Best Restaurants for People Watching in Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness

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.

This was the first time we've been back since the last remake. It has been a decades long family tradition to visit during the holiday season. We were not disappointed. The drinks were good and the tuna crudo was especially delicious.

The roasted tomato burrata with pesto starter was amazing. I had the kale salad with salmon and my husband had the chicken pot pie. It was all delicious. Servers (we sat at the bar) were very attentive. Seems to be a neighborhood spot as all the customers seem to know each other, which is nice. We’ll definitely be back.

We did the Christmas Eve three course tasting menu. Absolutely delicious! Service was immaculate and the atmosphere was spectacular. In a world where restaurants aren’t afraid to charge first class prices for third class food, this was a nice find. Not cheap, but absolutely worth every penny.

We LOVED this restaurant. We sat inside so we couldn’t see the movie, but that wasn’t really an issue. The restaurant itself was stunning. Our server David was absolutely lovely. He really made our experience. The food was great, we got the smoked salmon, burrata with pears, sesame chicken, and pork chop. Everything was delicious. For dessert we got crème brûlée and a sort of chocolate mousse. Fantastic. It’s an expensive date but you pay for the food and the experience. Would go again!