03/29/09

Nice Views

by malulloyd

Nice location, awesome building, great service, and staff. Food choices area good and definitely worth coming back often to try.

• Pros: Good feedback from everyone who's been there
• Cons: pricey

08/25/08

Nice Hotel

by karla_review

We booked Ritz for our clients who were coming here for a Seminar. Our chairman was also coming and it was her stay that made my boss weary. What if anything went wrong during her stay, we kept thinking. But Ritz never gave us a chance to complain. Their service was very good. The clients were entertained and the staff took specific care about each and every client personally. Not to say about the rooms. Our Chairman was also very impressed and the clients praised our hospitality, All thanks to Ritz.

06/03/07

Love the hotel, love the staff, hate the spa

by geekspice_10009

The staff at the Ritz in SF are the best I've ever seen in the US. They are genuinely friendly and helpful, they have a great sense of humour, and they remember you by name even if you haven't been there for a year. The rooms are a great size, the beds are extremely comfortable, and the bathrooms are to die for. The Bulgari amenties smell like cheap perfume, but that's a minor problem. The hotel itself I consider to be a good value even at the price.

The spa, on the other hand, was where I had a very negative experience. I had an overpriced pedicure (3x what I normally pay), not offered in a spa but in a miniscule and apparently disused guestroom with "The Price is Right" blaring in the background. The service was desultory (tthe echnican apparently would rather have been anywhere else), and the last straw was when I was presented with the check folded in such a way as to hide the fact that a gratuity was already added to the price - obviously in the hopes that I would add on another one! I recommend avoiding this so-called spa at all costs.

• Pros: Staff, room, location
• Cons: Spa

This Ritz-Carlton hotel restaurant is perfect for a swanky, sunny San Francisco lunch.

by Contributor

In Short
A brick courtyard, an elegant fountain and a profusion of well-tended flowers make this the loveliest and most civilized venue for alfresco dining in the city, particularly for lunch and weekend brunch. The interior of the restaurant is charming as well, with delicate French decor, pastel hues and stately oil paintings. The Terrace serves terrific Californian-Mediterranean food that takes full advantage of the area's seasonal bounty.

11/21/05

Sunday Brunch The Terrible at the Ritz Carlton

by ladycshell

I was celebrating my 50th birthday. It was without a doubt the WORST service I have ever experienced. If you think re-folding napkins is good service, you'll be happy. We were completely ignored. After asking to be moved from the outside, we were placed next to the open door, so it was still cold and drafty. We only saw our waiter once and that was after flagging him down for the champagne we ordered 20 minutes ago.

The food was okay...way too many salads. The only offerings for hot, carved foods were leg of lamb and a filet of cod. The Belgian waffles tasted under-cooked.

My "special" treat for my birthday were a couple of cookies from a box, with Happy Birthday spelled out in thin chocolate on the plate. Oh, and the jazz band? Way too tired to keep working. Horrible experience for an astronomical price.

• Pros: none
• Cons: Bad service, mediocre food, very expensive

04/07/05

Their $24.95 Lunches Are Boring

by jane_smly

I booked a lunch to try their $24.95 tasting menus one Saturday afternoon. Because of the weather we didn't get to sit outside the Terrace. Indoors, the decor was so indescribably dull, it reminded me of Hong Kong hotels from the 1970's. Or 1950's. It looked like an old lady's boudoir, with pastelly wallpaper and "baroque" feel. I was amazed to learn later that this hotel was actually built much later. The food tasted like it was from the 1950's. You get what you pay for. The coffee was not included in the tasting menu and was $8-10 a cup. So the entire lunch set you back about $90-95. What a waste of money for a very average experience in a hotel lunch room. Don't be seduced, it's not an elegant lunch as the website would have you imagine.

• Pros: Good wait service
• Cons: Average boring food, Horribly expensive, Dull old world decor

03/28/05

Polished marble and museum-quality art make this historic hotel a must for the moneyed cognoscenti.

by Contributor

The Scene
Reopened in 1991 following a four-year renovation, this columned, neoclassical building (built in 1909) takes up a city block on the eastern slope of Nob Hill. After a walk through the lobby area, with its polished marble floors and elegant furnishings, you'll have a hard time believing the building once housed an insurance company.

The Details
The 336 guest rooms are elegantly appointed with rich wood furniture and offer views of the city, the bay or the hotel's courtyard garden. All rooms have Italian marble bathrooms with solid brass fixtures, separate water closets, thick terry robes, safes, disposable cameras and fully stocked refrigerators. Guest services include a 24-hour concierge and room service and a fitness center with weight machines, stair machines, saunas and an indoor pool.

01/30/04

The Ritz

by ttrey

I went to a company party at the Ritz, The Waiters were the best I have ever had, I felt like they were family, They treated us all like gold, It was the most wonderful Dinner I have ever had in San Francisco...........Trey Weir

08/08/03

Overdone

by ewittman

I understand when you hit a Ritz, you are going to pay a premium. The scene is nice, service top notch, food doesn't match the dough you pay however. With the food, they try to hard to be over the top. You can take the parents there, just don't expect to cure your hang-over with their grub.

07/02/03

$19.95 3-course weekday prix fixe lunch

by noefoodie

The Terrace is offering a great deal...a $19.95 3-course prix fixe lunch. For the food they serve up, I really appreciated the price. The day I went, they offered a cucumber gazpacho (just a tad on the acidic side), a seared ahi entree (really good), and a cherry clafouti for dessert.

On warm days, they seat guests outside. Although the sun was shining, the day I went was pretty windy (surprise, surprise) so be prepared with a light jacket.

The service was the low point of my experience. Two different servers took care of me. One was fantastic: friendly and efficient. The other had a frown on his face the entire time. He was efficient...just looked like he didn't want to be there and didn't make me feel welcome.