Sessions at the Presidio

I live in the Presidio and have tried to come to this place five times. Every time has been painful. Their service is just not friendly. Last night we asked if to turn on on one of the 22 heat lamps on the patio. They told me sorry, 21 are broken. Brand new restaurant, 21 broken heaters! Nailed it! Save your money, this place, like the two before it in this location wont be open in late 2017.

Went here for lunch with colleagues. Got the fish and chips and a citrus panna cotta for dessert. It was all super tasty and the overall experience was great.

We came excited to try Sessions, we left feeling our patronage inconvenienced them. The space is beautiful, food/​drink amazing, the service at best off putting. It took a long time for one of the two bartenders to acknowledge our group, he seemed irritated with any menu questions, and ignored me four separate times when I asked for a glass of water.
Seriously, wouldn’t have thought twice about this if the bar was busy but how do you explain this kind attitude when its not? Rude!

Went here with my family and visiting brother in December. I really enjoyed the atmosphere.
The mussels and fries w/​aioli are the best I’ve had, and I seek this dish out wherever I go. The buttermilk fried quail were absolutely perfect. Crispy, crunchy on the outside, fall apart tender on the inside. The duck liver mousse w/​Flanders ale gelee was fun and delicious. The farmstead cheese plate was excellent, and paired really well with the beer I was having. A saison, I believe.
My brother is a picky eater, so he got the burger and fries. He claimed it was the best he’d had. I really loved the attention to detail given to every dish. The chef has really hit it on the nose. The cocktails were sublime. Sessions is a great place, and I can’t wait to get back. Bravo!

I hit this place while visiting from out of town. My local friends hadn’t tried it and it was close to where I was staying. In a word: Remarkable. This is a great spot for any social occasion or a quick bite after work. The idyllic patio, ample parking and sophisticated locally focused beer list would be enough on their own. But the food, Sweet Mother Hubbard the food.
My friends, this place has a beer focus but this is no Gastro Pub. This is a world class kitchen with offerings too sublime to be described, but I’ll try. I will start with the «Brewed Bread», this is unlike any other bread I have ever had. It is no less than a celebration of the act of chewing. The texture and flavor start your mouth watering and the mild tang of the accompanying goat butter keep it going perfectly. You might think beer and bread are only going to kill your appetite but that’s not what happened to me. The vibrantly fresh oysters, the pillow-​soft ricotta dumplings, the house-​made pasta and the rustic fruit tart shared with friends all found ample room in my oh so satisfied belly.
My Saturday evening was launched perfectly, at little too well in fact. Sunday morning found me waking up a little rough (not from dinner but from the indulgence and fun it inspired later in the evening). I returned for brunch the next day and found my bad judgment from the prior evening soothed by the dramatically over-​portioned and strikingly well balanced Open Faced Ruben. It is rich, savory, delicate and robust all at the same time, sure to go toe to toe with the deepest of hangovers. Just between you and me, the lower gravity hair-​of-​the-​dog didn’t hurt either. So much better than a Bloody Mary. I want to reset my dials not go on a bender. All in all, I am sorry I live so far away. If you are anywhere in the area you owe it to yourself to plan a Session.

This is honestly a tough one to review. The food was certainly 4-​star worthy, but the ambiance was more 2 – 3 stars. So I guess I would really side more with a 3 ½ star over all rating.
Sessions at the Presidio is housed in the old Dixie and Pres a Vis location. And if you’ve ever dined at either of those places, you’ll remember how huge the space is. We’re talking the size of a football. So even if the restaurant was busy, it would still feel kind of empty.
Unfortunately, the newly designed restaurant hasn’t done terribly much to remove that empty feeling. The best part of the space is the rectangular bar. It’s more or less the epicenter of the whole place. The rest of the interior, however, is pretty drab and uninspired. And for a restaurant that’s charging $ 30+ for an entrée, you’d expect a little more creativity with the décor. Where we sat (behind the bar), it was a cold room with just a few long tables and nothing on the walls.
The other complaint I had with the space was the entrance. Upon arrival, you see a large sign that says Sessions at the Presidio. But then it’s kind of confusing as to where the front door is. Is it through the patio. You literally have to press your face against the window to see where the hostess stand is (and even that is somewhat hidden). In fact, when we walked inside there was no hostess at all. So we weren’t sure if we should just seat ourselves or stand around and wait. Just sayin’ — that entrance could use a little work. After all, it’s the first impression that diners will have upon arrival.
As for the positive, the food was pretty solid. I ordered the slow cooked pork shoulder served over trofie pasta & cabbage and topped with a preserved lemon and caper aioli. It felt like a very hearty German-​inspired dish. Each bite was heavenly! My dining companions ordered the burger and the Niman Ranch beef hangar steak. And the table split an order of the brussels sprouts. Everyone seemed to enjoy their selection. Though be warned, prices are a bit high. So if you’re dining on a budget, this might not be the place for you.
In addition to the pork shoulder, I thought the cocktails were the real stars of the evening. My favorite was the Mission Revival (mezcal, blanc vermouth, ancho reyes chili liqueuer, grapefruit bitter). This is one of the better cocktails I’ve had in a while. And after downing 2 of them back-​to-​back, I was in a very happy place.
All in all, I thought Sessions at the Presidio delivered a solid dining experience. I do think it could work on some things. But I could totally seeing myself come back here and having dinner & drinks at the bar.

We just finished a wonderful family reunion for 35 cousins in the Sessions back room. Evin Gelleri arranged for us a fabulous menu of all of Sessions specialties. Perfect pancakes, delicious Fish tacos, best best hamburger and an incredible Polenta egg dish. All 35 of us had a fabulous time. We want to compliment Sessions on the great meal and thank his staff for the attentive service, It wasn’t an easy group to handle and they all did it perfectly and pleasantly.
Perfect Family Reunion… thank you Sessions

I was with a group of ~ 20 people and a private dining space had been reserved but it was a narrow glass room without a 4^th wall next to a larger group having a bridal shower or something. It was so loud you couldn’t talk to the person next to you.
Thankfully they were able to move us but why have an open «private» room is beyond my comprehension.
I enjoyed my cheese dumplings (the only vegetarian option on the menu) but they were really rich. They said «we have salads» but come on… I’m so sick and tired of being offered a salad as a viable option for dinner. It’s 2016 and we’re in Northern California; is that really the best you can do? Unfortunately I had to deal with people around me eating pork belly and steak.
The desserts were lovely; the service was mediocre but friendly. It was super crowded too.

I was very pleasantly surprised with Sessions. Service was prompt and attentive. Food was notably good: cheese dumplings light and flavorful, ahi with amazing finger lime which was like a citrus caviar, and mushroom pappardelle loaded with all varieties of mushrooms. Everything presented beautifully and seasoned just right.
Craft beers too many to count and special cocktails rounded out the meal.
My only «complaint» is the space is just enormous and has a bit too much of an industrial/​utilitarian feel but I know they tried to fix this when they took over from previous restaurant Dixie.
Would definitely return! (Need to try housemade charcuterie!) BTW if using über/​taxi direct them to Lyon street near Lombard entrance to Presidio so you won’t have to walk far to get to the restaurant.
Enjoy!

Great food, friendly service. I will be back.
I had the Eggs in Pergatory; spicky and oh so good. Friends had burger and maui tacos, they would have it again.

No.
Bad service: waiter rarely stopped by, got clearly irritated when we asked for some ketchup to go with our french fries, had to hunt people down to get our water refilled.
Bad setup: really light bar food menu, and they don’t serve dinner until 5:30.
Bad food: $ 17 hamburger had a thin patty and just wasn’t good. My children wouldn’t eat the fries. They said, «these fries are gross.» We had been talking amongst ourselves about the odd taste of the fries when my seven year old said this.
I repeat: my *children* wouldn’t eat the fries. They said, «these fries are gross.» !!!

This is an excellent addition to the neighborhood and Presidio. Third time is a charm for this location.
Extraordinary selection of beers served by very pleasant knowledgable folks.
Food uniformly delicious.
Standouts include: brussels sprouts, pappardelle, quail, crudo and the burger.
Good value for premium ingredients and preparation.
Service Included; Sessions is pioneering the idea of pricing-​in service with an automatically added 20%.
Seems to provoke strong feelings for many. Most folks tip around 20% anyway so what’s the big deal?
The big deal is that this way Sessions can include the people who cook, prep and clean up in the equation.
Extra Credit Reading:
How tips and hourly wages in the restaurant industry typically work.
Tips are owned by the waitstaff. The restaurant has no ability to distribute tips more broadly so waitstaff in places like SF with a high minimum wage ($ 12.50) and no «tip credit» (a minimum wage rate that takes tip compensation into account [e.g. MD=$ 3.63/hr]) can make a for hourly earnings that are higher than many people realize.
A rough example: Consider a 4 hour shift. Say 10 tables @$ 100 each * 20% for tips = $ 200 plus 4 hours @$ 12.50/hour = Total $ 250 so $ 62.50/hour. Of course there are deductions and in many restaurants waiters share with other waitstaff personnel like runners and bus people. Still, the tip method of compensation in these circumstances is skewed to the waitstaff. Restaurants could pay non-​waitstaff more but, with the waitstaff hourly part of the equation out of wack, some sort of service included approach seems like a smart way to go given the higher cost of living and operating in these parts.

Okay… so I see mixed reviews here for this place. I guess it maybe a hit or miss?
Well, my friend and I met for brunch it, and it was a hit for us!
We got the soft mushroom scramble, the fish tacos, an ahi tuna appetizer and some drinks. It was all so good, and alot to eat:)
Our waiter was very friendly and helpful in helping us make our selections.
The presentation of the food and drink was good, the atmosphere was really nice, clean and lovely. My friend who is a major foodie too, kept on raving about the place and said we should come back. I rarely go to the same place twice, unless it is something to write home about. I would say, I would consider coming back here… as long as they keep up what they are doing, and I here; especially with so many food options in the Bay Area.
I did take off a star, because there were a few things on the menu we wanted to try, and they were out. Likely, really… how do you «run out» of so many dishes, be better prepared.
As for the service charge, I believe there were signs all around. You just need to pay attention to signs, and you receipt when you get it… review your bill people, don’t just sign! I actually like this aspect, as other cities do that now, like Miami. I think it really changes the service experience, for the better!

I wrote a personal email and still waiting for a response.
Hello,
We had lunch at your location on ¹⁰⁄₁₂ at 13:00pm. As soon as we sat down we received a note explaining the Service Charge. After briefly reading your note, we were under the impression that the 20% was already added to the prices in your menu (something that other restaurants are doing in New York).
My husband and I discussed that your prices seemed a little high for lunch but decided to give your restaurant a try. The food was very good, the hamburger was delicious, the salad was small but good. At the end of our meal when we received the bill we were very dissatisfied to see that there was an extra $ 9.00 service charge, a $ 4.00 charge for bread on top of the overpriced $ 19.00 hamburger and $ 12.00 beer.
Truly very disappointed, you are forcing your customer to pay 20% extra on top of your 20% higher prices. We eat out a lot and trust me when I say it is a little to expensive for lunch. You can simply take a look at your competition «The Commissary» where the same delicious, grass fed hamburger only cost $ 14.00 with no extra service charge…
Thank you

I came with my girlfriends for brunch and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The atmosphere is relaxed and it wasn’t loud, and our waiter was super sweet and we enjoyed his recommendations.
I ordered the special, some sort of pastrami hash with beets, frisée and potatoes, all topped with two soft poached eggs. The pastrami was so tender and soft, marbled with just the right amount of fat.
We also got dessert. I got the pumpkin cake with brûlée chai panna cotta. I lived the combination and it felt like the fall. The portion was pretty big, too.
All in all, I enjoyed my experience there and would certainly come back and have dinner here.

Sessions was a surprise to find in at the edge of the Presidio near my favorite yoda statue. I read a bit about Sessions before i went and quickly booked a table for two. The remodeled space that Sessions occupies Is a clean combination of wood, concrete, and exposed metal. Really easy to move from the seating areas to the bar to the outdoor patio.
Beer ¹⁰⁄₁₀: once we were seated at our table we were presented with three menus; only one of these was for food. Yes, besides having a rotating list of on radio options the other binder we were presented with contained a libraries worth of bottled delights. We knew a fair amount of the list but still it was great to see them all in one place, even our server said he wasn’t quite fully versed in all of them yet (disclosure: this was the second weekend they were open. Gotta cut them some slack).
Food ¹⁰⁄₁₀: the food was the surprise of the night in a very good way. Instead of getting entrees my cohort and I split three small plates: the panella cheese dumplings, tuna crudo, and the pork pancake (couldn’t find the name on the menu, hope it’s still there!!). Everything that we ate was beautifully presented and portioned. Between three plates both of us were full, although I could have taken a bucket of the cheese dumplings home. DO NOT SKIP DESSERT, the molasses ice cream sandwich was epic.
Everything Else 8.5÷10: Being that when we went Sessiobs had only been open for a week I was more than happy to be patient. Getting seated took a bit of time and it took the staff some time to figure out who exactly was suppose to be our server. It’s also a bit pricy for what I originally expected ($ 98 for two including the added 20%). But don’t let these small instances dissuade you from going. Sessions is just getting its gameface on.

We had an opportunity to check out this new spot in the presidio. We came for brunch on Labor Day hearing that they just opened a few weeks ago. Make sure that you get there before 2:30, as they close the kitchen down and don’t open it again until dinner at 5:30. Don’t worry, you can still have cocktails for three hours, just no munchies.
We started off with the avocado toast, yes I know, everyone is doing it in sf now. But this dish stood out. Had pickled red onions, a light sprinkling of cheese and a nice crispy toast. We also had the trout tarting, which was good but more like a toast then a tart. Next on to the polenta with mushrooms and a poached egg. Scrumptious! And a large serving to boot, definitely order the polenta. We also ordered the homemade bread with goat cheese and berry compote, yum! Lastly, we ordered the Belgium apple pancakes with bacon. Had a great caramel sauce. Was delicious, although a bit overpriced for pancakes.
Sadly, we didn’t have room for dessert. Next time for sure! There were nine great desserts to choose from!
We of course checked out the stellar beer list. They have a two page draft list and a big book of bottles to choose from. Not quite abbots cellar, but you get the drift. We tried the sweet potato beer, it was yummy. Bummed that they have a daily beer sampler of three beers of their choice. Would rather choose my own sampler.
We did have a few cocktails too, as it was brunch after all. We had the grapefruit bramble, the Bloody Mary and my favorite the espresso martini. They used coconut milk which really elevated this drink to the next level. I may even like it better then the similar version at Nopa.
Overall, definitely recommend this spot for a hidden gem brunch spot. Great overall patio to sit out and enjoy the view. Friendly staff, scrumptious food and cocktails and beer galore equal a hit in my book.

Beer heaven! Delicious food made of fresh ingredients (some from Skywalker Ranch) and overall great dinner experience here last night!
FOOD/​DRINKS– 80 – 100 beers, specializing in session beer… easy drinking, perfect for me! Other drinks ranging from bottled wines, wine of tap, bottled beer, and cocktails! We chose the Galaxy white IPA to share and it was good, light, smelled like mango initially then a little bit like tropical fruit i.e. soursop/​durian! I’m fine with that since I love durian, but husband made a face at some point. Food food food. Omg the buttermilk FRIED QUAIL! I kept repeating «this is good! I really like it» almost the whole time I was eating it. I think it brings fried chicken to a new level, the skin was tasty and crunchy, the meat was tender and sweet, gulping the IPA after each bite was so much satisfaction, perfect combo! The MUSSELS are ginormous and plump and cooked perfectly, not chewy at all. Mussels came with some toasted bread so you could dip it in the sauce or you can add firs to it. We ordered the burger which came with fried so didn’t add fries to the mussels. The BURGER was probably the most non-​climatic item we had. It was nicely presented with a bun that looked like Dutch crunch bread except it wasn’t crunchy and was soft. I felt like the bread ratio was a bit off… A bit too much bread. Otherwise, the pickled veg in the burger was sweet which was nice, but it would be nice if there was an option for heat/​spice. So I added the Fresno aioli sauce from the quail to add some heat. The FRIES that came with the burger was so good tho, lightly seasoned to taste like Lay’s sour cream and onion potato chips and the dipping gravy was also tasty. Grilled TRUMPET MUSHROOMS were nicely grilled, juicy, but amount was expensive for $ 7. CHEESE PLATE– chose the sheep and goat cheese (other available was blue cheese) and husband loves it. It came with honeycomb, some type of pickled fruit and thin bread. ICE CREAM SANDWICH of malt ice cream and molasses cookies, husband really enjoyed this since he like brewing beer, the crystal malt syrup was a nice touch. It was a bit too sweet for me but I could appreciate the solid malty flavor and creaminess of the ice cream.
DECOR/​AMBIANCE– sleek and modern of wood and concrete interior. A bit semi dimly lighted at the tables area whereas the bar area was more well-​lit. Huge open space that fit I think more than 150 people! Not many restaurants in SF is this big, really. Where we were seated was a bit loud since we were the first table near the bar area, but it wasn’t intolerable. I expected it to be loud since it is a ‘beer garden’!
SERVICE– very friendly. One of the owners Evin came by to say hi and wished us a nice meal. That was very nice of him to do since he was so busy walking around and checking on things. I saw Evin greet other customers as well. Our waitress was friendly and took our orders accurately. She must have been new because Evin brought a dish for our mussels (we were already eating it already and I just had asked my husband: so strange, where’s the dish for the shells?) and then I heard him tell her a few feet away that «an extra bowl for anything with shells» and later heard him say «did you get it open? Great job!» after she successfully opened a bottle of wine for another table. What a nice and encouraging boss! Made me feel fuzzy inside even though the encouragement/​compliment wasn’t for me. ;)
With the ginormous capacity and so many diners last night, I was quite impressed that waitstaff were so attentive. Service was well-​paced, received beer, water and cheese plate, then other dishes came all at once a little later. I didn’t feel neglected or forgotten at all.
Recommend anyone to come here for a nice drink (so much too choose from) and some good food. I am totally willing to come often for just the fried quail and beer! Keep in mind that the place could get loud (for dinner on a Friday night at the least) and service charge of 20% is already calculated into the bill.
Large space with lots of seating so I imagine it could be a great pick for larger groups when reservations are made in advance.

08.30.15
Sunday AM and I was feeling brunchy. Why not check out the first weekend of Sessions’ brunch menu?
As expected, the beer list is long, and quite daunting. Also as expected, the wait staff is knowledgeable and can make great recommendations.
We started with a flight of three beers — it comes in extremely cute glasses that are almost too adorable to drink out of.
Then came the food — burger, bacon pancakes, and the duck liver mousse. The crackers that come with the mousse is quite addictive. I’m still thinking about it now. And I want more.
Great addition to the neighborhood, and nice to have another place in the area where you can make reservations without the wait!
Total damage for three: $ 90.66

This place is going to be my new regular post up after work spot. The food, drink selection, service, and atmosphere are a fantastic combination. I wanted to try as much food as possible, so a friend and I tried some plates to share.
Food:
1. We started off with the bread made with yeast from the beer and goats milk butter. The butter has sea salt on it and just melts in your mouth.
2. The cheese dumplings… omg I can eat a thousand of these. They’re amazing. Order the larger portion only because you will want to eat nothing else in life except these savory dumplings with a small spice kick in the end.
3. Creamy polenta… order it. It’s delicious!
4. Mussels with fries and aioli. The mussels were so big and the buttery sauce so flavorful. Someone on an earlier post mentioned the aioli being too garlicky, but it definitely is not. I couldn’t get enough of it.
Next time: I’m excited to try the tuna, salmon, the brunch menu, and dessert. The kalamata olive cheese cake looks amazing and I don’t even usually hit up a dessert menu. I plan on trying some more Skywalker goodies like the olive oil.
Drinks:
1. I started with the cava. Not too many places have cava on the menu, and was impressed with their selection.
2. They have Ancient Peak Zin from Paso Robles. Such a good pick!
3. There are so many amazing beers to choose from, even from my favorite brewery in Amsterdam. I went with the flight, And plan on checking off the beer list with each visit.
Next time: their cocktail list looks so well put together, so I will be definitely having a few of those. They also have Skywalker ranch wine that will need to be sipped on for many hours.
Service:
The staff was so friendly and knowledgable. And the host is one hot hunk!
Atmosphere:
Where else can you find an airy, open space, with greenery, and great lighting in San Francisco?! Only Sessions at the Presidio. They also have a great outdoor patio to enjoy the scenery. Even on those chilly city nights, the patio will be worth it with the amount of heaters provided.
Great work to the team that has made this restaurant to this level of awesomeness while ensuring all the components of a great social scene in SF are met.
Good to know: the service fee aka tip is included at 20%. I happen to love this, so I don’t have to do any math after a few too many glasses of wine. It also supplements the entire staff’s wages which is a wonderful idea. If you want to leave more bring cash. If you want to leave less, go work in a restaurant before going out to eat anywhere again. :)