Monsieur Benjamin

The food was mediocre at best, nothing memorable especially at that price level! Very disappointed that we took our out of state friends there! Would never recommend it !

Amazing! It was one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in SF

Absolutely terrible experience. From untrained servers (diluting sparkling water with tap), to a “mix-up” in the kitchen that resulted in really unpleasant main course delay (by more than 1 hour), to one of the servers shattering a plate with glass flying into my face, my children’s faces and all our glasses.

Oh and to add insult to injury, 20% tip was included.

We will not be back. Ever.

This place is amazing, service, food, atmosphere just wonderful. Will be back again for sure.

Wonderful food, wonderful service, FABULOUS cocktails. Love this restaurant!

The service was okay, nothing outstanding. Any good restaurant let's you try their wine first before pouring you a full glass. Especially when I specifically asked to try it first, they just brought me a full glass of an $18 wine - should definitely pour a taste first.

The food was good, but nothing outstanding. I can recommend a few restaurants on top of my head at this price point that are way better, Californios would be one. Overall, not a terrible experience but nothing memorable either.

Service was excellent (worth noting that the service charge is built into the bill). Commanding mastery of classic French preparations lightened up for a California audience. Good wine list, and within walking distance of the Orpheum.

I have never heard my wife tell me she had no favorite dish because she liked them all! Every part of the dining experience was perfect. We would highly recommend Monsieur Benjamin.

Our first experience at Monsieur Benjamin was a while back and we thought we had found OUR French restaurant in our new home of SF. This visit destroyed that fantasy for us. The main reason for this was the poor service. Our waitress had the same expression on her face the entire time even after she forgot our second cocktail and after she forgot to bring us the bill. I ordered the Blanquette de Veau and she said, “veal??” She then said,”I just wanted to make sure” and I wondered what she meant. Did she think I didn’t understand the menu?
Did she not understand the menu? She insisted on feeding back all the items in English - and it just seemed odd. She spent time talking with friends who had come into the restaurant. One of them appeared to have worked in the restaurant previously. The rest of the time, she would simply disappear into the back of the restaurant. The food was good - not great - and I think it should be mentioned on the menu that the Lobster Bisque is merely an amuse-bouche.

The execution and flavors were spot on. I truly enjoyed my experience. The pate was sublime and the seasoning was perfect. I will definitely add this to my list of go to spots in the city.

Service was exceptional, attentive not over bearing. Food was all very well done. Will return

The food was absolutely delicious! Great, attentive servive.

Excellent food and fast, efficient service prior to the symphony!

Top notch service. All the wait staff was very professional.

Just okay, would not go back though.

Great spot for a weekend brunch. We had a table for 7 and it was well placed so we could enjoy our conversation. Service was perfect.

overall, just meh.

food was probably the weakest link. the raw oysters were good quality but not shucked well; there were little bits of broken shell in some. the croquettes were crispy but didn't have a lot of flavor. our entrees likewise lacked finesse or great flavors; sauce on the rabbit had congealed by the time it hit the table. we even considered throwing in the towel and trying to go elsewhere for dessert but inertia took over. and thank goodness it did because the warm crepe and paris-brest were the best things we ate that night.

service was fine. wine and drinks were good. ambiance was the same as a previous visit.

Good food and great location. We ate here before heading over to DSH for a concert. Portion side was good, wine list was diverse, and options for vegetarians adequate. We will be going back..

Good foods

Wonderful food and location. Highly recommended.

The food was excellent except for the steak tartare, which appeared to be "stretched" or diluted with some sort of white salad dressing. Strange. The desserts were overpriced. It was entirely too noisy for our aged ears. (We are NOT deaf, alas.)

Service is so good. Everyone staff is working nice. Atmosphere is so elegant and modern. I had 1 main and soup and wine. Nice volume and taste. Soup choice could be improved. Price is a little high. People like small plates. it has variety. i will try them with dessert next time.

Nice host, nice waiter, very good food. Was what I expected for that price point. The only negative was that there were a bunch of kids on iPad's playing games and sometimes were crying. I have a hard time thinking that a French restaurant at this price point should allow iPads all over the tables like a Chili's.

What a disappointment!!
No sure if I can call it a brasserie, a fine dining or a symphony/ Hayes crowd trap but it does it all.
The staff look like puppets with their oversized butcher white jacket (not server jackets!!).
The place look bright but stiff then you end up with a paper table cloth which make you feel in a elegant but more casual place ( at least they try to make you believe that.
Then I ordered the Saucisson Sec and there it is...coming back to extreme fine dining where 7 slices half size of my thumb with 2 tiny cornichon and there is the crime « no bread to come with it »!!
Really? They put brioche with the mousse liver but no bread for the saucisson? Well fair enough if you didn’t have a French name and a restaurant portrait as French brasserie. And then the rabbit taken over by an over powering sausage stuffed leg which is the first time of my life i don’t finish a single rabbit leg.
But I told myself it must be me, and I looked over 2 tables over and I see the steak and fries plate being dropped and so my heart since I remember it was a whooping $56 which you would think would be a good size for that price...nope a plate with same quality steak you can get at many places in the city for easily 50% cheaper.
But hey most people are not me and not French so they can get away with the symphony crowd who go mostly...at Absinthe anyway...come only to feed themselves before a show or show off in Hayes valley.
When we left on Saturday at 7.15pm every other restaurants were full.
That explain it all...

We had a wonderful meal with another couple before a show at Davies Hall. The food was delicious and the service excellent. This is a moderately high priced restaurant but worth it. Parking is a challenge.

Food was just OK. Nothing too impressive. Service was great. 20% auto gratuity was tacked on our bill for 3 people. I found that a bit odd.

Always perfect—

Great experience at Monsieur Benjamin! Went here for my wife’s birthday and every detail was thought through including a welcome birthday card from the team.

The staff: Outstanding - very friendly in addition to some impressive teamwork

Food: Oysters, lobster bisque, fried chicken, and flounder, cherry ice cream - all very tasty

Excited to come back and try other dishes!

LOVE this place! The food is fantastic, and very kind & sensitive service. Try to go there when it is NOT a day for the ballet and/or symphony - it's much quieter. We've been coming here for years. Some of the best frites in San Francisco!

Nothing special.
I expected ambience and more diners.
The venue was basically empty!
Probably won’t return.

Excellent reservation and follow-up, friendly service, good recommendations, excellent meals and wine list, good parking garage across the street, walking distance to musical events.

We had a wonderful dinner and the service was fabulous. The bartender even made me of a special drink that wasn't on the menu. Definitely a Michelin restaurant!

Excellent food across the board, very good service and a very new nice ambiance.

It was a lovely meal with great service and a lovely atmosphere. Would definitely recommend and would love to go back if we are visiting San Francisco again.

Dining experience was not what we originally thought. First, our table was not centered correctly. We had to ask a staff member to assist with helping the dinner table wobble back and forth. Then we had to pay for bread and butter!!!!! Seriously!! Bread should always be FREE!! There was NOTHING special about the bread!! I should have brought in my own bread!! Our server took 13 minutes to return to our table to take our order!

Excellent little gem salad, buttery (not spicy) deviled eggs, tasty Palmier vanilla ice cream and light grapefruit sorbet. We chose the wrong glass of wine ($25, very acidic) and the wrong brandy ($30, too syrupy), adding 30% to our overall bill, but the food was excellent. we were celebrating a birthday, and tgey thoughtfully added a handwritten card and a round of shots as an apertif. Will return.

The food was good but certainly not nearing great. Service was spotty but overall good.
The biggest complaint is around wines by the glass. As is usual, by the glass prices started at around 15 and went into the 20's. I thought that the wine pour was one of the smallest I've ever seen. It couldn't have been more than 4 oz., maybe less. Don't be so chintzy.

Fabulous food, fabulous service. Really exceptional.

My six visit, the rabbit was outstanding. Only had one dessert in my visits, the Paris Brest probably the best since Champagne saboyon cake at Star's. Highly recommend for pre and post performances.

Very good place for simple traditional French food. Would return.