Toy Soldier

This place was so yummy! We ordered the oysters, crab cakes, and calamari — everything was a 10/10. Arturo helped us with everything and was super hospitable. Everyone was very nice, and I would definitely come back here.

We recently visited Toy Soldier and had the Western Bacon Burger, Philly Cheese Steak, Caesar salad, and the white wine mussels. We also tried their Espresso Martini, a mocktail, and the Chocolate Molten Lava Cake for dessert. The space here is massive and perfect for private events, especially since they don't charge a room fee. A huge highlight is their $1 oysters available all day, every day. It’s a good spot to keep in mind for big groups.

Their dishes have excellent flavor! All-day $1 oysters are very fresh. Omar is a great server!

A truly delightful restaurant. The white mussels and glass of wine were the perfect end to a long day. Arturo gave a warm welcome and excellent recommendation. I will most definitely add this spot to my favorites.

What a great bar and restaurant to visit. High celings and great food smells Music playing in the background adds to the vibes. Arturo was the only one for a while but he was able to serve our group of 12 + and other party of 6 seamlessly. I ordered the white muscles and the goat cheese salad w/ salmon. The salmon was SOOOO FRESH and cooked to tender juicy perfection. Easily the best piece of salmon I've ever had outside of my home. It seems like a simple accomplishment but most places simply over cook it. Not here. Paired with a mild cider, it was a perfect first experience!

If you’re in San Francisco and looking for a restaurant that absolutely delivers, put Toy Soldier at the top of your list. What an incredible dining experience. We started with the crab cakes, and they were phenomenal. Perfectly crisp on the outside, packed with fresh crab, and full of flavor. Honestly one of the best appetizers we’ve had in a long time. For the main course we ordered the fried chicken and the sea bass, and both were outstanding. The fried chicken was golden, crispy, and unbelievably juicy with that perfect seasoned crunch. The sea bass was buttery and delicate, cooked beautifully and melted in every bite. And the service? Just as impressive as the food. Omar took amazing care of us the entire evening. Attentive, friendly, and made the whole experience feel welcoming and relaxed. Between the incredible food, great atmosphere, and top-notch service, Toy Soldier is a place we will absolutely be coming back to. Highly recommend if you’re in San Francisco and want a memorable meal.

Arturo, Gabriel and Alan offered me a great time and excellent service. They are very charismatic and recommended me the Sea Bass risotto which I ended up trying, probably one of the best sea food that I’ve tried in a long time, it was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Definitely coming back to Toy Soldier and I hope they keep up with the consistency of good food and great energy

Our family had such an amazing experience last Friday night. Our server Arturo was super helpful with the menu and attentive during our dining experience. The lamb chops are amazing! Arturo also suggested to call ahead if we wanted to reserve some $1 oysters. Such a pleasure dining here. Ask for Arturo next time you’re there!

Arturo and Alejandro are hype!! Drinks and music are fantastic. You gotta check this out and I would come back

Came here for the happy hour $1 oysters from 5pm - 7pm. They're still working on the happy hour full menu coming out next week but the oysters were deliciously chilled and fresh. Thank you Allen for taking care of me. They have a nice bar area and booths and if you come with a big group, they even have an upstairs section and another little bar area with all the things needed for cocktails and beers.

My group and I had a reservation for 7pm, ordered drinks and food almost immediately. Appetizers and drinks didn't come until 7:45pm, entrees didn't come until 8:30pm and when we ordered desserts at 9pm the desserts didn't come until 9:30pm. That is ridiculous. We were there for over 2 hours because of the wait. When we got the entrees they were also cold... so an hour and a half wait for not hot food. I ordered a fried chicken entree, it was good but honestly for the wait not worth. It would be better if it came with some sauce. The crispiness was good but the meat was dry. Would not come back again.

Disappointed. There was a dog just walking around. Super inappropriate to just have it NOT on a leash. What kind of place is this? My significant other and I were there for about 10 minutes before we decided to leave.

Food was super tasty, no complaints there - everything hit the spot. Service was a bit slow for a lunch, though. Not a dealbreaker, but I wouldn't go if I was in a rush. Would still come back for the food!

Stopped in to try a bowl of mussels and garlic fries during their happy hour. It's nice that they're reviving Belden Lane, where we haven't dined since many years pre covid, back when Plouf was in full swing. It was empty during our 4:30 seating, so we grabbed some stools and met Arturo working the bar. Mussels in broth were great, and he was kind enough to offer us a side of bread to enjoy with it. Upstairs area is also great for small private events, which includes a small bar and restrooms. Appreciate the tour! Looking forward to returning soon.

Came here for an engagement party they rented out the space for. Cute ambiance and they set up a pop up tent outside for people to come in and out to. Bar service was decent. Little slow to get to everyone at times and either ran out of things at the bar or had to run to a different part of the restaurant to get it. I didn't deal with any of the renting specifics, but as a guest had a nice time.

My friend reserved a room for a large birthday event at Toy Soldier. They offer four private event options, and I believe we were given "The Deck." It was very spacious, with a large open area for dancing, two bathrooms, and outdoor patio seating. There was also a bar exclusively for the event. The manager, bartender, and other staff were friendly and attentive. You can connect your phone and control the music, which was a nice touch. What I especially liked about the reservation was that there was no down payment required--we were just given a minimum spend of $750 worth of drinks. We only had about 30 people, but reaching the $750 minimum was very easy. The only issue we encountered was that the other room we were supposed to be in (The Canteen) still had customers, so we were moved to The Deck. Honestly, this "issue" worked out in our favor since we got a larger space, so I have no complaints. The staff handled it well, and we had an awesome time!

Celebrated my 23 party here just last night and had the most amazing time! I found this spot through social media and was beyond pleased. It's very spacious and affordable with great drinks and food. Arturo and Alejandro were amazing and super accommodating. They helped me celebrate and made it all happen!! Johnny was also great in helping me reserve the space and preordering food for guests. Tons of my friends are now keeping it in mind to host their future events.

Arturo and Alejandro are the best bartenders and we always have a good time there! Always have great events hosted there!

Arturo and Alejandro went above and beyond in their customer service. We had a large event here and they took care of all of us. I would definitely come back for a large event

Toy soldier was amazing! I highly recommend Alejandro as your bartender. My fav drink for the night was a Paloma.

arturo y alejandro son la mera verga! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We will make Toy Soldier a restaurant to come back to during our future trip to San Francisco. My husband had beef stroganoff dish. Our friend & I ordered the sea bass. Our main course choices were beyond our expectations. We also were lucky to be at the restaurant before 6 pm for the Taco Tuesday and drink specials. We made the fish & pork belly Taco specials our mini appetizer. We ended our meal with the corn Creme brûlée and raspberry sorbet dessert. This is a meal that will come up in our San Francisco restaurant recommendations.

Reserved the bar for my birthday and my friends birthday!! Super fun and the staff were great!! Definitely a great time, got to bring our own dj, and had lots of our friends ask us more info about this place!

Arrived at the Toy Soldier for a private team dinner on a Monday evening around 6:15 pm. It was interesting to find by wandering an alley in SF like it was a hidden speakeasy. Definitely a classy American bar and restaurant with bright lights, wooden furnishing, and walls decorated with alcohol bottles. The atmosphere was great for an intimate dinner with the team. Full bar with attentive servers. The lackluster was from the set menu that was served. Two appetizers of greens with brussel sprouts that were under seasoned but a good way to start off a dinner. The salad had a great vinaigrette but the raw onions were way too much and overpowering that the salad was imbalanced in flavor. I ordered a NY steak medium rare but the server delivered me the wrong one since it tasted so rubbery. I was eating a well done steak instead, and I can understand the mishap since so many people also ordered steak. The meat itself had great juices and flavors soaked in with the greens and mashed potatoes but the meat was way too chewy for my liking that I only ate half of it. Good vibes with people and satisfactory food.

We stumbled upon Toy Soldier during our trip to San Francisco and it was incredible! Everything we ordered was full of flavor and cooked to perfection (bacon cheddar cheeseburger, salmon, chicken sandwich and Philly cheesesteak sandwich). The cherry on top was the service. Arturo was kind, helpful and gave great recommendations for things to do during our stay! We wish we were local so we could come back more often. 10/10 suggest visiting Toy Soldier, you won't regret it.

Came in on a Thursday night and was blown away with the food and service. Arturo and Alan were amazing bartenders and recommended the pork chops and the lava guava cocktail. Food and drinks were amazing and the service was the best I've had in years.

Ate here with another couple. Terrible service. Mediocre food. Large, super loud and annoying party next to us ruined the ambiance. Maybe we were just here on a bad night, but i think they need to try harder.

Had a wonderful lunch with friends today at Toy Soldier. What a gem of a spot on Belden Lane! Freshest sea bass I've had in years and the heirloom tomato/ burrata salad was flawless. Arturo's professionalism and upbeat demeanor enhanced the meal infinitely! We are looking forward to coming back soon.

My son and I had a little after work dinner and we came to a fun Fidi spot. Quiet yet energetic service with an easy small menu. I had a mai Tai and my son had a mule drink and they were both great! Dinner was a grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and asparagus and my son had the lamb chops. They were both very delicious but one star off for the portion size compared to the prices. The lamb being $52 was pretty steep compared to other places in SF that at least provide a starter salad. My salmon was a very small portion too for the $38 price tag, but we still did enjoy our time out.

So fun!!!! The bartender and server are so nice this is literally my #1 choice of bar and they even tried to fix my shoes

Our Saturday at Toy Soldier turned from an exciting date night into a complete disappointment. We drove all the way from Tracy for our 8:45 reservation. Arrived at 8:07 & we were greeted with a "how may I help you?" (???) In a very "what are you doing here?" tone. Not welcoming at all. We were told that our reservation was cancelled & we got bumped for a 8:30 party of 2. No text, no call, just deleted from the list. No real explanation. Other than we should have booked on Open Table instead of the reservation service provided by their own website. (Which is Yelp) Goodbye, "no soup for you!" The actual break down went like this. We made a same-day reservation, at 6:56p for 8:45p. We arrived 30+ minutes early, and were met by a tall man who asked us why we were there. We stated that we had reservations. He asked if we had "just" made them, because he had in fact cancelled them. We explained we had driven over an hour for our dinner reservation. He offered an outdoor seat in 50-degree weather or a possibility of eating at an alternative restaurant. The place was empty. 1 couple at the bar. No one seated. The lack of communication and customer service was disheartening. We received no prior notification about the cancellation, leaving us stranded without a plan. The inconvenience significantly impacted our date night, causing unnecessary stress and disappointment. It's essential for establishments to prioritize effective communication and uphold their reservations to ensure a positive customer experience. Unfortunately, our evening at Toy Soldier fell extremely short of our expectations. Adding to the frustration, we felt unwelcome from the moment we arrived. The tall man greeted us as if we were a bother, compounding our disappointment. The lack of hospitality added to the overall negative experience, making us question the customer service standards at Toy Soldier. A warm welcome can significantly impact the overall dining experience, but unfortunately, our encounter left us feeling undervalued as patrons. We will never even consider supporting this establishment in the future. Do better.

Great location for large parties! Our table for 20 was seated outdoors and they provided heating so it wasn't cold. There's plenty of seating inside as well (with bathrooms on both floors). We got pineapples to share which took way too long, not sure if it's because they don't make it often or they ran out of pineapples and had to make a grocery run (?) but anyhow the food was delicious. For entree I got lamb chops and it was very tasty, the medium was cooked soo tender without the rawness medium rare sometimes feels. The only change I'd suggest to the chef is to easy on the cheese on top of the lamb chops!

Alejandro was very helpful - highly recommended. . He made sure our entire party was taken care of, thank you!.

Overall good experience, food came out timely and was delicious. Anthony provided excellent service.

This place is alright! Came here for lunch on a weekday and really enjoyed my grilled salmon, which was cooked to perfection and included some nice (read: buttery) seasonal veggies. Another winner? The sweet potato fries were terrific. Lightly salted and crispy, these bad boys were nice with the ranch provided (I think the menu indicated it came with aioli but this was definitely ranch). The cauliflower was a little forgettable, although I did like the raisins. Appreciated the 1960s radio station they were playing to their outdoor-dining patrons!

Horrible service. Booked a business dinner. When we arrived I was told our only option was to sit outside in the rain and cold as inside was reserved for Christmas parties. This is despite the restaurant showing wide availability, selecting indoor dining and marking as business dinner. What is worse is open table has ZERO options for real time resolution or feedback once you check in. It also blocks you from booking an alternate restaurant.

Came here for a birthday dinner with a couple friends and loved the experience here! Our server Alan was on top of it. Food was amazing, I had a bowl of white mussels which I highly recommend. Good size portions and great friendly service! 10 out of 10

Went with my team for drinks and dinner. The have good number of options when it come to drinks. There are not a lot of entrée options on the dinner menus. But it did had 2 vegetarian options. I ordered red gnocchi. It was good. All in all, a good place for a team dinner.

I came here yesterday for a large group dinner of about 20 people and was impressed of how well our waiter handled the group. We had a private dinner upstairs which was a plus, Alan who was our only bartender and server did a really good job on maintaining a proper wait time for food and drinks. Everything came out phenomenal and everyone was really pleased. I do have to recommend on trying the bone in pork chop which melted my mouth! Thanks Alan!

I was walking through Beldin PL, and found this hidden gem. Didnt really know what to drink and the bartender (Alan) recommended me to try mezcal margarita with 400 conejos. I was skeptical at first but then he surprised me with a delicious prickly pear marg which was really well rounded. Me and my friend enjoyed the place and are definitely coming back to try the food!

I had a work team (14 people) in town who ignore my recommendations, and thus we ended up here. One word...horrible. Possibly the worse meal I've had in decades, meaning I couldn't eat it. Fried chicken was a plate of fried batter, with chicken scraps. I'm easy to please, and this was terrible. No one touched the appetizers, and the entrees were not much better. For us locals, we know that Belden Alley was once a great place to have lunch, we also know those days are long gone...like 20 years ago. Toy Soldier is the last and only restaurant in the alley. I have to admit I was upset that my recommendations were ignored, but even more upset that this place could actually serve such bad food. I will say, I felt bad for the one guy (waiter/bartender/buser and probably cook) who was taking care of us. I don't write many reviews, but I had to say something.

I booked this place on open table. Then I started reading horrible reviews, so I called to cancel (about 30 hours before my reservation). No one answered. I left multiple messages. They charged me the $90 no-show fee from open table, despite open table validating my cancellation (the restaurant charged me, not open table). Finally, over a week later, they returned my phone call. I explained to them the situation, and the guy confirmed they wouldn't charge. I check the credit card statement today--there's a $90 fee. So, now I have to file a report with my CC company. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! UPDATE: Johnny just called me back because of my review and cussed me out for leaving a 1-star review. Said he was on vacation and so it's not his fault he didn't return my phone call (so if the owner is out of town, apparently this business doesn't return phone calls). Most unprofessional business I have ever seen. I'll now be reporting to any and all business bureaus I can find related to this restaurant. I'd encourage anyone who wants a call back from this guy to just leave a 1-star review. At least something forces him to be responsive!

Surprised this place is not more busy. We just had a nice lunch here outside. I had a $60 open table reward card so perhaps that's why I didn't mind their prices. We had a nice time sitting outdoors. They seem to have a new menu altogether We had - grilled pear salad. I got light dressing and it was good. A little heavy on arugula and light on pear but tasty - white mussels were tasty. Especially the sauce. - fish and chip. Very fresh fish and the fries went well with the mussel sauce - truffle burger. So juicy and delicious also came with fries. It was a great combo of food to share. Will be back

Great portion size! Forgetful waiter. Great medium rare burger. The ambiance was lively during lunch.

Extremely slow service. We were seated at 7:45pm. They took our order at 8:30pm from a pre fixe menu. Food was served between 9:45pm and as late as 10:30pm. The food came out in slow batches (all the gnocchi first, then salmon, and then pork) so people ate alone while others waited for their food. The servers didn't know who ordered what dish, so we had to raise our hands to get our plate when it came out. The food quality was very poor, all around very salty and chewy. The gnocchi dish gave me stomach problems. I don't think this restaurant should be operating to serve food.

Tiny bar with some oh my god awful drinks. The upstairs has a lil dance floor but man those drinks made were some of the worst I've had.

Toy Soldier makes some great cocktails. The bartenders personally brewed fresh coffee to make the Santa's Espresso Martini and the Winter Wonderland cocktail. The Espresso Martini is a very strong coffee cocktail. The Winter Wonderland is served warm and it is reminiscent of a hot toddy or a spiked hot chocolate. Careful though, it could sneak up on you! They don't hold back on the alcohol. Toy Soldier is a cozy spot for a drink on a night out in downtown

Love this alley but Toy Soldier truly stands out above the rest - amazing bar selection, ambiance and the service is consistently on point. The pork chop is delicious, and their old fashioned is too nice to beat - be sure to ask for Moose :-)

Why would anyone ever come here more than once? Tude staff members that weren't easy on the eyes either. Our waiter, Alan, seemed to feel like he was more than just our waiter and continuously harrassed us. There was water on the floor beneath our table when we entered and he refused to acknowledge it. Aside from all that, the food was just...extremely underwhelming. They served raw onions with dip as a course and their fries were hard. I could get a better burger at Mcdonalds. Genuinely felt like a joke. The only difference between this place and Burger King is that its triple the price and the food is more dry!

I was disappointed with the pork chop which was extremely tough. I thought perhaps it was the cutting knife, but a replacement knife had the same result. I sawed through the meet which was bland and as I indicated , tough. My friend enjoyed her mussels. The staff was not very attentive, never stopped to check if we were pleased. The bill was incorrect as we were overcharged $26.

Probably one of the worst steaks I've had out in a long time. Little to know flavor. Ordered medium rare, was medium to medium well. Service was not great, not bad. Do not recommend. Far better options to choose from

The food was just okay. When I saw the pork chop on the photos it looked really good but it was overcooked and over seasoned with salt. Both the gnocchi didn't have a lot of flavor. Although, the french fries and calamari were good. The service was also a little lacking. I had made reservations for standard seating and they told me that they only had outdoor or bar seating. We ended up doing bar seating because it was too cold outside. I do not like bar seating because there is no backing on the seats and there is no where to put your jacket. The service was slow and we had to call attention to get service.

Great space for hosting a larger party on short notice - food is ok and drinks are pretty darn good! We came with a group of 25 and we were able to all be seated indoors. There's space outside with heat lamps as well if thata more your jam. Ordered the restaurant week menu and the meats were too dry, so nothing to write home about. BUTTT access to the bar was the best part for hosting a party in the city and of coutse, location! Great for groups if you're in a bind!

Four months later and that's the BEST response you, as the owner, came up with? That it doesn't SOUND like your restaurant? Sir, it was Toy Soldier, 52 Belden Pl, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA on March 8th, 2023, at 8pm. We were the only company that night, please go back and check your records (you should have also received a formal complaint from our office). Good day!

To be fair only@ Toy Soldier for a Fraternity event w/appetizers off the menu. Meh appetizers considering the menu & pre-impression.

The staff was excellent with our band. We came here with almost 200 people and they worked very hard to serve everyone. Unfortunately, they were rushing and some burgers were undercooked. All the rest of the food was absolutely delicious. THANK YOU to the hardworking staff.

I wanted to like it. I was looking forward to it. But then everyone gets their meal while having to check a couple times if my order even made it in. Then when I finally got it- the picture shows- the amount of batter is through the roof. I attempted to pull some off to find the chicken and when I did it did not look or taste fresh. And it was barely any chicken. Batter had no taste of anything. It was all rubbery and like cardboard. And instead of Cole slaw I for some reason got potatoes. ‍