Sam's American Eatery — Restaurant in San Francisco

We were looking for some place good to eat, near the Orpheum Theater that served food that could be kid friendly.

Let me start by saying that there is NOT a lot of upscale choices within safe walking distance. That section of town is super sketchy and a lot of places are more geared toward breakfast and lunch for on the go Art institute students or the odd businessperson. You DO NOT want to walk around that hood. SAM's is right on Market and minutes from the theater.

It's a diner but the interior has been recently updated and looks really nice. The counter/bar area has a nice warm sports bar feel. The seating side is banquet tables and four tops. Decorated with signed posters from the various shows that have been through the Orpheum.

Now to the food. While they don't have a "kid's menu", they did have chicken strips (made with actual chicken breast - go figure!) and fries. Kid was very happy with that.

Adults were happy with the menu too. We ordered the open faced Hot Roast Beef, SAM's Spicy Pork Sandwich and the House Special Chuck Three Burger. Barely had a chance to see the Burger, it was huge and delicious and there was a hungry 17 year old boy waiting to inhale it. He gave it rave reviews. The Hot Roast Beef was thinly sliced and mouth watering. Very good! Served with steamed mixed veg that actually looked pretty darn fresh! The Spicy Pork Sandwich was amazing. Think about a spicy Korean pork, grilled and yummy on a really good french roll, also grilled on the flat top and then throw on some crunchy Asian slaw!

As for the service, place was packed with other people going to the theater. We had about 45 minutes from the time we sat down until the curtain time and we were able to make it. The staff is very friendly and kept assuring us that we would be fine.

One note on the pictures posted here by others. The food looks WAY better in person.

I WILL go back, the hard question will be what to order. That pork was...

My friend recommended Sam's and I'd like to be able to give it a good review, but the plain yet expensive food and my terrible waitress made for a less than pleasurable experience.

Since I sat at the bar, I could see my food being prepared and when it was done the cook rang the bell and set the plate to the side for my waitress. She was too busy having what appeared to be a very important conversation with someone to transfer it 10 feet to where I sat, After about five minutes one of the cooks finally brought it over. I was prepared to overlook this but since I had no silverware I still could not eat.

I finally got her attention and asked for a fork and napkin. Within two seconds, she got distracted, apparently feeling the strong need to converse with another customer who was waiting to be seated and quickly forgot about my need for utensils. When she snapped to, she was able to easily provide me with the means to eat my rapidly cooling food, since all she ever had to do was reach under the bar and hand them to me.

After finishing my meal, she stood there with my debit card in her hand, cooing to yet another customer (who was sitting right next to me), for about three minutes. I said "Excuse me miss, I'd like to go ahead and settle up.", causing her to realize she was holding my card in her hand. I just wanted to hurry up and end this annoying experience, which I finally did.

Given the sheer number of eateries in this city, the overpriced, average food and terrible customer service lands Sam's Diner on my Do Not...

We came to watch Mama Mia! in Orpheum Theater and to beat the traffic, we came early. Too early, as a matter of fact. But we had enough time to enjoy our meal.

First, the decor inside was so cute. The menu was simple but offered a variety of fusion options including vegetarian dishes.

The service was quick and appropriate. The restaurant had two dining rooms plus patio seating. They’re busy. But our waitstaff was friendly and attentive. I don’t like too chatty wait staff but I also hate when being ignored and not having my water refilled. So he did appropriately to anticipate our needs and came to fill our water before I even had to ask. He didn’t rush us even though there’s a line. He allowed us to enjoy.

The dishes shown in pictures were delicious. Soup was delicious and surprisingly light with cream. Calamari was a mixture of east and west flavors. I loved a little spicy kick. The short rib melt in your mouth. Pork chop was marinated well and the salmon was fresh and cooked to perfection.

Overall, this is a good place to try the next time you’re in the City. It’s also just steps away from the theater.

My only complaint was that there’s a big group in the dining...