Abacá

Review summary

1. J

   John

   San Francisco

   95 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   95 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   If you want a completely new and different dining experience, you want to try Abacá. The food and the drinks are unique and spectacular. I recommend the smoked lechon, the crispy rice, the sliced pork skewers and their signature bread for a few. We were noting that while food at many restaurants can be very good, these days it rarely is surprising and great at the same time. Abacá is an exception.
   

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2. A

   Alana

   San Francisco

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This was my 2nd time dining at Abaca and just like the last the food was phenomenal every dish was packed with flavor. The service is fantastic, very attentive but not intrusive. I noted that the tables nearby were also enjoying their dinner's immensely. Even got to chatting with the table next to ours about how amazing our mutual dinner experiences were. The menu changes seasonally as they try to create there dishes with seasonal local produce as much as possible. The creativity of re imagining traditional Pilipino dishes is extraordinary! For example, they take lumpia to a whole new level. Each bite is a flavor explosion in your mouth. I will be returning for sure!
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Washington DC

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   Overall, the food was fine but not inspired or inspiring to either of us. The drink was good, but we wouldn't choose to go back. My partner and I went here last week, and neither of us were overly impressed. Very fragrant, as she described it. The drink we had was excellent - we thought the Payamanin was nicely balanced with good flavor. As for food, we had the rice dish ("Sigsig fried rice"), the dumplings ("Kaldereta dumplings"), and the duck balut (from the "secret" menu). The balut was definitely a first for us; I was fine with it, she found the texture off-putting, but we agreed that it mostly tasted like chicken and egg together. The rice dish was good, we both liked it, but it wasn't especially exciting. The dumplings were disappointing. We knew only 5 came in the dish, and that it came with some wagyu beef, but the dumplings were basically gnocchi and the beef was like three thin slices. It was tasty, but not worth $32. We also got two desserts, the banana donut thing and the steamed-rice-in-a-banana-leaf dish. The banana donut was pretty tasty, and we'd probably get that again - good texture, not too sweet, and the green apple slices on the side didn't do as much to make the dish tart as the server suggested. The steamed-rice dish was far less exciting; softer than mochi, a little gummy, and not sweet or really even very flavorful. The sorbet with it was the best part.
   

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4. T

   Tran

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on November 15, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Came for the collaboration dinner between Chef Francis and Chef Tu. Completely impressed with how they curated the menu and executed the dishes. Excited for Chef Tu’s upcoming wine bar - Gigi’s! Will definitely come back to Abacá for more collabs!
   

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5. L

   Liz

   New York City

   5 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on November 12, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   My husband and I were really looking forward to this meal, as we have Filipino family and saw this on top restaurant lists for San Francisco. We visited during restaurant week and went with the special menu. The 1st course was very good, 2nd course was ok. Our experience was really dampened by the service. We waited 20+ minutes in between courses, and our server never came back to take another drink order. We wanted more cocktails to help with the extended wait times, but no one ever came back except the bus boy. We were there on a Monday night and it was not incredibly crowded. Unique food options and good atmosphere, but overall not a great time for us.
   

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6. R

   Renato

   Sacramento

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on November 11, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The food were delicious and we loved the presentation. The adult beverages were great too!
   

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7. C

   Cindy

   San Francisco

   15 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   15 reviews

   Dined on November 10, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   We came as a group of 3 for brunch and everyone totally loved it. I’m not sure if this is only because of restaurant week, but we had a huge sampler of hot and cold appetizers to begin, then our choice of main, two desserts, and delicious persimmon mimosas for 118$ per person including tax and tip?! Everything was delicious, excellent ingredients, prepared with care, and accommodated my lactose intolerance with ease.
   

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8. A

   Audrey

   San Francisco

   73 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   73 reviews

   Dined on November 9, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   We have been coming to Abaca since it opened. We had never had Filipino food before and what a fantastic surprise it turned out to be. The food here has been consistently terrific and the menu changes enough that we are constantly trying new dishes. Service is always engaged and pleasant. They are genuinely happy to have you try their food. The restaurant week menu was one of the best meals we have had at Abaca... got to try so many dishes .. all great.
   

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9. s

   shannel

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 3, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Some of the best service and food. The Lechon was exquisite. The servers were so nice and informed
   

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10. K

    Karen

    San Francisco

    18 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on November 3, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    The heated patio was a perfect spot for our low-key birthday celebration with our pup. The food was delicious, cocktails creative. It was extra nice to have signed birthday card at the table and small dessert at the end of the meal.
    

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