I didn't pay for my food--at least not directly--but I did attend an event that Left Coast Catering had prepared dinner boxes for, so I don't know anything about pricing, dealing with people, etc. I just know about the food and how the presentation was handled. Box-anything is difficult to pull off well. The best things you can eat out of a box are typically very messy, and the main reason for eating out of a box is to make it convenient and not messy to take and eat your meal anywhere, so I sympathize with the conundrum in which caters find themselves. The food was cold. That can be and was expected. It was a very rain day; there were hundreds of boxes with four or five different options; the food was not meant to be hot or even warm. But when I say it was cold, I mean noticeably cold to the touch. "Cold" food usually means room temperature food, so when I was eating my too-cold food that was meant to be served at room temperature, it was unpleasant and unappetizing, to say the least. The cookie was good. I'll give them that. But the rest of the food was rubbery and just gross. read more

I had to research various caterers for a wedding in SF and they all seemed professional, capable, and had good reviews, and yet I am SO GLAD I went with Left Coast Catering for a few reasons: 1) Marissa - Our event coordinator was enthusiastic, beyond helpful with her knowledge on the area and overall flexibility, and such a joy to work with! I'll probably never have to work with another catering company as long as Marissa is in the business. Marissa was prompt when I had a question or change, she was available as much as we needed her for walkthroughs, and she never made us feel like we were bad clients who were demanding too much (I don't know how she does it!). Anything we weren't sure of, she had no problem guiding us through. 2) The food was truly delicious! They gave us so many options to choose from and a lot of it I had never heard of - but it all came out smelling, tasting, and looking good! Even the stuff I thought I wouldn't like. 3) The cocktail hour and dinner had no problems - the caterers and bartenders arrived on time, transformed the venue, were great at keeping glasses full, had great personalities - I just whole-heartedly recommend this catering service if it's within your budget. read more

Left Coast Catering was hired for our company holiday party and I could not be happier. From beginning to end it was all-around professional and above and beyond service. I worked with Kathryn on this event and she was GREAT...always replied immediately to emails & calls, met with me before had to see the space, took photos to show their head chef prior to the party and even came to the set up and made sure we were well on our way before she left. The food service area was beautifully decorated and plated by them and it all was delicious! We did passed and stationary appetizers and two full bars for a semi standing cocktail party. I was catering a tough to please "foodie" crowd and I heard only praise from even the toughest to please folks. The Tuscan prawns and Latin spiced flank skewers were a standout hit and the top shelf bar was actually TOP SHELF, no skimping there. The staff on site was professional at all times. Five stars! We will definitely be using them again! read more

Firstly, the person I spoke with on the phone was super nice! And their business may be great for some. However! 1. Upon calling, you have 2 options: A. Catering B. Delivery A. Catering is for minimum $3000.00. Since I was throwing an engagement party for only about 22 - 25 people, $3000.00 seemed steep for an outdoor BBQ. (Most other places I'm considering quoted me $900 for 30 people, 2 servers catering). B. Deliveries are made only Monday to Friday. No weekends! It would be a good idea to include this info on the website. They may have great foods, I wouldn't know, but they are very limited time wise, and minimum amount size of the group. read more

Holy COW!! Not only have they adjusted our regular order to meet the needs of some VERY demanding employees, but they have stretched the boundaries of culinary goodness to provide healthy snacks twice weekly for our growing company. Happy campers all around. If you or your company has the means to implement a motivational snack program, I highly recommend you look no further than Left Coast!! read more

Though in the end I chose a different caterer for our wedding, only due to geographical constraints and what it meant to the bottom line of my wedding budget, I loved LCC. Marianne was the most professional and timely of all of the catering folks I talked to, and there were a lot. The sample menus they prepared were on point with what we had asked for and everything sounded delicious. Can't say enough good things about these guys, will definitely be keeping them in mind for future events. read more

I can't say enough about Left Coast Catering. My company is new to San Francisco and we needed a caterer for upcoming operations meeting. After I read the reviews for LCC on yelp I decided to give them a try. LCC definitely gives you bang for your buck. The delivery person arrived 10 minutes early, set-up was a prompt, the food was displayed on upscale wooden platters and everything I tried was delicious. The only downside was that LCC portions are so big I had to ask everyone to take leftovers home!!! =) read more

I used LCC for a corporate event on 7/31/13 and they went beyond my expectations. First of all: I booked them extremely last minute & they were able to meet all of my needs and did so with no attitude (which I did receive with many other catering companies). Secondly, their food and bar were of great quality and price - they were able to work within my budget. Thirdly (and this is what really gave them 5 stars for me), at the end of the night I had to take all of the trash out of the venue that I created from my personal catering items. I was struggling carrying these huge trashbags, but LCC's servers generously offered to take with their catering trash. They really went above and beyond. read more

I met Laurine Wickett at our SF NACE meeting, they provided the catering, and not only was she warm and welcoming, her food was the BOMB! For those of you who aren't use to hearing that, it means it was OFF THE HOOK! Good ok, get it now? We had a lovely risotto that had an essence of citrus and we also had a nice plate of asparagus and appetizers that were tiny in size, but gigantic with flavor. She was so sweet to talk with me a little about her experience on Top Chef, which I watch religiously, and we also got to meet her sweet and charming boyfriend who is a super duper talented photographer. I would love to see them again, and of course devour their yummy creations sometime soon! Best wishes to Left Coast and may this year be bright, and filled with prosperity. You guys did an amazing job tonite! read more

We used Left Coast Catering to cater a smallish event (~40 people) for donors at my nonprofit organization. They were professional, prompt, and very courteous. Reasonably priced as well (not that much more expensive than getting catering from Specialty's. Plus, they brought very nice baskets and serving pieces for us to use, then came and picked them up the next day. And, most importantly, the food was awesome! The mushroom tarts are to die for. read more

Left Coast did the catering for our wedding (about 150 people) last week. And from start to finish the were completely professional and very easy to work with. I'm a self-proclaimed OCD type of person and they lived up to every one of our expectations for our wedding. Marianne was wonderful and Chef Laurine made the best food. The venue was tough because we were our own wedding coordinator and had to do a lot of things on ourselves, and living in NYC while planning a wedding in SF did not make things any easier. The Venue had no tables or chairs and no kitchen, but Left Coast didn't bat an eyelash and helped coordinate all the rentals for a smooth and wonderful event. Everyone raved about the food, which was most impressive and the number one reason we picked them. We had a "Tastes of the World" theme based on our travels and they produced delicious food from the far east to the Mediterranean. We had little mini stations with lots of bite size forkless goodies because we wanted a very cocktail atmosphere. We were worried only serving small bites would be an issue, but because the food was so good people went back for multiple servings and people only complained because they couldn't fit any more food in their bellies. From start to the finish Left Coast Catering gave a 5 star performance. It was a perfect day and they were the perfect caterer. read more

Left Coast provided totally awesome planning and execution for my 50th birthday party. Marianne did a great job understanding what I wanted, giving me options, working with me on the menu, and making sure the event came off exactly as planned. My guests loved the food, and the staff for the event did a terrific job! All I can say is that, if I had it to do over again, I would not change a single thing. read more

Left Coast Catering - Roxanne serves up spoons of hamachi crudo. - Caterers Near Me - San Francisco, California

I chose to use Left Coast Catering to cater an annual 2 day workshop at UCSF for 40 doctors. I am so pleased that I chose Left Coast. For breakfast, I ordered fruit plates, muffins, scones, banana bread, coffee cake, and bagels. Also, plenty of coffee, tea and fresh orange juice. Their scones (which were different both days) were delicious; not too dry and flavorful. For lunch, I ordered 4 different types of sandwiches; I highly recommend their Roasted Portabello Veggie sandwich- it was delish. They also provided us with 3 salads- the one that stood out to me was the Black Eyed Pea salad- it had onions, tomatoes, and zucchini and was a perfect Summer salad. Their desserts were delicous. Ginger cookies, espresso flavored cookies, and chocolate/brown sugar bars that were dense and amazing!!! What I appreciate most about Left Coast, is how professional and dependable their services are. This was my first time organizing such an event (and I was quite nervous), but Marianne & Loreen were so, so patient & helpful, crafting the menu to fit the unique needs of our workshop participants. Additionally, the delivery person was on time for every delivery and very, very pleasant. I highly recommend Left Coast Catering! Everyone, including my boss, thank god, loved the food!! read more

Left Coast did a wonderful job catering a birthday party for ~50 people at our house in Mtn View. We did passed appetizers, buffet brunch/lunch, and bar service. From the start, Marianne was great to work with -- after a brief discussion via phone she came up with a great menu, and was always responsive to my questions. For the day-of event, Jonny and the staff were amazing. Our guests raved about the whole day. Most notably: - Food and service were fantastic. - They were on-time and extremely efficient. When they left, you wouldn't have known anyone was here. - The entire staff was professional and super friendly. read more

Bummed to write a bad review for Left Coast, i've used them 4 times now in total with an average of about 5-6 separate orders each time and have always had nothing but the best experience until my most recent order 2 weeks ago. The food is great, nothing to complain about there. It's always good, REALLY good. But. My last experience was a massive headache and i was really disappointed over all with how they approach customer service. I had a mtg cancelled last minute, i emld my contact the moment i found out which was 24 hrs before my mtg, unfortunately it was on a sunday and i guess left coast does not check email on sundays. I was told the next day that I would still need to pay full price for my order when i asked if they could work with me, including the 50 dollar delivery fee. I had 5 more catering orders for the week, and this particular mtg was rescheduled to another day. Now, i'm not unreasonable or difficult and I totally understand that because she didn't check her email until that day all the food items had been purchased (and they were not willing to use them for my identical order the following day) so, whatever, let me pay those costs, or give me a partial credit for the new date. Nope, they would NOT be flexible on it AT ALL. So, they basically said they were happy to cancel my 5 more orders for the week if i wanted but there was no way they were refunding my 300 or so dollar order. after a ridiculous amount of back and forth and "asking managers" (and time, time which i didn't have to spend dealing with catering while on my packed business trip), they finally offered to split it with me. I appreciate that, i think it's fair and i wish you had done that first and you would still have my business in the future and a raving happy customer who sent you a ton of referrals. But, now i have a bad and frustrated taste in my mouth and i won't be using you in the future. Which makes me sad, because you have great food. But you need to learn a little about customer service and i guess you need an iphone so you can get emails on the wknds. One other little issue, they emld ME over the wknd to ask if they could deliver the food an hour early due to a truck in the shop. And, another one of my orders was 15 mins late which means my meeting was 15 mins late. read more

Reached out a few weeks ago for a catering proposal. I have never experienced a catering manager that was rude and not wanting to help. This catering company asked what my budget was and I responded via email. Told her I wouldn't need tables being that I have a decor company and bar company as well. I asked if the price would change. She stated no it wouldn't change by much. Excuse me but I've been in the hotel/restaurant industry for 20+ years. I'm not an idiot, and my other half is the associate director of catering of a pretty big Vegas property. We are not idiots. Stay far far far away from this catering company they will try to screw you and is not willing to work with you either. read more

STANDOUT FOOD AND SERVICE, LEAN PORTIONS - 4 1/2 STARS After asking for recommendations, doing a thorough search on yelp, and initial talks with a few catering companies, I decided on Left Coast Catering (LCC) for my husband's 50th birthday celebration last Saturday. LCC blew the party out of the water in delivering a well-planned event (thanks to Marianne's expertise and advice), mouth watering food (guests gave unprompted raves about every bite), and flawless service. They also took into account my concerns for vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan guests. Unlike other catering companies, LCC could provide the whole package from simply catering to ordering flowers, linens, and even valet service (whatever is needed to minimize extra steps for the host). I am so pleased that we chose LCC for this event -- they made this event stress free for me, and highly enjoyable for our guests. My only nit is that the quantity of food seemed to allow no room for error. I projected 58 guests, we had 59 (but that included one person who showed up late and only ate dessert + me and my husband who barely ate since we were hosting). While no guests left feeling underfed, there was practically nothing leftover at the end of the party except dessert. Would I consider LCC for future events? Absolutely! I would just want to ensure that the quantity per person was more generous in future. Thanks LCC for contributing to a memorable and standout event. The best part is that days later, my husband is still feeling the afterglow from a magical evening. read more

I've hired Left Coast 4 times now because they do such a stupendous job every time. I first tasted their delights at a bridal shower almost seven years ago and was so impressed with them that I saved their information for several years before I finally had an excuse to call them. I could still tell you exactly what I had to eat at that party it was so good. Left Coast catered our wedding in July for 120+ people (passed apps + multiple bars), a BBQ for 75 the day after and since then they've also catered sit-down dinners for smaller groups. They have totally exceeded our expectations every time. I love them for these reasons: #1 The food is superb. Super fresh, flavorful and delicious. Whether it was passed elegant appetizers, delicious burgers and salads for the BBQ, or more refined dishes for the dinners. It's not fussy or overly-complicated. It's just unique and tasty and so many of our guests commented on how delicious it was. #2 The people are so freakin' nice and easy to work with. Marianne is a built in party-planner. For our wedding, I did not have any worries about the details we discussed in advance with regards to food, drink, tables, setup, etc. Marianne handles everything so smoothly that it's really nice not to have to worry about those things. And they were such good sports about enthusiastically wearing these crazy French waiter outfits that I insisted on. #3 Their rates are really reasonable for what they deliver. I would take advantage of it before they get smart and raise their rates. #4 I find myself trying to come up with excuses to throw parties so that I can hire them again. I would recommend them without hesitation to anyone for just about any occasion! read more

LCC just catered our christmas cocktail party, and it was amazing. awesome food. great staff. our 50 guests lovedeverything. great price, great service, great food. can not wait for next year. read more

I've worked with Left Coast a few times already and every time they knock it out the park. The food is always fantastic and their attention to detail is impeccable. Marianne and her team are total pros and run their events like seasoned vets. They offer great suggestions that make sense and go way beyond food as to what they could do. Highly recommended. read more

It's been about a year since Left Coast Catering catered our wedding at 1 Fort Mason. Everyone here is raving about Marianne Jackson, and I have to concur: working with Marianne was a joy, and Left Coast was a huge part of the success of our wedding. We chose an elegant buffet style setup, but this buffet was no ordinary buffet. Most of all, the food was varied and excellent. So often, you go to large weddings with individually served portions (steak or fish? chooose one) that is already cold by the time your server gets it to you. Not at our wedding. And though we had to miss the passed hor d'oeuvres to take wedding pics, all our guests were raving about them afterwards. The caterer actually plays a HUGE part of any wedding, and Marianne and Left Coast also provided the place settings, seating arrangements, as well as took care of the champagne toast and provided two bartenders to man the open bar. Everything went very well. Marianne keeps good contact and was available to coordinate with our wedding planner and the other vendors for the event. She is an experienced, professional, veteran caterer and it shows... but she also has a nice, easygoing, calm demeanor that we appreciated. Planning a wedding can be stressful. It was a quintessential San Francisco wedding, with views of San Francisco bay. It seems that all of our guests had a good time, and many of them made a point of telling us afterwards how good the food was. read more

We hired Left Coast Catering for our office holiday party, and it was a great experience. The venue we were renting did not have much space for food prep, so we ordered a drop-off catering option. The food was delicious, and each dish was clearly labeled. They even added a tablecloth and beautiful flower arrangements. Jordan was our delivery driver, who set everything up, and he was very friendly and accommodating. Looking forward to hiring Left Coast to cater for future events! read more

Left Coast catered our food for a photo shoot today. The guy that delivered the food was right on time and he was friendly. We ordered sandwiches, but also got: a dijon mustard potato salad, spring salad with an awesome honey mustard dressing, iced tea, lemonade, and cookies. Everything was brought to us in wicker trays, metal bowls and pitchers. Everything was so good and flavorful! I'll keep them in mind for when I might need something catered myself :) read more

Left Coast is a premier full-service catering company. I have been their client for over 5 years now and they have never let me down. They are consistent in the quality of food, presentation and service. They are creative with the menus and always willing to accommodate. To sum it all up, Left Coast is a 5 star restuarant brought right into your office or event. read more

Left Coast did a wonderful job catering our wedding celebration in October. They were very efficient, clean and easy to work with at the event and really helpful planning it! The vegetarian spread was prepared beautifully - all our guests commented on the quality and presentation. read more

Last night we had an event in our office I booked this company to do the catering, based on the reviews I read in Yelp. They were above and beyond my expectations. The food was great, many of the guests asked me for the caterer name before they left bothJhony and Kevin that were the server and the bartender in the event were great and flexiable and very attentive. They would accomodate any last minute change that I had like walk with the trays instead of stationary that we agreed on. We ordered food for 40 people we had 50 guests showing up and we have plenty of leftovers for lunch in the office today. On top of that thier pricing was really good. What more they are green and sustainable company which is one of the reasons we chose them to begin with out of all the high rated caterers in Yelp. read more

Left Coast is the absolute best. My wife and I got married in a courthouse and decided to throw a small party for 40 people in Bolinas CA one weekend, as a way to celebrate with family and close friends. We chose Left Coast based on their reviews and pictures off of Yelp. What you see is exactly what you get, its all very well done and amazing.....better than pretty much any restaurant I've been to in the bay area. We met Marianne in Bolinas a few weekends prior to our party, she wanted to come out and check out the venue prior to working there. She also wanted to get an idea of what we were looking for (style, level of casualness, etc.)......we communicated a few more times prior to day of the celebration and that was it. Day of the party, Marianne and her awesome crew showed up, knew exactly what to do. Apps were fantastic, mains were incredible, staff was very attentive to everyones drinks/refills, and they made sure the night went on schedule. It was perfect as setting the pace for a party, or having a catering crew who wants you to tell them what to do, is just a lot of work on the people throwing the party. They are pro's and know how a party/event should work. Marianne and crew know how to cook great food, throw an awesome party, and do all the things youd assume of a professional caterer (they cleaned up so well the place was cleaner after they had left than it was before they got there). Hoping we have another reason to use Left Coast, and if youre considering them for any special event, definitely use them, youll be happy you did. read more

Hired Left Coast for a huge VIP event with our CEO and everything was such a success! Drinks were great, staff was amazing and the food was just fantastic! read more

Left Coast Catering just catered our wedding and they were amazing!!! We got married in the Bay Area but live in Montana. We dealt with Marianne Jackson who was helpful, quickly responsive and super upbeat . She said we'd love working with them and we did ! She did a site visit and recommended suites which the Cow Hollow Suites (5 stars to them as well) gave us and things could not have gone better. The whole team was great....delicious food, great set up and tear down . Our guests had a memorable, fun time. Wed use them again without hesitation!!! read more

I can't say enough about the wonderful job Left Coast did at my daughter's wedding. Guests raved about the food and about the friendly and efficient service. We couldn't have been more pleased! There were a few surprises--such as guests starting to arrive earlier than we'd planned--and Left Coast went wth the flow and made it all work as if it were arranged that way from the beginning. They are really pros! I had never planned a large (100), formal, catered event before and Marianne was a major help from day one. She was easily reachable throughout the planning process and offered wonderful suggestions, as well as answering all sorts of questions I had about such an event. Left Coast is not inexpensive, but they were clear about the likely overall cost from the beginning and gave us a detailed itemized plan. We signed a contract based on the initial proposal but were able change details and add and subtract major items (and guests) well into the process. It made it easy for us, as newcomers to such a service, to learn about the process as we went. We ultimately opted to do flowers ourselves, for example (Great fun if you love flowers, and much cheaper!) but relied on Left Coast for the wine and bar as well as for the food. It gave us the opportunity to enjoy Left Coast's fantastic food and service while still putting our own personal stamp on the overall event. Thank you, Left Coast! A. Grindon read more

Hired Left Coast Catering for my holiday party and it was delishhhh! Kathryn was a joy to work with and so happy we went with her. The tasting she set up for us was perfection and my team was really excited about the food. Would for sure with with them again! read more

We use Left Coast for larger business lunches. Their food and service is always excellent. They use seasonal, fresh ingredients and always put a creative flare on the every day cuisine. I highly recommend! read more

Randomly discovered Left Coast in an effort to change up our boxed lunches we offer to a major event. We ordered a sampling of what was available to us in our price range, and...well, we nearly gorged ourself completely! They were AMAZING! Fresh, delicious, potato and fennel with whole grain mustard....just plain good. What I was most impressed by was just a light breakfast we had them serve. They took precaution to bring lactose free, gluten free, options without us even asking. They were kind, always on time, and amazing. I dont know if my College is a large client for them, but I am telling you, we are a faithful client. Thank you Left Coast, can't wait to work with you again. read more

LCC -Hands down -Simply did THE best job for our company! Today LCC catered a lunch for a business meeting and OH my goodness - The word "food" was mentioned countless times along with "Who's the Caterer? " Eyes were even rolling when forks reached mouths! One person e-mailed me while in the meeting stating " this food was ridiculously awesome" while another person sent me a text that stated "this food is soooo good...I literally can't stop wanting more to eat!" Jonny handled our lunch request with professionalism and the ultimate personal attention to detail. It's going to take a lot for me to switch caterers because the bar has been set too high today! I want to extend to Jonny and your entire staff CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU! All the best.... until another event! Take Care! bjc read more

Absolutely wonderful! And delicious! We had them cater my 50th birthday party at our home. I chose them mainly based on the creative food options. Served all passed appetizers. My guests could not stop raving about the food. It was the star of the party! And plenty to go around. We had platters of leftovers that were devoured before anyone went home. Staff were wonderful as well. And they left without a trace. Completely clean and no trash left behind. I highly, highly recommend this service. Hire Left Coast for your next event. You won't regret it. read more

Can't say enough good things about Left Coast Catering! I run a private event space in San Francisco called The Office, and every time we have worked with Left Coast the experience has been incredibly easy, the food amazing, and our clients very happy with the food and execution. From the start Marianne is a true professional - she's incredibly fast at responding to e-mails or calls, and always comes up with amazing menus tailored to the specifications of the client. Left Coast has never let us down in terms of timing - they're always on time (if not early), and the food is either being passed, served, or set out at the appropriate times. If you decide to do passed hors d'oeuvres, or a formal seated dinner their wait-staff is incredibly professional, friendly, and ready to go the distance if anything is asked from them. Did I talk about the food yet?! It's easily some of the best food being made in SF whether we're talking about a catering company or a Michelin Star'd restaurant :) What ever your needs we very highly and confidently recommend Left Coast! read more

Catered a meeting at work. I wasn't part of it, but the meatloaf and trimmings spread looked and smelled great. Everyone that had it was raving about it. I was a lowly scavenger and snagged a cream cheese brownie.....mmmmmm deliciously creamy and delicious without being too sweet!!! Totally worth the extra time at the gym tonight. read more

Left Coast did a superb job for our office Open House. The food was exceptional, the staff was responsive and punctual, and the set-up was exceptional. I cannot find fault with any aspect of this great experience. We had stationary platters of delicious cheeses, fresh fruit and crackers. The passed appetizer were better than expected. I had been concerned about having enough food - of course we had enough, because Marianne had assured me that we would. The cooks took over our kitchen in the office a couple of hours before the event. The hot food was ready at the appointed time and kept coming. The sliders were awesome. In fact, I cannot choose a favorite among the 5 choices. Our guests were extremely pleased. The cleanup afterwards was quick and painless for us. Thank you, Marianne, Laurine and your team. read more

I have used this catering service many times and have never been disappointed. The food and staff are incredible and it is always such a wonderful experience working with Laurine! read more

I just called, and I was incredibly impressed with their sincerity and professionalism. Terrific food and terrific people.