Absinthe Brasserie and Bar - SF

Brunch w a good friend. Great food great price easy to get a reservation and not too loud!

We chose Absinthe for an early dinner before an evening SF Symphony concert. The waitstaff was very attentive to our needs. Our server was very knowledgable on the wine pairings. The food came out quickly, was well presented and delicious.

This will become our "go to" restaurant for those dinner and a concert evenings!

The food was surprisingly bad, and so was the service. Very disappointing.

No drinks even 10 minutes into meal, no waitress as well. Smaller portions with a salad hardly ‘sprinkled’ with dressing, one bite vinegar, the next, oil, olives out of a can. Coffee came 10 minutes before dessert, lukewarm when it came. Table was never tidied up until, surprisingly just before the bill. Go for drinks at the bar. Avoid the dining room.

I love that this restaurant has immaculately trained staff and selects for the friendliest but least-intrusive tableside experience. The food is great, but the servers are what make me return.

Servers with attitude (seriously?!) Ridiculously slow service.

I found Absinthe online, and was delighted that it was within walking distance to an event at SFJazz. The ambiance was perfect -- warm and colorful. The menu was also very good in terms of a variety of selections. I had a green salad that was absolutely delicious, and the mac 'n cheese -- also delicious! Wine, coffee ... everything was perfect. The staff people were attentive, even though I was alone and the restaurant was quite busy. They didn't forget about me. The only caution is to allow plenty of time to find parking on the street.

Wonderful brunch menu with many varied options. The Ricotta stuffed French toast is unforgettable!
I love the non-alcoholic drink selections, especially the "Absinthe " lemonade. We'll be back soon.

Superb, as usual. There were three of us for lunch on a Sunday before the symphony. My duck confit was delicious and well presented. Our friend's crab scramble looked scrumptious and he was quite satisfied with it. My husband preferred a breakfast morning bun (better than Semifreddy's) and a plate of fresh fruit, emphasis on the fresh. We were well and prompty seated and served, and attended to throughout the meal. Noise level was excellent for us to conduct and intelligent and pleasant conversation.

Brunch on Sunday is always good. Consistent!

I haven't had such bad service in a restaurant in a very long time. We sat down, then the table next to us were seated. The server took their order first, then told us he would be right back. Well, about 30 minutes later we had to ask a bus-person to take our order. We had only been served water up until that point. Luckily the food at Absinthe is quite delicious. But honestly, it was the first time in my life I wanted to tip $1.

Been here several times, the bar tender accommodated a request for a special drink. The Wine list is extensive & diverse. There is always a standard good wine for the buck in the general Menu. The Foie Gras, however kept playing hide & seek ! One time its there a few weeks later its not, taking one star off because of that.

Really enjoyed our meal there! When we walked in the restaurant it was very crowded. We had a 9:30 reservation and was seated within 10 minutes of that. I ordered a cocktail with absinthe in it and didn’t like it so the server brought me a different drink, it was good. We ordered the Coq au Vin, it was really good! Served in an iron skillet, nice and hot.
I’d definitely go back and I’d recommend it to friends.

Excellent place with amazing service and very tasty oysters, burgers, salmon, wine, and gin cocktails. It is pricey though.

This is one of my favorite restaurants is SF...and great if you are going to the Jazz Center, Symphony.

The waitress we had was wonderful. She offered superior service, remembered our names and questions we asked. She was great!

Food: sandwiches did not have a lot of meat or cheese inside - they had a lot less food inside - more bread. That's not great. I wouldn't order them again.

Absinthe is always our go to restaurant pre show at the Jazz center. Staff is always great at getting us out on time ! Food is always wonderful ; we always get a great meal

Too much crash bang boom from the kitchen. It turned a dining experience into a diner experience.
Otherwise, of course, Absinthe is always good.

Great food! I had the best vichyssoise at this restaurant and friend enjoyed oysters and shaved Brussels sprout salad. Nice ambiance and we had a knowledgeable server. Cozy fun dinner before going to SF Jazz event.

We went there pre theatre. We told our server and she got us out in a timely manner without feeling rushed. We had the steak tartare as our appetizer and we both had the chicken pot pie. The service was terrific, food was very good, will definitely return.

Great service, great drinks, great snacks. Love this spot. They get it all right.

We had tickets for SF Jazz Center and made reservations for Absinthe. It was perfect. The Austrian wine, Chardonnay, and Cab Franc were superb as was the salmon and hamburger dishes. It has been some years since our last visit but we will return shortly. Thank you for the wonderful service and overall experience.

The food was good the service was not , unfortunately in both time that I was there I’ve been served by the same rode waitress.

Overall decent experience, nothing particularly special about the food, did not leave memorable impression nor very authentic french cusine; however cusotmer service was nice.

Always great food here, and the service is good too.

I love this place but it is looking a little worn. Won’t stop me from going there but I thought I should mention it.

Excellent food and service but very noisy with people shouting and talking very loudly!!!

Emma was our server and she was wonderful! The food came out hot. Good wine list.

Service was wonderfully attentive and not intrusive. Very tasty and well prepared food.

Nice French brasserie style food , great atmosphere perfect for a date

I really liked the food and the atmosphere in this restaurant. The service was so so since I felt like the waitress was not as friendly and welcoming. However, I still recommend everyone to come here once at least.

The pasta, salads & hamburger dishes were excellent. Great service. Love the ambiance.

Absolutely amazing, if you want French food and great service this is the place to go.

The service at Absinthe is always good, but this time the wait person was both friendly and good humored. She recommended a wine that was both delicious and reasonably priced. I really liked the Osso Bucco, and my dinner companion relished the Boulibasse.

Very nice speak-easy ambience. Quiet and cozy. Bar is welcoming with good energy. The service and food are acceptable, but not their greatest assets. Come here for the nice comfortable scene, but don't anticipate much excitement from the food

Welcome to the New Year, group of friends.

Food and cocktails are top-notch! The potato encrusted salmon and salad combo was perfection!

This was New Year’s Eve so really hard to judge everything. But the whole menu was open, which was cool for New Year’s, the food was good but nothing great, food came out relatively fast, also a plus for New Year’s, but otherwise service only okay.
This is essentially a good neighborhood restaurant in Hayes Valley, nothing more. Great if you live nearby, but otherwise nothing special and not worth the trip.

We had a great time and wonderful meal on New Year's Eve.
My only reason for not giving 5 stars for ambiance was the noise level and crowd in the bar. I wasn't expecting to have bar patrons standing so close to our our table that I was unable to get out of my chair.

Our waiter was exceptional.

Otherwise, it was great.

We thoroughly enjoyed our early New Years Eve dinner. Spicy fried chickpeas are a great snack with cocktails. Soft garlic pretzels and chef's choice of oysters on the half shell were delicious. For our main course we ordered coq au vin and grilled steak frites which were perfectly executed. The food is reminiscent of the terrific bistros in Paris. We enjoyed every bite. Service was friendly and superb.