Coco500

03/12/2008 Posted by awolfey

SF Top Chef fans unite! ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ay aay aay ayay aayyay ayayayayay ayayayayaa yayayay aya

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02/14/2008 Posted by kris23

Coco500 is by far one of my favorite spots to dine. I love the unique menu offered by Chef Keller. The wine list compliments the food served. I find the waiters and waiteresses knowledgeable and they have made my many dining experiences exceptional. I am knew to th bay area but have been to Coco500 several times and plan on returning.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/16/2007 Posted by akirokurosawa

I have been wanting to try this restaurant ever since it opened. What a disappointment! The service and ambiance was nice but in the end, only the food matters...and it did!! Butterfish special was described as "amazing" by the waiter...overcooked and pungent fishy odour instead. Steak was oversalted blasted with parsley and tasted braised, not on a skillet as described. Delivered rare, not medium-rare as requested. My friend could barely eat 2 bites and left the rest deciding not to return the entree. I tried it and agreed. Chicken ordered after fish sent away was tender but over-salted and greasy, somewhat bland even though the menu said "harissa" to be served with it. Overall, I will NEVER go back. I've had a better meal at Zuppa and District all nearby. In fact, I've had a better meal at a local diner than this place and the bill was 150 with tip!! I love going out to new restaurants all the time and trying new flavours but this place is to be avoided like the plague. Leave this for the bridge and tunnel crowd...they won't even know the difference!

Pros: ambiance

Cons: food...and that's 90% of what matters!!

12/13/2006 Posted by mbar5sam

I'd walked by this spot a million times, but couldn't get over the name. Are we talking a passion with science fiction, a trekkie... what the hell is in the name??? I still don't know, but c’est la vie. I should’ve gotten over the name a L O N G time ago, what a GREAT spot! The decor is very minimalist and warm. There are a little flowers quaintly set on each table. The bar is beautiful to look at and the drinks are great and inventive. They do not carry any of the name brand alcohols, but offer the less known which are equal if not better choices. The bartenders are friendly and can make anything and everything you want and give you better recommendations. The servers are very knowledgeable and friendly. We got excellent suggestions... but of course what about the food???? I was surprised at how many people hated this place. In all honesty when I saw the prices I had little expectations, but they did great! This is not a frilly over the top restaurant so don’t expect the world at such decent prices! Delicious flat breads with red grapes and pancetta, fried green beans (give you a little guilt, but you get over it quickly with the first bite), the mole tacos (YUM!!!) and they have pancetta wrapped figs with a cheesy center and lamb chops to die for. This is a hidden gem in SOMA. I loved my dinner so much we ended up having my company Holiday Party here. The guys were so accommodating. Anything I asked for was no problem and at no extra price. There were no surprising fees and we were under budget- which is a FIRST. This is going to be one of my regular spots. DEFINATELY give them a try.

Pros: Food, Ambiance, Service, Parking, Knowledgable Staff

Cons: None

11/28/2006 Posted by richardinsfo

We were a party of four on a Monday night and none of us had tried it yet. Having read mixed reviews, especially about the service, we were a little nervous. To our relief however, the service was very good...though I did pick up on the notes of haughtiness that other reviewers have mentioned and hence the 8.5 scrore instead of 9.0. The waitress was knowledgeable and all the food arrived on time and hot. More importantly the food was very well prepared and really interesting in both flavor and presentation. The flank steak was excellent, as was the duck potpie and the pumpkin ravioli. The prawns in red sauce w/feta were a little spicy for me, but my wife loved it. The truffle flatbread everyone writes about was yummy (we ordered it as an appetizer), but it stayed on the palate for a long time It's not for the faint of heart. Don't order it unless you want everything else you eat for the next 20 minutes to carry a hint of earthy truffle and parmesan. Three had predinner cocktails and all were pleased. The wines by the glass are curious (in a good way) selections; e.g., the one cabernet being Renaissance from the Sierra Foothills. The bottle selection was also fun to study, but it being a Monday night we didn't indulge. The adjective we agreed upon was "interesting" ...in the sincere and admiring form, not the cynical. All four of us felt the dinner was a success and we look forward to returning.

Pros: Interesting and tasty food and great wine and liquor lists

Cons: Noisy, somewhat haughty service

11/23/2006 Posted by ls04

Although the restaurant has potential to be good, it just falls short. The food there just isn't that great and it was a major disappointment. Would not recommend.

10/03/2006 Posted by racheltedesco

I was very excited to go to Coco500 because it always seems busy and happening. But once there, I found it to be just ok. We had two waiters who didn't communicate very well because they would ask us the same things. The food was late and wasn't even that great. With so many other great restaurants in the city, I wouldn't bother with this one!

Pros: nice atmosphere, busy

Cons: mediocre service and food, very loud

09/05/2006 Posted by carbjunkie

Upon arriving, with a reservation, we told the manager our party had shrank from 8 to 6 people due to an illness. The manager immediately sneered and told us that he would have to move us and we would have to wait a few minutes. I said that would be fine and I apologized for inconveniencing him, although I felt that my gesture was not needed. The restuarant was half emtpy (7PM Saturday evening) but we still waited a good 15 minutes till we were seated. We placed our orders and waited a good 45 minutes for our food which was in very small portions and came to our table luke warm. The food was ok, and I am certain it would have tasted better if it arrived hot. The manager did not come by once to see how we were doing which was odd because we watched him repeatedly check on two table in which he appeared very friendly with, while ours and several other tables were left to our sad dining experience. The only highlight were the drinks mixed by a very enthusiastic and friendly bartender.

Pros: ambiance, cool bartender

Cons: a manager that lacks personality, luke warm food and service

08/28/2006 Posted by lindseyg

i don't know who what kind of experience the person before me had but it was extremely unique. Coco500 is by far my favorite place to enjoy a meal and company in all of the city. I have dinner there about once a month and it is always friendly, delicious and lovely inside. fresh roses on every table are the most romantic touch and the wait staff is so knowledgeable about thier menu, you can never go wrong. we bring every family member, friend, co-worker who is visiting there and it always is a success. we spent new years there with a large party and it was perfect! my fiance actually purposed to me there and the entire staff made the whole event incredibly special. the Coco500 signature cocktail is so fresh and satisfying and if you don't get the fried green beans you are missing out on something special. i almost hate to expose the magic that is Coco500, because its tricky enough to get reservations; but i just couldn't bear to read that someone would write such a false review. bottom line go to Coco500 and fall in love, i did.

Pros: food, ambiance, service

Cons: i wish it was open on sundays!

08/14/2006 Posted by nancysee

Just opened December 2005, I would've thought that they'd hire a manager who was professional and friendly. Instead they hired a retentive guy who loomed over our shoulders until we left. We had a party of 10 and we were communicated that we had to leave within 2 hours to accomodate others who had new reservations. That was fine by us but it wasn't our fault the kitchen was slow that busy night. The kitchen messed up our order and brought our sides after we finished our dinner but we just smiled and brushed it off since it was a new years celebration. 10 minutes before our 2 hour mark, the manager was still looming over the table and making huffing and puffing noises until we left. Never again would I, friends or coworkers come back to this horrible and unprofessionally ran establishment.

Cons: poor management; poor service