The Pin Up All-Star Diner

On the other side of Yerba Buena gardens food court (across the Harrison St. Ped bridge) is a Diner that has pretty good food with great open ambiance. Outside dining, sports bar like atmosphere, great comfort food, beer and wine (happy hour 3 – 6).
When it gets a little to «Stuffy» on the food court side, cross over the bridge and give it a try.

We come to this area as our kids like to play in the nearby playground. When we saw this was opening we needed to check it out. I’m glad we did as it’s a little hidden gem. Its typical diner food but our kids loved it. The had hot dogs and french fries and went to town on them. I got the meal and thought it was really good. The chicken was good and tasty. There was a lot of food so we didn’t go home hungry by any stretch of the imagination.
The only downside here was the price. We were discouraged by how much it was for our family of four. We’ll definitely come back but because of the price we can’t come back all the time.

I was impressed with the quality of the food and the portions. Good burger, wings, and waffle-​fries. Even quality kids menu! Please add pics of female athletes to the walls! It’s important.
Update 1 month later: still no photos of female athletes on the walls.

The burger had a colourful combination of vegetables. The bacon was crispy. There was no sauce of any kind on the burger but they did have ketchup and mayo packets on the side. The actual patty was quite dry. There was a lot of water from the pickles and other vegetables leaking out from the burger.

First, I called to ask about the prices, and they were really not very helpful. They were actually pretty rude about it. «Its on the website.» OK thanks… Anyway got there, and though pretty pricey, we ending up trying it anyway. All I can say is that its stupid expensive and super bland for what you are paying for. Do not fall into the trap coming here. Their items are stupid expensive and customer service is horrible, worst of all, their food is mediocre. Save your money walk a bit further and find something else.

I was the only one inside. Food was good, not great. Unprofessional but friendly employees and a good atmosphere.

Terrible! We had lunch there this noon. I can’t think of a single thing that was good about this meal. The food was lack of flavor and very greasy. My stomach still feels uncomfortable 4 hours after I had the lunch.

Surprisingly good food. Fried chicken is nice and moist, fries tasty, salad good. Service was efficient and polite. Overall I’ll be back. Great no fuss food for all the family.

I was sucked in by the reviews — & while I know $ 14 burgers are the norm in SF at that price they should be damn good or at least come with fries. This burger was dry over cooked, lacking flavor (even with bacon!) & the fries were extra. If you want a good burger go to Tap 415 (they make their buns & cure the bacon in house & it’s still $ 14 or less). We also got fried chicken which was fine, but nothing to bring you back. Honestly the fried chicken at Safeway is better & half the price.
The service was fine & I wasn’t expecting fine dining in that location, but for $ 45 I certainly wish we’d picked somewhere else for lunch.

If you do not know Yerba Buena Garden like myself, finding this sport’s friendly diner can be a challenge. The diner is located in the upper-​level, just across from ice skating ring and the Merry-​go-​round carousel.
Other than being agitated in locating the diner, I really like the feel of this new place. As you walk in, you will see sport’s memorabilia’s and portraits of our Bay Area teams all over diner. There are also plenty of televisions for any sporting or current events that make your visit enjoyable.
For my dinner, I ordered the Breakfast biscuit. For $ 10.00, I get boneless fried chicken pieces in a freshly baked hamburger-​size biscuit. The sandwich reminds me of the «Reggie’s Deluxe» from Pine State Biscuit up in Portland, Oregon, excluding the egg and bacon. Still this is a pretty good sandwich and an exclusive in the city.
I also order an order of waffle fries and Ninkasi Oatis Dark ale to complete my meal. That brew was thick, dark and whooped my ass.
As I was enjoying my meal, I was watching NBATV on one of the televisions. No surprise to many of my followers.
The people working there were really nice and treated me well. I would definitely be back here again and watch some NBA games. Hopefully I will not get lost again.

Tasty food, great sports theme, chill atmosphere, attentive and personable staff. They even kept the sound on for the Warrior game that was on. The entire family enjoyed it.

Much needed diner food at Yerba Buena! Best biscuits and fried chicken ever… We had the wrangler, fried chicken and biscuits… and the wings. Finished off with the milkshake. Super family friendly and casual. Sometimes you just want a place to have a bite to eat, a glass of wine and not feel insecure about your 2 year old ruining the vibe. Service was awesome and the proximity to the park was a plus.

Came here with a couple of coworkers when we were in town and had a fantastic lunch. The lunch menu is on the smaller side but it’s great if you’re in the mood for comfort food. Burgers, fried chicken, wings, biscuits and biscuits sandwiches, queso, nachos, etc etc.
If you’re not feeling something so heavy they do also have a few good looking salad options. My colleague got the grilled zucchini salad and it came out huge and steaming. It looked beautiful.
Personally I was feeling kind of middle of the road. I wanted something healthier but not a salad so I went with the Madison Square Garden burger which was a garlic tempeh patty with roasted pepper, a huge slice of portobello mushroom, caramelized onions, provolone and lettuce. It was delicious. Veggie patties can be hit or miss but this one was definitely a hit. And it came out so hot I had to wait to eat it! BUT I had the delicious fries one the side to enjoy as I waited. My other coworker got the Wrangler burger which looked ridiculous in the best way possible. Super stacked with hot, crunchy onion rings on top.
It was pretty quiet in there for lunchtime so I hope more people find this spot and support it. Staff is nice, the food is great, and the view of Yerba Buena gardens is lovely. Stop by sometime if you’re in the area. You won’t be disappointed.

Dinner review.
Biscuit sandwich pork belly — ⁵⁄₅
Biscuit sandwich chicken — ⁴⁄₅
Bacon cheese fries — ³⁄₅
Queso with chips — ⁴⁄₅
Fried chicken — ³⁄₅
Biscuits — ⁴⁄₅
Notes:
— Needs to put some gravy along with the sandwiches to match the best in other cities.
— Needs to make the menu more obvious that the toppings are for biscuit sandwiches and not just burgers.
— Put the good toppings on the fried chicken biscuit sandwich similar to the other ones (bacon, egg, cheese)
Overall, although there is room for improvement, probably the best biscuit sandwiches in SF given the options to add toppings along with decent quality. «As good as it gets.»

The new kid on the block just won over a few of us locals that are always on the hunt for a new place to chow down. Ran across a couple reviews of this place and felt intrigued to give it a try.
As a couple of co-​workers and I walked in we were greeted and asked what we would have. There isn’t a menu posted anywhere so we were given menus and we made our decisions.
We ordered a couple of burger’s with waffle fries and an order of chicken bites. The young lady taking our order touted her ability to make a mean shake so my co-​worker took her up on that challenge and boy was he satisfied when it arrived and gave it a try.
The food may seem a little pricey at first, but when it hit the table we understood why. The burger’s were massive and we stacked high with fresh ingredients. One bite of the Wrangler burger and I was sold. It had a great char on it and was perfectly cooked.
The waffle fries that accompanied the burger were seasoned well and had a bit of rosemary and parmesan cheese sprinkled on them. The chicken bites were also just as impressive, boneless and crispy with a great texture. Served with a nuclear orange red hot style sauce that had plenty of zing to it.
Overall a great experience, the staff was awesome and checked with us several times during our visit and made sure we had all we needed to enjoy ourselves. Will be back, that’s for sure!

This place has old school diner décor, however the food is gourmet! Had the breakfast biscuit sandwich beautifully prepared by the chef, Ed. Surprisingly there is rosemary in the sandwich that blends wonderfully with the havarti, egg, and ham. They have Bicycle coffee! So good — can’t wait to come back for dinner!

I really like this place. Not just because it’s hilariously close to my apartment, or because their location tucked out of the bustle of SOMA is nice and quiet, but because it’s got good food and nice people. I suppose the other things help too, but I’m mostly there for Ed’s fried chicken and the excellent service.
Ed, the head chef, used to be the main chef for the Golden State Warriors, which explained the tons of sports memorabilia on the walls and abundant televisions. However, the staff was super accommodating, and offered to change the channel to anything I was interested in.
I’ve gone here 3 times now since they’ve opened, about 5 weeks ago (source needed), and I’ve been pretty consistently impressed. Right now, it feels particularly quiet, as nobody expects the former cafeteria-​quality Mo’s Grill to now house a pretty excellent diner, but I suspect that will change with time. In the meantime, I’ll keep going back and continue to enjoy tasty food and quiet ambiance in Yerba Buena Gardens.

Time: 4:37pm/67°F partly cloudy
Purpose: Attended Oracle event for a brief stint. On my way out saw carousel then it hits me Pin Up. I remember that I had Pin Up on my notes sometime ago. Time was plentiful and it was within steps away.
Ambiance: Located in the Yerba Buena southern end. Pin Up is located above bowling alley and adjacent to skating rink. There are patio seating outside while inside house six medium size picnic tables. With retro sports memorabilia hung throughout every space possible. Six television distributed even with all screens facing outwards. Counter area mostly cement foundation with chicken wire partition glass. Inner back all enclosed kitchen with side opening for ordering. This place has a weird feel to it. Feels pretty much concave where middle slopes inwards. Crescent shape would best describes it. Entertainment is all sports channel or what is playing in real time action. Wouldn’t call it exactly a sports bar, but close to it. The retro sports memorabilia make it seem like sports oriented. A side from that, I would say not meant someone not a sports fan.
Staff: Looking at a dominant male crew around early 30s to late 40s. Two front of house guys mellow and talkative. Didn’t seem to care if I order or not. One of them never look up from his phone the whole time I was there. Could be a friend of someone there, as he was halfway between dining area and draft beer area. When order was being place, they became more engaging telling me to order a shake as well. There might be commission on top hourly wage set up for workers.
Cleanliness: Grade A, no complaints. Tables in/​out were clean with self help utensil area needing a minor adjustment.
Eats/​Drinks: Fried chicken biscuit $ 10. When I was little eating a thigh and biscuit from KFC was a big deal. Today, I was hoping it would surpass that of KFC at least ten times. However, my hopes were shattered. Yep, you heard right shattered. Here’s where I draw the line between a good biscuit and mediocre at best. My biscuit was soggy and fluffy breaking apart with slightest touch. On top of that, it was bland. No buttery top crust or volume felt. Fried chicken wasn’t even crispy, as it was soggy and lukewarm. How can a piece of chicken go soggy if it took them over ten minutes to make? Fried chicken was also flavorless, no hint of spice mixture or what so ever. To make matter worst. Center of chicken showing pinkish fiber strands. All chicken must be cook at least 180°F this must be about 160° or lower. I didn’t chance it, wrapped it back and use breakroom toaster to reheat again. Paying $ 10 a pop for a Tyson chicken patty with Pillsbury dough boy biscuit is not what I had in mind. Not happy, I’m out ten bucks now have to eat PB&J sandwich for dinner.
Main Features: Fried chicken biscuit sandwich and Pin Up house burger.
Products/​Services: Burgers, nachos, waffle fries, chicken nuggets, wings, biscuit, milkshake, potato salad, cucumber salad, coleslaw, baked beans, beer (draft), combos.
Punch Lines: Picnic table, sports theme, television, bowling/​skating rink, patio seating, easy night out, laid back, light bites, long wait time, nothing out of the ordinary, tucked away in Yerba Buena, after work drinks and appetizers, quite bland, outdoor setting, not as great, itty-​bitty, Golden State Warriors hangout, basketball theme menu.
Tradeoffs: Built as a sports bar theme, but food offering is limited and comparable to that of homemaking class in junior high.
Final Thoughts: I was told that the owner of Pin Up was also owner of Little Giant Ice Cream in Oakland. That explain why they wanted me to order a milkshake earlier. They use their own ice cream for shakes resulting in better product turnover and profitable margin. However, I’m skeptical about this and question it. How can someone master ice cream making techniques, but couldn’t get a piece of fried chicken right? Base on this FHE, I may not be back for a while till product line is revamp.

Awesome diner within the Yerba Buena Gardens. Has a great setup and there were a few tvs with different sports games on. The food menu is good and there are a few different beers on tap. Had a «All Star Burger» and Fried Chicken, it was delicious. I highly recommend the fried chicken. This place is located above the bowling alley and a cool spot to check out.

Burgers, fried chicken, wings, and the best milkshakes you can imagine. That’s what you can expect when you go to The Pin Up All Star Diner. The moment you walk in the door, you’re welcomed by the friendly staff and an expansive menu filled with delicious diner classics, prepared with love. Well worth the price and wonderfully located on the 3^rd floor of the Yerba Buena Gardens. Definitely check it out!