American club-style cuisine with San Francisco twists is featured at this casual eatery situated in the Presidio.

by Catherine Parker

Housed in a former soldiers' barracks, the Presidio Social Club gives the impeccably restored building a new identity after various incarnations including a thrift store and childcare center. The restaurant's airy, country club feel is achieved through low slung tables, large, large windows, and a spacious bar that sweeps its entire length. The food menu features simple and straightforward fare such as pork chops and good old battered fish and chips, while weeknight specials will please carnivores with dishes like roasted whole pig, prime rib and crispy pork shank. Food is also served at the bar, or you can simply enjoy a wide range of quirky house cocktails and old favorites like Mai Thais, Sidecars and French 75s. With old school swing and jazz music playing in the background, the Presidio Social Club is reminiscent of a simpler era where no-fuss food and stiff cocktails reigned supreme.

04/14/07

poor service...food ok at best.

by jrkjbk33

I really liked the atmosphere, but service is pretty poor. We had a server on Saturday night that came over to tell us about the specials, but never asked us if we wanted something to drink, then she came back about 10 minutes later to take our order...never saw her again until we needed the check. No one asked if our meals were ok...nothing. I ordered the sloppy joe, it was mostly bread with very little meat; certainly not the sloopy joes that I rememeber. Overall, food is ok...needs some work with major impovement to the service.

• Pros: parking, ambience
• Cons: service

03/20/07

average food; horrible service

by jlap

san francisco has many average restaurants and presidio social club can welcome itself to the list. the food is standard?not memorable?and overall not very good. chances are, what you want, you are not going to get...three of our menu selections, were not available. perhaps a good thing, based on what we did end up eating, but indeed a true sign of a rookie restaurant.

to round out a horrible dining experience, let?s not leave out the customer service, which lacks on so many levels at presidio social club. expect to wait?even with reservations?and be prepared for repeat attempts to get the staff to meet your needs.

clearly, this place has many kinks to work out. but, with all the choices in SF, why waste your time or money on this place. there is no doubt you will be disappointed.

• Cons: food, service

03/15/07

Worth a visit.

by hotdogjody

Three of us went to the Social Club for dinner last night at around 8:30pm. We did not have a reservation but were told there is plenty of space for walks-ins at the communal table. When we arrived it was packed but the communal table was empty as well as a few sporadic tables throughout the restaurant, we could however not sit at any of these due to ?staffing issues? as told to us by the three hostesses. No worries we had a drink at the bar and were seated after 20 minutes. The decor is very lively and modern. The place had a sterile feel to it though and was not as cozy as I had envisioned it to be. The huge, long marble bar was very cool and looked like a great place for a drink. The service was quick and friendly but once again the issue of staffing came up (not by our prodding) but by the waitresses own admission. Apparently the owners do not want any of their employees to drive to work and since there is no public transportation into the presidio the staff is dropping like fly?s. I ordered the sloppy joe and it was delicious, one friend had the veal and loved it, another had the iron steak and loved it as well. The dessert (banana cream pie) was utterly forgettable?boring, tasteless, totally unimaginative. I think I could make something better with a few bananas and a can of whip cream. The wine list...ok nothing special there. The prices ok as well. Dinner for three, one appetizer, three mains, two bottles of wine, one dessert, total $220.00 with tip. In case I forgot to mention it the restaurant noise level is through the roof. The waitress yelled out the specials. If I went again I would sit at the bar, order the sloppy joe, have a glass ? not bottle of wine and be quite content.

• Pros: Good vibe, busy, simple menu, good food.
• Cons: LOUD. Boring desserts, basic wine list.

03/10/07

Nice week night retreat

by f8d

Great appetizers & yummy sides. Desserts disappointing. Easy parking. Lots of service people but need to work on team approach.

• Pros: easy parking
• Cons: desserts

03/04/07

Great casual dining with a good bar scene

by davidgi

Great food, great drinks, fun crowd, good service in a casual dining atmosphere - what's not to like?

• Pros: Great food, great drinks, casual
• Cons: Service is enthusastic but shows some teething problems

02/07/07

Good atmosphere

by jhh1981

The service was slow and the food was average. Maybe things would have been better if I had just gone to the bar for a cocktail. There are plenty of restaurants in this city at that price point with much better food. If you want home cooking style food, visit Home Restaurant on Union Street instead. I have NEVER had a bad meal there.

• Cons: service was slow

02/04/07

In the mood for nostalgia?

by tbackhaus

Recently went here for drinks and absolutely LOVED the atmosphere. Sat at the incredible bar (very comfy stools, white marble countertop) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great, attentive service; good selection of wines and liquors (Hanger One Vodka - yum). We didn't have dinner, but we'll definitely be coming back because the menu looked great (lots of meat, so not a lot of selection for vegetarians I don't think). Was particularly intrigued by the "cannibal sandwich" (which looks like steak tartare on bread). I think this would be a great place for a group dinner (there were several groups there - and a table big enough to accommodate about 15). Give it a try - surely you won't be disappointed in this lovely little piece of nostalgia.

• Pros: Great service, wonderful ambiance
• Cons: None

02/02/07

Classics Done with New Style

by culinarycutie

In my opinion the Presidio Social Club is a welcome addition to the Bay scene with food and cocktail classics executed extremely well. Evoking a 'From Here to Eternity' style cocktail lounge, the long room has combined touches of new and old and is cool to look at but could use a little breaking in as any new spot does over time. I would vote for different light fixtures, but thats just me. The food was incredible; starting with the grilled cheese and best ever tomato soup and the Kobe beef sloppy joe tender and flavorful. We loved the warm chocolate cupcakes and fought over every last crumb topping.

The house cocktail the "Gunpowder" is not to be missed: some kind of lemon drop mixture with a dash of cayenne pepper that resonates with flavor but not too much heat.

Check it out: worth the trip!

• Pros: FOOD, cocktails, atmosphere
• Cons: newbie still working out some kicks

01/12/07

All the Benefits of a Club; None of the Benefits of a Restaurant

by cjglynn

In a pathetic attempt at offering ?all the comforts of a club? for Cow Hollow and Marina hipsters, Presidio Social Club fails miserably. Its too-well lit dining area and inexperienced servers evoke the feeling of an upscale malt shop, rather than a sophisticated lounge.

Presidio Social Club tries too hard to evoke the 1940s or 1950s era, but fails to execute on basic blocking and tackling like having the right number of bar tenders to serve thirsty patrons or training wait staff on the intricacies of opening wine.

With a brushed steel bar and unlit cabinets of aluminum and glass, the atmosphere is more ?Happy Days? than ?social club.? PSC is devoid of the upscale ?house cocktails? found at more forward-thinking establishments, relying on only two beers on tap and few wines by the glass. Further, PSC takes the 40s and 50s theme a little too far by serving its sparkling wines in coupe de Champagne glasses and its martinis microscopic vessels.

The menu does feature some highlights like a ?cannibal? raw beef open face sandwich and crab ?cupcakes,? but in general, the dishes are too predictable: roast Sonoma chicken, flat iron steak, and slow cooked beef ribs ? how many times have we seen that?. The kitchen has some work to do as well: the rapini came out cold and the ?roasted? beets were undercooked.

Servers are well-meaning, but lame: the waitron seemed to have trouble opening a straight-forward bottle of wine, and the bus person cleared the salt and pepper after the appetizer course. Note to management: a little training goes a long way.

Prices are reasonable (dinner for two with wine $120), but nevertheless, PSC will close in six months as the sophisticated diners of SF take their business elsewhere ? permanently.

• Cons: Lame service, Poor wine list