Chez Spencer Restaurant & Bar

08/22/2008 Posted by foodieSS4K

I’ve been here before and each time, I have had a very pleasant dining experience. On top of that, did you know this restaurant is teaming up with StreetSmart4kids? It’s actually really cool what they’re doing. I just heard about how SS4K is a nonprofit organization that helps underprivileged teens stay healthy. They are running their “Dine Out and Donate” campaign here (as well as approx. 70 other restaurants in SF) during October and early November. After having a fabulous dining experience, just fill out the donation form when paying the check (minimum donation $3). This is perfect for people like me, who love to eat out all the time and also like to give back to the community. Check it out for yourself on the StreetSmart4Kids website!

06/30/2008 Posted by ews

Dined at Chez Spencer for first time this week, after hearing many friends rave of its atmosphere and excellent food. Ambiance was intimate and certainly not over the top, mixing industrial comfort with a solid formula for service excellence. Steak was one of the best I’ve had this year. Cosmo from the bar was average. What I give low marks in this review is the seemingly excessive $30 corkage fee. I can understand $20, even $25, but $30?

Pros: Cuisine, ambience

Cons: Excessive corkage fee

01/24/2008 Posted by citydavid

This is the dining experience that has motivated me to write my first review ever. Unfortunately, the good food is overshadowed by the almost humorous service at this restaurant. After being seated, it was 30 minutes before our waiter even paused at our table to see if we had any questions. We ordered drinks and he disappeared without giving us a chance to order. A fee minutes later we flagged him down to order dinner and he didn’t have a pen and raced off, presumably to get a pen. He made a detour to the bar to bring back our drinks and came back, with one of three drinks incorrect, and still didn’t have a pen. He went back to the bar to fix the drink an came back-still without a pen. I’m totally serious. At this point I approached the manger to let him know that our server was having some serious issues. He said he’d keep an eye on our table. The meal was good and shortly thereafter was asked for the check. About two minutes after giving us our check he came back and gave us someone else’s check with their credit card-all ready to be signed. I got up again and brought this to the manager. The most disappointing part of this comedy show was that the manager never apologized, didn’t offer to comp anything-nothing. It was as if he really didn’t care that the service was so bad. So, the food is good but there are plenty of other French places in the city with good or even better food - and excellent service. If I had been paying the bill I would have given no tip whatsoever.

Pros: Decent food and nice environment

Cons: Hard to beleive how bad the service is

12/28/2007 Posted by sfseashell

I love this restaurant. It is one of my favorites in the City. I also love French food and great wine and this place covers both bases very well. I love the romantic atmosphere in the restaurant and the indoor/outdoor area in the front. I think this is a perfect place for a really romantic evening. It is also located a bit off the beaten path, which makes it feel like a hidded gem. I highly recommend this restaurant!

06/10/2007 Posted by jlenn

The dinning experience was overshadowed by poor service. The worst part was when we watched our original waiter walk to the bar with a glass of wine and have seat. As we watched the pretentious waiter enjoy his wine, we had to signal the new server for the next courses and the bill. To rub salt in the wound…we had arranged a baby sitter for this special evening. I recommend avoiding this place…there are a ton of great restaurants with high quality service.

Pros: Food

Cons: Service

03/15/2007 Posted by everdin

I have eaten at Chez Spencer a few times, the food has been ok for the most part, rarely great. Tonight was my worst dining experience in 10 years in San Francisco. Our waitress was clearly not focused on our party...... We had to wait repeatedly for service, including an embarrassingly long wait (>30 minutes) after finishing our main course to order deserts. I received the bill with an automatic 18% gratuity which I refused to pay and left a 10% gratuity instead, a generous tip for mediocre service. While leaving the restaurant with my guests, I was accosted by our waitress on the sidewalk in front of my guests, demanding to know "if her service was so lousy that she should only be receiving a 10% gratuity" (in this case, $55 on a $540 tab). A low class act for a restaurant that pretends to be high class. Will never go there again.

Pros: Ambiance-

Cons: Service!!!! or absence thereof

11/17/2006 Posted by jah4

My boyfriend and I went to Chez Spencer for my birthday last week. We had the 6 course food and wine pairing and it was out of this world. Every dish was outstanding - the steak with morels was the shining star. Chez Spencer uses a lot of fresh, seasonal vegetables in their preparation and the sauces are bright and full of flavor (it is a french restaurant after all - the sauces have to be great!) Compared to what other top shelf restaurants charge for a food and wine pairing, the prix fixe was extremely reasonable. Don't let the surroundings fool you - it may be around the corner from Office Max and Best Buy, but once you step into the courtyard, you are in another world. When you want a splurge, this is the place!

Pros: The food, the atmosphere, the wine, the service

Cons: Nothing, not even parking. It is easy to park in that area!

10/17/2006 Posted by kjoyiss

I was trying to find a romantic little spot near our house, so yelp and citysearch pointed to Chez Spencer. I wanted to find a restaurant close by because it was my boyfriend's birthday and I wanted to take care of everything, including the driving.. so he can just sit back and relax. We had 7:15pm reservations and they were really kind about the seating. They saved a table inside and in the patio so that we can chose the best place. The inside was lively and so I chose outside, a little more quiet, a little more intimate. And the patio was very romantic. Our waitress was really helpful. Unlike many reviews, I didn't think she or the restaurant was pretencious. They had five star service! But, I will tell you folks, you don't need to get the tasting menu, unless you want to liquor up your lady. The tasting menu had a tasting of wine to go with every dish. That was wonderful and each wine was so tasty. Each and every wine complimented the dish that was set before us and dinner transended from dinner to an experience. I liked the bread (and it kept coming) oysters, scallops, steak and the fish. I didn't care for the greens, cheese platter or the dessert. Jimmy and I realized that my wine glass was always more filled than his, with EVERY DISH! So, I traded my wine glass with him, so he can have a little more liquor. HAHAHA.. sometime between the greens and the cheese platter, he got so wasted, we had to ask for the check to go home. And my man can really drink too! I didn't expect this to happen! It was the funniest thing. And as I was driving home, he said "I think you were the one supposed to get drunk, cuz they know its my birthday, and maybe they were trying to help me get you ready" Haha.. when we got home, he knocked out.

09/13/2006 Posted by al1

In one word: this place is overrated. The food is good (although neither amazing nor very creative), but the wines are ordinary and for some of them, just gross, and overpriced. My date and I ordered a $100+ bottle of burgundy that turned out to be flat and flavorless. We had it replaced by another $100+ wine that was just ordinary. They seem to have only the worst years/domains, which they sell for the price of great wine. They still charged us for the price of both bottles, unlike any really classy place would have done. The service is far from memorable; and when I made a comment about the wine, the prickly, unfriendly French manager told me its the way this wine tastes. Also, the neighborhood is really sketchy, and potentially dangerous. Keep that in mind if you really have to go there, and bring your own wine! But you can have a much better dining experience elsewhere.

08/31/2006 Posted by elschneider

My co-workers and I make it a point to eat at Chez Spencer, everytime we are in San Francisco on business. We have been here several times - and have never had a bad experience with the staff, food, tip, etc., as many of the below reviewers have. The food is fantastic - even the warm, fresh baked bread that they bring out first - but especially the filet mignon! This restaurant came highly recommended to us - and I would in turn, recommend this to anyone that might be dining in the SF area. Fantastic food!