La Cigale

Fabulous evening out. Every detail - from the special new harvest olive oil to the secret cubby holes under the counter - is thoughtful and elegant. Very warm hospitality, excellent and interesting food, and a gorgeous ambiance that made us feel like we'd taken a mini vacation. Most of the complaints are from folks who couldn't figure out the wait-list or were annoyed they couldn't get in. Sorry, it's not terribly complicated and is all super clear on the website. Lastly, the all-in payment model is very welcome in a city that often tacks on health, service, credit card, etc fees before tax and tip. It's nice to see it upfront and I hope this model can be maintained.

Such a fantastic evening! From the beautiful space and good vibes, to the impeccable service, to the classic, tasty dishes in Southwestern French style. Such a great addition to the San Francisco food scene. We will definitely be back.

What a unique experience. We were lucky to sit closer to the fire and you can literally feel the heat and have a great view watching Joseph perform his craft. He's clearly passionate about food and tells you a lot about where his food is sourced from. He also said the menu will be changing regularly as seasons change. Overall the food was phenomenal. Fantastic for a date night. Highly recommend.

“Invisible Dining” : a Masterclass in How Not to Host If your dream night out involves questioning your own existence, this place delivers. I stood directly in front of the hostess—Hi, I’m Asian, not a hologram—only to watch her beam past me and start chatting up the white couple behind me like I was a coat rack. Impressive peripheral vision; unfortunate selective eyesight. Their “waiting list system” is performance art. Step 1: They tell you to wait outside to get on the list. Step 2: They watch you shiver in the wind while resolutely avoiding eye contact. Step 3: Nothing happens. Revolutionary. I can’t comment on the food because I never made it past the threshold, but the ambience from the sidewalk was bracing—think “Arctic breeze with a hint of indifference.” If hospitality is a course, the hostess has chosen to audit. Pro tips for management: A waiting list is a list you add people to, not a concept you brood over. Doors open both ways; so can basic courtesy. Training on not skipping the person in front of you (especially when it looks… patterned) might be a hit. If you’re into French cuisine with a side of invisibility, bon appétit. Otherwise, save your appetite—and your dignity—for literally anywhere else.

Quite good! Very cozy on a cold night with the warmth of the fire burning, drinking wine while the chef slides some very delicious food across the counter. It feels like its lit with fire too, you get the smell of wood and food cooking in the warm light, all round a very pleasant sensory experience. They also poured enough wine until we couldn't have any more. I'll be going back.

If French omakase was a thing - this is it. (Without the small portions) Excellent countryside French upgraded to high end Complex flavors local hyper sourced ingredients. Animal butchered onsite Wine menu huge but special pairing with each course recommended 10/10 Also PRIX FIXE! Tip and tax included. Can we start having that everywhere please? Oh and it has a giant hearth Ps: I'm French and I have every right to be snobby. This just works

Dining at La Cigale during its soft opening was nothing short of unforgettable, this may have been my favorite meal of 2025. Specializing in southwestern French cuisine, all of the food is cooked over wood-burning ovens, which brings a unique depth to every dish. The restaurant itself is a history lesson in culinary technology. The chef and his wife scoured thrift shops to source vintage kitchen equipment from various eras and he will educate about each piece throughout the meal. The meal - three courses for $140 (all-inclusive) - is an immersive experience, and the service is exceptional. The waitstaff and hostess are attentive and lovely; the chef takes great care in sourcing each ingredient. Expect to hear stories about the peaches, fennel, and other fresh produce that make their way onto your plate. The wine list is excellent and the food is plentiful. Come with friends and be prepared to stay for a while; our dinner lasted over three hours, worth every minute.

What a unique restaurant and experience to add to Glen Park! Once you’re seated at the chef’s counter, you are in for a real treat. The chef will walk you through the menu and cook directly in front of you. The food is delicious. The restaurant only seats 14 people at a time, but you wont feel rushed in the slightest throughout your dinner. Yes, you should get there early to secure a spot. But yes - its worth it.

Not your typical restaurant in any way, and that's the best thing about it. Everything here has so much intention and attention. If you're not someone who likes surprises, read their website carefully. Also, I would go into it with the expectation that the food isn't the star but the experience as a whole is. It's like a private dinner party with a chef who is passionate about their craft, techniques, and using all parts of ingredients. The cost per person when I went was $140, all inclusive. That is, you're not looking at taxes, fees, or tips. You're paying $140, flat. Unless you order other flat price items, like bevies or supplements. $140 flat is an absolute steal for the experience you get. It's parts of omakase in interaction, robatayaki with grilling over charcoal, farm to table, and all rustic French food. Even the setup of the 15 seats at the chef's counter feels like omakase. The sliding wood doors of the mini counter cabinets (see pics) have some things to check out inside, like some portraits from a selfie Photo Booth and/or a business card to a French restaurant. The interior is beautifully done, it feels like a rustic modern French Alps ski resort, with all its geometric lines, warm woods, and scent of a cozy cabin fire. Hanging above the chef's counter are some golden amber colored glass panels, and herbs strung up behind them like upside down bouquets. In-person "paper" waitlist opens at 4:30PM. Online waitlist opens at 6pm via their Toast Tab link. 1st seating is at 6pm and 2nd seating is at 8pm. I got there in person early. 4pm, which was too early, really, because I found parking immediately. That day, seemed like if you got there in person before 5pm, your chances of being in the 1st seating was quite good. After putting the name down, I got updates via text. The intention of this system is that the restaurant serves neighborhood patrons and don't get iced out by long lines. It's not that you can't get a seat if you're not in the neighborhood, but it's a little more effort. Having lived by Swan Oyster Depot for a year and never once tried it to this day, I really appreciate the sentiment of serving the community. And to be clear, I'm not from the neighborhood and all it took was getting there earlier on a Friday. We got there early for the 6pm seating. You have 2 choices to make on the prefixe, the app and the main. Each dish is intended to be family style, so we each ordered different things to maximize trying out the menu items. Highlights for me were the oysters, grilled mushrooms, potatoes, and sausage. The lamb was a bit chewy of a section for my taste, but was impressed that there was zero gaminess. For dessert, we got the pear galette and millet cake. If you have a sweet tooth like me, you'll wish the desserts were more of a straight sweet dish. If you're not a fan of desserts, you'll love the savoriness of the end of meal selections. The chef prepared, plated, served then talked about each dish and the ingredients in them. Impressive how he kept pace and moved around the kitchen. Everything is sourced locally then prepared with an old world hand. I loved that they made their own palate cleanser by using all of the pieces of a fruit (stems, skins, etc.) and their own sausage all from one pig ("Betty" he told us she was called... RIP). Chef and staff were all super charming, seemed to get along, and have an appreciation and pride for the experience they provided. Would definitely recommend going out of your way to try this.

One of my friends lives in the area and had been wanting to try La Cigale. They don't take reservations so three of us decided to come by around 5:30 pm on a Friday and line up for our TGIF dinner. A hostess took our name at that time and we were confirmed for their first seating (6 pm). The menu is modular - there are three choices for each course. There were three of us so we were able to sample the entire menu that night. The chef also offered several extras including the foie gras, prosciutto and halibut collar. We said yes to the foie (always) and the grilled halibut collar. Dinner started with peasant stew - it was nice and they used a very strong olive oil. The food here comes in batches. After the stew, we had the salad, oysters, sweet pepper mustard with bread, grilled chanterelles with black truffle and albacore tuna tapenade with beans. All of these first bites were good but the oysters were my favorite. They also served our foie gras in this course and that was divine. The second course were the main entrees (sausage, halibut, duck confit, halibut collar) with grilled chard and roasted summer squash. All of the entrees were fabulous! It's hard to pick a favorite here but mine was the duck confit. Desserts included the fig tart, rogue river blue cheese and wine-poached apple. The blue cheese was exceptional. Food wise, this was outstanding. Service was good and I really love being seated around big counter where you can see the chef preparing everyone's meals. The restaurant is very warm and inviting and it felt big even though they had limited seating. We spent around $160 each for this experience - it's definitely good value for the experience. Highly, highly recommended!!!

Lovely evening and the food was fresh and delicious. Very fun . Is a dash out the element of regular dining . If you looking for fun and delicious food with the chef. It feels like you have a chef cooking for you. It worth the price . I think we had over 14 dishes. My other thought it may not be enough food but he was wrong. We left very full and happy. The menu changes every day , For staters plates We had figs. Delicious. You can see it how it was cooked Mushrooms on skewers Salad. Great dressing Fresh oysters Veggies- Brussels sprouts yummy. And I usually don't care for them. Bok choy dish Main course was quail & roasting pork Dessert: apple sauté with wine Ice cream & danish Ambiance is cozy and intimate. Date night for sure! I may have forgotten a few dishes. Sorry I didn't take pictures. So when you go take some. The menu changes so all the ingredients are fresh. Very fun experience. Highly recommend.

We had an absolutely wonderful meal last night, and are thrilled to have this in the area. The food is so unique and delicious, with beautiful rustic preparations. The space is so cozy and intimate, and the service is warm but not overbearing. People seem to be confused by the wait list and the all-in pricing model, and almost all the critical reviews are from people who haven't even dined (which seems pretty unfair). I LOVE the wait list system, because so many restaurants with online reservations can be extremely difficult to book. The separate paper and text based lists are a great way to ensure those in the neighborhood can get a seat, along with those further away. The all inclusive menu prices are really refreshing as well, and ultimately everything is a great value for what you get.

One of the best dinners I've ever enjoyed. The service, the food, and the atmosphere was amazing. So much fun watching the chef prepare the meal right in front of your eyes. Can't wait to go back to this restaurant.

Wow! We are so excited to welcome La Cigale to Glen Park. The rich, wood smoke flavor of the chicken was unforgettable and the veggies were prepared so deliciously, we spent the next two weeks attempting to reproduce them at home. We've waited for a long time for a restaurant of this caliber to grace Chenery, and here you are! Welcome.

Slow food. Let me say that again: slow, slooooow, deliciously speed-free food. I dropped in here on spec the week before they officially opened and immediately called my wife to join me. We were here for about three hours. It's the most unique meal I can remember having had in a long time. There are currently 15 seats in a semicircle around the chef station and wood-burning fire. Everything gets cooked on that fire, right as you watch. Joseph, the chef is just a blur of motion the entire time, and it's incredibly impressive just how capable he is of keeping track of the rate of cooking meals starting at different times, with different ingredients. The actual food is quite simple, but extremely carefully prepared for sometimes weeks before it's presented, and its simplicity makes it plain just how damn tasty it all is. There are no fancy tricks here to hide subpar ingredients or corners cut. Chef Joseph and the staff are all really good at their jobs and are friendly when that makes sense, and unobtrusive when you want to focus. The actual food varies by season and whatever part of some animal (he does all of his own butchering and curing) happens to be available. When I was there, I ate literally the only duck breast that I have ever enjoyed in my entire life. The wine list is great, specializing in somewhat obscure, southern French wines. Desserts were wonderful, and there was a smattering of little treats here and there throughout the meal. If you show up hungry, you're going to be absolutely starving by the time food comes. My wife and I couldn't remember whether it was 60 or 90 minutes before the first bite arrived on our plates. However, we were absolutely stuffed by the time we left. If you want to spend a memorable night, enjoying the spectacle of a chef at the top of his craft making food exactly the way he wants, then this is a great place to come. Don't be in a rush. You're going to be here for three hours. You're going to be very pleased.

I've never been anywhere quite like this. The chef prepares just about everything at a wood fired hearth ringed by the 14-person counter, serving up plate after plate of hearty, succulent roast meats and vegetables. I saw another review that described it as "French omakase," which gets close, but might leave some readers with an implication of formality or snobbishness that couldn't be further from the mark. We had a fantastic dinner, more than worthy of a special occasion. The cured ham, the duck, and the fig and cheese tart were highlights. The owners and staff are also incredibly friendly and welcoming. If the chef and his team can keep this up, it's very easy to imagine this restaurant becoming a destination.

Summary - Very pretentious Details - Came from quite a distance away only to find that while they say they open the restaurant and waitlist at 6, their unadvertised paper "waitlist" opens at 4:30. You must go make a special trip to kiss the ring and a new trip later to eat. No reservations, no respect for guests. Had a very unpleasant experience and was very offended by the egregious, unusual and unadvertised policy. Just sell tickets or take reservations! So much ego to insist all guests make multiple same day trips to eat at your restaurant. Later when writing my reviews, I found this to be a common experience for aspiring guests of this establishment. The restaurants defensive and unkind replies to these reviews reflect the distain for their customers that I felt on my visit.