Marlena Restaurant San Francisco - Buy Reservations

The restaurant is beautiful. My girlfriend and I shared all courses being a two option menu. We enjoyed all of our appetizers until we got to the broccoli soup. And unfortunately after that our entrees were pretty dry. We had the fish and the pork. I did not leave disappointed. We loved the service and most of the food. Definitely would try again. We also were the last seating.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

I was really looking forward to having dinner at Marlena's considering it is a Michelin star restaurant with a reasonably priced prix fixe menu. I am leaving a mixed review as there were both good and bad elements. To begin with, the service was amazing! Very attentive without being intrusive. As a vegetarian, I appreciated their willingness to change the menu a bit for me. First course was beet tartare. I found it to be very nice, which is surprising as I'm not a fan of beets. Second course for me was their kombu and heirloom carrot veloute. This was probably my favorite course. Delicious! Third I had nettle ravioli. It was just ok. Nothing remarkable. Dessert was a pistachio cake, with rhubarb jam. It was pretty dry and lacking flavor. My favorite bite was their milk bread. Made in-house, these luscious rolls were warm, sweet and had a sprinkling of salt flakes on top. We had three servings! They're $2.50 each, but a must have while dining here. The wine (Turley Zinfandel) was lovely. The downside absolutely had to be the portion sizes. Other reviewers have also mentioned this. Without the milk bread, we would've left hungry. Because of this, and a few dishes lacking flavor, I probably wouldn't return anytime soon. However, don't let that dissuade you. I hate to disparage any business these days. It is certainly worth a visit if you're in the area.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

No other restaurant that my wife and I have visited has food that tastes as good as Marlena. We visit Michelin-starred and Michelin-recommended restaurants several times a year in various cities, including San Francisco. We initially visited Marlena when they opened in September 2020, and easily gave it a 5-star rating. In 2021, Marlena earned a Michelin star.In 2023, we returned and found that the food and service had somehow improved, which we didn't think was possible because we already liked Marlena so much.During our most recent visit, we particularly enjoyed the Roasted Corvina, Grilled Sakura Pork Collar, and Saffron Tagliatelle. The Mascarpone Semifreddo is literally the best dessert of any type I've ever had. This isn't an exaggeration - I felt like I had my mind blown and I had to sit quietly for a couple minutes to think about it: Out of the thousands of desserts and hundreds of dessert varieties I've tasted, that I could come to an agreement that the Mascarpone Semifreddo was the best dessert I've ever had. The yogurt cake was slightly sweet, the crunchy pistachio gave it the perfect texture, and the winter citrus added even more depth. Co-owner and pastry chef Serena Chow is a genius. Oh, the $2.50/person for unlimited milk bread and cultured butter is also amazing.$75/person for a 4-course meal at a Michelin -starred restaurant is a ridiculously low price, especially when we've enjoyed it more than Michelin star restaurants that are several times more expensive.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

I dare you to find a better 5 star experience with a pre-fix menu here in San Francisco. With outstanding service, trendy vibe and secluded location Marlena is an awesome experience. The menu changes weekly so it will be fun to go back. This week was a cool fusion of an uni appetizer the bursts with flavor, jaw dropping first course of fun soup, hearty meat that melts in your mouth and soothing deserts to cap it off. By the way their wine selection is robust too!

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

We had a great experience back in December that we had added Marlena to our rotation. We had arrived 5 minutes before our reservation time at 6:55pm. The maitre d was in the middle of something. He asked us to wait few minutes, then seated us promptly. The restaurant was about 1/2 full at the time. The wait staff was efficient but not too engaging the entire evening. The dishes were well thought through and well executed.We had finished at around 8:05pm and the bill came at 8:06pm. I placed my card on top and signed the bill within a few minutes. As my wife was finishing her drink, I went to the restroom and came back. The maitre d then came by and said, "you need to go. The next reservation is here." My wife had to gulp down her drink. When we left, it was 8:15pm, a mere 1 hour 15 minutes. And I think the maitre d could have asked us in a nicer manner.There were other patrons still sitting in the restaurant that arrived before we did. Not sure why the maitre d targeted us. The restaurant page indicated reservations are scheduled two-hours apart.We love the food. My wife wanted to come back to celebrate her birthday. But after this experience, we will not return. I had written to the restaurant in private, but didn't get a response. I hope their service improves. We'd love to revisit some day.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

I've been hearing about Marlene for sometime, but finally made my way to Bernal to try it for myself.The food is wonderful, the service impeccable, and the price cannot be beat for this neighborhood gem. If you haven't tried it, make your reservation today! I can't wait to go back.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

My party ordered the entire menu and shared dishes to try.Highlights:- Hiramasa: I don't eat raw fish but my party said it was great- Tagliatelle: Citrusy and the black trumpet mushrooms were unique and delicious- Corvina: Skin was crispy and not over cooked- Dessert - Service: Servers were attentive and even brought out a (very) mini cake/candle for the birthday we celebrated, which was greatly appreciated.Meh:- Carrot veloute: I didn't think this was particularly tasty, it seemed to basically be a puréed veggie soup. The plankton tuile was tasteless and seemed to be there mostly for garnish/texture. - Pork collar: I feel like it's hard to make pork taste bad but this was dry and not very well seasoned. If this was a large portion, we might've sent it back.-"beet" tartare: I ordered this because I don't eat raw fish and the other option was hiramasa. It was decent and the beets had a natural sweetness but I feel like I could easily make this myself.I think this restaurant would've been four stars, if not for the portions. I was treating two others to a celebratory dinner, and was frankly a bit embarrassed by how small each dish was. Everyone in our party left a bit hungry (maybe hangry is the better term), which really spoiled the otherwise nice experience. I saw some others left this feedback as well, so I hope the restaurant takes this into consideration. I would rather pay more for more courses and/or larger portions. Will probably not go back unless this changes.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

The 4 M's.I've been waiting to try Marlena since last year, but they were closed for the summer due to renovations. They finally opened back up a few months ago, and I'm happy to say that the vibe is SO good. A little bit of back story, Marlena was started by a husband and wife chef team, the Fishers. A few of their restaurants that are part of their background include: Bird Dog (Palo Alto), Sorrel, Pearl and Ash, and Backhaus, all of which are reputable establishments. Since opening, Marlena has already earned itself 1 Michelin star! I was searching for a new restaurant to try when I came across Marlena. I quickly noticed how affordable their tasting menu was: $75 for 4 courses, with the option to supplement. They seem to change their menu quite often, so you'll always have something to experience when you go! You have the option to choose one dish vs. another dish for each course, so if you're going with a date, you can pretty much try everything on the menu! That's what my husband and I did. Our dinner: -Slow cooked beet tartare-Cured kampachi*-Saffron Tagliatelle-Kombu and heirloom carrot veloute-Marlena milk bread w/ cultured butter (supplement)**-Sea urchin chitarra (supplement)*-Roasted Corvina****-Coffee & cardomom cake* -Mascarpone semifeddo Bonus: a cute little funfetti bday cake for my husband's bday!Everything that I * were some of my faves. ESPECIALLY, the CORVINA. Omg, I did not know fish could be that great. I was floored lol. Also, their milk bread + butter was to die for. Anyone else eat a 50:50 ratio of bread:butter? Because that's pretty much what I did hahaha. The servers were so friendly! I think they are still training some of the staff because the restaurant is still new. Would 100% go again! If you haven't tried Marlena yet, you must go.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

We began our evening by being seated outside in their little patio hut, but it was a cold and rainy night in November, and the fire heaters they had weren't quite enough to do the job, so we were a little chilled all evening long. We're not sure why we were sat outside since we had made the reservations probably a few weeks in advance and hadn't indicated we wanted to sit outside, but it must have been the only place left for us. We were the only ones to be sat outside for probably the next 30 minutes, so it also felt sort of isolating. The food was wonderful. I would encourage everyone in the party to get a different dish off the menu so everyone can try everything. That's what our small group did and we were happy to try everything. The service was fine. Since it was raining, it seemed like the waiters didn't want to come out unless they had to (and I don't blame them), so it felt like we were forgotten some of the time. But we didn't let that stop us from having a good time. We would be happy to return - we would just request an indoor spot, especially if traveling in the colder months!

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Tripadvisor Reviews

Small portions, one or two nice things but to be honest not worth the cost. I wouldn't recommend. $515 for four people and a bottle of wine. Maybe if the total bill came to $350 or so I would score this higher. Ambience was fine, some of the framed photos were peeling out of their frames which was weird.On the positive side, there were lots of happy and friendly staff which I appreciated. Service was excellent. Seems like a great place to work. I left feeling pretty foolish and morally bankrupt. I really could have put that $515 towards something more worthwhile than some okay food. Maybe one day I'll eat something that's worth that amount, but it wasn't today.If you take pride in spending a lot of money on "fine dining", you might like it, but if you don't, don't come, you're not really missing out !

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

5 stars. Very good overall, everything was well-cooked. I would skip the beet tartare and veloute, but in terms of the main dishes and the dry aged beef, those were very phenomenal and the desserts were good too.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

What a gem! Quaint and charming restaurant tucked away in a primarily residential neighborhood. I'm so glad to have found this lovely place! Service was great and food was even better. Considering all the sophisticated flavors packed into each plate, their seasonal four course menu is an amazing value. I'm definitely going back for more!

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

Very impressive - I was able to snag a reservation here for the day after Valentine's Day, and there were absolutely no regrets. Marlena has definitely earned their reputation + Michelin Star, and I can't wait to see what they achieve in the future.Let me start off by saying you're getting an amazing experience at a fraction of the cost of other starred restaurants. Their tasting menu was $75 per person, which I thought was very reasonable for the quality and amount of food we got.We started off with the milk bread ($2.50pp) and this was one of my favorite parts of the meal. The bread was so soft, and was the perfect amount of sweet + salty. The butter just melted in and made everything so much more delightful too.After this, we had the hermosa, which reminded me of a Yuzu Yellowtail Sashimi, except take away the yuzu, add orange instead, and add some texture. Delicious.For the second real course, we had the tagetielle, which was tasty and well made, but probably not my favorite off the menu. It had a citrusy flavor to it, but the noodles were a bit too soft for my liking. Would probably skip this one next time.We added the uni/seaweed/caviar carbonara as a supplement ($35) and while the portion size was smaller than expected, it was delicious, as you should expect with all those ingredients :) I'd probably pass on this too if I come again, just because I felt the price was too high for this.The main was definitely the star of the show. We got the black cod with miso butter glaze and it was perfect. The flavors all worked together, and the items on the side (I think it was a brussel sprout, clams, and some caviar) all complemented the dish wonderfully. Would definitely get this again.And to top things off - dessert! Both desserts on the tasting menu (coffee cardamom cake + mascarpone semifreddo) were absolutely delicious. So much varying texture, and the flavors were just right, not too sweet.All in all, this was an amazingly executed prix fixe menu that really showcases a lot, at a very reasonable price. Highly recommend.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Yelp Reviews

These short form tasting menus at Marlena are absolutely the best deal in the entire city and maybe even in the state! I seriously paid more for parking in the middle of a homeless encampment downtown one night than I did for this delicious meal. Every course was excellent; the Black Cod, a roasted beet and permissions salad, and a homemade pasta were huge highlights. Best of all -- the staff and the owners are constantly ensuring you are achieving maximum enjoyment at all times. These people truly care about their business and their food. In terms of overall value, Marlena gets six stars from this satisfied customer!

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Tripadvisor Reviews

Not a good dining experience for catching up with people. You must go expecting to eat pay and get out. Truly an awful service. They aren’t joking around about their 2 hour time limit. 2 mins before the 2 hour mark, the manager asked us to leave. From beginning to end, the service was rushed and the server was pushy. We bought a bottle of wine and had their four course tasting. I’m not sure what patron will be able to eat and drink and digest that quickly. Food wise, they had an Alaskan black cod on the menu. Which is a head scratcher as there are local black cods that could have been easily featured. The risotto felt premade and not fresh. I made a comment to the manager on the way out and he just asked me to leave ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Unclear how they earned a Michelin star but it was certainly not up to par with other amazing restaurants in the city. $65 not including a 20% gratuity for small portions and an incredibly rushed, unsettled and rude experience.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Tripadvisor Reviews

We had a terrific dinner at Marlena "summer camp". We had the seven course meal, which was delicious; each innovative mouthful was full of flavor and texture. The waiter recommended some wines by the glass that my husband and I shared - each really complemented the food. We would definitely recommend Marlena and look forward to dining in their renovated home space.

Read More in Marlena Restaurant San Francisco Tripadvisor Reviews