Chenery Park

love the chicken strips sooooo much here!!! everything is so reasonably cheap (for the city lol). most people dont cook french fries up to par like they should, moist, hard, and sometimes under cooked. this place always have cooked crunchy fries and wonderful staff. 5 stars from me.

Too bad they’ve closed. I had some good meals here. The staff worked hard.
I know some people didn’t like Chenery Park, but over the past 15 years, I didn’t see any problems with the food or the service.
Chenery Park was a nice neighborhood spot that will be missed by many.
I’m surprised that I overlooked reviewing them — but a belated posthumous review is my way of saying that I miss them and remember them fondly.

Shocked to discover some great fried chicken here! Really enjoyed. Service is good and friendly, not super speedy, but not bad either.
Kids menu exactly typical, which was disappointing for us (we aren’t the mac & cheese or chicken tenders kind of family), but the atmosphere was quite kid friendly. Staff was great with the kids.
The gumbo was okay (good for SF) but needed more heat and flavor. Summer salad was good.
Prices were pretty much right on, which I appreciate (considering the typical overpriced nature of most SF bistro-​like restaurants).

Came here with my family for my early birthday dinner. The restaurant is cute and quaint. However, we weren’t impressed with our food.
We ordered:
Sole — It came out smelling very fishy, which was unappetizing. My mom wasn’t impressed with this dish.
Gumbo — Hubby said it was bland. I took a taste and it tasted like mud (not that I tried mud before).
Fish & Chips — My bro’s gf ordered the small order, which came with three pieces of fish and fries.
Smoked Pork Chop — The pork chops were bland and didn’t have any smokey flavor to it. It was a dry mess! My dad said I make better pork chops.
Steak — My brother seemed to enjoy his steak. It also came with fries.
Café Au Lait Crème Brûlée — This was my favorite dish out of the whole meal. Sad, but true. It had a nice coffee flavor and wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet.
Though the food wasn’t impressive, our server was attentive. Hubby said he looks like Aaron Paul (for all you Breaking Bad fans).

The restaurant is very cute, so does the neighborhood and everyone that we talked to were friendly and engaged with us while we had dinner.
I like that they have the half portion for some of the dishes, since we came around 9p and didn’t really feel like eating anything too much.
For appetizer, we got the beignet (which is just ok), the brussel sprouts, which is really good (would be better with bacon though!)
For the entrees, we got fish and chips and gumbo. Both of the dishes are extremely yummy. Best fish and chips I’ve ever had for sure.
I’d come back in a heart beat!

3.5 stars rounded up
Chenery Park feels homey; it looks as if it could’ve been a residence repurposed into a restaurant. We sat upstairs, the air became warmer as the night progressed & more people filled the space.
Foods:
– cambazola beignets: I thought the three fried balls would have been just perfect with the accompanying apple salad, which complimented the gooey cheese inside, & that the other components were superfluous. Didn’t care for the marmalade coating the bottom of plate, & the figs & endive, while refreshing & delicious, felt out of place with the star of the show. It’s like they took everything that pairs well with cheese & threw it on one plate. Simple would have been better. Also, the hot combined with cold ingredients was a little weird.
– gumbo starter for him: he finished the generous portion
– new york steak with herb butter: the butter he liked, thought the steak itself was not spectacular, enjoyed the fries.
– special dish (which I think they often have): shrimp scampi with creamy polenta & roasted tomatoes: two heavy, creamy dishes joined to make one tasty creation. Loved the salty shredded cheese sprinkled on top. Did not love having to run miles & miles the next morning to make up for this calorie bomb.
– dessert: black cherry float & orange cream float. yea, we’re coming back just for these. Who knew? Floats weren’t just for root beers.
Energetic, funny hostess. Friendly waiters, if not a little quick to take plates off the table. Entrees were brought out just before appetizers were finished. Would have liked a longer pause between courses.
Great neighborhood spot for American comfort food with creole influences.

Ended up here on a weekend night with some friends and a relative– I have heard so many good things about this place, it was finally time to give it a try.
So many negatives, I can’t even begin to list. I don’t get a chance to ‘dine out’ with friends all that often since I don’t hire a nanny and don’t have a babysitter– but come on, folks!
— Waiter had no clue about the bar inventory and had no idea what liquor he had on hand.
— 2 steaks, one medium rare, one medium well. Handed to the wrong people. You’ve got a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance, and just couldn’t get it straight.
— Poor timing on the drinks… everyone was getting their drinks at erratic times, I ended up toasting with a glass of water. No problem if you’re busy, but the place was near empty.
— Forgotten drinks. Dessert liquor did not arrive until we flagged down our waitperson.
— Kids meal only on Tuesdays. what’s the deal there?
— Check arrives before we even ask for it. COME ON, that is just elementary.
— Dessert menu is offered even while one of our party is HALFWAY through her meal. COME ON again, this is just elementary.
Someone says this place needed more artwork? WHAT? did you go upstairs? Every square inch of the wall is filled with some sort of vertigo inducing modernist art painting, as if they were running a two for one special at the gallery.
Nope, not impressed at all.

This is a great Glen Park dining staple. The really outstanding thing about CP is their incredibly friendly and accommodating staff. Come here to get classic american entrees (steak, fish, etc) with nicely cooked veggies & starches on the side. Good wine list and an upscale ambiance. You can have dinner and drinks for two for around $ 60-​$ 70. This is where we come when we don’t want bar food and when we’re too lazy to make protein + veggies dishes ourselves.

Not a gem in terms of food, but I’d return for ambiance and location. I guess I’m disappointed mostly because the menu changes day by day, and the orders I really wanted weren’t on the menu.

Nice casual neighborhood atmosphere with seating on two levels. The ambiance is simple but inviting. For my taste some additional artwork would be welcome!
The service and food are quite good. The brussel sprouts are a great side or starter. On this evening we had the fish & chips and gumbo — both excellent. Cookies and ice cream for dessert were very good.
We will be back!

This is like a 4.5 place based on good service, very high quality food, price, and ambiance. They were very sweet and the chicken was amazing. Note: there is a lot of butter in the dishes.

First, I have to caveat that this review is not about the food at all as it is amazing.
Second, I have to say that Laura is also amazing. Every time we have dined here, she greets us with such warmth and care. She truly cares about every soul that walks in there and I she is a big reason I come back.
The reason I am giving it one star is that I witnessed the most degrading and condescending treatment of the hostess by the owner (or at least I believe him to be the owner — Joe I presume).
Upon entering tonight, the hostess was about to show us to our table and he came up with body language that was impatiently inquiring as to what she was about to do. She proactively filled him in and said she was going to seat us at table 12 and then answer the phone. His response, in front of me, was «oh you’ll answer to me».
So I couldn’t help but notice what unfolded after she seated us. She went back to the hostess area and he proceeded to rip into her about something. I could not catch all of it (nor did I want to), but I could very well hear his condescension and how he was asking her leading questions only to put her on the spot and then correct her. He whipped away and she was left in tears. She handled it very professionally and I don’t think he or anyone else saw, but I did because I had first been pulled into situation via the nasty way he spoke with her.
Although I was trying to let it go to not bring attention to it, I kept catching more of the behavior out of the corner of my eye throughout the meal. The table next to us required an ice bucket and as she was seeing to it that they got what they needed, he loudly interrupted her and snapped how much food he needed to plate and that «this can wait». Perhaps that was true, but he did not need to humiliate her in front of everyone. She certainly was doing her job, which was to ensure everyone had what they needed.
I pulled her aside and told her I thought she was great, that I was sorry she was spoken to like that and we shared a nice hug when I left. I was a little worried he would see as I am sure he would take it out on her. So, Joe, if you are reading this, please know that you have a gem who works so hard for you and please value her versus cut her down.
Of course, I realize I witnessed one slice of their lives and that good people do bad things. However, I could not sleep tonight if I did not say my piece on how I saw a very nice, warm and hardworking person being treated in a way that no human should be treated. I hope this is not the regular behavior at the restaurant; if it is, I imagine there are a lot of resentful employees who feel trapped.
I will be back as long as she is there and to enjoy the food. However If I witness more of this behavior, I will certainly write about it again.

Cute dining area, but that’s where the compliments end.
Ordered the porkchop (supposedly house smoked), and though it was large, I didn’t think it was flavorful. Instead, I found it to be a dry mess.
My friend had the lackluster steamed mussels, which looked very small. Kid-​sized portions.
Yes, it feels like you’re in someone’s Ikea decorated house, and yes, it seems cozy.
But, I know friends who can cook better than this, for half the price.

A big disappointment… Went there for Valentine’s day after reading an article about it and seeing mixed reviews on Unilocal.Nothing was terrible at this place but it’s a very long list of very small things :
— The waitress takes a few minutes to check our reservation and seat us while the restaurant was not nearly full.
— Kitchen already ran out of some of the major dishes of the 1 page long menu
— There’s wax on the table, which is ok with me, except when I pay $ 30 for an entrée in which case I expect something more classy
— There were hair of different sizes on my napkin
— Glass of water was really dirty, couldn’t drink out of it…
Ultimately, what really matters is the food, and once again we were not thrilled :
— My girlfriend didn’t find much on the menu so she went with an appetizer: a $ 12 Romaine Salad with croutons & parmesan cheese. Really nothing special about it, but we expected something more/​better for a 12 dollar salad.
— I went for the VERY overpriced $ 30 pork chop (which was about the price of every dish on the menu that night), which was a huge disappointment. The meat itself was very bland, if not bad tasting. It came with 3 tiny potatoes and a «bacon» cooked salad which were both alright at most, except that it came with lardon instead of bacon.
I thought of going for a crème brulée afterwards but we felt like it was going to be another disappointment, so that’s where we stopped. With drinks, it’s $ 50 per person for something that is not worth half of this.

OFFICIALLY ONE OF THE WORST RESTAURANTS I’VE EVER BEEN TO. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! Made last minute reservations here for 7:30 Sunday night and I’m definitely regretting every single moment that led us to this decision! Epic Fail!!!
We ordered five different dishes to share. The Caesar salad, beignets, fish and chips, mac and cheese, and mushroom gnocchi.
The Good
–Ambiance is very nice! We sat upstairs and its casual yet intimate and had all the makings of a nice dinner. Little did we know!!!
–My cocktail was amazing. Tasted just like a piña colada. It got pretty warm though which was gross. I think it was called Wild Orchid?
–The butter for the bread is one of the best butters I’ve had.
–The beignets was the only good dish. Filled with cheese and the apple salad was solid.
The Bad
–Ran out of bread!!!
–Caesar salad tasted good but it was so pathetic looking! It was like four giant Romaine leaves surrounded by a couple of croutons. Definitely not worth $ 8!
–Service was whack. Our waitress came by only three times and once was only because I asked for extra lemons. Never asked how our meal was or else I would’ve told her how terrible all the food was!!!
The Ugly
–There is no way that Mac and Cheese was made correctly!!! It was super watery and gritty. WTF. WHAT WAS THAT?! The cheese must’ve curdled or something. So gross!!!
–Speaking of gross, the mushroom gnocchi was disgusting. It was super mushy and tasted like it was still raw (or was it overcooked??). I would’ve been so mad if I had ordered the entrée sized and it was all I had to eat!!!
–WHY WAS IT 500 DEGREES UPSTAIRS?! I think sitting upstairs is also the reason why our waitress hardly made any appearances and our water was almost never filled.
–The french fries from the fish and chips looked like they were previously frozen and the whole dish was soooo greasy. More than usual for fish and chips!
I have no idea how this place has such good ratings! It had been on my list of places to try for years too! Bread pudding is my favorite dessert but we had no desire to spend anymore money at this place so we just got the check and bounced out of there. Hoping the leftovers would somehow taste better the next day, I can confidently tell you we tried one bite of it and they went into the trash.

I feel so sorry for the waitstaff who have to trudge up and down those creaky stairs to serve the customers who end up at the tables in the loft section (photo:
). It’s probably good for their calves but not for my soul because the food was proficient but pretty lackluster despite the tony trappings. I had high hopes this eatery would be like Liberty Café in Bernal Heights or even Bacco in Diamond Heights, local businesses that turn out to be great culinary finds, thriving in their neighborhoods and well worth the trek to get there. But Chenery Park in its second decade of operation feels a bit tired.
The classic American menu just refused to gravitate for Jamie W. and me (photo:
). We started with quite a bland appetizer, the $ 9 Cambazola Beignets, a tiny trio of donut-​like morsels that alternated with three endive leaves with a poached fig nestled on each. It came with a pile of apple shavings that sweetened the rather nondescript beignets (photo:
). Jamie made an economically smarter decision with his entrée as he ordered the $ 9 serving of the Chenery Park Fish and Chips, which amounted to just three small fillets lightly battered and fried but accompanied by a generous pile of fries (photo:
)
It came with a ramekin of remoulade sauce to help lubricate the fried fish. Mine was a disappointment. For a whopping $ 22, I received a tiny Dry Aged New York Sirloin Steak, just 6.5 ounces in total, lathered in herb butter and with a hefty side of fries (photo:
). It looked like something you’d see in United Business Class, which may not be bad for some diners, but for the lofty price, I was expecting a bit more pizazz in presentation and depth to the flavor. At the end of our meal, we both heaved a collective sigh with a coordinated shrug of our shoulders and started to exit. We were somewhat amused by the fake men’s room door downstairs (photo:
), and I have to admit that may have been the most memorable moment of the evening.
FOOD — 2 stars… bland as bland can be
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… reasonably nice but nothing that noteworthy
SERVICE — 2.5 stars… decent
TOTAL — 2 stars… I’m taking a pass on this one

Chenery Park = neighborhood gem
Nestled in an unassuming location in the heart of the Glen Park area, this restaurant is the senior member of a number of new dining destinations (Gialina and Le Petit Laurent). I remember meeting a friend here for a quick dinner many years ago (think I had a burger), but it didn’t log even a beep in my failing long-​term memory bank. Seeing an Open Table promotion and living less than five minutes drive away from here, I purchased two coupons that expire in early June so I dined here twice within a month’s span. On my first trip here, scoring a Thursday evening reservation, my companion and I came in as blank sheets of paper with no expectations. The menu is not very large, so, if you’re looking for a large variety of choices, this may not be your cup of tea. Here’s what I had:
Appetizers
1) Gumbo — It was spicy and savory with a good amount of ingredients (sausage, rock shrimp, and rice) in a hearty broth. Okay, but not the best I’ve had.
2) Mushroom Gnocchi (small size) — Having the gumbo to myself, I stole a few bites and this did not disappoint. The wild mushrooms meshed very well with the perfectly cooked gnocchi in a subtle sauce. (
)
Entrée
3) Grilled Smoked Pork Chop — This was the star of the show for me. Accompanied by potatoes and veggies, this single pork chop was seasoned and perfectly prepared. The grill marks are testament to the grill flavor and, trust me, the meat was SMOKEY good! This is probably the best I’ve had since Bacar closed. (
)
We shared a dessert on our first visit, but it wasn’t memorable to me.
About three weeks later, two friends joined me and our menu was similar with us sharing a large size gnocchi and skipping the gumbo.
We dined in the upstairs dining room, which is quieter and probably a bit more romantic for couples on our first trip. On our following experience, we were seated downstairs near the entrance by the window which has a more lively vibe and more conducive for people-​watching. Be sure to check out the men’s restroom on the ground floor (yes, you women too!).
Will be back especially when that pork chop craving returns!

So I knew that this past weekend I would be in the city and so I looked at Groupon for a deal on some eats. This place looked promising. Groupon got me $ 40 to spend. I made reservations through OpenTable.
We were able to easily find street parking 2 blocks away. Not a bad walk. At 8pm there was still a wait for a table. I’m so glad I made that reservation. Even though we were early they still seated us right away. How nice! We got a very good seat at the very top of the restaurant. We could look down at the restaurant or out the window. They made very good use of their space.
We ordered the pork chops and the chicken. I originally wanted the beef brisket but they were all out of that. And actually 10 minutes after I place my order we overheard that they were out of the pork chops as well.
My pork chops were delicious. The sauce went very well with the dish. The chicken were very juicy and tender. The yucatash was good. Yum! The portions were soso, I wish it came with more veggies or potatoes. Their complimentary bread was awful. So dry and hard like a rock.
We still had room for dessert so we got their peach cobbler. It was very homemade. I didn’t really like the crust — it was like a scone. The peaches were very fresh and tasty.
Overall, I was really wowed by this place. Yes the food tasted fine but everything was very homestyle — which I guess is the theme of this place. But if I want a homestyle meal I might as well cook it myself at home.

The French author, rationalist, humanist, Voltaire once said: «Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.»
These words came to mind as I was in Chenery Park. Looking at the menu, I wanted to order half the entrees on it. Each entrée looked like it would be pleasurable to my palate.
Being my first time here, I thought it was a nice loft style restaurant, multiple tiers of tables. Great for me, bad for the waiters. Talk about a stair climbing. A waiter here has to be a Stair-​Master.
So here’s what I ordered:
Duck Confit w/​Cassoulet– After I recently heard the process of making this dish, I had to order it. Duck leg cured for 36 hours, poached for at least 4 hours till falling off the bone. And the Cassoulet is a rich, slow-​cooked bean stew originating in the south of France made with white haricot beans. A savory entrée, with the rich duck taste and beans. My kind of meal.
Wild Mushroom Gnocchi: a rich appetizer with good tasting mushrooms with the little dumplings of joy.
Service: Slow as Lebron’s walk to the locker room after Game 6.
Excellent food here at Chenery Park. I think Voltaire would find this menu pleasurable, and at the same time never tiresome.

I’m definitely a big fan of comfort food — in fact, I have a list dedicated to Mac-​n-​Cheese! I love how the dining area feels like someone’s modern but comfortable dining room.
Their menu changes seasonal so don’t expect to be able to go back and order the same thing every time! (Although you really should give everything on the menu a try!)
We started off with steamed mussels and mac-​n-​cheese. The mussels were cooked with a hint of curry– just enough so it doesn’t over power the sweetness of the mussels itself. I loved with mac-​n-​cheese! It’s fluffy, cheeesy and with bacon!
As for entrees, I went with the gumbo. I could’ve done without the rice in the gumbo, but the overall tastey was yummy. My boyfriend had the watercress chicken and that was delicious!
I loved everything we had and definitely will be back! Ron, our server was superb! :)