Garçon

Here are my honest experience at this restaurant. Of all the French bistro restaurants, I had better ones like Chou Chou, Bisou, Le Zinc and etc. For this level, I choose Monsieur Benjamin. Much better at the same price range.
1) Food was too salty in general. French onion soup was served without the traditional baked mozzarella or Swiss cheese on top. The soup base was too fragrant with rosemary scent. Next, I had the duck con fit. It was again too salty and the skin was burnt.
2) Poor sitting. We made a reservation, not just as walk-​in customers. We were placed on this small table by the corner which they should know it should only sit well for two people, but not three. With my seat positioned very close to the aisle, I was hit 3 times, of which twice were ran over by the same waiter. Upon being hit by that same person, I was not apologized and was given a mean stare. Then, when I finally expressed my complaint, I was replied that «This is a Bistro Not a fine dining»!!! Seriously!!! For almost $ 65 a person, this is no bistro price. I expect better sitting at this price. I get better sitting even at McDonald’s and Wendy’s.
3) Poor waiter service. We were only ¹⁄₃ of our way finishing our appetizer, then our utensils and small plates were taken away without any question asked. The waiters were always on a run, so better get all your requests placed when they came by. Otherwise, you will be neglected.
This is it. Would I go there anymore? No thank you.

excellent french food; I had the beef cheek bourguignon and profiteroles. Tues nights no corkage!

Definitely mediocre especially at those prices. The coq au vin is terrible. It’s like the chef has never tasted a real coq au vin in his life. So bad. The service was too scattered and frantic. It’s more like 2.7 and not 3 stars but hey that’s the ranking system. My dining experience was boarder line maddening. I will never go back. Sorry.

One of my favorite restaurants in the city — the wait staff (Stephane in particular) is friendly and the food is delicious. I almost always get duck entrée and the churros + ice cream and chopped apple dessert.
A bit pricey, great for a special occasion.

Great food & excellent! Have been here 5 times. On 2 occasions in the evening the waiters unethically have plugged in their own tip amount increasing the amt. I reported both cases to creditor & they take care of it but the point is that is wrong!!!
Never have I experienced that in any part of the world… And I have been to restaurants in developing nations as well…
I would not return here again

The foie gras here is an excellent dish. While it’s not the freshest or «best» around, it is paired with hazelnut spread and strawberries, and I now believe that all foie gras should be paired with hazelnut spread and strawberries.
The rest of the meal was a blur (decent, not excellent) but the foie gras stood out as the best of the night.

bone marrow and duck confit were my highlights. leave yourself plenty of time to find parking.

I had dinner there last night with two buddies. The service was great as well as the food.
We ordered the charcuterie plate which came with pâté, several meats and cornichons. While it was very tasty, the duck salami made me want to order another one just for that.
For our entrees, my friends both had the pork loin and said it was delicious, but didn’t offer to share any. I had the duck confit — crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside atop a bed of lima beans. We also ordered a side of the brussel sprouts which came out slivered with bacon and other seasonings. That was so good, we did order another one!
There corkage fee is $ 20 and I was told on Tuesdays, there is no corkage fee. (Note to self — go back on Tuesday with friends and several bottles of wine).
I definitely be going back to Garçon for a special occasion meal.

If you’re all about meat and fine cuisine (and the combination of the two), then this is a great place for you. If you’re a bit vegetarian (like myself), then you may want to rethink your culinary options. Nevertheless, this is still a pretty great place to eat (hence the four stars). It’s like a piece of France that’s landed in the Mission.
If you happen to be vegetarian and checking out this place, then you should opt for the butternut squash risotto (it comes complete with a fancy reduction).
Likes:
–the foie gras is pretty spot on (never mind the hefty $ 20+ tab)
–cool drink options
–innovative cooking
–cute and chic (i.e. great for date night)
Dislikes:
–pretty pricey (but then again, this is fine French cuisine)
–skip the «fritz». I’ve had better cooked fries with shaved cheese and «oil» at fast food joints and for waaay cheaper

A charming little restaurant, pretty lively vibe. Can get noisy due to the small space. The portions are fairly small but well prepared. They start you off with fresh bread — I’m such a sucker for good, warm bread!
1) Brussel sprout to start — really, it was one sprout which was chopped up — no joke. I wouldn’t order this again.
2) French onion soup — pretty tasty
3) truffled French fries — delish!
4) swordfish with kale and couscous — yummy…
Overall I enjoyed the food here, however the service was slow.
If you’re really hungry, get ready to drop some paper cuz the portions are small and pricey (or just eat something before you go or after you leave). But if you want some tasty French food, give this place a try.

I went tonight to have late dinner with friends, they sit us promptly! The service was very good but the food was amazing! I’ll defiantly come back!
Thank you for having us at your great restaurant!

«Life freezes if it doesn’t get a taste
of this almond cake.
The stars come up spinning
every night, bewildered in love.» From Each Note, Rumi.
We scouted the place for a wine tastings fundraiser. So we stayed a bit and came back again another day. We were charmed by the staff and food who took the time to get to know us.

Amzing little spot! You won’t regret it. The feel is so nice and relaxed. Our server was one of the owners, very nice and attentive. The food was to die for! Yes just as good as I thought from all the Unilocal reviews! Great place great food great people!

Always cozy, Garçon is packed by 6:30 most nights. But you’ll rarely find yourself waiting, thanks to the friendly and efficient all-​French service. If you haven’t made a reservation you can explore savory cocktails (or their solid wine list) at the standing-​room-​only bar.
The menu never disappoints, and last night was no exception:
— a great triple cream, and two other good cheeses
— foie gras
— onion soup (the only low point, skip it)
— mustard-​crusted pork loin, the evening’s special. (SPECTACULAR. In texture and flavor, the best meat dish I’ve had this year.)
— cocktails paired with each course
Consistently delicious, unpretentious, and a hipster-​free zone, Garçon is my favorite bistro in SF. Brings me right back to life in Paris.
Sharing the two appetizers with a friend, we each lost $ 80 and gained 5 pounds — and made plans to return together soon!
(Pro tip: Free corkage on Tuesdays.)

Went here for a birthday dinner and below is what we ordered…
Appetizers:
–duck liver pâté: tasty, not something you often find in other restaurants
–grilled octopus: mediocre — pretty chewy and nothing spectacular really (we often order grilled octopus when we see it on the menu at restaurants and we’ve had much better)
Main course: steak frites & coq au vin — both were very good
Dessert: chocolate fondant — delicious
Would give it 4 stars if it weren’t so overpriced. The food was good but nothing amazing. I’m willing to pay for really good food, but I don’t feel like the food here is worth as much as it is priced; you’re probably paying extra for all the French accents in the restaurant. I’ve had meals at half the price that were twice as good.

Very good meals available here so be sure to make a reservation. They do have quite a bit of seating since the corner restaurant snakes into the back of the building. There is also a chance you can sit at the bar but you never know.
They have a great wine selection and a long list of whiskeys. I’m sure a great cocktail maker stands behind the bar but did not try any.
For appetizers they have salads, grilled octopus, and be sure to ask about specials. We got a delicious foie gras seared with a mango chutney. Yum.
For main dish we had the coq au vin which was delicious. My partner thought it was dry but I did not agree.
They have a decent desert list but nothing that caught my eye. Walked over to bi rite and stood in line instead.

A welcome change of scenery from my extended commute home this was — public transit needing a bus bridge, thanks to two empty parked cars on the train tracks — again, I emphasize, a *WELCOME* change. (I digress…) We did not have reservations, but were lucky enough to get two seats at the window in maybe five minutes.
On with our French menu order! I received the following dishes (shared or individually):
–Seared Foie Gras on Toasted Brioche
–Heirloom Tomatoes with Crispy Eggplant, Fresh Mozzarella, Sunflower Seed-​Basil Pesto
–Pork Tenderloin with Greens, Grits and Prosciutto Wrapped Peaches
–Cocktail: Wake Up Call
–Domain des Corbillières — Touraine Rosé 2014
I must let you know two things up front: 1) the delicious food always was served expediently, despite the busy locale, and 2) tasting their prosciutto wrapped peaches was enough to make me give this place five stars alone! So tasty!
Quite appreciated was their foie gras, something restaurant in SF benefit much from since it’s permitted back again in CA. I may have liked their heirloom tomato dish even more than the foie gras, perhaps because I love eggplant.
My favorite dish, however, was certainly their Pork Tenderloin! It was actually a decent helping of the juicy meat, perfectly seasoned and scrumptious prior to noticing what surrounded it: plenty of kale lettuce, white cheddar grit cake, and several prosciutto wrapped peaches thread upon a skewer. The penultimate combined taste was like dancing in the moonlight, fully bright to prepare for that weekend’s blood moon lunar eclipse.
Great informative service. A tad costly but we’ll know when the time is right again. Hope to be back!

Will agree that the food is pretty good, but it’s relatively expensive for what you get and the portions are small. Went here with a friend and did the charcuterie plate, a side of truffle fries and then we split the steak frites.
The fries with the steak frites were WAY too salty (and I love salt, so I can only imagine how this must have tasted to normal, healthy people). The wine list was good though– not very large, but great selections.
I’ve noticed that a lot of people complain about the service here– I went on a Thursday night (got there about 7) and the service wasn’t terrible. She came to check in every now and then and wasn’t particularly personable but I didn’t feel rushed.

Pros:
Been here a couple of times and the food has been very good. Drinks as well. Both times I had the mussels and the steak with the truffle fries and both times they didn’t disappoint. GF loved the fettucine.
Cons:
Small, cozy bar area. Also, the place always seems to be understaffed. Even though they are friendly the waiters always seem to be in a rush and both times it affected service.
I enjoy this place but my advice would be to go at a time when they aren’t so busy.

Decent food, service was great. The place is a bit small and they were pretty patient with us waiting for a friend who was like an hour late although there are peoppe waiting off (so I guess that can also be considered bad)
They charge for the second round of bread which is unforeseen for a french place so minus one star!

Quoi? Un bistro à San Francisco qui fait tout bien ?!
C’est vrai !
Bien qu’il y a beaucoup de restaurants français dans la ville, peu m’excitent comme Garçon. Bien sur il y a des endroits plus luxe et plus chic, mais Garçon sert les plats d’excellence dans un environnement agréable, sans pretense. Le service est attentif, les vins sont bien choisis, et la carte est assez diverse pour mériter des visites multiples.
Certainement un favori.