Spire Restaurant & Bar

NOOOOOO! PLEASE SAY IT ISN’T SO!!! CLOSED?!!
I LOVED the brunch — all you can drink bloody marys and the waffle fried chicken!
OMG! I have been craving it since I tasted it last year! I have been trying to find a good time to head over there but haven’t been able to fit it in my schedule until now! AND IT’S TOO LATE! Waaaaaaa!

Waffle Fried Chicken is the new Chicken and Waffles.
Spire has cut out the middleman with its Waffle Fried Chicken for instant brunch gratification. You’ll get two chicken drumsticks dipped into waffle batter and then fried. They reminded me of corndogs with the pillowy dough that was slightly crisp on the outside and the nicely cooked meat inside. And when dunked into maple syrup, you have a nice mix of savory and sweet. It came with Collard Greens that had a hefty amount of thick cut bacon and Oven Roasted Potatoes (all this reasonably priced at $ 10).
The «Best Brunch Ever» is a unique brunch concept that I dig. Sometimes you want it all and like a plate of brunch tapas just for YOU, you’ll get a chef’s choice of 3 mini dishes ($ 16). We spun the brunch roulette wheel and liked it overall. Check it out and be surprised!
I’ve been here for dinner as well which was fine but I’m sticking to brunch. And yes, the Bottomless Mimosas probably have something to do with that decision.
Update 2÷15÷11: Spire is currently closed for renovations.

Wow, I really wanted to like this place, but it just wasn’t very good.
I had the BBQ short ribs, which were not that great. First off, if something is BBQed, it’s usually cooked for hours and hours until the meat is extremely soft and tender — the short ribs were not BBQed, they were slightly cooked and mostly raw… it was cooked more like a medium-​rare cooked steak. I’d never had a «medium-​rare» short rib before, but it just wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Short ribs are tasty, yet very tough pieces of meat, which is why they are usually served after being cooked for a long time, after the meat is nice and tender. Also, usually BBQ has a ton of flavor, but the meat really didn’t have any flavor — it was slathered with mediocre BBQ sauce and when that was scrapped away, the meat had absolutely no flavor to it. It came with a side of Mac and Cheese, which was okay, but could have used some salt to really make the flavors pop.
While my meal was disappointing, the staff was friendly. I was warmly greeted at the door and was treated well by our server.
I would give this place another try because one of the other dishes looked really good, but I would not recommend on the BBQ shortribs… not good at all.

The reason why we checked this place out was I purchased the Unilocal deal a couple of weeks ago.
I went with my good friend and my bf. We ordered a ton of food. For drinks, my bf ordered the bottomless mimosas, hot tea and pomegranate juice. When Spire says bottomless mimosas, they mean it. My bf got tipsy after 6 glasses.
Niman Ranch Burger: a good juicy mushroom burger on brioche bun but kinda wish there was a spread or sauce to compliment the burger besides ketchup.
French Toast: AMAZING. you just have to order it. It is bursting with flavor in the bread, spiced batter, syrupy gooey stuff that is just so sweet and delicious and that big goop of whipped cream. just so yum.
Duck Hash: Just ok. Nothing special. Just potatoes and pieces of duck with a cooked egg on top.
Waffle Fried Chicken: Hmmz. Confusion of flavors. The chicken is basically cooked and seasoned drumsticks battered fried with waffle mix. Great concept but could have been slightly better. The batter should have been crispier. The syrup dipping sauce had a very strong ginger taste and it really turned me off. I wish it was regular maple syrup. But what really shined was the braised collard greens that companied the dish. The collard greens was really tasty.
The service was prompt and friendly. The décor is modern with a very masculine touch. Overall, try it, especially the FRENCH TOAST.

I’ve only stopped in for happy hour and haven’t had a chance to take a look at the dinner menu.
$ 1 oysters during happy hour! There is a minimum order of six, which is fine since I don’t think I would eat fewer than six at a time anyway.
The huckleberry pomegranate lemonade is absolutely tasty!
We also ordered fried chicken livers, which were paired nicely with figs, and the beet salad with goat cheese. I love beets, so you can’t really go wrong there.
I’m still waiting to be blown away. I’ll see you soon, Spire.

Went to Spire for a friends bday, I was impressed by the clean, upscale lounge atmosphere. A great post Giants game dinner spot w/ .
Try the steak ribs! They came with a perfect combo of savory potatoes and mushrooms. The staff is friendly and there’s is a full bar if you want to go for a drink with friends.

Spire, you did us good for brunch.
I could tell they were understaffed but they did a great job to cover it up. Michelle is always super friendly and sweet which is refreshing.
I had the duck confit hash: delicious but a bit heavy for my liking. I knew it would be when I ordered but I couldn’t resist duck. My bf had the sweet potato benedict which is becoming one of his favorite breakfasts in the city. He claims to not be a foodie, but deep down I know he is :)

08.12.10
I know I’m three months late on this one, but here’s what I remember.
One of us asked how big the spaetzel dish was. The waitress describes the weight in grams. Very peculiar, and precise. Tasty, though!
Creamed corn soup: much better when you add hot sauce.
Fried chicken: good, crunchy, but not memorable. Plus, with the location, it should rival Little Skillet. It doesn’t.
But I will go back once the Giants are back in the swing of things next season. Great location to pre-​party before games!

Headed to Spire for a work dinner for 80 guests and what a mess it was. The evening started out promising as it was an open bar and you can’t go wrong with that! We each ordered a combination of appetizers, entrees and desserts. The staff was very accommodating and that’s pretty much where the evening started to go downhill.
Our appetizers, entrees and desserts came out during various times and there were huge time gaps between servings. We had actually finished our entire meal as other tables were just getting their appetizers. I realize that 80 guests might be a lot for a small kitchen to accommodate but boy were they under prepared for the volume. To top it off my table ordered more white wine and we got a rancid bottle. My friend asked everyone to smell it and every single person at the table smirked when smelling it. We told our waitress about it and she said it would probably be faster if we got up ourselves and went to the bar to change it. Really?! Auto gratuity in action methinks.
I had ordered the creamy corn soup as my appetizer which was completely delicious and the highlight of my evening. My chicken entrée was decent and they were served with two tasty and very interesting mushroom cakes. My friends who got the short ribs were over the moon over the flavor but part of me suspects that part of that enthusiasm was because we were all starving. The time gaps between servings drove me crazy.
If you’re going to do a private dinner for 80+ people, you should expect to serve them reasonably close together and have enough staff to do so. Sorry Spire, no excuse on this one as it wasn’t as though we were just walk-​ins from off the street. And when your customers tell you that a wine smelled spoiled its really best to take back the bottle and apologize. Perhaps Spire is best during dinner for two and hopefully you’ll get to eat at the same time.

So tough to review this spot! Please note that I’m sure I came on an ‘off’ night. The food overall was great but the service was lacking and it was definitely not the experience I was looking for.
I came with a large group (which might have been part of the problem. Perhaps they weren’t prepared for such a large crowd. even though we surely called ahead!) but what really struck me as odd was when I was poured a glass of extremely foul wine and was told that I was wrong about it being bad. I’m certainly no wino but if wine smells like feet or stinky cheese, it’s not meant to be consumed! At least 7 other friends had the very same complaint and we were all meant to feel like fools because the wine wasn’t bad. Very strange.
My short ribs were LOVELY and the dessert was great too! If it were only the food I was rating, they’d get a solid 5 stars for their efforts. But the service was poor and again. the wine was so awful! I usually dish out three stars for places that I would consider returning… unfortunately for Spire, I think this will be my one and only trip.

This is a hard review for me to write because I really did enjoy the food. It may have been one of the best short ribs I’ve ever had and the scallops were beautiful. However, I am reminded time and time again that just because you’re a good restaurant doesn’t mean you’re equipped to host a large private party.
A large group of us had dinner here on the first night of a week-​long work trip in town and were ravenous when we came in for our meal. I liked the smiles on the bartenders’ faces as they offered us a choice of red or white wine or beer as we waited for food service to start.
My table was waited on by Giselle, who was sweet as pie and had to run around to each side of the table to explain how the ordering was going to work.
There were choices of three courses on the menu but we were only allowed to choose two courses, so I went with the scallop appetizer and the short rib entrée. The scallop dish was literally one scallop with some yummy sauce and garnish, but again… ONE scallop. One gorgeous scallop, though.
Then came the short rib. Unlike many short ribs I’ve had in the past, this one was sliced thin. It was perfectly pink and rare the way I like it, though i think it may have been a bit too pink for others who like their meat more cooked. The short rib came with a delicious mashed potato and green beans on the side, all stellar.
I also had a taste of my neighbor’s berry bread pudding, which was very good as well although some others were disappointed that it didn’t actually feature berries in the bread but instead had a sort of compote on top.
Why three stars then, you ask? Well, the timing of the service was terribly off. I’m sure the kitchen was working as fast as it could, but while one table was already on dessert another table down the way hadn’t even gotten their entrees yet.
We also were served some bad wine. Now, I know next to nothing about wine so if I can tell it’s bad, it’s gotta be pretty darn bad. The stuff smelled skunky. No big deal… every once in a while you’re going to get bad wine. But my problem was that when we told the gentleman working there, he tried to tell us it was fine and that the whole table was wrong. I think in this industry, if a paying customer says that something is terribly wrong with the product you serve, not just not tasty or not our favorite, but WRONG, then it’s your responsibility to make it right even if you don’t agree. They did eventually bring out more wine (not the white we wanted but the red that was better), but the attitude is what really stuck with us.
So, all in all, this is hard for me. The food was fantastic and for the most part I thought the service was friendly. But the bad timing of the meal and refusal to take heed to our complaints, I can’t in good conscience give this place more than three stars.
I hope to come back here on a normal business night and enjoy their delicious food without the stress of being with a large private party!

There were about 70 – 80 of us there for a private dinner. The décor is very nice and it is one big open room with the bar and dining area. It was a pretty good set up for a large group, accommodating about 10 people per table.
My 2 biggest gripes: The white Wine and the excuses from the staff on issues we mentioned.
So we had a special menu with a few choices that ALL sounded delicious. However, we were only allowed to choose either an app and main course or main course and dessert. Fine, the food was delicious, the corn soup, the scallop and the steak was just phenom!
There was only ONE white menu on the list yet we received FOUR different kinds each time we re-​filled. The fourth one was absolutely repulsive. The excuse? «Sorry we forgot to tell you we ran out of the other kind (you mean 3 kinds) but this is from a brand new opened bottle.» Who cares… It’s disgusting. Anyway the bartender was not very understanding and laughed when I requested a cider on the house for free… said he wasn’t sure he had any. I saw them in the fridge with the GLASS door I said, he said he would check. Came back over with one. So that was nice.
However, I was so disappointed that there was struggle with the service about over 6 of us complaining the last wine was NOT GOOD… and not good as in it just tasted bad, not good as in it was expired or just raunchy. I will save details, the female server took the time to smell and she agreed.
So, overall this experience was Meh but the food was delicious!

What do you get when you put 70 loud colleagues into a lovely space with lofty ceilings and tons of open air? Ringing ears… but at Spire you also get happy bellies… and nice bartenders who play Snoop Dogg at your request.
With said high celings, exposed brick and super sweet service, I was happy with my overall experience at Spire, albeit the loudness… which I contributed to, of course. I was part of a large planned event where I was able to taste a variety of dishes and enjoy mingling and tunes of every sort. Here’s the low down on the eats:
Corn soup: I tried… no…I mauled my buddies’ corn soup as it was absolutely delicious. Super creamy, great flavor… just YUM.
Gnocchi with sausage: Also another try of mine. The sausage (and sauce) was tasty and tender and the gnocchi was good, but nothing remarkable. Even though our meal was covered, this portion was pretty tiny (even for a «first»)
Vegetable risotto: My main course — I really wanted to love the risotto because the flavors were delightful. My only beef with this dish is that the risotto was overcooked and a bit paste-​like. I loved the creaminess and supply of veggies in the dish, though.
Chocolate hazelnut cake w/​cherries: Um, I never turn down dessert… so naturally I chose the most rich item on our special menu. Again, the flavors were nice and the juxtaposition between the sweet cake, the tart cherries and the caramel sauce was mighty pleasing. The cake, however, was a tiny bit dry. If it was a molten cake, I probably would have inhaled the plate… whole.
Overall, ridiculously nice service, a lovely place and great company. Thanks, Spire!

I took my dear friend Thuy here for dinner before my fashion show. So couldn’t eat much but sampling a few dishes.
— Point Ryes Oysers — 1 dozen, fresh, sweet & tasty.
— Diver scallops with sweet corn succotash, green chili butter — this time is 1 giant scallop — great & consistent compare to last week I was here.
— Hawaiian Onaga Crudo — this time the fish was cut thicker than last week — you see my photos, the differences.
— Gnocci with lamb sausage, tomato sauce, basil & cheese. This was so good that we should have order more! Oh well, there’s always next time right.
I got to meat the executive chef Laird Boles, he was cute, nice & asked me how was the dinner. I told him about the Onaga snapper cut a bit thicker than last week? He was explained to us. I thought was really cool!
Service was slow this time, but the resto is new, so I will have to come back when they settle in. Still would love to sit at the bar to chat with bartender Michele! & a plus when the beautiful African/​American hostess remembers me!
Next time, I will take my parents!

We had a power lunch group here the other day — Connie C, Jessica T, Ruggy, J, Monica S, and I all went to eat here on Connie’s recommendation and my meal was great. The dining area is very open and bright and comfortable. The service was top-​notch and super friendly. And the menu, while small, has enough variety to please most.
I ordered the sweet corn soup, which came with corn fritters as well as a really delicious salad called the County Line 5. The corn chowder is more of a broth and less of a chowder, but the flavor is great. The little fritters on the side give it a little texture if you need it. And the salad was full of blue cheese, dates, and pecans. Just the way I like it.
While I was definitely pleased with my meal, I couldn’t help but enviously eye Connie’s BLT so I would like to try that in the future perhaps. As we all know, everything tastes better with bacon, especially lunch.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Spire. The environment is casual chic, service is excellent, and the food is tasty. We could tell that the chef put a lot of heart into his creations with great attention to detail and emphasis on quality. The location is only a block from the Giants ball park and also a block from the Caltrain station, super convenient for pre/​post game meals.
Small dishes: We had corn soup, scallops, sweet bread, and charcuterie. Everything was yummy but I especially enjoyed the scallops. Cooked just right and the sauce was delicious!
Entrees: Chicken was nice and juicy but the short ribs was simply superb. It’s made sous-​vide (as seen on Iron Chef!), super tender and delicious. It tastes like small well-​prepared slices of steak, except better. Must try!
Dessert: Everyone knows dessert is the most important part of the meal so we just had to try all three desserts. Again, everything was good but I especially enjoyed the Chocolate Almond Layercake w/​macerated cherries, spearmint crème anglaise. Cake was good and the cherries were just super flavorful!
As we ate family style, everyone got to have a taste of everything we ordered. Our check came out to be $ 128 (before tips), which is very reasonable for five diners and all that great food. I’d definitely recommend trying Spire via family style sharing if it’s your first time. Next time we go though, I may just have to order a short rib dish all for myself!

It’s ALL about the PASSION Baby!!!
On Tues, my friend was telling me about a new restaurant called Spire. After Unilocaling it, I will admit, I was a bit apprehensive b/​c of the mixed reviews, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try a new restaurant. So, last night on 8.5.10, my friend and I met up for dinner at 6 PM (easy street parking on non-​game nights).
I normally don’t start off my reviews about service, but I was truly «WOWED» by the Managing Partners, Nelson and Sean’s approach to Customer Service which is driven by their passion for the Restaurant Industry. Upon arrival, Nelson brought out and insisted we try the Beer Batter Chicken Sliders and then checked off things on the menu that we HAD to try.
Throughout the night, Nelson and Sean took the time to go to each table and greet their customers to make sure everything was ok. They were also very open to receiving comments/​suggestions. This, I highly commend them for b/​c very few in the business spend time trying to build a relationship w/​their customers, much less welcome constructive criticism. I also have to give props to Jarrell, our waiter who was extremely friendly and down-​to-​earth.
Onto the food…
DRINKS:
*2008 Pinot Noir, Rancho Sisquoc ($ 10/​glass): Medium bodied, earthy, strawberry notes w/​a touch of acidity.
*Spire Signature Cocktail ($ 12): GOOD! Strong vodka taste upon hitting your palette which is quickly replaced by the sweet coconut flavor and sweet zing from the ginger.
*South Beach Melon Ball ($ 10): MY FAV! Fresh and sweet peach and coconut flavors that really pop in your mouth.
*St. Germain Royal ($ 12): YUM! Prosseco w/​raspberry liquor which was light, refreshing, sweet, and slightly tart.
FOOD:
They have a HH menu from 4:30 pm — 7 pm w/​apps for $ 3-​$ 11, beers for $ 3 – 4 and wines for $ 5-​$ 6/​glass.
*Beer Batter Chicken Sliders (HH– $ 5): YUM! The lightly battered chicken was crisp and tender in the inside and was sandwiched btw fresh, lightly toasted Acme bread w/​creamy chipotle aioli which added a nice kick.
*Shrimp Ceviche (HH — $ 8): OK. The shrimp was a little too overdone in the citrus marinade. But, the tomatoes were fresh, plump, and sweet and the avocado was perfectly ripen and buttery. It was accompanied w/​freshly fried tortilla chips which was crisp and held up well to the ceviche.
*Raw Oysters ($ 22-​$ 26/​dozen):
–Wiley Point: MY FAV! It was smooth, sweet, and had a hint of the fresh ocean sea.
–Skookum: GOOD! It was tender, but not as sweet as the Wiley.
–Steamboat: OK. It was very mild, but lacked the sweetness the other two had.
*Halibut Ceviche w/​Sweet Potato Chips ($ 14): GOOD! The halibut was tender and had the perfect amount of tang and spice from the lime juice and chili. The madras curry sauce added a creamy, sweet, and an add’l layer of spice w/​o overpowering the halibut. The chips were freshly fried and added a nice crunch.

*Sweet Corn Soup w/​Corn Fritters ($ 6): OMFG – MUST ORDER!!! The fritters were fried to a sunkissed golden brown; it was crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the inside, and the corn kernels added a burst of sweetness. The corn soup was velvety smooth, creamy, and had the perfect sweetness.
*Seared Diver Scallops ($ 14): Another MUST ORDER! The sweet scallops were seared to a medium rare creating a nice crisp crust and a tender center. The fresh corn and tomatoes added a burst of sweetness and tang, while the green chili butter added a mild creamy spice.
*Roasted Pork Belly w/​Sweet Corn Bread ($ 11): OMG, the corn bread was TO-​DIE-​FOR!!! I promised myself one bite, but I couldn’t stop eating it. It was crusty on the ends, soft and moist in the inside and had a bite from the grounded corn kernel. What set it off was the SWEET CREAM BUTTER! It was like a triple cream butter blended w/​honey which brought out the natural sweetness of the corn while adding a savory richness.
The pork belly was sous-​vide for 18 hrs so it was incredibly buttery and tender. However, it was missing «that» crisp and a fruit compote would have been nice to balance out the richness of the pork.
*Caramel Crème Brulee w/​Earl Grey Cookies ($ 7): YUMMY! The brulee had the perfect burnt sugar crust which lead to the rich, creamy, and smooth caramel center. It was sweet, but not overly sweet. The earl grey cookies were buttery and crisp w/​a hint of citrus notes.
At this time, the food is 3.75−4 Stars, but their outstanding warmth and customer service is what did it for me. Spire is definitely promising. Just w/​any new business in its infancy stage, they are bound to have some hiccups in the beginning. However, their willingness to take customer’s suggestions shows strive for continual improvement, which I think will make them successful.
OoOoh and did I mention that they will be opening a lounge upstairs w/​a dancefloor and vip booths in the coming months? Yup, can’t EFFEN wait…

I agree with many of the reviews that touch upon Spire’s menu prices. Spire aspires to be an inspired chic downtown food option — but with their prices — they have to bring a little more kick and wow to their food and portions.
My halibut sandwich was delicious here. A moist — fresh slab of halibut sandwiched between a crisp fresh roll with lightly fried vegetables and a small beet salad on the side. But — for fifteen dollars — I was expecting more from my meal. A little more OMG from each bite of that sandwich.
I’m definitely looking forward to returning to Spire and exploring their menu further. Their soon to come Brunch sounds like it could be a winner, as well. But for the same price of a decent fresh fish sandwich at Spire — I could indulge in a massive Pacific Catch salmon wasabi bowl — or three Good Earth burritos.
I am a fan, but I probably won’t be making the long stroll here again — anytime soon — until their brunch menu rolls out…
Trust.

WAY TOO EXPENSIVE FOR LUNCH.
Seriously, they need to look at re-​pricing their lunch menu. Food is actually pretty good, but I can’t deal with a $ 14.00 3-​lettuce salad. Sorry. I’m still hungry.
And BTW, why is the lonely little salad priced at $ 13.00, while the veggies on naan priced at $ 9.00? Something is wrong.
Ambiance is nice. A full bar (for lunch?!) ain’t bad either :)
I’ll return during happy hour or dinner hour and give my update. Until then… I feel ripped off and hungry.

3.5 stars
There’s been a slew of cool eateries that have opened up in SoMa lately, and Spire is one of them. Located one block up from the ballpark, it’s a sleek yet casual spot for pre-​gaming. Since it was a lovely day in the city today, my coworkers and I took a long walk down to check out their lunch offerings.
Their menu consists of classic American dishes with a contemporary flair, and prices are pretty moderate. I’ve been on a burger kick lately, and so I split one of their $ 13 burgers and their $ 14 BLT with one of my coworkers. The burger didn’t blow me away… though if we could have added a few slices of bacon on that sucker, it would have. The BLT was open faced and also had smoked salmon and cucumbers on it. While I did enjoy all the ingredients, it was a bit hard to eat. I was able to try some of the sweet corn soup, which was creamy and delicious.
The staff was very welcoming and service was good, however there was a bit of a long wait for our food to come out and it would have been nice to have some bread or some of their housemade naan to nosh on while we waited.
Not sure if the upstairs lounge was open (as I just found about that after lunching there), but it would have been cool to check out while we were there. Will definitely be back for some pre or post-​Giants game drinks.