Best Contemporary American Restaurants in South San Francisco

The Rotunda is delightful. It's old-charm in a modern setting, nostalgic for its past but decidedly modern and hip. The light that comes through the windows is cheerful and the waitstaff nothing but classy. The booth-like seating is comfy and decor is pleasant. I had the rockfish sandwich for lunch and devoured every saucy bite of it. Reserve a table in advance -- dropping in will be a long wait. It's a great place to do lunch on union square!

These are innovative, awake and aware professionals. The original energy and spirit of the restaurant are alive and evolving. Service: Excellent. Food: Excellent. Ambience: Excellent, energetic, present, engaging. This is what an exceptional experience feels like. Thanks to everyone at The Progress.

All the staffs are very courteous, nice, friendly and notice details quickly. From the starter, Oysters were fresh, and with the seaweed vinaigrette, it elevated the oyster a lot. With the frog leg, the meat is so tender and juicy. Sauce on the side offers a nice acidity touch for fried dish. I loved the fact that they took inspiration from Nashville Hot Chicken and curated to their own version, everything on the plate were seasoned perfectly even with the pickle they served on the side. Grilled half sea bream was wonderful, I can taste the charbroiled flavor. Fish was very crispy,meaty, juicy and buttery. With the Meyer lemon herb salad, it definitely made the dish more refreshing. Overall, I really enjoyed the whole experience. Thank you for everything and for sure I will come back soon.

The food quality at Octavia is very high. The chefs really know what they’re doing. We had a pre-fixe menu for Christmas Eve dinner and they accommodated dietary restrictions with advanced notice. They actually called a few days in advance of the reservation to confirm the dietary restrictions which was really nice. We had 9 courses I think and they were all delicious. My favorites were the soup and the pasta dishes. The service was also very good, the servers were very attending and accommodating. There was one dish I didn’t eat much of because it had radicchio in it which I don’t like, and our server offered to have the kitchen make me a replacement dish with a different lettuce instead. The only negative of Octavia is that it feels very cramped. The space is small and they squeeze in a lot of tables so you’re sitting basically on top of other diners and it’s a little awkward. Everything else was great though. I would definitely recommend Octavia as a good place for special occasions or bringing out of town visitors.

The best SF has to offer. Everything here is PERFECT! I have been for brunch, lunch and dinner and it never disappoints. Highly recommended!!!