Bacar

Some friends and I decided to branch out of our usual spots and try Bacar for Easter brunch, and I have to say I was slightly disappointed. When we arrived, we were promptly seated, but were still waiting for two more people in our party. After bringing our drinks the server asked of he could take our order and we politely said we were waiting for two more people. Instead of saying ok and tending to his other customers, he kept persisting that he take our orders and then take theirs when they got there. In the 10 minutes our unpunctual friends took to get there, the server asked us at least 4 times if he could take our orders. Aside from the pestering server, the atmosphere was nice. The food, however, was mediocre. The waffle fried chicken was decent but the burger was way under cooked, practically raw. Pros: Nice atmosphere Cons: Annoying servers, mediocre food more

I work in publicity and eat out alot. This has to be one of the worst meals I have ever had. Ordered the mussels and half the shells were broken or did not open. Every cook knows that a closed shell is the first sign that either it isn't cooked or it's dead. Serving this mess was very telling. Warm martini's and a "I'm actually an actor" mentality from the staff left me wondering why I flew to SF! I get the same crappy service and bad food in LA but with valet parking. Eat anywhere but here. Pros: There are none. Cons: Noisy Room and BAD FOOD more

We visited the day after Valentine's Day to celebrate. Although we arrived early and asked for one of the empty booths (where they had sat other parties of two), the hostess insisted that a small table was our only option. My husband ordered a glass of wine but the sommelier brought a bottle. I ordered a non-alcoholic drink but our server forgot about it completely. We were not offered bread until 30 minutes into our seating. Refills on our water glasses had to be requested by flagging down the single runner. Our conclusion was that the waitstaff was stretched way too thin. Meanwhile, there were at least three men in suits hovering around the kitchen and host stand with no apparent purpose. Assuming one is the general manager, the others kept him company. Needless to say, it was style over service that night. The unfortunate part is that the food is actually decent. If you have 4 hours to spare and the patience of a saint, give Bacar a try. Pros: Decent food Cons: Poor service more

This restaurant was very disappointing. I should have known when the greeter was rude, and took more than 15 minutes to locate our reservation. We finally sat-down, and the goth-inspired waiter mumbled something about a few specials. We ordered and the food was so disappointing. What a waste -- uninspired fish in a terrible sauce and meat terribly over-cooked. And salty, oh so salty. I guess the goal is to serve you poor food, so you order more wine. What a shame. San Francisco offers many wonderful restaurants. Bacar is NOT one of them. Pros: Wine list Cons: Staff, food. Staff, food. Staff. food. There are many better choices in SF. more

We planned a corporate dinner and signed a contract. The headcount started falling and we communicated with the restaurant planner that we would drink more expensive wine to make sure we reached out $3,000 minimum. She agreed. But lo and behold during the dinner we learned that we would be charged for the dinners based on the confirmed headcount, not based on how many dinners we ordered. This was NOWHERE on the contract nor was it communicated via emails during the planning phase. If you think it's a cool place to have a corporate function, think again. And they really skimped on the salad, which they served on bread plates. It's salad - it's cheap. Why skimp? more

I can't say how much I love this restaurant! I am a regular of bacar and every time I go it gets better and better! We always get our same table (if you request it, they normally can give it to you). We started with the soup (Cream of Parsnip) and the Pork Belly which is one of their signature dishes and too die for. So bad for you but oh so good. We then had the RibeEye which was perfectly cooked and delicious. My partner also had the Sole off the entree menu and although I only had one bite, it made me want to switch plates with him for a bit and visa versa. Our server was adorable and very knowledgeable especially of the mind blowing wine list they have. I think they something like 70 wines by the glass. Very impressed with everything once again. Thanks bacar. Pros: Hot Service Staff, Great Happy Hour, Groups a Must, close to clubs Cons: Too much to choose from! more

I have sat at the bar in Bacar many times and have always enjoyed it. However, I decided to dine here the day after Valentine's day, hoping to escape high prices and poor service, and I received just that! We ordered appetizers and they were great, however we waited an entire hour for our entrees. When they finally arrived, they were the orders of the previous table. So we waited longer, yet when our actual entrees arrived, they were horrible! Overall, we were there fot two and a half hours. Not by choice. I would never go back. This is way too upscale of a restaurant to make such poor mistakes! Our appetizers were comped, but I think our entrees should have been instead. Way too crowded and not worth the wait! more

A wonderful meal, until...having shared two delicious appetizers, did not leave enough room to complete our meal of halibut and rib eye steak. Prepared to have our remaining food packaged up, the waiter knocked my glass of ( $100 bottle ) of wine over, breaking the glass and wine pouring over the table. As a former waitress, this happens, I know. However, I never expected him to literally run from the table with less than an apology...other than offering a cup of club soda for my boyfriend's ruined jeans. Needless to say, the bill finally came after we had to flag this man down. The check did not reflect any difference, and we did not get our ( wine soaked) unfinished meal. Very disappointing. Mentioned this to the manager, who had the same sincerity as a used car salesman, "here is may card. please send me the dry cleaning bill". The food may be great, but the experience ruined it. more

this is an amazing space! it's a new york style restaurant in san francisco. the service is fantastic, the people are all great, and they have a bible for a wine list. check out their website for discounted wine nights, they have great deals. the food was only average to me though. it had a lot of potential and was presented very well, but the chef needs to take it easy with the salt. he's fairly new, so i'm willing to give bacar another try and hope he's worked out some of the kinks. Pros: service, building, wine list, oysters Cons: salty food more

Bacar can be one of the finest dining evenings a person could have anywhere. Some of these prior reviews are hard to believe. All restaurants can have rough patches or nights; patrons can also be horrendous. Chefs do change guard. I have been perhaps six times now. Recently I enjoyed an unbelievable evening there with an old friend mid-week. Choosing to order their ?tasting meal? to allow them complete freedom and to enjoy as much of their talent as possible, we just couldn?t describe how interesting and satisfying the lengthy results were. Noise level was not unacceptable in the booth area, main floor. The service staff was basically fabulous, lacking nothing to be desired. The sommelier was also completely up to speed and very engaging. Putting all this together, I have to say that this particular night amounted to one of the five best dining experiences I have had in my life. I was raised in Berkeley?s gourmet district, have eaten at Chez Panisse perhaps 70 times since their opening, and all over Western Europe too; I truly believe in the importance of Haut Cuisine and do recommend Bacar highly. Pros: Really important SF restaurant Cons: Can get noisy and very busy like most SF places more

Service was good but the food was AMAZING! Chef Robbie Lewis's food was not only creative and beautiful but unique and creative. Cheers to him and his kitchen staff! You guys & gals are awesome! Keep up the unbelievable work! more

Took a girlfriend to celebrate her birthday last Fri and have never been so rudely treated by server and bus people. Server criticized our selection, bus people kept pestering us for food plates while we still ate. When a friend dropped in for coffee and dessert he was never spoken to and certainly never offered food. We were never offered refill for coffee. Food was a bit precious and missed the normal SF mark, but perhaps we were so stunned by the hostile staff that we couldn't taste? more

I had been very fond of Bacar...had. I have been on the search for San Francisco's best Pork Chop, and until recent history, Bacar had held that title. Last Friday (5/18) I had gone to Bacar expecting to enjoy one of San Francisco's culinary treats and was devistated to find the Pork Chop missing form the menu. Then I politely asked the waiter, "Where's the F#%$ing Pork Chop?" The automated responses began. "We have a number of wonderful choices on the menu which are just as good as the Pork Chop." What a load of cr#p! The Pork Chop was a work of art. A draw to that otherwise non-descript yuppie hang out. Sure the Cocktails are good, but this is San Francisco, there are great bars all over the place. Sure the live Jazz is a nice touch, but it is not essential to the overall experience. What makes a restaurant is the cuisine, and this places menu has been given its deathblow. The ownership of Bacar had better find a way out of this pickle, as their defining dish has left the building. I understand when a talented Chef leaves an establishment there will be change. And in this case, the Chef left with not only the Pork Chop Recepie, but the entire future of Bacar. Thanks Bacar for mentioning that the Chef had left. Thanks for being up front about the menu change. Oh yeah, your trying to salvage your business, and kept this little tid bit of information to yourself. Until the Pork Chop returns in all its glory, me and my Pork Chop loving minions will be dining elseware. more

Not my favorite restaurant overall, but if you go there for what they're good at...you will be pleased. The wine list comes equiped with entertaining sommeliers (request their assistance). Be certain to visit during the live jazz and don't miss out on the oysters (Kumomoto's=Mmm). The service is a bit sketchy and the food is not great. Visit Bacar to chill, snack and explore the wine flights. Pros: Wine List & entertaining Sommeliers, live jazz, NYC ambiance, oysters Cons: service, food pricing(not its worth) more

We had reservations for a party of 4 at 8pm on Friday night, Nov 10th. We got there about 5 minutes before and were told to wait in the bar but we could see at least 5 open tables in the dining room. There were 4 bartenders at the bar but one was washing glasses and the other 3 seemed not to notice we were standing there. When one guy finally asked what we wanted he totally didn't make the right drinks (it seemed that he couldn't speak English). After a couple of attempts we got drinks and while we were standing at the bar we considered leaving. A couple of minutes later the hostess came to seat us so we decided we'd give the table service a try and see if it would be better, it wasn't. The waiter didn't even come to the table until after about 10-15 minutes. When he did he just asked if we wanted water and then said he'd be back. Someone else served the water and brought bread. When the waiter finally came back he walked up to the table and just stood there, didn't even speak - not even an "are you ready to order." We all looked at each other and just got up and walked out. One of our party stopped by the hostess desk to say what happened and was just brushed off. We left and went to Bob's Steak and Chop House and it was AWESOME!. Don't go to Bacar, the menu didn't look that great anyway so I don't think we missed much! more

A friend of mine threw a cocktail party for me at their bar and we all had a blast. The food was great and the staff was very accommodating since we didn't have a reservation and weren't dining in the restaurant. Pros: Food, service Cons: Price more

Very disappointing meal, expensive entrees and poorly executed-the halibut had amost foul tasting sauce on it, the wild salmon had a fishy taste and the little crab cake that came with it tasted of breadcrumbs. The server was poorly trained-kept pouring wine into our guests glasses that said they were not having wine. Also did not bother taking back the entrees that were complained about, or the side orders that we did not order, but did not take off bill. Will never return to such a mediocre place with such high prices. Pros: Great wine selection, Nice live Jazz Cons: Terrible service, entrees are poorly executed, Expensive more

As the name would suggest, wines are a highlight here. The winelist is extensive, and has some nice non-California options as well. Tried the salmon and the ribeye here, both solid. Been here for happy hour for good wines by the glass list and tasty appetizers, such as the glazed ribs and mussels. With live jazz music and bar, it can be a little noisy, but for me, it's just part of the lively atmosphere where everyone is enjoying the food, drinks, and company. Definitely recommended! Pros: wine list, food, atmosphere Cons: reservations are a must more

Restaurant is in a nothing neighborhood but an attractive space. Much larger than you would expect, 3 levels. Luckily I did make a reservation but you do need to confirm and we still were not seated on time which was okay because it was saturday night and crowded. Bar is very loud and that would be my only major complaint. We really wanted to discuss the extensive wine list with the bar so that we could make a good choice but it was just too loud to talk. The food is very good, we ordered the foie gras, cesar salad, and roasted beet salad. They only brought the foie gras and salad but forgot the beets. Quail and the carmelized onion pizza followed. Both were very good. Seemed unusual to have the wood oven pizzas served at that type of restaurant but it tasted fine. I would suggest this place for very large groups only as it is much too difficult to hear with a small group of people. Pros: food, wine list Cons: too loud more

The wine list (especially by the glass) is extensive and good. Food was excellent. The live jazz is a great touch. Service was friendly and attentive. I would definitely go back here. Pros: Food, Live Jazz, Wine List Cons: Expensive more