side a — Restaurant in San Francisco

TL;DR - great drinks, incredible food, fantastic service with cool music

First time at side a, but already planning to go back! The house red was perfect for a summer afternoon and set us up nicely for dinner. Definitely not an afterthought; Ryme is a very intentional wine and gives a peek into the thoughtfulness of the side a experience. Super approachable and went well with everything we ate.

The polenta starter was outstanding, deep flavor and perfect texture while not being at all stodgy or heavy. The broccolini had a great depth of flavor and again, texture.

The cheeseburger was a thing of beauty, if a little intimidating. Our server gave clear instructions on how to assemble the burger and why. If the duck fat dripping onto the fries from the overturned marrow bone didn’t leave a huge impression on me, it was because there were too many good things going on with the meal.

Normally, I’m not a fan of an overly complex burger experience, but this delivered on flavor, which was the most important thing. If you’re looking for a more grounded burger experience, maybe this is the burger for you, but I enjoyed it. The burger went equally well with the house red and with a High Life, which I feel is a good thing.

The halibut was incredible, perfectly cooked and flaky with a really nice crusty sear, but what blew me away were the beans. Not at all mushy, with a toothsome exterior giving way to an almost creamy fluffiness. I’d definitely order that again.

Unfortunately, we had no room for dessert, but as I said, I fully plan to come back as soon as I can to try more of the menu.

I also liked that I could order a 6-pack for the staff. It turns out that if you do, the order is announced and the staff yell out a “thank you” in response. Personally, I don’t feel that’s necessary but it was fun to hear.

I wouldn’t recommend this place for groups, as it is tiny. From that visit, I saw that they already have regulars and while there, they were being photographed for the SF Chronicle I believe.

It’s a great, accessible neighborhood spot putting out great vibes and even better food. I hope it...

A fun concept that misses the mark on food and value. I was excited to have dinner at side a and had high expectations for my visit. The ambiance was cool, with a DJ spinning records (mainly of poppy 80s songs — which I’m a big fan of.) The interior was nicely decorated and it’s easy to carry on a conversation despite the music and somewhat narrow shape of the structure. As an aside, I was impressed with the high tech, bidet-seat toilet they had. That to me felt very avant-garde and high end! However, the big let down for me was the food, particularly for the prices charged. We tried the polenta starter ($21), chicken cutlet ($37) and cheeseburger ($35.) The polenta was underwhelming. The chicken cutlet was good, but not even close to being worth $37. It was a sizable, breaded breast piece in a sea of mustardy sauce with hazelnuts and some sort of dried fruit. I expected a $35 cheeseburger to be mind blowing, but it too was not even close to being worth the amount charged. It lacked flavor and the fries it came with were not seasoned enough for my liking. There was a bone with marrow that we were supposed to scrape onto the burger, but we were underwhelmed with the amount of marrow in the bone and didn’t feel like the gimmick of including that with the burger added enough pizzazz to such an expensive plate. We were tempted to try the carrot cake, but at $18 we decided to pass seeing as how we weren’t wowed enough with the expensive dishes up until that point. Overall, the experience was fine but with the dishes not justifying the prices, I wouldn’t go out of my...

I almost never leave reviews, but in this case I feel compelled.

I arrived at 4PM, only to learn that the doors open at 4, but dinner service begins at 5. A bit unexpected, so I settled in at the bar with an hour to spare. With little else to do, I took in the space: custom steel furniture, skylights overhead, and a soundtrack curated by Caroline. I even Shazamed Tom Browne’s rendition of “What’s Going On.” I ordered the lavender lemonade and garlic fries, both hit the spot.

While I waited for dinner, I struck up a conversation with Manuel, the CDC, who seemed genuinely happy, chopping herbs with a smile. As dinner approached, the staff began greeting each other with hugs, not in an awkward way, but more like a football team in the tunnel before the Super Bowl.

Parker, the co-owner, stopped by and shared the backstory of the restaurant. At first I assumed he was a new hire, humble and low-key, but later learned he’s from the Midwest, which explained a lot. He personally served my gnocchi and short rib (excellent), and throughout the evening they all checked in on me. I felt like a guest at a friend’s dinner party, one hosted with a dash of Saturday Night Live.

Finally: I don’t like carrot cake, caramel, or coconut. And yet, I thoroughly enjoyed their version. Exceptional.

Ten out of ten. Can’t...