ROOFTOP 25 — Restaurant in San Francisco

Review updated and dramatically changed 3-22-18 from a 1 star to a 5 star. Please read final post.

Probably the worst restaurant experience my wife and I have ever had. The restaurant is in more of back alley and not in the best of neighborhoods. Arrived 20 min early for an 8 pm Tues reservation and were told they had nothing ready and to check back at 8 (at that time there were 3 booths and a nice table). So we had a drink at the bar as we often do when arriving early and checked back at 8. When we checked back in there was a walk in party of 3 in front of us and we looked around and could see only 1 booth remaining and a tiny table squeezed up against a couple other tiny tables. The walk in party was taken to the booth and the host took us to the tiny table. We were hoping there might be another hidden table he was taking to other than that one. We asked if we could be seated somewhere else including a nice booth just outside the dinning area in the bar or wait a few for another table and we were told no, that this table is the only option. It was at this point that we walked out of the restaurant and made our way to an incredible restaurant that we had been to once before called Epic Roasthouse on the Embarcadero. They were easily able to get us a very nice and secluded table with a beautiful view of the Bay Bridge at the last minute and without a reservation. We then enjoyed another incredible dinner. The staff and food at Epic is nothing less than incredible and my wife and I will definitely return in the future. As for 25 Lusk, never again.

12-9-17 After some conversation with the owner, Chad, we've decided to give the restaurant another opportunity. Will post a follow-up after we conclude our visit.

3-22-18 After giving the restaurant a second chance, I must say that my wife and I were very impressed. I would describe the decor as modern industrial mixed with the original architecture of building, lighting was perfect and the chill music was at just the right level to make the experience and atmosphere great. Service from Rueben, Nathan, and rest of staff was nothing short of excellent. Devil's advocate may say that was merely because they were aware of our prior experience, but I can definitely say that everything they did didn't seem at all forced and came perfectly natural to them and they interacted with the other people around us just well. We ordered several small items before sharing a main course, and all of the food was outstanding, very flavorful, and prepared with the kind of care and presentation that only comes from a truly great chef that has a passion for what he does. Not only will my wife and I return for future visits, but we would absolutely and without a doubt or reservation, recommend this place to any friend or relative. Thank you Twenty Five Lusk for delivering on every aspect of a great...

Possibly the best "Rooftop Bar and Lounge" in the Bay Area. Excellent hand crafted and boozy cocktails, thoughtful American food that feels healthy, amazing service, great location, and beautiful lounge space. The view is nice but slightly obscured by other buildings. However, I absolutely recommend visiting here (we drove up from Sunnyvale to visit). Great customer service, drinks, food, and location! Details follow:

[The Drinks] They have a small selection of crafted cocktails as well as beer and wine. The cocktails were excellent, I recommend the spicy margarita or the coconut daiquiri. The drinks also had a great level of alcohol that didn't make the drinks taste bad. Absolutely recommended! Can be a little pricy but it's San Francisco!

[The Food] This place also has a few carefully thought out meals that are American style. The dishes aren't unhealthy and come typically with vegetables - although they certainly have a few things if you're not watching calories! Everything we tried was great and we were really impressed with the taste. Recommend the pretzel bites, salmon, or the pizza. Everything looked amazing.

[The Service] Customer service here is excellent! You order everything at the bar and they bring the food to you. We didn't even wait 10 minutes and our food was ready! The servers continued to checkin with us every time they walked by. Everyone was super nice!

[The Location] This restaurant can be a little hard to find. It's right off of Embarcadero (close to ORACLE park). There is street parking as well as parking in underground lots nearby. Be careful when coming during baseball game days because the parking becomes...

A group of colleagues and I met up here for some drinks and snacks. Amongst the rooftop bars in SF, I thoroughly enjoyed Rooftop 25 located just upstairs of 25 Lusk. I am not sure if it was because it was a weekday, but the place was not busy leaving a spacious and cozy environment. I am just glad we had a table to sit at which we probably would not have found at any of the other rooftop bars around. Even though there isn't much of a view that you'd expect from a rooftop bar, the coverage kept the space cozy on those windy nights (they even offer blankets if you're still cold!).

Another plus was that you order up front at the cash register while they bring your food and drinks out to you. This makes it so much easier to split when you're in a group. I started off with the Rooftop Smash ($12), which was nice and fruity. Then I switched up for a classic, smokey Old Fashioned. As for food, our table had an array of bites: Pizza One ($15), Pizza Two ($18), Cheese Board ($10), Chicharrones ($3), Olives and Nuts ($5), Potato Chips ($3), and the Sustainable Catch Ceviche ($14). The pizzas were pretty standard, but definitely enjoyed the Pizza Two better due to the prosciutto. My favorites of the snacks were actually the two cheapest ones: chicharrones and potato chips --both simple, tasty, and perfect to munch on. The chicharrones even had a kick of spice to it, which I really enjoyed.

Overall, great spot to grab some drinks and snacks. I enjoyed the atmosphere a lot here. The staff was quick to take orders, bring things out, and made sure to let us know when their kitchen was closing for...