Ironside West Coast BBQ

One of my favorite brunch places! Branden was the best! If this place really is permanently closed I will be devastated. :(
UPDATE: I found out they moved to District including Branden. See you soon!

Came with a large party on Saturday for a birthday brunch. The bottomless brunch and mimosa/​bloody mary was clutch! It was really fun and lively. Service was good and food was pretty good. Mimosas were amazing — we were mixing and matching the flavors (they offer 6 types of juices) halfway through brunch.
All in all the rustic décor was beautiful and made us feel like we were back in Texas. Overall, a fun place for boozy brunch — will have to come back for some BBQ.

The food is amazing. The service is lackluster. We used to go for brunch every Saturday when we lived in SOMA.
Really great sausage, grits, bacon, eggs, pancakes, fried plantains, rice pudding. There’s also ceviche but I never wanted to risk it. Drinks of course.
Don’t show up too late as it fills up quick.

With its rustic chic interior, this re-​purposed shipbuilding factory turned BBQ/​brunch spot quickly captures your attention. However, the low prices/​middling quality on the bottomless brunch remind me of what an art professor once said, «If you can’t do it well, do it big».
THE PROS:
Restaurant is good looking. Service was on point. We had a table with 16 for the bottomless brunch. The waiter understood how it can get hairy with that many people, so he gave us as many cups as we could handle, and left us to our devices (in a good way). He was there when we needed him, but didn’t hover. It was a buffet after all. Bottomless mimosas and bloodies were $ 12. That’s a great price, considering that might only buy you ¾th of a drink somewhere else.
THE CONS:
A little strange to not see any BBQ on the brunch menu, and it said it was «Latin Inspired». That apparently means that they had plantains and a overly-​tomatoey ceviche on the brunch buffet line, which doesn’t make up for the pretty standard fare that was being served. Eggs, bacon, hockey-​puck esque sausage patties. Some good dishes (country potatoes, collard greens) but overall kind of «Meh».
One bathroom for the whole space. Maybe when you were building ships in the early 1900’s, you could just go piss on the street, but when you’re serving bottomless drinks in a 150 capacity (?) restaurant, you’re going to have grumpy, pissy brunchers.
PRO TIP:
If you’re out to get day drunk, have a big group of friends coming, like holding your water, and aren’t particularly sensitive about what food you shove in your face between sips of your guava mimosas, then Ironside may be the place for you.
The price and the interior design are what’s bumping this review up into the 4 star range, but it was a close call.

This review is solely on the coffee bar portion of the restaurant. I now work nearby and didn’t want to head to Caffe Centro or Small for coffee, so decided to check out Ironside. They asked me if it was for here or to go, and I said to go. So why does my $ 4.25 café mocha turn into $ 4.81 after the SF Healthy tax PLUS sales tax. I worked at Jamba Juice in high school and was told that if something is to go then you are not supposed to tax on it; granted I know not many places follow suit, so I can understand if it’s food, but drinks in disposable cups are to go and should always not be charged that price.
Unfortunately Starbucks isn’t near me, so I have to find alternatives, and Philz is a little too out of the way. The café mocha was fine, but not worth that whopping price, and it was average sized at most. They also don’t offer non-​fat milk. For that effing price you should! Even my beloved Coffee Bar (best coffee I’ve ever had) on Mongtomery is pricey, but way tastier and they don’t add taxes on to go orders. For shame Ironside.

I was just reading my review of this place from over five years ago, and for the life of me, I can barely remember that meal. I imagine that was a conundrum for the owners who were trying to present an upscale new-​jack American restaurant in a town drowning in them. Early last year, they made a smart decision to cut the prices and turn the large space into a barbecue joint, granted a more nicely appointed one than others of the genre. It worked for Jamie W. and me as we liked the cheaper eats and the still-​nifty ambiance of this SoMa spot. After all, the gigantic water skiing poster is still up on the brick wall.
We were tempted by the one appetizer they held from the previous menu, the $ 7 Tempura-​Fried Avocado, but we passed them up this time and went directly for the BBQ Combo Plates (photo:
). For $ 18, we each got two mains, two sides, a hunk of cornbread and house pickles. Seemed like a good deal to us. Jamie went for the Red Lodge Ranch Beef Brisket and Duroc Pulled Pork, both of which were melty good saturated as they were in BBQ sauce. For his sides, he ordered the Collard Greens with Smoked Ham Hock and the Cheddar Grits, and he was pleased with his Southern-​style picnic supper (photo:
).
I decided to have the brisket as well along with the Natural Hill Pork Ribs since I was looking to chew on some bones since I ain’t nuthin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time. I also went for the grits but complemented them with the Cowboy Beans with House Bacon (photo:
). As Mr. Food would say, «Ohhh, it’s sooo good!» I think he died recently. Bummer. Anyway, with his roots firmly in Kentucky, Jamie couldn’t help himself and ordered the $ 5 Basket of Biscuits with Sorghum Butter (photo:
). Even though I was already carbed out by the cornbread, he was enjoying the down-​home yeastiness of the biscuits and Hoovered them quickly. Yep, we definitely agree that this was a change for the better for Ironside.
FOOD — 4 stars… eatin’ vittles like we was at a hoedown or down with hoes, one of the two
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… the space is still nice which makes it a cut above most BBQ joints you would find in these parts
SERVICE — 3 stars… a bit of a letdown in this area as we found the service apathetic
TOTAL — 4 stars… probably more convenient for us than Hard Knox Café and just as good, so we’ll be comin’ ’round the mountain when she comes

Whenever I see grits on the menu, I think of sassy Flo from Alice. And I don’t order it. I’m preju-​grits. I’ve made up my mind that grits is akin to poi which is akin to wallpaper paste. It was on Ironside’s brunch buffet spread, so I had no other choice than to educate myself and try the cheddar grits. So happy to report that it’s creamy and buttery and not at all like wallpaper paste. Sausage and gravy with biscuits, thick cut bacon and ceviche – yes, you heard me – ceviche. You didn’t get the memo that ceviche is el almuerzo de los campiones (gracias Maestra Olarte). I didn’t get past the first half of that buffet because I kept going back for the damn steel cut oatmeal with vanilla sugar. Strange because normally, I don’t like oatmeal but again, this velvety creamy concoction has converted me. Sausage was a little dry so douse it with gravy. I left my second stomach at home and didn’t have room for the fried plantains, collard greens with smoked ham, and bread pudding.
There’s only solution: go back to make it to the 2^nd half. And fork out another $ 5 to make that guava mimosa bottomless.

So we decided to pop into this place a couple days after Christmas because the lady wanted to do some power shopping at Union Square. I can’t do that without some sort of reward. So I decided to find some grubbin’ brunch for us to do our pre shop pre game.
I made us reservations for 4 at 10am. When we walked into this place they had California Love blasting through the speakers. I thought it was a fluke but then I Got Five On It came up next. I knew this place was the right choice right then and there. As far as location this place is so close to AT&T park. It’s literally a couple blocks away. I looked over the menu as all food enthusiasts should do and I’m certainly coming back for more.
As far as this morning went, $ 18 for brunch? Really? In this area? I’m sold. $ 7 for either Bloody Mary or mimosas… bottomless? What? You are speaking my language and right after such a hectic holiday with family and friends the Bloody Mary was exactly what the doctor ordered.
The buffet had ceviche, home made BBQ sausage patties, biscuits and gravy, spinach, cheese eggs, and bacon. I had the bottomless Bloody Mary and they let you mix it yourself. I put a stick of bacon in the sucker and wowza!!!
This brunch was a winner! I’m looking forward to trying out the rest of the menu but I’m certainly coming back for more of this brunch too.

Celebrated my first meal of 2015 at Ironside! Ironside offers brunch on Saturdays and Sundays at 10am-​2pm, but they were open for New Year. I was grabbing brunch with 4 boys and they can eat/​drink a lot, so what better place than a spot that offers both bottomless buffet AND mimosas?
$ 18 Bottomless Buffet: buttermilk pancakes with banana-​rum syrup, scrambled eggs with cheese, steel cut oatmeal with vanilla brown sugar, bacon & house made spicy sausage, biscuits and gravy, cheddar grits, chipotle-​garlic breakfast potatoes, fried sweet plantains with house salsa, mixed green salad, greens and beans, ceviche, Multi Grain toast with agave butter, bread pudding
$ 12 Bottomless Mimosa: cranberry, apple, peach, guava
$ 12 Bottomless Build Your Own Bloody Mary
A couple rounds of food and 6 pitchers of mimosas later, we were satisfied. Happy New Year!

This is a barbecue joint that walks, talks, and eats like a barbecue joint. What I mean by that is: picnic table seating. Kitchen towel napkins. Chefs a couple feet away, slinging slaw and pulled-​pork over the counter. Standard menu setup: barbecue protein with some sides, plus a small assortment of sandwiches and apps. Snarky, semi-​ambivalent service from a server clad in plaid flannel and jeans.
And on the table? The beer and wine selection was OK. The butternut squash soup to start was actually quite good, as were the basket of biscuits with a fairly unique earthy/​cinnamon butter. The entrees were «pretty good.» No one had complaints, but no one was raving either. The cornbread was a bit dry. The portions varied widely from plate to plate. I liked the side shakers of BBQ sauce (thin, tangy, very mildly spicy) and the ‘XXX’ hot sauce (very hot!). My husband’s pickled slaw was tastier than expected.
Not a bad place for BBQ, but you could certainly find better. Based on their hours and the different menus, I have suspicions this spot is more appropriate for lunch than dinner.

UPDATE: CLOSED
Their bottomless brunch buffet is a deal ($ 18, Sat-​Sun 10 – 2). My favorites were the scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon of course, steelcut oatmeal with vanilla brown sugar, and ceviche. Add in bottomless mimosas ($ 12, four flavors), or Bloody Marys (make it yourself) in my case, and it’s a steal.
For lunch and pre-​Giants games I think it’s average as the menu didn’t wow me. While the portion was small the BBQ Rocky Chicken is pretty good and I’d get it again.
However, the TVs and bench-​style seating make it good enough to go to, but not go out of the way for considering so many other options in the area. The upstairs has more private seating if preferred. Still, this is a good choice as a getogether spot.

Ironside was one if the first places I went after my decision to move to San Francisco was finalized. I came here with my then-​soon-​to-​be-​roommate and her friends for brunch, and loved it (the city overall was just amazing me). I went again after I moved to my second San Francisco apartment that happened to be much closer to Ironside than my first (hooray!) and since then, I’ve been here another couple of times (it’s the first place I think of for brunch!).
I absolutely love it here. I generally make reservations for brunch, but if you’re going earlier in the morning I don’t think you’d have to (I’ve come several times right when they open, and have a reservation, but it fills up slowly). Their brunch is fabulous… very easy to understand and everyone who works there has always been so nice to us. There is a limit on how long you can stay for the brunch buffet, but it’s definitely enough time.
Their mimosas are really good, and my boyfriend enjoys the DIY bloody mary bar! My favorite part of brunch is the DELICIOUS vanilla bean oatmeal… I have no idea why, but it stuck out to me the first time I went, and that’s always what I try to get seconds of whenever I come back. It’s soooo good. Just thinking about it makes me want to go again. Everything else they serve is standard but delicious. YES, I understand it’s all stuff I can make myself, and yes, I could also make vanilla bean steel-​cut oatmeal easily at home, but there’s something about a nice brunch place with good brunch drinks that you actually DON’T have to stand on a 1+ hour line for that is just so… appealing. (It probably does get crowded later on though).
Overall it’s very good. I don’t like going out for brunch often, but I definitely recommend brunch here. I’ve come once for lunch and had a sandwich which was alright, not superb, but have friends who come here for lunch more often and get plates and really enjoy it.

I’ve heard some good things from my coworker about this place and wanted to try it out! It’s super close to work and a block from AT&T Park, so convenient. Can you believe, I visited this place twice in 2 days!
The first visit was to celebrate a coworkers birthday. They advertised some great BBQ so i was excited to go and try it out. The place has a lot of character! Exposed brick, steel plates, a second floor balcony with more seating and oversized throwback pictures. The staff was nice and efficient. They didn’t stand out, good or bad, so that’s cool. On my first visit we got two plates to share:
–Natural Hill Pork Rib plate for $ 12. Three pork bones served with coleslaw, baked beans and a biscuit. The spice on the ribs were nice, I didn’t care much for the BBQ Sauce (Memphis style, vinegar based). The meat wasn’t fall off the bone but still a little tender. I liked the coleslaw, nice and tangy and not drowning in sauce. I also enjoyed the density of the biscuit, reminded me of my favorite cheddar bay biscuits from Red Lobster, sooo buttery. I gotta say, though, I did not like baked beans. The beans were not cooked all the way and a little hard. The sauce is sat in came with a different taste and not my style. Sorry, just not a fan.
–Smoked Creekstone Beef Bristket for $ 12. Sliced brisket served with the same sides: coleslaw, baked beans and a biscuit. The brisket was awesome. It was tender and marbleized, just like it was described by our server. My opinion on the sides remain the same: like the coleslaw, love the biscuit and dislike the baked beans.
On our second visit two days later, we came because we discovered a good brunch situation on our first visit. You can pay $ 18 for all you can eat buffet, $ 12 for all you can drink mimosas or bloody maries OR pay $ 30 for both! The buffet was amazing! It included so many options: grits, oatmeal, potatoes, bacon, spicy sausage, pancakes, salads, bread pudding and more! Here’s what I loved:
–Bacon: thick cut and super smokey!
–Spicy sausage: not really spicy but came with a lot of flavor
–Nice fluffy scrambled eggs
–pancakes: one of my favorite things there! Thin and so good! Served with a banana drizzle or syrup. Get both!
–Bread Pudding: my favorite thing there! The bread was moist and dense and served with homemade whipped cream. So good!
The mimosas came in a few flavor, my go to was the guava flavor. Reminded me of home, back in Hawaii. This is how we had our mimosas, so I was super excited about that. A lot of champagne and a splash of juice, just how I like it.
My biggest recommendation is to come here for the brunch! It’s wonderful and completely worth the price tag. I honestly had better BBQ in my life and not really crazy about their version but if you’re looking for a good time on the weekends, you will not be disappointed with what they have to offer!

Bison Burger — this was actually very good. I’d been to Ironside for brunch many times, but never for dinner. The burger tasted great and was seasoned very well.
I would come back here and try some of the other BBQ items on the menu.

I must say that I’ve become a much bigger fan of Ironside after they started serving BBQ! There really isn’t anywhere around walking distance of the ballpark where you can get good BBQ, so I was quite excited when I saw that they were starting to offer this option. I always thought their sandwiches were just ok (except for the Cubano which is pretty good) but their flatbreads were pretty good. However, my favorite now is by far their BBQ. I’ve really only gotten the brisket sandwich because I really enjoy it. Maybe one day I’ll venture out and try something new.
The brisket sandwich comes with this awesome chipotle aioli sauce which I love to dip my fries in as well. So I usually ask for a little bit extra on the side. Be default, it comes with fries although I think you an also swap it out for a salad. Not sure as I’ve never chosen that option. Their fries are actually potato wedges so they are very hearty and delicious.
They have seating upstairs, which is nice when you want to eat somewhere a little quieter. Water is self serve but doesn’t come with ice, so you’ll need to ask for that if you want colder water, which I prefer. Also — they make cookies daily and I’ve had a few that have been absolutely amazing! Had to walk by one time just to grab a cookie. I’ve been resisting lately to watch the figure but I’m sure I’ll be back for more soon.

Though the rib platter tempted me, I came in really wanting a burger. The BBQ bacon burger came on a fresh challah roll with smoked cheddar, bacon and sautéed onions. It was good but didn’t have much BBQ sauce on it. The fries were bigger than normal fries and smaller than wedges and didn’t have any seasoning or salt on them, but they were crispy which was fine by me. The community tables are a nice touch, they have small ones also, and so are the washcloths you get with your silverware, it lets you know that you will need it eventually.
Their brunch menu is posted out front, and I’ll be back to try the ribs, but I just hope they have a little more sauce on them than my burger did.

Very close to the ballpark — great spot to grab food or a drink before the game. Atmosphere is very chill and service is great!
I had the two tacos plate with a side of beans. I chose beef brisket and pulled pork — both were equally as good. I liked the dipping sauce it came with too: D
They have an upstairs area that is nice and a little more intimate for a group.
I would definitely come here again!

One of my favorite brunch places in the city because of their bottomless mimosas! You can pair your champagne with a medley of juices — guava (yum!), peach (sweet but still delicious!), orange (for the classic at heart), cranberry (who can say no to antioxidants?), and apple (an apple a day keeps the doctor away, even in juice/​mimosa form right?).
The food is ok — it’s a buffet style of your standard breakfast food (pancakes, eggs, potatoes, sausage). They also have salad and ceviche (which are imo interesting breakfast options). What I love the most though (besides my mimosa :-)) are their biscuits. Flaky goodness.
Service is also top notch, Branden is the best!

HALLELUJAH!
This place’s bbq is amazing. Well, everything that I had here was really goooood.
Definitely get the beef sirloin. Tasty… especially if you like the fattier parts of the cut.
Check out my pics and your mouth will water. It’s that visually good and the taste is to die for.
I like how this place can serve as the perfect casual business lunch/​dinner spot. Especially if you’re treating for the bill, this place is affordable yet very classy.
It’s near everything also in downtown SF.
Perfect for pre-​game food so you can avoid the nachos and hot dog at the park.
TIP: Get an extra side of the slaw. There’s a little spicy kick to it that’s nice.

MIMOSA MESS!!! MY FAVORITE BRUNCH SPREAD!
(5 stars)
–BRUNCH BUFFET
–BESTEST OATMEAL
–BOTTOMLESS MIMOSA/​BLOODY MARY
I regret one thing… Exposing this place to my stupid xbf. Because he doesn’t have a strong enough personality to make his own traditions with his new and rolls over ours. It’s annoying!!! Apparently, I must be missed… LMFAO
HEFER STATS.
BRUNCH BUFFET ($ 18) — they hiked the price by a buck. I’m addicted to the oatmeal and will pay 18 just for the oatmeal. I usually hit 2 plates of food and 3 bowls of oatmeal.
BOTTOMLESS MIMOSA — guava is my favorite. It was a slow weekend the other week so we surpassed the 1.5hrs table limit and was relocated to a bar section upstairs and got an additional 2 pitcher of bottomless mimosas to guzzle away. Amazing service, they rocked!!!
Will I be back? OF COURSE, I’m here often :)
JABA APPROVED. Until the next review…

I’m generally not a huge fan of buffets because it typically sacrifices quality over quantity. However, for a breakfast buffet, Ironside is one of the best in SF. It’s the only place I know that serves DIY bottomless Bloodies AND bottomless mimosas (which include grapefruit, orange, and peach juice). There is a decent selection of tasty brunch foods including steel cut oatmeal, vegetable sides, biscuits, gravy, pancakes, bacon, and eggs.
Having visited Vegas just the weekend before, it was clearly a worthy competitor even stacked against places like Bacchanal. I would absolutely return if not for the food, merely for the bottomless bloodies and mimosas.