LAUREL COURT RESTAURANT

We had a delicious family dining experience for 10 people. The salmon, the pasta the house said, all 5 star. Unfortunately, while beautiful, the energy of the lobby restaurant ( Laurel court) lacks the vitality that might further enhance one's special dining experience. But it's perfect for a low key, more utilitarian style fine dining experience.

The cheese was moldy! I am a vegetarian and my partner is not, and we ordered a pasta dish, one with meat and one without. Both came without meat and instead one had cheese and one did not. We decided to ask for extra cheese rather than asking for it to be remade with the meat on my partner’s dish, and the parmesean they brought out had MOLD on it. The servers also tried to take away our appetizer too soon (we were halfway through the brussel sprouts and they already tried to take it away), and the pasta itself was runny and had frozen peas which was not listed in the ingredients on the menu. While we were seated, we watched a waiter clean the table with a dry, used towel, not replace the plate mat, and place the new silverware directly on the used table mat. The table itself where we were seated was extremely sticky. They also charge an automatic 20% gratuity, even for just 2 people. Given the order was wrong, we were rushed, and the food literally had mold on it I have never been more disappointed in an overpriced meal. I added a photo of the moldy cheese. I know the mold spot is small, but as a microbiologist, I think it’s important for people to know, by the time it’s visible, the entire package cannot be salvaged. Edit: We had a breakfast credit so we had to come back for breakfast and it was just as bad! I added a photo, and yes that is $7 worth of potatoes! I am Irish, so I’ve never not wanted to finish a serving of potatoes. They've accomplished the impossible! My partner’s sausage had frozen goo on it. I added a photo of his sunny side up egg breakfast, as served. $25? Yikes! Took forever for the food to come out and the avocado was hard and brown. At least the table wasn’t AS sticky! Oh and they charged us an extra $40 for drinks we didn’t order separately after we left dinner. No idea how that happened. Luckily the front desk cleared those but I’ve literally never had a hotel charge for drinks I didn’t even order??

Cute and dainty spot for afternoon tea. Highly recommend for the ambience. Food was decent for the price but left feeling that there could’ve been more. Was able to accommodate for celiac and pescatarian needs.

Lovely experience, great selection of sandwich varieties, loved the sweets especially the macaroons .The highlight of the afternoon tea was our server, he was not only super nice but a great photographer. Thank you, Fermin! You made our experience even better

I really seldom give poor review as I feel that is wasting my time and not helping anybody. I had high expectations for this place given it's in a 4-star hotel and charging premium price. I was disappointed as there was such big disparity between the price they charged and the food and service they provided. We came to the Fairmont Hotel to see the gingerbread house and decided to have a nice dinner here since the atmosphere seemed nice. Seating was quick as it was still early at 6pm. We started with steam mussel and California coastal chowder. The chowder was good though not exceptional. The mussels were below average and obviously not that fresh. For the main course, my wife had a butter lettuce salad and I had the braised lamb shank. At least no one can mess up a salad as it's just chopped lettuce with apple and pecans. The lamb shank was tender but with little flavor. Overall the quality of food would be 2 out of 5 stars even in a average restaurant. Our waiter did not even check in on us once after taking our orders. We had to tell the bust boy to catch him to give us our bill. The lack of service from the waiter was jaw dropping. We ended up paying 5-star price for 2-star food and service here. It's hard to imagine I would ever come back again.

We went there for Mother’s Day. There was a Buffet Brunch with 2 time slots: noon and 3:00 pm. We were greeted and walked to our table where they welcomed us with Moët & Chandon champagne with or without orange juice to make a mimosa, or Sparkling cider for kids (non alcoholic). Then, we went to check the buffet, which included a salad bar, poke, seafood and ceviche bar, carving station with beef and pork, charcuterie bar, eggs Benedict station (way over cooked), children bar with nuggets, burguers, mac & cheese, etc, and a huge dessert bar, which included macarons, tiramisu, lemon pavlovas, cookies, pies, cobbler, and lots and lots of other desserts. There was also a gluten free station and different options for vegetarians. The service was impressive, the meat juicy and very tender, the seafood fresh, and the desserts exquisite. We also enjoyed a pianist playing during the whole experience. Of course, the price is in accordance to the luxury of the place, cause you are paying not just for the food, but also for being treated as royals. Service was impecable. Highly recommended if you can afford almost $150 per person (taxes and gratuity excluded)

The way they cook their potatoes is interesting but I am not a fan. Their cheeseburger is surprisingly very yummy! The broth of the clams is also good. The panna cotta does not taste like panna cotta but instead tastes like yogurt. For breakfast I recommend the Fairmont Classic and Eggs Benedict. The pastries are also decent.

This hotel restaurant is a bit unusual and has a limited menu, but everything on it is delicious!!! The atmosphere is wonderful, and welcome is warm, and the servers are fantastic! Shane really takes great care of us each time we visit, and it is always a terrific time. I highly recommend that you visit!

It was such a treat to enjoy brunch at the Laurel Court Restaurant inside The Fairmont during our vacation in SF. The tables were turned- whenever we're sat at a table where we have the opportunity to sit next to each other instead of far away, we will. They had no problem turning the table to give us more useful space to eat next to each other. Is it really brunch without coffee or mimosas? No, the answer is no. And they brought a carriage of coffee and individual mimosas. The mimosa was adequately strong for my husband but not too strong for me. I'd say they got it right. Normally we drink or coffee black, but because we were on vacation (and it may have needed it) we each added one creamer to our coffee. That made it the perfect indulgence. The food was SO good, I wish I had more room in my tummy and I would have ordered seconds!! I will dream of those pancakes and this begins the chase. I'm afraid no one will be able to live up to those Lemon Ricotta and Blueberry pancakes. The pancakes actually had blueberries in them, it wasn't just a compote on top. The ricotta was perfect for this lemon- lover, and even my husband who isn't a big lemon-fan, thoroughly enjoyed them. Next was the Ham and Brie Omelette with roasted potatoes and sourdough toast. We had never had an omelette with brie in it and it was the perfect compliment. All of the ingredients that the Laurel Court restaurant used were so fresh, perfectly prepared and paired together. This is not just a convenient restaurant inside a hotel, this is a treat worth experiencing if you're in San Francisco. Although I would highly recommend staying at the Fairmont, even if you're just in town, splurge and have brunch at the Laurel Court Restaurant!

Lack of response to my detailed and legitimate concerns (either privately or publicly) says it all. A total disregard for customer experience and service. Shameful.

This restaurant inside the Fairmont did me right several times-dinner, breakfast and drinks-each visit was wonderful and left me a happy camper. I ordered the chicken dish for dinner and I didn't love it. I think the dried onions on the chicken were not my favorite, but I can't fault them for my personal preference. It was cooked great and the presentation was beautiful. I'll just order something else next time. Each staff member is professional and welcoming from the host to the wait staff to the folks who fill the water and clear the tables. Great team!

The lamb with Farro is really good. The dessert was a little too sweet. I'd go for the lemon with condensed milk.

Service these days? Non-existent. They slap on a 15% service fee just to treat you like you're invisible. Booked for 5:15pm, got there early. Took pics outside--decent decor, but that's where the good ends. They wouldn't seat me early, so I waited. When they did, it was a joke. Tried to cram us at a tiny table near a raucous bar scene. Asked for a quieter spot in the empty restaurant. The staff? Clueless. Couldn't rearrange a table without an iPad telling them how. No surprise they didn't bother fixing it. Just asked us to sit tight. Food? Forgettable. Finished eating while nearly half the place was still empty. Staff? MIA. But when some older white guy wanted a better seat, suddenly, they could move mountains. Absolute meh. Even felt sorry for our President having to endure this pitiful excuse for a place with its abysmal service.

Came here for breakfast on a Saturday and Sunday. With the bed and breakfast package came a large daily credit - time to order!!! Very weird- Saturday was a 5 star experience and Sunday was a 3 star experience so I am giving it 4 stars. On Saturday, I got the lemon ricotta pancakes and a side of 2 poached eggs. My friend got the Fairmont classic and then we split the Fairmont cheeseburger. We both LOVED the cheeseburger! We asked for the aioli on the side. June was our waiter and was outstanding ! On Sunday my friend got the cheeseburger again. He loved the aioli so didn't ask for it on the side. It came without. He asked and they brought mayo. He asked for it medium to medium well. It came out medium rare to rare. The waiter took it off the bill. I got the eggs Benedict and it was good. Loved the potatoes. On Sunday I also got the turkey sandwich to go for the plane. It was good! The place is beautiful! Love the ambiance. Hours are not correct in the tablet in the room- double check.

Beautiful and historical hotel and restaurant, but the food is some of the most awful I've had in SF. Tasted worse than any airplane meal. The only eatable dish is the Herb Roasted Chicken entree, not pictured here. Wild mushroom bolognese did not have a mushroom taste at all, the chicken I added tasted extremely dry and like it was just heated up from frozen. The limoncello tiramisu was chewy and not tasty. Service was good as we were there during a time with almost no other customers.

Came here for afternoon tea with one of my best friends. I've always wanted to come here for tea, so my friend and I splurged to treat ourselves. The ambiance was gorgeous, complete with a live pianist, reminding me of afternoon tea back in England. In typical afternoon tea fare, we had scones, tea sandwiches, desserts, and of course tea. We could also choose between complimentary champagne or cider. These were the sandwiches we got: 1) New York Steak 2) Smoked Salmon 3) Roasted Beets 4) Coffee Roasted Carrots 5) Devil Egg Salad We each had a teapot with our own tea. I got the Jasmine gold dragon, and my friend got 1907 Orange. Reservations are only on Saturdays, and the cost was about $115 per person, including tip. It was definitely a splurge for my first time here, and it was worth it. For the price you pay, I wish they would provide more food, and better quality, because what they served was really comparable to other afternoon tea places I've been to in the Bay Area. I had so much fun with my friend. Service was impeccable, and it was such a wonderful, dreamy afternoon. Thanks Fairmont!

We went to the Fairmont to celebrate our anniversary with their holiday afternoon tea experience. You enter through the main hotel entrance, which was a little confusing because Laurel Court has its own entrance. The Christmas tree in the lobby was beautiful and you can see the gingerbread house right behind. The entrance to the restaurant is to the right. It was interesting because there was a line for the afternoon tea reservations, not as glamorous as I had imagined considering the cost. We were all waiting for the clock to strike 1pm for seating to open. The service was great even though the restaurant was noticeably busy. We receive champagne once we were seated and additional pours when we were low. The two types of teas we ordered were refreshing and cozy! We ordered the Christmas Blend and the Winter Palace Marzipan Rooibos. For food, you start with the pastries. In our case, we started with two types of scones. Solid, nothing to special. The sandwiches and desserts follow in a three-tiered rack. The sandwiches, very delicious. Small but surprisingly filling! The desserts were a little too sweet. And they bring out chocolates at the end, also very sweet (would have preferred the chocolate-covered strawberries I read about). All-in-all, I would recommend to go once for the experience but probably not more, and I definitely don't feel like it needs to be during the holidays!

The atmosphere for the Holidays is beautiful. I really enjoy staying at the hotel and having brunch. The service was good, however we did have to wait for our table to be cleaned. I would have liked to see Eggs Benedict on the buffet. The scrambled eggs were very wet and the potatoes weren't very tasty, however the bacon was good and crispy. Our visit was on December 23. When checking out, Michael assisted me and he was very pleasant and actually the best staff interaction during our stay. We definitely will be back next year for the holidays!

Totally understand the negative reviews. We've been staying at this hotel, which has been an ok experience. We came here for lunch and for dinner and all I can say is do not waste your money. This was gross. I couldn't even finish it and the service made me really really uncomfortable. I told my server, after not touching my food, that was cold when I got it, that it was spicy and I couldn't eat it and she LAUGHED at me with the busser at the server station... I literally listened to their conversation and them laughing at me. I didn't even ASK for anything, all I said was "wow this is spicy". I'm sorry but that was disgusting. I hate making negative reviews but after expressing I couldn't eat it and being laughed at, what the heck was that?!

Love the hotel! But the restaurant is very very very very meh. I would think it's better to come here for a drink or perhaps brunch. Came here with my husband and 2 daughters for my oldest daughter's birthday dinner at her request. The first thing I noticed were the cheap mats on each table, made of wicker or something like that. Reminded me of outdoor bbq mats, but whatever, that I didn't care about as much. The menu is extremely limited and the food bland. Nothing stood out, not bad but just meh. The service was wonderful with the exception of one person endlessly trying to remove our plates before we were done but that also can be viewed as attentive so I didn't mind that a ton. Mostly it was a lackluster experience but not bad. The hotel is a great place to stay and we do love it!

We came here for Side Cars. Tried to go to Top of the Mark, but it was not open yet. We went through the famous Gingerbread house & sat at the bar. Bartender was friendly. Made our our side cars with a bit too much orange juice & an off brand Brandy. But it was still good for a drink at noonish ;) & absolutely beautiful inside. First time for the other 2 in my party to have a Side Car. They loved them! I recommend coming here, if the Top of the Mark is closed:)

We tried to go to another place in the hotel but there was a long line so we opted for Laurel Court. Initial thoughts when first getting my seated is for sure this is a place you go to for business dinner and drinks. Service was a little slow. 2/5 - Charcuterie board - Pretty mediocre, no crackers, minimal bread 1/5 - Half Chicken - looked great and tasted great but it was raw when I got to the bone. Apparently it's cooked sous vide and at least 1 person complains about the chicken and if that's the case why didn't I get a warning? They took the chicken off the bill. I'd skip this place unless you're just coming for after work drinks and expensing it.

Came here for Sunday breakfast and given it is Fairmont in middle of SF, was as expected for prices and quality. Not amazing but not horrible. Got the cheeseburger which hit the spot after a night out. Angus beef Patty cooked medium was perfect. Typical red onion tomato and lettuce. Fries were like McDonald's fries which isn't a horrible thing. Others got the eggs Benedict which seemed ordinary. Really came here for the convenience from staying in the hotel. Service was slowwww for coffee and water refills.

Came back for the holidays and had an amazing time! Thank you Jay and Way for making our girls night out!!

I love the Fairmont hotel and visit a couple times a year, especially during the Holidays. We love the Gingerbread house during the holidays. My family and I have been to the Laurel Court many times and have had brunch and dinner here. This past New year's day, we had dinner at the Laurel Court and the service was subpar. The food was just OK. We did love the ambiance and I think that's what you're really paying for here. They also had a balloon maker during our time there and he graciously made my kids some balloon art which they absolutely loved and it made their night. The Laurel Court is a decent place to visit but it wouldn't be first on my list. I will definitely return because we love coming to the Fairmont hotel for the holidays and it's a good enough place to visit when you're staying in the hotel or need a place to eat in the area.

The level of service has fallen desperately. Checking in I was told there would be a20 min wait which is fine but when I asked if I could get a cup of coffee while I waited. We were standing maybe 20 feet from the coffee station. The person who I assume is the manager told me to go to the coffee shop on the other side of the hotel. This isn't a ridiculous request. Most breakfast & brunch locations offer this. Heck the last time I went to a Denny's I didn't even have to ask. The hostess offered to help pass the time while I waited. The fairmont has always been the premier location for me SF. Service like this is a stain on the old girls image. Not looking for above and getting just better.

We came here for Brunch on Sunday and had a great meal and dining experience. I ordered a traditional brunch item, the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and my dining partner ordered a sandwich. My Eggs Benedict was one of the best I have had in recent memory and my dining partner stated that hers was excellent as well. The service was right on the mark...the waiter was attentive, pleasant and our meals arrived in a reasonable amount of time. The restaurant is gorgeous, such an elegant room. I definitely recommend a visit here for a great meal with wonderful service and ambiance!

I stayed at the hotel so I came here for breakfast because it was complimentary thanks to an amex bonus. I likely wouldn't come back without the bonus. avocado toast - super small and underwhelming. I've had better at coffee shops and at home. side of potatoes - very standard. toasty on the outside and soft on inside, served with ketchup lemon ricotta pancakes - the pancakes were fluffy. the blueberry sauce on top was a bit much. I'd recommend this.

Terrible breakfast, definitely gone down hill - not coming back. Be sure to know gratuity is automatically added to the bill, servers do not tell you. We ended up accidentally adding additional tip and didn't realize until we got home upon double checking the receipt.

The service was bad the night we came in. We just wanted a nice dinner with our children. Our waiter forgot about us after the drink order and another waiter came by to pour our water and mumbled something. We had attitude from our waiter the whole time as if we did something to him idk what that was about. It didn't feel inviting AT ALL. Food was bland. I lost my appetite after the crappy service and just wanted to leave. We were guests at the hotel and just wanted good hot food. We ended up ordering delivery from a nearby burger joint.

Beautiful ambience. Reminded me of Savoy in London with the live pianist. The tea options were amazing and the tiny sandwiches were packed with big flavor. Great service. I thought it was worth the $238 for 2. I enjoyed myself.

Oscar is an amazing server!! He took care of us on our first night in fairmont san francisco and always gave us quality service since walking in to the restaurant. Food is great as well! Definitely recommend their breakfast options

Okay- so this place is so overrated, mostly because I'm assuming it's at the Fairmont, which is always fabulous. But if the Laurel Court was not located in the Fairmont I think it would've been shut down by now. It sucks! The hostess was nice, but the service after was horrible. Our waiter (vaisel or Faizel not sure) was so snotty! He gave us a crappy table at the end- I asked him for another table and he said" ma'am that's for reservations" so I said to him I reserved almost 2 weeks ago. So he ROLLED his eyes and said fine, then proceeded to seat us at the nicer table. They gave a kids coloring paper and crayons BUT didn't serve a single kids meal! Nothing! They said they ran out of ice cream on a Saturday night dinner at 6:00 pm?! What?! Anyways we just left- what a bizarre place! Sorry hotel guests- it's nice to have a place to dine with your family when traveling but the fairmont is not it. We DoorDashed our meals and had beautiful pastries delivered from Stella bakery and delicious pizza from Golden boy for the first night. Way better than the Crappy and Overly Stuffy Laurel Court. Save your money. Go elsewhere.

My review is for the holiday tea, which was amazing! My mom and I have been wanting to come here for tea for years, and we were not disappointed. I was really surprised by the negative reviews on here. Is it expensive? Yes, and I can see how people would therefore have incredibly high standards. However, I felt like this was on par with other luxury tea experiences I've had. The ambiance was fantastic. The dining room is beautiful and they had a piano player playing for the entire tea. They also give you a souvenir Nutcracker ornament on your table to take home, which was a cute touch. Our server was very friendly and accommodating, and we were given a complimentary glass of champagne as soon as we sat down. There were 8 teas to choose from, 4 regular and 4 special holiday ones. They were a Christmas blend, sugar plum, Vienna eggnog, and marzipan rooibos. We ordered the eggnog and rooibos-- both were good, but the eggnog was the winner! I do wish they had brought hot water around more frequently. My tea cooled pretty quickly and I didn't notice the server walking around with a pot of hot water. The scones and biscuits were warm and delicious, and they brought plenty of lemon curd and clotted cream. The sandwich selections were cucumber, curried chicken, tuna and egg salad, roasted rosemary ham & gruyere, and butternut squash with goat cheese. The ham was to die for. I might have to try and make it myself at home! Dessert was also very tasty-- macarons, a fig bar, and these delicious little pumpkin mousse tarts. They also brought See's candies after the regular dessert. I saw another review that complained about the See's, but that wasn't the main dessert. I saw another review complain about getting moldy fruit-- again, not sure what that is about, since the holiday tea menu doesn't even include fruit. Another cute touch was the elves walking around and making balloon animals for kids. It wasn't loud or distracting, and seemed like a nice way to keep kids entertained. We parked in the Fairmont garage, which is valet and validated by the restaurant for 50% off-- $9 an hour. I hate driving in the city, so it was worth it for the peace of mind of not having to search for parking and risk being late. Overall, I loved our experience and would absolutely return.

We ate at Laurel Court twice: once for dinner and once for breakfast. Our experiences differed greatly between the two meals. We had a dinner reservation but in actuality the restaurant was very quiet and we wouldn't have needed them. The setting of the restaurant is quite upscale. Unfortunately service from our server wasn't very good, and when our food was brought out it was close to lukewarm. We had to send it back but even when it was redelivered to the table it still wasn't as hot as it should have been. Our breakfast reservation went much better, on the other hand - our server was very good, the atmosphere was bustling, and the food served was tasty and hot. Unfortunately no buffet was available (obviously there was one at some point, likely pre-COVID) but the à la carte entrées were good and fairly reasonably priced given the location. Though I probably wouldn't return for dinner, I would definitely consider returning for breakfast.

We came to Laurel court for breakfast the day after Christmas... It was a solid meh. The good: old San Francisco ambiance, beautiful lobby and giant gingerbread house, seated promptly by reservation time. Quick on the draw with coffee and hot chocolate when seated. Pastries were delicious. The bad: - service was friendly but extremely slow. We had to ask for things like water (there were empty glasses at every spot but no water was provided until we asked. We waited quite some time and our food was lukewarm to cold when it arrived (cold breakfast potatoes and lukewarm omelette). - Even had it been hot when it arrived, the food was in the "ok" category. Omelette had a good amount of asparagus and mushrooms, but the eggs were kind of dry and overcooked. And lukewarm. -potatoes were tasty but cold. Toast was leathery. - hot chocolate was basically warm milk with a barely detectable hint of chocolate. -for the price and location, we really expected more.

Despite reading the not so glowing reviews on Yelp, I still made a reservation for my husband and I to have brunch at the Laurel Court the day after Christmas, mainly so we can take pictures of the holiday decorations and the famous gingerbread house. We arrived a few minutes early for our 10:30am reservation, were promptly seated by our hostess, and given a menu. Ok, we thought they would have a buffet, as per their website and everywhere else they have online presence on, but apparently it's à la carte only. Alright, no big deal, we'll go with the flow. It's the holiday after all. We decided what we wanted to eat right away, put the menu to the side, and waited until a server come to take our order. Fast forward to 10:45am. Still nobody. A server came to the table next to us to give the guests their check, overheard one of them never got their toast. Hm that's not good. Another server came to clean the next table, asked her when our server will take our order and she said give her a sec. She came back 2 more times to set the next table, but still nothing. A lady at the table across from us looked back, smiled commiseratingly and said they also have been waiting for their order, even longer than us. The hostess seated another party next to us. It's now 11am. I've looked around the restaurant, it's pretty busy, but not bustling crazy, your favorite-diner busy. So where's everybody? Flagged a server walking down the aisle and told him we've been sitting around for 20 min and no one has taken our order. He looked surprised and said he would let the manager know. A few minutes later, the manager came to take our order- we ordered ham & brie omelet, sausage and eggs, side of bacon, and coffee. You know, your regular b'fast order. Waited around for another half hour and finally at around 11:30am, our food came. We had to ask for ketchup and salt/pepper, and my husband realized he's missing his sausage. Hello?!! Meanwhile next to us, a guy was paying for his check and mentioned to his partner that he never got his latte. UGH. Now on to the food. The sourdough toast was super hard- if you throw that at somebody, they might get a mild concussion. The bacon was hard as well and tasted like cardboard. The omelet was pretty good, but as someone else said here, the eggs too overdone when it should've been fluffy. Both dishes were also just lukewarm, like it's been sitting around for a while. Another 15 min to wait until someone run our card for payment (they dropped off the check while we were eating). They added a 15% mandatory gratuity- even for a party of 2- so pay attention and do not accidentally pay extra for more tip (unless you want to of course). So final verdict, don't even bother. To be honest, it's disappointing for a 5-star hotel like the Fairmont to have an in-house restaurant with crappy food and crappy service like the Laurel Court. $90 for lackluster breakfast worse than your local diner with high school kids working as part time servers- it's $90 too expensive. Believe all the bad reviews you read on Yelp. They are all true. Spend your money elsewhere. The Laurel Court doesn't deserve it.

I can see why there's a low rating. This is all personal views, and this is mine. Fancy schmancy. Place might look nice, but if the food or service or not up to par, I don't really care about the looks of the place. I tried to enjoy breakfast here with my uncle, and it was awful. Server was pushy and immediately wanted to know what we wanted as soon as we sat down. A burden was an understatement. Expensive cheap food, that is made for the hotel. I ordered the eggs Benedict and it seemed that everything wasn't made with "care". The server was just "gone with the wind" and only came back when it was time to pay. Very much recommend other local places.

I've had a Yelp account for years, and have never left a review. But after an incredible experience at The Laurel, I feel like everyone needs to know about it. Make sure to read the last paragraph... that's where you'll find the real reason why I decided to leave my first review. I stayed at the Fairmont the last couple nights for a work event, and had the pleasure of having breakfast at The Laurel both mornings. Yesterday, I sat at the bar and had the Avocado Toast and added an egg. DELICIOUS!!! I highly recommend it. This morning, I was not doing well. I drank way too much last night, and was just trying to feel decent enough to make the 1 hour drive back home. I sat at the bar again, and ordered a side of bacon (everyone knows you need grease when hungover), an iced latte, and of course, lots of ICED WATER! The bacon was cooked perfectly, and the iced latte was delicious. Now, for the real reason I'm posting this review... The best bartender ever, Jay!!! He saved me!!! He started his shift right after I was served my breakfast. My server asked me if I was okay, and I straight up told him how hungover I was. Jay, over hearing this, immediately asked me if I wanted a glass of soda water with some bitters. YES!!! Why didn't I think of that?! I used to bartend for goodness' sake! The drink definitely helped, but what helped even more was the hilarity that ensued. I was almost in tears laughing at all of Jay's jokes while he was setting up his bar. Turns out, endorphins are the ultimate hangover cure. I went from feeling like absolute death to well enough to get on the road within 30 minutes. Jay is the epitome of excellent customer service. He noticed what I needed and took care of it, even though I wasn't even technically his customer. I've been managing businesses and people now for 14 years, and am always grateful when I get good customer service. This, however, was exceptional. I really hope the managers see this and give him a well deserved bonus. I will 100% be coming back next time I'm in the city, and I hope it's on Jay's shift!

Had a wonderful quick dinner with the family-- burger, steamed mussels, clam chowder and calamari. The clam chowder is the best! Service was great! Our server was truly nice.

We had an extremely disappointing Christmas Eve dinner. The food was less than marginal and the sitting was next to a garbage can!!! So very disappointed

We had an afternoon tea. Scones were good, sandwiches were fine. The dessert was so so. The server talked to close to our drinks and food. The tea was pretty good tho.

Surprisingly poor afternoon tea service, for a Fairmont. My husband and I recently booked an afternoon tea here as we were staying at the Fairmont for the weekend. The Laurel Court is their lobby bar / three-meal outlet, and offers a traditional afternoon tea service. Compared with other teas in SF, theirs is at the high end of price scale (~$110pp, including one glass of champagne). There is a (great!) piano player who mixed in fancy hotel classics and a few modern pieces at a very reasonable volume. We were seated promptly at 2:00 PM, just as the restaurant opened for tea. Then we were equally promptly ignored. It would be several minutes before anyone came around to our side of the dining room, and then it was only to pour the champagne. No one ever said hello, explained the menu or process, welcomed us to the restaurant, etc. Sadly, this factory-like "service" would continue throughout the tea. Eventually someone did come around to take our tea order: "Have you decided on a tea?" We ordered, and a while later I finally managed to flag someone down for a clean teaspoon (mine had gunk on it: clearly had not been polished). Next, a plate of scones was unceremoniously plonked on the table. These were excellent, but we were a bit baffled as normally scones are served after sandwiches and savories at tea. At first, we thought we should be waiting for the tower, but then realized it wasn't immediately forthcoming (again, none of this was explained). The next minor disappointment was the cream: the menu said the scones would be served with "clotted cream," as is tradition. However, what was served was just a tablespoon or two of whipped cream - for four scones. Definitely not "traditional" tea. About 20m after the scones were served, our tea was delivered. When the tower eventually appeared, another 30m later, we thought we were finally in for some improvement. The savories were...fine. Nothing particularly interesting, but all of it edible. There just wasn't much to them. Four single-bight open-face rounds. We ate them, but we both commented that we would need a big dinner, since lunch/tea was lacking in the protein department. That brings us to the sweets. These looked very nice, and we were excited to try them, given Fairmont's reputation for having great in-house pastry departments. Sadly, we only got about three bites in. All of the sweets we tried were flavorless sugar bombs. We both have sweet tooths, but these things were SICKLY. We boxed up those that remained, but I doubt they'll be eaten. For the price, we will not be back to the Fairmont for tea. The service, product quality, and quantity simply don't justify it, even if the environment is very pleasant.

Can we start marking down restaurants that post inaccurate hours? In recent years a trend has developed in restaurants doing this. For example, they will post online that they close at 10:00pm, but if you arrive at 9:30 they will frequently say actually we closed at 9:30, or we don't seat anyone after 9:00, or we don't take orders after 8:30. Can we just go back to posting the actual closing time, the other methods are just wasting everyone's time.

The one star reviews for this tea service are on point, I only wish my wife and I had seen them prior to attending this ripoff guised as a chic experience. Save your $160 (yes, $160 for five 1 inch sandwiches and bad chocolates) and go to any other restaurant in San Francisco. The portions are tiny, and the desserts are all overly and sickly sweet. The "sandwiches" consist of very small pieces of bread with minimal toppings. The "chicken curry" was literally inedible and mealy, and while the ham and bacon was tasty, the price made this experience the absolute worst we've had in San Francisco. Shame on the Fairmont for serving $10 worth of product and charging customers what they do... and doing it during the holiday season just makes it more atrocious. NOTE: A 20% service/tip charge is automatically added, and you are NOT informed by the server. Make sure not to double tip on a crappy experience!

So I reserved a table arrived on time and see a line of like 80 people that's barely moving. I am paying huge amount of money for this garbage and supposed to spend an hour in the line. And it's not cancelable. Stay away of this place!

A friend and I had Holiday Tea for 2. $150 per person plus 20% gratuity ( not optional) plus taxes plus parking. $400 day. So I hear they used to give 2 hrs complimentary parking with restaurant validation: now it's 50% off the $18/ hr rate! Tea selection was small: Holiday themes:Christmas blend and a Marzipan flavored tea are the 2 we tried and liked. The sandwiches were tiny, 5 types. 2 small dry scones for each person with clotted cream, jam and lemon curd were ok. The most disappointing part: sweets: no fancy pastries or macarans or or anything special. They actually gave 2 pieces of Sees candies--- seriously? And a fig flavored square, and basically sadness on a plate. The other frills: an Elf who did a magic trick and a person who made balloon animals and things for everyone there except us: sad. The Gingerbread house was nice, smaller than I expected. Nice Christmas tree in the lobby. They gave everyone a little nutcracker ornament which was a nice touch, but the overall cost was definitely not worth the lackluster food. I made the reservation through Opentable and noted a birthday celebration as well but it was not noted by the staff. I had to ask the service staff if they were going to do anything special and Adam, our great server came out with cake and chocolate covered strawberries. Adam/ service 5 stars. My guess is they don't have a pastry chef? I had High Tea at the Palace hotel for $100 and had wonderful sweets. Go there if you don't need all the extra Gingerbread House and Elves. Fairmont Laurel Court managers: you could at least get some nice pastries or macaroons. Sees Candies is really a big disappointment.

My wife and I decided to have one meal during our stay in the hotel on premise. We picked breakfast on our last day. We popped in around 0730am and were seated promptly. They offer a buffet as well as a la carte items on the menu. We both opted for the full buffet. The buffet has an omelet station, Dutch ovens full of scrambled eggs, pork sausage, bacon, potatoes and other goodies. There is a meat and cheese section with several yummy sliced salamis. They also have a waffle station with fresh berries and whipped cream. There's a nice selection of fruit and a huge bread offering. Service was attentive the entire time. They will bring you your choice of beverage. Everything was well stocked at the buffet as well. Our food was delicious but next time I would get my eggs fresh scrambled at the omelet station. The dining room itself lacked some ambiance. Perhaps a water feature would be a nice touch in the huge space. The walls have a beautiful landscape view painted on them that we initially though was wallpaper. My only complaint was I thought the prices were a little dear. We couldn't afford to eat here every morning.

Great food and drinks! Impeccable service as well. We were running a little late for our reservation and gave them a call just in case and the hostess was very understanding and polite. I'll definitely come back here next time I visit SF!

We stayed at Fairmont for my mom's birthday and the hotel package includes breakfast at the Laurel Court. Everything else in the trip was great, but the Laurel Court was just awful. It took 20 minutes to get our tea and the orange juice my son ordered never came. The server is nowhere to be found. We had three little kids in the group, and ordered simple food like chocolate chip pancake but it took a whole hour because the food was served, at which point we already gave in and give the little ones some cereals. The food themselves were disappointing too. They add an automatic gratuity to the bill so I guess the servers have no motivation to take care of the customers well.

So we got married at the Fairmont, and we wanted to make reservations for our anniversary to go back to there to eat. This is the response we got. Is it too much to ask for a reservation? We only spent over $50k on our wedding there. You'd think they'd at least let us make reservations to eat at their mediocre 3 Yelp star restaurant. Bravo customer service.

My husband and I are staying at the beautiful Fairmont and decided to try out the restaurant in the lobby. The decor is beautiful. The waiting staff are very kind and generous. The food was very delicious and the atmosphere was busy and enjoyable. My only issue was with my drink which was a little weaker than what I am used to but that was fixed by our wonderful waiter Carlos! The salmon was the way I like it and the steak my husband has was the perfect medium and tasted great. We had a bread pudding for dessert that was very tasty. I definitely recommend it!

Thought it would be a nice choice before an event at the Masonic. They couldn't seat us at our reservation time because the high tea folks had not left. Told us to return in 30 minutes (table still wasn't ready and we waited at least 10 min before server came). Ordered right away , drink order screwed up. When food finally arrived it was clear food had been sitting as the sauce on the ravioli was congealed, vegetables were cold. Took 14 minutes to get the check (even after asking the manager). Disappointing that a hotel of this "prestige" was this bad. Will not return. Just glad I wasn't staying here.

Good ambience but that was the only saving grace and reason for 2 stars. The food was below expectation and the staff behavior ranged from mildly-friendly to pure-rude! We stayed at Fairmont over the weekend and tried High Tea and dinner at the restaurant. Both times it was a disappointment and basically the high cost does not justify the value. For the afternoon high tea which was close to $180 pp, only the scones were good, everything else tasted like day-old bakery product! Either the staff are underpaid and/or overworked because they don't even crack a smile! They work like robots act like u are invisible to them and you feel guilty even for showing up! The saddest thing is the managers don't care as well and turn a blind eye to everything. Not going back for sure!

This review is for their afternoon tea. I was able to get a last minute/same day reservation for the afternoon tea and honestly, this place exceeded my expectations. Maybe it's because there's a lot of negative reviews on Yelp so I wasn't expecting much lol. For $49/person, this place is pretty good. There was so much food that we couldn't finish everything. The scones were delicious, the sandwiches were decent, and the desserts weren't overly sweet. It wasn't the best afternoon tea I've ever had, but it was definitely great value. The service was great too (15% tip was included). The waiter came by and checked on us several times during the 1.5h we were there. I'd come back again.

Laurel Court is resting on its laurels. My wife & I returned to the Fairmont Hotel on a Sunday evening mainly to recreate a romantic photo op from our dinner there years ago. We parked under the hotel, and kudos to the middle aged man moving the cars who was quick and decisive, having us park in a reserved spot near the entrance. At the restaurant we expected the same quality of food and level of service we remembered having then. How naive. We had a 6 pm reservation, arrived a little early and were seated promptly. The restaurant was clearly understaffed because they were almost running everywhere they went and yet it was a long time between every interaction with them. We started with gin & tonic (too much tonic) and a Manhattan (had a slightly an odd taste). The dinner menu only had 7 items. We ordered the chicken caesar and the ravioli. At first the waiter brought out the wrong chicken dinner. When the right one came we were disappointed to find the chicken was dry. The dinners looked pretty but were bland. We didn't order dessert, and had the waiter validate the parking ticket for half off. The young man we saw in the garage didn't know about validating tickets for a discount, so that took an extra 5 minutes to sort out. Not coming back and you shouldn't either until they pick up their standards.

TL;DR I cant believe they told me they could accommodate my allergies, then gave me food I had an allergic reaction to, served a fruit cup with moldy fruit, and that I paid $150 for a tea service where half a plate was four slices of watermelon. I do not plan to return. I made a reservation for the Laurel Court's holiday tea on Sunday, December 5th at 3:30pm on November 24th. I understand that it isn't always possible to accommodate dairy allergies at an afternoon tea service, so I tried to call the Laurel Court at the phone number listed for them on the Fairmont website, but no one picked up. It just rings indefinitely until you're disconnected. After finally realizing that no one was regularly answering the Laurel court number, I called the Fairmont and was forwarded to the voicemail of the Laurel Court manager. I left a voicemail asking if my allergies could be accommodated or if I would be advised to cancel my reservation and never got a reply. So after a few days I called again and got an email for the Laurel Court. I had to email twice, but I got a reply saying that, "your dietary instructions are listed on your profile. We will ensure that the chef and your server is aware." Upon my arrival my server offered Chandon to "celebrate the occasion." I'm assuming he meant the holidays and not my birthday since everyone at afternoon tea gets a glass of sparkling wine or cider. Server then informed me that for afternoon tea, I would receive everything on the menu-- which means my server was as not made aware of my dairy allergies because the menu says buttermilk biscuits and I definitely shouldn't be served those. So my server was NOT aware of my allergies until I informed him. My bottom tier consisted of a halved strawberry, four slices of watermelon, two slices of pineapple, two of cantaloupe and two of honeydew. Maybe it's because melon isn't in season, but only the pineapple was flavorful and juicy. All of the melon slices were very bland. Middle tier consisted of four tea sandwiches and some halved Cherry tomatoes with pesto. The sandwich flavors weren't particularly memorable but I enjoyed the presentation. My top tier consisted of two chocolate covered strawberries, two pieces of pate de fruit, and a cup of blueberries and raspberries. One blueberry was moldy. The chocolate for the strawberries made me sick, so the chocolate was either cross contaminated during the production process or in the Laurel Court kitchen. Not sure which, but I felt queasy on my ride home and took two Benadryl. We did ask to try a third tea and a pot was brought for us. I'd really hoped to have a fun birthday experience here but I left feeling ill and robbed. (20% mandatory tip... even though you assured me my server would be aware and he wasn't) I reached out to the Laurel Court via email to express my disappointment about my experience and have not heard back.