Le Charm

Doesn't Recommend

monami17

Joined 3 years ago

Worst dining experience in my life!. Food-Raw risotto. Requested a re-fire to only receive a slightly more cooked with remaining crunchy bits of raw risotto. A friend and I had to send it back. He had his dish replaced with the steak (requested medium and received medium rare--leaning on the rare side) and I had mine replaced with the salmon. The salmon came raw. I got tired of sending food back and by that time my appetite had faded away. It's hard for me to not want to eat, but this place did it. The manager apologized that I didn't like their risotto, but I mean who would like undercooked risotto?

I then attempted to talk to the manager about the three times I had to send back food and express my dissatisfaction even till the final dish (tart tartine). It was burnt. I even had other friends taste it to verify it and confirm that it was not just my rage. She apologize insincerely and said that they could have re-fired the salmon (SERIOUSLY??? Third time sending back raw food and you still expect people to trust that they won't get sick from your food?). After I walked away, she was stupid enough to give dirty looks when the rest of my party was still there. I definitely do not recommend this restaurant to ANYONE, even my greatest enemies. There are so much more exceptional or even average French restaurants in San Francisco that no one should waste their time at Le Charm Bistro.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Tucked away from the city bustle, this inviting French bistro stays true to its name with delightful service and well-crafted cuisine.. The Scene
An elegant atmosphere of soft pinkish-red walls and white tablecloths feels lived in thanks to magnums of Bordeaux, clusters of flowers and esoteric artifacts that adorn the wood bar. An outdoor heated garden patio turns from a trellised lunch spot by day into a twinkling stage for romantic dining by night.

The Food
Chef Alain DeLangle's menu of Parisian Bistro fare reflects a specific panache for onion soup, steak frites, duck confit and the like. Yet offerings such as salmon filet over quinoa and roasted halibut with orzo and fried leeks demonstrate sophisticated flavor balance as well. Profiteroles bulging with vanilla ice cream or bites of buttery tarte tatin are finishes fit for a fairy tale.

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heathrowsch

Joined 6 years ago

It's all about the patio. The prix fixe is a great deal, especially for French food in this city. Service and ambiance are good and if you are lucky enough to be seated on the patio it is hard to find a more romantic place in town. My boyfriend and I have been here several times and we always leave smiling.

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binky5806

Joined 7 years ago

great customer service, great dessert.. We had a family reunion last may... daughter graduated from law school. there were 22 of us ages 1 to 51. Everyone enjoyed the food and the ambience, even our picky eaters. The manager was very helpful and kind.

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foodielover

Joined 9 years ago

The price is right, that's about it. For $28, the 3 course prix fixed meal is worth it. I wouldn't rant and rave that it's particulary wonderful 'tho. The French Onion Soup was nicely prepared, mine had a lot of cheese but my friend complained his hardly had any. I liked that this soup wasn't over salted. The pork pate was quite firm, served w/toast & a salad. It was not memorable. Both diners who ordered the duck confit complained the legs were very, very dry. Either the ducks were precooked long ago, and left in the refrigerator for days before reheating, or the legs were stored in the fridge for days prior to cooking. The Pomme Causeur served w/it was just "ok", didn't like it enough to finish. The grilled beef tritip brochette was sm portion and spicy. The pomme frites served with it was the only really good thing on that dish, thin & crispy. My friend had the steak which she thought was good. The desserts were the highlight of the whole meal - especially the orange creme brulee, a creamy brulee with wonderful crunchy crust and hint of orange, garnished w/orange slices. The apple tart was good but not great as was the rum raisin pudding soaked in rum. Lots of rum and raisin, but a sm pudding bread - which was quite good, if you didn't mind the overwhelming rum. Our server was friendly & apologized for forgetting to give my friend the dessert menu to look at. The restaurant has a sm front room and a larger back room where we say 2 long tables of men meeting for dinner. The neighborhood isn't great(street bums) and you would need to go for an early dinner to find street parking.

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eminamy

Joined 7 years ago

Good prices for soso French food. We were there at Le Charm because one of my gal pal highly recommend it. The price was good but I didn't feel so much "charm" from the staff there. The food was also just so-so with really small portion if you order from the "deal" meal. I left feeling that I need to go to another French restaurant so I can get really good pomme frites and get more food.

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nancysee

Joined 7 years ago

Great date place without damaging your wallet!!!. Small cute french restaurant with tall windows that let in a lot of natural light. We got the prixe fix for $25 each. We ordered the smoke salmon tartare, glazed fig salad, tritip steak, duck confit, apple tart and the crème brulee. All very delicious and especially for that price! All washed down with wine. We walked out of there with wide grins and full stomaches without damaging our wallets. It's in SOMA and parking in the evenings is pretty easy.

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sanfranjr

Joined 8 years ago

Awesome food, exceptional service, unpretentious. I took my fiancee here for her birthday dinner yesterday and it was superb. Don't miss the Filet Mignon Rossini with Foie Gras and truffle sauce. We're really picky about service and one of our favorite dinner pasttimes is to critique the service. All we could about our waitress was ... "Wow, she's good." I had been there once before on a business dinner and the service/food were equally as good. The maitre d' was extremely nice and concerned that we were happy with our table. The wine list isn't terribly extensive but there are a few nice choices. Don't miss this place, it's really great.

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wondermatic

Joined 8 years ago

Predictable, but in a good way. As others have noted, the prix fixe is a great deal. The food is not always novel (how many ways can they present the duck leg, etc), but it's always a solid feed. Great value for French food in the City. The wait help seems to change from week to week, but the service is usually adequate. You will leave full and happy.

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sandylopezsf

Joined 8 years ago

Great little place. My husband and I love to dine here. Sit out on the patio and enjoy the prie fix and a nice bottle of wine. Service is always friendly and unpretenious. Highly recommended!