Leo's Oyster Bar — Restaurant in San Francisco

Mostly incredible food, fun/tropical decor, awesome staff.

This was almost a 5-star review. It came SOOO close. There were a couple things I had that I didn't love, but damn, this was one of the better meals I've had this year!

The hits:

Caviar bite with caviar, creme fraiche, and truffled beet pancake - HOLY HELL THIS BITE IS FANTASTIC. It's literally a bite, but wow... I could have eaten these all night long and nothing else. The perfect balance of salty, sweet, and creamy. The beet isn't overwhelming at all (I'm not a huge beet person), nor is the truffle. The tiny little chives and crystals of salt on top are just enough garnish to feel fancy without being pretentious, and the little pancake is a pillowy puff of goodness below a brief taste of ocean. I can't with this. So. Good.

Lobster roll with uni butter, brioche, and french fries - this is the best lobster roll I've had in SF. Not ever, but definitely in SF. There was literally nothing in it other than lobster and butter, which is how it should be. Nothing to get in the way... the lobster was fresh, tender, and flavorful. The fries were crispy, topped with flakes of parsley, and served with a side of aioli. This dish truly let the lobster shine and I enjoyed every bite.

Smoked tuna dip with roe and togarashi crackers - all the pieces here were fantastic. The crackers were super crunchy and a little spicy. OMG to the smoke on the dip. It's like eating wood out of the smoker, in the absolute best way. The texture of the cracker paired well with the softer quality of the dip and the roe on top was a nice touch. I wouldn't have minded more of it.

The others:

Japanese hamachi with charred avocado and sea salt - the fish was super fresh. The hamachi itself was perfect and I liked the earthy flavors brought in from the olive oil. The rest of the dish was kinda just ok though... the avocado was nicely charred, but it was also slightly brown and not quite ripe. The dish also didn't need the extra salt.

Caviar bite with salmon roe, salmon tartare and capers - this one was much fishier than the first caviar bite we had. I was ok with it, though it was a turn off for my friend. Between the salmon and the capers this was also a very salty bite, though it was slightly balanced out by the dill. It was served in a little mini pie crust... the first bite was good for me, but as I got to the crust a mustard-type flavor kicked in and between that and the thick breading, I lost the fish flavors I was enjoying.

Caviar bite with trout roe and broiled trout - slightly gingery, slightly smoky, a bit of soy, crispy broiled trout. I liked this bite, though not as much as the first.

Overall, I loved Leo's and I'd definitely come back. While pricy and small portioned, I thought the quality and freshness of the fish largely justified the prices and our server was...

I've been to Leo's a few times in the past and had a great experience but this time the service has dropped. There wasn't anyone at the check in desk when I arrived so I had to flag down the bartender who sent someone over that seemed very annoyed by my arrival.... I then proceeded to ask if we can be seated farther inside rather than right next to the entrance and his response was a blank "you're sitting there." The menu has gotten even smaller with only 3 main entrees for dinner. I ordered a starter salad which literally was just arugula, radishes and cherry tomatoes DOUSED in an extremely strong vinaigrette. Fyi, eating extreme amounts of vinegar is not good for the stomach. And this plate of leaves was $20. We were seated at a 4 top and had a reservation for 3 with a 4th who ended up coming at the start of the reservation (not midway through) and the waitress was annoyed by this. My mother in law even made a comment to her saying "is this a problem? I'm hoping you're happy to serve more people, we'll end up buying more food!" To which she received an awkward smile. The service started to get a bit better midway through and we ordered two of the main entrees along with oysters which were all really good. It could have just been an off day at Leo's which is why I rated them in the middle but I will not be revisiting or recommending it for a while. I also want to note that I understand requesting a different table can't always be managed and switching from 3 people to 4 people might sometimes be frustrating but it's about how these messages were delivered... We ended up feeling...

This place is pretty good. My first time trying Ethiopian food. Service is good but a bit slow which its because they do get busy which I'm ok with. 4 star from me.

Flaxseed drink with honey taste like blended peanut butter not to sweet: pretty interesting. The ground beef kitfo cooked medium rare is spicy and good. The chicken tibs is pretty good but I like dark than white. So it does cater for vegetarians and meat eaters.

A lot of people usually get their veggie combo. Oh and the injera is like a sour dough pancake you use to wrap the food to eat with. You use your hand/fingers and injera to eat the food.

The place is small so get there when they open or when rush hours are over. I see people usually order togo and from delivery company since the place is small. Tables I see is 4 or less but I'm sure you can squeeze the tables or chairs together for bigger parties if they aren't already filled.

Fun experience, not everyday kind of food and pretty filling due to the injera. Definitely come again when there's parking. Parking is hard and lots of drugs,homeless and crazy people so just a heads up. Still worth to come by...