Fénix - Permanently Closed

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1. l

   lauror

   San Francisco

   32 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   32 reviews

   Dined on April 21, 2017

   overall2food1service4ambience2

   Quite disappointed. Interesting menu which sounds promising but could not deliver. The tostilocos needed more cueritos and less Tapatio. The asparagus sope had promise. The shrimp enchilada had boiled pale shrimp which was fishy and needed some flavor. The pork belly with nopales was interesting but was still raw and chewy with blood. The queso fundido was at least palatable. The flavored sangrias were mostly fruit juices . Lacking alcohol to tone down the sweetness. Service was good but next time save your money and go to the Mission for better more authentic street food. Alas a mediocre place from the team that used to give us AQ.

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2. g

   glenpark

   San Francisco

   16 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   16 reviews

   Dined on April 21, 2017

   overall3food4service3ambience1

   the food was good as was the service. not all mexican food is burrito price and this food is worth the $$. BUT i am sorry to second some of the other comments. an empty restaurant on saturday night does not exude a good food vibe. the server did not mention the tip was included nor did i remember or notice.

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3. s

   sfgirl

   San Francisco

   50 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   50 reviews

   Dined on April 1, 2017

   overall2food2service2ambience2

   This place was weird! Everything from the menu, to the emptiness, to the ambiance was off. It is no surprise this place closed, it had no identity. WATCH OUT, they are still selling Groupons to this place although it is closed!

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4. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on March 23, 2017

   overall3food4service4ambience3

   The food was good but it was pretty pricey ($9 guac!). I had a Groupon for $40 off which made it worth it but I probably won't be returning due to price.

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5. SF

   SFGal

   San Francisco

   5 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on March 14, 2017

   overall3food5service5ambience4

   Tried Fenix recently before seeing a nearby theater performance. Although the food was creative and tasty, and service was friendly, it ended up being very expensive for the amount of food and the very informal feel of the place. (Over $120 for 2 peeps, having only 2 glasses of wine and no dessert.) Also, found the bigger plate menu somewhat limited for not-very adventurous eaters who didn't want sweetbreads or octopus. We ended up over-ordering on the small plates, but only on the recommendation of the server. They were tasty, though!

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6. CC

   ChrisC

   San Francisco

   6 reviews

   3.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on March 10, 2017

   overall3food3service5ambience4

   Friendly staff and very knowledgable. The staff was very helpful in navigating the menu making suggestions. Best part of the experience was the staff. Wish they had a few more meatless options but we read the menu and it was not their fault. Sangria was good. Wine selection is limited but worked. Lots of better restaurants in SFO but hopefully it will get better.

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7. PH

   PH19

   San Francisco

   12 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   12 reviews

   Dined on February 25, 2017

   overall3food4service3ambience3

   The food was good but the restaurant was dead on a Saturday night. I fear the location will doom this restaurant. Too bad.

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8. IE

   IswariE

   San Francisco

   11 reviews

   5.0

   11 reviews

   Dined on February 14, 2017

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Great food

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9. S

   Slowfoodie

   San Francisco

   14 reviews

   4.0

   14 reviews

   Dined on February 11, 2017

   overall4food4service3ambience4

   Great environment, and good food. We shared several dishes and it ended up being a little too much. The sangrias were great, especially the Pineapple goes Pink! Recommend the guacamole, VIEIRA CRUDA, the queso and the pork carnitas (which was very creative).

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10. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 10, 2017

    overall3food3service3ambience4

    Went here as it's close to theaters. The food was marginal. We were a table of 6 and all tastes each other's plates and not one stood out. The waitress didn't even tell us about specials. We found out after we ordered. Overall, NOT a good value & wouldn't recommend. Food didn't live up to $30 per plate expectations.

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11. L

    Lulubrown

    San Francisco

    21 reviews

    2.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on February 8, 2017

    overall2food3service1ambience4

    If you like your guacamole with a nice, heaping side order of attitude, this is the place for you. Had an early reservation. When I arrived there was exactly one other table occupied - and they tried to make me wait for the second person joining me before they would seat me. Then, where did they seat me? At a table that was physically adjoining the only other occupied table in the whole place. They moved it about 2 inches away from the occupied table (thus interrupting those diners as well as they had to hold onto their beverages while the tables were moved). So weird. I had to literally flag down wait staff to get water and a glass of wine. Wait staff also came to clear my plate and silverware before my friend was done with her dinner - again, while the restaurant was empty. Food was fine, but really not good enough to overcome the very weird/rude service.

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12. B

    Billyboy

    Toronto

    21 reviews

    4.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on February 4, 2017

    overall4food5service5ambience4

    The restaurant was nicely decorated and the staff was very friendly. The food was excellent but small portions. We had the lamb & carnitas which were both considered full entrees. They also serve many small plate appetizers. I was a little surprised at the 18% employee surcharge. This was not the tip included but a set price tacked on the bill. It was an additional $10.50 to our bill. We then tipped another $12 which totaled $22.50! Some San Francisco restaurants are tacking this surcharge on and there is no warning ahead of time.

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13. L

    Laura

    San Francisco

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on February 3, 2017

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    First time for me and I loved it. I'll be back for sure.

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14. e

    eatenbutnotforgotten1

    San Francisco

    11 reviews

    3.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on February 2, 2017

    overall3food3service4ambience3

    We were so excited being fans of AQ. The staff was so great. Smiley helpful but not too helpful. The restaurant was no where near full And the noise was still a thing

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15. TO

    TheOriginalSilverFox

    San Francisco

    32 reviews

    4.0

    32 reviews

    Dined on January 28, 2017

    overall4food4service5ambience4

    Great staff... Portions right out of the '80's...sparse. Though delicious

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16. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    10 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on January 27, 2017

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    Convenient for pre theatre Orpheum

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17. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on January 26, 2017

    overall3food4service2ambience4

    The restaurant is very cute, the food was good but not crazy good, and the service was disappointing. I'd still recommend checking it out but not sure if I'll be back.

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18. w

    wyrfox

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 25, 2017

    overall2food2service2ambience3

    My husband and I used a Groupon here so I realized that I was getting a bargain. However, we eat out frequently and have a high expectation for SF restaurants. This was a disappointment in three ways: 1) the rice was undercooked. Without any thought that an error may have been made, the server explained that the "crunch" was Mexican style, it was not. The kernels were uncooked in the center, not fried and crunchy on the outside. We were refunded the cost of the rice, but would have liked to have some indication that our concern was authentic. 2) Before ordering the beans, I asked what kind of beans and was told that they were black beans. When they arrived, they were pinto. The server brushed it off with "the kitchen didn't tell me". 3) Lastly, there is a mandatory 18% service charge. For a party of two. I have never seen this before and believe it is completely inappropriate to have this mandatory fee, in addition to the SF health insurance mandate. Did I feel the service was worth 18%? No. Did I have a choice? No.

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19. t

    tnufire

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 21, 2017

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    We came before a show at the Orpheum. We really enjoyed our meal - the guacamole was tasty, the short ribs and carnitas were great, too!

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20. A

    August2014

    San Francisco

    72 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    72 reviews

    Dined on January 17, 2017

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    We liked the restaurant, it's quaint and cozy. The cuisine is different, not typical Mexican dishes. My fiend had the carne asada ans was pleased with his choice. I ordered pork carnitas ans the shredded meat was browned in a 3 inch square patty. Portion looked small, but we were satisfied after we ate. We went on a Tuesday evening at 6pm so was able to park at a meter space without paying. I am guessing that because it was a week night, not many people were dining there.

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21. MZ

    MonicaZ

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 12, 2017

    overall2food2service1ambience1

    Restaurant was extremely cold and service was lacking. We ordered a carafe of sangria but it was so spicy we couldn't drink it. We sent it back at the beginning of the meal but replacement drinks didn't arrive until we were done eating. At the end of the meal when the bill arrived we were charged for the two glasses of sangria that had been poured out of the carafe even though they were undrinkable and thus we hadn't touched them and for the additional two glasses. And on top of that, 18% gratuity was added on our two top and not a word was said by the server when the check was dropped.

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22. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New England

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 7, 2017

    overall4food4service4ambience5

    The concept of adding little plates (meant to imitate Korean banchan in style and taste) to the order of a main dish is very cool. These mini-dishes were quite original and unique. Overall the food was well done with good flavor and ingredients. Large plates were large and decent value, small plates seemed a bit overpriced and there's always going to be sticker shock by charging >$5 for chips and salsa and quite a bit more for guacamole, no matter the freshness and quality. Some dishes did seem to be in need of salt, but the underlying flavors seemed well developed. I would recommend this places to friends as a unique Mexican meal. I hope business picks up in order to keep them around.

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23. K

    Kelly

    San Francisco

    7 reviews

    1.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on December 31, 2016

    overall1food1service1ambience1

    I am extremely disappointed and upset about my visit to Fénix. First off, it was mostly empty when we arrived. My gut told me to leave, which in hindsight I should have done. Our waitress, while nice, had no idea about wine or the menu. The food was terrible. One of the reasons I chose Fénix is because it claimed it is "mexican" and had queso fundido (one of my favorites) on the menu. Well, the queso fundido was awful and it wasn't served with tortillas, as it should be. The waitress told us that the cooks fried all the tortillas for the evening. Interesting. Our steak wasn't cooked to the temperature we ordered it. The waitress didn't know what Rosé is. The music was obnoxious and too loud. And the food was overpriced. Overall, I would not call this a mexican restaurant and it was a horrible experience, especially for new years eve.

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24. T

    Tiff

    San Francisco

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 31, 2016

    overall2food2service2ambience2

    Disappointed with the choice by the chef to not accommodate a vegan diet when all the ingredients were available to make simple accommodations. Chef was not receptive to feedback for simple and 100% possible accommodations.

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25. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Orange County

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on December 31, 2016

    overall3food3service4ambience5

    Overall it was a good experience. My friend and I were here for New Year's eve. They had a special menu that was quite delicious. The place also has good drinks. It might be more popular for happy hour after work.

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26. JR

    JulieR

    San Francisco

    9 reviews

    3.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on December 23, 2016

    overall3food5service4ambience2

    Decided to try it before the ballet. The restaurant was freezing cold. Apparently the heater was broken. It was pretty empty at 6pm on a Friday evening. The food was great. I had the special fish which was cooked perfect and the broth was superb. The other person has the carne asada. The meat was great. Each entree include 6 small tastes which were pretty disappointing.

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27. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    vip
    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 8, 2016

    overall1food1service1ambience1

    Not a pleasant experience. We arrived on time and were told that they didn't have our reservation, but it was pretty empty so they sat us anyways. The tables are very close together, and the waitress was helping folks by standing in between the tables, which resulted in her backside and shirt being on our table each time she helped the table next to us. We ended up only being able to use half of the table because she kept knocking items over. We ordered a selection of 5 small plates, and they were out of the only vegetable dish on the menu. Our first item came after about 15 minutes at which point we still hadn't gotten our water. The woman who came to our table made a snide comment about how our actual waitress wasn't doing her job. Waitress stopped by to give us our water and asked if we wanted the check - we mentioned that we still had 4 items coming and she looked confused. She had only put in one item to the kitchen. The rest came eventually but half of it was so spicy that we couldn't even eat it. I love spice, but this was WAY overkill. Be careful when you do get the bill. They add 18% gratuity to every check and don't mention it. Many people commented on Yelp that they'd accidentally tipped twice. Seems that maybe they do that to ensure the wait staff gets paid despite the horrible service. Would not recommend.

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28. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    55 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    55 reviews

    Dined on December 8, 2016

    overall1food1service2ambience2

    Sweet Hay Zeus! Truly as bad a dining experience as my wife and I have ever had! The wait staff was earnest but poorly trained and coordinated. Fenix has a small and large plate venue though it's darn near impossible to tell the difference. My sister-in-law and I order the same thing: Tri-tip with brussel sprouts. Eventually these entrees arrive. Tri-tip arrives without the sprouts! We're informed that they don't have any sprouts. No one seemed to be aware of this! OK, let's just substitute with another veggie? After a few minutes the waitress returns saying they don't have any other vegetables!! I swear I'm not making this up! My wife's large plate was a blop of burrata with something sprinkle on top of it. How did this train wreck of a restaurant make up for this fiasco? Said they'd take 50% of the entrees which they did on mine but not my sister-in-law's bill. Unfortunately we didn't catch this until we were at the theater. I simply can't imagine how this train wreck will stay afloat. Restaurant without vegetables..amazing :-(

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29. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on November 26, 2016

    overall4food3service5ambience4

    The food was great! Everything, but dessert, was spicy. Keep that in mind when ordering. The portion sizes were perfect, not too big and not too small.

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30. CB

    CarmelitaB

    San Francisco

    12 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on November 26, 2016

    overall3food3service5ambience4

    The food was a bit too spicy and the entrees where a bit pricy

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31. b

    bjun

    San Francisco

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 18, 2016

    overall2food2service2ambience3

    Small portion of food n over price. No typic mexican taste. Super disappointing. Sorry~~~

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32. w

    worldtrippers

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    We were on our way to a play at the Golden Gate and decided to give Fenix a try. This was a great decision. The concept is fun, the crew attentive and the food was amazing. We ate everything they brought us and did not have any leftovers. The serving size was ample but the food was sooo good we couldn't stop.

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33. H

    susanH

    San Francisco

    9 reviews

    3.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on November 12, 2016

    overall3food4service3ambience4

    The food was fresh and made to order. There were only two wait staff for the entire restaurant. It is a cute place but loud. The good was very good but everything was very spicy.

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34. DG

    DanielG

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 29, 2016

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Fresh vibrant flavors. Large dishes come with a lot of sides. Great drinks.

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35. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    38 reviews

    3.0

    38 reviews

    Dined on October 27, 2016

    overall3food4service3ambience3

    Food was very good. Fresh, quality food with plenty of flavor. One member of the party "doesn't like Mexican" but loved this meal. Good value, expect the wine was pricey. They sat the three of us at a table for two - way too crowded for all our dishes. They eventually pushed over another table for four, which was weird, because then we were occupying a six top for three people. Why they didn't seat us at a four top is beyond me, plenty of room for us. Service was a bit shaking too.

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36. j

    joanwarren

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 22, 2016

    overall5food5service4ambience3

    Great dinner with unusual approach to Mexican food. The staff was helpful and friendly and the atmosphere lively. Take your mom, take your kids, take your date -- all good.

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37. TS

    TallSwede

    San Francisco

    22 reviews

    4.0

    22 reviews

    Dined on October 21, 2016

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    Great hand made items from the kitchen and all around service was wonderful.

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38. D

    Dena

    San Francisco

    61 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    61 reviews

    Dined on October 15, 2016

    overall4food5service3ambience4

    Loved the food, very innovative and good. Glad to see a nice place like that open in that part of town.

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39. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 1, 2016

    overall3food5service2ambience2

    Food was great, service was ok, lights were too bright, and didn't like the downer music. Mexican is supposed to be fun, this empty place had no vibe. Eventhough the restaurant seemed over staffed, no one said goodbye. Tequila is needed!

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40. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 30, 2016

    overall1food1service2ambience1

    Unfortunately the worst meal that I have had in San Francisco. The food was cold and poorly prepared. I would not recommend Fenix to anyone.

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