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    TRACE

    3.8 (379 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

    TRACE Photos

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    TRACE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - TRACE

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    Reviews With Photos

    7/1/23 Breakfast with FRA-mily (friends since high school)
    Jennifer W.

    7/2/23 Day 2 at TRACE, today our server is Jane, the fabulous Alvin, our server yesterday, was so amazing with the attentiveness & service....and the food being delicious, my friends & I decided to return the next day. We're staying at The W, so this is also convenient. There's a myriad of options in this beautiful city but this makes the most sense due to the wonderful experience we've had. In short, check out the pictures posted of our food-just tasty, delicious with superb service from Jane. By far the most attentive of our servers this stay at the W at TRACE. Coffee is definitely more than decent & the detail of how the service made for a very delightful experience, I cannot express that enough. Everything at this establishment has been stellar except for one individual which I will mention for my review of The W San Francisco, stay tuned because, I will try not to leave a scathing review of his behavior. Will definitely return if were ever in this fair city.

    Menu
    Deb C.

    Nice place. French toast was really tasty with crispy texture I enjoyed. Would have liked to have known ahead of time that there would be cream on top for anyone lactose-intolerant. My friend had the cinnamon bun and enjoyed most of it though. Seemed very filling as she couldn't finish it. Good deal for $8 while the French toast was $26. Little steep on coffee being $6. Good combo with the $40 destination package.

    Hot tea + bagel and lox

    Tasty, but expensive! If it wasn't for the food credit I don't think I would've had breakfast at Trace since the omelette & lox/bagel was rather pricey at $26 each when I dined here. The omelette and roasted potatoes I ordered was simple, but executed very well. Nice and hot when it arrived to my table and it didn't take too long either. My sister enjoyed her lox/bagel as well, but didn't really have anything to note. I also ordered one to go to eat before my flight back home and it traveled well and was still very delicious when I ate it like three hours later lol.

    Eggs Chilaquiles
    Hemali S.

    Okay hear me out. This place is amazing. We had breakfast today and never imagined a service like this. The food was prepared quick yet had all the flavors of hours of manual labor. The staff was attentive and never let a glass go empty. The ambiance was relaxing while also classy. We have a few more breakfasts coming up this week, but if this is what it is like, I can't wait for the morning to come!

    Menu 1/2 - August 2023 - VN
    Vince N.

    Trace is a brunch eatery located in the lobby of W San Francisco. An included daily room credit brought our gang here for some morning fare. ATMOSPHERE: High ceilings, big windows, trendy decor and lighting. RESERVATIONS: Not needed as there were lots of open tables. PARKING: Hotel valet, street or the garage on Howard Street. BRUNCH MENU: Handful of continental and traditional breakfast selections, alcohol. BEVERAGE: Mimosa - $13.00 Adequate, conventional offering. FOOD: Avocado Toast - $23.00 I was hoping it'd be a light dish but it was very hearty. The single, oversized toast was blanketed with mashed avocado, two eggs and seasoned pea sprouts. Very good. SERVICE: Host service was immediate and professional. Our server was equally good. OVERALL: Slightly pricey with delectable offerings.

    Lox and bagel and I got eggs and sausage.
    Ted C.

    I had checked in early enough at the W that I was looking for a breakfast spot and after trying to find an entrance but found it was in the lobby of the hotel. I did that slow, 'looking for someone to help' walk since there wasn't anyone at the host stand and there were 2 tables occupied; had they closed down early because it was so quiet? Someone came up and asked me if I'm staying at the hotel and I said I had just checked in. She didn't seem to register that but I got seated adjacent to one of the occupied tables, a little weird since there was so much space in the place. I guess it ended up making sense, less space for our server to traverse. I looked at the menu and saw they had bagel and lox on the menu. I ordered that and since I found myself to be exceptionally hungry get 2 eggs and links as well. My server took my order came back, with curt efficiency and let me be. I wasn't expecting much from the bagel and it was thin but pretty tasty, not just bread with bagel seasoning on it. The lox though was pretty good as well, not overly salty or greasy. The eggs and sausage helped with that. My meal got assigned to my room.

    Twisted Cinnamon Roll
    Nicole K.

    While staying at the W hotel, I had $40 each day to spend at the property. I was able to enjoy a light fare and coffee at Trace. I got the twisted cinnamon roll, fruit bowl and a cup of coffee. I didn't realize that if you're staying at the W hotel, the coffee is waived until I got the check. I enjoyed everything that morning and the staffs were friendly and efficient. Would recommend if you're nearby or staying at the W.

    Eggs Chilaquiles
    Kayli D.

    We stumbled upon this place after the line for a place down the street was too long. It's inside the W, and you have to enter through the lobby. We got confused as there's a door with a menu and the name on the side, however the door is locked (and we weren't the only ones that had this issue). The inside was pretty, we got seated immediately. Good looking menu, but the food was just blah. Lacking flavor. After we paid, we ended up having to wait for someone to meet us so we tried to order another round of mimosas, however they never came. Our waiter was nice, very knowledgeable about allergies. Overall it was fine, convenient for where we were located, but wouldn't come here for the food.

    Breakfast burger
    Adnan C.

    Very good burgers. Everything on the menu is good. This is one of our go to breakfast amd brunch spots. Customer service is outstanding and staff is friendly.

    Cinnamon Roll. Flaky croissant like and amazing

    I drink my coffee, black, theirs was very good. The bowl of berries was ok, I had to pick a few old ones out. Eggs Benedict was perfect. We came back that afternoon to the Living Room Bar, which is the same menu and enjoyed the guacamole and chips but the cinnamon roll was amazing, flaky layers of cinnamon sugar like a croissant.

    Lovely table setting
    Winnie W.

    Not happy with this place. We had a party of 14 on Mother's Day and as expected, Trace is not busy. We KNEW that this place would be overpriced, BUT, we came for the nice decor and relaxing environment and just wanted to get away from the usual Mother's Day crowd... what we didn't expect is the POOR and INATTENTIVE SERVICE. From the moment my party was seated, we were pretty much ignored the entire time while other tables were being served and greeted. Our server was nowhere to be found. What seemed like a long time (I'm sure it's like 5-10 mins) someone finally brought the table water. We waited some more... Still, no menu, no waiter, no greeter. My sister finally walked to the Maitre 'd to complain about this. Then long behold, the waiter FINALLY arrived. By this time, we're 25 mins in after being seated. Well, he simply passed some menus around and then left... again.. and again, no where to be found. By the way, he was also short 3 menus... ok, no big deal I guess; we can share. But this just speaks to the level of inattentiveness. Then, after reviewing the menu for another 10'mins, we need to FIND OUR WAITER so that we can order our food. My sis has to go to the Maitre'd to ask for someone to help us, AGAIN. This time, we're told that there are actually 2 servers who back each other up and apparently, our primary server is pretty awful and the other waiter was supposed to pick up the slack... well, sorry, I don't really care! Can we just get some help here, and mind you, we're paying $20 for a bagel here so I do expect some service!! Well, throughout our brunch, my sis pretty much had to coach the waiters every step of the way... take away the empty coffee cups, more half and half for coffee please, more sugar, more coffee, more water, take away the empty plates... what the heck! For our party of 14, we pretty much ordered everything on their limited menu. All items tasted decent to pretty good, but everything is twice the price than what one might expect to pay : $16 pancakes -- very good, 3 very fluffy pancakes $23 smoked salmon bagel -- good but a similar bagel at New York Bagel would be $7 $28 Crab benedict - pretty good $19 Chicken Club sandwich -- ok, but awful chips $16 -- Steel cut oatmeal. Well, it's oatmeal When servers brought out the plates, they were very confused and did not have a clue which plate goes where and simply yelled out the name of the dish, waiting for us to raise our hand to claim the entree. AWFUL SERVICE. Again, we KNEW we'd be paying for mediocre food but we came for the nice ambience and to avoid the crowd. What we didn't come for is a 18% mandatory gratuity and awful service. Yep, there is a reason why this place is never busy.

    Pork belly with octopus
    Claire W.

    Dined here on New year's Eve with a few girlfriends. We chose this spot since some of the girls in our party really appreciate good ambiance and this is one of the cuter spots in town. Overall service was fine. Nothing to rave about and I would've actually expected a bit more and better service from a place like the W, but since we were able to get someone's attention regardless if it was our server or not, I'm fine with it. As for the food, I was pretty disappointed in their selection. There wasn't a lot to choose from on the menu. I ordered the crispy brussel sprouts and pork belly. As for the brussel sprouts, I found those to be tasty, but they were sitting in a bowl of what tasted like oil, potentially with some of the marinade sauce. I would've wished they separated the oil so that my sprouts weren't drenched by the time I got to the bottom of the dish. As for the pork belly, I wasn't a huge fan. It was too dry for my liking, so I only ate one bite. I did eat the octopus that came with it however and that was tasty. Overall, not a spot I would recommend specifically to try the food, but if you're looking for a good restaurant in the SOMA neighborhood with a full bar connected to it, and good ambiance, this is a spot to check out.

    Roasted pork belly - 2018 SF restaurant week
    Jennifer H.

    Went here for the SF restaurant week's dinner option. Starters - Ahi Tuna Tataki: The tuna was paired with a black olive vinaigrette, which brought out the sweetness of the seared tuna. The creaminess of the avocado really made the dish blend well with all the ingredients. Also, the portion was very generous. :) Roasted Pork belly: The pork belly was accompanied by a squash puree. The pork belly was cooked so that the fatty bits were filled with pork-olicious fat and juiciness. YUM! Entree - Liberty Farms Duck Breast: the menu listed duck confit croquettes, but croquettes were no where to be found. :( The duck was nicely cooked but we both thought the saltiness of the entire dish made it hard to finish. Would not order this again without asking for more bread. ;) Dessert - Chocolate ganache bar with cookie butter ice cream: beautifully plated but in terms of taste, it was not very creamy and had more of a cake texture. Vanilla bread pudding: Drenched with a butterscotch caramel sauce which made it ultra sweet and the perfect way to finish off the meal. Without a doubt, we both thought that the first course was the best dish that suited and satisfied our taste buds. The decor and environment is great for lunch meetings or client meetings. It is also located inside the W hotel and just a few blocks away from the conventions center.

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    1 year ago

    Nice place to sit down and eat. Good food, fresh salads, deliciously combined dishes .. we thoroughly enjoyed the food and the company.

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    2 years ago

    Amazing Food. Super local, tasty, responsible. Service was great. Ambiance is nice, close to many things to do. Nice hotel.

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    Ask the Community - TRACE

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    Mr East Kitchen

    Mr East Kitchen

    4.5
    (997 reviews)
    0.4 mi
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    Casual dining
    Vegetarian friendly

    I tried 4 different dishes and 4 different drink items. We ordered the Hai Nan Chicken, Shrimp…read moreBenedict, Pad Thai with shrimp, and Saigon steak. For drinks we got a hot and cold matcha latte, cappuccino, and a Jasmine milk tea. My favorite had to be the Saigon steak, the steak was so juicy and tender! Love the sunny side up egg on top, we dipped the steak in the yolk I loved the matcha latte, we got it with 0% sweetness and it was perfect for us. Helped wash down all the delicious food! Buisness was also popping on Sunday! We kept seeing people line up and wait for a table. Despite how busy it was, our food and drinks came out pretty quick. Everyone was very helpful when I was ordering l

    Great Asian fusion brunch menu and I especially loved the signature drinks here!…read more I love when you can make reservations for a popular brunch place instead of being forced to walk-in and wait. I made a reservation via Yelp for 3 people on a Saturday at 11:15am. My table was ready on time and they seated me even though our full party was running late. I got the Omelette Fried Rice (4.5/5), that came with delicious sriracha bacon, and an okay salad on the side. For my drink, I got the strawberry matcha latte with oat milk (5/5), which was fantastic. It's on the sweeter side, which worked for me. It was fairly busy and a bit loud inside. The dining room is long and narrow but has a decent amount of seating. Service was good, and friendly.

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    Mr East Kitchen
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    Lapisara Eatery

    Lapisara Eatery

    4.6
    (2k reviews)
    0.7 mi
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    The best place to have breakfast/brunch in San Francisco! Bright, beautiful, and atmospheric…read moreinterior where we enjoyed our meal. Delicious food with a huge variety of dishes to choose from. Very friendly and lovely staff. It's always a wonderful experience and leaves such a pleasant aftertaste after every visit.

    4.0 stars for breakfast--see dinner review below (5.0 stars)There are sooo many good brunch spots…read morein SF. In my opinion Lapisara ranks in the middle due to the other excellent options available. Seated immediately--had a reso but on a Wednesday morning not really necessary. It took a long time for the single employee to get to us but we weren't in a hurry. Cappuccino was very good in a cute "bear mug" and very reasonably priced. We shared a pacific omlet--not much crab, lots of shrimp, and nice swiss cheese/scallions but tasted kind of fishy--potatoes were only avg. Son said huevos rancheros were average. Price point good for SF and portions adequate to share. Location convenient so we will try dinner there tonight before a comedy show nearby. Dinner-5++ stars; 4 of us Had dinner last night-6pm-reso but not needed. only one other group dining. Single Waitress was great-we let her know we needed to leave in about an hour for a show and she timed everything perfectly--we even had time for dessert. we ordered so many items that she brought over an extra table--we shared everything family style. Most Yelp reviews only mention brunch but the dinner was awesome--service; food: taste/quality, presentation, portions, prices we phenomenally low for SF ($200 with a bottle of wine for 4 people). We started with the garlic butter clams-small but tasty. Tuna tartar was excellent quality and enough to share. Samosas were more like empanadas--very good with peanut sauce so good it rivaled my own home made. We continued our culinary adventure with crab fried rice-delicious, a large portion and my son who lives in SF and has tried dozens of crab fried rice ranked it in the top tier. The pacific catch rice noodles with crab was also excellent-big portion, lots of crab, tasty. Final entree was their specialty-Mussaman Curry. Wow, tender meat/potatoe "stew" with a very unique flavor from the star anise/cinnamon and peanut--to die for. Creme Brulee was very good with lots of fresh fruit accompaniment My only complaint was a very limited wine selection. Lapisaia will become one of our regular spots for dinner!!!

    Photos
    Indoor area of the restaurant.
    Indoor area of the restaurant.
    That bacon, tho...
    That bacon, tho...
    Strawberry Maple Croffle ($14)

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    Strawberry Maple Croffle ($14)
    Plow

    Plow

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    (3.6k reviews)
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    Plow is definitely worth the wait! Our group got a…read moredelicious smorgasbord of plates Lemon ricotta pancakes - absolutely delicious. Not too sweet - loaded with flavor Fried egg sandwich - pairs great if you split the lemon pancakes - sweet and savory - definitely add the bacon! The iced coffee was good - a little on the bitter side We sat outside, it was a hot day so bring a hat/sunglasses Plow is a spot to have on your brunch bucket list

    Phenomenal breakfast. We arrived on a Sunday at 8:30 and had a 45-minute wait. We got seated at…read morethe counter which I loved, because it was roomy and we got to see the cooks in action. The most popular order seemed to be the plow which came with a heaping of food and is large enough to share. I ordered a scrambled egg on the side with a honey butter biscuit while my husband ordered the prosciutto and Gruyere toast and a lemon ricotta pancake. The potatoes are an absolute must have. They're boiled then fried so they're soft and buttery inside with crispy edges on the outside and perfectly seasoned. The toast was a homemade loaf sliced thick, toasted with a slab of Gruyere on top that's melted, prosciutto, a beautiful sunny side egg, chili crisp, and some greens. The pancake on the side was yummy. The wait is worth it so don't arrive hangry because there will be a wait and potentially a long one depending on when you arrive. Order the potatoes. Order another side of them if you're sharing because you'll fight over them.

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    Indoor ambiance
    Indoor ambiance
    Buttermilk biscuit
    Buttermilk biscuit
    Cold brew Equator Coffee

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    Cold brew Equator Coffee

    TRACE - breakfast_brunch - Updated July 2026

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