How is AL's Place restaurant rated?

Name: AL's Place
Address: 1499 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA, United States, 94110
Telephone: (415) 416-6136
Price range: $50 and over
Rating: 4.6

AL's Place

4.6

1615 Reviews

$50 and over

Californian

Top Tags:

Chef Aaron London's restaurant in the Mission District of San Francisco. Northern California cuisine rooted in the seasonal produce of the Bay Area.

We are thrilled to (finally!!!) open our outdoor patio for reservations. We will be open Thursday, September 24th and can't wait to welcome you back.

Please visit our website www.alsplacesf.com and follow us on Instagram for the most up-to-date information. You can always email us directly with any questions: info@alsplacesf.com

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network.

If you like, we'll notify you by email if this restaurant joins.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Cuisines
Californian, Contemporary American
Hours of operation
Dinner Wed–Sun 5:30 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(415) 416-6136
Website
http://www.alsplacesf.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Aaron London

Location
1499 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood
Mission District
Cross street
26th Street
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
24th Street Bart Station.
Additional
Beer, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

50 San Francisco Restaurants to Connect In For Mother's Day

What 1,615 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.6

4.6 based on all time ratings

4.6Food
4.5Service
4.2Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

1,615 Reviews

KL
KristofferL
Atlanta Metro
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on March 15, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Just a wonderful dinner and a very California style meal
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t
threesome
San Francisco
8 reviews
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on March 12, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience4
very disappointed that Open Table did not provide points for this reservation. Had you not surprised me post meal, i would have booked directly with restaurant. That was sneaky of Open Table. It is the second time this has happened to me. Despite that, Al's place is great!
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E
Ellen
San Francisco
6 reviews
vip
4.0
6 reviews
Dined on March 9, 2020
overall4food5service3ambience4
The food is truly exceptional & the location in a wonderfully eclectic neighborhood. The service was ok - timing of entrees not great (one lagged a good 10 minutes behind the others) & suggestion that we eat a shared salad with our hands so as to reach the avocado on the bottom was a bit tone deaf in the midst of the current virus scare - but should not deter anyone from enjoying this little gem of a restaurant.
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F
Foodsf
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on March 8, 2020
overall3food3service5ambience3
We got the family menu. Tons of food, thoughtfully made. Some like salad was very good, others disappointing. Order of dishes was strange. Terrible cocktail. Service was great.
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JH
JuliaH
London
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on March 7, 2020
overall5food5service3ambience5
Great Night with Great Food and wine. Loved the family style sharing of dishes.
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ZF
ZFlautre
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on March 5, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Food was incredible. Definitely a great place to with a group of friends that enjoy food and good music
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WL
WesL
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on March 5, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Layers of surprising flavors in each dish. Clever, unusual names. Creamy grits. Casareccia? Strozzapretti!
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A
Adam
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on March 5, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
I love everything about this place, music was a leetel loud. Keep up the dank work! <3
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OT
OpenTable Diner
London
3 reviews
vip
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on March 1, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great food and even better music!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Los Angeles
2 reviews
vip
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on March 1, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Highly recommend. Do the chefs tasting. We got things we probably wouldn’t have ordered and it really showcased the best on the menu.
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MF
MikeF
San Francisco
31 reviews
vip
1.0
31 reviews
Dined on February 28, 2020
overall1food2service1ambience1
Tagteam food serving in a very noisy room. The staff seems to be under some kind embargo that forbids friendly interaction, even smiling. Very difficult to connect to food servers as they plop the next dish down and scurry away; no time to pick up spent dishware or take an order for a second drink, either. Maybe they're taking their cue from their staff chief, who was the most graceless, humorless of all. Knowledgeable? Yes. Gracious, friendly, welcoming, putting guests as ease? Absolutely not. Food is a mashup, which makes eating an adventure, but the flavors often don't complement each other. Next time I'll stay home and order via Caviar or Grubhub. They drivers know so much more about customer service.
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DB
DBA1
San Francisco
137 reviews
vip
5.0
137 reviews
Dined on February 27, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Everything was fantastic from beginning to end. The service is incredibly attentive and their suggestions are welcome and spot on. We ordered from the a la carte menu and chose just the right amount of food. We were amazed by the greens (grown in Grass Valley) and loved the brined french fries with an apple sauce dip. We ordered two each from the cold and hot sections and two protein dishes. They have one of the best pork bellies in town with a wonderful tomato based sauce. There was also a house made pasta with lamb bacon that was out of this world. For dessert I recommend the lemon tart with lavender ice cream. The wine suggestions were also spot on with a lot of wines on the list also available by the glass.
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BS
BillyS
San Francisco
6 reviews
vip
2.0
6 reviews
Dined on February 23, 2020
overall2food1service1ambience3
Michelin star prices for sub par food. Not worth the price you pay. Service is also very slow and poor. We had to wait almost 30 minutes for our table even though we had a reservation. It was my second time and I don’t recommend it.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
New York Area
1 review
vip
3.0
1 review
Dined on February 23, 2020
overall3food4service5ambience5
My open table gift card did not work but otherwise food and service were excellent.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
13 reviews
1.0
13 reviews
Dined on February 20, 2020
overall1food2service1ambience1
Will never dine here again or recommend to anyone. Why? 1. False advertising as a seafood restaurant. Only 4 options on a menu of 20 items. 2. Loud music, felt like I was screaming at my wife during dinner. 3. Our waiter was awful. Wasn’t helpful. We didn’t ask for anything unreasonable but was impatient when we were asking about to menu which had limited options. 4. We were educated on the pronouns ‘they or them’. Honestly we are still not sure what we said that instigated that teaching point from the host or manager. 5. Great that you are Michelin star restaurant always happy for local businesses. We have been to several none of which have we ever had such a uncomfortable experience.
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AK
AbnerK
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on February 17, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience4
I have never been disappointed at Al's Place. I especially love the freshness and variety of the vegetable dishes and that many of the dishes can be eaten with your hands. My only criticism is the noise level is too loud. I don't think the atmosphere would be sacrificed much if at all by playing the music at a lower volume. It would make conversation easier which would make my dining experience more enjoyable.
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P
Paulvdw
San Francisco
19 reviews
vip
4.0
19 reviews
Dined on February 17, 2020
overall4food4service5ambience3
My wife and I really enjoyed our dining experience. The food was excellent, both in presentation and flavor. The waitstaff were really attentive and friendly. The only service critiques is that they forgot to give us new plates after our trout dish (the plates were full of bones with no space left for the next course). And they brought the bill while we were still eating dessert. We were planning on having another drink but decided not to at that point. A suggestion for the restaurant management: Add a few hooks next to the tables abutting the walls for hanging purses and jackets. There is wood trim on the wall at the perfect height for mounting hooks. The hardware would cost less than $50 and would make your clientele more comfortable.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on February 16, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
The service was phenomenal & the dishes were life-changing!
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S
Sabrina
San Francisco
14 reviews
5.0
14 reviews
Dined on February 16, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience3
Al's Place is one of the best places for a multi course vegetarian or vegan menu. It's incredibly affordable for the amount of courses and the quality. The service is always impeccable and timely. The only small gripe I have is that the music level is always so loud you have to shout across the table. Other than that this is a wonderful experience and we will keep coming back again and again.
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M
Milton
San Francisco
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on February 14, 2020
overall3food3service5ambience5
Service and professionalism was top notch. Food was very good
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RP
RichardP
Portland
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on February 9, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Absolutely loved it! The food was certainly well prepared and the flavors in each dish were well constructed and different in a wonderful way. The tasting menu was a memorable experience. The service staff complimented the experience quite nicely. We would certainly return.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
1 review
vip
5.0
1 review
Dined on February 9, 2020
overall5food5service3ambience4
Dining was great except service was so fast it felt very rushed. In and out in an hour with six items ordered plus drinks.
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RR
RoxanneR
San Francisco
12 reviews
5.0
12 reviews
Dined on February 6, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience4
Loved the food and service but felt a little pressure to finish and found the music too loud.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
3 reviews
vip
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on February 3, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fantastic Food and Service
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MH
MarkH
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on February 2, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
The menu and seasonal offerings are outstanding, but the service and vibe puts Al's Place above the rest of the "top" SF restaurants.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
5 reviews
4.0
5 reviews
Dined on February 1, 2020
overall4food4service5ambience5
Appetizers were amazing- mains were less exciting
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on February 1, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
all-in dining experience. amazing food, service, and ambiance. all put together by a group of people who love what they do every day they do it. will be back.
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JB
JB10
San Francisco
28 reviews
vip
5.0
28 reviews
Dined on February 1, 2020
overall5food5service4ambience4
We thoroughly enjoyed our (third) visit to Al’s Place. We had a selection of small plates - tasty brined fries, crisp Asian pears with a yummy peanut sauce. The server said to eat the baby lettuce with our hands because the leaves were joined together (we didn’t and it was still good). Smoked trout was fairly small. The lemon tart had nice pastry but the rings of unpeeled fruit on top were difficult to cut. Service was excellent. We were glad to have a table at the front as the restaurant was pretty loud. Overall, very good.
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JP
JaymeP
Denver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on February 1, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Absolutely spectacular. Prepare to be surprised and delighted by flavors, textures and ingredients you didn't expect. The service is slightly rushed but otherwise flawless. Atmosphere is unstuffy and welcoming. Highly recommended!
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RB
RebeccaB
San Francisco
9 reviews
5.0
9 reviews
Dined on February 1, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
We love Al’s Place! Every bite was delicious. The service was impeccable, without being stodgy.
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b
blooms21
San Francisco
15 reviews
4.0
15 reviews
Dined on January 31, 2020
overall4food4service5ambience4
The food was good and the service was great. The atmosphere is hip and modern. It is a bit loud. Enjoy!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
6 reviews
3.0
6 reviews
Dined on January 30, 2020
overall3food3service2ambience2
Lamb pasta was so sweet. Been soup was incredibly salty. Steak had no flavor. Restaurant was incredibly loud cause of music and conversations people had..
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SB
SarahBee
San Francisco
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on January 26, 2020
overall4food5service4ambience2
My review is based on the atmosphere, food, and service. The first thing I noticed about Al's Place is the noise. It's loud inside the restaurant... diners are packed together in a small space and the music is slappin' with a heavy bassline. It's so loud that when the host called my name, I accidentally followed him to a table meant for another couple. Oops! We were seated after waiting about 5-10 minutes and, immediately, the General Manager, Kimberly Litchefield, greeted us, asked if we had eaten there in the past, and explained the menu. She spit on my face while talking. I'm not sure if she noticed me wiping her spittle off my right cheek. As it was our first time at Al's Place, we opted to go family style in order to taste a variety of items on the menu. The waiter explained we would receive about eight items and gave us some choices. We let him know that we wanted the steak tartare and lamb bacon dishes. We also ordered two cocktails, the Bandit and Hands, Please! Our snackles (i.e., appetizers) came right away. All at once. Before our drinks. The food pacing was rushed. It's obvious the staff is doing everything in their power to turn around tables in 90 minutes or less. I would have liked to receive one dish at a time as we were there to enjoy the food. The Chawanmushi (mushroom brother with pink lady and pistachios) was very interesting. The server recommended eating it with a spoon as it was "delicate." We appreciated the cross section of flavors topped off with fresh cilantro. I liked the brine pickled French fries with smoked apple sauce... but this was my partner's least favorite dish. The steak tartare was somewhat bland and should have been served with more toast. I enjoyed the simplicity of fresh baby radishes with their stems served with butter and sea salt. Our drinks arrived after the snackles. They were delicious... though, I didn't realize Al's Place doesn't have a hard liquor license because the waiter said something about my Hands, Pleas
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on January 25, 2020
overall4food5service5ambience4
Al’s Place is probably our favorite restaurant here in the city. I chose to
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FB
FeastBeast
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on January 19, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Always an amazing experience top to bottom. AL's Place is a rarity in their ability to deliver on veg-forward dishes that are elegant and packed with complexity. Top service.
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E
Eater129
San Francisco
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on January 19, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience4
Great restaurant. Al's has always done well at marrying contrasting/unique tastes and textures to create supremely fresh and interesting dishes. The night we were there, the music was a bit too loud, however. Please consider turning it down a bit - thanks!
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c
caligem23
Orange County
11 reviews
5.0
11 reviews
Dined on January 19, 2020
overall5food4service5ambience4
Terrific dining experience Al's Place! The food was so delightful and fresh and the service matched. I would dine here again.
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D
Diningoutandabout
Austin
19 reviews
3.0
19 reviews
Dined on January 18, 2020
overall3food2service3ambience5
Very loud which wouldn’t be an issue but sat next to a window on a chilly night with the window open wasn’t pleasant. Food was good but not what I was expecting for a Michelin Star. Bread for beef tartar was burnt and mix was overly flavored with horseradish. The pasta had diced quince paste in it, really.
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RH
RichardH
San Francisco
5 reviews
vip
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on January 17, 2020
overall5food5service5ambience5
Inventive food with unique flavors that keep us coming back for more. The staff and the atmosphere are also spot on.
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T
Theninjas
San Francisco
2 reviews
vip
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on January 16, 2020
overall3food4service4ambience1
Food good. Ambience bad. Small crowded space with lots traffic from staff serving small dishes. Noisy
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Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
Physical distancing
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables

Protective equipment
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
Screening
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

AL's Place is rated 4.6 stars by 1615 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network.

If you like, we'll notify you by email if this restaurant joins.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

1499 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110

Additional information

Cross street
26th Street
Neighborhood
Mission District
Hours of operation
Dinner Wed–Sun 5:30 pm–10:00 pm
Cuisines
Californian, Contemporary American
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
24th Street Bart Station.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Aaron London
Additional
Beer, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.alsplacesf.com/
Phone number
(415) 416-6136

Featured in

50 San Francisco Restaurants to Connect In For Mother's Day

AL's Place

Not available on OpenTable

Additional information

50 San Francisco Restaurants to Connect In For Mother's Day

Snackles

Vadouvan Almonds

Olives

Chickpeas a La Catalan

Mushroom Broth Chawanmushi

Brine Pickled French Fries

Asian Pears

Cold / Cool

Baby Lettuces$18.00

Lightly Cured Trout$19.00

Blistered Eggplant$18.00

Squash Hummus$20.00

Warm / Hot

Pear Curry$21.00

Grits$18.00

Campanelle$21.00

Yellow Eye Bean Stew$17.00

Sides

Poached Farm Egg$3.00

Red Bow Trout$18.00

Hanger Steak$20.00

Pork Belly$19.00

Limited Availability

Steak Tartare$18.00

Casareccia$22.00

Fish Head Under a Brick$17.00

Fish Mullet$17.00

35-Day Dry Aged Ribeye

Family Style

Family Style

Overall ratings and reviews

Cleaning & sanitizing

Physical distancing

Protective equipment

Screening

FAQs

How is AL's Place restaurant rated?

Not available on OpenTable

Additional information

Featured in

50 San Francisco Restaurants to Connect In For Mother's Day