Unagi foie gras - this was delicious. I did not expect foie gras to be so soft and tender. It was light and refreshing, definitely my favorite. Doughnuts - the sauce was good, however it was nothing special. It tasted liked buttermilk biscuits and was overly salty. The sauce was like a melted cheese. would pass on this. Sea urchin pasta - what is with the portion on this dish?! The portion was so small, I felt like I had to eat one noodle at a time and chew 20 times before swallowing just so that I wouldn't finish it in 3 mins. I didn't taste uni, only cheese. This was disappointing. Risotto - I don't have a lot of experience with risotto, but I loved it at Gary Danko. I imagined it to be rich, creamy, and chewy, however, the risotto was very hard. I question if it was undercooked. The romaine lettuce with cheese on top didn't tie into the dish. Sea bass- I was really looking forward to this. It is my favorite fish but it was tough and dry. The hoison sauce that was squirted on the plate was disconnected flavor wise from the fish. The pho broth... why? I didn't know how it was meant to be eaten, however I will say presentation was nice. The wood shavings were coming off from the skewers which was uncomfortable. To end on a positive note, service was great! We were able to make reservations without difficulty. Presentation was nice, and the idea and ingredients used sounded good. Three of our dishes had the same shaved cheese flakes on top of it, so it tasted quite familiar and in original. I expected more from the taste and pasta portions. read more

Solid 3.5 stars. There certainly isn't anything really bad about Rich Table, but food-wise it sometimes leaves much to be desired. Especially when you're paying $95 a head for a 6 course tasting at a 1 Michelin restaurant. The bites that were presented were a great representation of Rich Table's smaller offerings, I did enjoy the variety. A platter of porcini donuts, oysters, sardine chips, and panna cotta came out first, followed by a smaller plate with a sesame duck liver mousse macarons and a mini bite of butternut squash and kimchi. The appetizers were all right, I wasn't very impressed with the dungeness crab roti but the burrata was nice. You get each get a different course for the pasta and fish entrees, so it was cool to get to try so much of the menu. That being said, I wasn't impressed with any of these entrees - the uni pasta was a little too fishy and both pastas were made very heavy with cream and cheese. The steak that followed was solid though. I think I enjoyed dessert the most, Cali Creamsicle made my night! Most of that was probably childhood nostalgia, but who doesn't like a creamsicle?! Tips and Tricks -Octavia's 10 course tasting is better while being $25 cheaper -You're better off ordering ala carte, avoid the roti, beer battered sole, and pierogis (these were all very forgetable dishes) -Dessert and steak are solid -We booked a month in advance to get a weekend table at a decent time read more

It's So Damn Delicious I Memorized the Tasting Menu... Still memorized two months later... No, I'm serious. Not word for succulent word, but damn near. Let me educate you... Within the appetizer course there were three individual courses that included a Sardine Chip that had a fresh sardine laced through a potato slice and fried, Porcini Donuts that were simple free form donut holes dusted with earthy dried porcini powder, and a Buttermilk Panna Cotta topped with wheatgrass dust, sprouts, and popped sorghum. And what's popped sorghum? Looked like mini popcorn. 2nd course was a delicate Beet Salad with goat cheese crème fraîche and puffed wild rice. The beet was pinkish and a bit striped, and so delicate I would consider it a vegetable sashimi. Best damn beet salad I've ever had. 3rd course consisted two pasta dishes to be shared. My favorite was the Tajarin in a Lamb Confit Sauce, but the Bowtie Pasta in Squid Ink sauce wasn't far behind. The Tajarin I had to ask about because I've never heard of it. It is a traditional Italian pasta that is an egg noodle that reminds me of tagliatelle but thin like a Chinese wonton noodle. Tired yet? 4th course was a Pan Roasted Rainbow Trout on top of a spinach and almond puree. A play on an almondine and pretty close to wonderful. 5th course was NY Steak that had been grilled over hot Japanese coals topped with a chimichurri sauce, Chinese broccoli, and edible flowers. A tad overcooked, but otherwise damn good. 6th course was the dessert which was a free form Ice Cream Sandwich made up of milk ice cream and mint chocolate cookie. Delicious, Inventive, and Fulfilling... Have you ever heard those third words to describe a tasting menu? There's nothing more to say... read more

Rich Table is one of those hyped up restaurants that you always dream about loving but to my dismay it fell short, very short of expectations. The first two items we ordered were the signature porcini doughnuts and the bread and butter (which mind you cost extra). The doughnut texture was excellent - reminiscent of a soft warm Pao de Quiejo (Brazilian cheese bread) especially with the cheese dip. Oddly enough the porcini doughnuts tasted nothing like porcini. The bread was excellent with a pronounced sour note and the cultured butter shined with the bread, but no one is writing home about the bread they had at dinner. The meal peaked with the first two items and quickly declined at a rapid pace. Next we ordered the squash and burrata served on homemade lavash. This is where connotations of "rich" really hit the table to a very poor extent. We kept repeating to ourselves that the dishes were all rich with ingredients (and pleasantly plated to boot) but the collective dish failed miserably. Most notably for the lavash bread, the bread (it was more of a cracker) was incredibly, inedibly, salty which drowned out even the slightest chance for the squash and burrata to shine. Unfortunately to the burrata's defense, when tasted on its own, it didn't hold much light either. Burrata usually has a buttery savory taste but in this dish reminded us taste-wise of more of a bland unseasoned mozzarella Next - the octopus. Not sure where you learn to put tonkotsu sauce, mirin, and citrus rind together but that was basically the marinade for the octopus. Needless to say it didn't work. Again, rich with ingredients but the flavors failed to come together to constitute a cohesive dish. The tagliatelle. There was so much potential in this gamey, citrusy tagliatelle. However why on earth do you need to inundate the pasta dish with citrus rind and mandarin slices. It killed the dish (and on top I had to spit out a mandarin seed. Ain't nobody want seeds in their pasta). The subtle citrus could have playfully worked so well with the gamey duck and velvety cheese but then the citrus blacked out everything. Flavor game over. As you can tell there is a consistent theme here and it continued with the mains. The only possible redeeming piece of the meal was the pork chop but sadly the bonito flakes overpowered the pork chop with a strong fishy taste. The sauce isolated to the mustard and apple could've led to a great pork chop. And not overcooking the chop could've helped as well. The culmination of "Rich" was the ribeye. This is the quintessential picture of putting a bunch of shit on top of an entree just for the sole sake of making the entree look good. Why are you putting unseasoned brocollini and completely bland fried onion strings on top of a ribeye. Ribeyes don't need frills! Especially when those frills add no dimension to the dish and quite simply taste like crap. The ribeye itself, too, was under seasoned and the only hint of flavor I got was from the fat on the sides of the steak. And then there was the "sauce." To top this glorious, rich dinner all off, the waiter asked how the mains were. I told him we were underwhelmed and asked that the remainder of the ribeye be placed in a to-go container without the "black sauce." With an incredulous look and condescending tone, the waiter asks me "...black sauce?" YES THE BLACK SAUCE. What other sauce could I be referring to other than the salsa negra that tasted like a mixture of tar and ghost chili pepper. Apologies, next time I will refer to it as the inedible glaze. Overall the experience at Rich Table reminded me of a six year old child who brings his mother a creative concoction of a sandwich. He thinks to put together a sandwich with the richest ingredients he knows: peanut butter, orange, lettuce, nuts, mustard, cheese, and jelly. A meal only a child could imagine would taste good. read more

Made a reservation for this place through an app called Sosh that was doing a pretty good deal on it. We also got a free wine pairing that went very well with our meal! Made it here a bit before our reservation and decided to sit at the bar instead of wait. Not a big place but very cozy with just the right amount of dim lighting and decorations for it to not feel too overwhelming. We got lucky with the street parking which was 2 hours free parking 9am-9pm right outside. Service was very friendly and knowledgeable about all the dishes and the wine. Friendly throughout and watchful with filling up water, wine, taking away plates, etc. We had the prefix menu so we got to try a bit of everything. Food wise was very good and all their dishes were very unique. You can tell every ingredient in the dish was well thought out and complimented each other very well from the dipping sauce to the sprinkles of flavor on top. My favorite were the doughnuts! Very unexpected flavor when you first bite in but so good! Also enjoyed the pasta. The whole meal was delicious and left us both quiet full. Great date night place =) Highly recommend! read more

Had forced myself to repress how truly superior SF's food is to Boston - but dear Lord, after this meal, which was really almost a 5er (damn you, underwhelming fish collar, damn you), my tastebuds will not let me forget. I mean - Um. Porcini. Doughnuts. Drops mic. That said, almost everything we had was truly lovely - started with the aforementioned savory pillows, perfectly umami-rich,and even more of a treat if you're not a lactard like myself and can indulge in the accompanying raclette without risking tummy thunderstorms - the roasted carrots (smoked ricotta, honey, herbage) - crunchy yet tender, sweet yet not cloying - as well as the brussels (BBQ cause, furikake). OMG, I almost forgot the grilled avocado (trout roe, smoked red pep puree) - a hearty portion - soft, warming, delicate pop of the roe a nice contrast - would obs eat daily if budget and need to stay lulu-fit didn't weight on me - for pastas we did the tagliatele w lobster/broccolini/parsnip (creamy, could have used another spinkle of salt) as well as the tajarin w roasty squash, dandy greens, and chestnut (get balls deep in this, it's wonderful). As mentioned, my fish collar was a bit bland - as in, I really don't remember anything abt it other than the fact that I ate it. Skipped dessert, but if you're so inclined they have a cheese course ($6 each or $15 for 3) or if you're going full on SF, get the avo and green juice (stone fruit, brown butter ice cream) - per our waiter, it's pretty strong...but idk...I'm not anti avo-dessert...but I am anti-juice when I want to treat myself. Was tempted by the peanut butter pie w choco sable, mousse, toffee as well as the fall fruits w oats/meringue, but couldn't convince A or K to join in. Next time. You can go a la carte (bites $8-9, starters $16-23, pastas, $18-35, mains $25-33, dessert $11)) or chef's picks/family style for $89/pp - and I don't care how you get it done, just put as many of Rich Table's edibles into your body while you're reveling in this warm, succulent-kissed, and reclaimed-wood-laden landscape. Service is friendly, a touch absent. Resto gets appropriately hopping. Make a res - and they charge $48 for every no-show, FYI. Go. read more

Yet another overhyped SF restaurant that makes me miss NYC oh so much. Yes, the ingredient combinations are creative, the service is solid and unpretentious, and the prices are just right. But none of the dishes did it for me and my fiance. Not only that, but there was HAIR (a pubic sized hair, but I'm assuming it's facial hair) in our squash-peach soup! Hamachi crudo was underseasoned, and to be honest, the hamachi didn't taste that fresh. Scallops and steak were something I could find at my local gastropub. Don't see why I had to wait a month+ to score the reservation here... read more

This place is SO good. Get your reservation in advance for sure. The service was AMAZING. Such nice people. Let's start W/the dried porcini donuts! OMG!! Next time I want one order just for myself. Savory goodness in your mouth W/a creamy dipping sauce. There bread & butter W/house cultured butter is heaven. Linguini W/black truffle & cypress grove goat cheese was so yummy & creamy. They use fresh truffle so it's not an over powering taste of truffle. The grilled pork chop was cooked to perfection. My mouth is watering thinking about it. Everyone should try this place. They believe in supporting local farms for the best meat & veggies you can get. read more

The cocktails here were some of the best I've tried. We had an awesome time sitting at the bar and chatting with Buffalo, who I learned just took over the cocktail program in early December. He's a Bourbon and Branch alumnus, and not surprisingly, the drinks were seasonal, well balanced, and complex. For appetizers we tried the sardine chips and the brandade, both of which were really tasty and nicely executed. The pastas we had were a bit past al dente, but the rest of the dish was really tasty. The $4 bread was actually really good, very dense, with a crusty exterior. The energy in the intimate space was really fun and lively. And being able to watch the kitchen at work in tight quarters was quite entertaining. But man, those cocktails.... read more

I was really looking forward to coming here. My boyfriend strongly recommended this place after he came about two years ago. AND Dominique Crenn loves this place, and brings her friends here, and is friends with the chef... So lots of excitement and anticipation.. We came with another couple and we all got the tasting menu. We started with the tiny bites: pretzel, some mango and foie gras bread bite, and a smoked salmon cannoli. Weird that the mango/foie gras bite was sweet, but that's fine. Pretzel was just okay. Then we got oysters- which were super delicious. I loved loved loved mine. Porcini donuts were my friend's favorite. He really liked it, but basically said they poured msg over it. I wasn't a fan of the msg-like powder on it. The fish chip, was pretty amazing, but made the whole restaurant smell really fishy (which we noticed upon entering). There was also a teeny tiny cup of panna cotta, which was weird because it's supposed to be a savory appetizer? It was like polka dots of salty on a sweet fabric, which was not appealing to me. Then we started getting two different courses, so we can try everything! (Which is cool). By the way, I never remember what they actually describe in the dish, so these are just what I was able to glean from their fast stutter talk and what I can identify myself. Our salad courses:: Mashed avocado with radish and citrus fruits. Hamachi with stuff on top. Both dishes were sour because of vinegar (made my friend sad that so many things were sour). The avocado was tasty, but overly dressed. The Hamachi was tasty too, but there was some black stuff that was super salty on top of it and that made me cringe a lot. Our third course:: Skate wing with toasted almonds. Fried Pierogi. I liked the friend pierogi. It's just a potato dumpling. The skate wing was gross. The texture and part of the skate was not really a good part. There were so many bones in our dish, it was hard to consume, and also the fish had a weird slimy texture to it. I usually love eating fish, but I had to stop because they were like really long slimy (snot) ropes. The toasted almonds were really tasty though. I picked out all of them. :P Our noodles course:: Something with mussels and dark sauce, something with burrata and white sauce. I didn't enjoy my noodles, so I gave them to my friend. He said he'd order this dish as an entree. The burrata noodles were so promising, because I love burrata, but it tasted off to me. The group concluded it was because I ate my dish first, and the fishiness of the mussels lingered. So definitely eat the burrata dish first, and then try the mussels one. Our fifth course:: Meat (probably beef), the guy was talking too fast, stuttering, and I didn't hear anything! :D I am deducting two stars because of this dish. I thoroughly didn't enjoy it. Not only did my piece come with a huge piece of white (obvious) ligament, but even the pieces that I cut to purposefully avoid the ligament/tendon, were so tough and difficult to chew. I lost my appetite after that. I was extremely disappointed that Rich Table would serve such an inedible piece of meat to me. The rest of the group's were fine. The chocolate sauce was also weird (to us- maybe not to you!) Our sixth course:: Teeny tiny cup (like the panna cotta) of cheese brulee. It's a cool concept. Weird that they count this as a 6th course. It was savory and sweet. I love cheese, I love sugar; this was odd. I ate it all anyway because I was really hungry and I essentially skipped two courses. Our seventh course:: Dessert!! Persimmon sundae and something chocolate and mint with icecream too. The Persimmon sundae was very well done. It was refreshing, light and tasted perfect. The creaminess of the ice cream worked well with the persimmon fruit flavor. I love persimmon so I was delighted with this course. The mint and ice cream one was more off. The weird chocolate brick-like board was not tasty at all. it was hard, and had a gross flavor. Not just bitter, I can do bitter, and I relish bitter chocolate. It was just a weird tasteless black cracker. The chocolate on top (kinda looks like poop) had mint in it, so that was good, but it was really dense. Didn't enjoy it. The mint ice cream underneath was refreshing. So that was great. Overall, the dessert was fun, but I prefer to only have one ice cream dish. It was too chilling, and given the roller coaster of food our stomachs endured, we all had tummy aches afterwards. A final bite:: Some kind of cold popsicle on a toothpick. Mine was super sour, and I made five different cringe faces before I apologized to my group and spit it back into the communal cup it came from. I couldn't make myself swallow it. That bad. Final conclusion:: It was a fun experience to share with friends, trying new foods. But be prepared to not eat some courses. Pro-tip to myself:: Maybe befriend Dominque Crenn, have her order what's good and show you how you're supposed to enjoy it.. read more

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How I wanted to love this place. Rich Table has very difficult-to-nab reservations, but I awoke at 12:01AM on Jan 9 to make reservations for two in February. I was super excited to bring a friend from out of town here after I hyped up the much lauded sardine chips. We brought our own champagne to cork, and ordered the pork belly, raw oysters, sardine chips, and steak. The pork belly was done well and not too sweet, but the raw oysters were a let-down b/c they were dressed w/blood orange. Raw oysters are usually good enough to be served on their own. I usually avoid substitutions altogether, but I was craving steak. I was a bit dismayed to read that the steak included poutine on top, so I asked about the possibility of getting the poutine on the side. This is when it got unnecessarily complicated. When I made the ask, the waitress said that they could put the fries on the side, but not the poutine. I was confused b/c poutine is fries+curds+gravy. I asked to clarify if all of the poutine could be on the side, and then she asked again if we wanted the fries or the poutine on the side. When I said that poutine includes fries, curds, and gravy, she said she was asking b/c she wanted to "ascertain" what it was about the fries or poutine that we didn't like (?!?!?!?!?). I told her that it was the cheese and the gravy that we didn't want on the steak and if we could get just the steak...no fries, no cheese, no gravy. Then she proceeded to explain that the steak "doesn't really stand up" without the fire. AHGADSLIHJSFGIHLJKSDFLISDHF. I asked if the dish was physically stacked vertically and if the fries were part of the stack. She then replied with the words "ascertain" and "stand up" again, but didn't answer the question about the physical structure of the dish. I gave up and asked for the steak as-is on the menu w/no alterations. The meat itself was good, but the poutine was what I feared--the soggy fries, gooey cheese, and overseasoned gravy spoiled the entire dish. The food was okay, but the service put me off. It felt like the waitress was trying to use flowery language that--while it may not be her intent--excludes people. Why ascertain and not "understand" or say that the dish is meant to be presented together instead of some silly "stand up." It ended up distracting from the entire experience. The waitstaff should really understand what the components of the dishes are, even if they change daily. Just like a burger is beef, bread, and some condiments, poutine is potatoes, cheese curds, and gravy. That's like if I asked for a burger and for the condiments on the side and then the waitstaff counters with "well we can put the beef on the side, but I seek to ascertain if you have a predilection for the bovine or the burger." Know what you're serving, and keep it simple. read more

In a word: avoid. Good appetizers, especially the anchovy chips. Good soup. Awful, awful entree. I got the smoked swordfish with pasta and horseradish. The dish had almost no fish (the portion was no bigger than my thumb, though this varied at our table as others who got the same had a lot more fish ... Quality control issues?) and way too much horseradish. Interesting for one bite, but excruciating for a meal. was so turned off I pushed it aside. Waitstaff was quick with water, but nowhere to be found to ask how the food was, even after I left half of the dish uneaten. The panna cotta was also poorly balanced, overpowered by an acrid lemon curd on top. It's worth noting that I had the most negative experience at our table, but no one was raving, and there were flavor problems with other dishes too. Not what you expect at this price point. A great meal out can be comparable to good sex. But I just left Rich Table feeling f***ed. *** Epilogue: My husband and I both woke up with stomach aches the morning after our dinner at Rich Table. Add $0.50 worth of Alka Seltzer to my $115 dinner tab. read more

The wine list is all over the place, very classic in a restaurant with a supposedly "modern" offering. The two natural wines by the glass saved our day (Sextant and La Lunotte)... The glass of Sextant at 18 USD was close to an insult, and the ravioli's truffles in my wife's dish (30) were non-existent. Mediocre, expensive, trendy. Been twice (second chance). Won't go back. read more

Perfect. Sardine chips, chicken liver, beef carpaccio, ribeye, coconut cake, affogato. All incredible.

We went there on the second night. We had reservation but opt for the bar when we saw it was available. Best decision of the night. Our bar tender Mathias - was one of the best I met in SF. He was knowledgable about the food, the wines how to pair them. All of his pairing were spot-on. When we couldn't decide he gave us a tasting of the wines, followed with explanations. I truly appreciate a place with a good wine selection by the glass, and decent prices. The food was excellent. Sardines chips, corn fritters went great with our cocktails. Tomatoes and burrata was another great dish. Yellowtail and summer squash was my least favorite dish of the evening, the tastes combination just didn't work. It was like the ingredients were put on the plate with nothing to connect them. One other thing was the NY steak. It was served a little too cold by the time it reached the table - but given that it was the second night, I didn't really care - and the taste was great. cheese was good, deserts was excellent. What can I say? I love this place, the design is also great. read more

The place was packed - definitely hyped up to the max. Unfortunately for me, I didn't feel the food met my expectations and for the prices, the portions were so small. 1. SARDINE CHIP, HORSERADISH CRÈME FRAÎCHE - 4 stars - clever idea and tasty 2. DRIED PORCINI DOUGHNUTS, RACLETTE - 1 star - boring 3. BEEF TARTARE, CHESTNUT, SMOKED EGG, CHANTERELLE - 2 stars - pleasant but since not enough beef was provided, the sliminess of the egg took over the texture and left the flavor a bit bland 4. BURRATA, CAULIFLOWER TIKKA MASALA, ALMOND, GARLIC NAAN - 3 stars - interesting flavor but for me not really memorable 5. CHITARRA, SEA URCHIN, AGED GOUDA, BLACK PEPPER - 4 stars - lovely flavor and nicely cooked pasta but wish they had put just a little more on the plate 6. BIGOLI, BRAISED OXTAIL, PARSNIP MUSTARD, BONE MARROW - 3 stars - bone marrow needed salt 7. BLACK COD, CRISPY POTATO, FINGER LIME TARTAR SAUCE - 3 stars - fish was cooked nicely unfortunately, flavor was rather bland 8. GRILLED RIBEYE, AL PASTOR, OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER - 2 stars - this was fine but not that interesting I would return if friends insisted but would not go out of my way for it. read more

I went for the first time as a party of 7 and got to try the family style tasting menu. HIGHLY recommend! The dishes were creative, the service excellent. They served us a good mix of vegetarian alternatives too and as an omnivore I enjoyed both! My favorites were the shiso vain mock tail, the fir levain bread, the pasta dishes (uni and clam) , the pork schnitzel with spicy ma pa tofu, and the amazing apps (bok choy with chili pepper, kampachi). And yes those porcini doughnuts! Honestly, a sublime dining experience! read more

Go. This is a restaurant where just about everyone will find some aspect that they like. I, in particular, like the face lift that they gave Paul k, a place I frequented often. It was nice to be back in the space but with a new fresh, light, seemingly larger feel while still getting to experience that small cozy feel. I also liked the food, the collection of seasoned staff and the ease that everything seems to get done. I think this is what Central Kitchen was trying to do however these guys got it first. I was there their second day and was expecting the food to have hits and misses and that was not the case. I can honestly say I liked every dish and appreciated the unique cocktails and the successful wine suggestions. The food is complicated without being intimidating nor over-thought while being damn good and way beyond all the crappy comfort food that Chefs are lazily putting out. Hayes Valley has not had the restaurant options it has needed and deserved and in truth, Absinthe and Zuni are more for tourists these days. Rich Table fills the much needed demand for a neighborhood place that can become anyones favorite go to place without becoming a slave to the show crowds, tourism or boring food. read more

The other Yelpers have it right... Rich Table is what should be a welcome step up in the sometimes stuffy Hayes Valley dining scene, but what you end up getting is not a lot of bang for a lot of your buck. It's a beautiful, very San Franciscan place with the big communal table in the center, and yes the restaurant is loud but did you forget your hearing aide at home, grandma? It's not unreasonably loud. Service was all right... maybe a bit absentminded and rushed the night I visited. As for the food, it's gorgeous. Yes - beautiful food. Fresher than fresh, incredibly well prepared, and light. Beautiful, springtime feeling food. But the price points are way, way too high. Like others have said, I didn't leave satisfied and that's odd for me - when food is so beautiful, a small portion will satiate (see: Sons and Daughters), but Rich Table is reeeeally stingy with portions. I want to love you, Rich Table. Why won't you let me love you? 2.75 stars. read more

Creative, technical, California dishes! Seemed that the theme was small plates to share, so we shared one or two plates from each "course." We sample quite a bit of the menu! We started with the porcini doughnuts because we had read so much about them and the roasted brussel sprouts. The porcini doughnuts were special because I had never really had anything like them--savory mushroom and sharp cheese combined in a pillowy form that was not greasy at all. Very decadent! But I did actually prefer the Mexican themed brussel sprouts that were topped with a vibrant green mole and cotija cheese. Light, crunchy, flavorful, and really showed off the brussel sprout. We then had the burrata waldorf salad that was very creative and I appreciated, mostly burrata. Light greens, crispy grapes, creamy burrata, and nuts made this a great salad. It was paired with a very hearty roll. I think I would do with a crunchier bread for more contrast with the salad, but the roll was delicious. From there we moved into pastas! Really should have just ordered one because the portions were good enough and fairly rich. We had the dungeness crab with asain pear pasta. I would have never thought of putting asian pear in a pasta or serve it warm, but it was a great combination and thoughtful. The other pasta was a porcini carbonara topped with a lovely yolk. Super rich and decadent! We ended with the trout with a cioppino sauce served with polenta and kale. Super tender fish and I enjoyed the bright cioppino sauce. Super full after the meal and to my disbelief, couldn't do dessert! Each dish was special and delicious, but I think it was challenging to decipher a specific story of this cuisine, besides the clear one that it is a melting pot of different cuisine and techniques. I would be curious to try the chef's tasting menu and see if there is a different narrative! Overall, really enjoyed the food, ambiance, and impeccable service! And am looking forward to returning. I recommend this place to neighborhood people and people looking for a "foodie" experience where you are sure to find creative and fantastic food! read more

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I'm actually quite conflicted about writing this review for Rich Table. We came here after hearing so many good things and we wanted very much to love it. And much of what we heard was true. They have A LOT going for them - ambitious chefs, adventurous dishes, quality ingredients. So yes, there is a lot to love. But, and it's a BIG but, one aspect of our meal was just so bad that it tainted the whole experience. We were seated right away. The place is very well decorated and comfortable. The bathrooms are even super cute. The service was impeccable. Informed and attentive, but not smothering. The sardine chips kicked things off to a great start. As our meal progressed, our enthusiasm for the place grew. The cocktails we're inventive and amazing, the aromatic mustard oil in the Carnegie Martini was a nice touch. The doughnuts were fun. We had the hamachi and the beet salad, total stunners with a real complexity to each dish. Then the pasta course came. We got the tagliatelle with aged beef. It was fresh made pasta cooked perfectly and covered with tiny cubes of duck-fat fried potatoes. Amazing. They were hitting everything out of the park. Then the entrees came. Suddenly all the air was let out of our balloon. They weren't just not up to the level of the rest of the meal... they were awful. We got the Rabbit Mole and the Trout Almondine. The trout was more passable than the rabbit, but it was still over salted and under seasoned in every other way. It wasn't something you'd enjoy eating. The rabbit... I don't know why someone would ever want to serve rabbit like that. It came as white rolls, medallions of meat wrapped in a chewy fat. The mole didn't help. The whole dish was really confusing and pretty much inedible. I actually gagged as I tried to get more than a few bites down. I called it quits after that. This kind of put a damper on dessert, so we skipped it. We didn't say anything to our server because it wasn't as if these dishes were cooked poorly. I fully believe it was the chef's intention for them to come that way. They're taking risks in the kitchen and some of their creations are absolute winners, and some are weird fatty rabbit. The sad thing is that if we had just skipped the entrees entirely, and say, ordered another pasta, we would of left singing the praises of our new favorite restaurant (and had $50 more in our pockets). This place has no problem getting business. I write this for others who are considering whether to spend their hard earned cash at Rich Table. Go! It's really a great place with an fun menu and a wonderful drink program - just think twice before ordering one of their entrees. They still needs some work. read more

I really enjoyed my dining experience at Rich Table. The interior decor struck a nice balance between rustic and elegant. Rustic with large wooden tables at the center, elegant with tall vases of flowers, and dim lighting. We shared: The sardine chips: salty butterflied sardines through thin slices of potato chips served with horseradish dip. It's kind of like super fancy fish-n-chips in a bite. Dried porcini doughnuts: the texture of the doughnuts was a little heartier than expected but delicious with creamy "raclette" cheese dip Burrata with cucumber and burnt strawberry vinaigrette: melty burrata with sweet and savory reduction of strawberry vinaigrette, contrasting against cool and fresh cucumber pieces Bucatini with pork belly black garlic, green coriander: this pasta dish reminded me of "ja jang myen" which is made with pork and black bean sauce. It was an interesting rendition of my favorite childhood noodle dish. Garganelle with octopus bolognese, beets, and scallions: beets were an interesting addition I had never experienced before in a pasta dish. I believe there were also slices of pickled red onion that added a nice 'zing'. New York steak with green bean chimichurri: medium rare NY steak topped with crunchy green bean chimichurri sauce Buttermilk poached chicken, cauliflower, green garlic: I had to ask our server how good he felt about this dish because I had been disappointed by a very similar dish at Commis in Oakland. He assured me that it would be worth giving it a try here and I have to agree. The chicken was flavorful and so tender. Berry Crostata with yogurt mousse and plum sorbet for dessert Looking back, I can't believe there were only three of us and we ate all these, with no leftovers. I do remember being stuffed. Two days have gone by, and I am still thinking about the sardine chips and....the buttermilk poached chicken. I even wondered tonight whether I should stop by and order these two dishes to go or eat at the bar. I don't know if they will let me do takeout, but I might stop and dine at their bar someday. Why not? read more

A common complaint in the reviews below me are the portion sizes and amount of food received for the price. My boyfriend and I ordered the $75 tasting menu and man, it was SO much food. Tasting menu highlights: Starter: Radish with browned butter- it is simply a raw radish, but I wasn't aware that a radish could taste that spectacular! Spaghetti with browned butter sauce. Again, the simplest dish blew me away - the spaghetti was exploding with flavor. Maybe there's something special about that browned butter... New york strip with chimichurri. At this point (four starters, a salad, two pastas, another small meat dish) I was wondering if I would be able to finish the meal out! I'm glad I powered through the steak though, it was so juicy and the chimichurri was delicious as well. Dessert - chocolate sable with milk and mint ice cream. Milk ice cream. I don't quite understand it - ice cream with no additional flavor? But it was so new, different, and fresh-tasting. To top it off, the service was great - our waiter was so affable and informative! read more

Rich Table has been on the list for so long. I asked my friend to make a reservation 4 weeks in advance but of course he neglected to do it. No big deal though - we arrived at 5:45pm and grabbed seats at the bar. We were looking for a light dinner and shared three items: tagliatelle with burrata, garganelli with lobster, and Alaskan halibut. And let me tell you, that was a very light dinner. I had high hopes for the pastas but both were just ok. The lobster pieces in the garganelli were tiny and the texture was a little chewier than I would've liked. The tagliatelle was not as flavorful as I had hoped. And the halibut was refreshing and cooked well but the portion was pretty tiny. The drink options looked interesting but I'm trying to refuse alcohol as much as possible right now (I haven't been that successful). I was hoping that Rich Table would blow me away; even though it didn't, I generally liked the overall experience. read more

LOVE this place! The menu changes regularly and everything I've had has been interesting and delicious. Wine list has also been great and super reasonable! Not sure why others are complaining about prices.This is Hayes Valley, it's expensive, get over it. read more

Ridiculously rude staff. Hence the one star. - We had desserts mainly as we got there after dinner at another place. On the basis of the desserts, I would have given them 3 stars. - Now for the service ... After our initial order of desserts, I wanted to get one more thing from the menu. However, The waitress told us that the kitchen was closed and hence we couldn't order more things. Yet the the table next to us kept ordering???? - While we were eating dessert and having a drink, they gave us a check. That's fine. But then they came around and asked whether we had a ride home. Another hint for us to leave ... It wasn't that late and other tables were still occupied. So what the hell! At that point we just got up and left. I can't deal with rude and inept wait staff. There are too many good restaurants in the city for me to take this kind of attitude. read more

I came here for my birthday dinner with the hubby last night. The night started off on a positive note, but ended terribly. The food that my husband and I tried here was delicious. We arrived on time (9:15 dinner reservation) but the party at our table was still wrapping up so we grabbed a drink at the bar. Our courteous server James served us at the bar. The bar menu looks interesting - however the rose on tap seemed slightly strange. I asked James if any sweeteners were added to a drink that I was interested in ordering. A pretentious bartender refused to tell our waiter if any were included in the drink. I heard the bartender say, "It is what it is, and we can't modify." So I went ahead and ordered the rummy drink - it was very strong and sweet, indeed. My husband had the Victorian Lemonade which was fermented. We found out after reading the bottle. Our table was ready 25 minutes later, but at that point we were ready to order at the bar. I had the oysters from Island Creek, MA which were delish. We then shared the richilini pasta and burrata appetizers, followed by the pappardelle pasta and quinoa cakes. With the exception of the burrata, each and every dish took on a different iteration of a creamy, mayo-like sauce. Very rich and satisfying, but we couldn't figure out what was in it. He finished dinner with an average tasting buttermilk panna cotta served with peach and almond toppings. We left the restaurant very happy and satisfied. At least we thought. I had a stomach ache and was nauseous all night. Husband had full blown food poisoning. It was not a good night/morning. We are not sure if this was attributable to the sauce - could it have been sitting out all day in the warm kitchen? It's unclear but I would be careful about eating here. read more

Love the space, love the concept. My meal was just ok. The starters and pastas were good, and I was headed towards a higher rated review, but my main course was just a salad with a little meat in it. I don't know anyone who would willingly pay the price of an entree for a salad with a little meat in it. We're not talking the Zuni Roasted Chicken and Bread salad here, this was the size of a side salad and a huge disappointment. Desserts were also lacking, so we left feeling unsatisfied. I'll wait to see how they develop their menu as I think there are some great flavors and ideas cooking in the kitchen, and Hayes Valley is definitely in need of such a restaurant. read more

This place has a lot going for it. The interior space feels lively and attracts a nice crowd; the service is great and very attentive; the cocktails are delicious and unique; and the food is reasonably priced. Here's a rundown of some of the things I tried: I found the calamari and watermelon salad to be quite delightful. The crispy and crunchy calamari played well off the freshness and sweetness of the watermelon. The contrasting textures created a very interesting dish. Definitely a winner in my book. The grass-fed sirloin was a pretty good dish as well. However, I probably didn't see it at its best since the medium rare that I was hoping for came in just a tad bit over. Nonetheless, it was still very good. The beef was seasoned well and the eggplant had a sharp tanginess to it that paired well with the flavors of the sirloin. It was for me, the unsung hero of the dish. I really wish that they didn't charge for bread. Not that this is a bad thing, but maybe I'm just spoiled by all the other restaurants that give it away for free. But looking at it from a practical standpoint, this could be a good thing since you know that there's probably less waste and you can eat the bread with the comfort of knowing it probably wasn't another table's leftovers. The Big Night cocktail was a real head turner. It looks like Odwalla's Green Machine (which kind of looks gross), but is actually pretty tasty. If you like Ginger flavored cocktails, this is going to be a real treat. The caramelized olive oil cake was okay. It was definitely delicious, I wasn't going to kick it out of bed, but I know that I could've ended the night on a higher note. I've had richer and moister olive oil cakes. Overall, I think this is a nice trendy spot that I would definitely revisit. The food is interesting and you get a nice neighborhood community vibe to it. read more

I can't believe I thought we 'lucked out' getting a resy at 6 on Sunday while visiting SF... I realize we got stuck in traffic coming back to the city from Napa and had to go straight to dinner before taking a shower at the hotel. I wore flip flops. I was judged. By a hostess. With cankles. Enough said. All of a sudden our 'reservation' was a bar-area-high-two-top-off-the-map-nice-try-bye. It's fine. It was early. I wanted to eat though. The window view provided many scenes starring homeless anger and street style homeless fashions. After my Barbie size vodka martini, we waited 20 minutes to order our food. Clearly, you were busy? We had 2 salads, shared a pasta and 2 entrees. Everything was mediocre. Tasty but nothing to email a crazy food obsessed person you met a bar and exchanged info with about. The pasta with marinated eggplant was decent. Living in NYC, having eaten the purest most direct farm to table dinners in CT and MA, Rich Table will remain in my memory for its poor attitude and entry level food. Sorry not sorry but I'm not recommending and not coming back. read more

Obsessed. One of top 3 favorite restaurants in the Bay Area! Even though the bar area was crowded, the hosts greeted everyone with a big smile and seemed collected and unhurried. The noise level was very moderate for a small space, which speaks to how professional the entire staff is. The food was to die for! Everything was plated beautifully and the service was terrific. I can't wait to go back! read more

This place is a solid 4 star. In short, definitely a bit overhypped (NOT a 5-star, clamor-for-reservations, build-anticipation-for-a-week, your-1-year-anniversary kind of place), but would definitely be up for coming back (tasty, not expensive, has comparable stuff to a lot of other great places like delfina, flour & water, etc) Below, I list what we ordered and if you're likely to enjoy it or not: + Wild Fennel Levain bread: worth the $4. Dense pieces. Delicious. Don't get this unless you like carbs + Sardine chips: So I loved this. But half of my party didn't. It's pretty salty (duh, sardines). So only get this if you LOVE salty snacks. It's a sardine they stuck in a chip and fried. Don't forget to dip it in the sauce. + dried porcini doughnuts: I thought these were better than the Frances bacon beignets. Lighter, fluffier, delicious with the sauce as well + Richilini with chanterelles and black onion powder: this was our FAVORITE pasta. The black onion powder makes a little crunchy texture + pappardelle with aged beef: our second favorite pasta (close second). There was also a little bit of a crunchy texture and the beer was made perfectly. Reminds me of the braised beef tagliatelle at delfina / locanda - pork belly bucatini: this one was OK. the pork belly was chopped up into tiny pieces (like 1/2 the size of your pinky finger nail) so it was hard to "indulge" in the taste of the pork belly. - garganelli shrimp: our least favorite pasta. Not bad tasting, but just very one dimensional. It's also the smallest shrimp I've ever seen. Again, not bad, but wouldn't spend money or the stomach space on this + sweet potato cake (this is a new dish, not on the online menu). I loved this b/c I like sweet potatoes, but if you don't, avoid this. Reminds me of sweet potato latkes. + New york Steak - I'm not a huge steak fan but this wasn't bad. Not stand-out, but definitely nothing wrong with it. The steak lovers at the table enjoyed it. So there you go! Don't go crazy over this place. Once your expectations are set accurately, you'll definitely enjoy this place! read more

Yet another restaurant that makes me smile when I think about why I live in SF. Yes, it's a bit cookie-cutter in the sense that it looks a lot like Nopa, The Corner Store, and State Bird Provisions (think terrariums and mason jars as the primary accessories). Don't get me wrong, I loved everything about it, except for how crowded it is. Getting an 8:30 reservation for 4 on a Monday night seems acceptable. Rich table was packed with hungry customers waiting to sit down, making the space tight. Fortunately, staff were always very friendly and accommodating (we were offered drinks on the house because we had been waiting nearly 30 minutes to sit down). And we got to sample the Sardine Chips as well! Yummy. Along with that, other star dishes included: WILD FENNEL LEVAIN, HOUSE CULTURED BUTTER - thick slices of homemade bread with a huge slab of butter. Order to share otherwise you'll fill up just on bread. BURRATA, PUNTARELLE, SHISO, MEYER LEMON, PLANCHA BREAD - also order to share (even though it'll be hard to do). Puntarelle (never heard of before now) is this delicious green vegetable with a bit of a crunch, giving the entire dish a unique (read: addictive) flavor. FARFALLE, DUNGENESS CRAB, SEA URCHIN, HORSERADISH - easily my favorite pasta dish of the night. Another unique combination of flavors, somewhat on the small side. read more

OVER-RATED Why is this considered one of the best restaurants in San Francisco right now? I was not wowed by one dish here and everyone at the table agreed that the steak, which came highly recommended by our server, was one of the worst steaks we have ever had. Hype only lasts so long. This place will be closed in in a years time. read more

Overall not really impressed with the food. Secured reservation Sunday night at 9pm with a group of friends ready to be wowed. Like the others said the starters were better part of dinner. Sardine chips were the best part of meal. The main entree was really bad. We had the steak, rabbit and a few pasta dishes, squid salad. Don't remember the rest of the dishes as it was really forgettable. All were too bland or too salty. steak was overcooked. Oh and since when do you pay $4 for bread? Diners included a mix of all aged urban hipsters. Curious why they played music similar to Metallica. Added a star for our service. The server was relaxed and thoughtful. Wine list could use some help as I made the poor guy run 3 times for a bottle of red suitable for our dinner. End of the night he mentioned the famous chef Corey Lee of Benu was sitting next to us. wonder what he thought of his dinner :) Overall just disappointed. Really just a hype. read more

Amazing restaurant. Used to go semi-regularly before COVID, &ordered via Caviar last week -- didn't disappoint!

A friend recommended this restaurant to me and I enjoyed my dining experience here. The food was creative and high quality. Service was top notch. The ambience is fun and lively. Ordered: SARDINE CHIPS PORCINI DOUGHNUTS SEA URCHIN TONNARELLI DUCK RAVIOLI Overall, the food was amazing. I absolutely loved the pillowy doughnuts and the sardine chips. I would recommend this restaurant! read more

Amazing food, excellent cocktails at this fantastic restaurant. I'm a huge fan of their wine list as well. I recommend making reservations before going and now that they have a Michelin star I'm sure the lines are even longer. This happens to be my wife's favorite restaurant in SF. read more

yessssss!!! after hearing people rave about Rich Table over the past couple of years i can finally check it off my list. i made a reservation for three people and invited a couple of random friends to help me indulge in the tasting menu, which the restaurant calls "chef's pick." for $80/person you are served a generous nine course meal. if you are concerned about portion sizes i'll have you know that the second course of the meal is really five mini courses in itself. if your tummy isn't already filling up after that then i imagine you are massive human being. i held my expectations pretty high for this place based on all of the hype about the sardine chips and the dried porcini doughnuts and i'm happy to report that my expectations were absolutely met. it took you forever to get that reservation and now that you are finally there you want to make sure you get the best experience, right? if it's your first time i suggest the "chef's pick" to check out a bunch of items. that way next time you can be more choosy about what you want to indulge in. read more

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My friend and I were lucky enough to get a last minute reservation today, and we're feeling lucky that we did! We enjoyed incredible food, though the service could have been more prompt. Long wait times between courses meant that our dinner lasted over 2 hours. Must Try deserts and Porcini doughnuts! read more