Angler — Restaurant in San Francisco

Angler is located in San Francisco's Embarcadero district and first opened its doors in 2018 - located on the waterfront, the restaurant offers patrons a beautiful view to go with their meal. They serve a seafood-focused menu and has been awarded a 1 Michelin Star for the quality of their cooking.

Reservations can be made online via OpenTable beginning a month in advance to the date desired. I booked their signature Cook For You experience as a treat for my partner's birthday. The Cook For You features a prix-fixe menu that changes daily and is curated to each party's tastes and preferences. The menu is designed to be shared amongst the table (think family style) highlighting both Angler's classic and seasonal dishes.

I made my reservation for 6:30pm - given that this restaurant is located in the Embarcadero, which isn't the easiest place to find parking, we elected to take public transportation. Upon arriving, we were shown to our table and offered a choice of still or sparkling water as well as a selection of drinks. We decided to go with their non-alcoholic options - (1) tropical sour, and (2) pineapple ginger. The tropical sour was the definite favorite as the flavors are much more complex and developed, while the pineapple ginger was true to its name (if not a little too ginger-forward for my personal tastes).

Since we had booked their Cook For You experience, we didn't have to order a thing and our dishes were served to our table one by one. We started with a hamachi crudo - as a big sushi/raw fish fan, this was a refreshing delectable bite that was well seasoned. Next was a tuna-shiso-jelly-based dish paired with a rice cracker. This one was quite fun as we were advised to crack pieces of the cracker off to scoop and enjoy the tuna-jelly mixture. Their famous house made parker rolls came next paired with a seaweed miso butter, and this was absolutely delicious - buttery, fluffy, and rich in flavor. We couldn't finish it all at the table (there was so much good food to go around), and we we decided to take the remaining three home to enjoy at our pace. Together with the bread came our spring salad paired with a lemon vinaigrette - overall a very flavorful salad, especially with the vinaigrette, though the lemon could be a bit overpowering and almost too tart at times.

Next came some of our favorite bites of the night - hot fried frog legs generously flavored with a crispy pepper coating. Frog legs might not be for everyone, but for us they're favorite delicacy that we were excited to indulge in during this meal. The frog legs were expertly prepared and perfectly cooked - fall-off-the-bone tender.

Afterwards we were delighted with some seared scallops and asparagus. The scallops were perfectly prepared with a crisp sear, while the meat itself was soft and tender - paired with a bleu blanc sauce, this was a perfect bite showcasing Angler's skill in seafood preparations. The asparagus were extremely well cooked and I found myself enjoying the dish a lot (which says something since I'm not usually a fan of asparagus).

Finally we were onto our main course: the prime rib and scalloped crispy potato. The prime rib was a special treat, as we were anticipating a more seafood-forward meal; however, Angler certainly proves that their not a one-trick pony as they served an excellent prime rib with au jus. The crispy potato was also delectable, as we were instructed to eat the potato slice by slice and dip it in the pool of taleggio cheese that the potato sits atop of.

Last but not least - dessert, which came in the form of a delicious soft-serve sundae paired with warm salted caramel, cool cocoa nibs, and a pinch of sea salt.

Needless to say with all this food and all the variety of flavors, we were not only full, but absolutely delighted by the end of our meal. Overall, the Cook For You experience was very enjoyable and I would highly recommend it for anyone who's feeling a little adventurous and willing to given the...

Food: Excellent. Everything we ordered was delicious. It's family style and there were four of us, so we got to try a good portion of the menu. For a "high end" restaurant, I was surprised at the presentation of some dishes. The salad was literally just piled on a plate about 12 inches high. A salad bowl would have made sharing a lot easier. Overall the dishes were presented in a very utilitarian manner. I don't really care about this, but for the price point I was just a little surprised.

Service: Good. The service "team" seemed a little erratic, we had a dedicated server but we also had different members of the wait staff stopping by at times asking us if we needed anything (e.g. drinks). The our server would come over and ask the same thing, despite the fact they were on-order. I am going to chalk this up to basically all the Covid restrictions being lifted and the place being packed, likely for one of the first times in years.

Price: Mixed. The food was appropriately priced for the quality. The drinks were dramatically more expensive than I am used to even for a high end restaurant. Glasses of pedestrian bourbon were $20. You could buy an entire bottle of the same bourbon for $40, and the pours were not generous. Fortunately, we brought a bottle of nice wine. We finished the bottle of wine and the server asked if we wanted another glass of the same bottle we had been drinking as they had a bottle open (2016 Silver Oak). They didn't provide a price and a few people made a knee jerk reaction and decided to order a glass and the price when we got the bill was far higher than I would expect given the cost of the bottle. I expect a significant mark up but this well exceeded my expectations.

Location: Excellent, beautiful spot right next to the Bag Bridge along the Embarcadero. We went on a weekday during the early evening and despite very few people being "back in the office" , traffic and parking was exceptionally difficult. This has more to do with the time of our dinner and the day we went, and is completely out of their control but I do think it's worth mentioning for future patrons.

Ambiance: Above average for the price point. I am not a fan of the sterile, all white, modern aesthic, but that's just personal taste. Also, I was surprised that the layout hadn't changed much since this location was Chaya many years ago. The seating was exceptionally comfortable, which being on the taller side, is something I find rare. Table was appropriately sized, large enough for family style dining but not so large that you could have a conversation with the person across from you.

Noise: Excellent. For how crowded it was and how open the restaurant was, we could comfortably have private conversations. The kitchen is also open to the restaurant and we weren't far away, and the noise was nearly imperceptible. Whatever they did with acoustics, they did an excellent job.

Overall: I would definitely go back for a special occasion. That said I would bring two bottles of...

I heard this was Saison's 'casual dining restaurant', which means I have to check it out... It's not like I can afford Saison anytime soon.

But let's talk. Definitely pricier than any other 'casual restaurant' I've been to, as this will get you at about $100/person, but it's so worth it.

First things first. If you don't have a reservation, get there right at 5pm when they open to try and snag bar seats... Otherwise you'll wait at least an hour for something to open up.

Second off, when you walk inside, you're struck by how beautiful the place is. It's modern with clean lines but complimented with beautiful textures and patterns, open kitchen and just an overall gorgeous space, all the way down to the octopus toilet paper holder.

As for the bar, my gal pal arrived 2 minutes before me and snagged the last two bar seats at 5:15.

I was so impressed with everything. First, with our bartender's knowledge and explanations of all the drinks, but also his full knowledge of the menu too.

For drinks, I ordered the Don Lockwood, 5 stars. While their bbq pineapple daiquiri is really popular for $15, I'm not a rum fan. DL on the other hand, was right up my alley. Islay scotch, smoked maple and bourbon with a twist of orange for $17. It was heavenly. My friend ordered the Pacific Coast Highway for $15. It was light, not too sweet, but tasted like soda to me. A great drink if you don't want something too strong.

Now onto the food. My friend doesn't do raw fish, so I'll have to come back another time to sample that. We ordered the Sweet Chicory Caesar ($14), Brussel Sprouts ($12), Parker House Rolls ($8), and the Petrale Sole ($60).

Caesar had great flavor, but the dressing a bit heavy, I'd give it 4 stars. Otherwise it was really good.

Brussel sprouts weren't quite as crispy as I'd like, but they still had really good flavor, so again, 4 stars.

I was told their house rolls are the only bread made in-house, so obviously we got that too (with the angler butter for +$3). Worth it. 5 stars.

Then the whole fish... I'm thinking, how good is this going to be for $60? Seems high. Nope nope nope. Fish was huge, flopping over the edges of the plate (it was a large plate too). Perfectly cooked, super light, and came with a light butter sauce. Perfection. I'd order that again many times over. Note that this is prob under seasoned in comparison to other places. It was more about enhancing the fish's natural flavors than overpowering it with seasonings. I loved it. 5 stars.

For dessert the woman next to us ordered the soft serve... We were just watching her devour her food and she said we have to get it. OKAY! Soft serve with cacao nibs, with a salted caramel drizzled on top. Note: If you want more sauce, just ask. 5 stars.

Overall, make sure to give this place a try. From their drinks, to their perfectly cooked foods and desserts to the atmosphere and impeccable service, it's a place I'm excited...