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“Food is good, but it is expensive”
Review of John's Grill

John's Grill
Reserve a table
2
Sat, 2/15
8:00 PM
Ranked #124 of 5,855 Restaurants in San Francisco
Certificate of Excellence
Price range: $20 - $50
Cuisines: American, Seafood, Steakhouse
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Dining options: Late Night, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Reservations
Dining style: Casual Elegant
Neighborhood: Theater District
Cross street: Powell Street
Reviewed July 20, 2016

John's Grill is easy to find.

I would make a reservation during the week after work.

I was here at 5 PM on a Sunday, and a lot of people were already here.

I had red snapper fish, and my son had a steak. Both were good.

I had a couple of drinks also. They were good.

Again, John's Grill is centrally located and easy to find.

Date of visit: July 2016
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank zip98221
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviews (2,674)
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1,010 - 1,014 of 2,675 reviews

Reviewed July 20, 2016

Old fashioned dark steak and seafood place, more steak than fish. cozy, good service, food was good, steak a bit chewy.

Date of visit: July 2016
Thank Joyce G
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed July 19, 2016

The Maltese Falcon atmosphere is cute and the restaurant itself looks nice. But the prices are high and quality of food was quite disappointing. In our party of 4 the two steaks were over-cooked and the two fish plates were also over-cooked. This despite the fact that the steaks were ordered Medium Rare. The quantity of food was large - didn't go away hungry. But the quality was certainly not above average and no where near the high prices. Not recommended in my opinion.

Date of visit: July 2016
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Steve K
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed July 19, 2016 via mobile

This was a sweet and traditional look at a seafood fare restaurant. Very near Union Square and maintaining many of what appeared to be the original amenities, John's Grill served up a very tasty selection of seafood entrees, soups, salads and the requisite San Francisco sour dough bread with generous amounts of butter. The dishes were graciously sized, and were very much something out of a Betty Crocker cookbook (or whatever the higher end equivalent of the day was). Lots of lemon and butter sauces, with mushrooms (think, cream of mushroom soup recipes), pan fried fishes, bleu cheese dressing... Everything was decadent and delicious, without being "new cuisine." Back to the basics, essentially. I would'n't describe anything as "ambitious" or "cutting-edge," but flavorful and cooked just right. Sides were baked potatoes and mixed veggies -- carrots, zucchini, squash. Try the sole, the lobster ravioli, the red snapper... Get a green salad with tiny shrimps, (a la cart, but again, well-sized), The prices were fairly generous as well, but probably not for the area and relative history of the restaurant. Entrees range from $27-39. They were kind to children who weren't keen on the menu options and didn't charge them for just sitting there, which the menu implied they could by mentioning a "minimum $20 charge per seat." We didn't stay for dessert, but the menu was promising. Bonus: live jazz music from a bass musician. Very soothing and atmospheric.

Date of visit: July 2016
Thank E7319UOlauraj
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed July 19, 2016 via mobile

Pretty relaxed atmosphere with a nice jazz guitarist upstairs. The shrimp salad was forgettable but the steaks were excellent. Prices are on the higher end, service was acceptable but not exceptional.

Date of visit: July 2016
Thank ITravelAlot8
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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