Gamine

Cozy neighborhood spot with excellent food and great service. The owner is a great guy (with a big personality) and treats everyone like family. This is our favorite French place in SF.
The pork chop is a must — it’s one of those dishes you crave after having the first time. We had our first escargot here and it was a celebration of buttery, garlicky goodness. If you come for brunch, any of the omelettes/​crepes are delicious. ag likes the ham and cheese omelette the most.
We’ve been here many times and are pleasantly surprised every time. You won’t regret it!

Really an unexpected find — and I live in the city and consider myself a foodie! We were able to get a last minute table for 7 of us in their «private room» or table upstairs… A little funky setup which is on the route outside to the toilettes… But with that said, the food and service were amazing! Our waiter was from France and had the perfect approach — friendly, a bit clever, and knew when to offer suggestions and clear the table but allowed us to relax and enjoy the evening. We tried the escargots, the charcuterie, the carambola cheese, calamari, and onion soups for appetizers. All were good but think the calamari wasn’t as light as I’ve had in other places and would skip next time. We also had the beef tartare which was delicious! Of the main entrees, the pork chop, lamb stew and mussels were hits. I’d avoid the chicken burger — just a filet of chicken — although the bread was delicious, warm and crunchy. For dessert, the Cremen brûlée was perfect — and quite a bit larger than usual. The crepes were also a hit. I wasn’t a huge fan of the chocolate mousse as thought it would be creamier. The tart tatin had huge apple chunks that were yummy — but expected it to be warmer and needed ice cream but they don’t have a freezer (fresh whipped cream instead). Really affordable wine list and great options. We couldn’t believe the check was only 350 for 7 of us (brought a bottle of wine). Would definitely return.

This place is a gem. The food is wonderful and Alex, the darling owner, appears to be there every night, which just makes a difference. The restaurant is extremely well run. The waiters with their French accents are attentive and friendly and the tilapia… I could eat it every night. My only issue with Gamine is that doesn’t take reservations for small parties, so I only end up there about half as often as I’d like.

The service alone is worth five stars. Alex was a true professional: personable, knowledgeable, attentive. excellent food, great wine, and a pleasant atmosphere make for and incredibly enjoyable experience. Get a side of frites with whatever you get (everything is delicious), and end your night with the tawny port.

Came for NYE 2015 into 2016
Service was A+++++ servers were attentive, informative and nice French accents :)
4 course meal:
1 — Soup was tasty
2 — Scallop and Shrimp — Scallop melted in your mouth, shrimp was good, the garlic sauce was the winner here — ask for the bread to dip
3 — Venison — totally happy to have something not chicken, meat was tender although there was some gristle
4 — Dessert — the chocolate ganache center was amazing, the cake around it was normal sponge cake and unappealing
Over all amazing service, good food and ambiance. Would go back and order 10 plates of the scallops and shrimp with a bottle of wine and eat myself silly.

Had dinner here last night with my family and had a lovely dining experience. The food, service and atmosphere were a delight. I love mussels and fries and Gamine’s did not disappoint. The wine list is manageable and reasonably priced. I appreciated the full carafe of water that was placed on the table along with the delicious bread and butter. My husband had the flat iron steak and thoroughly enjoyed it. My son had the tilapia and would have licked the plate clean if we (his parents) weren’t there. My daughter had the goat cheese and arugula salad and was very happy. We all shared a crêpe suzette for dessert which was the perfect end to a wonderful meal
I only wish we had a charming little restaurant like this out here in Livermore!

The first thing I noticed is that everyone that walks through the doors already seems like a friend of the restaurant… which made me feel a little left out, since this was my first time ever. :(I WANNA BE WELCOMED WITH A HUG TOO!
The second thing I noticed is that this place is always packed. Even on a Tuesday night we waited about 25 minutes for a spot at the bar. This was actually our 2^nd or 3^rd attempt at coming to this restaurant, the other times having too long of a wait.
Third thing I noticed is the food is quite delicious and the chefs are actually Frenchmen, speaking French! We ordered the steak tartare, iron steak with frites, and a burger. All were miam miam!
After reading the other reviews, I found out that this is a sister restaurant to Chez Maman which is cool. Another goodie!
All in all, it was a great experience. It was funny with mon copain, who came to the US from France 3 years ago, asked for ketchup with his frites and the chefs were like NOPE, WE DON’T SERVE THAT HERE (because the frites come with a très délicieux truffle aioli). They reluctantly handed some over after poking fun for a few.
Will come back — and maybe one day I’ll get a more «I know you!» welcome :)

What a charming restaurant! It is tiny and cozy with a great atmosphere. I was so impressed with the staff and service!!! Our waiter was very personable, attentive and took great care of everyone in the restaurant with ease in a timely manner. He seemed to love his job, and the whole staff appeared to take care of each other, and their guests, like family. Not something that you find in a restaurant every day and it was lovely to be a part of.
As we were seated, we received a basket of bread and butter. Very nice, just wish the bread had been warm.
I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and my husband had a Zinfandel, but wines were excellent.
My husband and I shared the beef tartar to start. It was delicious and the presentation was beautiful. My only critique would be that it needs to be served with more than just three pieces of toasted baguette.
For dinner, my husband had the lamb and I had the chicken. Both were mouthwateringly delicious.
For dessert, I had the crème brûlée and hubby had crêpe with crème fraîche and berries. The crêpe was perfect. The crème brûlée was delicious; however, I was surprised that it was served in a wide, shallow dish instead of the deeper soufflee cup that I am used to… perhaps that is more traditional? I think I like it in the shallow dish because I got more brulee!
After our meal, our waiter surprised us with two glasses of white dessert port on the house!
The whole bill, including a generous tip, came to $ 125 which I think is very reasonable for a nice dinner out.
As we left, the waiter came over and shook our hands, kissed me on the cheeks in the traditional French manner, and thanked us for coming in.
I was so impressed with the whole experience! We will definitely come back and also be recommending this restaurant to all our friends!

Gamine is a cute little restaurant on Union St. Their menu attracted us to the restaurant as it had a lot of options. We were there to celebrate a birthday with a party of 7. As this restaurant is at Union and Fillmore, parking is a b*&^h.
Showed up right on time and our table was ready for us. We ordered a variety of their entrees. Everything was delicious. Service was good, Prices reasonable. A nice little slice of Paris in SF.

Love this little gem! Warm, inviting neighborhood restaurant on Union street with wonderful service.
Favorites: Decadent pork chop paired with brussels sprouts, the mussels, escargot, frisee salad, and burgundy by the glass. Our 7 year old daughter loves this place for its butter cheese pasta.
You can’t go wrong with Gamine. Definitely stop by.

I’ve dined here since the restaurant had a little over 200 reviews. A modest, authentic, simple, low-​key gem. You gotta love a place that has the same waiters for years. If you go 15 – 30 minutes before usually dinner time, you don’t have to wait. French food is often romanticized and over priced but Gamine is true traditional french food with a very modest price. Where else can you get a generous portion of muscles for $ 16.50? Or steak and frites for $ 21 (used to be 19.50 for the longest time). The ambiance of this place, the waiters, the food, the culture… brings me back to Paris when I use to live there and I have nothing less than fond things to say about this place.
Recommendations:
–Mussels
–Steak and frites
–French onion soup

If there comes a time I can no longer eat solids I just want to live on the buttery, oily, garlic pools that Gamine’s escargot swims in.
We came on a Wednesday night, there were 5 of us plus a toddler. There wasn’t enough space when we arrived so we waited with a drink at the tables outside. After about 20 minutes there was a table free with enough space for a high chair.
We started with some calamari, French onion soup and a couple of escargot plates. I had never had escargot before so was a bit hesitant but my fears were instantly dismissed as they were fantastic. I had a bit of the soup and it was also great.
For the main meal I had the steak, I am not a steak guy but when I go back it will be at the top of my list to get again. I also tried the lamb stew and it was delicious, lots of body and the meat nicely cooked.
For dessert I had the chocolate mousse, again, fantastic.
Everyone at the table raved about their meals so I presume they were equally as good. Even my daughter who was still trying to gobble down left over fries from my plate as it was being taken away.

We had a most enjoyable meal here. Sharing escargot, calamari and French fries for first course bar one who had French onion soup, we began our meal well. Our second courses were Coq au vin, Moules and steak. For dessert we had chocolate mousse, crème brûlée, Nutella pancakes but the centre piece was the crêpe Suzette which was served flaming.
The restaurant is quite small. We had a toddler in a high chair and five adults.

Small place with okay ambiance. Service is decent. Central Marina District location on Union St., though pleasantly away from a lot of the chaos.
I had dinner here with my dad today. We had beef tartare in the appetizer size ($ 12 vs. $ 21), carbonara pasta with bacon bits and raw egg, and steak with fries. The steak was great once I got past the overwhelming top layer. The wine that seeped into the steak added a nice flavor and probably contributed to the tenderness. Very tender steak, btw. No complaints about the rest of the meal. It was good, I guess slightly above average.

Gamine is a little, unexpected French gem towards the quieter end of Union St. The restaurant is small — a couple of tables, a bar, street-​side seating, and a private room for larger groups.
The menu offers mostly French cuisine but also burgers — probably an attempt to please the Marina crowd. While the American side of the menu will be explored at some point, I was very pleased with my choice of GRILLED FLAT IRON STEAK (with sauce Bordelaise and French fries, $ 21) — perfectly tender and flavorful. The BEEF TARTARE (hand cut high-​quality raw beef, $ 13) was also well executed.
I was very satisfied with the quality of the food, the friendly service, and the low-​key ambiente — will definitely be back! If you’re in the area and in the mood for French /​European, give this one a try.

Do you yearn for Paris? do you long for cozy quarters filled with diners chatting away while savoring their meal? Do you expect real Frenchmen to serve you?
Gamine is a very pleasant neighborhood spot to enjoy all of the above. Try a well executed, classic Moules Mariniere cooked in white wine sauce, parsley and garlic. Paired with skinny fries dipped in aioli, you won’t need anything else.
Except maybe a big hunk of grilled flat iron steak in a bourdelaise sauce. Or the special of the night, a marvelous seared scallops dish in a vanilla beurre blanc sauce. Tres bon!
A solid French bistro that I would happily say «oui! oui!» whenever you ask me to dine here again. Merci to my mon cheri, Darya B.

Great Food!
Great service!
Great price!
Cute place!
Five stars!
I had the mussels with white wine and parsley, side of fries and sautéed spinach and a glass of Zin.
Bf was craving a burger so he ordered basic burger and he loved it!
Dessert I had Crème brûlée and bf had the crêpe we both enjoyed it!
Bill came to around $ 85.
We will return!!!

07.08.12 | bookmarked 04.01.11
Great place for brunch. Simple menu of quintessential French food.

We came here on a Sat at 8pm and was able to get a table quickly w/​o issues.
Parking: street metered nearby
Ambiance: the restaurant doesn’t have a sign on the front so we missed it initially and walked right by. There is a few outdoor seating. Inside is small and there is a 2^nd floor for a larger party. Bathrooms were a bit sketchy.
Food
GREAT
— French onion soup: very savory, ample amount of cheese. A bit on the small size. However would definately order again.
— Duck salad with poached egg: highly recommend this. super nice mix of texture and flavors
JUST OK
— Table bread: blah, hard not fresh
— Fried calamari: came with aoli sauce which I’m not use to eating it with. I asked for a red/​marinara sauce but the waiter quickly just said no they didn’t have it.
— Salmon pasta: my sister had this said it was light and filling at the same time
— Pork chop: large portion, moist but nothing to write home about.
Service
— Attentive but a bit snooty, not very accomodating
Food was good but we probably wouldn’t come back again. Just didn’t have a good value for the experience.

It’s not every day you come across a delicious + fancy French restaurant (especially in San Francisco) that doesn’t completely K.O. your bank account, so this spot was certainly a pleasant surprise.
Like most places in the city, the seating area is rather small, so I would recommend it for smaller groups over larger ones, though we did miraculously manage to get a last minute reservation for a table of 11 on a Saturday night.
Highlight:
Lamb sausage with spicy red sauce — absolutely fantastic