Johnny Foley's Irish House — Restaurant in San Francisco

I wish I could give this place ten stars for service and a couple extra for the food.

Started off with a couple of Guinness and a massive plate of fried calamari. Honestly, had we known how big it was we may not have ordered it. It was clearly enough for a table of four, and there were only two of us, so..... yeah, we ALMOST finished it.

My buddy had the fish and chips (he always gets the fish and chips), but he doesn't always finish his plate, and tonight he demolished it. As you can see, the filets were generous, set upon a mound of fries.

I switched it up and went for the Cottage Pie (think Shepherd's pie, except made with ground beef instead of Lamb). It was soooooo good. Perfectly seasoned, great texture, just the right amount of moisture, mashed potatoes, and mixed chopped vegetables.

The setting is a typical Irish pub, so sports playing on the monitors and lots of wood, stools, and eclectic wall decorations.

While the food was worth returning for (again, and again), the highlight of our visit was the staff. Our server, as it turns out, had been there over a decade and was the second longest-serving employee, second only to the bartender. The hostess who seated us was all smiles and carried a really cool vibe, a cross between Wednesday Adams meets Taylor Swift. All business, but all smiles.

The patrons seemed to be primarily travelers with a smattering of locals, and if I lived in the area, it would definitely be one of my go-to haunts.

If you happen to be in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco, especially near Union Square, you'll have no fewer than 100 restaurants to choose from. Take the time to stop into Foley's, have a pint and a snack, and enjoy the atmosphere. It's a nice break from the hustle and bustle of walking the streets...

I've eaten here before and loved the place. This time, my waitress was so terrible that I had my food boxed up and I took it back to my hotel to eat. I was asked by a hostess if I would be just drinking, or eating and drinking. My response was just eating, and he seemed both shocked and displeased. I don't drink, sorry guys. Anyway, he seated me right away. I then sat at the table for 20 minutes, knowing what I wanted to order, waiting for a waitress to approach. One never did. Eventually either another hostess or the manager approached and took my order. The waitress who was supposed to be waiting on my table thanked her. My food was brought out by kitchen staff. For another 20 minutes I sat with an empty glass hoping for a refill. Not eating, just sitting there, because I wanted another soda. It's worth noting that my waitress had maybe 5-6 tables including me the whole time I was there. She actively waited on every table but mine. She finally came over to ask how I was doing and I asked for her to box my food. I was ignored my whole time there by my waitress, who's name on the receipt said Anastasi. It was so different from my previous experience there. It was so unwelcoming. Couldn't even ask her for ketchup because I never saw her, I had to get it from the bar. It was a total...

We had SUCH a great time here - I highly recommend! We stopped in on a chilly Friday night on a whim while passing by, and ended up there for hours and it was a highlight of our trip. The hostess was such a delight and helped us find bar seats until we could get seated at a table. The bar tenders were funny and personable, and they have great beers on tap and cocktail options! For dinner, we started with a bowl of the seafood chowder, which was truly the best soup I've ever had. I scraped the bottom of the bowl when it was gone! We then ordered the pub dog and cottage pie, which were both good. The cottage pie was scalding hot for a long time so maybe ask for a second plate to scoop some onto and cool it off a bit if you order this! They had a great cover band there that night that everyone seemed to enjoy. If you go to watch anything on TV, you'll need to request/wait for a seat where one is visible! They're not from everywhere. When we were leaving, I really wanted to say goodbye to each person who helped us since they were all so personable. I got on the restaurant's Instagram after we left and loved that I recognized staff from their posts. We can't wait...