Masa's Restaurant

Masa's is rated by just about everyone as the best French restaurant in SF. I was disappointed. No question, the food is 5 star. The food prepared by Chef Serrano was worth the visit alone. They offer 2 menus (both fixed prices) the less expensive at $ 70./person offers the best variety and lets you choose from each category. The more expensive ($ 75./person) offers an additional course (another dessert) but there aren't as many choices as some courses have only one option. The wine list seems endless and whatever you desire...they have it. Figure spending $ 100./person for dinner. The service our party of 4 received was not of the 5 star caliber. We were seated in a corner of the restaurant and the service was frankly....lacking. There were times when some of our water glasses and bread plates were empty, and there was a lot of time in between courses. They certainly have enough service staff to give the best of service, but.... The interior is elegant with red velvet ... more

Masa's is rated by just about everyone as the best French restaurant in SF. I was disappointed. No question, the food is 5 star. The food prepared by Chef Serrano was worth the visit alone. They offer 2 menus (both fixed prices) the less expensive at $ 70./person offers the best variety and lets you choose from each category. The more expensive ($ 75./person) offers an additional course (another dessert) but there aren't as many choices as some courses have only one option. The wine list seems endless and whatever you desire...they have it. Figure spending $ 100./person for dinner. The service our party of 4 received was not of the 5 star caliber. We were seated in a corner of the restaurant and the service was frankly....lacking. There were times when some of our water glasses and bread plates were empty, and there was a lot of time in between courses. They certainly have enough service staff to give the best of service, but.... The interior is elegant with red velvet drapes and gold accent cords. The pictures on the wall were rather stodgy and I expected something with a little more unique and classy. If you are looking for a special place to conduct business or impress someone.....have dinner in their wine cellar. It is in the hotel, across from the kitchen, and not down in the dungeon, but actually upstairs from the restaurant. less

At the request of an angry E-mailer about my prior review of Masa's, I decided to give the restaurant one more try. I brought a San Francisco native who had never been to Masa's. As before, I was underwhelmed, as was my guest. However, I did up my rating to four stars and changed the entree pricing to Over $50 (which is really not true since the dinners include multiple courses.) In reality I could easily justify the three star rating, but in line with most things in the city by the Bay, the rating is inflated. The problem is not that Masa's is bad -- the issue is that there are so many restaurants in other places that tower over Masa's. San Franciscan's rate Masa's a 29 in food quality -- this is insane. A 26 would be more fair (for those unfamilar, Zagat's highest rating is a 30). In my last review, I suggest that LA has many better places (which remains true and I am not from LA). One I must scratch from the list, however, is Rex IL in favor of Valentino. My short list o ... more

At the request of an angry E-mailer about my prior review of Masa's, I decided to give the restaurant one more try. I brought a San Francisco native who had never been to Masa's. As before, I was underwhelmed, as was my guest. However, I did up my rating to four stars and changed the entree pricing to Over $50 (which is really not true since the dinners include multiple courses.) In reality I could easily justify the three star rating, but in line with most things in the city by the Bay, the rating is inflated. The problem is not that Masa's is bad -- the issue is that there are so many restaurants in other places that tower over Masa's. San Franciscan's rate Masa's a 29 in food quality -- this is insane. A 26 would be more fair (for those unfamilar, Zagat's highest rating is a 30). In my last review, I suggest that LA has many better places (which remains true and I am not from LA). One I must scratch from the list, however, is Rex IL in favor of Valentino. My short list of good places in the Bay: #1 - The Sherman House -- you must stay to dine but it's worth it! #2 - The Dining Room at the Ritz -- you might want to stay this hotel is so nice #3 - Rubicon - Great scallops, good service, reasonable prices less