Per Diem

Not impressed at all.
Remember that scene in Seinfeld where Jerry explains what the term «reservation» means to an uninterested counter lady? That was my introduction to Per Diem. The girl at the front tried to seat us at a little table right in the foyer, right where people where standing. When we refused that and insisted that we be seated at a table not located right by the entrance, we were told that no tables were available. Only when we started to leave did a table on the upstairs terrace magically open up. And surprise – there were three empty tables up there!
Service was worse – I think she wanted to turn the table in the worst way because she kept interrupting us. Here’s a hint – let people finish their sentences before barging in. Good servers know to do that and she was definitely not a good server.
Oh, and the food… wish I’d left when I had the chance. Apparently, at Per Diem, «medium well» means «raw and pink» on the inside of your burger.
Waste of time and money.

We came here for dinner on a weeknight. The first floor is very crowded during happy hour, but luckily we had made a reservation and the upstairs is quieter and quite romantic/​chic for dinner.
I’m definitely a cocktails person and wished that they had a bit more variety in their cocktail menu. I ended up doing the «Create your own Manhattan» where you choose your own bourbon/​rye, vermouth and bitter. I had no idea what I was choosing really, but it was fun to read the flavor descriptions and pretend I was a bad-​ass who knew my bourbons.
The food was pretty good. I had the soup of the day which was a tortilla soup which was very well-​flavored and stocked with vegetables and beans. Their main dishes are $ 20 – 30 bucks which didn’t look appealing enough to me for the price.
Our server was mia during most of the evening.

Love the tri-​tip sandwich. Love the interior decorations! The service could have been a bit faster (i think the 2^nd flr during lunch is a bit understaffed) but our waitress was amazing!

I made reservations for lunch. Love the fact that I can make reservations. Seating on the first and 2^nd floor. We sat upstairs. Dark wood décor. The food was okay. My friends and I got the **Squid Ink Linguini, **Salmon Nicoise Salad, **Truffle Mushroom Flat Bread and a side of Fries. Fries need more seasoning. We shared everything. It wasn’t anything spectacular but not bad. I will come back.
The only thing I didn’t really like was that the server did push a little too hard for us to get drinks. It’s lunch time, I don’t think I want to go back to my work buzzed. But overall he was okay but didn’t really his approach for drinks.

Too expensive. 9 dollars for a mousse, and I took it to go. Total was over 10 dollars.
It was really good, if not too sweet. I’ve had a similar mousse at Bellini’s.

Quaint and casual restaurant. Great service by the hostess and waitress. I had the Roasted Chicken and it was delicious! The chicken was cooked perfectly — juicy inside and perfectly crispy on the outside. Fantastic flavor surrounded by yummy artichoke hearts and finger potatoes.

Great little place for happy hour after work! Lots of seating/​bar/​standing room. You have to try the tartine burratta. It’s to die for. Creamy burratta on top of a crusty toast with marcona almonds and a light honey drizzle.
Was sad though that they have a TV that doesn’t play any sports.

Ended up here the day before my birthday, the staff is amazing the décor is incredible and the food is exactly what I needed. I will be back and can’t wait to return, Alexa made the best manhattan I’ve ever had! Thank you PD! See you soon.

Came here for dinner during the week. Street parking available right after 6p. During the week, downstairs is the bar and upstairs is the dinner area. Very interesting décor. Looks like someone went to estate sales, flea markets, and garage sales to pick up anything that looked interesting. Lots of wood upstairs. Almost feels like you’re in a wooden ship or cabin.
Had the french onion soup and mixed green salad with burrata cheese. Both were good. The squid ink pasta with prawns and scallops was excellent. The apple tart was a good dessert. Enjoyed the meal, service was excellent. The only issue I had here was that the menu was kind of limited.
I’d eat again.

Chicken burrata flatbread to start. It was okay
Hubby ordered the filet & lobster fries. Filet was cooked perfectly. Lobster fries were kinda weird. It’s French fries with lobster chunks marinated together.
I had the wild mushroom truffle pasta & added chicken. Gross!!! The chicken was tiny over cooked pieces that were tough to chew!

This quaint, hole in the wall (you would pass by it, if you weren’t looking) French contemporary take on California cuisine is so wonderfully eclectic, you leave wanting more. The ambience is low key and the menu, mouth watering. My two sons ordered the smoked bacon flatbread which they loved. My husband had the tri tip sandwich, which he thought the meat was cooked perfectly. I wanted to order something light, so I ordered the charcuterie board. The board was filled with heavenly cheeses, meats, pickled vegetables and breads/​crackers. It looked so good that my youngest (6) decided to eat half of the meat on the board. We will definitely come back when we are in town again.

My friend and I enjoyed a delicious lunch here today! The service was A+. We ordered the French onion soup, mussels and fries, tri tip sandwich with salad, and the crème brûlée for dessert. The tri tip sandwich was my favorite, by far the best tri tip sandwich I have ever had. The décor and ambiance are awesome too! We found the portions generous (I was only able to finish half of my sandwich) and the prices fair. I know some have complained that the new chef changed the menu, but he is French, and his French Californian cuisine is AMAZING! Everything is made in house. We will definitely be back!

I don’t even remember bookmarking this place, but somehow it’s on my list of places to try near where I worked. I had plans to go see a show later that night, and I’ve had some long weeks at work, so I decided to treat myself.
I came by looking for a table, but it was packed with groups of people who looked like they just got off work, but since I was really nice and polite to the host, I definitely was able to get a table. I only needed it for like an hour since I had to get to my play.
Ordered a glass of prosecco (since I’ve been trying to lose weight) I haven’t really been drinking and it was delicious. I also ordered the squid ink pasta with shrimp and scallops. I’ve been on this scallop craving for a while. It was a little strange with pasta with cream, but it was good. I do like cream, but the issue is seafood and cream isnt always the best.
Service was great! Host, waiter, overall, it was wonderful!
Protip: Get some drinks and food and have a good time!

Saturday night dinner was wonderful. My boyfriend and I had a really nice dinner here, cocktails and wine were really good. Our waiter Tom was awesome, very attentive and funny it’s nice to have a waiter who not only takes care of you but has a fun sense of humor during the night. Definitely reccomed sitting in his section if you can.
The food was good, The only thing I didn’t like was the salad choices, I’m not a fan of fruit and nuts in my salad or fruit dressings and it seems it’s all they had on the menu. Different options would have been nice. Overall the dinner was great food and service was awesome definitely a hidden gem in the financial district!

We came here for happy hour with ten minutes to spare. We were quickly seated and asked if we wanted to order from the happy hour menu. We ordered and were told that we could have an additional 10 minutes to choose food items SCORE!
The waitress was pleasant & attentive, but didn’t over do it.
We ordered the charcuterie cheese board, the truffle mushroom flatbread (recommended by the server) and the olive tapenade. All tasted perfect with our wine (6 glasses totalThe bill was around $ 120.
We enjoyed it and will be back!

Great food, good service, and elegant décor — a solid dinner spot.
My friends and I shared the roasted Brussels sprouts and mushroom flatbread as starters — both were good. I got the wild mushroom pasta as my main, and quite enjoyed it. I also had a bit of my friend’s beet salad, which was delicious. Our group of 4 shared the 3 layered chocolate mousse for dessert — it pretty good. I also enjoyed my Citrus Trade cocktail.
The service was friendly, patient, and prompt — I was quite pleased.
We were seated upstairs, and loved the old-​school library feel of the dining room.
Overall, we had a great experience here!

Great spot for work lunches (or dinners) in FiDi. Also, takes reservations here on Unilocal which is helpful.
Had the vegetarian wild mushroom pasta w mushroom foam and it was delicious ($ 20). Really well cooked.
The French fries and service are excellent as well. I’d come back.

Would totally have given this place 1 star if it wasn’t for how the manager/​waitress who made the end of our stay better than the start. Our party had a reservation for 5:30pm in which they called to confirm the same day. We arrived 17 minutes after our reservation and apparently they give away tables after 15 minutes without notice (just TWO minutes). We were pretty unhappy, especially since the guy with a man bun who we checked in with kept giving us attitude… that guy was not accommodating at all.
We ended up sticking around to grab drinks at the bar and left our name down to waitlist for the next open table. We were promised a table so the waitress took our order ahead of time and then unfortunately made a mistake about the availability of that open table. Thus we had to wait just a bit longer. Not the best start am I right?
The drinks were nice though, I got a Teely Peach which tasted like refreshing champaign served at weddings. Eventually we did get a table and the food came right out since we had ordered ahead. We got oysters, cheese boards, patte, and truffle mushroom arugula pizza. I would say the food was alright. The manager ended up coming out to apologize to us about our experience. He told our waitress who was darling I have to admit to bring us 2 order of fries with lobster bits on the house. That was actually my favorite order of the night. Overall definitely applaud their efforts to make it up to us.

I came here with my co-​workers for lunch after an outing in the city and we really enjoyed the food! It’s a bit $$, but the service was excellent and the quality of the food was great. They also have some very good alcoholic drinks.
We ordered the garlic chicken + mushroom flatbreads, charcuterie board, and fries to share. Everything was tasty. For entrée I ordered the petrale sole fish, was came with a creamy sauce. I enjoyed it very much.
Others on my team ordered the steak, croque madam, and mushroom pasta. I think the steak seemed to be the best dish. It was a huge piece of meat and perfectly cooked.
For dessert we ordered the apple tart and passion fruit mousse to share. Both were very good. By checking in to Unilocal,we also received complimentary tea or coffee, which was nice. Solid 4 stars and definitely worth a return visit.

Awesome little spot in the FiDi! Always good for a meal on those late nights coming out the office or even just on a casual get together. Great ambiance, crowd and awesome food.
Service was also impeccable, Grace was a standout and ensured our dining experience was great. It’s always a plus when people at the restaurant intimately know the menu items and could articulate what they like about it, as opposed to a generic line that you hear at most places.