Burdell

Burdell reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. M

   Mark VIP

   San Francisco43 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   The food was great! Probably the best cornbread I've ever had. The cocktails are interesting and delicious. And the ambiance and design is super cool and nostalgic. Unfortunately, the dining experience wasn't great. Our host was lovely, but that's where it ended. Our server never said Hi, even when we said Hi to her. She seemed distracted and put out. She didn't introduce herself, no Hi, her only words were "Can I get something started for you?" When she came back for our order, again no greeting, literally just "what can I get you?" When we said were going to split some apps and sides she admonished us saying we'd need to order a main as well or it wouldn't be enough food. When we ordered a sixth side instead, she scoffed at us and walked away, and then never came back to our table. We waited for a while and then let the host know our server had disappeared? The host, clearly upset, let us know that our server was asked to go home to get some "rest". It was clear then that they were having staff issues, and our host did their best to make up for it. The host was great, they were very kind to us. But then the Chef delivered two of our dishes to the table. I was excited and said Hi, but got no response. Not even a smile. The second time I said Hi again, and tried to engage, zero response. Nothing even said about the food. I understand that running a restaurant is really hard, and they have a lot of unknowns to deal with, but being friendly or at least kind is part of the experience. The food was good, but that's only 50% of it. We go out to have a hospitable experience. If you're going to add a service charge and serve food at this price, you need to value the service you are providing. Very confused and disappointed with the level of engagement and lack of interest and passion for the food or the customer.
   

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2. D

   Danielle VIP

   San Francisco1 review

   3.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Food was solid but way over priced. They’ve recently raised their supper price and although the quality is there, the portions just don’t match the price. For snacks you each get one clam and one ritz cracker and the peanuts. We looked at each other and laughed when the salad arrived because the size was for one. The entree size and sides were fine but we had mentioned to our server we were considering adding the BBQ shrimp as it is one of my favorite dishes but we never had the opportunity to do so because she never checked back on us to see how we were doing or to ask if we wanted to add it after our snacks, which we would have. Once we finished our desserts they literally just dropped the check and walked away. Never asked us if we wanted coffee or tea with dessert, perhaps an after dinner drink. Didn’t ask if we were done, if we needed anything else, how was everything? Nothing. Just check dropped. It is such an unhospitable way to end a meal. Service was warm when we interacted with staff just lacking. We always tip at least 20% and still would have because it’s just who we are but you can definitely see where they are missing major marks of service because they know it already coming. Food was good and there are parts of it where they do seem like they really care but the lack of hospitality would probably keep us from returning given our check was $324 for two people.
   

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3. S

   Sam VIP

   San Francisco4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Spectacular food and service, will be going back ASAP to try more of the menu!
   

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4. M

   Mila

   San Francisco4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   OMG, best bacon, and best pancakes I ever had! I’m so glad I got to eat at Burdell! Service was also excellent and the atmosphere is great.
   

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5. B

   Bill

   San Francisco1 review

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great service and good food but it is no inexpesive.
   

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6. R

   Ruth VIP

   San Francisco167 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   This place is "soul food" inspired, but kicks it up to a higher level. The sauces and details of execution make a world of difference. My favorites include the cornbread which came with "butter" that tasted sort of sour-cream like -- divine! We had two sets for the table and wound up ordering a third it was so scrumptious. I would have been happy with that and my white wine. Another favorite was the crispy onion and mushroom dish. I thought this was going to be like a typical tempura dish based on the looks of it, but the accompanying sauce is what made all the difference. It is some sort of maple and mustardy concoction -- sounds odd but it was heavenly. Like the butter that came with the cornbread, I would eat this sauce with anything. We also had the boiled peanuts, and again it is the tasty stew in which these are served that makes them next level. It's a mess to eat, but worth it. The Hoppin John red-eyed peas were also delicious, and I had the chicken for the entree. We probably ordered too much but there were so many small plates we wanted to share. By the time I got the entree, I was already satisfied, but that did not stop me from eating every last bite of the chicken, which had a very original presentation and excellent carrot sides. I suspect the desserts here are outstanding, but we were already stuffed, so that will have to wait for another occasion. I dinged them a star for service because there was an unusual slowness (even to getting our waters) and a forgotten drink order, but they comped us the drink which goes a long way in my book in terms of acknowledging mistakes. The wait staff were all very nice and ultimately attentive, but it does seem like there was some room for improvement in that area. I was concerned I would be underwhelmed with serving size because I had read critical reviews, but I am not sure what people are talking about. Maybe the connotation of soul food increases expectation of piles of food, but this was not exactly minimalist.
   

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7. S

   Sarah VIP

   London1 review

   3.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 5

   They are severely short staffed - we waited ten minutes just to check in. Our main courses were very delayed in coming out of the kitchen. After asking to see a dessert menu, we were given the check. Honestly, I think they are so overwhelmed with excitement that they can’t keep up. I hope they can manage through the buzz and resume what I’m sure is a better service experience in a few months. We won’t be back until the service is fixed.
   

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8. J

   Jason

   San Francisco5 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Everything was excellent. Can’t wait to come back to try the brunch menu.
   

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9. J

   Jeff VIP

   San Francisco9 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Very well executed food, great seasoning! Bbq shrimp transports you to NOLA. Banging cornbread and don’t skip the salads.
   

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10. J

    John VIP

    San Francisco19 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1

    We’ve eaten here twice in the last month. The first time was wonderful. The second time was awful. On balance we won’t be coming back. We were so pleased at our first visit that we immediately booked a second visit to celebrate my wife’s birthday with our adult kids. The second time we were seated in an awful back room with no light. We sat there for fifteen minutes and were not offered water or drinks. Finally the hostess who had seated us wandered back into our back room and was surprised to see us sitting there with nothing; she offered us water. When our server finally arrived to take our order she was in a nasty mood. She was surly the entire evening … when we saw her, which was seldom. Then she bullied my wife into ordering more food than she wanted (she had ordered two appetizers and three sides and we were sharing a main. Since we’d eaten there a few weeks ago she knew this was plenty of food for her. Ended up with another main neither of us wanted). We were never given the opportunity to order a second drink which we did want. The food was ok but pretty limited. But the real problem was having a dark room no windows no visible servers and a surly server when she did (rarely) appear. In short everything that was so perfect in our first visit was absolutely horrible on our second visit. It put such a downer on our evening none of us could enjoy our gift exchange and cake at home.
    

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