Kiln in SF’s Hayes Valley serves a lightning-fast 20-course tasting menu blending Nordic, Japanese, and Californian influences with artful plating and stellar service.
"In the former Cala and Farming Hope space, fine dining newcomer Kiln serves lengthy tasting menus in an airy room painted creamy white. The menu here leans heavily on all sorts of heavenly protein preparations, and the minimal and moody aesthetic works as a perfect backdrop for the avant-garde food. Throughout the experience, the attention to detail — including the hip-hop-heavy soundtrack, the dramatic spotlighting, and the single olive tree anchoring the room — makes this a master class in understated elegance." - Flora Tsapovsky
"A relative newcomer to the San Francisco fine dining scene, Kiln comes from two Michelin-starred Sons & Daughters alums. But don’t expect a redux experience. Chef John Wesley blends Japanese, French, and Scandinavian cooking techniques and takes refreshingly broad creative license. Over as many as 20 tiny courses, diners might see a delicate beet cornetto paired with luxurious bone marrow or lamb shank served with hay custard. Expect the unexpected, as well as service that’s both professional and warm." - Flora Tsapovsky, Eater Staff
"Dish: Slow-poached jidori egg yolk with fermented potato bread This jidori egg yolk in a mushroom broth at this Hayes Valley spot is probably the most umami thing we’ve had—ever. The rich brown broth is dripping with flavor that we can only describe as the best form of earthy. The egg is soft and tender and breaks apart at the lightest touch, and while the fermented potato bread can lean on the tougher side, we don't mind because this broth is the perfect dipping vessel. The rest of the $225 seafood-focused 20-course tasting menu at Kiln is equally as exciting, and it’s the only way to try this dish, so you’d better make a reservation soon before they change their menu and this broth is gone forever. " - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez
"You can’t put San Francisco's Kiln in a box. The food you’ll sample throughout the two-and-a-half-hour, 18- to 20-course tasting menu is a truly global affair: a little bit Scandinavian meets Japanese meets Californian with a touch of French finesse."
"Industry veterans Chef John Wesley and general manager Julianna Yang have combined their talents at Kiln, where the warehouse space is warmed by personable service and the kitchen delivers artful creations." - MICHELIN Guide
