Causwells — Restaurant in San Francisco

Omg big sad. Tiktok/IG reels got me gooood again ): im sure a number of people came to causwells after they saw that reel. IYKYK

anyways I forced my bf to take me here to eat after a date so we can try this "burger so good that made me move to SF." I mean it sounded like it would taste yummy from the description.... got there around 5:30pm on Saturday. best to get a reservation, as my bf would say bc he hates lines with a passion. but honestly we only waited for about 30 minutes -- seemed longer bc it was the same weekend barbie and Oppenheimer came out and the restaurant is next to a movie theatre B ruH

onward. B U R G E R tasted like in n out could be better. the two pattyies and cheese were actually pretty good, but the bread was being to bread-y because there was just too much of it, causing the whole thing to be a bit dry and slightly lacking in flavor. I think if they use a brioche bun, it would be a lot better. DO get the onion strings. they are worth it. they are crunchy crispy and had great contrast and texture while taking bites of your burger.

W I N G S and they were on the larger meatier side, which provided nice crunch + juicy bite factor. advertised as "cali hot" - it was not spicy at all. my boyfriend thought they fried it well (he is a chicken wing connoisseur -- he would marry a chicken wing if he could), but the flavor was made WAY better with the hot sauce causwells provided. he wanted to take the whole bottle home. coleslaw that was provided with it was a nah

O C T O P U S with hummus. my bf ordered this and he liked it. I was whatever about it since I am not a big fan of hummus. AND we both agreed the Kalamata olives really took way from the whole taste because it was overpowering the whole dish. I am not a big fan of beans either but when paired with this dish, it did really well. (I love textures and the garbanzo beans were crunchy against the hummus)

THE ONE THING YOU MUST GET: BANANA BREAD WITH MASCARPONE DIPPED IN HOT CHOCOLATE I will 100% go back here just for this one thing. it is literally banana bread they make in house and they sandwich some mascarpone in the middle, and they give you hot chocolate in a bowl to dip it in. sandwich is warm, melty, sweet --- but not that sweet. banana bread sweet. And hot chocolate consistency is semi sweet and not too thick. Perfect for the banana bread to soak up the liquid but not get overwhelmed by the chocolate. Each component complements each other so well. this dish alone -- one extraaa star

my bf got a beer that he didn't like, I got a cocktail -- melon bomb, that we liked. light taste of the melons and elderflower but enjoyable nonetheless

Waitstaff were accommodating and nice. they were quite busy and food took a little longer than I thought, but overall good service.

parking...

I had a fabulous experience at Causwells. I visited on a Tuesday evening, around 9:00pm. I was meeting a girlfriend and as soon as I stepped into Causwells, the warmth and coziness of the spot made it clear we had picked the right destination.

Things didn't start off the best, however... we had an 8:45 reservation, but we weren't seated until nearly 9:15, as our table was still finishing out their meal. Annoying, but certainly not a dealbreaker. Once we were seated, however, the wait staff immediately made it up to us with a plate of deviled eggs, on the house.

The interior overall was really cute, a small dedicated bar space, then maybe a half dozen tables or so. Definitely on the small side, but the ambiance was pleasant, and it would make a great date spot, whether it's an actual date or a girlfriends date.

So of course, the food: -Deviled eggs, three ways: one classic, one with avocado, and one with smoked trout. Absolutely delicious. The smoked trout was my favorite, but I'm a sucker for a nicely smoked piece of trout. -Chicken liver moussetoast: two large pieces of toast served with the chicken liver mousse already spread on them (certainly avoids making a mess), topped with pickled red onion and sea salt. I thought the acid from the onions and the salt the mousse was topped with paired perfectly with the richness from the chicken liver. This was probably my favorite plate of the night, really awesome. -House made ricotta: served with rosemary honey and lavosh, this actually wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I think it was too much of one flavor for me, to be honest. The ricotta was great, don't get me wrong, but unless you're sharing this plate with a few others, it's a lot of just ricotta and honey. I would have loved some other complementary flavors. -Grilled octopus: served amongst garbanzo, fennel, and a chili vinaigrette, this dish was fabulous. The octopus was perfectly grilled, with a bit of a char on it but not overdone or too chewy/rubbery. The dish itself was a good size, but with the citrus from the vinaigrette it felt light and enjoyable, which was a nice break from some of the heavier items we ordered. -Americana burger: big, savory, salty, and in all the best ways. The crispy onions on the side totally made the dish, don't skimp out on these in favor of veggies or something else.

We also shared a bottle of wine, so our total came to about $60 each. Overall, loved the food, loved the service, and I can't wait to come back and try...

So, Causwells was first recommended to me by a girl from OkCupid last week. Then, I came across it again while looking at Yelp's new businesses. And then, my friend and I happened to be getting ice cream sandwiches down the street, and figured we should probably eat a proper meal too. So, call it celestial guidance or whatever that led me here, but I'm glad it did!

Still being a bit full from our breakfast dessert (okay, fine, it was 4pm), we stuck with their small plates, which honestly sounded more interesting than their entrees anyway:

Rye Parkerhouse Rolls & Cultured Butter - I never order bread, because I feel like it's something that should come with the meal, so this was a bit of a luxury. The rolls came in a set of four, with a simple glaze on top, and what I think was sea-salted butter. Tasty enough on its own, but even better once I realized I could make mini sliders with the brisket!

Housemade Ricotta & Lavash - I'm not usually one to order cheese plates, given the lactose intolerance and all. The ricotta was nice and smooth, with a tasty lemony zing to it, and went well with the fresh lavash crackers. If you run out (and you will, because there's a lot more cheese than cracker), bear in mind that you can ask for more.

Steak Tartare - Having tried tartare at more and more places across the city, I've found that most of them share similarities in taste. Causwells', though, was pleasantly different: not as savory or (overly) salty as most places I've been to, but lighter and fruitier instead. This definitely needs to be eaten before the brisket, because the flavors of the tartare are subtle enough that the latter will have dulled your taste buds with the in-your-face flavor.

Smoked Brisket - The star of the dishes we ordered, with great flavor (similar to corned beef) and a nice, tender texture. Be sure to eat it with all the extra sauces and accoutrements provided in the dish.

I definitely see myself coming back here, if not only because I want to try their deviled eggs and octopus!

Accessibility Info

Venue - Another venue with mixed counter and regular table seating. Of the latter, some are placed in such a way as to not be accessible, but the majority should not prove to be an issue.

Bathroom - Didn't check them out, but given their location in the back, you may have to ask the nearest table to get out of their chairs in order to squeeze by. I also seem to recall a divider that may make opening the door a...