Sens Restaurant

Went to Sens for Happy Hour and it had great vibes. It’s a very large space with lots of seating for groups. Our server was great, despite the bustle and number of customers. The mushroom flatbread with truffle oil was delectable. The pancetta and lamb sliders were okay. The prices for happy hour seemed like regular drink prices/​pretty high for happy hour, so not too sure if Sens actually gives deals on the food and drinks. Nevertheless, a great atmosphere!

It’s a good place for a business lunch, when you really need to be able to hear and speak to someone — there is plenty of space between each table. The food is alright, but on the salty side.

My review relates only to their NYE party and not the daily restaurant.
To ring in 2016 my friends and I decided to partake in the NYE party at Sens. Our decision to go to their party was due to the fact that they have an excellent view of the fireworks and that we would be able to enjoy them from inside the restaurant as it faces the Ferry building and the show. In order to ensure we had a great view, we opted to purchase the bottle service, which notes that you get a window view of the fireworks show. Upon arrival to the restaurant, we were ushered to a table that was in their tented area on the patio. Our table was located directly next to the open doorway that allows people to go outside on the patio (so the area was always completely open to the outside and extremely cold. They provided a heater to keep it warm, but it was a tiny floor heater that was roughly 6 inches by 6 inches and it was on the floor against the tent.) and our «window» was the plastic tarped viewing window. In addition, there was a large pilar that obstructed the view, so it was not the view that one would expect for the $ 1,400 we paid.
I immediately went back to the front and requested to be moved to one of the other tables that was inside the restaurant and not yet occupied with people. As we walked into the restaurant immediately once they opened, there really should not have been a problem moving. Unfortunately, they told me they would not move me as other people had reserved their specific table. This was quite interesting as NOWHERE on their website or any of the websites that sold the bottle service did it say that you could reserve a table. So that was extremely frustrating and I feel that the description and what they provided were not in line for the price.
I would also like to note that our table for 5 was directly on top of the other 2 tables around us (of which nobody ended up using probably because they were as angry about the location as us) and there was really not enough space for 5 people to actually sit down. So we primarily ended up standing the entire time and every one wore their jackets the entire time because it was so cold. When the fireworks started, our view of the fireworks was also obstructed by people on the patio, since our table had to look over the patio to view the show (whereas all the tables inside are off to the side of the patio and had unobstructed views), so we had to actually walk out onto the patio to actually watch the fireworks. Ridiculous!
We also found it interesting that our table did not include open bar like the general admission ticket. It covered admission, but not open bar after we finished the bottles that were included with the table. That too seemed ridiculous considering the price, but the bar was so overwhelmed with people that we ended up not really bothering trying to get drinks after out bottles were done.
I will admit that our server was awesome! She was extremely helpful and did whatever she could to make things more comfortable for us. So she deserves 5 stars!
I gave the restaurant 2 stars for the night as while we did get a table with a view of the fireworks, it was in absolutely no way comparable to the tables that were inside the restaurant that paid the exact same amount. Plus, the entire situation of being in a tent and trying to pass that off as a window view is ridiculous. I do not recommend Sens for any NYE events moving forward.

Yum! My husband and I went to a holiday party here the other night. We showed up and ordered happy hour cocktails. I had a thirsty mule and it was very well made!
The menu for the holiday party included an tasty salad (great dressing flavor), small potatoes (well seasoned) herb chicken, beef dish, and a salmon dish. To end things there was a little cake dessert.
The only item I was not so impressed with was the salmon dish. It just seemed a little bland.
The chicken and beef as well as all of the sides were really well prepared. The wine selection was also good to pair with our meal.
I would definitely go back to this place for a date with my husband or a girls night with friends.
Loved the location.

I’ll start with the good and end with the not so good.
The good
— The apps were delicious starting with the crab cakes and empanadas. The breakout star was the fried gnocchi thingy… the bomb!
— I had the Old Fashioned and it was nice and stiff
— The service was attentive and great!
The not so good
— The entrees were meh with the steak and salmon that were salty. The salmon did come with a very nice sauce that had a bit of kick and nice balance. The chicken dish was a tad too dry

I met a fiend for lunch here. I had the medium rare lamb burger. OMG it was fantastic, served with rosemary fries that were too perfect.
I took ²⁄₃ of the burger home and ate the rest cold and it was fantastic.

VERY CUTE if you’re here for a date. Lightweight classy if you’re here to get f-​ed up with your coworkers after a long ass week.
Came here for the open bar and appetizers on a Wednesday night (aaaaaye). Good selection of cocktails and the appetizers are pretty great too. Most memorable was the chorizo empanadas. Kinda bizarre for a self-​proclaimed Mediterranean spot. but anyways yuuuum.

Excellent restaurant
Food was tasty and very unique.
I have lamb burger and fries out of this world
sat outside over looking Ferry Building
will return

Staying at the Hyatt? Well. This is one of only two options if you don’t want to leave the hotel– the other being the hotel bar, Eclipse, which may have good food but the décor just sucks balls, which is why we came here.
The bartender on my first visit here was (Jody??) was nice and pleasant. She also gave us free shots (holy moly, some stronggggg a$$ potato vodka). She even gave me ginger ale for free as a chaser– definitely needed it. The Pisco sour was delicious but they ran out after I had one. Wish there was more!
The second day I came by at around 1pm (Friday). A guy bartender greeted us– not sure why he kept making loud hushing noises– it was irritating, to say the least.
I can’t speak about the food since nothing really looked good on the menu and I’d much rather go to an oyster bar off the pier/​wharf. The view was the same as what we had from my room– beautiful. The outdoor seating is awesome but overall, I’m not blown away by this place. I certainly wouldn’t recommend this unless you’re desperate and lazy all at once while staying at the hotel.

I came here for happy hour with my girls and it has a nice outdoor covered already. Good for windy days but still fresh air. They have good food/​tapas/​sharing plates and wine selection too.
Happy hour is 4−8pm which is nice and extensive however I’d have to say the service is on the poor side. We had to wait over 20 minutes for our second round of drinks to come out and it was literally just a bottle of rosé.
Setting is nice but probably needs a bit more attention and care service wise.

This was my second time eating at Sens and I was not disappointed. We sat next to the window and had a great view of the ferry building and the bay bridge. I ordered the short ribs… again! They are so tender but this time it came with 3 little stuffed tomatoes that were really good. We also started off with the Mediterranean spread that comes with four different dips (the eggplant one is my favorite). The flatbread that comes with the spread is amazing and it’s the perfect ratio of dip to bread. We also ordered the poached Turkish apricots. The chicken inside was delicious and I just love pistachios so it was ultimately a winner in my heart.
Before we even got the appetizers we ordered, our waitress brings us a little appetizer compliments of the chef. It was so nice and the appetizer was delicious!
The menu is a little bit limited and I was debating between 4 or 5 stars but we just had such a great experience here that we bumped it up to 5! It seems like such a fun place to come for happy hour so I hope I get to come back and experience that.

This place has a great location, overlooking the Ferry Building. This place is a short walk from my office, so I came here with some coworkers for lunch on Friday.
I tried the California Lamb Burger, which was definitely a mess to eat, but it was tasty and a pretty large portion. I would definitely order it again.
I must say that service was pretty slow at this place though. Everyone was really polite, but I don’t think we got our food until 40 minutes after we sat down.

I will start with the pros as this place truly has potential to be a 5 star restaurant. The location is one of the best in San Francisco… The patio looks out over the Embarcadero, so at night you can drink and eat with a beautiful view of the bay bridge and the hustle-​n-​bustle of SF. The food is pretty good so that always helps. The grilled octopus was absolutely delicious. Chewy on the inside yet crispy on the outside. The inside is quite elegant and they have 2 bars I believe so that’s cool… I guess. The service isn’t amazing but I’ve never had anything major to complain about either.
Now to the cons… The hours are all over the place. I realize you can find schedules online, but consistency in the schedule I feel would make it easier for random locals to make this a regular spot if they knew for sure when it was open. Second, they used to have ribs for like $ 6 on their happy hour menu, now all they have is a $ 31 slow cooked pork plate. Just ain’t the same. Sens appears to not be sure of what type of restaurant they want to be. It’s like part high end dining /​night club /​happy hour bar… Makes for an odd experience at times. This place does have a lot of potential though.

The view from this restaurant is great if you’re seated by the window. You can overlook the ferry building and people watch from above.
The food on the other hand didn’t quite impress me. It might have been what I ordered, but it’ll be hard for me to figure that out unless I come back.
For starters, we got the Mediterranean spreads, which is served with warm flatbread. The spreads were cucumber tzatziki, eggplant, pepper, and regular ol’ hummus. While a great opener, it was certainly more than I’d pay for what boiled down to hummus and flatbread.
Moving into the main entrees, I ordered the meyer lemon and ricotta gnocchi. The first few gnocchi were delicious with the meyer lemon and ricotta. However, after the first few, it became increasingly heavy and too filling. Unlike other gnocchi I’ve had, it was much drier than I expected and cubed.
Not entirely disappointing, but not a restaurant I’d recommend to anyone visiting — minus the beautiful view.

Came here hoping to sit outside to enjoy the view with some good food and drinks. Unfortunately the entire patio area was reserved for a private party. So we ended up hanging out at the bar which worked fine. Had a couple of drinks and appetizers.
Staff were very friendly. I had the a Monk’s Mule which was refreshing. Also had fried olives, lamb sliders and fries. All were great! I’m not a fan of olives, but the were good.
I will be coming back on a nice summer evening to enjoy that view!

Sens is a beautifully decorated restaurant that serves fresh, delicately prepared food. If you want to spoil your palette, come here for a nice lunch or date night some time
Service: 4 stars. Not the most attentive and organized crew I’ve seen, but it was an overall good experience.
Décor: 5++ stars. Sens is so beautifully decorated, inside and out! They have a semi-​outdoor area (covered by a sun roof) that’s perfect for any weather any day.
Food: 5 stars for the Farmer’s Market Salad. It has the perfect combination of arugula, beets, strawberries, toasted almond slices, and cheese. I also got the white prawns to go with it.
Oh and for dessert we got the cheesecake. Also tasty!
Yuuummmy

My lasted at visit to Sens was for a company happy hour and must say this is, indeed, a solid watering hole.
Pros:
— Lots of patio seating with a nice view of the Ferry Building
— Full bar
— Full kitchen
— Happy Hour specials on food and drink
Cons:
— Closes between lunch and dinner
— Limited number of beers on tap
— Food is adequate at best (luckily the Melt and Oasis are close by)

Up until my recent trip here for dinner, I had only heard about Sens in two different contexts. from friends Either as a solid spot for work lunches… or as a club venue. Not all that similar to each other, but the idea isn’t uncommon either (like with Straits and the defunct Medjool). Still, kind of odd to think about how a matter of 12 hours separates business lunches from bottle service.
Given how I’m well and done with clubbing (save for Vegas), the food at Sens is what drew me here. A lot of my friends have had great meals here and it’s easy to see why after quickly skimming the menu — a relatively long HH and a number of dishes that all sound so good!
To start, our table decided to share the CHARCUTERIE ($ 20). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to snag a photo (the other side of the table got to it first), but it looked great and was sizable for the money (it serves 2 – 3 people). The Mortadella, Toscano, Gentile, Country Style Pâté, Soppresatta, and Chicken Liver Mousse were all delicious (I liked the last two best), however a little more bread would have been nice.
For my entrée, I chose the PAN ROASTED «LLANO SECO» PORK RIB CHOP with Yellow Eyed Beans, House Cured Bacon, Celery Root Purée, Crispy Parsnips, and Huckleberries ($ 32). It’s a little pricey, but the chop had a nice sear and was impressively moist, though it needed a bit more seasoning to boost the flavor. The accompaniments were great though; the purée didn’t add much, but the parsnips and huckleberries added some crunch and sweetness, respectively, while the beans and cured bacon were simply delicious.
As for service, it was fine, but unremarkable. However, I really like the restaurant space. It felt a little compartmentalized, but it’s spacious (great for large groups or events). And that view! While it’s not a sweeping perspective of the bay (Sens is only a couple of stories up), the restaurant’s perch right above Justin Herman Plaza allows for a gorgeous view of The Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge. Perfect for business meetings and special occasions. Or clubbing, it seems…

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food here. I was very disgruntled that my team had chosen this place for our business dinner, but boy was I wrong!
Everything we had was delicious. We shared a bunch of appetizers including.
— fattoush salad: this was meh. Too much dressing and cheese, tasted almost like a Caesar salad. I prefer the traditional fattoush salad with sumac vinaigrette. Enjoyed the citrus in it though.
— farmers market salad: this was delish. Get this salad over fattoush. Candied walnuts and the dressing balanced the bitter chicory leaves well. Highly recommend
— hummus, babaganoush, feta, and tsatsiki sauce with pita bread. Pretty good. Can skip. Nothing special but a good app to share.
— lamb tartare: excellent.
— gnocchi: A MUST GET. The gnocchis melted in my mouth and the mushroom cream sauce was to die for. Omg I’d just get this as a meal.
— pork belly: meh. Kind of bland. And we are talking about pork belly here. How can you make pork belly boring? Skip.
For my entrée, I got the lamb three ways: lamb legs, shoulder, and t-​bone. The t-​bone was my favorite. So flavorful and tender. Came with butternut squash purée, kale chips, and braised kale. The roasted butternut squash was not seasoned. Otherwise the dish was solid. I’d love to just have the t-​bone as the main without the other parts.
Also tried my coworker’s rib eye and it was delicious.
For dessert, we tried the bread pudding and pumpkin beignets. The bread pudding was really delicious and I particularly enjoyed the various fruit components, including the apple balls! I enjoyed whatever the dipping sauce the beignets came with — the actual beignet could’ve been fluffier. I thought they were a bit too dense without much pumpkin flavor.
Overall, the service and food were both excellent. It certainly exceeded my expectation. I’d come back again!

I used to come to Sens for their nightlife. Back in the day, I used to dance the night away with a bottle of Grey Goose! Now that my clubbing days are behind me, I finally tried Sens as a restaurant for happy hour.
March 2013
*Empanadas ($ 8)
*Shellfish «brodo» ($ 14)
*Grilled Greek pork ribs ($ 11)
*Wood oven pancetta flat bread ($ 10)
*Patatas bravas ($ 7)
Their HH food is good. Nothing really stood out as being great or amazing, but they provided some great dishes to munch on while a gf and I drank and caught up.
The real reason I came here was for the view! I believe they had just started the art installation on the Bay Bridge. I thought Sens might be a great place to have drinks, snacks and enjoy the view! The balcony was closed for a private party, but we were still able to get a table by the window. So sit back with your drink and enjoy the light show!