Bistro Aix
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: (415) 202-0100
- Price:
- $$$
- Cross Street:
- Lombard Street
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu 6pm-10pm , Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm, Sun 5:30pm-9:30pm
Editorial Review for Bistro Aix – by Karen Solomon
The Scene
The well-scrubbed, well-heeled Marina crowd pops in for a quick plate of pasta in designer sportswear, or a three-course celebratory meal in a sportcoat. This crowd demands good service and a knowledgeable, attentive waitstaff delivers, hustling orders to the cozy, wood-beamed dining room and the spacious and elegant heated patio.
The Food
Though the ambience evokes a French cafe, the menu has many native tongues. The exquisite duck confit has a perfectly crisped skin and is served with flavorful caviar-shaped lentils. The tender calamari, delicately fried Japanese-style, is set off with a Thai red-curry aioli. Crepe-thin pizza is best when prepared simply, such as the tomato with three cheeses. But linguini with overcooked prawns and tomato-fennel sofrito is too reliant on olive oil. A better choice is the lamb steak, complemented by thick-cut potato gratin and velvety sauteed spinach. Desserts like flaky, rustic apple pie and creme brulee taste homemade.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Where to SitThe best seats in the house are in the heated garden patio out back.
ParkingPark in the public garage on Pierce Street between Chestnut and Lombard.
Save MoneyA two-course prix-fixe menu is served Sunday through Thursday, 6pm-8pm, for $18.
What to DrinkThe wine list is superb--standouts include a lusty and peppery St. Cosme Cotes du Rhone and the fruity and lithe Liponita chardonnay.
User Reviews for Bistro Aix
11/12/2007 Posted by sfconsumer
We so enjoy eating at Bistro Aix. My latest pet peeve about SF restaurants is the inconsistency in preparing the basics, but this is never a problem here. Our favorites are the hamburgers, roast chicken, and thin crust pizza. We live in the neighborhood and Steve always makes us feel welcome, even when the place is mobbed. It can be crowded and the chairs on the patio are not that comfortable, but I always leave smiling (in part because the prices are so reasonable).
05/20/2007 Posted by caligirl49
We called up on a Saturday morning hoping for a table for 8 people on the patio between 7-9pm that night. Left a message on the answering service and received a call back a few hours later- able to book a table for 9pm. Of course, we were late for dinner, and they'd given our table away, but we didn't wait long before another table opened up on the patio. Most people at our table ate the ahi and seemed rather jazzed about it. I had the beet salad and the spaghetti- which was actually quite delicious. I'm vegetarian, so always ask the server for their advice, and was really surprised at how good the spaghetti was. I'm not normally a spaghetti kinda gal, but it really rocked. The service was good, the atmosphere was awesome. The wine list needs to diversify a bit- seemed to only have low-end & high-end wines with very little in between. Besides the disappointing wine list, the restrooms were also fairly filthy. Other than that, it was brilliant!
Pros: garden patio
Cons: limited wine list, no online reservation, dirty bathroom
