David's Delicatessen & Diner

Quirky spot. Sat at the counter where service was mediocre at best, but where the atmosphere and service lacked, the food made up for. One of the best pastrami sandwiches ever.

We popped in for breakfast and sat at the bar. Loads of choice! I had the shakshouka- it was delicious! My husband had the spiced chickpea salad-he is vegetarian-it was one of his best breakfasts of our trip! Our server was really friendly and it was a relaxed affair. Fruit salad that my daughter ordered was big and fresh. Recommend a visit, for breakfast we can vouch for it!

Perfect spot for breakfast. Typical diner/deli setting. Open, friendly and clean. Food and service were outstanding! Jimmy was our server and was attentive and friendly. We heard that the shakshuka was great here, so I ordered it. It delivered! Spice balance was great. Eggs were cooked perfectly with a nice runny yolk. Tomato and pepper sauce had mild heat and the rye bread pulled it all together. The breakfast sandwich on a croissant was also a great choice. The hash browns here were the star. Crispy outside and tender on the inside. Homemade hot sauce hit the spot. Would 100% go back.

We were a group of 12 who descended on David’s Deli. Sat at the bar seating and had a great breakfast. Robbie our server was fab. Twelve different orders and everyone commented with big thumbs up for their food. Thank you for making 12 out of towners feel so welcomed.

I hope these classic city diners never go out of business. Perfect stop before or after a theater visit nearby. Choose from the Horseshoe bar or the Celebrity room. Food is classic NY deli style with the perfect ambiance of great tunes and comfortable stools. Wait staff seem like they were cast from a movie. I heard at least 2 languages beside English from customers and staff held conversations with all of them. This is a perfect example of why I love San Francisco and hope it never changes.

I wanted a quick Reuben before an afternoon show at the Curran across the street. I ordered a Reuben and potato salad. They were out of cream sodas, so water it was. The service was friendly, but extremely slow (it took four tries to get a glass of water). The Reuben wasn't the worst I've ever had, but it was right on down there. With the loss of Lefty O'Doul's on Union Square and Miller's East Coast Deli on Polk it's gotten difficult to find a decent Reuben in the City. The potato salad was very good. The ambiance is straight 1950s and the music fits right in.😃. The prices are high, they are adjusted for being in a "tourist" area. Not a place I would send my friends.

We used to go to David's for lunch, when I worked at the Hotel Plaza on Union Square in 1967-1969. I met my wife in 1972 and she worked for a travel agent on Sutter St near Grant Ave. I met her at Union Square and took her to lunch at David's. She asked me what I was having and I said Gefilte fish soup. She asked what it was and I told her fish balls in broth. She exclaimed, Fish don't have balls! After I explained it we laughed. I still tell this story. We were back in town a few months ago and stopped in for lunch. Still the best pastrami on rye!

There are plenty of cookie cutter restaurants in any given city. There aren't enough great, old school delicatessens. Sitting at the giant bar that fills the whole place feels like a throwback to before I was even alive (might be an old soul occasionally, but I'm not actually THAT old). Vintage music plays in the background as you get served up hefty portions of classic dishes. There's a real sense of ambiance in a place like this, and while the food isn't incredible, it's also not trying to vie for a Michelin star. I had the bagel breakfast sandwich with more eggs and bacon that could even fit. Both were tasty but the bacon clearly came from a batch that had likely been mass cooked some time ago. The bagel was great, and I would likely order this again, just expect better than average diner/deli food and don't expect to be blown away.

Visited David's Deli for the first time today. Considered another place but there was a long line so ventured over to David's. We sat at the counter and it was as if we stepped back in time. The decor is old school, rustic and welcoming. The service was excellent. The Grilled Chicken Sandwich was a bit dry but fries and salad were tasty. The Split Pea Soup with Challah bread was delicious. Others around us had the Ruben sandwich and Botscht stew both looked great. Definitely would visit again.

The best breakfast I had my whole trip. Good prices. AMAZING services. The little Asian man is delightful. Never had anything less then a 1/2 full cup of water or coffee. My tofu scramble was flavorful and my hash browns were nice and crispy. Cute diner vibe. 100% would return

Went in to order food to go. We grabbed, split pea soup, latkes, and a chicken schnitzel sandwich! All very delicious. And the server who took our order was kind and let us take a seat and served us some water while we waited. A cute little interior, kind of still an old school vibe at the bar was fun.

Classic diner vibe right near union square. Omelettes were delicious and coffee was strong. Service was great during the slow Saturday morning. Bagel was unfortunately just store bought - David's should partner with Wise Sons or someone for fresher local bagels...otherwise no complaints.

Great spinach omelet and decent coffee. Prices are great for the quantity of food. Service was attentive and friendly. I'd come back

There are plenty of cookie cutter restaurants in any given city. There aren't enough great, old school delicatessens. Sitting at the giant bar that fills the whole place feels like a throwback to before I was even alive (might be an old soul occasionally, but I'm not actually THAT old). Vintage music plays in the background as you get served up hefty portions of classic dishes. There's a real sense of ambiance in a place like this, and while the food isn't incredible, it's also not trying to vie for a Michelin star. I had the bagel breakfast sandwich with more eggs and bacon that could even fit. Both were tasty but the bacon clearly came from a batch that had likely been mass cooked some time ago. The bagel was great, and I would likely order this again, just expect better than average diner/deli food and don't expect to be blown away.

I always enjoy eating here and I decided to come back here and I am so glad I did! The food here tastes amazing and the service was very friendly and the ambiance of this place is phenomenal! I highly recommend people try this place. If I can give them a 10 star rating I would!

I can here for an early am breakfast as it was close by our hotel. It has that nostalgic 1950s diner with old school vibes. The service was good since it wasn't that busy. They had a nice around the counter seating and I particularly liked their house made hot sauce. Breakfast was two eggs sunny side up. Bacon and some challah bread. It was just fine and a good vibe.

This place is nostalgic with a cute diner bar. Food was good and people were nice. I had eggs and bacon, delish.

Super yummy and fun place to grab breakfast! We had to stop by two days in a row on our trip.

Would give them a 3.5 if we can. The food was decent and the service was pretty good. Place gave you a classic old school ambiance but a bit run down. Reason for the three stars is that for the price that is comparable to other nicer places, you're not getting much of a value. But I think 2.5 stars is undeserved.

One of the best tuna salads/tuna melts in SF! This unassuming deli on Geary has been around for ages and I finally got around to trying it out. The staff are all very friendly and the ambiance is a bit worn out, but the food is as good or better that one of those places like Mel's or Lori's. The tuna salad is so good. Not overly ladden with mayo and they use fresh diced celery and red onions for a balanced bite. Tried that with a bowl of their Matzo soup and it was the perfect lunch. The Matzo ball was tender and the size of a tennis ball. A fellow patron had pancakes that looked pretty tasty too! Next time! Its not in a great area, but sandwiched in between some hotels and walking distance from the heart of Union Square lies an old school deli with recipes that I doubt have changed since the 1950's when it opened.

Right down the street from our hotel and definitely a keeper. We came in for a late breakfast so they were not crowded (some mornings the line was out the door). Service was great and the pricing good, considering your are in the heart of SF. The menu is extensive but my wife chose a bagel with cream cheese and a side of fruit while I had the Shakshuka with 3 eggs. This came in a cast iron skillet (very hot) and it was great. Bottomless coffee and tea so what else do you need? We were now reasy for the day - and another 5 or 6 miles around SF. Nice background music and the venue is a lot bigger than it looks from the street. Old style deli/diner feel with formica counters and stools. Nice!

What a throwback to back in time! Service is amazing. The food is classic, good, and delicious. I have been here many times and have yet to have a bad experience. Completely recommend you check it out. Have the coffee, split pea soup and enjoy the old music.

This is one of those places that prove that you should check Yelp first. We popped in for a "quick" diner breakfast. Spent over an hour waiting for our food only to receive terrible, cold food. It takes a lot to screw up simple breakfast items... but they achieved it. My French toast was so cold and so HARD that I could barely even cut the slices with a knife. I am not even exaggerating.

Overpriced. Had lox and bagel sandwich. $21 + tax. Not much lox, lots of cream cheese. Can't say it was ok because I couldn't taste the lox. Onions sliced too thick. Tomato not ripe. Service was good and they told me no need for tip for takeout. Nice ambience but not worth it.

Good food and great service! This is one of my neighborhood go-to places! I like the old-school diner feel here.

No, no, no. We went based a friend's referral. Should have known better when a deli on has yellow and dijon mustard. The corned beef was fatty and my chicken schnitzel seemed like it came from Costco Plus we asked for rye bread and received white bread. Heed others reviews and avoid

It was ok. I didn't expect hot pastrami to be fried and just bread with it. It was convenient. Lox were yummy.

Super cute deli bistro with counter top service! This reminds me of the city in the 80's! We made a quick stop here between shows at the Curran Theater. What we had: 2 coffees 1 eclair Excellent service. This has the feeling of days gone by and is the perfect place to pop in and relax between shows. The staff was very nice, desserts were served fast and they were fresh. I wish we would have seen this diner for our dinner as the menu looks super cute and nostalgic. We will be back!

I was commenting to my wife that it must be incredible to have been such a staple in the community that one could remove service from their business model. Slow as molasses and nothing you can do about it. Don't eat here if you're planning to see a play across the street within two hours.

I enjoyed the food here. The pastrami was lean and juicy with caramelized peppered edges on every cut. My son had pancakes and enjoyed them. Went again a few days later and had the meatloaf. It is served with a brown gravy that was sublime. Definitely check that out. This is the restaurant underneath the Touchstone Hotel on Geary. If you like an old school diner feel, this is the place. Service was good at the counter during morning rush.

Visited on a Sunday morning at around 9:30. There was only one patron at the counter when we arrived, but the place quickly filled up at around 9:45. There were a few people helping us throughout our meal and everyone was very nice. I tried a bowl of cabbage soup, which came with challah toast. The soup was good, but the toast I got was stale and was not good challah. Overall, it was an average experience, but service was slow. We didn't say anything but I saw two people from different tables complain to the employees. Looks like other reviewers have the same complaint as well.

Super nice guy behind the counter of this hole in the wall place. Menu says 1/2 lb of meat on the Sammies. Doubt it was 1/4 lb. Definitely prepackaged rye bread (think grocery store), which may be why they toasted (without warning). Pickle was ok. Pastrami was fried to reheat and had grizzle parts. Fries are ok but think they may have been refried. It's the city so I expect higher prices, but also hope for decent quality. I wasn't expecting Katz's quality but was hoping for something better than this. I really wanted to like this place, but....

I don't write reviews but when I saw the low star count I knew I had to. This is one of my favorite places to go for breakfast if I'm staying in Union Square. Great service and amazing food every time! I always try something different each visit. Can't go wrong at David's!

Cute little place in downtown area. Weird experience overall though. First, there was a light garbage smell coming from the back room, not a great start. But we chalked that up to the place being so damn old. The atmosphere fortunately had a very cool vibe with great 1940-50s music playing. The food was pretty good. Loved the fries, but I always like the thin cuts without any coating on em. Had an excellent greasy spoon mushroom Swiss burger -- which is my default diner litmus test. The waiter was attentive and very nice. Overall I was very happy with the food and experience. That is, until some weird hotel person  yelled at the chefs to help with someone's bags for the attached hotel next door. She was super unprofessional and kinda mean. It was so bad that I almost got to to defend the poor wait staff. Instead we minded our business, left a heavy tip for the poor guy, and split... With all that said, if you're interested in a decent old school greasy spoon diner vibe in the middle of Union Square, it's worth checking out. I would just set the expectations a little low due to whatever that hotel mess is going on next door.

First timer. This was very close to where my work conference was so we decided to stop in. I tried not to let the two-star rating make me biased one way or the other. Walking in, it appeared to look like an old diner with a bar that wrapped around the entire inside. It smelled oily when walking inside so I hoped my food wouldn't resemble that. I ordered the breakfast bagel sandwich with egg, cheese, and bacon. It came with assorted fruit: apples, oranges, and bananas. The bagel was lightly toasted and the egg to cheese to bacon ratio was perfect. I loved how crunchy the bacon was. And...it wasn't greasy at all! The server was nice but there were only a couple other people dining in and it seemed he had a hard time keeping up. My coffee didn't get refilled and neither did my colleagues drinks. I was more impressed than I thought I would be. Just not somewhere I'd go on a regular basis.

This place was absolutely amazing and the owner took the time to make my daughter special Gluten free food. We love this place and wish it was in Reno. We stayed 5 days on Geary street and ate here every AM. The gluten free crackers my daughter loved. It was adorable, accommodating, cute, friendly, great food and good company. Thank you for being so kind to us.

Hands down the best place to get breakfast in the city. It has such a cool 50's vibe. Its a tradition for our family to grab breakfast and mimosas here before walking to the Giants game

Kosher like. The only thing that was advertised as kosher was the bread. Since Kosher wasn't a need, it fit our nerds. We had the potato pancakes. It came with generous helpings of sour cream and applesauce. That alone was 5 stars. A bit thick, but ok. Larger servings of pancakes. We also had the matzo ball soup. Fluffy and lots of dill. We had some stray noodles. Ok, but rather no noodles. Very tasty. Not your standard flavor. Plenty of seats. No wait to sit. The bathrooms appeared to only be upstairs. Seemed odd. Most patrons were from the theater across the street

Is this under new management??? There used to be thousands of reviews with and a general rating of 4.5 stars? What happened to the lovely Asian looking woman at the front selling the massive apple turnover pastries? I miss her! I lived in San Francisco for 12 years during the early 2000s and David's was the best lox bagel ever!!! The pastries in the front corner were always something out of a fairy tale! Haven't been back there for 12+ years but thinking of making a road trip in the next couple of weeks just for that locks bagel and gigantic delicately sweetened crispy yet moist apple turnover!!! I'm kind of dreading going back though. Easily the most beautiful and fitting city for me, at that time. When I left, the city seemed to be teetering between it's beatnik roots and it's antithetical tech boom. When I moved out, I noticed my area changing before my eyes...really fast. Over the years, I've heard that the city has traded it's rhythm and soul for some gadgets and stuff. Sorta fearful to find out if that's actually true - - - I guess there's only one way to find out.

Excellent food! The Reuben & Latkes were pretty much amazing. I'm a little surprised at the mixed reviews they've gotten; perhaps they were struggling in the past? As of today, though, I will absolutely come back. Do be sure to watch the step/ramp combination in the entryway; it's a doozy! Unfortunately that's just the way of life in these blocks abutting Nob Hill.

Omg. Had the most wonderful experience here. Not only is the staff friendly and outgoing the food is amazing. I have never been treated so well at a restaurant and I was ordering to go. They offered me a seat while I waited and a glass of ice water. Extremely impressed here

Great service and food! Old school deli with a menu for all tastes. Prices are fair for SF and the ambiance brings you back in time. Loved the circular counter. This place is a gem and I am not sure why the previous reviews were so bad. Check out when in Union Square!

Popped in before a matinee at the Curran because the line at the Pinecrest was too long. Plopped down at the counter, perused the menu and ordered. Bagel & lox sandwich for me and BLT with potato salad for HB. Food was good, enjoyed the diner atmosphere and classic 1940s music in the background.

The most underrated place in union square!! I've been here at least five times and have never been disappointed. Prices reflect SF/union square, but the portions are huge. The challah is amazing along the two eggs any style. The service is always good and quick (at least at the counter where I sit). It's never really busy and I have no idea why! If you're inclined to go to Pinecrest down the block, try David's instead. Such a classic in the city, it has my heart!

Had the latkes, they were delicious! Very nice and amiable servers, peaceful ambiance. Definitely recommend!!

If you are person of color, staff at David's Deli will ignore your presence. We went into David's which has counter only seating (reminds me of NY delis), sat down, and waited for service. The staff behind the counter passed us several times without acknowledging us or even asking us the basic question of coffee, tea, etc. After 5 minutes of patiently waiting for service, seeing him provide a couple that came after us, we got up and an left. And even they noticed his behavior. Ultimately I took my hard earned greenbacks to Mason Cafe where we we seated in less than 30 seconds. If David's Deli fails, I won't shed a tear. They deserve whatever comes their way.

Love the ambiance of this old school diner and the classic standards playing softly in the background. The service was friendly and fast. My coffee was excellent. I got two eggs over medium, bacon, hash browns and rye toast. Simple but cooked perfectly. I'm in town for another two days and I'll definitely be back. I plan on trying their pastrami on rye before I leave.

Been reading my grandfathers diary from 1965. He mentioned he took my Grandmother there twice that year. They drove all the way from Stockton to go to this place! I googled it and found that it was still open and very much like it was back in the day! After reading about the man who opened it (David Apfelbaum), his story was so heart warming...I Had to go! The wrap around diner is a piece of nostalgia and Formica. I could just imagine my grandparents enjoying their meals there. We got the pastrami on rye, bagel with lox, cabbage borscht and omelette with turkey bacon. All said it was yummy and would come back. The service was ok. The waiter behind the counter seemed a bit disinterested but that didn't stop us from enjoying this little gem of nostalgia! I'd like to go back to try more dishes!

Disappointing, honestly--the people and place are nice, but I ordered a tofu scramble and it just wasn't very good. Didn't finish it, which is unusual for me. If you're in the area, the Pinecrest Diner across the street is probably better.

Reliable and satisfying! In a city with many food options you kinda just want what's convenient and dependable. This is David's Deli. Way more spacious than it looks from the outside, attentive service, food came out quick for a Friday morning. The style is very reminiscent of a NY deli and the music is such a delight while we're munching. Worth stopping by if you're in the area.

5 starz for the fact they let me order even tho they where in the process of closing...when I walked in they said politely sorry but closing...i kindly replied can I please place an order to go..they pondered the thought for a few checked with the chef and said ok Ordered a Turkey sandwich and a corn beef sandwich...very good

Fast and friendly service. We were able to take a seat at the counter and our order was taken. The food is out quickly and served steaming hot. My coffee was topped off several times, as was my wife's water. I had the French toast with fruit and my wife had eggs, bacon, and hash browns. All for less than $28. Not a bad deal in the heart of downtown

Delicious authentic deli. One of the few legit places of its kind left in The City. Check it out!

I'm not sure why this place has an overall rating of 2-Stars. Believe me, it's no 4 or 5 star place. We arrived early for a play and roamed around, looking for a place to eat. We tried going to a couple other well rated Yelp places, but they were packed (over-packed). I wasn't in the mood to play jockey for a table. In somewhat of a panic mode, en route to a pathetic hotel restaurant we happened to pass by David's. It appeared empty from the outside, we were desperate so we stepped in. It was an old school diner. A majority of the seating was counter seating, a large U that wrapped around the main dining area. The menus were already laid out, mainly consisting of basic breakfast fare. I started to worry about why the place was empty, so I glanced at it's Yelp score and panicked a bit. David's was off to a bad start...after my coffee was poured, I was handed a creamer cup. Inside the container was milk, not creamer. Yuck! Apparently, they might not have cream. I never quite figured that one out. I ordered a corned beef omelet w/ hash browns and toast. The toast was either white or wheat. No sourdough? Weird. When I received my meal, I realized there might not have been cheese on my omelet. I almost questioned the corned beef too, but I let that go. It was actually a decent breakfast. My seat had a clear view of the juices and condiments being stored for use. Very low end stuff. I didn't die. I didn't get stomach issues after. I applaud that. Service was standard, but friendly. Honestly I don't know why the very low rating. Oh...bathroom was clean. Bonus!! The place isn't cool and hip like some people like to see. It served a purpose and delivered a decent meal. Not the coffee though...I really needed cream. We entered this place in a panic; thinking we'd starve to death in the heart of SF. We left better than we entered. (slow clap).

Come to David's to get the true New York 1950's deli experience. But keep your expectations in check... the quality of the food and customer service could use some improvement. My go-to order at David's is the $8.95 egg plate. It comes with hash browns and challah. It also often includes a depressing, mangled orange slice. On my most recent visit, I asked for my eggs scrambled soft. They came hard. I also asked for the hash browns crispy. They were not. The challah was well toasted and delicious. PRO-TIP: David's has a relatively hidden back room with conventional seating if you don't want to sit at the U-shaped bar in the front room with the fixed position stools. The backroom does have a bit of an odor, however.

We walked into this place because it was empty and we were hungry, just passing by. We sat ourselves at the cool-looking wrap around bar and a man came up to take our drink order. The menus had already been placed on the bar in front of each stool. When our drinks came back the plastic cups had all sorts of marks on the rim as if people had been touching them and maybe even chewed on them a bit. I ordered a salami sandwich because I love salami but the menu fails to mention that the salami is kosher and it was more like bologna than anything else. The service was slow, the place wasn't that clean, so I understand why it has been getting low ratings. The fries are very thin and resemble sticks more than anything. I won't come back. I should have read the reviews before I went! The only reason this place would get a better rating would be because the pastrami sandwich was decent and the coconut macaroons I had were the best I've had yet! Crispy on the outside, bursting with flavor and moist on the inside.

A True 1950s Diner Experience!! When you walk in Taking you back through the true history of San Francisco, or New York ,Chicago or the Mid West. That old fashioned breakfast what is really was. Walk up and seat yourself at the 50s counter as you sit down take a look around.Some of the old history everywhere. Light jazz Big Band Music plays 1936 in the background of some easier times of when enjoying your food and friends came natural. Seated at the counter you are greeted by one of the waiters very fast.They are quick on getting you coffee. The menu is truly an 1940s experience of the times. Food arrived hot and well plated nice serving size. I being from the south am very critical of the breakfast. This Diner Scores a 10 with me,I did eat here twice despite the reviews. An old fashioned diner , Great Service, Great Atmosphere, Great Prices.