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Californios San Francisco Reviews from The Last Year
Really good food and drinks
Californios is really good. The Mexican restaurant is amazing. The food is delicious. The drinks are too. The small batch wines are awesome.
Mexican food at its finest
Great spot. Mexican food which is unique and creative. Californios has delicious food. Amazing time here with family and friends.
I don't know why, but my review for this restaurant keeps
I don't know why, but my review for this restaurant keeps disappearing. Just listing the stats since this will be the third time I've written a review for this place. So here we go again! Date: Thursday, September 28th, 2023 Time: 8pm Party of: 2 Meal: Birthday Dinner Reservation Made: via Tock about 3 weeks prior Californios Tasting Menu - Indoor Dining Room ($307) x2 *Chilapita *Tostada *Flauta *Ceviche *Sopa De Papas *Hielo *Bacalao de Begro *Alfonso *Venado *Codorniz *Asado *Frutas *Luneta De Chocolatl *Memento Mori, Chocolatl ADDITIONAL ITEMS: *Oro En Pz ($24) *Cali-No-Cho Mocktail ($12) *Agua De Piedra Sparkling ($8 ea) x2 *Carajillio ($20) *Corkage ($85) ADDITIONAL 20% Service Fee on all listed above HIGHLIGHTS FROM PREVIOUS REVIEWS: *2 Michelin stars, Contemporary Mexican *Complimentary glass of bubbles at the beginning of meal *Caviar dishes were delish, especially the soup one *Dessert courses were fun with the sparkler *If booking before 8pm, mandatory alcohol (or maybe beverage) pairing
Californios was an excellent meal.
I enjoyed every morsel. The service was excellent and the meal well paced. We celebrated a birthday along with several others. My husband is pescatarian and accommodating him was painless. The highlights for me were the sope and the moles. I left full but not sick and the cocktails were a delight as well. I'm not sure the price matches exactly the food, but I was happy and enjoyed the experience!
Fantastic service, creative food, excellent ambiance.
Great for birthdays. They paid attention to details and provided a lovely experience.
Absolutely perfect meal.
I almost want to stop there as I feel like all the other reviewers did such a good job of naming the incredibleness of this place. The space is beautiful, bright, welcoming and the Latin music was fun and set it up so that no one takes themselves too seriously. For me the perfect expression of a 2 star Michelin restaurant. Fortunately, I did not eat all day to prepare for this. It is a lot of food, but in the best possible way. I think compared to other high-end restaurants we've been to in SF, what I appreciated most was that most courses were savory. Sometimes high-end restaurants give you way too many desserts (in some places sweets feel like a manipulation to address other courses that may have stopped short). But not here. Don't get me wrong, the desserts here were incredible. But the meal would have been perfect without it. That said, cotton candy wrapped popsicle? Are you serious? A heaven I could have never imagined. I don't even like popsicles or cotton candy, but I attacked that thing like it owed me money. As others have said, the taco sequence stands out; it's almost life changing. The tortillas here are the best I have ever had in my entire life. They show you the different corns they use and it really shows in how amazing they taste, not over processed, non-GMO'ed-- perfect. One taco was deep fried cod which was phenomenal and one of the other tacos was quail with pineapple and I think a black garlic salsa (?). I actually have never eaten an entire portion of quail ever in my life, as the texture is usually disgusting. But this quail, was seasoned perfectly and the texture was almost like filet mignon. And then soon after we had rockfish served with tortillas, greens, and salsas and a black bean puree that tasted like it had black mole in it. We asked for extra black beans! I could list other highlights (e.g., the potato soup and caviar, OMG; the puffed tortilla and caviar, OMFG), but I think the thing that struck us after we left is we have never been to a place like this and not had a single course that we thought was just okay. In other words, we really did think every single thing we ate was amazing. There was nothing we ate where we thought, "this is was good but okay," or that there was a course we would skip next time. It was that good. Also, the ingredients used are what is really in season, ingredients are we have been seeing in our produce boxes. There sources are mostly local and so fresh. The beverage pairing was incredible and yeah, we got wines from Burgundy to Patagonia, as well as sake and beer. It all worked perfectly. The service felt spot on to us. I did notice a slight slow down after the first 6 or so courses, but I thought that was intentional. Kind of a pause before more substantial servings. I appreciated it and the service was always incredibly attentive. I have written other positive reviews for a couple of places recently, but this really is the best place we have eaten at in SF in a very long time. I felt I owed this place a detailed review after such a stunning evening, but honestly, I could have stopped at perfect.
Loved my experience here, service was great and the dishes
Loved my experience here, service was great and the dishes exceeded my expectations. The whole dinner was almost 3hrs. One minor thing was they used metal straws (not the issue) and there was something stuck inside!! I happened to suck it in before the drink got into my mouth and it tasted like it could have been a piece of old napkin. They gave us a new drink right away and also comped our drinks. But for a 2 Michelin star restaurant you are expecting attention to detail. The restaurant itself is super spacious and has amazing Californian style art and I loved that they played music I would actually listen to. Although it is pricy, I highly recommend trying this place out if you get a chance.
Tl;Dr - Incredibly fresh ingredients, with a noticeably
Tl;Dr - Incredibly fresh ingredients, with a noticeably good bar program that elevates the humble Latin flavors to extravagant highs. Service, ambiance, and attention to detail make this a destination for any well discerning gourmand. Given we've lived in Soma for about 6 years, it's a small wonder how we managed to overlook this little oasis tucked into a corner by DNA Lounge. The entrance is a little tricky, next to a large black fenced in area with some small signage. Management should consider a light on that, but alas, we made it. The inside of the place is noir, chic, with modern tones all around. They checked our coats and sat us next to a large frond, which I liked but some may have found it a little dark/shadowy. To me it added to the allure. I also enjoyed the exotic plant bouquet at the table. Starters included a very fresh agua fresca, a glass of champagne (courtesy to my wife and I for our anniversary) and a black corn tortilla bite with caviar that I'm definitely going to steal the idea for. (Tortilla chips + caviar = winning). Their concept revolves around corn and they offer a small intro to the masa and their farm where they source ingredients. I wish I knew Spanish because I feel like those who did speak it engaged with their staff on a much more in-depth level. This place is the only Mexican restaurant in the US with 2 Michelin stars, so it's of cultural significance, and the culture of Mexico is heavily present in every element of the experience from the plates to the Mexican blanket infused silverware. The first 7 dishes flew by, we said maybe we should slow down but thankfully the pace paused a bit midway so we could sit back and talk a bit. All the servers were very friendly, utmost professional. Water, tablecloths, high marks. The standouts from the earlier set was their signature potato soup (Sopa de Papas) which is a number of potatoes and dates covered in creamy broth with caviar and a little half moon fried potato on top. The caviar builds a backbone of flavor that lifts the starch flavors to incredible highs. It's powerful, savory, I could eat bowls of just that, it was delicious, probably my favorite dish of the night. We additionally enjoyed the bright, flavorful shrimp ceviche dish, with a small almost missed spicy calamansi-saffron aguachile it's steeped in. They bring the shrimp head out after, which is tasty as hell. From there they moved on to the taco course, which I was pretty psyched for. I love tacos, I've eaten them in probably damn near every state in the US. If you love tacos, you know the corn tortilla is half the meal. Every time a new taco would come out, I would smell the freshly made tortilla and just get high off the fumes. It really brought me back to some of the better places I ate at in Texas. Don't be shy about cracking a beer during the taco phase, I wasn't. Only time I've done so at this price point, but their selection of Temescal beers from Oakland was absolutely a pairing in this case. It's also worth mentioning they had some of the more memorable cocktails of any Michelin experience in SF. The cocktail my wife had (then I ordered), with mezcal and midori I am still talking about at other bars, that flavor combo tastes like a complex green chartreuse. Bravo to the bar program. Halibut taco was my standout favorite, but my wife enjoyed the al-pastor styled quail taco with pineapple and accompanied broth. The accompaniments provided were also very nice, pickled onion, carrot, lime. They elevated the humble taco, truly. The final round started with a intro on the ingredients going into their white and black 3-day mole. I had never had a white mole before, so I was eager to taste. The dueling moles with the yam were another major standout for me for the night. Exceptional flavors, well balanced with a mild sweetness, and the saltiness of the poppy/sesame tortillas. When they brought out the rock fish, I thought I was full, but when you taste the cook on the fish, with that absolutely sumptuous black turtle bean whip they bring out, we put it away with ease. That black bean was so damn good, I asked for seconds. The dessert course was fairly good, less memorable than the other courses only as so much as I was so floored by the dinner I lost focus. My wife loves chocolate, and I love fruit, we were both given things we enjoyed. Cotton candy with a sour surprise inside? My wife enjoyed it but that was the only dish I ate in spite of it. At the end of the night they gave us some aphrodisiac chocolate (lol) to take home, and some homemade vanilla extract (very nice). Always pleased to get a little extra. While we waited for our cab, we also had the pleasure of meeting the kitchen staff, and head chef Val Cantu. Totally unnecessary (I'm sure they were busy) but nonetheless a nice touch that we truly appreciated. Easily top 3 Michelin experience in SF, thank you to the team at Californios for making it a night to remember.
I don't typically post reviews but this one was worth it.
I've only been to a few Michelin star (s) establishments but the staff and dedication to ingredients and experience was stellar. Get the mezcal it's amazing. Each course was so unique and delicious. Dessert really stole the show. I'd love the opportunity to go again. Thank you for a flawless evening!
I have dined in Californios more than once before, and this
I have dined in Californios more than once before, and this time I chose Californios to celebrate my birthday. I made reservations for "Tasting Menu with an Experience", and I'm glad I did! First, we were invited to the kitchen, where we were given education in Mexican cuisine, greeted with champagne toast, and took pictures with the chef & owner: Val Cantu. Then for the first few courses we were seated outdoor under the heater, and I can say that the ambiance of this outdoor seating is very romantic. We were then moved to the indoor seating to finish the rest of our meal. The food was very good, very well thought out and executed. We had excellent meal from start to finish. We had mezcal and wine pairing, they both are terrific. Service was excellent, we were given education in Mexican cuisine, despite the menu had detailed descriptions of each dish. I had a very memorable birthday at Californios!
Let the tour of Michelin starred restaurants continue.
.. Californios located in San Francisco, has a very interesting take on cuisine. Like most Michelin starred restaurants, diners will be asked for their allergies, etc. prior to the meal so that the restaurant is prepared to make adjustments as needed to the tasting menu. The restaurant is touted as elevated Mexican food, and some of the tasting courses left me wondering how. Let's start from the beginning... Parking is nonexistent, so be prepared. You might be lucky enough to find a spot on the street but they're few and far between. The restaurant itself does not really have proper signage, if any at all, and the exterior is not lit, making it difficult to locate at night. Once inside, the small host station is located next to their rather small bar area, neither of which is overly inviting. The art on the wall is what initially became confusing because in the bar area, there's a beautiful sugar skull painting, and in the dining area the rest of the art is abstract. Ironically it works. We both found service to be rather clumsy, and the wait staff seemed confused as to what they were serving us. The initial item on the tasting menu was almost immediately presented to us when we were seated, not allowing us to become comfortable. I will say that the first bite was tasty, and we were both excited about the impending experience. Different staff members will come out and serve the next item on the menu. It wasn't clear if this was something that they had prepared, or if they were simply delivering to the table. It would've been nice to have been able to offer compliments for those dishes that we enjoyed , we had known if that was the chef or simply someone dropping the item off. We both found the food for the most part to be delicious, but in many regards, the food was not seasoned properly. It either was far too citrusy, which drowned out the actual bite, or with some items it just lacked the level of flavor that one would expect at a Michelin starred restaurant. With all the dishes that were presented, the Wagyu threw us off the most. Wagyu is not an item found with this type of cuisine, and it left us both wondering if this was presented to justify the cost of the meal. The crispy duck served with a mole sauce was interesting, but the server that presented it to us, shared that the mole sauce was made with only a few ingredients. As a lover of mole sauce, and an accomplished home cook, this left me confused since most mole sauces have at least 20+ ingredients in it. It was still enjoyable nonetheless. The palate cleanser, which is a cilantro ice of sorts, is absolutely horrible. There are no other words to describe it. No one wants to cleanse their mouth with ice and cilantro. I don't know who came up with this, but for the love of all that's holy, please remove it from the menu. The other item is sadly the cotton candy portion of the dessert tasting menu. The cotton candy itself doesn't have a lot of flavor to it which is interesting since it's spun sugar. We were told when it was served, to take a full bite to the core of the cotton candy. Upon doing so, there is some sort of hard white chocolate that is filled with this harsh tasting citrusy stuff that will make you cringe. It definitely is not a way to end a meal. Neither of us were able to finish it because it was so bitter, and quite frankly horrible. The gelato/churro portion of the dessert tasting menu was also interesting. Again the gelato portion was fairly bland, and we've been instructed to dip our churros into the chocolate sauce that had been poured over the creamed dessert. We personally would've liked to have had the option to add more of the chocolate sauce to our bowls, but the wait staff removed the chocolate before we even started that portion of the dessert service. The best part of the dessert tasting menu, were the little tiny buttons of chocolate. Three different flavors, all of which were exceptional. The salted caramel being, both of our favorites. It's rare to find a balanced, salted caramel, and the chef that prepared this, hit it out of the ballpark. Diner tip: we had ordered the non-alcoholic pairing for both of our meals, and we were both disappointed. The flavors were all over the place, and none of them were drinkable. The wait staff would remove our drinks, and yet did not question why the glasses were still full. The pairings were fairly pricey, for what was offered, and there was not one time that we were told what food would be matched with the pairings or vice versa. The ambience was interesting, because seating is ironically, fairly close to other diners, and the expected din, was a variety of music that was not indigenous to the cuisine or anything else that made sense. I've never had a dining experience where the music ranged from 60s to rap, and went from rather loud, to something closer to a more enjoyable listening tone.
Nice ambiance and OK service.
The food presentation was beautiful. The dishes itself were a hit or miss....some dishes were good and a few were a bit salty which overpowers any other flavor. The desserts were a bit disappointing, had better desserts at a mediocre restaurant. Overall not what I would expect from a 2 star Michelin restaurant and the price.
Simply SUPERB in Every Way! A Must Visit.
I canโt wait to visit Californios a third time. It was so good the first time in 2022 that on a trip last month I invited a friend to join me. From start to finish WOW! We were both super impressed. Creative, fresh, visually stunning and above all TASTY food, with superb drinks pairing and exceptional service, who could ask for anything more. My favorites were the ceviche, potato soup with caviar and, once again, the unmatchable trio of tacos. If youโre in or visiting San Francisco, this restaurant elevates Mexican food to an culinary art form and is a must for any foodie.
Spectacular
My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at Californios last night. It was hands down one of the best meals I can recall enjoying. Every single course was very delicious and creatively and beautifully presented. The service was outstanding. There were 15 courses and I was worried whether I would be able to finish it all--I am a small person--but the portions are just right and I made it to the end with a smile. I particularly loved the cod taco, the potato soup, the quail, the venison, and the chocolate dessert. We had eaten before at their Mission location, which was cozy and dark, so this new space was unexpectedly fabulous. High ceilings, colorful paintings, large plants, comfortable seating, very spacious. Absolutely loved the vibe. I honestly enjoyed this more than the French Laundry. It is pricey but for all that we received it felt like an excellent value. Definitely going to come back.
Overpriced
My wife and I went for our anniversary to celebrate the occasion expecting a Mexican cuisine. As far as I could taste, the main touch was Latin American not Mexican as they are presented in their website. They introduce Ceviche in the menu which is Peruvian, Arepas which are Venezuelan/Colombian and the main dish is Japanese Wagyu just to give few examples. On top of that, pairing comes with Spanish, French and Italian wines which was not expected for a Mexican menu. However, tacos were delicious. We were expecting more from a two Michelin star restaurant at 1,400$ price for two.
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