Gibson Bar

I don't know why I didn't come here more often. Maybe because Gibson is in the HOOD in the Bijou Hotel. Or maybe because hotel bars just have a bad wrap. I'd been once back in 2019, only because I had some sort of deal (groupon/travelzoo?). I remember it being good and enjoying my food and cocktails, but thought nothing more of it. Fast forward to last weekend and I was browsing through Tock, trying to find ways to collect 10x Chase Dining points and stumbled upon Gibson's tasting menu with a cocktail pairing. The tock description had no information or price and neither did their instagram stories, but I decided to book it anyway. There's no res fee, so I figured I could cancel if needed. Anyway, we went - and it was such a great experience! There's so much thought and effort that goes into the cocktails - like years of experimenting and building ingredients. I really loved sitting at the bar and learning about all that goes into the drinks - you can really tell the guys here are passionate about their craft, and it really pays off. The portions here are pretty small, and I thought that the alcohol was a little light. So when I got home I ended up eating half a bagel from breakfast and drinking a can of white claw - but half way through that can I blacked out. SOoooo... I think that there was way more alcohol in those cocktails than I originally thought, haha. 10/10 will come back for more cocktails!!

This is the perfect restaurant for a pre-dinner show if you're going to The Warfield, The Curran, or in our case the ACT. We had a 6pm dinner reservation and finished our 3 course prix fixe meal by 7:40 for a quick two block walk to The Geary Theatre. The food, ambience, experience, and service were delightful. I couldn't believe it wasn't packed (Covid ), which is why I'm writing this review. This restaurant is attached to a boutique hotel and the ceilings are high and the tables are amply spaced. I felt very Covid safe even though we weren't dining outside. This dining room is also perfect for a large party. They can accommodate large groups. I've been to Per Se, Meadwood and other fine dining restaurants. I thought this was a perfect fine, casual restaurant with great food and service. Highly recommend. The homemade bread was also incredible, and I'm not a bread person! Cocktails are also great if you just want a place for pre or post dinner drinks!

Although the location is very sketchy in getting in there I will say that it is completely worth the experience. The bar is beautifully decorated and is very comfortable. They follows Covid safety protocols. The drinks are perfectly procured and crafted by a genuine bar craftsman. We had great meal options. The beef was beautifully cooked with fig sauce which is very delicately provided. The oysters were four dollars each and although they weren't great they were unique from Newfoundland. The walnut-based sauce was absolutely spectacular and well balanced in spices preparation and everything else you can imagine. We also had the dumplings which tasted too much like cabbage and not enough flavors, and finally we enjoyed having a relatively to quiet dinner(before theater show) since the restaurant bar were completely empty at 7pm

I booked this restaurant not because other places were full - Lol, that's just weird. Anyway - the guy that runs this place is nearly a genius when it comes to cocktails. I've ran many high end places with our creative cocktails, I do my own barrel aged cocktails at home and change the recipe. This guy - I'm thinking his name is Adam but I'm too lazy to look does things that make your Jaw Drop - reduces an entire ton of cherries into concentrated juice for his fantastic drinks. We had a fantastic meal - the place wasn't packed - it's in a hotel so the fact that it was more than half full means it's good in my opinion. If you're in Des Moine, Madison, even Pittsburgh, you go to a hotel for their excellent food, but a town like San Francisco or New York, they're competeing on an entirely different level to make it special, not just put the run of the mill steak, salmon, and chicken dish with a Roman Salad aka another name for a Caesar Lol. I brought some Sean Thackrey Pinot Noir and it taste like the best Burgundy I've ever had - DRC GRand Echezeaux. A big super complex Pinot Noir from the best vineyards of France. And this guy made it in Marin - now that's fascinating! Our wait person was fantastic. So many women in this industry do a spectacular job at it, I'm always happy to come across someone that's smart, knows their product, is fun and friendly and still appropriate. That's what you get here. The staff - Front of the House is excellent because Adam knows how to hire, train, and create an excellent atmosphere. After my dining experience - probably Mid July 2019, I told all of my friends, and especially those that like creative craft cocktails. All of the feedback I received was this guy rocks and the balance of flavors was perfect. You know when you order a drink and it's wayyyy too tart, or wayyyyyyy too sweet - like weirdly sweet like Midori Melonball Liquore and they used too much. CHECK IT OUT - GREAT Atmosphere, Best Craft Cocktails anywhere in the city, and the Food is Top Notch well prepared and delicious.

We came here randomly after seeing the line at Kin Khao. We ordered hamachi, oysters, bread roll, two pork, and one beef dish. The food was spectacular. Minor critique would be to add more citrus to the oyster vinaigrette. Now let's talk about the service. Expected more and it under delivered. Waiter should have come more often and they might have gotten another round of alcoholic drinks (where the real money is made). Also it seemed they forgot the oyster order because i had to remind the waiter. Add the extra wait to pay the bill it just seemed as if the front of the house could tighten up. Really want to give y'all 5 stars, but service was not on point. I will say that there was a big company Christmas party present and it might have caused the disruption, but I will try to give it another shot. Help me give you 5 stars your food is yummy and I'm want another scrumptious local spot

Upon arrival, the atmosphere and the restaurant itself is beautiful! It's a aesthetically pleasingly and definitely classy. Our server was very sweet and knowledgeable about the menu and gave us many suggestions. Which is a huge plus :) we got taste of the sea appetizer- kinda disappointed on the portion but was tasty. The caramelized coconut kola is "too weird" for the tastebuds and definitely an acquired taste. In terms of food- I got the scallops and the table got the bread with cheese and polenta. It was their in house sour dough bread- amazing!! Just a little on the rough side. I got the scallops for dinner, and it was $39 for 4 scallops.. the dish was dressed with a yogurt sauce and grapefruit, pistachio, and orange. $39 for scallops was expensive but it was extremely tender and juicy. Totally worth the splurge but not something I would buy often. Maybe like twice a year Definitely a spot to check out if you want to splurge on small portioned, flavorful food!

I arrived for dinner on Saturday night at 7:00 with some friends and found myself greeted with prompt seating. We ordered and shared the bites from the sea ($28 / 2 people), duck liver mousse with sourdough ($16), smoked half duck ($54 / 2 people), grilled culotte steak ($29), and heirloom polenta ($15). The bites from the sea included ceviche, smoked hamachi, and salmon tartare. The ceviche tasted immaculately fresh, and the accompanying bread had a soft and moist texture and and aftertaste reminiscent of a tortilla. The smoked hamachi, also quite fresh, seemed well-smoked; the smoking did not mask the original ingredient's flavor. The salmon tartare, with sesame oil, tasted quite fragrant and had a creamy texture. While I quite like sesame oil, the sesame oil seemed too strong for the dish's palate. Note that, while the menu price lists $28 for 2 people, my party of 3 paid $42 and received an extra person's portion for each bite. The duck liver mousse, served with a medley pickled cherry, jam, and aromatics, presented a refreshing contrast of bright acidity and earth richness. The accompanying sourdough arrived steaming fresh. The smoked duck arrived quite heavily smoked and salted, making for a satisfyingly rich experience. The ancillary potato pancakes seemed sublimely spongy. The polenta tasted quite savory and rich - like a mix of corn bread and clam chowder. The mushrooms also possessed a good amount of seasoning. The grilled culotte steak arrived a perfect rare and the side mushrooms had been throughly salted. As an aside, the interior decor seemed aesthetically pleasing, evoking art deco themes; one would expect such an experience from a restaurant within a boutique hotel but nonetheless it seemed pleasant. Every dish I sampled seemed to have undergone a fair bit of scrutiny; attention to detail seemed prevalent. I expect this given the price point and venue locale. This is not to diminish the venue's efforts, however. As the cliche goes, you get what you pay for, and Gibson brooks no exception.

TL;DR: Service was 5 stars, but the food was a giant WTF. We met friends for dinner here, none of us having been here before. The space is lovely and elegant, and both bar and restaurant were empty when we arrived. We opted to have cocktails in the bar first and the bartender was great; attentive, friendly, and he made good cocktails. Much to our disappointment, that's pretty much the end of the good stuff. I can see from Yelp photos that Gibson at one time served real food, in a manner consistent with what one expects on a dinner menu. When we went, we found the menu to be limited, all over the place, and a bit confusing. There's a hodgepodge of a few snacks, flatbreads with spreads, salads, a few proteins as mains, and a few sides. We were all sort of at a loss, so we wound up getting tasting menus at $95 each. We're all adventurous foodies and we unanimously had the same experience; the food was more than different, it mostly missed the mark a lot and there were some textures and combinations of flavors that simply did not work. Beyond that, the portion sizes were comically small, even for a tasting menu. We had child's tea party-sized cups of soup, two sips. For four of us, we were served a 2"x5" strip of branzino -- that's maybe a portion for two, but four of us? Our bill was over $600 and we left hungry. To put it in perspective, we recently dined at Estiatorio di Michael Mina, a 1-Michelin Star restaurant. The tasting menu was $105 and we were fed so well that we couldn't manage to eat everything. At one point, a couple was seated near us. The guy was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and they probably had no idea what they were in for -- they had a round of drinks and got up without ordering food. I'm a bit confused by this place. I get, in a broad sense, what they're going for, but they don't seem to have an audience for their product. The restaurant was mostly empty the entire time, with just a couple other tables arriving. Their hours were 6-9, so that was the entirety of their business that evening and there were more employees than patrons the entire time -- how are they staying afloat? Overall, the word that comes to mind for Gibson is "precious". I wouldn't recommend it unless you're only going for drinks and snacks.

This is another good restaurant option close to the Golden Gate theater. They offer a la carte options as well as a tasting menu and an abbreviated prix fixe menu for those needing to catch a show. My friend and I came here with 6 pm reservations and the prix fixe menu gave us more than enough time to catch an 8 pm opening curtain. The prix fixe menu that night included a gazpacho, tomato salad, house-baked sourdough with cultured butter and fondue red hawk cheese, beef with "mole" sauce and s'mores. All of the dishes were good. The beef and the bread were definitely the stand-outs for me. The s'mores were a bit too sweet. If you are hungry, this abbreviated menu is probably not enough. Overall, food was 4.5/5 for me. Service was a little on the slow side. The restaurant is located in a hotel and the ambiance was great. This place is perfect for a romantic dinner (dimmed lights/relaxing music). With tax and tip and a ginger beer, the prix fixe menu was about $70 (an excellent value). Highly recommended!!!

Decided to finally check out Gibson last week. My party of two arrived on Friday, May 11th around 7:30pm. We didn't have reservations, so we decided to grab two seats at the bar. *Bijou: bubbly gin, pisco, strega, dandelion, champagne ($14) *Gibson: vodka or gin, vermouth, pickled onion ($13) *Manhattan: brown butter, leather, toasted pine nut ($15) *Perfect Manhattan: japanese rice whiskey, shiso, toasted jasmine rice, black sesame, dry vermouth ($15) *Chaud-Froid Egg: with caviar, honey creme and chive ($8) *Chicken Nugget: with caviar and sonoma honey ($7) *Spanish Mackerel: with roasted green chili and cucumber ($17) This ended up being our dinner as this was our third stop that night and the only one where we ordered food. The snacks listed above were good. I do love my caviar. Though the egg was a little too sweet for me due to the honey creme. The drinks were super fun. And our bartender was great! The perfect manhattan came with a sidecar which was a good deal. (I do love more alcohol.) The drink was lighter than a traditional manhattan as they used rice whisky. The cocktail actually reminded me of something from my youth. There was a hint of something that tasted like the rabbit candy we used to have around chinese new year. Since this place is called gibson and it's in hotel bijou, we decided to get the namesake drinks for our second round. The bijou was bubbly and easy to drink. I wasn't in the mood for vodka or gin, so I didn't care for the gibson. Nice place for drinks and snacks. A little fancier than our other stops, but a good place to grab a few rounds.

My wife and I lived in San Francisco a few years ago. While we were visiting we wanted to find a restaurant that would demonstrate the evolution of the SF food scene since we left. Gibson beautifully embodied this evolution. For reference, State Bird Provisions and The Progress were the hot restaurants towards the end of our tenure in SF. Gibson was rad. The restaurant screams Madmen / upscale 60's decor. Every detail was thought through. Gold cutlery, wooden / clay plates, funky glassware, it all came together for an extremely memorable meal. The bartenders are notably friendly dudes - not typical of San Francisco from my experience. They also double as servers which was kind of cool. Though friendly, they were extremely polished, and everything was coursed to perfection. The drinks weren't quite my style but if you like martinis you will like the cocktails. If it is within your budget, I strongly recommend the tasting menu. Everything looked interesting and if we had done 2 small plates and split an entree the experience would have been widely different. Everything we had was delicious and interesting. It's been several weeks since we went. We got like 8 small courses so it's hard to remember what we got. The standouts were the yogurt, olive oil, + homemade sourdough, some duck confit tartine, and some other green thing. The steak was interesting. Part of it was served room temperature. I wasn't sure if that was intentionally but that would be the only shortfall of the meal. The desert was exceptional. Though I don't remember all the dishes I remember the experience, and that is a truly special thing. The service, the food, the drinks, the vibe, all of it just came together for a meal I'll refer to for years to come. To put it in to perspective we went to mighty Kokkari the night before and we had way more fun here.

Presentation of food is solid. Food is good. Service is super slow. Also, it is way too expensive for what it is. Portions very small.

What a refreshing surprise of a tasting menu: *priced affordably for SF standards at $75/pp *wine pairing $45/pp *snacks start the menu, light, herbaceous, textured and then some richness *warm crusty bread comes next with a delicious lightly tangy, citrusy, creamy dip topped beautifully with microgreens, reminded me of a twist on Middle Eastern fare *ricotta, blood orange and rye crisps was unexpected *uni, nettles and ikura, was a cold play on chawanmushi, so graceful and demure *root mash, clams and tuille, reminded me of a deconstructed taro puff, yes Chinese dim sum, minus the pig *sunchoke risotto, super earthy and fragrant *carrots two ways on sunflower seed risotto, this was a worked dish, without tasting overworked *rib eye, chanterelles and béarnaise, pretty large hunk of aged meat *ice cream and cookies end the meal. Excellent! An average sized person will be satisfied at Gibson if they finish the entire piece of bread. I felt satiated and comfortable, around 85%. The pairing starts with champagne, most glasses are about 2oz pours for every two courses, pretty sparse. Service is spectacular at all levels of the house. We loved the dessert so much we asked for the pastry chef, but got the chef instead. Newsflash: there is no pastry chef. He was so welcoming and gracious - allowing us to talk his ear off at the table and then again upon our departure. Casually energetic environment serving comforting food with a true artisan flair. Fresh, modern iterations of familiar dishes that are inspired by world cuisine. This is New American that has personality. Loved the meal and look forward to the next visit. On my short list for sure. In a land overflowing with great restaurants, Gibson offers the seasoned diner something interesting and delicious. Get these prices while you can before too many professional critics give them the real accolades.

Great value for the wine pairing! Noise level is quiet so you can have a great conversation. Solid value for an inventive tasting menu with plenty of food. High end cuisine, friendly staff and unpretentious. The chef sent out an additional main, after we had requested both. He then greeted our table, which was a conscientious touch. Will definitely return...thank you for an excellent experience :)

Beautiful Valentines day meal with my beautiful girlfriend because she's my love and deserves the best.

So long over due- sorry Adam. Came here for a fellow nurses bday and had a GREAT time. We were about 8 nurses but sounded like we were about 20! That happens when the atmosphere and drinks are perfect. Service was spot on- drinks were strong and creative. The food was really good and again the service. Located inside of a small boutique hotel the Gibson delivers with little effort. Being new to SF I was leery of the area cause it's sketchy ( says the New Yawker) but some worth it! I'll be back! Stay classy! Xo

Special experience in this little gem that time traveled from the late 50's or early 60's. Really solid drinks, fabulous food (relatively short menu) and fantastic service. The topping for the bread service are out of this world. The entrees are treats. Very fairly priced. This is a place you particularly want to be with a larger group or on a lively night. Give it a try!

SO GOOD!! A little history, the executive chef came from Hog & Rocks (in the mission). People do get confused where it is located because it's inside of Hotel Bijou. It's in a sketchy area if you walk few blocks away and it just opened few weeks ago so it's still up and coming. I really like the interior design side of the restaurant and the layout. The service was great and the food was DELICIOUS. Must try the breaking bread. I'd come back again forsure. What I recommend: - Breaking Bread, Curried Currant and cauliflower - Fire Roasted Brassicas with potato dumpling, pine nut and fermented pepper - Grilled Winter Squash with puffed grains, dandelion and Bay laurel - Slow Roasted Dry-Aged Beef with bone marrow and eggplant - Sonoma Duck Smoked over the Grill with beetroot and blackberry

Bartender wasn't very friendly Really love the SF restaurant scene. I find that even in fancier establishments, people tend to be decent and give great service, but that wasn't the vibe at this location. I was ignored by their waiting staff and their bartender was rude. Honestly think that they can deliver on great food and experiences, I think their tasting menus look really amazing, but my experience was just not that great.

Don't judge a book by its cover... This Hotel restaurant is superb. Situated on the corner of Mason and Eddy. Next to sports bar. Pretty lively area. Uber or Lyft in! Quick friendly host walk you through gorgeous decor dining area. If possible, request to sit by the open kitchen area. Luv watching the chefs hard at work. Platings style are simple and chic. Fancy menu, food looks pretty. Servers are dressed stylishly. Add-on bonus: Restroom is clean, coed, and the lightings & faucets are spot on.

Gibson is my go-to nice dinner place because they're food and drinks are reliably good, while not being so $$$$ like other stuck up SF places trying to get that tech money...gotta respect that hustle though... They have a prie fix tasting menu that is high value and I'd recommend it I think they focus a lot of effort around sourcing and making things in-house which i really, really appreciate. For example, their homemade bread is to die for and I would say...hot take...the quality and taste even competes with tartine bread Their cocktails are usually spirit forward which I can't say I always LOVE the taste of them but I do LOVE the value of it lol I've never had a problem with getting a reservation or walking in. They have plenty of seating and the service is great!

This restaurant within the hotel has great decor and great service from the waiter, owner of the restaurant to the hotel staff. I always like to ask the waiters for their suggestion and see what part of the menu really brings them joy. In this case, I ordered the shaved ham along with the potatoes and let me tell you it was the perfect pairing filled with the salty ham to the creamy potato with the perfect bernaise sauce.

I came here a while back as part of a large party and it was honestly a very disappointing experience. I don't know if they were overwhelmed by the big party or not but I have been hesitant to come back and give it another shot since (especially when there are so many great restaurants in sf). The food was ok. Some of it was creative. A lot of it seemed super random (the favor profiles and inspirations were all over the place). Some of the dishes were straight up misses (I don't remember liking the octopus and the dessert "cones" were overly sweet and not balance). I did really like the egg yolk dish and was very impressed by that. However, the timing and service of the meal was truly unsatisfying. We never got our water refilled and waited FOREVER for each dish. I think the entire meal took over 3 hours... and it wasn't because they were serving us the entire time. There was so much dead time in between each dish that I think a couple ended up having to leave part way through. The meal should not have been so uncoordinated for such a nice restaurant. I would be hesitant to ever recommend this restaurant.

Gibson is the kind of place you'll end up because you're nearby or you didn't book a month ahead of time and they always seem to have reservations available. There's a need for that. The decor is upscale, while service is generally good. On drinks, stick with the wine list which has some nice options by the glass or a basic cocktail - two of us tried "specialty" cocktails from their list and hated both. The Manhattan waaaaay overwhelmed on the brown butter smell & taste, and the Sea Gibson just hit you over the head with nori gin & liquid kelp. Everyone at the table agreed both drinks were horrible - well, they were memorable at least. Food was generally good, and main course portions were huge. I've read a bit about small portions and leaving hungry so not sure if they got just appetizers (which were a bit on the small side) or maybe a tasting menu because we tried 4 different main courses and all portions were all extremely large. Standouts were the whole grilled fish and the steak, while my chicken roulade was way too rich and overwhelming for such a big portion so I left quite a bit on the plate. Overall, it's an A-OK restaurant but I don't expect to be rushing back.

This review is long overdue. Four of us came here for dinner, a special get together as it was also my friend's birthday. When we arrived the place was pretty empty..so we grabbed drinks the bar. The decor is chic and luxe. The place filled up quickly, so we asked to be seated. We were pleasantly surprised when we were offered the chef's table - the four top basically in their beautiful and spacious kitchen. We were treated by the entire staff like friends. The menu was adventurous and delicious. It was a feast for our eyes and our appetites. The chicken nugget was memorable..and the smoked duck yolk. We devoured just about every dish. I was smitten! I haven't had an restaurant experience like this in a very long time. I would definitely recommend trying this place and I look forward to coming back.

Late review - Came for Valentines Day 2018 I had high hopes as their picture of their bone marrow flan with uni on top (two of my favorite things) looked so good. As most yelpers noted, this restaurant is in the tenderloin and the surrounding area is not the nicest. The only option this night was the prefix menu with caviar service. The standouts were the oysters and the smoked trout. The bone marrow flan with uni was also good, although not mind blowingly amazing. One of the worst dishes of the night was the "chicken nugget" with caviar. I have to say that it was worst than McD! I also did not like the winter citrus dish as it was overly sour for my taste. The main dish - the duck was underwhelming. Service was on point. They changed our dishes and utensils frequently. I can't say I can recommend this restaurant. They have a la carte items as well as a tasting menu.

Gibson continues to be one of my favorite food and drink experiences in the Bay Area. It has evolved over the couple of years I have been coming here, but it has never lost its core of impressive, technique-drive, spirit-forward cocktails and delicious and playful food to go with them (or the other way around, if you prefer). The current food menu from chef Louis Maldonado is full of casually elegant and beautiful flavor bombs of comfort food with a modern sensibility. You order the short rib, a classic dish you might expect to come out brown, braised, and nearly falling apart over a pile of creamy mashed potatoes at most other restaurants. Here it arrives as two thick, red slices of fork-tender but substantial meat (in sous vide for 72hrs, I was told), with a salty, roasted crust, and a deep, intense, fatty deliciousness. It was accompanied simply by some lightly roasted cauliflower, and a richly flavored bed of lentils, with some chicory leaves to lighten things a bit. This is comfort food, certainly, but it doesn't feel boring or familiar, it feels delightful and revitalizing as much as it is indulgent. Most of the other dishes similarly fit this mold: a springy shellfish spaghetti dish with perfectly al dente noodles and a delicate but rich flavor (though it could have used just a little more crab meat); a gorgeous, pillowy, and plentiful focaccia with a bright green herb-yogurt sauce; a playful tres leches sundae dessert with a DIY mini topping bar. The only slight miss was a deviled egg that, while good, felt a bit too conservative and plain, despite its cap of trout roe and the horseradish zing it left in your mouth. Flavors and colors are often bold here, and be prepared for the drinks to to surprise and sometimes challenge you, but they are very worthy of exploration. The food is often more familiar, but no less worthy of your time - superbly executed and well thought-out. Highly recommended. Few restaurant experiences are perfect, but I'm rounding up from a 4.5 here because this place is worth repeat experiences, even if one or another visit isn't the best you've ever had.

Dinner on a Monday and shocked to see this place empty but glad we had this place to ourselves. Drinks are strong. Staff is attentive and knowledgeable. Food was pretty amazing and high quality. Would definitely be back or interested in just hanging out at the bar.

Let's suppose for a moment that you went to the theater, and they gave you a choice. You could either pick whatever movie you wanted or pay a little extra and see a special movie picked for you by the theater manager, but you won't be told what it is or anything about it before hand. Furthermore everyone who goes to the theater together has to agree to go to the same mystery movie, or no one can go. You probably know where I'm headed with this. I HATE this new trend in tasting menus, where restos are more and more coy about what they're serving. It makes me suspicious that they're giving me what they have too much inventory of. When you're with someone who's a less adventurous eater, it makes the preprandial negotiation much trickier too. After a back and forth of - "Oh it's okay, I'll order it, if you really want to." and "Oh, that's fine, I can find plenty of things to order off the regular menu." In the end we went for it. We did manage to get out of them that the entree would be duck and the dessert would be fried brioche. They seem to have reduced the number of dishes served vs. the menu listed on line. Here's what we got for $75 on a Saturday night: CHAUD-FROID EGG with caviar, honey cremé and chive: This was an olive oil poached egg yolk, with the accoutrements off to one side. Our server suggested mixing the egg, caviar and chives and then "dragging" it through the creme. I thought it was good, but bland. Should have had more chives and caviar for a little more assertiveness. My dining partner, who could barely stand to taste this, whipped it all together like a milk shake. Since he didn't like it, I got to eat the rest of his, and the waiter's instructions on how to consume it made it taste better than when it was all combined. 2.5 Stars SMOKED TROUT with farmer's cheese on rye: The trout had a lovely silky texture and an aromatic, not too salty cure. The rye was actually a paper thin wafer. With the trout cut into awkwardly thick chunks, it was virtually impossible to eat this way. Constructed differently, it would have been a better dish. 3 Stars BREAKING BREAD: while it's not a bad idea, and their bread is absolutely delicious, the slices were very thick (1.5") so that when they had their toppings piled on, they were pretty much impossible either to bite into or even cut up and get a satisfying bite of both components. We had one each of the DUCK LIVER MOUSSE which was paired with strawberries raw, pickled and roasted and a peanut mousse, similar to a frothier version of peanut butter. This was an odd combination, and there was almost no flavor from the duck liver, with the dominant note being peanuts. The other was a BROKEN AVOCADO with herbs and green goddess dressing. A beautiful avocado, but this was would have been so much better if I could have figured out how to eat it on the bread! 2.5 stars SMOKED RICOTTA with cherries, yuzu kosho, grains and seeds: Although I had low expectations, this had some delicious elements. The house made cheese had a lovely smooth texture and a wonderful smokiness that didn't clash, but also didn't really marry with the poached cherries. 4 stars CLAMS SERVED IN CONSUME with potato, sour dough and lardo. The closest to a comfort dish for the night. Rich broth, fresh clams, didn't need both sour dough croutons and potatoes. 3 stars DUCK SMOKED WITH LENTILS. In addition the breast which was well cooked, but had rather flabby skin, was a duck leg confit which had been pressed into a tasty, crispy little square. Wish there were more of that. 4 stars After being told before ordering and then twice during the course of dinner that we would have fried brioche for dessert, we were presented with CARAMELIZED YOGURT Frozen with black sesame and raspberry. Underwhelming. 2 stars I like how they've designed the room, although the lighting is garish. The etched windows are attractive and manage to obscure the distressing scenes on the street in this area. I don't think this is a repeater for us. Food: 25/40 Service . 16/20 value: 16/20 Atm/intangibles: 16/20 Overall: 73/100

Came here for dinner awhile ago. The food was delicious but overall not a place I feel the need to try again. With all the amazing places in the city I'd opt to try a new place. My friend and I had the tasting menu and some drinks. For being downtown SF and in a hotel you'd think it would be busier and not sure why it wasn't. The flavors of the food were really great and steak nice and juicy and not over cooked. I had wanted to try this restaurant but don't feel the need to come back.

I tried to book this place....but no reservations available. Did they shut it down? I absolutely love this restaurant, the chef, and all the staff. It was never as crowded as it deserved...I hope they're fermenting miso and other stuff somewhere. Any feedback?

I forgot to use my check in for the yelp deal (dangit!) but regardless, this place was delicious. If you're feeling a little bougie and are open to trying fresh made chicken nuggets with caviar or dollops of pate with an explosion of flavor, this is worth a try. It's also a cute date spot and most of the plates are shareable. Cocktails are quite good as well. They have a tasting (food) menu but all people in your party must take part. Service is strong here.

Took my partner here for a birthday dinner and boy it was pretty incredible. We opted for a five course meal with the craft cocktail pairing. It was pretty reasonable for what we got and we left full! Which was unexpected from such fine dining. The 60 hour beef was incredible. To die for. We are very excited to come back to try new items on the menu.

Hurry...the word's going to get out that there is a sub $100 tasting menu that's pretty good. If you're lucky, the duck will be on the tasting menu. If it's not, you may want to order it a la carte. This duck did rank pretty high on my list, and I've had my share of duck. Nice atmosphere, good price, good food. Hurry over here before the rest of the Bay Area finds out about this place.

3.5 Stars $65 tasting menu? That is unheard of in SF especially when you look at how many courses you get, it was a must go. The kicker was I also had a coin from Tastemaker that was supposed to get us something extra although per my brother the table next to us got the same thing so we will never know what the extra would have been Execution - seamless transition from clearing the plates to pacing the next dishes (although one minor hiccup with the bread and cauliflower dish, took the dip even though we had bread left) Variety - a good blend of different ingredients and techniques Service - was efficient and polite Flavors - high and lows of richness and umami Drinks - balance was lacking in both my drinks (Garden too sour and Bijou too bitter) Overall Thoughts For the price point, I say it was worth it but as the price increases the question becomes, what are they doing differently to make the experience worth wild?

My best dining experience in San Francisco 2017. I'm fairly certain now that we have entered November, this is it for me. This is as good as it gets. I've begun to realize that on occasion, if you are lucky, you will eventually meet someone in your life that is a mirror of you, and that person isn't so much about being complimentary to you, but rather that person is a reminder of yourself, but not just any version of yourself, the best version of yourself. So it would be entirely possible that you don't even need to tell the other person where you'd like to to go and what you'd like to eat, that person would know all of that already. Gibson is that one restaurant you want to find but not always able to because in a city that's ever evolving, even the best of the restaurants don't always survive. I hope Gibson will get noticed soon. For it made this extremely picky eater very happy. The request was put in the night before, unknownst to me. The table was set for us to sit side by side. It helps if the two people are both left handed. The staff came to inform us that they received the notice and they had set the table just so. Impressive. Many years ago, when women had little rights and earning potential, their dates took them out, ordered food for both of them, and paid the bill. In a modern society, that decorum had largely gone away. Thankfully, not in this instance. I did preface by saying sometimes you find a mirror of you. On one such occasion, the mirror did review the menu and ordered things for me, the bread, the duck moose, the bone marrow flan, the pickled veggies, the duck and the beef. Red wine. Côtes du Rhône. I would have ordered the exact same things. The dishes came with a hint of Asian influence on occasion. For instance, the bone marrow flan reminded me of chawamushi. It came with lobster meat on top, which was something you'd see often served with chawamushi. I remember having the same dish with the mirror years ago at Yuzuki on Guerrero. But I'm skipping the order here. The chef has a thing for cutlery. You don't get to have the cutlery unless the dish calls for it. For instance, not the pickled veggies on ice dish. That, you supposed to pick them right up and put them in your mouth. Simply divine. I could eat that and nothing else. But then the duck mousse came. And so did the delivery of beautiful cutlery set. Use the knife for the mousse on the bread, which was served in its own basket, hot from the oven, with young yeast creating these small sourdough dark buns were beyond delicious. It's perhaps the best bread I have ever had. We always get duck like clock work. And so we did again, it must have been close to 100 meals we've shared together outside and yet duck is still our thing. This version of duck was dry aged. They cure their meats in house. The juiciest duck ever. I was impressed. The beef was always served medium rare and though the pieces were not huge they were perfect serving size. We should all eat like that. "The chef believes in breaking bread". The server would tell us. The server refers to the head chef as Chef Song. I finally looked up the restaurant description and was not surprised that he worked at some of my long time favorite, Ame has closed down sadly but I did enjoy a lovely meal there before it was shut down. Central Kitchen was a favorite of mine several years ago and of course Hog & Rocks. The general manager came from Al's Place where I ate my last birthday dinner at, no doubt this place was created by experienced people in this field. I have been extremely impressed by this mid market stretch. Lots of great restaurants popping up and it will take sometime for people to take notice, and once they do, I think this will be no less crowded than some of the hip and happening places in the Mission, which frankly, in my opinion, is no longer the center of food gravity thanks to the expansion of great eateries in mid market. This is our de facto dining out neighborhood since the very beginning many many years ago. Gibson is a rising star and hopefully it'll be one of the anchors. We passed by Farmerbrown on our way back, both of us said at the same time "it's nice that farmerbrown is still here." Then we paused and said together, "we came here together and eat at this place many years ago, didn't we?" We laughed. restaurants may come and go, but good restaurants will create lasting memories and they will be around no matter what. I hope Gibson will be one of these places that we can pass by 7 years later, and say, "we came here when it first opened."

3.5 Stars. I was super excited to dine here given all the positive Yelp reviews and the $65 tasting menu. Unfortunately as of this week, the prices went up to $85. Because of that, we decided to opt for a la carte instead. Out the door with 2 glasses of wine, we spent about $200-ish for the two of us. Between the two of us we shared: Curried Currant and Cauliflower - $9 - My favorite appetizer. I couldn't believe this dairy-free dish was as creamy and delicious as it was. I could eat it non stop. Cucumber with whipped Uni - awful. The whipped substance was super fishy and tasted old. I wanted to throw up when I had it. I think it was an off night? Duck Liver Mousse - $13 - decent but I've had better; we literally spooned this on 2 pieces of bread - really tiny portion! Also, after having this at Bestia in recent months, this one was just no comparison. Clams with Potato - The consomme was light, airy and creamy. Clams were nice and flavorful. Overall a nicely balanced small appetizer dish. Dry Aged Beef - $29 - Delicious, tender and tasty. Duck - $23 - Delicious and tender - I enjoyed the variety of 3 various duck cuts. "Apple Pie" Dessert - $12 - also a favorite. Amazing contrast between flaky crust pieces and apple-like pieces and cake bites. Chocolate - $13 - Dense and chocolate-y but just overpriced..at $13 for 2 bites, I expected a lot more. Friendly & attentive service; sexy and dim-lit ambiance. Overall, The Gibson is a great addition to the city. A fun spot for date night or a small-group outing! With the never-ending addition of new contenders these days, I was really hoping Gibson would be a stand-out. But after our experience, I am in no rush to return. While the Curried Currant and Cauliflower was out of this world, the majority of the dishes were pretty good or just ok.

It was one of the worst dining experiences I have had. Good company and nice ambiance. But the menu is weird and doesn't seem cohesive. Very limited and the food we had was just not good. The oven potatoes were tough, the polenta looked and felt like refried beans, the cauliflower au gratin was just ok. The dumplings were the best thing I ate. The bread and cheese was also ok- but not nearly enough cheese. The drink menu .... drinks were not that good and they kept messing up our order. Service was nonexistent- it took forever between food coming out. We had to inquire if there was more to come. It was just not a good dining experience - mug better places to eat in that area.

I'm really pleased with the level of service I've received. Since I'm staying at the hotel attached to this restaurant for a week, I really appreciate that the manager and staff have made me feel at home here. It's obvious that a lot of careful consideration has gone into their menu. The scallop is absolutely perfect, and all of the sourdough pairings have been awesome. The BBQ chicken dumpling is also a favourite. If you like tomato... have the gazpacho with a blood marry - perfect! Adam is a wealth of knowledge if you're looking to experiment with beverages (and food pairings). Milton also gave me some solid recommendations, and was a joy to chat with. Definitely recommend this restaurant! Thanks for everything, Gibson SF.

We were underwhelmed. Gibson aspires to be innovative but fell flat on execution during dinner last night. We ordered a la carte - the cod, duck, and roasted vegetables. The consensus at my table was the food was very salty. Both the cod and vegetables were over salted, overpowering the other flavors. The duck was rubbery in texture. Nothing really stood out and didn't justify the price point here. I'd have to say the service was good and we loved the ambience - beautiful Art Deco design and we felt transported to the 1920s. Yet the food was forgettable - the standards here in SF are very high and Gibson wasn't quite there during our meal last night. We hope it was an off night.

Situated off the lobby of the Hotel Bijou on the edge of the Tenderloin, Gibson delivers tasty small plates in an eclectic environment. A melange of art deco and froufrou, the dining room boasts soaring ceiling with a faux tin panelled ceiling. Dimly lit, but not dark, the atmosphere is sophisticated, yet fun. Gibson is (yet another) small plates place. In The City, that translates into "we're going to make you order three to four plates per person and gouge your wallet in the process." In this regard, Gibson is no different than any of the other tapas-based over-chargers. What is different is that, at Gibson, some of the dishes are actually worth it. Packed with a light, creamy filling, the smoked onion gougeres ($7 for four) were a pleasant way to start the meal. Served on tiny crustless slices of bread, the small dollops of pork pate ($9 for four pieces) disappeared all too quickly. It seems Gibson wants to be known for its wood oven baked bread, as there is an entire section of the menu dedicated to it and an assortment of pricey accompaniments. In a city with lots of good bread, Gibson's is no standout, and at $5 for two sourdough rolls and butter, it is no bargain either. Other possible bread pairings include curried currant and cauliflower ($9), duck liver mousse ($13) and over baked Red Hawk cheese ($14). Let San Francisco not descend into the Italian tradition of coperta (cover) in which diners are charged for just sitting down and sharing some breadsticks. The menu continues with other small plates. And small is an understatement. Bite-sized might be more appropriate. While intriguing, the warm bone marrow flan with uni and wild nettle ($16) was gone in two spoonsful, although the creamy saltiness of the uni did complement the richness of the bone marrow flan very well. Presented medium rare as requested, the slow roasted, dry aged beef with onion and béarnaise ($26) was tender and juicy, although it probably tipped the scales at less than 4 ones, making it a pretty pricey piece of meat. At $65 per person (for now), the real deal is the tasting menu, which requires participation of all diners at the table. There is a small selection of wines by the glass and by the bottle, but with a name like Gibson, cocktails are king. There is a selection of Gibsons -- from the traditional ($13) to the shrub sour (rice whiskey, yuzu, egg white, $12) and the leather Manhattan (brown butter, black walnut, $15). All are well mixed and properly served up in a traditional Gibson glass. For the most part, service is attentive, although wine delivery was sometimes a little slow. If you are near Union Square and seeking a new dining alternative, Gibson is worth a try. We shall see if it measures up to the high bar in The City over the medium- to long-run.

Definitely up and coming. From quality to creativity to presentation to service... a perfect 10. I went twice in four weeks - it's THAT good. Try the prefixe menu to taste a bit of everything. And get in before their prices go up. No doubt the prices will go up!

Chef Robin Song is killing it! Bone Marrow Flan? Damn son! Just bomb flavors in a cute bowl. The winter squash with puffed grains was also pretty much on point. The smoked trout will be a delightful sharing snack as it comes with four pieces that have cucumber and farmer's cheese between a some Rye crackers. Most importantly, the house "traditional" Gibson is completely on point with a gin botanical pickled onion and avua whisper vermouth. This will wow you! Plus there are two other creative variations I can't wait to try!

I was pretty excited for this meal since Gibson has been receiving rave reviews, so maybe I went in with my expectations too high. The food was pretty good, but it didn't blow me away, and the service was subpar. Food: - Charred cucumber: Nothing to write home about. The uni mousse didn't taste of anything. I did enjoy the powder though, I think it was seaweed? - Bone marrow flan with Mendocino uni: Loved the gigantic piece of uni - can't really go wrong there. I don't think the lobster supplement is necessary; I can only imagine it gets buried by or overpowers the other elements. - Goat's milk with trout and kelp: Very tasty and a generous portion for two. Kelp has an interesting texture, so it might throw you off. Sourdough bread was average. - Smoked Sonoma duck: Definitely the highlight of the meal. I think we got lucky as we got a duck leg! This was cooked to perfection and the combination of crispy skin and rendered fat was amazing. - Trout grilled on the bone: Plating was a bit peculiar and the trout was already broken/flaked apart underneath the main filet. Veggies were seasoned well but maybe a little undercooked (still hard). - Deconstructed apple pie: Plating was so ugly I didn't take a photo of it. The crumble and toasted apple bits were nice, but that's not hard to do. - Caramelized yoghurt: Weirdly VERY salty and sweet. The sesame cookie that came with it was a bit stale. Plating uhhhh. Yeah. Also not sure why the desserts took AGES to come out. - Cocktails: Really unbalanced. Yuzu was overpowering in the Shrub Sour and the Clear Bloody Mary tasted like straight up umeboshi (salty, like me, after this meal). Service: - The restaurant wasn't full when we arrived yet we were asked to wait 5-10 mins to be seated. - We were seated at the very back corner of the dining area and were basically forgotten about. It took us about 10 mins before flagging someone down just to get some water, and by then we were already ready to order. What was most annoying was that two servers and someone who I assume is the general manager or somm walked past our table several times without so much as looking at us. - More waiting to order dessert and to get our check. Note: Don't get me wrong, our server was friendly and professional, but I do think they might have been understaffed. Perhaps they hadn't predicted how busy the Sunday evening was going to be given Dreamforce was kicking off... But they have a reservations system... so I don't know. New American restaurants are ubiquitous in SF and I don't think Gibson rises above the rest. I thought the art deco aesthetic was fun but toeing the line towards tacky (talking about the faux graffiti on the ceiling) but that's my personal taste. I do agree with the reviews I've read that Gibson is a good hotel restaurant, especially given its location. I would just temper your expectations before dining here.

Came here one night before a show, and was delighted at the menu and quality of the food. Roasted duck with pancakes for two? Yes please! Overall I found their menu playful, and delicious bites all the way through. I would eat there again, especially for their fried chicken with honey and caviar... to die for.

We had the 9 course cocktail pairing tasting menu. Nice ambiance at the bar with attentive staff and delicious food. Great for a special occasion!

Wow! This place has a phenomenal culinary and cocktail scene in San Francisco. Located inside Hotel Bijou they're bringing together locally sourced ingredients, great ambiance, and well balance cocktails. Let's start with the cocktails first, their bar program is very technique-driven, spirit forward, and gets the end customer to really focus on the taste of the spirit versus letting the garnishes take away from the core drink. I would highly suggest getting the cocktail pairing menu with your dinner and you will be in for a treat. For food, Chef Louis has brought together casual dishes in an elegant and beautiful style. Every dish has a bomb of flavors. I would suggest starting off with the feta & beet salad and the oysters. Then from there get the strained yogurt with the focaccia bread. Then for the next course get the spaghetti linguini with crab & shrimp this is such a simple but flavorful dish. The seafood in the linguini is so fresh and the spaghetti is perfectly cooked at al dente. To end the meal I would get the beef short rib which has been in sous vide for 72 hours!!! Its crazy to think about how much preparation goes into it before it arrives at the table. It comes with creamy mashed potatoes + was perfectly cooked to create that deep + fatty flavors. To end the meal they bring out a toppings bar. They start you off with Dulce de Leche ice cream and then you can create your own dessert with the half a dozen toppings they give you on the side. Highly recommend this place for any occasion. Beautiful venue, service, and food.

The entire evening was an amazing experience! Seriously! It is a culinary heaven! Just ask for personal touches from Chef Song and you will be taken to another level of satisfaction. Just order the Tasting Menu and get ready for the delightful culinary experience. Every dish will be flavorful with wonderful ingredients (even some you may not think to try on your own), meticulously crafted and finely displayed for your pleasure. Also ask for wine pairing. The staff knows their stuff! Enjoy life and go!

Food is intricate, but portions are so so small. Food was tasty, but service leaves much to be desired. I don't know if they just opened or what, but it seems like they were definitely still working out some kinks. We sat waiting for our appetizers and main course for over 1 hour. They comped us a caviar mousse which was nice, but couldn't make up for he long wait time.

Last night, I went with friends to this new and fabulous restaurant for a truly wonderful experience. The menu is incredible. And the food --- visually enticing and gastronomically satisfying. We shared everything and enjoyed every minute. The mixologist created some wonderful libations, too. It was a unique experience and one that I would want to repeat very soon. While waiting to be seated, we invited Adam, the mixologist, to talk with us. After our chat, he recommended certain drinks based on what we like. This man is an artiste! Wonderful drinks, wonderful conversation. And when we sat down, we couldn't have enough of that wonderful bread. Among us, we must have asked for 3-4 servings of that bread which we used to sop up very last bite of every entree. The menu is so creative...and the execution was exceptional. Chef Robin Song even stopped by our table to see how we were doing. We were so busy stuffing our faces, craving for the next entree. All we can say is, BRAVO! We were also impressed with the wait staff --- both Isaac and Dilan were very friendly, very attentive without being obtrusive. Always nice to see people who seem to truly enjoy working there. Thanks, guys! Love Gibson's. We'll be back!