Unfortunately the food was grossly over-salted, which wasn’t the case with my companion’s meal.

Great place.. love the food and atmosphere... why do I have to leave 50 chararters??

We may not be regulars at Absinthe, but they treat us as if we are! They have a great bar area, which is great for atmosphere and people watching. But what's even better is the service -- we've always been delighted at one of their tables in the bar ara (just discovered you can reserve them!), but our server on 6/19 was exceptional. He was informative, professional, charming, and attentive without being intrusive. The hostess was also amazing! She was obviously juggling a lot of different kinds of groups and she kept everyone moving along and made them happy. We'll be back!

Was a little disappointed. Asked for a quite table or booth (hearing issue) and got a middle of the room table. Very noisy. There were better tables that were available in the dining room but was not offered. Oh well. French soup was good but the ribeye was average.

This visit was a little disappointing from the food standpoint. The service and ambience were excellent. I have been to Absinthe several times though not recently. I usually am in a situation were I order a first and second course and often dessert. But on this occasion both my friend and I had already had a large meal earlier in the day and we just ordered a main course. For some reason nothing jumped out as a must try so we both ordered the salmon. I often request my salmon on the rare side but forgot to ask when ordering. When I next saw the server I asked him to relay this message with my order. He said no need, they prepare the fish medium rare and it would not be over cooked. It was overcooked. Though it had a nice potato crust and was good quality fish it was dry and it needed a sauce. The side salad was tasty but an uninspired accompaniment. So, while I usually like this restaurant, this time I was disappointed.

Had to check back with hostess regarding when we'd be seated a couple times past reservation time. Felt we'd been abandoned at the bar. Overall service was mediocre.

Bar area was excessively crowded. Many in bar looked like they had just returned from hikes or a day at the beach. Not the night life ambience it used to be.

Overall ok destination if you have an event in the area - opera or symphony, etc. But I would not make it the focal point for an evening out or a date.

Wonderful, As Always! I eat there often before performances at the Opera House and Symphony Hall. It is always wonderful. The food is delicious, the service good and the ambience is fun. I recommend it!

Went for Father’s Day brunch. Overall, the food was decent. The one problem that I cannot get over is that I asked my waitress if they offered any child / kids meals and she said they cold make a pasta with butter for my 2 kids under 4 years old. The dish was not spectacular, just regular pasta shells in butter. When the check came, they charge me $16 for this dish, which is the same price as regular brunch entrees. I felt that charging me $16 for a kids pasta dish was a bit ridiculous and asked my waitressing this was correct. She confirmed with her manager that they would not do anything about it. I politely paid the bill and left.

My feedback is that the food is nothing spectacular anymore, Chez Mama and other options are better. Also, $16 for a kids pasta just sealed the deal for me to never go back.

We expected a casual no big deal post concert dinner and while the atmosphere was very comfortable the whole experience far surpassed expectations. Food, especially my scallops with pea pure and, genius!, toasted hazelnuts, was excellent. Patric, our waiter really made our evening with his friendly upbeat presence and professional service. The decor is fun Boho but not in least bit tawdry as wannabe French can get. A really excellent find!

My husband and I had a great dinner, and the atmosphere was lively and sophisticated. We will definitely go back, and would recommend it to our friends.

Delicious food. Very good service. A must when in the area.

Outstanding, creative, beautifully prepared food served in one of the City's most beautiful restaurants - elegant, vibrant, polished, and casual, all at the same time - it's a restaurant that you can fall in love with -

We've been going to Absinthe for over 20 years but the last couple of times have been disappointing. The service was both rushed and our waiter tended to run away before we were actually done ordering. He never told us about any specials and we observed him giving other diners better service. The menu has become dull and dated with not a lot of choices and the prices are simply overpriced for the quality and service. Although we love the atmosphere and the booths, there are now so many choices in the neighborhood to choose from to dine at before a show, I doubt we will be returning to Absinthe.

While our meal was well-prepared and the service was up to the usual standard, we were very disappointed to see the ceviche and seasonal soup dropped from the menu. We always looked forward to both when we dined at Absinthe and hope they soon will be restored.

A very cool San Francisco spot in a fun neighborhood. The pork osso bucco was very very good.

Absinthe always delivers great food and ambiance. Wonderful for pre-concert dining.

I had dinner for the first time at Absinthe, dining alone. In some places, a solo diner does not feel welcome (or at least, might feel ignored). Not here -- the service was was very good and no different from what other tables received. I had the coq au vin -- it was a good portion, and very tasty. I started with the hearts of romaine, which was nicely dressed. The room is charming. The only drawback might be that the menu is a bit limited.

This lively french restaurant does a good job with their limited menu. Cocktails are well-prepared. It can be extremely noisy and tables in the front room are very close together. Request a table in the back room if you want to have any conversation.

We chose this place because of its proximity to concert venues. Also had been wanting to go for a long time. They change the menu seasonally and have a nice mix of Italian, Spanish, and California farm to table style options. Good wines by the glass and beer on tap options as well. We did not experience their specialty Absinthe-based cocktails but there are many options that looked wonderful! Good ambience, and they did a good job helping us get out in time for our show.

Food was ok, but pricy. Service was a bit slow, but our waitress was nice about it. Menu could have had more to offer. Sauces were OK, not great.

Wedding Anniversary. Server was attentive without being intrusive. Food was excellent.

Busser Eddie gave excellent service and was very attentive!

We walked into a very noisy and fun loving bar area, thinking they would never be able to seat us. Low and behold, the Open Table Reservation pulled through again. We were ushered into a divine room: quiet and beautifully decorated. We had a delightfully experienced server who answered any questions we had. The wine was brought quickly and our dinner brought to us timely as we were going to a performance. The waitress had asked us if we were going to one and that bit of information gave her a clue as to our timing.

We had lovely fresh and light dinners...exactly as we wished! We finished just in time to walk over to Davies Symphony Hall.

We will be back!!!

One of our favorite downtown SF restaurants. Very reliable, consistent food and service with some menu options beyond the standard fare.

Dined during Negroni Week, loved the cocktails, also very good salmon tartare, also excellently prepared salmon filet with a crisp potato crust, all around well received, definitely will be back.

First dinner alone together as husband and wife. Good food and nice atmosphere. Not to complain too much but we felt slightly neglected by our server. At one point the bus person brought us the dessert menu because we were waiting for the server to return from where ever he went off to. Overall nice experience but the server just seem uninterested and inattentive.

As always, fab. Don't think you can go wrong with anything on menu. And you'll have a hard time choosing what to order.

The food was outstanding! The new chef is a 10!

I was noisy. Service was slow. We paid $190 and the meal was not memorable as I would expect for the reputation and the price.

Absinthe has great food, wine and a fun and lively atmosphere for dinner. The service was friendly and professional. We hadn't been to Absinthe in years and am glad to have rediscovered this gem so close to SF Jazz and Davies.

They had a special appetizer of thin slices of ham and super soft burrata cheese and greens and hazelnuts and an apricot sauce and sweet pieces of plum. Somewhat deconstructed and each element was a pleasure. Very light and perfect for springtime

The overall experience was fantastic. We celebrated a birthday and all enjoyed different meals. The service was attentive and friendly. It’s a great place to celebrate anything. But, probably better enjoyed with a more intimate group. The bar area is a little louder, but the other room is quieter.

Service is very good. Food is ok. Value is ok too, as we are in SF.

Incredible!!! Always the best.

Everything we ate at Absinthe was very rich and extremely delicious. Quintessentially country French cuisine. Great wine list. Fantastic desserts. Haven't eaten there in a while but we had such a great experience that we plan to go back more often. Great neighborhood as well. We enjoyed walking around both before and after dinner.

As usual, everything was wonderful! Enjoyed the Thursday duck special and service was excellent. Will say though, little light on the wine serving for the price.

Special occasion was Thursday SF Symphony combined with duck offering.

The staff here is outstanding, friendly and accommodating. Great bar scene, wonderful food both in the restaurant or simply having cocktails and bar food. I highly recommend this charming french bistro

Enjoyed a relaxing meal at a quiet table. Staff was very attentive. They food was excellent would definitely go back again.

Everything was delicious and the portions were generous.