This sleek American eatery boasts locally sourced fare and stunning views through its floor-to-ceiling windows, perfect for any occasion.
"If you want to watch the actual parade on Sunday in a little bit of style, you should spring for the rooftop party at Bluestem, where you can overlook Market Street and enjoy a few drinks without having to wade through the throngs of people who’ll be lining the sidewalks. A $45 wristband gets you in-and-out access all day as well as two cocktails, and the full brunch and dinner menus will be served throughout the weekend (look out for a great burger and a croque madame with rosemary ham). One of the cocktails being served: The Green Lantern (pisco, basil, cracked black pepper, with a salt & sugar rim), named for DC Comics’ relaunched gay superhero." - Jay C. Barmann
"Bluestem will be open on Christmas Eve with its full menu and special holiday additions. Aunt Chrystl’s Austrian Punsch and other festive cocktails will be available, as well as all manner of holiday desserts from consulting pastry chef Lori Baker. Reservations can be made online here." - Ellen Fort
"Bluestem Restaurant and Market will serve its last rooftop cocktails and roasted chickens on December 24. Owners Adam and Stacy Jed are closing the restaurant permanently after more than a decade." - Paolo Bicchieri
"You know a cake is a hit when the customers will revolt if it’s ever taken off the menu. Such is the case at Bluestem, with its ever-popular Honolulu Hangover Cake, which has clung to the menu since the restaurant’s opening. It’s a dark chocolate cake soaked in rum, with coconut filling and a marshmallow meringue with toasted coconut on top." - Dianne de Guzman, Becky Duffett, Ellen Fort
"POV: You’re sitting on a rooftop in the Financial District on the hottest day of the year to kick off the first day of summer in famously balmy San Francisco. It’s a celebratory time; blue and gold confetti paper the sidewalk below — and it might come off as reaching, but good weather and local pride are enough, today, to stave off the doom and gloom. That’s when the first slurp of oysters joins the fray. All of a sudden, it’s clear: A view of the city, a chance to laugh, and a Pacific mollusc rinsed in lemon really are a cure for what ails you. Bluestem offers a harvest salad that’s worth its weight; meaty cuts of beet like chunks of watermelon; and the kimchi hushpuppies, gluten-free due to their chickpea flour coating, will always be too few. But it’s the oysters, sweet like cucumber, that are just what the first day of summer demanded." - Eater Staff
