burnt toast on it…
I got the red snapper which was not prepared well, and it was sat in a terrible sauce with WAY too much spices that did not medly.
we also got the bok choy, this was the only this that was good, it was delicious orange in a yogurt, and then they added the bok choy, poorly cooked, a bit burnt, not cut up at all just big pieces straight into the dish. So now you have delicious desert you eat with a spoon, combined with a big unweildy piece of veg in a bowl, so you cant cut it, really… i think this place has high stars because people like the service, and the way the menu tries to sound super elite, but for the price of the food, it was terrible!!!
i would not recomend this place at all!

So this… is the power… of a Michelin star restaurant…
I’m not a foodie. It takes a lot for me to go somewhere like this, because I’m always afraid that my taste buds aren’t good enough to get the subtle flavors of each food, and that would feel like a waste.
Not so at this place.
Went here because my friend Frances was leaving for Seattle, so we OBVIOUSLY had to go to Frances before she left SF. We had an OpenTable gift card, too, so that made me feel a little more relaxed about it. The thing that made me extremely happy, though, was the fact that they served Song tea on their menu. This shop is on Fillmore and I love the teas that they have, so to see it in a restaurant like this made me think very highly of it already.
Service is, not surprisingly, top-​notch. They also serve a bread from a local bakery which was excellent. Honestly, good tea and good bread is something I could live on, and on this alone I’d come back, which sounds insane. They were kind enough to keep refilling my tea, and at one point the waitress gave me fresh tea leaves as she didn’t want the flavor to be lost in another steep. This action alone is one of pure excellence. And these aren’t just any teas — it’s proper stuff that goes in tea festivals and such. So good.
We had the brussels sprouts for an appetizer. I’m not a fan of them as I think they’re too bitter, but this restaurant made these things taste like heaven. I’m still in awe of how good they tasted. Is this the true potential of brussels sprouts? My word. Actually, all the veggies they had here were cooked to perfection. I never knew veggies could taste so delicious…
I also don’t usually like duck, but the duck confit was amazing. So crispy! So flavorful! HOW! We ordered all four entrees to share amongst ourselves and we were stuffed silly. Portions were excellent, and while prices aren’t what I’m used to, I think they made sense for the quality of the dishes.
We also ordered a the pavlova dessert, which was like eating a slightly hardened cloud. It melted in my mouth. How is it possible for a mandarin orange to taste so sweet? And the lime? And… just…how? HOW?
All in all, it was a wonderful dinner. I’d definitely come back again if I could get reservations!

Bookmark this place! Make a reservation!
Highly recommend! Service was excellent here too!
Every dish we had was delicious (see pics)!
The portion was good and the prices were reasonable.
There is a small bar section for walk-​ins (seats about 7 – 8 ppl).
Coat check is available.
Good luck finding street parking!

Wow what a great restaurant in a city of great restaurants. Located in the Castro. Vegetarian friendly menu.
Applewood smoked bacon beignets with maple chive Bremen fraiche for dipping should be illegal it is so good.
We also ordered
Lacinato kale salad
Roasted mushroom soup
Five dot ranch Babette steak
Sonoma duck confit
Roasted iacopi Brussel sprouts
Everything was great. The duck, mushroom soup and Brussel sprouts were particularly well prepared .
Desserts as well as everything else were shared.
The Lumberjack cake is their signature dessert and did not disappoint.
The dark chocolate bread putting with banana and salted Carmel ice cream was the table favorite
It is so rare to find Pavlova so we had to order the Meyer Lemon pavlova. It was the best I had outside of New Zealand.
Service was efficient and friendly. A special shout out to Sarah. She made our evening truly special.

This is hands down the best resturant experience I’ve ever had. It’s expensive but totally worth it considering the excellent food and service.
My boyfriend and I wanted a nice meal near Castro before wen went out to the bars so I found this place on Unilocal.We walked in and the hostess. Asked if we had reservations, the place was full but when we told her no, we got a seat right at the bar which also happened to. look right into the kitchen which I thought was neat. During our dinner an older man had passed out (stroke maybe), and the staff still stayed very professional and avoided making a scene which I thought was very classy. The food was beyond delicious. I had the duck with brussel sprouts which was so flavorful and cooked perfectly. I will totally go back.

They deserve a «0» star if Unilocal has it.
This is my 1^st Unilocal review that I would like to give this place, I actually have not have any chance try the food, the manager aka as hostess extremely rude and dishonest.
1^st time visiting: We went there without reservation, the short hair host lady (she told me she is the manager) said «Oh, fully booked, sorry you guys only can sit at the bar and need waiting 1 hour and she will text us when the seat is ready, we waited 2 hours and still no text msg and phone call, that’s ok, she probably busy and forgot.
2^nd time visiting: (12/​06/​2015 raining day)
We still walked in without reservation, we know she will ask sit the bar and wait, lucky she told us only wait 30 mins, after 40 mins, we saw 3 party arrived after us and 2 party were seated, the short hair host lady (she told us she is the manager) still not seated us. I ask her what’s going on, she lied to us those people came before us and we still need to wait another 15 mins.
I don’t trust dishonest people, and I will never come there ago, also I’ll tell all my employees, friends and anyone I know, do not come there. The manager (hostess) is not welcoming person.

On a Sunday night during Christmas holidays, I walked in to put our name down and got a table for 2 that night at a good hour. Reservations are highly recommended but try walk-​ins if need to.
Very Vegetarian friendly! Service is awesome! Such a cute small restaurant. They serve house wine by the ounce and you pay only for what you consumed!
Here are the items we tried and we loved every one of them:
— Applewood Smoked Bacon Beignets
— Panisse Frites
— Charred Beet Salad
— Spaghetti ‘Cacio e Pepe’
— Chickpea & Winter Squash ‘Tagine’
Highly recommend it! I would go there again (many times)!

The waiter gave some good recs but assured us everything was going to be good here.
Started with some house shots that included some punchy concoction with kava and rum? I think. But very fruity and barely tasted any alcohol so we ordered another of course which was a little more citrusy but didn’t mind at all.
Started with some warm bread and butter then next up was the bacon beignets which were light and fluffy. Quite airy on the inside with a nice crunch on the outside. With a light cream sauce, quickly each one of these was thrown in my mouth.
Bavette steak was cooked medium rare nice and pink on the inside the way I like it! A good 4 medium sized chunks of red meat. On to the duck… Duck skin had a nice crisp to it and the meat was tender with a good portion.
Also, decided to go with the house red wine that was very smooth indeed to bring out the flavors in my steak just a little more.
A side of Brussel sprouts to add some greens to the plate matched perfectly. Very good.
I don’t think anything we ordered here was bad at all. Definitely would come back for a very good dinner!

Have eaten here on several occasions and could not rate Frances any lower than five stars. The food and service are fantastic. I feel that the waiters and waitresses try to foster a genuine connection with the patrons and I have always felt welcome. I would recommend specific menu items but the food here changes seasonally (and I have yet to eat something that I did not like, so to recommend a singular is silly). That being said, if they have the Lumberjack Cake, ORDER IT! Fantastic, dense cake with rich, complex notes of caramel drawn out even further by the turbinado sugar in the ice cream. The fruit featured in the cake changes seasonally.
The only notable downside would be that the atmosphere and small, intimate setting is not conducive to larger parties which makes Frances more of a «date night» restaurant as opposed to a family get-​together.

I celebrated my birthday here with my 2 sisters and decided to choose this place based on the great reviews. My experience was really mixed and overall would give this place a 3.5 stars, but will have to round down.
Ambience: Small and narrow space with tables very close to one another. I wouldn’t say this place is easily accessible for anyone with a disability or someone who requires wide walking space since there is only one narrow pathway. Throughout the night I saw the waiters /​waitresses shuffling against each other’s backs and my sister struggle to get space to get in /​out of the bathroom. While it didn’t directly affect me because I chose to stay seated the entire time, I could see how this might be an unforeseen issue for some.
We ordered the following:
Applewood Smoked Bacon Beignets — 1 order comes with 5 mini ball-​sized beignets. My sisters thought this was too salty, but I enjoyed how fresh and fluffy they were. Different and unique given the fact that I have only had sweet beignets, so I would say it’s worth a try.
Panisse Frites — I was expecting something more crispy and not a dish reminiscent of thick, mini loaves of mush. I would definitely pass on this. My sisters thought this was also pretty salty.
Grilled Calamari — This was pretty good, but came in a very tiny portion. The amount of actual calamari received is small. This was enough for 3 people to taste if each share is approximately 1.75 small-​ish bites.
Mt Lassen Red Trout: The only highlight of the night. Perfectly soft, melt-​in-​your-​mouth fish with a salty and perfectly crisped skin. I would have never thought to have this with curry but the flavors worked and it was delicious. I would definitely recommend this dish.
Five-​Dot Ranch Bavette Steak — these are small, but thick slices of steak. Very good, great flavor you expect in a steak, the only thing was that the meat was on the chewier side even at a medium rare.
Sonoma Duck Confît — Huge disappointment. My duck was beyond dry and it was clearly visible that it was, even before I started cutting into it. I had a small bite and my sisters tried a taste — we all agreed it was super dry. I wrested back and forth in my mind whether or not it was worth the effort to say something to the server. My sisters had basically finished their entrees and I was just staring at my dry duck until I finally decided to speak up — after all, it was my birthday, I chose this restaurant, and I shouldn’t have to endure through a dish I definitely hated as it was very obviously overcooked. My server kindly replaced my meal with a different one (I chose trout) and I’m glad I decided not to be the passive type that night because the trout was so much better than the duck and saved me from a night of quiet bitterness.
Dessert selections were not too impressive, but I ordered 2 to try:
Lumberjack Cake — This is one of the most highlighted dishes on Unilocal.Not a fan. This is similar to a mushy apple pie cake and overall, it was very underwhelming. The only highlight was the muscovado ice cream which was very delicious, creamy, and unique.
Dark Chocolate Crumb Pudding — My sisters loved this way more than the lumberjack cake, but beware, it is very rich and heavy. The chocolate sorbet was kind of gross in my opinion (reminiscent of frozen watery chocolate), but one of my sisters appreciated it. The espresso toffee was really good, but it only comes with a few shards of it.
Service: No complaints here. Our server was courteous, friendly, prompt when I needed him and accommodating.
Overall, a mildly disappointing birthday dinner, but at least I got a few good bites out of some of the dishes we ordered. Most likely, I would not return unless the entire menu was changed.

4.5 stars. We had dinner here last Saturday at 5:15pm, at which time they were about ¹⁄₃ full. By the time we left around 7pm, the place was packed.
The Good:
— super accommodating to our toddler. They gave us the last table by the kitchen/​bathroom, which typically, people don’t want. However, it was the most spacious, with a wrap-​around booth and lots of pillows that were perfect for our son, who had just fallen asleep during the ride over.
— service was so friendly and the staff was unassuming
— decent wine and cocktail list. I was bummed I didn’t get to try the market shots or the wine by the ounce.
— tasty small plates, which I prefer over large entrees (though they did have a few entrée items)
— inexpensive Michelin-​star dining
— parking was easy (lots of metered parking around the restaurant)
The Bad
— hmmm, were there any? I mean, if you are claustrophobic then you might find the tables too tight.
The dishes I ordered and got to taste (my hubby ordered his own so I can’t speak to those):
— beignets — nice and warm, not heavy at all
— chickpea fritters — this was on many tips I found and though one tasted good, eating five was just too much. The texture is super dense, kind of like a denser rectangular block of tofu. I would say skip unless you share with the table and you eat two, max.
— mushroom soup — really nice, creamy and tasty. Loved the dollop of crème fraîche but the fried oyster was just ok.
— side of broccolini — the farro texture was amazing!
— lumberjack cake — the BEST item of the night. I almost didn’t order this as the description made it sound so heavy, and I already was beyond full. By the time I took my first bite, I was hooked. I tried to eat as fast as I could, before my brain caught up to my tummy. I am telling you, order this or you’ll regret it!

For months, I kept walking by this restaurant, and my curiosity grew. Eventually I had the opportunity to come here with a good friend of mine because she wanted to try their Lumberjack cake.
When we first arrived, I learned that they don’t seat you unless your whole party is present. Lucky it was just the two of us. The bar seating area is super cramped. I was practically touching the guy sitting at the main bar behind me… but I guess I understand that Frances is trying to maximize seating in such a small and cramped restaurant location.
As soon as we read the pay-​what-​you-​drink wine policy, we just couldn’t resist. They give you a carafe of the wine you choose, which has tick marks on the glass. They don’t charge you for whatever you don’t drink, which is dangerous… because I’m used to finishing whatever alcohol is sitting in front of me.
As for the food, none of the entrees caught my eye, so we just ordered a few appetizers. The Bacon Beignets were disappointing… they were fresh and fluffy but the only thing bacon about them was the way they smelled. Definitely not what I was expecting. Fortunately the Panisse Frites made up for this. They were amazingly tasty, and I’m glad our waitress recommended them. The poblano romesco dipping sauce made the perfect pairing.
Lastly was the Lumberjack cake. I was personally not a huge fan, but my friend liked it. After all it was the whole reason why we came. I’m not sure that I would come back to try their entrees (not tempting enough) but I have definitely recommended this restaurant to friends who wanted to bring their family or significant others here. Overall it was a great experience with incredible service.

After a great show at the Castro, my friend and I decided to stop by Frances for a quick meal. We decided to come by Frances since it was on the list (7×7 still) and it was nearby, we decided to pop in for a quick drink, a bit of food and dessert.
First off, I love the wine policy here. If you get the house white or red, you basically pay as much as you drink. If you go out with some friends (like my good friend Stef C), we try not to drink a lot, but it does end up that way sometimes.
Food:
–Bacon Beignets: they were okay. They had a lot of bacon smell, but somehow I couldn’t taste the bacon. The salty exterior was great, and the inside was soft and fluffy. The maple chive crème fraîche was amazing with the beignets.
–Panisse Frites: we almost didn’t get this, but we are so glad we did. The chickpea fritters were delicious and the poblano romesco sauce was very good as well. Definitely a must get.
–Lumberjack cake: delicious! Definitely a lovely cake. The ice cream flavor didn’t really work on it by itself, but with the cake, the flavors melded together lovely.
Overall, my friend and I had a great time sitting at the bar, it’s a bit cramped, but you can get some good space there. Gotta try some entrees next time!
Protip: lumberjack cake!

They had to seat us 45+ mins after our actual reservation time because some annoying diners just wouldn’t end their heated discussions after paying the bill… But the restaurant staff was very apologetic and it was out of their control.
Food was very good!!! We ordered nearly everything on the menu because we were starving obviously… I was thoroughly impressed :) can’t go wrong with any dish!

Best thing happening in SF «consistently.» Other spots pop-​up, get a lot of press, flashy, SF-​glamour, but Frances has never strayed from what is true: good food, prepared at the highest level is an art form.
Simply put, Chef Melissa Perello is an artist. You owe it to yourself to surrender to her culinary magic.

I cannot begin to describe how delicious this place is! I had never heard of Frances before, but was surprised and taken here for my birthday dinner! Apparently you should make a reservation wayy in advance for this place because it is super popular, even on weeknight!
We walk into this cute small, restaurant and are created nicely by the host who asked if we wanted our jackets hung. Even though we arrived 15 mins early to our reservation, we were taken to our table right away. Since this place is small, the tables are very close to each other, but the delicious food makes up for all of that.
To drink, we got the market shots (a cool concept where they take a fresh fruit from the market and create a concoction with alcohol and other spices) and I ordered one of the cocktails — didn’t really stand out. Their house wine concept looked very interesting (they bring out a carafe filled with wine and you pay for however much you drink) but their tap was broken the day we went so I didn’t get to try that.
We ordered the garbanzo fritters, avocado & corn salad, squash fettuccine, and the mushroom & corn risotto. Some of the items on the menu change every day but everything that we ordered was great! The fritters and salad were great appetizers and they both balanced out each other; both were extremely fresh and I could’ve definitely eaten more. The squash fettuccine was probably my least favorite part of the meal but it was still great! The flavors were pretty subtle, but it was a good start to our main dishes. Now, the mushroom and corn risotto was DELICIOUS! So creamy and the corn added a nice crunch to the risotto, it was a perfect combination of all the flavors. Definitely recommend it!
I loved loved loved this meal, and can’t wait to come back for more. Because the menu is constantly changing, you’re always in for a new treat. The wait-​staff is so friendly and everyone really just wants you to enjoy your meal. I will be back Frances!

We came here as a special request and only just managed to get seats, and to be expected considering how incredible our meal was here.
Between the three of us, we shared a few of bouchees, a few appetizers, one main and two desserts. Oh and two bottles of their house red (which, like many of other Unilocalers have said, is so so so so so so good). And of course, in my greediness, I only remembered to take 3 photos. whoops!
The menu is put together based on what’s in season and the menu changes slightly every day. But one the dishes they’re famous for are their bacon beignets and we all found out, why they’re so famous. It’s essentially a pillow cloud of deep fried goodness.
Amazingly, it was not best dish we ordered. I mean it was good but the highlight for me was definitely the meyer lemon pavlova! Just enough sweet and tart, coming together in an explosion of flavours. Had I been alone, I would have licked the bowl clean!
So do yourselves a favour and book yourselves in for meal!

I finally had dinner here last night and am embarrassed by how much I ate (fat bitch!). The food was amazing! Each dish was innovative yet simply prepared to highlight seasonal specialties and the freshness of the ingredients was easily detected.
–Panisse Frites were fluffy, warm and accompanied by a zesty harissa aioli. I love chickpeas, so this was right up my alley.
–Onion Tart was the night’s special. The super sweet caramelized onions tasted sensational with a fluffy dollop of bleu cheese on top.
–Linguine & Charred Broccolini tasted delectable and kind of healthy! Win!
–Five-​Dot Ranch Bavette Steak looked like soft pink pillows atop a mountain of potatoes. This was DIVINE!
–Sonoma Duck Breast had great flavor, but I would have preferred a crispy sear on the skin. Good, but not my favorite duck preparation.
-‘Lumberjack’ Cake made me cream my pants. That’s all you need to know.
The steak and duck entrees were generously portioned, yet after all that food I still managed to force-​feed myself the heavy dessert and left the restaurant feeling like a stuffed turkey. I’m kind of glad reservations are difficult to come by or I’d be here every weekend eating everything in sight and blowing up like a fat-​ass.

I visited Frances once many years ago, and in the time since, it has won a lot of awards, and gotten a lot of press, making it very difficult to score a reservation. But luckily I was able to visit again recently, and it’s as good as I remember.
The thing with Frances is that it doesn’t really matter what you order, the menu changes so much that it’s impossible to recommend anything. But trust that the kitchen is extremely skilled, and will make you a fantastic dinner. The items we ordered– chickpea fritters, corn ‘begniets’, and steak were all cooked perfectly, with a light touch that perfectly expresses the Californian culinary spirit.
If you can get a reservation, go! Bring a date ;-)

Delicious! Melissa is a fabulous chef.