Per Diem - Transit Center — Restaurant in San Francisco

Per Diem's location - tucked under the Transbay Transit Center - is a surprise feature. Its front space is generous and fully protected from rain or harsh sun. Its provides an urban street view, avoiding the visual blandness of alley walls or ugly auto traffic, yet is easy to access by car and foot.

The food quality, presentation and flavors are near the top of what you would expect for this price range, and portions are full sized. Some notable items from our visit - their oft mentioned Roasted Chicken which earned its honors; the BBQ flatbread which could have been dinner itself; a simple apple bacon kale salad that was praised by even our kale hating friend. Also the pricey "build your own Manhattan" gimmick turned out an excellent cocktail.

The decor is clean modernism, just enough upscale to make this date worthy, balanced by a casual warmth (cushioned seats, wood shutters), that invites a drop-in with friends.

Yes,...

Had an excellent dinner here last night. I ordered the wild mushroom pasta and hubby ordered the gnocchi ragú. Both dishes were delicious. The pasta was so good. The egg on top was cooked perfectly and the richness of the yolk really added to the flavor profile. I tried hubby's gnocchi and the lamb Ragu was so good! The cocktails were good too. I chose to order the Manhattan project to create my own Manhattan. The service was slightly off, but it did not negatively impact our dining experience. I like the ambiance of the restaurant as well....

Enjoyed a lovely dinner here. Service is wonderful, the ambiance was exactly what I wanted, and the food was amazing! I asked for my cocktail to be made without vermouth and was notified the cocktails are made by the batch, so they created a new cocktail for me and it was amazing - my partners batch cocktail was not good, so I would make sure your cocktail is freshly made. Otherwise a perfect...