(415) 931-5100

3640 Sacramento St
San Francisco, CA 94118 37.7876 -122.4526

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Neighborhoods: Presidio Heights, North

What People Are Saying About Spruce

The Editor

Contributor

Citysearch

The Scene – Housed in a 1930s-era car barn (the entrance arch was built to allow for the passage of Model Ts), the well-thought-out space hits the mark on dark, contemporary sophistication. The entrance is flanked by a take-out cafe and a sitting room/library, while the 70-seat dining room is separated from the hopping bar area by a wall of glass panes. A ceiling highlighted by exposed steel supports and a black-and-chocolate color scheme set the tone for the hip, well-to-do clientele, who, lounging in faux-ostrich chairs and on mohair couches, are seemingly imported from all corners of…

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/19/09

fabulous food!

by oliviaw

love eating at the bar! had great seafood. drinks are inventive, but a little on the sweet side. great for girls night, or a romantic evening with your beau.

  • Pros: great ambience
  • Cons: expensive
3 Star Rating: Average

01/03/09

Overpriced

by nightfever

I am currently visiting San Francisco from New York. I must admit, I am a food snob and believe food, service and price come hand in hand when rating a restaurant.

Service was great, atmoshphere was mature and chic.

The food was just over priced for what it was.

I thought the shortbreads were the best appetizer among the six that were ordered.

The lobster was WAY over priced for the $40 they tagged it at and the sea bass was good.

Dishing out $120 (with tip) for each person that included a few cocktails and 1 bottle of red wine was just not worth it.

I don't mind dishing out $120, just give me something to sing about!

In all honestly, if the dinner were to come out a bit cheaper, I think the whole experience would have been different.

3 Star Rating: Average

03/07/08

Overrated food, great customer service

by Paddyb62

We also got to the restaurant 20 minutes early as recommended and were seated at our reservation time. It took about 15 minutes before a server came to our table to ask if we wanted drinks - by this time, we had already read the entire menu and were ready to order. Our waiter, Charles, and sommelier, Andrew, were both great. Very knowledgeable and fun. The food on the other hand, was mediocre at best. The handmade cold cuts appetizer was really good but the scallops appetizer was just ok. I had the venison with red cabbage and spaetzel. The venison was cooked to perfection, but the red cabbage was overseasoned with cloves or something that was very overpowering. The spaetzel was panfried and had the consistency of styrofoam with absolutely no flavor. The cheese plate had large portions, but they were out of several cheeses so they substituted with larger portions of one of the other selections.

The bill was a whopping $300 for dinner for 2 with appetizer, entre, bottle of inexpensive wine, and cheese plate. All in all, I was disappointed after reading all the great things, especially in Wine Spectator. With all the great places in San Francisco, I would go elsewhere for a better value.

  • Pros: Friendly staff
  • Cons: Expensive for mediocre food

The Details on Spruce

Know Before You Go:

In the mood for sophisticated fare, but not a full-out sit-down? A pared-down menu is available from the restaurant's carry-out-only cafe.

Fun Fact:

Know that your dinner fuels more than just you: Spruce's recycled vegetable oil helps the bio-diesel vehicles for SMIP Ranch, a sister operation, keep on truckin'.

What to Drink:

It's worth ordering a bottle from the extensive wine list just to see the rolling librarian's ladder put to use when your choice is fetched from the multi-level, custom-built cabinet. However, 70 vinos are available by the glass, and specialty cocktails such as the refreshing clover club (gin, lemon, aqua perfecta) are solid options as well.

Category:

Restaurants

Cuisine:

Traditional American

Notable Chef:

Mark Sullivan

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