Hawthorne Lane

Hawthorne Lane is a great SF restaurant. It is very trendy and fun place to have dinner. The food and service is consistently great.
Pros: Trendy and Fun

Suprised it closed. Well, not really. But sure.

The word on the street is that Hawthorne Lane is closing, to be replaced by a hipper, SOMA-​ier bar and grill. Too bad. I can’t really comment on the meals, but it’s been a rocking happy hour joint for us feds who work across the street… and most of us are not hip enough for a supercool SOMA joint.
By the way, the happy hour drinks are not at all overpriced, AND they give you a couple of hor d’heuves to sample while you’re drinking.

#100
I have been here on several occasions, but I guess now that I’m on Unilocal,I can Unilocal about it. Our menu was slightly different from the regular one because I went for a large group dinner with the company. Everyone had the same salad and dessert at the end with the option of entrée.
I had the following: Young organic greens salad — This was actually very nice. Fried capers and feta over a green salad with a red wine vinaigrette. Mesquite-​grilled tenderloin of beef — It was the way I like it — a medium with a little hint of rare. Dark chocolate orbit cake — A warm chocolate cake with just the right amount of ice cream on top. The food was quite good, very flavorful. I really did enjoy the entrée, and the cake was just the icing on top.
The only complaint I have is that the back area where they have the larger groups is very cramped. It was difficult to mingle with a table or a pole in between… Perhaps our group was larger than expected or something. Also, even with reservations for our entire party, the front desk seemed a little lost when we first arrived.
Probably a bit more expensive than I could normally afford, but a nice treat for oneself. I’d love to check out the Happy Hour some time though. The other reviews make me feel like I’m missing something.
Star #1 — Ambiance. Seems like a nice restaurant to grab a booth for and cozy up with a significant other.
Star #2 and #3 — The food. The grilled tenderloin of beef. While I’m not a steak kind of girl, I still found it quite tasty. Chocolate cake. It wasn’t dry, in other words — moist enough. :P
Star #4 — The glass was always half-​full.
Minus a star for being a bit cramped for the large group.

This review is for the BAR ONLY.
Where is the last place you would expect to find a house-​made tequila? Hawthorne Lane would be high on my list.
I made this surprising discovery when I met my friend R for Happy Hour last Friday night, and told the bartender I needed something strong. It had been that kind of a week. He asked, «Do you like tequila?» And he patted a fat little barrel sitting on the bar, giving me a knowing look.
It was just what the doctor ordered. Not only did I enjoy 2 generous drinks he poured me, we were only charged for one of them. AND I got to take home the empty bottle — too cool.
I really don’t know what the deal is with the restaurant — I was a bit turned off by the hotel-​lobby floral upholstered banquets, however the main room looked OK. But you can be sure that I’ll belly up to the bar again for another happy hour, with a good friend, a friendly bartender, and the warm burn of tequila in my chest.
UPDATE October ’06: Heard they are redoing the restaurant interior and looking forward to checking it out in ’07.

After having a wonderful dinner here, I knew happy hour couldn’t be that bad but the major bargain is cheap eats and drinks. Don’t expect to get filled up here, the portions are tiny but for a little bit before heading out it is perfect and delicious.
the mini burger was perfect and juicy and went well with the cold beer… could have ate 3 more of them.
The service was polite and pleasant but not necessarily prompt. I would definitely go again.

A great, albeit short, happy hour tucked away on Hawthorne Lane, which is like an alley within an alley, on the slightly bigger Hawthorne Street. The mini burger was juicy and thick, but I’d say that the rigatoni really stood out and impressed: such a wonderfully rich sauce that I actually consumed by itself once I’d finished the pasta! Also shared some potato skin wedges that were so-​so (dipped these in the rigatoni sauce). THEN, we tried the fois grois PB&J. I’ve never had this before, and I’m not sure how this compares to any other kind, but it wasn’t great, or bad – I think I’d need time to get to know it more and appreciate it. The PB&J aspect showed good sense of humor, though. And finally, topped the happy hour off with the pizza of the day – cheese and sardines. Hm… not sure about this one, either.
Well, all in all I’d return here for another go. The place is indeed a bit stuffy, perhaps, but at happy hour prices you can’t go wrong!

Click on the restaurant link… go ahead… I dare you!
Look at the happy hour menu… looks wonderful and at a great price too! You are intrigued and look forward to punching your time card at 5pm and heading over there.
However when you and your hyped up friends get there, you realize that the bar menu in front you is an abridged version of the one on-​line. What!?! No Mac n’ Cheese? No Duck wontons today? So you settle for something less interesting…
I’ve heard this place is chichi and so I expected the food (yes even bar food) to be tasty, however the pizza bites were too greasy and bland. The «garlic fries» were so so and tasted more like rosemary fries.
Today I received an email saying that the restaurant was going to close at the end of the year to re-​invent itself… after my experience tonight I’ll have to agree with this decision. Both food and wait-​staff are in need of some adjustment… some flavoring might help…

How ’bout Hawthorne Lame. I whole-​heatedly agree with Ms. Laura G. Overall disappointing happy-​hour; they are overdue for a reinvention.
No mac & cheese (!!) despite being listed on the menu and my mini-​burger was bland (did like the size). Food was slow to arrive. I hope the HH is scheduled a bit later or a bit longer once they re-​open; the slated 4−6pm makes it difficult.
I did enjoy my glasses of Speakeasy. A friend ordered a fantastic tequila (reposado) that Hawthorne ages for an additional month in their oak barrels. This results in a smooth tequila with scotch-​like qualities so look for it if you visit.

Update 9÷8÷06: Better go soon. Apparently they’re closing at the end of December. But reopening in ’07 as a new place called TWO.
Happy hour here arguably deserves an ode or a love sonnet. But given that I’m not up for iambic pentameter today, plain old prose will have to suffice. It’s doesn’t have the gritty relaxed vibe of the also great (if for its proximity to my office alone) House of Shields, what with the somewhat pretentious yet boring décor. But oh how Hawthorne Lane happy hour makes up for tacky maroon floral print in drink + bar bites pricing.
All the wines by the glass $ 10 and under are $ 5 during happy hour and the snacky bits are $ 2 – 4. Yeah, I know! I love the fries in a cone which, get this, come complete with a few fried herb leaves as well, so they totally earn the «bistro garlic fries» title. The mini mac & cheese? Also $ 2-​ish.
You should know, however, that unless you walk around always incredibly well dressed (I prefer sloppy-​chic) you might feel a little at odds with the rest of the clientele if you care about that sort of thing. If you, like me, generally don’t care, you’ll be fine.

Technically, the food is chef well made. But I think it is the environment is high brow and I like a restaurant to build an attitude around that– perhaps is experiential and centered around the person. Personally, the interior design is what I call early to middle parlor. Something someone’s granny might really enjoy – younger and modern sensibilities can’t related– and isn’t that what it is all about?
Buen Provecho!

I’ve luckily had all positive experiences here. The first time I was here the Film Professor I TA’d for treated us and when you’re a poor student this is one of the most luxurious, fancy type places you would ever see. At this point you probably don’t have a refined enough taste to truly appreciate the food but my memory (from those days) recalls it being good AND free! Now that I make money it still is a fairly fancy place. The clientelle seem to reek of money here. It evokes the various old money banker type establishments of NYC.
The last time I went here was with a large group of friends. Most of my friends are notorious fasionably late types, so the prompt ones hit the bar. As my old co-​worker from Dallas started chatting up the bartender I realized the guy next to me looked really familiar. He was a giant of a man and was wearing a track suit. If you’ve been to H.L. before you know that most people are wearing suits & ties. The I realized I was sitting next to Sinbad the comedian. He’s like 6’5 and basically towered over everyone while seated. How random is that? As I turned back to my friend she had somehow convinced the bartender to tell her about some of the different wines they had that day. Next thing I know we’re drinking wine for free. Ah the power of a tall blonde, sweet talking, girl with a Texas accent.
So after the other 8 people arrived we took to our table. The entrée menu is not large here. You either see that as positive, they are focused, or negative there’s not enough selection. So to be positive we decided to do a massive chatoic family style order and got everything with a few appetizers to boot. The problem with having 10 people and ordering this way is you just get a taste of everything and it all seems to go real fast. I was pretty fond of everything I tasted, but as I am, I was pretty drawn to the NY steak. Classicly prepared with green beans and mashed potatoes and perfectly medium rare to boot. I just wish I had more of it. I think I should have ordered another for dessert since I wasn’t crazy about the selection, so I opted for a pretty solid espresso instead.
The service was quite formal at first but as our waitress warmed up to our semi boozed up group, it got friendlier but no less attentive. The ambiance felt quite formal and I think they were aiming for elegant but not completely stuck up. Solid California cuisine with influences from Asia and Europe. Over all great experiences but definitely heavy on the wallet. I don’t generally see bills that approach the 1K mark. Definitely more of a special occasion place than a weekly jaunt.

A very nice message from Chrisianne informed me that they are closed the first week in July and that there should have been a sign to that effect. Will give it another shot.
Who knows what the deal with this place is? Me and a couple of gal-​pals went here on a Friday afternoon (~5:30) for happy hour, only to find it closed! Locked and barred! No sign!
BOO!
Maybe it would’ve been good it it had been open…

Never felt the need to review Hawthorne Lane as a restaurant. I have eaten there before and I guess I would give it 3.5−4 stars but I just didn’t feel like it had anything special to reccomend it and didn’t know what to say about it.
Then I went for happy hour! Amazing deals on happy hour snacks! $ 2 french fries (good ones!), $ 2.5 Mac & Cheese (watch out, it has ham in it) and a bunch of other tasty stuff $ 3 or less. Plus good deals on drinks and the overall atmosphere of the bar is so comfortable and comforting — plus it is not the zoo that many places are at happy hour.
5 stars for the bar at happy hour!

I went here for my first Unilocal happy hour last week, and really enjoyed this place. The happy hour food and drink specials were good deals, and although I didn’t try any of the food (I ate a late lunch… damn Mollie Stone’s sammich!) it looked pretty tasty.
An excellent drink that I had that was not on the happy hour menu was the espresso martini… perfect blend of caffeine and booze!
This is a nice place to go for happy hour with a group of fun people (like Unilocalers!). It has a laid-​back feel despite being an elegant restaurant, and I would definitely go back here again.

Well, dinner reviews may not be memorable but I will tell you this… Hawthorne Lane is great for happy hour!
I go there probably ?? times a month just for that (between 4 – 6). Sit at the bar, if you can get one, then order your favorite drink, Kettle up with a twist, then order from the bar menu ($ 2 — $ 8). I’ve taken allot of my friends there and at first they laugh at my choice for stuffiness. Then once they settle in with the drink and assortment of snacks in front of them they comment on how they like it.
I call it my «old man» place. Easy on the eyes, low-​key atmosphere and good drinks. I can always hit up the loud bar or club but to find that place I can just chill at and have a conversation without yelling… not many.
AB

Only been once, but my company was great, the food was superb, and the service was very professional.
The crowd got a bit starey considering I was one of the only non-​older-​white demographic. But I’d suggest you try it for yourself.

Update (27 July 2006):
Tried their burger for lunch, which waitress told us uses high quality meat which restaurant ground themselves. It sure was tasty, but for some reason, I felt that their mini-​burger during happy hour was better. The bigger version during lunch came with steak fries, which was good, but I preferred thin & crispy french fries. I did like the size of tempura fried string beans, which came with nice honey mustard. Service was excellent.
I’m still not convinced if I should come here for dinner. Go here for Happy Hour!!!
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THEIR HAPPY HOUR — 5 Stars
What a great find for a quality happy hour! Based on the poor reviews about their dinner by other Unilocalers, I may end up using Hawthorne Lane for happy hours (4−6pm) only. Their tag line of «sip and snack in style» fits really well with this hidden restaurant offering nice spacious ambiance with tasty bar bites. Service wasn’t great as our waitress was a bit cold and made no effort to be friendly, but I bet she is more friendly toward dinner customers.
FOOD: We went a head and ordered each of the 6 happy hour dishes. Tempura asparagus was excellent. Mac&cheese was so-​so. Bistro garlic fries were a bit salty, but addictive. Pizza was good. Wings were skillfully done. My favorite of all was their mini burger slider with San Joaquin cheese & tomato chutney. It quickly became one of my favorite burger in town!!! $ 3 draft of Fat Tire was a great value.

Finally went back to Hawthorne Lane after nearly 7 years… it’s nice to see that some things can stand the test of time.
True, it’s not exactly a *hipster* scene… but you have to appreciate Hawthorne for what it is. Sophisticated, elegant, and classic… Service was relaxed and polished. Their menu offered a wide range of options– vegetarian risotto, lamb, steak, quail, seafood, veal, pasta, etc. Desserts were varied-​cheese tray, chocolate, crème brûlée and the like.
And yes, the other reviews are correct-​the average age of the Hawthorne patron is mid 40’s. But my girlfriends and I (ranged from 22 – 31) were very comfortable and enjoyed dining without worrying about the hot guy next to us and if he was single or if we dressed in the latest fashion… to tell you the truth, it was a relief! For the first time in a long time I wore my glasses at the dinner table and could actually see what I was eating!
Definitely recommend it as a choice spot with parents, business dinners, mellow get togethers, etc. On the pricier side.

Food and service were terrific — if those were the only criteria for a great dining experience — this place would have 5 stars. Unfortunately — i felt very young here — the average age was well up in the 40s. This is a place i would recommend to my grandparents, but not any buddies looking for a fun place to have dinner in the city.
If you do go, try the risotto — it was to die for

The food was amazing! Well-​executed, and we were among the last diners of the night. The spicy rock shrimp & acorn squash soup with lobster wontons helped melt away the stresses of the day. The pan roasted Alaskan halibut with spring onions, sweet pea ravioli and lobster cream was gorgeous. For dessert we shared the warm chocolate truffle cake with malt fudge swirl ice cream and candied cocoa nibs. I also had a glass of grenache/​syrah from Costieres de Nimes, which was excellent.
ON HAPPY HOUR:
Fun place to gather. Cheap, tasty nibbles. Try the strawberry tequila — delicious!