Straw

Love love love this place. Rib sundae, donut burger, lamb cupcakes, OH MY… Love love love this place. Something for everyone. Forget bread give me some spicy kettle corn. We almost got full, on the delicious popcorn with the spicy sweet kernels of love. The lamb cupcakes with beet stained garlic mashed potatoes was decadent. The donut burger. OMG. I was scared but it was soooooooo delicious. The rib sundae … Drops mic. Between the donut burger, rib sundae, our cocktail bowl, and a tad bit of guilt for the indulgence I was the happiest girl in the world.

Chose Straw based on their Unilocal reviews. Came today (Saturday) @around 12:15 and had about an hour wait to be seated. At around 1:30 there was no longer a wait and multiple open tables.
We ordered the huevo rancheros and the chicken n waffle. Both were very tasty, though the chicken and waffle sauciness and sugar overpowered the chicken a bit.

Gourmet Carnival Food? Sure why not.
Straw looks so adorably themed. Clown posters everywhere, even a ride attraction as a seat? Cute.
Their food? Not so much. I’ve been seeing all the photos of the donut burger & it looked amazing. But really more amazingly sweet. All of the dishes we ordered here were alright but just too much at once. Too sweet, too heavy.
We came here for brunch on a Saturday and tried the:
— RingMaster Donut Burger: There’s just so much donut here. They use two whole donuts. It’s just so sweet. On the bright side their fries are good.
— Fried Chicken & Waffle Monte Cristo: There’s just WAY too much jam on the toast. I didn’t even add any syrup and it just tasted so sweet. Ended up picking out the fried chicken from the waffles. Fries are good.
— Hanky Panky: Waffle with Bacon and fried egg. Taste exactly as it sounds. Ended up picking out the fried egg. Just too much carb overload.
— Pork Hash ($ 13) — If you could get one dish get THIS one. It’s still heavy but it’s the only one that taste like REAL food. None of that sugar overload.
— Orange Creamsicle — Skip out on this. It’s expensive and you can easily make your own at home. Orange Soda + Vanilla ice cream. There you go. Doesn’t taste anything special.
This is one brunch place in SF that I’ve crossed off my list to try. But def not coming back lol. One time for the concept was cool enough for me.

Our host and server were both great. The décor is whimsical and interesting. But none of this made up for my disappointment with the food itself.
I ordered the ringmaster and my husband got the chicken and waffles. Both dishes looked great when they were first set down. But as another reviewer recently posted, the burger was overcooked and under-​seasoned; and the 2 slices of cheese quickly dried up. Within 3 minutes of being on the table, the entire thing was unappealing.
The chicken and waffles were A-​ok. The cranberry jam and syrup complemented the popcorn chicken. Both dishes came with sides that were the saving grace– tossed salad and fries.

The service here was excellent. I absolutely enjoyed everyone I encountered. The food, however, wasn’t as great as I expected. I ordered the famous chicken ‘n waffles and was underwhelmed with the flavor. It looked like Straw tried to create their own pizazz by adding cheese and a fruit jam, but I could hardly taste it. The most flavorful item on the dish was the syrup.
My friend ordered the chilaquiles and they didn’t stand out either.
I did see a few people order the cheeseburger in between two doughnuts and that looked very interesting — might have to try that next time!

This place gets 5 stars for service and 2 stars for food, though it is admittedly fun in the décor and the feel of the place. Our crew of 5 made it in in 15min for a Saturday brunch which was a big props but admittedly we called the day before, they told us they don’t take reservations so come at 10 on the dot (when they open) and we’d get in.
PROS: fun food for hangovers, fun décor, nice service
CONS: food not super tasteful, no reservations for brunch

I came here for dinner (not brunch) because their famous dishes are served all day!
Chicken & Waffles — Thumbs up. The friend chicken was almost in the form of chicken nuggets. I personally don’t like jam, but for most people, I think that’s the flavor that makes this meal so unique. Probably not the best fried chicken in SF, but points for creativity. Great fries though!
Jambalaya — It was okay, but not amazing. The sausage was really good, but the shrimp and chicken tasted like it was almost a bit overcooked. Again, still enjoyed our meal, but it didn’t blow us out of the water.
Popcorn — This is like their version of bread. So good! It has a kick to it that’s really enjoyable.
It was a very cool spot and relatively reasonably priced. The staff was pretty friendly too. They take reservations. :)
I didn’t get to try their donut/​burger but will be back to try that next time!

Meh.
If you’re going to be one of the select few restaurants that can take reservations on Unilocal,your food needs to be on par with that level of reputation. Came here with a couple of friends Wednesday night and reserved a table for 7:30pm. It was mostly empty so I’m guessing reservations really aren’t needed later at night. If it wasn’t for the creative circus theme, I would give this place at most two stars. What was great in the beginning was that they bring you tasty popcorn while you look over the menu.
I got the Ringmaster and a Big Dipper.
The only reason why I wanted to come here was for the Ringmaster. The Ringmaster is a donut burger, standard beef patty placed in between two glazed donuts. Though it sounds appetizing, the burger did not taste great at all. I asked for my patty to be cooked medium, and it came out well done. Where is the juice and flavor? The donuts were not appetizing and dry as well. Also, I could not bring myself to finish the burger so it’s best to split this burger with someone. The Big Dipper is a strawberry lemonade infused with sake and rum. It’s a well decorated drink with cotton candy crystals on the mason jar rim, but I barely tasted any alcohol. My friend ordered the Monte Cristo Chicken & Waffles and that looked way better than the Ringmaster (it comes with sweet potato tater tots!).
I would recommend ordering anything other than the Ringmaster.

So about 3 weeks ago, I decided to change and by change, I mean for good. I have always been a gym rat but eating healthy was always something I struggle w/​. I’d eat healthy for the most part and then come game days and I find myself back to square one. When I cheat, I find it hard to stop but after I met a guy that is into the same things I am into, sticking to my goals seemed much easier.
I ate clean for 3 weeks and trained everyday — no days off. Decided that Straw would be my cheat and it happened Monday.
We ordered and asked them to half the orders:
+ Fried Chicken and Waffle Monte Cristo w/​fries
+ The Ringmaster, added maple glazed bacon and opted for sweet potato tots
First off, the popcorn that was brought out to the table (complimentary) packed some heat and was very good. I could have easily had that entire bowl as my appetizer. Our plates came out about 15 minutes later and it was a work of art. The 2 entrees were plated beautifully. It looked too beautiful to eat but of course w/​the deprivation and anticipation, we both dove in and was in taste heaven. We had the Ringmaster first.
The glazed donuts was soft and moist, the burger patty was seasoned perfectly, and the maple glazed bacon had the right amount of crunch to it. I will order the entire thing next time w/​o halving it! It was delicious. I have had something similar years ago from Dough Truck but Rob has never tried this combination. If it were possible, I think he would prefer to eat this alone because I saw his eyes light up and smile a few times after each bite. The fried chicken monte cristo sandwich was good but the jam (although delicious) gave the dish an off taste. The chicken was tender and the waffle was a little too soft for it to be a «sandwich» base but overall it was a unique and tasty dish. The fries and sweet potato tots were delicious…
During our meal, KC came to check on us a few times. One thing led to another and in the end, it resulted in Rob drinking 3oz of maple syrup in exchange for a comped entrée. I don’t even know how the conversation started but it was fun to watch him slow down to lethargy in the car after the meal. He just sat there for like 5 minutes, not saying a word. Haha.
What a great cheat meal.
We both love to lift and we both love food. He cheats once a week but I have chosen to cheat once every 2 – 3 weeks. The wait was definitely worth it. After I woke up, I went down a pound. It is all about nutrition and learning portion control.
Great food. Great service. I’d come back now if I could.

What a fun experience!
The Donut Breakfast Sandwich was delicious! Others may have judged me for it… but I judge them for missing out on something so delicious. Was hesitant at first about cheese paired with a donut. But the whole combo– maple bacon, eggs, cheese on top of those oh so fluffy donuts was amazing.
Service was super friendly as well. They even let us put our name down on the wait list, walk around the neighborhood– called us and even held our table while we walked back! (We don’t have that in my city)

We came here for dinner with a group for Dining Out for Life. Straw donated portions of the food and drink to charity. Even though the space is small, we were easily accommodated.
They only serve wine and beer, but everything is available by glass or bottle. They’ve even gotten creative with some sake-​tails. We ordered some drinks and got started.
Looking over the menu, there’s an obvious nod to carnival dishes, but anyone not keen on those can easily find something appealing from the other choices.
We started with three appetizers, and all were delicious, but the group agreed that the fried pickles and sriracha aioli sauce was the stand-​out.
For entrees, half the group got more standard fare, and two of us got carnival inspired dishes. My doughnut burger was visually appealing, and got the most camera attention, but was one-​note flavorwise — it was sweet! The chicken and waffles Monte Cristo, and the other dishes, were devoured in no time, washed down with bubbly Rosé.
Consensus was that we enjoyed the atmosphere and food and drink. The novelty was certainly the draw, but there’s more than that to Straw. Check it out!

Fun place and fun food!
The restaurant is very small, but if you come at opening time (10am) you can definitely get a seat! Yay for opening late (not like 7am) that makes arriving when it just opens easier: D And no long lines before it even opens! Seats filled around 10:20. After 11 it’s quite a wait.
Of course we ordered the famous «As-​seen-​on-​TV» donut burger and chicken waffles! Very big portion. Both delicious: donut burger is a bit heavy, so you may want to split it with others and maybe order a salad to balance and share. After all, it’s two glazed donuts with a very thick burger meat: P Only ‘flaw’ is the lack of freshness from the veggies, thus the salad sharing.
Chicken waffles are the best! The waffles are cornmeal, it crumbles easily, but I have a soft spot for anything cornmeal. Salads looks good and ample portion as well!
Wouldn’t mind coming back, but now I tried the signature dishes, I’ll free to try other more regular things: P

How do you know if a chef is a clown?
The food tastes funny.
Ordered:
— Fried Chicken-​n-​Waffle Monte Cristo $ 15.00
— Rocky Mountain Madame $ 12.75
— The Ringmaster with French Fries $ 13.00
Tina’s Triggers and Thoughts
— After the Rock N Roll Half Marathon in SF, why not get fatty food?! Well, the waiter/​host even pointed it out…
— We were probably the first 5 groups that came and we had to wait at the door because they couldn’t find the regular sign in sheet. We waited for a good 30 minutes or so to get a table, but it looked like they were understaffed with two servers and a bunch of cooks
— We were down to wait just because we didn’t have anywhere else to be and we wanted to give this place a try
— Restroom was a single co-​ed room behind the kitchen — fairly clean and small.
— First thing we noticed was that the mason jar for our water was literally yellow. Kind of disgusting to see, but I mean it’s not only meant for water — teas, coffees, etc. I work at a Starbucks. I get it.
— Spaces at tables are fairly good, décor is fun and playful for the kids who don’t have a fear of clowns.
— Food was just okay. It didn’t stand out to me. Just average food. The maple syrup on the waffles was a little too much sweetness for me. The Belgian waffle and house fried potato tots were crispy and flavorful, which I liked.
— Don’t get me started with the ringmaster. It was like a cake for breakfast. Ground chuck beef between two homemade glazed doughnuts? Never again.
— The rocky mountain did not rock me well at all. It was just a piece of bread with gravy. There was like a small piece of egg inside that didn’t even drip drop after I sliced it with my knife. What a disappointment.
— Yay or nay to coming back? Probably nay.

A cool, unique restaurant in Hayes valley. Its small and I mean really small but a clever carnival themed restaurant. I was a little caught of guard because I only heard about the food and not so much about the atmosphere.
Anyways my friends and I decided to give this place a go. We came on a Tuesday night. The restaurant was pretty empty, but we get told that they were booked with reservations, understandable. But throughout the night, we noticed that the restaurant never filled up and that they basically left us in the cold. Some people may have cancelled their reservations but what happened? Everyone cancelled?!
Aside from that, the food is good, not great.
*Started off with the complementary kettle corn seasoned with cayenne pepper and some other seasoning that I can’t remember. I love this popcorn, sweet and spicy.
*Ringmaster — Doughnut burger! I had to add bacon! The doughnut itself was okay. Although that I had cheese in my burger, I really couldn’t taste it. I also added an egg. The fries that came with the burger we seasoned nicely and crispy.
*Monte Cristo (Chicken & Waffles) — I think this was the better of the two. The fried chicken was seasoned well and come out with some nice flavors. The fried chicken was on the light side though, it felt more like a chicken tender than fried chicken. The waffle was cool, not special. The surprise with this combo is the jam. Their house made jam makes the sandwich standout! You’ll enjoy a nice sweet and savory bite. I would probably like the chicken to be a bit more crunchy side with a little more salt. With a really sweet jam and your sandwich drenched with syrup, sweet will eventually dominate the savory out of the sandwich.
Had a couple drinks too
*Big Dipper — Sake, Vodka, lemonade. It’s sweet with, the rim of the jar is coated with pink and green candy sugar. The drink itself was delicious but not very strong.
*Muscato Mule — Love this one. Not to strong and surprisedly spicy! It’s a nice change of pace.
Overall, I liked the uniqueness of Straw. The carnival theme is clever. The thought of gourmet carnival food is something that’s never crossed my mind. Despite the small menu, the food is good, just a couple small things that prevented it from being a Homerun for me. The service was great, the servers we helpful and even though we had to sit outside, we weren’t forgotten. If your considering dining here then I would recommend putting a reservation in since it is a really small restaurant. And parking is always difficult around Hayes, so pray to the parking gods or über/​lyft here.

Made a reservation for Friday at 630 because we had a show to see at 8 nearby.
The décor is carnival kitschy and there’s a seat in the corner taken from a carnival ride.
The food was just okay though and I probably won’t return given how many better choices there are nearby.
I wasn’t quite sure what the theme of this restaurant was. Some of the food is carnival themed (funnel cake, cotton candy, donut burgers) and some is southern (po’boys, jambalaya, and fried pickles). There’s better southern food in the city and I suppose the carnival food thing is niche but not exactly what I would seek out for dinner most nights.
We ordered a beer (they had run out of the beer I wanted but I had a la fin du monde which was good) and strawberry basil lemonade to start. Lemonade was definitely fresh – tasted like agua fresca. They served a complimentary spiced popcorn for the table which was tasty and a nice touch.
We started with the fried pickles which were the best bite of the meal for me. The portion was really small though – 6 pieces maybe? The dipping sauce had a nice heat but overall I wanted more of this dish and would gladly pay slightly more for the app for a more generous portion.
The beau got the chicken waffle monte cristo and I ordered the jambalaya. I actually wanted the salmon po’boy but they had «run out.» [pet peeve: restaurants that run out of something on their dinner menu at 630 on a Friday… They had also run out of the first beer I wanted to order.] I enjoyed the first few bites of the jambalaya but only ate about half the bowl because the flavors fell flat and there wasn’t enough liquid so I ended up with a bowl of mostly shrimp, chicken and sausage. My bf liked his sandwich a lot and said the sweet/​savory combination was good. I had a bite of the monte cristo and liked it too but it would have been a pretty heavy meal. We saw people around us eating the donut burgers and I assumed they were just gonna go home and sleep afterwards– super heavy/​greasy/​rich meal that would be!
Service was adequate. We were initially seated at a table near the open door even though there were open tables along the wall. I asked to relocate and the hostess eventually moved us after some feigned struggled about larger reservations coming in an hour.
Anyhow, if you saw the donut burger on TV and want to come and take the challenge to eat that, then I suppose this is the place for you. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced dinner place in Hayes Valley for before a show that has good food and will leave you feeling full but not stuffed/​in a food coma, eat elsewhere.

Another great choice for brunch with my brunch buddy Nina Y. We arrived at 10am on a Sunday and waited around 20 minutes. The line got WAY longer after that, so I would recommend arriving no later than 10am. There are plenty of places to sit outside after you write your name on their list.
When we were finally seated, our waitress was fantastic. Very welcoming and attentive. Love the carnival theme throughout the restaurant, including the menu taped inside children’s books. I started with a Bloody Mary, which was amazing. It paired perfectly with the Rocky Mountain Madame ($ 12.75) which was egg-​in-​the-​hole brioche toast, prosciutto, swiss, garlic aioli, cheddar bechamel, and home fries. Great variety of textures in this dish. I would come back again to have the same thing! Oh and the home fries were tasty.
YES — bookmark Straw on YOUR list of brunch places to eventually visit!

got here at 1:26PM and still had to wait 50 minutes before being seated. You should definitely make a reservation if you can. It started sprinkling about 30 minutes into our wait. I was cold and wet and hungry so that might add some bias here. The place is really small. The theme inside is a carnival so half the walls are covered with carnival clowns which was a bit off putting to me. They had lights hanging in mason jars, which is the most hipster you can get, and their menus are covers from German children’s books. What a nice touch.
Fried chicken waffle was really good. Waffle was nice and sweet, sandwiching a fair amount of friend chicken with some jam. Fries weren’t that good though. A little on the softer side for my taste without a crunch.
Wanted to get the Pork Hash but they ran out so we got the Hanky Panky instead.
The highlight of the Hanky Panky was the croquette. This was delicious. Nicely fried, seasoned mashed potatoes with the right amount of melted cheese in the middle umph so good. The waffle, eggs, and bacon were nothing out of the ordinary.
Didn’t order the donut burger because, well, that idea just doesn’t sit well with me.
If you’re wanting to try some mixes of sweet and savory I would recommend coming here. Not sure if I want to wait in line for their food again. But it’s not bad. Nice place to come for a weekend splurge. Here at Straw, you just let yourself go.

A quirky SF brunch that is all about indulgence — especially in carnival food.
The famous item here is the donut burger– and it’s about as good as it sounds. Super heavy, plainish glazed donuts but still loaded with starch. The burger meat was good but was masked in sweetness from the donut and the whole thing was hard to stomach, even though I only had a small bite.
I ordered the monte cristo with fried chicken and waffles and it was pretty good– also very heavy. The chicken was slightly dry and paired with the also dry waffle my mouth was quenching for water. Definitely unique, but not my favorite carnival ride.

How many years has it been since you’ve been at a carnival? It’s been years for me, so it was such a treat to eat at Straw and have their food usher forth those memories of going to the carnival as a child!
I was looking for some place interesting for dinner before going to the Ballet, and saw this place on the Unilocal app. I was definitely intrigued by its menu and since it was only a few blocks from the War Memorial Opera House, it was perfect.
We made dinner reservations and were seated promptly when we arrived. Our menus were encased in children’s books. I had to tell the hubby to open up the book by his plate for the menu. Our server brought out a bowl of spicy popcorn and took our order.
I had the Ringmaster which is a burger in between two donuts! I ordered the burger medium, and added bacon to my order. You can also add a fried egg and avocado to your burger if you wish. My burger was cooked as ordered and was very tasty, but I thought the donuts could have been better. They weren’t that fresh and tender. You’d definitely have to eat the Ringmaster with a knife and fork! It’s quite high and no way that you can bite into it. Slice a bit of the donut, burger and bacon, and put that into your mouth and you’ll be happy.
The hubby had something normal from the menu. He had the Cajun Chicken Fettuccine which he really liked. The sauce was spicy and it was a good portion too. I had a bite of it and liked it too.
Some of the fun stuff they have on the menu – Lamb Cupcakes, Pizza Soup, Rib Sundae, etc… check out their menu!
For dessert, the menu was presented inside a little journal, and our server gave us crayons. You can draw in the journal if you’d like. Since I can’t draw for the life of me, I just looked at the menu. They only have two dessert items – cotton candy and funnel cake. We chose the funnel cake with melted chocolate as a topping. The funnel cake came generously topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate. So good! It was so nice and light. It wasn’t that sweet too which was a plus for me.
Our server suggested we come back next time and try their brunch. She said there could be a wait, but if we get there around 10 am, we shouldn’t have to wait. They also have an outdoor dining area in the front of the restaurant, so it’s a nice spot on a warm day!

Straw serves carnival inspired comfort food. For our office lunch last Friday, January 29^th, we had a zoola bar. I had no idea what a zoola was, so I looked it up on their site. They «decided to take some cues from our carny cousins in the Middle East. Drawing inspiration from the healthy pita & hummus style bites found at their festivals and carnivals resulted in a build-​your-​own Mediterranean treat.»
All zoolas come with grilled pita, house-​made hummus + tahini, Mediterranean salad, and pickled cabbage. You pick your marinated proteins, veggies and sides. For delivery, the fee is 10% of the order.
Proteins/​Veggies (5 – 7 servings each):
*Salmon ($ 59)
*Chicken ($ 53)
Zoola sides:
*Couscous ($ 18, serves 5 – 7) x2: pearl couscous, onion, red bell pepper, spinach, tomato, garlic, fresh basil & parmesan
*Kale caesar salad ($ 28, serves 5 – 7): dino kale, shaved parmesan, garlic croutons, classic house caesar, garlic crostini
Apparently, what you do is, take a pita, spread hummus over it, and then top it with whatever you want. Kinda like a Mediterranean pizza. Since I don’t eat much pita, I opted out of that style and just made a plate of everything except the couscous. I just grabbed a pita, tore little pieces, and used it for dipping. I ended up using about half the pita, so I’m glad I didn’t try it other way.
Both the chicken and salmon were flavorful. I was afraid the salmon would be super dry. It wasn’t. Only a little overcooked. I easily hid it with the hummus. Speaking of the hummus, yum! I loved the savoriness of it. And the Mediterranean salad and pickled cabbage went well with it. I liked the caesar salad a lot too, but the dressing was a little too thick for me.
Fun way to eat Mediterranean comfort food. It was a hit at the office. Almost everyone went for seconds!

It was ok but rather regular comfort food. I had the chicken wings and sweet potato tater tots. Drinks were quite expensive. It was either very warm or very cold inside. The waitress was super nice.

Hier gibt’s Cotton Candy Cocktails! Das war für mich Grund genug hierher zu kommen: ein volles Glas mit Zuckerwatte, entweder in blau oder rosa, dann ordentlich Sekt drauf und der Zuckerwatte beim Schmelzen zuschauen. Herrlich, in jedem von uns steckt doch noch ein kleines Kind, oder? Mein Hot Tamale Sandwich war lecker und ordentlich scharf. Es war so groß, dass ich es nicht einmal geschafft habe. Sitzplätze gibt es nicht so viele, es gehört eine Portion Glück dazu einen Sitzplatz zu bekommen. Es lohnt sich aber auf jeden Fall.