Best Restaurants for Birthdays in Nob Hill

We returned for a second visit this holiday season; it was wonderful. Got adventurous and had the creamed corn. I noticed my daughters snuck more than an initial half teaspoon taste. It was very, very good. Not watery creamy. This had a nice texture. Try it! The prime rib was exceptional. I had the smaller portion. One daughter had the thinner slices. One daughter had the regular cut. All were sumptuous! Had a baked potato instead of the mashed. It was yummy. We ordered an apple crisp to share between the three of us. It was delicious with a nice amount of apple slices hidden under the topping and surrounded by the usual warm spices. Our server was great! She was friendly, attentive but didn’t hover. Thank you all for a wonderful evening! I may not be back for a while. Palo Alto daughter is moving to Duarte. CA this summer. If she needs help moving, we’ll have to do a farewell visit at House of Prime Rib. Again, thank you!

The food has always been outstanding and expertly presented. The menu, however, appears to be static with few changes made over the years. There are other little things that can annoy a diner who has experienced other top restaurants here and abroad. Butter is nearly as hard as a rock; it should be closer to room temperature. Another thing I noticed is that there was no attempts to remove crumbs from the table, which standard is at world-class restaurants. Tonight, it appeared as if the staff was thin and not as visible as in the past. Attention to the little things and great food is what earns Michelin stars.

We loved our night at Osso Steakhouse. With the exception of one person who did not like the way his steak was prepared, everyone else thought the food was super yummy. Crab cakes - exceptional. Branzino - exceptional. Petite Filet - perfect. Appetizers (I'm looking at you cheese bread!), salads and sides - quite memorable. Wine list - fun to peruse and with the help of our waiter, we found a lovely pinot that worked for the table. We all loved the waiter and the other staff - so warm and friendly and helpful. We left happy. Very happy. When I am next in SF, I will return.

Born and raised in the Bay Area but have been living in SF proper for 14 years now. Kinda ashamed to say I finally checked out this SF institute today but better late than never as the food and service were absolutely incredible! I consider myself a cioppino connoisseur so had to try theirs and cross it off my list. I must say, the cioppino at Original Joe’s definitely did not disappoint and immediately shot to my top 5 list for sure. Throw in the impeccable service we received from our server David and his fellow team members and I can see why it’s become such a San Francisco landmark! Kudos to Original Joe’s in North Beach!

Absolutely incredible meal! Everything about it from start to finish was near perfection! Firstly, the hospitality is on point. A server is always right there when you need them to be and they made the amazing suggestion to get half an order of each of the pancakes rather than a full order of one. The servers that come around with the trays of food also know what they’re doing. When I ordered a single oyster for myself and my partner made a comment about not liking oysters, the servers gave us an extra one for free just so my partner could try it. This was an absolutely amazing opportunity to show not just above-and-beyond hospitality, but also that the restaurant truly believes in the quality of its food. And you know what? My partner did say it was the best oyster he ever had! They’re known for their quail however, I just think it’s not meaty enough of a bird for how it was prepared (Most parts were more breading than quail). As for everything else I tried, I just can’t think of any criticisms at all. I guess I could complain about my glass of rosé but that’s entirely my fault. I went with sparkling when I should have gone with still. The hit of the night were the blue corn-pepita pancakes with braised bacon and coffee butter. I wasn’t even going to order it until the server made the suggestion and I’m glad they did! The pecorino and ricotta pancakes are good too just not as good. The wedge salad is all the right balance of flavors with a nice crunch of lettuce to feel extra bright and fresh. The fried brussel sprouts are paired with an incredibly deep cashew satay sauce. The umami richness is impeccable. The almond financiers with duck liver mousse are another example of perfect balance in flavor. The financiers are light and fluffy and the mousse is smooth and delicate. I thought the burrata and bread dish came a too late into the night for us to fully enjoy however the peanut milk was the perfect cap to our evening.