The ambiance, food, and service were so good we went back on the second day. Ana, our server was super professional yet friendly and attentive. Ask for her! The place oozes charm and history. The cherry on top is that the food was amazing! Not to mention that the location is super convenient to everything. Do yourself a favor, don't miss this San Francisco gem!
We loved everything about John's Grill, San Francisco! We started with clam chowder and Ceasar salad, we ordered the Beef Medallions, Broiled Salmon, and the Fisherman's Pasta, which were all incredible. We also loved the sourdough bread starter and the Handmade Vanilla Bean ice cream. The service and atmosphere are excellent. This restaurant is historic, nostalgic, and has been here since 1908, and has served many famous people! I highly recommend experiencing a piece of history in San Francisico.
This place is packed so I would recommend a reservation however it’s definitely worth making. I would not take children here it’s more of an adult place. There is a full bar & the bartender is heavy handed on the alcohol! John the manager was amazing with setting up our wonderful window table. The bouncer aka host was very accommodating & helped us by walking us to the cable car & even making sure we had a seat on the car. The food was amazing, & you have to try the escargot it is so delicious!! The steak was cooked to perfection & try the creamed spinach with it! Great place with so much history.
John’s is the best! The staff is fantastic and the food is delicious. I have been coming here for years and it’s maintained consistency. Decided to review after all this time as a thank you, the host gifted me a John’s Christmas ornament and it just made my whole week. Thank you for being the best in sf!
Nice restaurant with long history. We had been told this restaurant is a must if you are in the Union Square area. The food was good, the atmosphere as well. However, our stake was not cooked as asked, and we were completely ignored when we stated that. However, I get that the place is always crowded, and they might be overwhelmed with the amount of work.
11/2023: Fantastic spot for a meal. Multiple floors with plenty of space, well decorated, and service is top notch. Bit pricey but seems well worth it! Food was fast and tasted great, and servers were just on it. Great spot, and highly recommend.
Wow, what a fantastic experience from start to finish. We left feeling like it was an absolute honour to have a meal here. This gem in San Francisco definitely doesn't rest on its laurels from years past. Thank you so much for being the highlight to our stay in San Francisco, we can't wait to come back one day.
Why would you get anything other than the Sam Spade Lamb Chops???? The history of John’s is amazing, the service top notch, but the food; the Food!!!! Ample bread and sizable portions make this place a great option. Seriously, do yourself a favor, come down and get the Lamb Chops with the Heirloom and Baratta salad. It will change your life.
Servers were friendly.
I ordered the steak as medium-rare and it was delicious.
There were mushrooms, selmons and trout in the pasta. It was great as well.
I ate the second floor and it smelled funny from the wall I guess.
It's such an older place, but so cute, romantic, fancy cozy place with 3 floors to choose where to sit. I've been here way to many times these past two months. My go to entree is the tortellini! Yum!!!! And the shrimp, any plate, is good as well.
Just had the best steak dinner I’ve had in my life. Glad I stopped in. This is my new favourite restaurant. Just visiting from out of the country but I’ll be sure to stop here every time I ever return to San Francisco. The food, atmosphere, and friendly staff made this such a nice experience.
My last night in the city, I chose this restaurant as it was a block away from my hotel plus it caught my attention as I kept passing by it the past few days. It was fortunate that I was able to book a reservation online about half hr before my desired dinner time. I simply made the reservation on OpenTable and was seated right away as I attended to the host thou the restaurant was very busy.
I checked out the menu online, so I already had a general idea of what I'm having. The escargot sauce was very delicious. The steak is a bit plain, rather tasteless without the steak sauce.
Awesome spot to treat a colleague. Not far from Moscone and so much better than lining up 60 deep for fast food at lunchtime!
It’s Chanukah! So I have to get fries. Theirs are nearly miraculously good and crunchy.
Classic old school vibe steak house. You can feel the history here. There are a lot of new fancy high end steak places with very expensive steaks in San Francisco and if you like that new fancy hip vibe you have plenty to choose from. This is very traditional and very old school and the food and service is fantastic. It’s a comfortable intimate setting. Quick fast and attentive service, waiter was always asking if we needed more soda or bread or anything else. Prices were very reasonable. I ordered the filet and it was cooked to perfection, tender, juicy, seared to crispy outside and moist inside. It also included green beans, baked potato and cooked carrot. Most other high end steak places charge you for this. Also ordered fries which were crispy and seasoned perfectly and grilled onions which I ate with baked potato. All in all a terrific place for a nice steak dinner.
I had a steak here on labor day and not only was it perfect it was my first in a long time so it was special. Yet my card was declined and I was so embarrassed but the staff was so considerate and I came and paid my bill this morning and cannot tell you how grateful I was to find the courteous and friendly. I recommend you visit the historic grill it is fabulous.....
Wonderful historic restaurant in the heart of San Francisco! They are open for lunch and dinner only & take reservations (not required). Known widely for their steak and seafood entrees, but they offer a few other dishes as well. I tried the lamb chops which were mouth watering! Smaller restaurant with a cozy atmosphere. The servers are all wonderful and friendly.
Appetizers: Lobster Ravioli
Soup: Lobster Bisque
Mains: New York strip with side of shrimp
Lovely food. No waiting area though if you arrive early so don't arrive too early.
Went here with a party of 6 for a company dinner. This place screams ‘old school’ vibes - and it was packed. We had a variety of salads, steaks and desserts. Everything was delicious. Steaks cooked and seasoned well, Caesar salad was especially good, and prawn cocktail came with awesome horseradish for the cocktail sauce. Service was very attentive, despite being so busy. Everyone agreed it was a great experience. Would definitely return!
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes