Since my initial visit years ago, 3rd Cousin has earned and maintained a well-deserved Michelin star. I've visited multiple times since, and each time has been consistently fantastic. Food is always well cooked, their regular menu items are excellent, and the servers and chef are welcoming and gracious. Uni creme brûlée appetizer is a favorite, along with the Brussels sprouts side and truffle ravioli (all their pasta is thin and excellently prepared; my Italian hubby says it's the best pasta in the city). Make reservations on Tock. Steep $65 corkage for first 2 bottles, $100 3rd+. Relatively tough street parking. read more

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3rd Cousin has been on my list of restaurants to try since I moved back to San Francisco a few years ago. I finally had a chance during Restaurant Week 2023. I made reservations via phone as the reservation app didn't appear to have seatings available until restaurant week was over. The main dining room isn't too large but is comfortable. We each had our own crudo of ahi & ahi tartare. It was delicately seasoned, beautifully presented & delicious. We shared the uni creme brûlée & lobster risotto. The uni creme brûlée was rich & decadent, worthy to visit just for that dish if you love uni. The caviar added flavor & texture. Our server was so sweet & asked if we would like more crostini for the uni. We enthusiastically accepted & finished off the uni creme brûlée. The lobster risotto was the perfect portion & was light & delicious. I ordered the striped bass for my entree & my friend ordered the NY steak. I absolutely loved my entree & enjoyed a little bite of my friend's steak with polenta. We had each dessert on the RW menu to share. The bananas foster pot d'creme was very light & flavorful & hojicha & coconut panna cotta was also light & delicious too. Service was excellent, very warm & helpful. They feature Aesop exfoliating hand soap & Aesop hand lotion in the restroom, which is lovely. Parking is a challenge so take an Uber. read more

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Had an overall enjoyable experience and would give this a 4.5/5. Great food selection but some minor areas of improvement. They had a well curated 5-course tasting menu available for Tues-Thurs midweek special. Reservations can be made online using Tock or for my large group I was able to email and coordinate. My favorite items were the Thai yellow curry crab pappardelle and filet mignon! Recommend these and would order again. Full tasting menu review: 1 - Fried oyster was nice and salty. Two pieces were fried well but not oily. Supplement - A5 wagyu dumpling tasted fine but was not special and the sprouts were awkwardly long. Had more acidic vinegar flavor sauce and I would have appreciated more fat/umami. 2 Instead of the soup I ordered Spaghetti squash fritter tasted overly fried in some bites 3 Thai yellow curry crab papardelle was nutty and warm with such soft pasta. 4 Filet mignon was so tender and perfectly cooked to a medium rare on their grill. Definitely some of my favorite items. Well flavored and balanced. 5 Dessert of hojicha coconut panna cotta while smooth was overly set and thick, and the granola was out of place with too strong flavors where you couldn't taste any hojicha. The service was excellent where the staff was very friendly and attentive, particularly to our large group. Water carafes kept cycling through our table seamles Note if you do make a reservation online you have to prepay the entire tasting menu. Parking around the neighborhood was pretty easy. read more

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I always come here during Restaurant Week - can't go wrong with anything on the menu and great service. Highlight is the uni créme brulee.

One of the best dining experiences we've had in a while. We made reservations for restaurant week and they let us seat in 15 minutes early. Service was great - waiters were super attentive and checked in frequently, cleaned up scraps of food in our table, and food came out super promptly. Restaurant week was 75 dollars for 3 courses plus supplements. 1st course: hamachi crudo, 5/5. the sauce was light and zesty, paired really well with the fish on top . fish tasted super fresh, and the piece at the bottom was like a minced tuna? that was extremely good supplements: wagyu dumpling: 3.5/5 8 dollars per dumpling. not bad but probably not worth your money lobster risotto: 4/5 34 dollars. the presentation was nice and the risotto was good, but it was a bit too cheesy for our taste. it was good, but again was not worth it to us uni creme brulee: 5/5 37 dollars. GET THIS. this was so amazing, the uni flavor was fresh, and the caviar on top was amazing. simply divine, if you like uni then you definitely need to get this. 2nd course: 6/5 SRF american wagyu flat iron steak. wow this was amazing too, the meat was cooked to perfection and the sauce was light but helped add to the already super tender meat. the mashed potatoes were great, and all the cooked vegetables were super delicious to eat too 3rd course: 5/5 hojicha panna cotta: the panna cotta itself was light in a good way, and you could definitely taste the hojicha. the granola and strawberries added a really nice touch of sweetness and crunch, while the lemon curd on the side helped balance it all together. delicious. all in all, service was great, food was EVEN better. definitely recommend! read more

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Delicious food but horrible and pretentious service by Alex S. As soon as we sat down we were informed that we had the last seating of the night (not by choice). We were very prompt and polite but were immediately informed we were only tasting the restaurant week menu and it's not indicative of the regular menu. No one asked how we were enjoying our meal throughout the experience or if we were finished with our plates before they were cleared. Considering the caliber of this restaurant and the price point, the service was incredibly disappointing and would not return as it was a 45 minute drive away. read more

Made a spur of the moment reservation and had a great experience! Staff and service were amazing. Cozy, intimate and welcoming setting. Finally a restaurant you can have a conversation in! We chose the Chef's menu with the wine pairing. The food was delicious, and beautifully presented. Cadence of serving the meals was on point and portions were perfect for 5 courses. Happy to spend for this kind of meal and to support a small business in Bernal Heights. I just wish we had an option for 3 deserts!! read more

This could be my favorite overall restaurant/experience. Ever. Let's first talk about the food. Incredible. Fresh. Dynamic. Balanced. Every bite from the soup to the steak to the dessert had elements of crunch, acid, softness, umami. I enjoyed the 5 course tasting menu + focaccia. I couldn't recommend it enough! It came with a pallet opener, crispy clams with tartar, tomato soup, choice of pasta, choice of protein, and choice of dessert. Now let's talk about the service... I left a note about my dietary restrictions on my reservation. I've done this at other restaurants, but this was the first time I had a server recite back and both confirm she's aware AND the kitchen knows. WOW. Bravo to my server, Marian! Every course was perfectly timed after the one before was finished, being served at the perfect temperature every time. Plates and flatware were replenished after every dish and my water was always filled. The chef came out multiple times to each table introducing himself. What an amazing experience!! The space is a bit small so I suggest making a reservation. If you're local to SF I *highly* recommend trying... or if you're in town visiting it's the perfect stop right before hitting the airport. read more

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We visited 3rd Cousin last night, the first day of SF Restaurant Week and had a fantastic experience! We don't do fine dining often so we were picky about where to go for the special occasion, and were happy with our decision to pick 3rd Cousin. The restaurant was super busy and we had arrived 15 minutes early for our reservation, so we were totally fine with the wait for our table. One of the servers noticed we were waiting a while, and gave us a couple glasses of bubbly to hold us over. Completely unexpected but extremely appreciated! We were seated promptly at our reservation time. It was a special menu for SF Restaurant Week and, between two people, we were able to try most of the offerings. We added the wine pairing and the uni crème brûlée. Everything was great, and highlights for me were the uni crème brûlée, squash soup, striped bass, and banana foster. Our server was very knowledgeable about the food and wine and explained it all thoroughly! We also had a couple allergies that we let her know about and she was able to accommodate us. My only con is that because it was so busy, the tables were placed really close together and it was a bit loud. It wouldn't stop me from coming back, but just a note about the vibe if you're looking for something quiet and intimate. read more

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I sometimes get an Airbnb in Bernal Heights when I need a break from the chaos of Union Square. After wanting to try this place for a while, we braved the rain and wind and were immediately welcomed into their cozy restaurant. First off, service is top notch: professional, courteous not invasive. We weren't in the mood for a long tasting so picked out 6 items total, a couple glasses of amazing brut rose and a bottle of sangio that seemed to pair excellently with everything. Though I will admit that the squash and kale fried arancini was not my thing, everything else was spectacular. I definitely recommend sharing a few starters, a main and dessert. It was the perfect amount of food. Standouts for me were the beats, ragu, and the most delicious banana bread ever. We paid about 350 total, which for us seemed like a deal for the quality and artistry of the dishes. Bear in mind, this also included alcohol. If you haven't dined at 3rd Cousin yet, it's definitely worth the trip. read more

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Came here on a Monday night and surprisingly a good amount of people but didn't feel suffocating inside. It's a cozy little restaurant tucked away in a little neighborhood that has very chill ambience but packs quite a nice dining experience. First and foremost, service was up there from asking if we needed anything, recommendations, and taking away plates as we were finishing them. Our server even offered to create even splits on some thing such as extra bread to split evenly amongst people. Dish sizes are a bit small to decent size but well worth it as they come packed with flavor. Ordered 8 dishes between 2 people and was pretty full by the end. Appetizers - Housemade focaccia: bread was super soft and buttery but had that nice crunch on the outer layer. Super addictive - A5 Miyazaki dumpling with chili crunch and black vinegar: this dumpling was a little flavor bomb packed with juice and had a nice kick from the chili. Great texture from the softness of the dumpling paired with the crunchy chili bits as well. Vinegar helped to balance out those flavors as well - Hawaiian tuna crudo & tartare: Very interesting crudo/tartare. Tasted quite fruity, kind of had hints of apples/pears/grapes - Uni creme brûlée: one of the highlight dishes we got. This was rich with umami and tasted literally like butter. Highly recommend if you're an uni lover. They even gave us extra bread to scoop up the rest Mains - Baja stripped bass: outer skin had a crust while the flesh itself was moist and flaky. Wanted to like this dish more but the sauce was a bit too salty - Maine lobster risotto: one of the other highlight dishes we got. The Maine lobster itself was super delicate and tender. Each piece was a melt in your mouth bite. Risotto was rich and and creamy but had an acidic kick to it from the tomatoes - Porcini & black truffle ravioli: huge flavor packed in such a little ravioli. This didn't look creamy but when you bite inside it the cheese was something else. Rich and packed with truffle flavor Dessert - Lemon cake with pistachio ice cream: the lemon cake itself was okay for me nothing special. Feel like it was a little on the overdone side. But the pistachio ice cream was surprisingly very good. Super flavorful and rich. Each bite of that alone was addictive Overall, service 5/5, food 5/5. Had a great dining experience, and would definitely come back to try the other dishes! read more

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In general, really like 3rd cousin. Have probably been here 3-4 times but had a particularly rough Thanksgiving early dinner today. Super disappointing and honestly feel taken advantage of. Ambiance: Made a reservation on Tock about 3 weeks in advance and there was no discussion that there was the possibility of eating outside on the street. Nowhere in any communication was an outside table discussed (or even that outside was being used) and we wound up eating next to busses, cars, cold enough to need heaters but sun in our eyes and my 80-year-old mom complaining about a hard bench the whole time. Even the photo in my email confirmation showed the inside. Regardless, was told Tock reservations were "flexible" which meant I got the "first available" table. Chef / Owner spent a few minutes reading me basically terms and conditions before he even thought to apologize. My only other option was to come back 1.5 hours later. Meanwhile they seated a same-size group just ahead of us just fine inside. Super lame. Food: Thanksgiving was 3 courses... chose the soup, turkey and pecan pie. Soup was good, but super hot / scaldy. There's really no need to serve a soup that hot. Turkey was dry and the best thing on the plate was the sweet potato casserole. Pecan pie was pretty awesome, but bought from a local bakery. My wife's salad was good, but.... it's a salad. Service: Super curt / yelly server and very officious and basic service. Had to ask for drink refills, timing was odd... and a little smiling / eye contact would have been great. Had to ask for bread plates... just super basic. Ultimately, we spent almost $600 for 3 people (without the wine pairing), so paid for and expected something special. 3rd Cousin didn't deliver. read more

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My husband and I came here for the last day of SF restaurant week. The tasting menu was $75. Appetizer: Crudo & tartar - perfect for a sushi lover Add on: uni creme brûlée - this was amazing!! I will dream about it :) Main: I got the Baja striped bass which was so delicious and the skin was super crispy. My husband got the prime NY steak which he really enjoyed. Both courses were cooked to perfection. Sweets: We got the hojicha panna cotta and banana foster. Both had a unique twist to it. I love how the hojicha panna cotta had pears on top. Fast & efficient service. The restaurant itself is super cute and dimly lit. Perfect for your next date night! read more

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Charming and quaint restaurant near Bernal Heights! Parking is a little iffy but the customer service and food were incredible! The pastas were so fresh, I'd definitely come back :D read more

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I was looking forward to our dinner at 3rd Cousin but the experience was pretty disappointing. We made reservations and decided to go with the 5-course chef's menu and added on the additional wine parings. I read a few reviews about the dining room being cold and got a sense of dread as they sat us at the four top right in the middle of the dining room next to the door. It was strange because we were just two people and they sat us at a large table while there were other 2 top spaced available. Well, the host decided to open the door so we were hit with the cool evening Bernal Heights breeze, we could have sat outside for the same experience. Also, the four top is bolted into the floor and the table base doesn't allow you to full pull your chair in all the way. If they sit you at this table, bring a jacket. Amuse-bouche, cauliflower puree with salmon roe on top, fine. 1st course, a cream soup (cauliflower?) with asparagus and some micro greens. Also fine for a soup. Add on course, caviar creme brulee. I love caviar, I love uni, I love creme brulee. I did not like the combination of these things. The dish ate sweet, which is maybe the purpose, but the creme totally sweetened any of the delightful salt hits of the roe and uni. The dish was both warm on the bottom and cold on top, when you scooped a bite you just got a luke warm temperature sweet caviar? Not my jam. Added on the focaccia with French onion butter, a highlight but it's the bread portion. 2nd, pastas, this was probably the best part of the meal. Porchini ravioli and crab campenelle. Smallish portions, it's pasta, decent flavor, decent cook. It was between the 2nd and 3rd course that the timing of the pairings seemed delayed. I asked the waiter and was informed it's only a 3 pour pairing. 1 pairing for the starters, 1 for the middle and main, and then 1 for the desert. Fine, that was my bad, I should have read the fine print, but for $55 dollar add-on, it made me wish I just went al-carte with my drink options. This was also strange because when they dropped the pairing off, they said what dishes the glasses went with but it didn't line up to what we ordered. Luckily, I was dining with my wife so we swapped glasses between courses but the imagine if you were with someone you didn't want to share a glass with. Ok, on to the mains. Sea bass with dashi and a steak with root veg. My wife got the steak, probably the best choice of the two. I think the one thing that didn't hit was the lack of salt on either of the dishes. Seared fish sitting in a very mild dashi with veg was just not exciting. I wanted to ask for salt but the vibe was already off for the evening. Dessert was again ok and the dessert wine paring was alright, but I would have preferred my pairing with the middle and mains. At this point, we felt a bit beat up from lack of flavor, the open door in the dining room and totaling up the bill in our heads. All told, this meal was $470 dollars with fees and gratuity included. The value just isn't there for us to try it again. I don't mind paying for great food and great service, but this missed the mark for us. Save your money, go visit Mijote instead. read more

Had an amazing dinner here. Our friend had chosen their chefs tasting menu for the night, and everything was so delicious! Vegetables & seafood tasted fresh, sauces / broths were all well balanced, and meat was perfectly cooked. For me, the biggest standout of the night was their uni creme brûlée, which was topped with reserve caviar, trout roe, yuzu tobiko, and fresh uni. So decadent and special. I do wish they had served more of the crostini to pair with though! Service was prompt and friendly. Restaurant isn't big at all, fits maybe 30-40? Nice date night vibe. Will definitely be back! read more

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Went here for their Valentine's Day $159 prefixe menu and I have to say I honestly did not enjoy the experience. After this experience my boyfriend said we should "boycott fancy exclusive restaurants" so that's that. The food was SO EXPENSIVE for the price. For 4 small plates, a $35 dollar truffle risotto add on, 2 non alcoholic drinks, and a focaccia they didn't even have, the total came out to $520 dollars which is insane. The food wasn't very memorable, I just remember heavily disliking the uni crème brûlée, and I'm an uni fanatic. The "imperial"wagyu was also super tough and dry, not anything like Japanese wagyu. Also we arrived right on time for our 9:30pm reservation and didn't get seated until around 10 pm. I get it reservations can get backed up but a quick apology would've been nice... Ambiance was okay, the music was really loud but we were directly under the speaker. The service was unmemorable which sucks because again the whole meal was $520. Overall, wasn't great but I also get it was valentines days and it could get really hectic for the restaurant. Hopefully a regular day with a regular menu will be better read more

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Pros: fast and friendly service Filet mignon was very good Good portions Cons: Street parking read more

We were so excited to see 3rd Cousin had a vegan chef's tasting. One of the most thoughtful menus I have tried. It contained a multitude of colors, textures, flavor profiles, cuisines, temperatures, smells, and densities. The mocktails were light to avoid dulling the palate. Even the timing of the service for each course seemed to be considered -- for example, there was a brief pause after a particularly spicy course to allow your mouth to recover so you could fully enjoy what came next. The attention paid to all of these details was stunning. One thing we were nervous about going into the meal was how the portion sizes would be. But at the end of the evening we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves arriving to a contented just-fullness. The food itself was perfectly cooked, beautifully plated, and interesting to taste -- we were delightfully surprised by some of the flavor combinations. The two main courses, in particular, were outstanding. Besides the food, the ambience of this place is warm, intimate without being too cramped, and energetic. All of the staff were friendly. I also was surprised to see the chef helping to wait tables and check in on people throughout the evening. Overall, the 10 course meal took us a little over two hours. We didn't feel rushed and appreciated having adequate time to savor each dish. Personally I would reserve this for a special occasion when you can take your time and feel relaxed. That is how you will love the food best. read more

WHEN: Friday @5pm (Aug 2022) I was able to make reservations for 5pm for my sis and I after visiting the Legion of Honor. With it being rush hour, it took us almost an hour to drive across the city. PARKING: So because we came just before opening time, we were able to fine free parking around the corner from the restaurant, which is a neighborhood. We were seated in the parklet area, and it was a warm sunny day, so no complaints! Here's what had: LOBSTER RISOTTO - $25 English peas, Leeks, Pastis. This was a supplement we so the portion was slightly bigger than a tasting item, but it not like the portions from the regular menu. I thought it was just fine and not worth it, but it's okay its fun to try things. CHEF TASTING MENU - $165 We each did their very lovely and delicious 8 item set (brought out one at a time) each in its lovely presentation. It's either everyone does the tasting menu or none. + tempura of squash blossom & lobster sausage/ green garlic/ arrowhead cabbage. Exactly what I expect out of a squash blossom that is battered and deep fried. Yummy. + wild buri/ namasu/ strawbanero/ avocado Wild Buri is pretty much adult yellowtail, so it was so yummy. It comes with a slightly pickled salad and a thin crispy cracker. So good! Kind of like the fanciest poke bite ever. + uni crème brûlée/ reserve caviar/ trout roe/ yuzu tobiko/ crostini This dish is the reason why I booked this place. We loved it so much. So creamy, rich and it comes with 5 pieces of toast (crostini). + local king salmon/ fresh garbanzo beans & crab/ artichoke/ tom yum dashi It's salmon and it was cooked very well (not dry and full of flavor). The piece was bigger than I would expect for a tasting menu. Getting full at this point. + porcini & truffle ravioli "francese" For $25 more, we added Winter Black Truffle and it was good but I don't think it was that huge of a difference. The ravioli itself was already so tasty...but don't knock it till you try it right? Haha. + oakdale squab/ french bean & bacon fricassée/ fava bean/ tapenade/ peach hot mustard. 2 pieces of squab and I only manage to eat one cuz I was so full. Pretty good! + coconut panna cotta/ lime/ buckwheat granola/ summer fruit Dessert #1! It's like if your yogurt parfait was a dessert and it was as good as it looks. + mcginnis ranch strawberry bavarois/ white chocolate/ puffed rice. Dessert #2! So lovely and creamy. Can I just say that I actually appreciate that we get 2 desserts!? Sis and I have a wonderful time. Because we were celebrating (and she's pregnant), they gifted her a lovely non-alcoholic beverage that was sparkly with purple flower petals in it. Thank you 3rd Cousin for a wonderful experience!!! read more

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The restaurant was full we had a 7 pm reservation. Apparently they have outside seating. A lot of the times the serves would go outside but the front door was always left open. I was extremely cold and uncomfortable. I didn't care for the service. The food was just OK. They were too many servers all super different with different personalities not professional. I felt rushed and the food was just mediocre for this price that we paid. It could've been much better on top of all that they had San Francisco 7 percent and , 20% tip like I didn't feel that I wanted to tip 20% for the service that I got, but it was already included would not recommend and would never go back. They handed us the bill. They didn't even ask if we wanted tea or coffee super rushed and I don't understand what the hype is all about totally unhappy with the service the ambience and all of the Friday night. I could've picked an extremely amazing spot in San Francisco. !!! read more

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Greatly appreciate the owner for reaching out and personally apologizing to his customer for a misunderstanding over the phone. This establishment has great potential. Food consists of quality ingredients and is well prepared. The lobster risotto and filet mignon were cooked to perfection. A few dishes were a let down, especially the uni crème brûlée. I am the biggest fan of all the components on its own, but when combined, it was too rich. The sweetness from the sugar layer took away from the savory, umami flavors of the uni and caviar. Regardless, I am happy to have checked off dining at 3rd Cousin as I have had this place bookmarked for over a year now! Service is great-- very attentive staff and thoroughly explained the menu to me when I had questions. read more

3rd Cousin - Uni crème brûlée - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Intimate settings along with a menu of not only adventurous but also comforting flavours. Chef Greg Lutes conversed with each of the tables. Loved the experience! read more

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My wife has been meaning to try this place for a while. She used Father's Day as the reason and I have no complaints with that. We had reservations which is a must for the weekend or special occasion. We found parking quickly which isn't normal from what I saw in the area. So go early or expect issues with parking. Our dinner was at 5:30 so the restaurant was maybe 1/3 full and parking was easy. I noticed the prefixed option menu ok the way in and after looking at what was offered we decided not to. If you're planing on the prefix, All adults are required to have that... we opted to select a la carte. For appetizers we had the Brussels sprouts and focatia bread with parmesan butter. That was very good. We had a few appetizers which we also enjoyed. For our mains we had the black cod and Kurobuta pork. They were both very good and enjoyable. We finished with dessert chocolate soufflé cake which was excellent. read more

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We had such a lovely time enjoying delicious food and great company at 3rd Cousin. The uni crème brûlée with caviar was an absolute dream, and the truffle risotto was perfectly prepared. The wine list was also excellent, making the whole experience even more special. I would love to come back again! read more

3rd Cousin - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Food was good. Ravioli is amazing and a must get. My gripe is mostly that they apply a 7% SF mandate tax and an automatic 20% tip. At $89 for a five course meal, that's $67.8 for tax and tip alone... enough to almost pay for almost another 5-course meal. Also, I sat outside on a slanted table and chairs. At $313 for two, with no alcohol, this was quite steep. Given this, I'd probably only come once in awhile, even if the uni crème brûlée was really that good. They had a soup course and a freebie bite that I didnt care for. Puree cauliflower is not so tasty. read more

3rd Cousin - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came here for dinner for sf restaurant week and to celebrate my birthday. Great service, awesome food, highly recommend! We got the tuna crudo appetizer, steak & halibut for mains, and panna cotta and banana fosters pot d creme for dessert. Everything was 5 star delicious! Also added on a couple of extras: - a5 dumplings - this was really good. Definitely try it! - uni creme brûlée - this is supposed to be their signature but to be honest I felt like it was just ok. The Uni flavor is very mild. Was expecting the custard to be softer too. - focaccia with cheese - skip this. The bread was a little too dense and the cheese was just ok. Overall still a great restaurant. Prices were reasonable too. Would definitely return again. read more

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overall: 5/5 came on a saturday night for 7:30pm, came a bit early (7:15pm) and got sat immediately! everyone was so nice and friendly. parking may be hard to find. we came for SF restaurant week and added a couple of supplements along side the dinner. SFR MENU: - tuna crudo: 5/5 so good! the tuna was so soft - flatiron steak: 5/5 perfectly cooked steak, veggies were so good too!! - hojicha panna cotta: 5/5, i love hojicha and once i saw this i knew i had to get it. the panna cotta itself is soooo velvet and smooth. the granola was a nice addition to the panna cotta as it added a crunch element. i thought the strawberries and lemon curd was unnecessary but delicious nonetheless additional supplements: uni creme brulee ($37): 5/5, of all the supplements, this was def the best and most worth. this is a must get!! a5 miyazaki wagyu dumpling ($8 each): 3/5, i thought this was the least worth of the 3 supplements. the skin at the top was a bit chewy/thick, would prob skip next time tho as its a bit pricy lobster risotto ($34): 4/5, tasty, good amount of lobster on top tldr: get the uni creme brulee and hojicha panna cotta if it's available!! read more

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Came for Valentine's Day dinner!! We had made reservations ahead of time, but our host didn't seat us until 20 minutes afterwards. He was also a little rude and seemed kind of "over it". Our server definitely made up for it because she was extremely nice and endearing. This place is a small little restaurant. It's dimly lit so it makes a cozy and intimate ambiance. I'm not sure if it's always like this or because it was Valentine's Day, but the tables were extremely close to each other. They were so close that we had to push our table over to the table next to us in order to squeeze in/out our seats. Not really an ideal situation. Despite this, the food was pretty good. For our first course, we tried the Uni crème brûlée and the oyster and hamachi crudo. The Uni crème brûlée was absolutely delicious. The sweetness paired nicely with the caviar on top. The crudo was also good, but didn't stand out. For the second course, we both got the truffle and ricotta ravioli. It's was cooked perfectly al dente and the sauce was delicious. The truffle flavor wasn't too overpowering and it had a nice savory flavor. We shared our main courses of seared scallops and a5 wagyu. I definitely enjoyed the scallops more since they were plump and tasted very fresh and sweet. The wagyu was also delicious, and the meat was very tender. We finished off with try both desserts offered, the coconut panna cotta and the chocolate mousse cake. Both were really enjoyable but different. The panna cotta was very light and refreshing, and the chocolate cake was rich and decadent. They also gave us a couple of cute heart-shaped raspberry macarons (: Service here is impeccable. Our server check in on us a couple of times and made sure our waters were filled despite there being a jug of water for us to refill ourselves. Utensils were cleared and replaced with every course. I'm not sure if the price justifies visiting this place. Although the food is good, nothing really jumps out to impress me except the uni crème brûlée. Maybe it's a good place to try, but it's definitely not worth it in my opinion. read more

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This place has been on my to try list forever. Finally got a chance to visit on a weekday to take advantage of the five course chef's menu. Was celebrating my friends birthday and the staff was nice enough to prepare a card from the restaurant, which was very sweet. It is a great value for $89. We did add extra bites to our selections, including the signature, uni crème brûlée. Service was warm and attentive. Some of the dishes wore a bit over salted, including the fried oyster starter. The signature uni was good but not super memorable and I would not repeat for $37. Best dish of the night was the pappardelle with crab and curry sauce. The hojicha panna cotta was also good. read more

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Sooooo after few years I finally came back for another dinner experience. And I take back all negative things I had to say! Yes, some items are on a salty side but this time I asked them if it's possible to make them less salty due to my dietary restrictions. Oh boy! It was amazing experience! And of course we had to have uno creme brûlé. Lobster risotto, tuna crudo, halibut, and steak, all finished off with champagne and dessert. I'm in heaven! read more

3rd Cousin - Uni, I finished whole bottle of water thanks to salt - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Service 10/10 Foods 9/10 Ambiance 9/10 Come here with my man, we got 5course set. So good and interesting taste. I love fired oysters, crabs, and steak. service was very nice and attentive read more

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The whole experience from walking in to walking out was an excellent experience. We got the tasting menu and they asked for any dietary restrictions. I mentioned mine, and they were accommodating. The staff checked on us frequently to make sure our substitutions were okay and tasted fine. My water glass was never empty. We did finish each of our courses much faster than normal, and they were impeccable with their timing. We left stuffed and with happy bellies. read more

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My friends and I decided to give this place a try during SF restaurant week because it had been on our list for quite some time. Our 3-course restaurant week menu was priced at $75/person with the option to add wine pairing for an additional $49. The menu also had some extra items that we could order for an additional cost. Since there were 3 of us, we tried to order as many different items as we could. Here is the list of items that we tried - **1st course** - Crudo and tartar of Hawaiian tuna **2nd course** - Snake river farms flat iron - Baja striped bass **Extras** - Signature uni creme brulee - Lobster risotto **3rd course** - Hojicha and coconut panna cotta - Banana fosters pot d'creme - sorbet (raspberry, apple, and one other flavor) The Hawaiian tuna was decent. The dish by itself had very mild flavors, so the pickle really helped add some sourness to the dish. The tuna was fresh. Signature uni creme brulee was pretty good. It consisted of reserve caviar, mendocino uni, tobiko, and trout roe along with crostini. The uni creme brulee was very creamy, but the crostini wasn't as good. The lobster risotto was very creamy and flavorful. The rice was cooked perfectly. The lobster may have been a bit overcooked because it was a little bit chewy, but the dish still packed a lot of flavor. It was acidic but just the right amount. We could have gone for another round of this dish. The snake river farms flat was delicious. The meat was cooked well, and it was juicy. The sauce that it came with was really good, but there wasn't enough of it to dip the meat in. The polenta on the side had a creamy, smooth texture and rich buttery flavor and had us craving for more. Usually I'm not a big vegetable person but the bok choy that came with the dish was cooked really well so I devoured that to my own surprise. The Baja striped bass was a bigger portion size compared to the farms flat iron. The fish was fresh, and it had a moist and flaky texture with slightly sweet flavor. The desserts were, unfortunately, the least exciting course. The panna cotta was mild, but it was decent in both the size and the flavors. The gronola and the pear were a nice touch, and for me personally, they only worked well individually rather than all together. The banana foster was rich and sweet, but it was a smaller portion compared to other desserts. The sorbet was okay. The staff was very welcoming and attentive. 3rd cousin is a small restaurant with dim lights and intimate dining setup, and overall, we enjoyed our dining experience. read more

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Came for a restaurant week event and loved it! We had Jesse help us with our table and check in on us. Marion who was our waitress and she was amazing - great recommendations and really nice! The food was sooo good. My boyfriend got the wagyu and it was the first time in a while that I had red meat and wanted a second bite. The uni creme brulee was silky and the chef came out to check in on us at a point, which felt really special! Overall, great evening and I'm glad we were able to go. My boyfriend also treated us the tasting menu which I would highly recommend. Super delicious! read more

3rd Cousin - Uni creme brulee - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

The best time in city. And I would love to be back. I had beautiful dinner and service and food. Wow. Love loveeeee read more

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Great little spot for a seafood forward restaurant. I love the Asian influence throughout the menu. - Corn soup: amazing soup. I thought the pickled shiso was out of place but fine by me. - Grilled scallop: well balanced dish, perfectly seasoning and pan seared scallops with the complimentary crunchiness from green bean. The sauce was delicate. I love this dish - Uni creme brulee: what they're famous for. I'd prefer the creme brulee to be softer. The trout roe was overpowering. I personally removed the trout roe from the bite. - Fritter: it looks like arancini. My least favorite of what we ordered but still a decent dish - Porcini ravioli: what's not to love about this dish. They did it well here - Lobster risotto: the risotto has a tanginess from some ingredient I can't recall. It's creamy, tangy, seafood-y. What a great dish! - Brussel sprout with dill, mint and tamarind sauce: the star of the menu to me. I love how the dill and tamarind sauce added the flavour to the basic brussel sprouts. You should try it! - Chocolate souffle, cherry + sesame ice cream for dessert. Very good Overall, I was very happy with the meal and would appreciate it more if our waitress could stop hard-selling us more food, drink and the tasting menu. If not for that, this will be the best SF restaurant I've discovered this year. read more

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As good as it gets. It's rare that I find a restaurant where every single dish hits the spot, but 3rd Cousin delivered that and more. It's a crime that 3rd Cousin doesn't have a Michelin star, because it's just as good if not better than many 1 star's that I've been to. Personal favorites were the porcini truffle ravioli, brussel sprouts, and scallops but everything was great. The portions are also larger than I expected. We ordered 6 dishes + dessert and had enough leftovers for another meal. If you twisted my arm, I'd say the other dishes you shouldn't skip are the uni creme brulee and corn soup (if you love corn). read more

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The best focaccia bread I have ever had. Must try! We opted for the a la cart menu and had a great experience. Small in there but some great foods and decent service too. I recommend trying them out! read more

Overall, good but not great. There's a real crowded feel to this place, with other parties just inches away from you at some tables. Perhaps as a result of this densification, service was very nice but a bit inattentive as I would have liked to order another drink but was never asked if I wanted one until we were getting dessert. The food was good for the most part. We came during restaurant week and ordered an Uni Brulee along with the focaccia with cheese sauce to go with the restaurant week menu. The brulee, which was a signature dish and half the reason we came, was just okay. The focaccia was a real miss with a very dense cakey texture that made me think it was underbaked. The cheese sauce was far too funk for my liking and even my +1 who loves cheese was put off by it. As for the rest of the meal, the squash soup and banana fosters dessert were the standouts to me. Everything else was fine but didn't really stand out. If this restaurant was in our neighborhood we might give it another shot but since it's out of our way and there's a 7% (!) mandate which is really offputting, I don't think we'll be back. read more

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