Ritz-Carlton Lobby Lounge

Limited menu but everything we ordered was delicious! Great ambiance with live music. Perfect place for last minute meal!

My local bar! Good drinks and really good potato chips. It’s embarrassing but I think I get a free drink every time I go, not actually, but because of how many potato chips I eat. Beautiful space, good for an intimate drink or a small group. They have a limited menu and everything on it is what you’d expect from a Ritz Carlton bar. Sometimes there’s live music and sometimes there’s tourists who use it as a daycare center. Either one of those facts may affect your enjoyment, so be forewarned.
A friend rented out the bar (or part of it) for an event once and that was well done; when we ate all the little bites they prepared for us, they scrambled to make more. It’s a stark comparison with the restaurant, Parallel 37, which is… adequate. I’ve had dinner there, I attended a catered event there, and I had breakfast there. Adequate food and adequate décor and really inadequate service considering it’s a Ritz Carlton. The Lobby Lounge is where it’s at!

A great space.
It’s polished.
It’s classic.
It’s quiet.
If I’m going to be honest,
& I’m going to be,
then I have to say that I prefer this space to the restaurant, Parallel 37.
If you sit at a table, you’re sitting in these classic refined upholstered chairs. They’re not passé, they’re not modern. Think classic chic. Like Ralph Lauren.
I could see Ernest Hemingway having a drink in this room in one of these chairs. Totally.
Service is not exactly swift.
Ok, it was slow.
But that may be just because we went through a server instead of going to the bar ourselves. You reap what you sow.
It definitely warrants a place on the best SF hotel drink list.
The Big Four. Dirty Habit. The Tonga Room. Anzu. The Ritz Lounge.
All gems.
I’m still on the fence about MKT @ The Four Seasons. It was pretty meh.
4 stars.

We went to ritz Carlton for desert and it was absolutely amazing. Right from the hostess to the service and food everything was perfect. We ordered the warm apricot cake with pistachio ice cream — It was super moist and perfectly balanced.

I had a high tea here Last Saturday. I was so lucky to have a window seat where can see the city buildings. Everything was perfect, the tea, cakes, live music, environment, but the price. I think it is a little high, but I still recommend. A really fancy place to talk with friends.

Apparently closes at 11:30 not 12 am. We were so hungry and really disappointed that they wouldn’t even serve us a snack or drink. However the manager made sure we were taken care of and sent the food up to our room! Great service thanks so much! Amazing food so good! Recommend the turkey Ruben yummy!

Afternoon tea in the lounge had so much potential but was such a huge disappointment.
Pricing is a little steep compared to other SF tea rooms because it’s in the Ritz Carlton hotel. This would have been a non-​issue had I received excellent service and amazing food. However, the food was not only completely forgettable, it was also incredibly lackluster. Everything was either OK or not even worth finishing. I’ve been to over 10 tea rooms in the area and I usually never have a problem finishing my food. Tables are tiny and there was barely any space for our tea pots and plates (see photo).
Also note that the photos they have on the RC website for afternoon tea are NOT ACCURATE. Look at Unilocal photos instead if you’re curious to see what the spread looks like.
Another issue was that it was evident their servers knew NOTHING about tea. I had 2 different servers and both of them were in desperate need of training. I asked the first server for a tea recommendation but he couldn’t even answer my question. He also couldn’t even describe the teas I asked about… In every other tea room I’ve been to, they present the spread and describe the food/​dessert included in your three tiered stand. Our server didn’t know half the stuff in our stand and used the vaguest words to BS his way through it. To add fuel to the fire, we barely got refills for our tea and had to flag down our servers to pay the bill.
For $ 65, I wouldn’t hesitate to say the Lounge’s afternoon tea is NOT WORTH IT. Please go to the other wonderful tea rooms nearby (ie. Charles Chocolates, The English Rose)

The worst service ever — and not just once but consistently throughout our four day stay. Why did I keep going back you ask? I thought surely it won’t be as bad this time — but yes it was as bad or worse. Pathetic. Irritating — I’m leaving one star only because there is not an option to leave less.

A short while ago I was in the city for a women in education conference close to the Ritz. Me and a few other speakers stopped by here for a few drinks and to chat about the days events. Now, I have been to the Ritz before so I knew what to expect regarding price, etc. I think you have to walk in knowing your going to pay more than the average place at the Ritz.
Great service, great atmosphere. Nice place to hold an informal meeting of the minds. Would go back again, and suggest you give the place a visit. But be prepared to spend a little more than average for your drinks and food.

Service is always terrific. Gorgeous space and pleasant atmosphere. Great place to meet over coffee or tea.

I expected more than what this experience brought. I took a friend to the Ritz for afternoon tea as a belated Christmas gift. The beautiful china was set on a rather small table which was very low. The chairs comfortable but again low and too heavy to move up to the table. The sugar bowl did not have any tongs which made me not want to use the sugar. We ordered the Traditional Tea which was more like Asian Traditional and certainly not British. One savory was a cucumber roll, one with soft white bread filled with some crab, another with a shrimp which I could not eat because of allergy. Another savory was a sesame seed cracker with tofu on top. I would have liked some fresh fruit served with this tea for $ 65.00 per person. Many of the sweets were Asian such as big fortune cookies with a red sugar glitter… glitter on a fortune cookie? I liked the scone but it was very small and quite crisp. The tea was delicious and we were given a second pot when the first pot became too cold.
The service was very friendly. The harpist was wonderful. Would I go back? No.

Despite my high expectations of this being the top hotel of the world I have seen better food at a food truck! Fishy shrimp and greasy fries left me sick as a mcdonald happy meal! I looked forward to my stay here and every moment is another disappointing surprise! Club level is closed no birthday upgrade and no more Sunday buffet breakfast. Customer service is great! As long as you don’t eat and complain about old fish, they disappear .wont be back I can pay less t another hotel this isn’t a 5 star hotel food wise! The stars are for the arrival service to the hotel

Excellent service and awesome bartenders. You can snack or eat at both spots downstairs. A whiskey sour and pretzel or a dinner or lunch. Both places are nice and spacious and everyone gives excellent customer service… Love I can walk here!

Beautiful and elegant lounge in an equally gorgeous hotel.
I live just across the street, and often bring my friends here for champagne and dinner. On more than a few occasions, I’ve run into my out-​of-​town business colleagues here. The staff is excellent.
The food and cocktails are rich. I recommend the spaghetti, a bottle of the Ritz, and the Hemingway.
I often write here. Whenever the deal /​pitch-​deck deadline is near, and I’m suffering from writer’s block — I’ll come here for the live music, and I’ll bring my moleskine with me, and, soon the ideas come out, and the product concept is ready. I often bring my colleagues here to talk through the creative stuff.
This place is the closest thing to my own private Hotel Chelsea.
Life occasionally resembles art within the corridors of the Ritz Carton in San Francisco, and I’m not sure if their other properties can ever lay claim to that feeling, that sensation, and that joy of coming home.

This review is for their afternoon tea. First of all, I know they don’t offer afternoon tea service every weekend, and I’m not sure if it’s offered year-​round or only in the fall/​winter. You can check their website for dates of availability as well as fill out a form to make a reservation. I would probably call rather than book online, though, as you can get a more immediate response that way.
We parked at the Sutter-​Stockton garage which is only a (steep) block or two away. You will see the Lobby Lounge right as you enter the hotel. There is no hostess podium, but when you enter someone will come over and check you in. Their tea is expensive, but when you are there you will see why. The ambiance is very nice, and customer service good. They’ve got some really friendly ladies working there :) And there’s a harpist playing music — how cool is that?! As for the food, can I say BEST SCONES EVER?! So delicious! Teas were good (vanilla bean tea, yum!), desserts ok, sandwiches though — eh. Too fancy shmancy for my taste buds!
At about $ 65 (for their Traditional Tea), this is a bit too expensive to do on a regular basis, but worth the once in awhile splurge!

The service is the kind one can expect at Ritz Carlton. Food was great. Only downfall is the cramped courters. But that goes with San Francisco.

It is a great place
Perfect location
The funny thing is that I have rented a car for $ 30 a day at the airport and I have it here at valet parking and they are charging me for $ 72.95 a night
I think this could be the most expensive valet parking I have ever paid

I can’t wait until their Afternoon Tea resumes! I celebrated my bday here with a group of gfs. We had the «Ritz-​Carlton» experience — everything you would expect from this brand: excellent customer service, elegant setting and complete satisfaction. A harpist was playing beautiful melodies in the lobby lounge adding to the ambiance. Our menu consisted of choosing 3 types of teas and two 3-​tired platters of the most delectable confections, pastries, scones, tea sandwiches, etc. It was beautifully presented and everything was up to par on taste. The waiter was so so so sweet and awesome. He always came around and made sure every tea cup was filled. He also brought out a special dessert for me as a bday surprise. All the gals had a great time. It was surly an unforgettable bday celebration.

Review numero 30.
Seriously, I had no clue you have a dress code. My ripped jeans awarded me with sideways stares and snooty glances.
I love your drinks but the attitude is something I can do without.

Sexy friends and I enjoyed drinks here one evening.
Smooth service, as expected for the Ritz-​Carlton. At the bar, friendly bartender Napoleon took the time to brainstorm with me, then made us hefty «shots» of banana mudslides, a pleasant, fruity concoction perfect for alcoholic monkeys.
The atmosphere in the lobby lounge is clearly old money (read: stuffy) but the seating was surprisingly comfortable. Their lounge has a view of the surrounding neighborhood, too. It wasn’t crowded, but your luck may vary. Of course, go dressed up — we were all decked out.
Drinks cost a pretty penny, but, hey, it’s the Ritz.