House of Prime Rib — Restaurant in San Francisco

I have been anticipating coming to this place for over ten years now but as luck would have it I was never able to until now. It was very exciting to finally get to visit and I couldn’t wait to try what they had to offer. I carefully studied the menu that I knew front and back just in case I wanted to change my mind last minute. But nope .. I knew I wanted the King Henry VIII Cut. It had been my dream for a decade to order this and I was gonna do it! I went with the traditional sides which were creamed spinach and mashed potatoes and my girlfriend got the creamed corn with baked potato. We. were. stoked. Next thing you know the server is being snarky to his colleagues and causing some drama (guess he was having a bad day) but we brushed it off as we were there to celebrate and have the dream meal of our lives. One thing escalated to the next so quickly as our meal progressed. My prime rib was seared on one side the first round, then it came consistently colored the next but not the temperature I wanted, and then third time is the charm right? No .. it came dripping with blood the third time. I guess that’s what I get for speaking up about a steak? Anyways by the third time my rib came I lost my appetite and didn’t eat it. No one asked and no one was around to notice anyways because our server Justin was MIA for twenty minutes and it was getting too late for us to care anymore. We asked several servers and other staff where our server was but no one knew and we were eventually told that he had left for the night. This really threw us off because not only were we unable to tell anyone it was my gf’s birthday but we hadn’t even paid for our tab yet. Then another five minutes or so later our server showed up! We were so happy and disoriented at the sight of him that it was very very sad. We asked him for the check and a treat for our birthday celebration. He brought them both out fairly quickly. The other staff member who boxes up leftovers asked if he could help us box our food up so we said yes. He boxed it up but I ended up leaving it behind because it was just a terrible meal all together and I just didn’t have the appetite for it anymore. No one cared to ask why my entire meal was untouched or why I decided not to even take it with me. This is the longest review I have ever written and it is because I wanted to share my experience in detail so that this very overrated place might either fix their problem or maybe a few people will come here while taking precautions after reading this. Unlike me (who thought putting myself in the hands of these folk’s professional care would just work since they have raving reviews) I hope at least a few people will be warned substantially so they will not have to experience what my party experienced. Chris the Caribbean manager was quite nice. He never really asked if I had finished my meal after the third time but I guess that is how it goes when you’re busy. Our server was quite unpleasant to us and even his coworkers so it made us sad for him and his colleagues. I do hope he will be able to leave his hard feelings at home next time as it made us very uncomfortable during our meal. Valet only for $17 or you can try to find street parking. They do not take Discover. If you are on the waiting list and come back by 10pm then no matter how late they take to seat you they will serve you. At least that is what we were told. No call aheads, only in person waiting list entries. They do not text or call so you have to be nearby to hear your name. I won’t be coming back here unless asked to by friends or family but if you do then please make sure to get what you ask for as you will be spending a hefty amount of money. This place...

Zero stars if we could - the staff at this restaurant are terrible (for the most part) - incredibly rude.

Hosts were rude… Us - “Hi, we came early since you don’t take reservations for 2, could we get on the waitlist?” Host - “You need to go to the bar to be added to their waitlist” Us - “What about a table?” Host - “2 hours”

I haven't been back here since I was younger, but it's as good as I remember !

I booked our reservation about 10 months in advance, when I checked they were already pretty booked 5-6 months out for weekends. This worked out in our favor because when we checked in, I overheard the staff telling another family it would be around a 3.5 hour wait !

When we got there we decided to valet, as it was only $17 and honestly after driving through traffic nearby we just thought it would be easier. They give you a ticket and tell you to pay the driver when you pick up your car, so easy !

We went for my boyfriend's birthday, and our waiter was absolutely amazing ! My boyfriend doesn't like to be the center of attention, so our waiter casually brought us a scoop of birthday chocolate ice cream with a candle for us to sing to him privately at the end of our meal. It was so sweet !

Now onto the experience:

You start with some delicious warm sourdough bread and butter. Always a highlight I feel at any restaurant.

Next they toss your salad in their house dressing and serve you a huge portion of it ! The dressing was light and the salad was surprisingly not super filling.

When you order you choose what cut you want and which sides. My mom and boyfriend ordered the House of Prime Rib cut and I got the City Cut (smaller portion). The prime rib was so tender and they still bring by the serving cart to carve at your table.

My mom and I got creamed spinach with baked potatoes and my boyfriend got the creamed corn with mashed potatoes. All extremely well portioned and my boyfriend even got the bone in his cut ! The baked potatoes were huge, and we definitely couldn't finish it all.

After your meal they bag everything up for you and ask if you want dessert.

We ordered the Bread Pudding, Creme Brulee and Tiramisu, which were all really good sizes for the price.

After all is done they ask if you want a complimentary photo, which they put in a thick paper type frame as a keepsake.

Overall what you get for the price was extremely worth it for us. When you order your prime rib meal you get your cut of meat, 2 sides (creamed corn or creamed spinach, and mashed potatoes or baked potato), Yorkshire pudding, salad, and bread for the table. We also had enough leftovers for another meal the next day.

The only thing I felt that was different from the past was how crowded it felt. Of course the restaurant itself is busy, it's so popular ! I just felt the tables were closer together than I remember, and even our booth was a bit tight for me and my boyfriend who sat next to each other. The servers also seemed very rushed, assuming they had a lot of people to serve in a short amount of time. But other than that I'm so glad we went, it's definitely a fun experience for...