Gary Danko

My wife and I had guests visiting from overseas. we decided to invite them for a very special dinner at Gary Danko.
Positives:
The food was excellent. The wine manager a great guy. The personnel (Bread, water, food dishes and cheese servers) were all superb.
Negatives:
1. Very rude valet staff (It was raining heavily when we arrived. As soon as I opened my car door, the first valet guy came to me and shouted "20 dollars". I had my guests with me in the car and did not want to make a scene so I told him to follow me to a dry area near the entrance to the restaurant. As I was reaching for my wallet, the second valet guy standing behind the valet desk started shouting "20 dollars 20 dollars". I asked him to relax and to lower his voice but he got very defensive and embarrassed me in front of my guests.
2. Our waitress had a chip on her shoulder during the entire dinner. When I asked her why it is taking so long to get the wine, she said "You are not the only customer here. The wine manager is busy with other customers". The kindness of the wine manager and the cheese cart guy later made up for her rude behavior.
3. At the table next to ours (to my immediate right) there was a party of 4 very loud young asians (2 males and 2 females) behaving as if they were at Burger King.
Overall, our guests were very pleased and except for the 3 negative experiences that I listed above, I was too.
Hopefully, next time I will have a perfect experience.

Food and staff were wonderful. The restaurant was a little louder than we prefer but it did not take away from an excellent dining experience.

Wonderful meal and evening thank you to the entire staff that served us!

Old classic, still a great place to eat a special dinner.

Amazing! One of my favourite places in the world!

Outstanding service, very friendly and delicious food. Elegant restaurant that is perfect for those special occasions!

Always the best dinner ever.

We went to celebrate a job promotion and CNY. After they seated us and got our drink order they kept us waiting for over an hour for our first course. They didn't even offer a drink, top up our water glass, nothing.

The caviar we ordered is from Costco. At Gary Danko we had Costco food.

Then, they fed us mud. Didn't bother washing the vegetables. See photos.

We couldn't finish our entree and boxed it. And as we had ordered the 4 course we boxed the cheese.

They offered us a dessert wine as a consolation but it had cork bits floating in it.

We got home and was sick.

We paid $886.09

This is a restaurant that once was wonderful now it has the conceit to believe it can treat customers poorly and like idiots.

After writing them about this they agreed to refund us back our tip $100.

We had a fabulous dinner at Gary Danko. It's always the best in San Francisco

We each had the 4 course (chose your meals). Each meal was superb! I had the Rissoto with Rock Shrimp and crab, that killer. Then the seared scallops, followed by the lobster. I mean, I can't say enough how amazing the dishes were. And finally, the seasonal sorbet. Pics won't do this place justice.

One of the best value and food is always consistent and good!

First off, I love Restaurant Gary Danko. This was our 3rd experience there.

Their service is off the charts, so attentive.

The food this time was only OK, certainly well presented but oddly not too inventive.

Can't say this is a "value" place but if you are planning to go there you know this up front.

Fantastic experience for my wife’s 40th birthday.

Very expensive for a daily restauraunt.
The food flavor, quality, service, and wine knowledge, was second to none.

Definitely remmomend!

SF is a great restaurant city, but from my standpoint, Gary Danko is the best. Every aspect of the service is impeccable, from check-in all the way through to finish. I want to point out the service is not at all stuffy and every person we encountered was friendly and helpful. We ordered the wine pairing with our meal and the sommelier was incredibly knowledgeable about each wine and how they matched with the food. We were also very impressed with the pacing of the courses. It's not easy to maintain this pacing during a 5 course meal, but Gary Danko does it extremely well. The food itself is spectacular. Every course had an excellent selection and we were very satisfied with our choices. The presentation on the plates is beautiful and appealing. The fourth course was the cheese course, which is an experience in and of itself! We love Gary Danko and can't wait to go back.

Impeccable service, fine sommelier, over-the-top food. Super romantic evening with non-rushed service and the very best of the best. Intimate atmosphere, beautiful flowers, candlelight. What more could you ask for? Worth every penny. Thank you GD!

Very enjoyable evening! Service was Excellent. Dinner was impeccable.
My family of four have a wonderful time. We would definitely go again.

I have been to Gary Danko quite a few times and I always recommend it for guests and special occasions.
Unfortunately, this time the group of 5 were unanimous in saying that it was nothing memorable.
The complimentary consomme that came out, which we were told to "drink immediately" while it was hot...was cold/lukewarm. I had the glazed oyster appetizer and it was chewy and tasted like it was not very fresh. The seared filet of beef was supposed to be served at medium rare was cooked medium and the beef had a strange consistency. One person in our party said it had a tasted like liver. I had the seared scallops which was good and someone in our party had the curried broccoli soup, which they enjoyed.
I am almost sad to say that it is no longer a place I would recommend. It had always been my longtime favorite. There are a lot of other great restaurants in San Francisco and this may no longer be one of them. Acquerello or Boulevard would be a step up.

Have been here several time while visiting San Francisco and have also recommended it to several people. Always OUTSTANDING!

fantastic first time

Wonderful food and service. Sommelier was very knowledgeable and we felt very comfortable in his hands. Banana flambé was a must have!

Maitre d was very rude and unfriendly. Requested a specific table for our anniversary which was not taken and we sat at a couple of years back and he would not do it. Imagine spending the kind of money and getting bad service!!

Spectacular meals tonight. The cheese plate course was a real treat. Service was very friendly and prompt. We had a wonderful evening!

We secured a last minute booking on our first stay in San Francisco and staying near Fisherman’s Wharf so an easy walk.
What a treat ! From being met at the door to farewelled, attentive service , knowledgeable somallier and superb wine matches , nice sized portions and innovative exciting tastes. How to choose? !
My highlights being the salmon medallion and the grand meunière soufflé.

Impeccable service, excellent food and great lighting, but the restaurant is a bit loud. I suggest some noise reduction interiors.

A wonderful restaurant to celebrate a birthday!

This was a reunion celebration with my sister.

We had cocktails which were delicious. We both ordered five courses including the risotto, crab salad, branzini, steak, cheese, butter cake, and chocolate soufflé. All were perfectly prepared. Branzini and risotto were the stars.

The service is thorough and polite but not invasive. Each service member demonstrates expertise in their subject.

We had a wonderful meal. It’s expensive, particularly the beverages, so expect to spend $$.

The food was not exactly awesome. I felt the risotto was kind of bland, my son’s steak had a thick char to it and in general things were just average.

Service is excellent. People working there are very nice and attentive. Food was great but unfortunately I got sick . Was up all night with upset stomach.

Great food, great value. I tried a customized version of the 5-course-tasting-menu, while my girlfriend tried the "default" 5-course-tasting-menu. We then pretty much shared everything. I loved every single dish that came to our table. My favorite entree was the Venison and dessert was Soufflé. Serving quality was immensely good, and serving pace was delicate and slow - which is good!

Great experience and plan to be back soon

May be best dinner we have ever had! Food, service absolutely perfect!

Overall it was a good experience, I was a bit disappointed by the presentation of my quail dish, it looked untidy and messy and didn't make justice to the very good taste.

My husband and I went to Gary Danko to celebrate our birthdays (same day!). There are no words. All I can say is that this was perfection. Every course was better than the one before. The highlights, the curried broccoli soup. It was divine. I had the filet of beef which was possibly the best steak I have ever eaten. With onion jam and bleu cheese butter....if this is wrong I don’t want to be right. Finally, the grand-marnier soufflé. Just get it. I will never find another dessert that makes me that happy. Ever.
There’s nothing value-oriented about Gary Danko, but that’s not what you’re looking for there.

It truly was perfection. 😍

Outstanding restaurant experience. Service was top notch. We loved the wine pairings with the tasting menu. The sommelier was extremely friendly and pleasant to interact with. We visited for a week from Atlanta and ate at Michelin star restaurants every night. Gary Danko was far and away the most well-rounded and enjoyable experience. Also, the service here is the best we had in Napa/ San Francisco during our stay. I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. We will be back the next time we are in town.

This was the first time trying a Michelin star restaurant. Unfortunately, the food did not live up to expectations. The duck breast was under seasoned and the hash that came with it was just too heavy. The food didn't seem inspired. It was, for the most part, prepared correctly and the service was fast, but stale. Overall this is a fine restaurant, but not for the price. I also wish folks adhered to the dress code. I saw jeans and t-shirts all over the place.

Excellent everything

It was great. Love everything about this place. The only sad part about this particular dining experience was that the foie gras was removed from the menu the day before. Not the fault of the restaurant but I would have book sooner if I knew.

Just a delightful experience overall. The dining room was packed for an early Sunday dinner, but the ambience and noise level were cool and calm. Service was impeccable. The food was savory. Awesome!

Delicious food, marvelous service, made our special occasion very special. Can’t wait to come back!