Kind of disappointed. Next door State Bird is in my top three restaurants of all time, where every single dish is incredible. Sister restaurant The Progress doesn't live up to a State Bird. The atmosphere and service is great, but the food was kind of boring. Granted, all the ingredients are fresh, but nothing stands out or wows me. I wanted more and felt like I spent a lot of money for bland time killing boredom. The only flavor that stood out was salt. Anyone can put salt in food. read more

Another terrible meal, over salted and not one thing that I enjoyed. And I was here with someone who was an early adopter of State Bird and thus worthy of a visit by the chef to our table. I don't get it. read more

The food was amazing, so I'm giving three stars because I want to give the chef's the respect they deserve. $600 dinner for 4 people is fine. Not offering to re-fill a wine glass when someone accidentally spills their $20 glass of wine is not fine. Boils down to this: I consider a $600 dinner an "experience," not just a dinner. A restaurant charging that much should (at all times) be contributing to the experience. When someone spills their wine on accident, they're already embarrassed. Not providing a refill just lets that person sit there not drinking while the rest of the group continues drink. That detracted from our experience. If you want to be of such a high caliber of a restaurant, then be it. Don't fake it. It takes more than constantly refilling water glasses. I've paid much more for a dinner, but left the restaurant 100% satisfied because the experience was extraordinary. I was originally bringing my parents here next week. I cancelled the reservation. Because if you're not going to take the experience seriously, then I'm not going to pay for it. read more

I suppose my new year's resolution is to eat out each night and at a new restaurant every time. I made my way out to The Progress with the BF and a friend visiting from LA (with whom I also went to SBP my first time!). We aren't the type to make reservations, so we pressed our luck by going early to wait in line for one of the few tables left open for walk-ins. The BF and I arrived first at 4:30p; no one was in line yet, but the SBP queue had already gathered. Here's the deal: if you don't have a reservation, you can get there early to wait in line and try to snag one of the seated tables. There's also an option to eat in the bar, but the tables are small and best for 2 people max; I even saw some people standing to eat at the bar -- whatever works. They open doors @ 5p for both resos and walk ins, with the option of hanging out by the bar to grab some drinks. For walk-ins, first seating is at 5:30p so we hung out for a bit. Cocktail prices are reasonable, with the usual selection of gin/rhum/bourbon/mezcal/tequila style drinks. Our table took awhile and I had to check in with the host again (who seemed a bit stressed), but we were eventually seated closer to 6p. The dining style and cuisine focus is quite different from SBP -- less tapas/dim sum and more family style portions with a huge emphasis on Asian flavors. The table has to decide on 6 dishes to fit within the $65/person, but if you want to add additional dishes, it's an extra $10/person per dish. After you decide which 6 plates you want, the chef and staff will portion out the dishes depending on the size of the group. We selected the following: + Amuse bouche of smoked lap xuong, fermented goat cheese and pickled radish, broccoli tempura, and toasted seaweed with a salmon/mustard seed topping - beautifully plated and great rich flavors to kick start our palates. This really set the tone of the Asian cuisine themed menu. + Shaved cauliflower-herbs and pig fries - one of my favorites of the night; the pig fries were crispy yet chewy at the same time. I could have ordered 2 of these to myself. + Sunchoke, rosemary, & pecorino "roti" - we saw someone order this at the bar and knew we had to get it as well. The roti dough was freshly made and presented in a tent like, folded manner with shavings of pecorino on top of it. I didn't care for the specks of rosemary in it, but the sunchoke was a nice break from the rich flavors. + "Treasure Chest" of fermented sausage, fish quenelles, tofu & pumpkin rice dumpling in a creamy pork broth - the production of pouring the broth into the soup is part of the experience. Seriously, do not sleep on this. The broth is rich and creamy like a ramen broth, with the tofu fried to a unique consistency that still maintained it's fry even while in the broth. The sourness from the fermented sausage (reminded me of something we ate in CPH) created a well-balanced amalgamation of flavors. + Don Watson's lamb scallopini with fava greens & cippolini - encrusted with sesame seeds, the lamb was cooked well and had a nice crisp due to the sesame seeds. By this time I was getting a bit full, so the smaller portion was fine by me. - Smoked black cod fried rice with squid & preserved lemon - I suppose I expected this to be like Mission Chinese Food's salted cod fried rice, and it wasn't. The consistency was more creamy and that's likely due to the rice being recently made; not the day old rice we usually use to make this ;) - Aromatic spiced squab with salted chili paste - we didn't actually order this, so when the chef brought it out we were confused. Our server had made a mistake and as a way to make-good, extended this plate gratis which was extremely courteous. Squab tasted like a mix between quail and lamb with a five-spice like rub; I wasn't over the moon about this dish so it was great that it was free. Dessert: our server gave us the option to order both desserts as 1 dish which was awesome -- he just asked us which one we wanted more of to portion it out accordingly. + Honey cocoa ice cream & olio nuovo w jasmine tea poached fruits, greengage plum jam & ricotta whey - dat honey cocoa ice cream was the richest chocolate ice cream I've ever had and want to keep eating. Mixing the jam and fruits together was also a nice refreshing touch. - Triple citrus sorbet & star anise lime caramel w gingered coconut floating island & candied buddha's hand - more neutral on this one, I could have eaten just scoops of the honey cocoa ice cream and been satisfied. Service was impeccable (despite the delay in being seated and the host looking confused when I checked in with her), the ambiance was bright and lively, and the food was spectacular. The tables were actually made from a tree in the Presidio that was either cut or had fallen down 4 years ago, and had been curing ever since. Apparently I'm into tables. read more

[gluten free] I've never walked through such a random door and been so impressed with a restaurant interior. And I've never been greeted by a friendlier hostess. To add momentum, the server was a pure delight and told me the two things I couldn't have on the menu (because of celiac), and that they would accommodate me for everything else. "There's soy sauce in some things, but we use Tamari." Dear server: thank you for knowing what you're talking about. Highlights: - The snacks you start with--possibly my favorite little bites of the entire dinner. - Pork fries. Now, they're not fries cooked in pork fat. It's pork. In french fry form. Mind blown. Comes with a great salad that marries a ton of great flavors. - The cocktails (we had a Manhattan and the one with pineapple & gin) we're fantastic as well. Low lights: - Wasn't stoked on the duck. - Get your wallet ready. read more

Delicious and creative but overpriced food for the portion sizes they give you. Service was adequate but incredibly snobby. Would be nice if the servers got off their high horses and remembered that they are there to impress the customers (who are spending a not insignificant amount of money there), not the other way around. This took alot away from the experience. State Bird does a much better job with providing helpful and humble service. read more

The low rating is due to value for the buck. If I drop that type of dough on a nice dining experience, things should be perfect. I really wanted to love this place. I love the concept of family style dining. For a set price of $70/person you get 4 appetizers (fixed), and 4 main entrees. There are also additional adders for ~$15 each and dessert for $10 each. The food was beautifully presented and plentiful. We had a bottle of Viognier that was wonderful with a dry pineapple/banana nose and a buttery finish. FOOD: We ordered the halibut ceviche (pretty but lacked flavor. Not recommended), the dry fried beans (delicious but they forgot to add the shiitake mushrooms), chicken polpette (flavorful as well but they forgot the figs until we asked where they were. The server gave it to us on the side) and grilled pork (the pork was well seasoned and cooked, but the crushed broccoli reminded me of homemade baby food). There are four additions you can opt to add for an extra charge. We chose the tempura striped shrimp for $15/dozen. The server (who was very nice) recommended to eat these whole. My friend and I tried it but we both agreed that the shell was scratching our throats too much. Either it needed to be fried more to break down the shell or younger. For dessert we shared a goats milk cheesecake that came with roasted cherry tomatoes and a sesame crusted cookie. Strangely I was not expecting it to be such a savory dessert. It was good, but I guess I was in the mood for something sweet. In addition to the food mishaps, I did not appreciate the fact that my chair was bumped by everyone that passed, even the servers. It didn't lend to a relaxing eating experience. As well, we asked for leftovers to be wrapped, but then the server didn't bring it to us; and we forgot about it until we arrived home. So there it is folks! We had a well cooked meal with tons of mistakes, bumps and forgets that drove the ratings down for its chaotic nature. What could have been an amazing meal was instead disappointing, especially since half of the two last dishes were to be packed and we didn't have it. For around $100+ a person, I'd give this place a miss to avoid disappointment. read more

Went here on a group dinner this past Saturday. Reviews looked great across the board so was expecting something above average. Nothing we saw or ate was impressive. 4 people with a drink each came out to $300 before tip. I would not recommend this restaurant to my friends/family. read more

I'd stick to State Bird Provisions. The Progress suffers from getting a bit too clever/creative with the dishes which are also quite a bit smaller than State Bird's. read more

Is the food good here? Yeah, it's good. Is the service good? Sure, it was good. Overall, it's a good place, but it's not even close to being good enough for the price and reputation it has. If this was a regular restaurant and we paid $40 per person, I'd be totally satisfied. However, this was $100 per person. For that, you really have to be spectacular. The Progress is not spectacular. It's a good restaurant that costs 2x-3x what it should. It's nice that they have a Michelin Star (which I don't think they really deserve), but don't buy the hype. Their sister restaurant (State Bird Provisions) is better if you're going to go with one of the two, but in general, I'd avoid The Progress and spend that money elsewhere. read more

OMG...be ready, cuz this amazing restaurant ain't cheap, but it's worth every penny. From the minute we walked in the door we were greeted with a huge smile, sat right away (15 minutes late to our resi), our server was spot on, the beer (IPA) was great, as was all the food and wine. The vibe and atmosphere is top notch (busy at 6pm) and when we left the bar was packed. The recipe for success and knocking it out of the park runs deep for these folks at The Progress and State Bird, so take it upon yourselves to make a visit. Plan on $300 for 2 people. Cocktail, dinner ($65/head), dessert (we went extra $10), wine ($80 bottle), and tip. Parking was easy (i think we got lucky), but if not Kabuki is right there. We did get lucky enough to see a homeless person pissing on the sidewalk when we left, but sadly, that's the new norm for San Francisco. read more

the service was wonderful and the meal...pretty good. we were not overwhelmed by the food but there were a few stand out dishes like the octopus and the beef dumplings which were amazing.  we were full and did not order dessert but we were celebrating a birthday. you would "think" they may do something special....well our birthday boy got a CANDLE glued on to a CERAMIC PLATE. tasteless for a restaurant that is quite pricey and has a Michelin star.  we all got a good laugh but will never go back!!!  PS - they also double charged one of our credit cards... read more

The Progress - candle glued to ceramic plate, how the progress celebrates a birthday if you don't order dessert. we will be laughing about this for years! - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Mixed reviews about our experience here. Overall I think our party of 6 enjoyed our dinner, but I really wanted to be "wow'ed" by the meal. Unfortunately the main entrees on the menu were not really to my liking - the three options were the duck, rabbit, and fried trout. We ordered the trout and duck. The duck was pretty well done. A bit gamey and also duck isn't usually something I'd eat. The preparation of the trout was not to my liking. It was described as fried whole trout but it was actually diced up and chunks were deep fried. The sauce on the fish was good but I felt deep frying it ruined the potential of the dish. Overall the entrees were 3/5. The starters and side dishes saved the meal. All the items we ordered were so well prepared and so many amazing complementary flavors. We doubled up on certain dishes and still the portions were a bit on the small side still. Among our favorite dishes were the slightly smoked tuna, the squid ink noodles, octopus, and beet and arugula salad. The ones that were ok but didn't stand out too much were the caviar potato cloud and the ravioli. The service was great and overall the bill was less than I expected (under $100 per person with gratuity). We were full without feeling stuffed. So overall not a bad meal but not the best ever and there are probably better places in this price range to go. We were able to get reservations for 6 on a Saturday two weeks before going. read more

The Progress - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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we came here for my bro's bday dinner, and i really liked it. for 4 of us, we decided to share 6 savory dishes and then order dessert after that. my faves were the alaskan sockeye, treasure chest and pig fries, particularly the last 2 b/c they were so unique. the desserts were also very good, particularly the coconut cinnamon ice cream w/ tomato caramel. yum! i love the decor of the place. it's hard to tell how large it is from the outside, but i loved the high ceilings. read more

Terrible service. Terrible food. Rude hostess. Rude waiter. Immediately upon sitting down we were told we had a two hour time limit on the table. This is not the way to greet a group of people who are going to spend money dining with you. There were two expensive drinks on our bill we didn't order. When we pointed it out to the waiter, instead of apologizing profusely and taking it off the bill he actually asked if we wanted it taken off!!!!Then he brought another bill, again with items we didn't order! These were not mistakes. This is fraud. I was there with a group of attorneys I went to law school with for an annual reunion. What a disappointing evening. We were treated poorly from the moment we entered until the moment we left. Nobody should eat here. If you do, carefully check your bill. read more

This place sucks. The hostesses, waitresses were horrible and so uppity and disrespectful. Who do they think they are. They charged us for drinks we never ordered and gave us such a hard time before fixing the charges. Terrible establishment. Horrible attitude and customer service. Do not waste your time and money there!! No "progress" here. Spend your 17 for radishes from your garden. read more

Had an amazing night here! The drinks are fantastic (recommend The Remedy), great wine selection and amazing food. Our fav dishes were the kimchi, pork and pear pierogis and the squid ink pasta. Above all, the service was fantastic. Our server Benjamin took the best care of us with great knowledge and kindness and just greatness. Seriously went above and beyond to give us an amazing experience and night. read more

Whole lotta love of at The Progress-- motivated staff and a unique menu synergize to create a memorable eating experience. I'm a huge family-style buff, and I love how you are forced to do that here. Big hint: leave your picky eating disorder friends at home. Although very awesome for two people-- hip, potentially romantic even-- I'd rather come with a bigger group because you can simply try more. And there's really no telling how the dish is going to come out until you see it, only amplifying the desire to try more things in the future. But on top of the food, I have to say the cocktails were excellent, well balanced, not sweet and unique variations on the classics. In a city that's increasingly churning out terrible, over-priced cocktails, I was relived to taste these! Amen. read more

I had high expectations going into this place because it's the sister restaurant to state bird and it has a Michelin star! Perhaps my expectations were too high, because I wasn't thoroughly satisfied with any one of the dishes. I came here a few months ago and I had the seared cod, lamb tartare, and don't remember the other two but I have to say the lamb tartare was probably the best for me. The appetizer plate with 6 different bites was interesting though, and I did like most of those. All in all, I left feeling not too happy about what I just dropped $60 read more

Really great dinner in a surprisingly large, bright, and well-designed spot. We had oysters and a caviar "cloud" to start, which were very good and well worth the supplemental price. The shared bites were great, especially the buttermilk biscuit and fried smelt. For dinner, we had asparagus salad, artichoke cavatelli, grilled octopus, and garlic fried rice. These were delicious, with my favorites being the cavatelli and octopus. The new sommelier is excellent and steered us right. We had a Patrick Bodouin chenin blanc that was a great balance to the dishes. Will come again as soon as I can. read more

Food- amazing, ambiance- stunning, service at the bar moody. My wife and I were on vacation in San Francisco-we tried to eat at State bird but not able to get in- so we were lucky to find a seat at the bar next door at the sister restaurant ( The Progress). The food was amazing- everything was on point, The smoked raw tuna was not impressive to start but once we got into it- WOW! Squid ink noddle were so so so GOOD. The Abalone was just ok- I think I am not a fan in general. The short rib did not fall SHORT- from amazing it was the bomb. The service at the bar not so great. We were nervous to ask any questions type of atmosphere. I do think it is a San Francisco norm- so if you are a tourist just have the look and talk the talk- if not you may be treated with annoyance and inpatients and judged. Overall the experience was amazing and cant wait to try State Bird next time we are in town. read more

Couldn't get into State Bird so we came next door to the Progress. Solid food with tapas options in 4 curated categories from meat to sea to veggies. They also offer large entrees that are easily 2 person servings. We had 4 tapas and some wine and were well enough full. We began with the charred summer beans. Really nice dish that had fresh beans of all sorts in a nice tangy sauce. Colorful and fresh.We then had the salmon tataki. Super raw salmon but extremely mushy and tasty. Very solid dish and maybe the best of the night. We also had the ricotta ravioli and the squid. Ricotta was smooth and featured a fantastic touch on the tongue. The squid was a little too hard and chewy for my liking and didn't add much variety to a typical squid. Overall, Progress was very good but dishes were small and taste not life-changing. Service was pushy at times but fine otherwise. Good for a big group to try many things, but the menu is limited if you're not into trying more exotic dishes. read more

It's expensive. That's about the only negative I can come up with. You have to try the artichoke. And the duck. The duck was simply perfect. With rice and cilantro and spicy peanut, OMG. Service was on point. Will return. read more

I was so disappointed. Took my boyfriend here for his birthday. The food was complicated but managed to be dull and flavorless. Super yuppy crowd. Pretentious and lacking substance. read more

Started with a Negroni thyme which was amazing. Unlike most bespoke cocktails this one actually contained some alcohol. First course was potato foam stuff with Caviar from local sturgeon. This was amazing and worth the walk down the cold Fillmore corridor to The Progress by itself. Next course was a forgettable tuna dish with ranch, pine nuts, and watermelon radishes. Wine was Chenin Blanc from the Loire which was great if maybe too pricey by the glass, but everything is now so who cares. The best dish was the octopus steak that was perfectly cooked and amazing. I forget the rest of the meal, courses here are small and spendy but it's a great menu and beautiful space. Service was good and efficient although our server was little too present. That's a minor complaint compared to the bad service most trendy SF restaurants provide these days. Great meal, great place, going back ASAP. read more

Wish they would bring back the crunchy fried rice with fried squid and the grilled squab with gochujang.

What an amazing evening to celebrate our anniversary. The small bites in the beginning were great. We had a pork stock soup with tons of seafood, much more filling than we anticipated, but great way to start off the dinner. We also decided to do 1 lighter plate and 3 heavier plates. Loved the grilled octopus with white beans and escerole. The fish and pork were amazing as well. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because I think they forgot our final dish and when we asked for it, it took another 20+ minutes to get it. If we weren't in a rush it wouldn't have been a big deal, but it forced us to rush the end of the dinner. Other than that - everything was great and it lived up to their new Michelin Star! Congrats to you guys! read more

This place has great cocktails, the food was delicious and our server was really accommodating and knowledgeable of the menu. They serve food until late and the family style portions were just what I like! California Pinot list could have used some work but other than that everything was 5 stars! read more

Everything is right and good about The Progress. Starting with the bartenders who create fresh & inventive libations swiftly and astutely and pleasantly accommodate for requests off the menu, such as my old school kir royale. We snagged a cozy booth across from the bar and our waitress immediately greeted us with a friendly and knowledgeable with solid opinions on recommendations on the ven diagram eclectic menu. From start to finish each course was a surprise and delight to our tastebuds. Starting with the potato fry bread, then the burrata with butter beans, to the brown butter seaweed noodles with oyster mushrooms and shaved bonito and finally the Tierra vegetables with masa dumplings and shredded beef cheeks with pepitas, which a glass of the Pissarres goes perfectly with. Throughout the meal our waitress and other staff were informative, super professional and very kind. The fresh vibe and tastes of the California cuisine at The Progress was the perfect ending to our week in the Bay area. Highly recommend and hope to enjoy again next time we are on the Left Coast! read more

Food was great, service notsomuch. Loved the raw halibut, lamb carpaccio was outstanding. The waiter's too cool attitude and shoving courses down one right on top of the next, however, put a real damper on the evening. So 5 stars for food and 1 for service averages out to a 3. read more

Super overrated. The food is fine, nothing spectacular as one would expect from the hype. I doubt I would ever go back. Just like many of the hyped restaurants in this city...one leaves wondering if the emperor in fact has no clothes. The service was very good. The decor is interesting with a nice aesthetic. read more

I don't usually write bad reviews but this one takes the cake. Came in (after 1 of our group had stayed up till midnight exactly 30 days previously to make the rez) with 4 other ladies for a birthday dinner. We aren't the types to care much about what things cost but this needs to be addressed. We ordered 8 dishes in all, 4 martinis (no special gin) & 3 glasses of wine (nothing extraordinary) & walked out with a $700 tab! I wonder if the woman who looked at the bill didn't have her glasses & I wasn't going to ruin the birthday girl's evening by making a fuss but I'm sure they ripped us off. The food was ok, I've had better (just went to Japan where everything was incredible) & for a lot less money. They must think they are so precious that they can make up pricing as they feel we deserve it. I will never go even near that place again!!! read more

We ate at the Progress for my sister's birthday (and mine, we are two days apart!) And it was fantastic! Everything they served to our table of 6 was delicious and even the pickiest of eater was able to enjoy! It's slightly more pricey than some places, but overall, the price is pretty reasonable for the TRENDY and TASTY menu! Definitely recommend checking it out if you haven't already! read more

i have eaten at my fair share of trendy restaurants in SF. The Progress does not disappoint! Trendy and casual atmosphere. The food is outstanding! Yummy and creative!! They also have a more private area upstairs. We dined there for a birthday and it was ideal. Provided privacy but also allowed us to see all the excitement happening below in the main dining area. Go here!! read more

We love the bar here. You can dine on anything in the restaurant but have a more casual vibe at the bar. Great cocktails and excellent farm to table food. We actually prefer The Progress to StateBird its more expensive sibling next door. The decor and lighting in The Progress is cool. read more

Great building, nice dishes. However what a disappointment OVERPRICED , overrated, overly small portions, overhyped and whAts the big deal.

call me old-fashioned, but all things being equal, I prefer the prix fixe approach over its sister restaurant next door. being able to mix and match courses, with the option of sharing, is novel enough for me. plus between the 2 of us we were able to try most of the dishes without stressing about what could or could not be coming out of the kitchen next. our server was super accommodating and helpful. we weren't able to talk to the somm, but had a very nice convo with one of the 'wine-geek' designated servers on the floor. the food was delicious, and although perhaps one or 2 of the dishes didn't make total sense, we're talking about 1 or 2 out of more than 10. read more

I really love this restaurant. Have only had wonderful experiences-- the ambiance is lovely, the staff is kind, and the food is outstanding. I have eaten mostly vegetarian dishes here, and I find that the food is beautifully presented and offers a unique/creative combination of flavors and textures. read more

the progress is a pretty good restaurant, but i thought it was a bit overhyped. i made a reservation for 6 about a month in advance and snagged myself a 9:30p dinner on a friday night. we were given a reasonably priced wine menu and a list of 15 savory dishes and told to select 6 for the table. there were also 4 dessert items anything beyond that would be $10 a plate for each person that wanted something extra. all dishes were served family style and were pretty good, but nothing really stood out except the kale & mushrooms dish and the "treasure chest". in terms of ambiance, i felt that the entire experience was very intimate despite the placement of our booth and the restaurant being well lit. it's hard to explain, but even though we were surrounded by people, it still felt like we had a private table and area of our own. overall, the experience was good. i'd recommend this restaurant to others, but more so for people who are looking to enjoy a decent meal amongst good company and less so for the food critic. read more

I went here for my birthday and we got seated right away but after that the service was more laxed. Our food came out pretty fast but if they didn't tell us what the dish was, I would have not guessed what they were. read more