The Madrigal — Restaurant in San Francisco

This place just climbed up the charts for me for the best cocktail places in SF. We tried almost every cocktail on their menu, and barring maybe 2, I liked each one of them. My favorite though were dance of danjuro, hell's atlas, beauty sleep and the palm reader. Palm reader has that unique kashmiri pepper spice taste to it. If you can't handle spicy drinks, maybe stay away from this one. Pliny's potion and persimmon prevails were good, but since I am not so much into rum and rye, they were a bit too strong for me. Screen test was surprisingly good. I do not like the taste of  coconut in my cocktails, but they have managed to keep its flavor subtle with basil and other ingredients making up for a perfect blend. The food is amazing. Their beef tartare is not the conventional types, but their rendition is one of the best I've had. Its creamy and cheesy, with bursting flavors of oyster cream and the traditional capers and onions. They have transformed something as prosaic as mozzarella bites into a mouthful of deliciousness. The outside coating is thin and crispy, with a generous amount of soft cheese inside. We added the white sturgeon caviar, and it was totally worth it. We also tried their maitake mushroom grilled cheese, which again had their special touch to it. We went here before heading out for dinner elsewhere, and honestly, I enjoyed Madrigal food more than the other place. Street parking might be an issue here as it's located on busy Van Ness Street,  but there are a few nearby garages if you don't mind a bit of a walk. This place can get crowded on weekends and after show bar goers, so I suggest making a reservation. The bar seatings are open but it can get a bit tight at the bar. The ambiance is elegant, not too noisy. I will definitely be going back for more cocktails and dinners. I wish they add more main course dishes to their menu. They clearly have nailed the flavors. A...

I was excited to see this new place open in the long vacant space. We hosted a party of 7 to check it out.

I knew going in it was fine dining prices, but wow it really adds up since the portions of most dishes are just a few bites but priced at entree level. We tried most of the menu, most things were ok. I think the fries were the most memorable.

Cocktails are in the $16-18 range. They were excellent though!

Where I really had issue was service. Our first server (as we found out later) had to go home unexpectedly, but for 30-45 minutes we had no server even with $18 drink orders in. A new server did come and explained the situation… even offered “ what can I do to make everything ok?” She then let us re-order our food and drinks. Then the next thing we know, a 3rd server arrives instead.

I think in all this reshuffling some of the orders were wrong- eg a steak was well done instead or medium rare, so had to send it back.

When the check arrives - not one thing was comped, and they billed us for 2 steaks! Fortunately we were able to get one removed after protesting.

It’s worth noting all 3 servers were awesome while they lasted - very friendly and knowledgeable.

The ambiance was nice - modern and hip.

Overall, it’s a swank place for special occasions, but don’t go too hungry or planning to have...

Overall 4 stars, but docking a star for deceptive and customer-hostile pricing*.

My friend and I ordered a salad, zuccini fries, and trout dip to share for a kinda light bite before a show. All were pretty tasty, and service was friendly and efficient. Four stars for that.

Minus a star due to the 6% "Healthy SF" surcharge or whatever they're calling that B.S. that maybe was printed on the worn, faded, and practically illegible menu.

Restaurant employees deserve fair wages and healthcare! But patrons also deserve transparent pricing, which'd easily be achievable if The Madrigal and other surcharging restaurants just updated their menu prices.

Until they do, I won't eat there again and I urge you -- like me -- to instead support restaurants that aren't adding surcharges like this. It's seemingly the only way we can get this annoying practice stopped, since our government kowtowed at last minute and stupidly exempted restaurants from this year's No...