Best Fun Restaurants in Cole Valley

Che Fico is consistently amazing. The quality of the ingredients, the flavors, the cocktails and wines, the service—the whole experience—is spectacular every time. It may seem expensive, but you will not regret it one bit.

The Tonga Room is an absolute SF classic and something that you should experience if you have the time when you are in San Francisco. It is a great place for a special dinner or for pre/post dinner drinks. We had dinner before a show at the Orpheum, so it was quieter (before the band played). I love that it has stayed the same for so long.

We walked in right at 7:45pm and the people outside said it was a 1 hour walk-in wait at 7:45pm! The place wasn't that full when we walked in ad there were some open tables, but they filled up pretty quickly with reservations. It was so cool seeing Chefs Franky Ho and Mike Long (two Mister Jiu's alums) and their partners Millie Boonkokua and Lucy Li in person working. I've seen their pictures and read their names so much, I fangirled internally. We were seated at the bar next to each other which was fine. I love the art and Canto decor. It's cozy and warm and nostalgic and modern all at once. We enjoyed the complimentary peanuts and cucumber--that was a good starter because we didn't order any vegetables because too many other dishes sounded good. Our waitress said 3 dishes would be good for 2 people--maybe 4 if we got fewer carb-heavy dishes. We ordered the squab ($45) (limited quantities), Mapo spaghetti ($21), and claypot Rice w/ Chinese sausage & Bacon ($26.) We had high expectations for the squab and claypot (which they said would take 30 minutes, but seemed like it was faster.) The squab grew on us--the lemon and powder we were given for it helped amplify the flavor. The claypot was very good--the crispy crackling rice was delicious and rich. The sausage and bacon wasn't fatty but flavorful. The highlight of the night was the Mapo spaghetti.

Such a fun, cool experience! Give's me hope that the restaurant and nightlife scene in SF is still alive and thriving! We did a 1930 reservation and walked out @ 2200 and the place was still pumping... Party next to us was seated @ 2130. Food and service were top notch! Order light on the staple menu so you can order every option on the dim sum rounds! Thanks Statebird and Team! Fanny and Burak* (spelling) took fabulous care of us and catered to our every need.

Everything was wonderful (as usual) except our server. He wasn't pleasant or friendly. Previous servers knew we were there for our anniversary, said Congratulations, asked how long we've been together, took a picture of us etc. He had no interest in anything except getting our drink and entree order. Not a nice fellow or interested in making us feel welcome. Example; there was no napkin at my place setting and I politely asked for one. He walked by, put one on the table and said "here ya go" and kept moving. I said "thank you" but all I saw was the back of his head moving away. A good server would have offered an apology for the oversight, immediately corrected the mistake and said to the customer thanks for your patience and understanding (or something to that effect). He made me feel like I was bothering him. Contrary to our disengaged waiter there was a busser guy who was awesome! He was open and friendly, joyful, and accommodating. He liked his job and wanted to be helpful. Our actual server, not so much. My wife and I openly wished the busser was our server. If I knew the busser's name, I'd say promote him. The only time our waiter was even remotely kind was when he put the bill on the table. So, when it's time for the tip, guess what? He was very nice! Wow, imagine that...