Twenty Five Lusk

Unique, chic, multi-​level lounge with bar and restaurant located in SF city. They are literally located in a small, dark alley with virtually NO parking except for valet (which we had issues with). They have a bar + fancy dining upstairs, along with another bar + lounge downstairs. Ambiance is dark, intimate, swanky, and modern. The venue itself was pretty impressive but service & execution fell incredibly short, especially for the premium we paid.
We held a small corporate party here earlier this year and planned all of the details with Christine, their event coordinator. However, they over-​promised, under-​delivered, and we ended up being highly disappointed and embarrassed. For starters, the event space was NOT as promised. We were promised a private, lounge area with long tables. What we got was a dark, public space with a curtain separator in the back with no tables. Eventually though, we requested to be moved to the area we were promised and were paying for. But again, this space was not as advertised by their event coordinator or marketing brochure either. The lounge promised seating for 25 but only realistically seated 10. We had ~15 people, and several people (including ourselves) had to eat standing up. There wasn’t enough seating! In addition, although the menu was suggested for our party, their serving size and capability didn’t meet our party size. The dinner station portions were way too small for our group — the station only served a handful of people until it became empty, and it took another 20~30 minutes until they were refilled. So, our guests basically ate in shifts and many were waiting for food. So embarrassing. We were told we’d have a meat carving station but there was no such thing. Service was somewhat attentive when waitstaff was around, but they seemed to come in waves. The event coordinator was inattentive and pretty much nonexistent the entire night. Food was OK, but nothing special. They have lots of dry, sour, bitter cocktails but nothing sweet.
In the end, what we got was considerably less than what we were TOLD we would be getting. We felt like we were given false promises and the experience certainly didn’t meet our expectations. We were highly disappointed in the lack of event coordination and service here, which is a shame, because the venue itself is pretty awesome.
FYI: Their valet will NOT accept cars before 5:30pm. My husband and I arrived around 5:15 and wanted to be able to invite our guests inside but couldn’t as we had to sit in our cars until 5:30. Inconvenient, and their valet attendant, Alan, was very rude and short with us.
TLDR; Don’t book events here.

If you want a brunch place with no line, decent food, and are willing to pay a bit more than normal, then this is the place for you.
The roasted banana and lobster Benedict were delicious. The donuts were just ok, and I wasn’t a fan of the pancakes people raved about. They were large, dense discs. I like my pancakes fluffy.
Nice service though.

Though more popularly known as a place to grab drinks, the food itself is solid. The décor here is sleek with a business casual vibe. A bit more on the pricey side.
We started the night with the Octopus appetizer. The octopus was smokey with a texture similar to chicken. The condiments it came with complimented the dish well. For main courses, I ordered the New York steak and my guy ordered the Duck Breast. I was so in love with his dish! Definitely wish I got that instead. Luckily we pretty much shared everything.
The drink selection is awesome! I got the SF Yacht, a bit of a letdown due to being overly sour. The Dark and Stormy was better, helps that I’m huge fan of ginger beer in my cocktails.
Great service, they also give little complimentary treats at the start and end of dinner.

This place is beautiful. I mean, REALLY beautiful. With the entrance hidden in a not too sketchy alleyway, you wouldn’t know from first sight at the front just how beautiful it really is inside.
There’s a chill lounge area downstairs, with metal fireplaces and cozy couches for you and your party to sit around and order small appetizers to go along with your drinks. The really cool part of the downstairs lounge area is that there are these cozy, more private and intimate areas for your party behind bar — you wouldn’t even notice it unless you were guided to it or you went looking for it — but it’s private rooms in a swanky restaurant.
Upstairs, there’s also a bar as well with some private dining sections for you and a larger party if you plan on staying here for dinner.
While I’m discussing the interior of the restaurant, I have to admit, I think the prices are excessively high for the food — $ 3/​oyster for some special oysters they said were seasoned off with [i forgot what it was but something], didn’t really taste like anything, much less oysters. $ 15 for a hamachi sushi plate of 3 excessively thin and tiny pieces of fish felt a little ridiculous, and the bar upstairs serves neither strong nor unique cocktails.
Overall this place deserves the hype for their intimate and private setup, but I wouldn’t come here for the food. I’d bring a small party of mature 20 somethings here for a nice glass of wine or a few spirits to stay in the downstairs lounge area to have an intimate evening out in the city, but I wouldn’t bother grabbing snacks here.

[Review of the downstairs lounge]
So refreshing to find a spacious, classy bar/​lounge with extremely friendly servers and solid cocktails. I’ve been to Twenty Five Lusk twice, both times with large groups, and the seating accommodated us perfectly.
The servers on my second visit were SO easygoing and sweet, even when the party I was with tripled in size as the night wore in.
Most importantly, the cocktails are great and fairly priced at $ 12. I’m partial to creamier drinks, so I opted for the Little Ava — a cocktail with egg whites, lemon, and other ingredients I can’t pronounce. It was delicious! I would also recommend the Dark & Stormy.
The ambiance at Twenty Five Lusk is what it’s all about, though. The fireplaces, long couches, and more «grown-​up» crowd make it an excellent choice for both a date or group gathering.

For a restaurant to hit the highest marks with me, it has to offer a complete experience. The service has to be more than pleasant and prompt. The wait staff has to connect with us offering recommendations, sharing a little history about the restaurant or owner/​chef, have a working knowledge of the menu and bar offerings and allow their personality to show through. When I waited tables in my early working days, I found great satisfaction in knowing that my customers would walk away feeling that they had a dining experience and not just dinner.
The ambiance is another important piece for me. This does not require a fancy space or elaborate décor. What intrigues me most is a room that is well thought out, comfortable and unique, incorporating as much natural structure and integrity as possible.
Then of course, we have the all important food and beverage. My favorite restaurants do not try to be everything to everyone. Therefore I am not looking for a menu that is 10 pages long. I want a restaurant to do what they do best. Have a passion for their food and keep it succinct and in line with their theme, hopefully with a high consideration to local sourcing and seasonality.
25 Lusk hit every mark for me! The space was amazing incorporating the brick and timber history and creating a beautifully modern yet comfortable look. The acoustics allowed us to converse without an over abundance of background noise, which is most often a source of discomfort in restaurants. The service we got from our server, Michael, was impeccable with each detail attended to without being overbearing. Our food was exceptional. Creative, impressive and delicious.

I came here based on the suggestion of a friend who has swanky taste. My cousins along with our friends met here for happy hour. I’m from New York and visiting the bay, I don’t have that much time to hang out since the purpose of the trip is to visit my family. This was the PERFECT happy hour get together. The appetizers were awesome and the downstairs is huge. The crowd is variable which I appreciate. The service
was great too — you can tell the ppl like working here. Or it could be the SF state of mind that I’m unfamiliar with now. All in all — it was very memorable to say the least. I highly recommend this place!

Sexy, sultry, perfectly lit space. Check.
Strong, tasty cocktails. Check.
Amazingly flavorful burger. Check.
Giant bill. Also check.
I suppose you are paying for the venue and the delicious food and the fact that it is SF we are talking about. So, still a solid 4 star even though I would like it to be friendlier to my wallet.

Sexy. Twenty Five Lusk is pretty darn close to nailing swank, which is kind of rare in SF. Everything from the ambiance to the lighting to the crowd, I dug Twenty Five Lusk from the moment I stepped inside.
At an establishment like this, you might expect a snobbier staff but service was extremely friendly and our server was very attentive. I accidentally knocked over my glass of vino and she immediately replaced it with another full glass and hailed 2 other waitstaff members to help clean it up. She was so incredibly sweet about it, trying to make me feel better by joking about her own reputation about being clumsy amongst her friends.
As for the food, I thought that our grilled squid appetizer was very good (and worth ordering again), the side of greens was passable, and our individual portions of ahi tuna, while tasty, were much smaller than I anticipated.
So, would I come back here just to dine? Probably not. (Or at least show up only slightly hungry.) Would I come back here for drinks and some noshes? Abso-​friggin-​lutely.
Side note: they tack on 18% gratuity, so watch for that. I guess that makes things easy (or troublesome) depending on whether you see the glass half full/​empty. ;)

¾/​16: Normally it’s just me and my gf enjoying the night, but this time we had a double date. We haven’t seen my gf’s friend much since she moved here from Ohio a month or so ago, and only met the new bf very briefly, so we were super looking forward to hanging out together. The bf picked the place since he lived in SF, and man, we were sure glad he did! – this place was amazing!!!
The décor’s beautifully modern, and the service was fantastic, as you would expect. Even the door-​lady was very friendly and had a great smile. If it were just me and my gf, I think it would have been quite romantic too.
But… we had company… so, I have to admit, my typically laser-​sighted attention to food was far more relaxed this night, enjoying the new company. And thus, I don’t recall many finer details of the food. So, this review will be far less detailed than typical for me… but for good reason – because of new friends, because of my beautiful gf next to me, because of great conversation and stories, and because our little table became a little enchanting world of beautiful edibles…
1. The General’s Break $ 12 «apple jack, calisaya, dry sherry, bitters»: Tasted like it was whiskey based, like a citrus Manhattan, but unfortunately was not as complex as I had hoped it would be. ⁶⁄₁₀.
2. Fried Burrata $ 17 «pickled green tomato salsa, basil, grilled ciabatta»: I LOVE burrata. In fact, I think as I write this I just made a promise to myself – must get more burrata next time I go to Whole Foods (that might be a while though.) FRIED burrata??? Now that sounds like heaven. I loved the gooey melty parts on the outside. And they fried it to the perfect doneness where the very middle still retained that watery-​stringy texture of fresh burrata. I didn’t like the coating that much though, which was lacking a bit in seasoning. 7.5÷10
3. Yukon Gold Gnocchi $ 15 «braised rabbit, smoked olive butter, black garlic, quail egg»: Sorry, this would be one of the ones I didn’t remember too much of. But I would say it wasn’t as impressive tasting. I do remember the pulled rabbit underneath the egg was a bit stringy and dry for me. Plate looked beautiful though. ⁵⁄₁₀
4. Grilled Octopus $ 17 «asaparagus, bok choy rabe, almonds, basil, spiced coconut broth»: I guess octopus is kinda the trendy thing right now among the fancy schmancy restaurants. I think almost all the $$$-$$$$ restaurants I’ve been to in recent memory have had some form of octopus on their menu. Hmm. Anyway, this one was great too. The octopus was cooked perfectly and was very soft, melting in my mouth. Great char flavor. Simple and beautiful tasting. 8.5÷10
5. Caviar and Blinis $ 23 «red onion, dill, crème fraîche»: So I’m not a caviar connoisseur, mostly cause the stuff is way too expensive. But 23 bucks ain’t bad, so why not. The waiter also said this was some stuff that just came in fresh. Well, the caviar was… caviar ha ha. Was good, but probably not all that special. But the blinis were different, unfortunately not in a good way. I think normally they’re more like crepes, but this time they were far thicker and stuffed with something. Didn’t look too pretty either. Not very sophisticated tasting. ⁴⁄₁₀
6. Moulard Duck Breast $ 32 «seared foie gras, blueberries, maroon carrots, ginger»: MMMMMmmmmm… one of the best duck breasts I’ve ever had! So perfectly medium rare and tender. And they did not skimp on the foie gras! – far bigger piece than most places, perfectly seared. You’d figure duck foie gras with duck meat would be obvious, but I’ve never had that pairing! And it’s awesome. Love the berries too. Must have. ¹⁰⁄₁₀
7. Lamb Sirloin $ 36 «chestnut and pumpkin seed risotto, foraged mushroom, celeriac»: My gf loves lamb, coming for Northern China. She gets lamb everywhere. Saw this on the menu, and I knew it would be in front of her soon. This version was plated very well, and looked elegant on top of the pretty vegetables. Cooked great too. I can’t remember too much about it beyond that it was good though. ⁸⁄₁₀
8. Del Maguey «Crema de Mezcal» $ 9: I rarely drink mezcal, but I figured I’d try something new this night. This one is really unique – it’s REALLY sweet. I really doubt this is pure mezcal – must be a mixture of standard mezcal with some cream-​soda liqueur put in post-​fermentation? I think might be too sweet for most tequila or mezcal drinkers, but certainly was interesting. Worth a try. ⁶⁄₁₀
9. Raspberry Tarte Chaos $ 11 «pastry cream, white chocolate, kumquat sorbet»: My gf and I have had some very nice dessert «messes» in Canada. I think that’s the thing up there. But compared to those, this one falls a bit short I think. ⁶⁄₁₀
10. Huckleberry Chocolate Mousse $ 11 «snickerdoodle, meringue, passion fruit sorbet»: Only had a bite of this. Great mousse, but felt a bit lacking overall I think. ⁷⁄₁₀
So I hope these notes help you pick the better dishes. Yummy!
⁴⁄₅
#americanfusion

Ate here tonight with my significant other and a friend of his. I was really excited to try it because I previously had this place bookmarked. This place is set up really nice and the lounge downstairs is beautiful. The waitress was very friendly and answered questions we had on the menu and made great recommendations.
I skipped the appetizers because it was mainly seafood and let them enjoy theirs. We had champagne and I ordered a cocktail. It was the SF yacht club which I wish I ordered up because I never finish my drink when it’s on the rocks. It’s refreshing but I dislike ice. The wait for dinner was really really long. Service is great but slow. I was thinking it had to do with how fancy they make the plates look and the artistic time they put into it. When our food finally came out the presentation definitely was beautiful.
I had the pork tenderloin which originally came over dumplings but I substituted it for the potato fingerlings. My dish was really tasty. From the pork to the small additions to it like the pear it was very different from any pork dish I have ever tasted. My man had the New York steak over bone marrow and with duchess potato. I had a bite of his steak and it was pretty good! Of course we have had better and although he loves steak he preferred the taste of my dish. Our friend had the ahi tuna which he seemed to enjoy.
We decided to have dessert which also was a pretty long wait. I think it worked out because they were talking business but if you want a quick dinner this is definitely not the place. It’s great for long dates and when you need to converse with someone and don’t want to feel rushed!
The dessert was worth the wait and was sweet, light and perfect to end dinner with. We got the trio of sorbets which I highly recommend. It came with passion fruit, raspberry and kumquat. All delicious but the passion fruit is amazing! A delightful treat! We also shared the passion fruit sorbet and chocolate mousse which was also amazing.
All in all I had a fun experience, minus the wait time, and would definitely come back if we have the time to have a long intimate dinner. However the food was good but not something I’ll be dying to come back for anytime soon!
3.5 stars but let’s round it off to 4.

SF Restaurant Week and I was excited to venture out! Many of the restaurants gave you an optional preset menu to enjoy at a reasonable price. My friend booked us for Twenty Five Lusk and I was excited to try a new joint!
The restaurant is nice. Located in an alley, once you enter, you’ll notice a very romantic setting. Two floors of dining and bar options, lots of low lit lighting and ample seating. The service was on point as well. Our server, although I can’t remember his name was super awesome. Always checked into our table and always made himself available which I really appreciated.
For the menu, they offered a 3 course meal for $ 40. For the first course, I decided to get the ahi tuna tartare: tuna with cucumbers, red onions and served with an avocado mousse and a rice crisp. This was a great starter! The crisp helped to scoop the tuna up and add the mousse for a creamy topping. My second or main course, I chose the Grilled Wagyu New York Strip, for an up sell of an addition $ 16. Served with a sweet potato mousse, pickled potato syrah reduction and a steak cooked to perfection, I was in heaven. It was also served with a popover roll to help mop up the sauce and juices. Great! My last course, I got the salted caramel swirled brownie, served with a mint chocolate chip ice cream. I love how they took such simple classics and spruced it up a bit with technique and presentation. Great job!
Overall, the food was excellent, the service was fantastic so I need to give this place a 5 star! I’m excited to revisit and see what other great options they sell on their regular menu!

Came here to sample their restaurant week prix fixe menu. I was really impressed by the food here. Located off the main street, it’s neatly tucked away at 25 Lusk Street (get it?).
Pretty much got to sample everything on the restaurant week menu from my friends. The tuna tartare was great, lots of subtle flavoring with a nice rice crisp. Texture was a little bit on the soft slimy side, but I still found it to be very tasty. The mushroom ravioli was also full of flavor. Nice dish, but between the appetizers, the tuna tartare was my pick.
For my entrée, I had the shrimp and grits. I really enjoyed these because I really love grits. The shrimp had an excellent charred taste that went great with the grits. Really wish I had gotten the fried chicken though, that was the real winner among the entrees in my opinion.
For dessert I had the lime posset, which is basically like a custard-​like dessert. It was a dish I had never gotten to try, but I loved it! The champagne ice made this dessert a really unique experience. It was funny because I initially thought the dessert was just ice and fruit, but the custard covered the entire surface of the plate.
The whole dining experience was great here. Really enjoyed the atmosphere and the service was excellent as well. It’s also conveniently located near the Caltrain station. Would definitely like to come back soon!

Twenty Five Lusk had one of the better menus for SF Restaurant Week. It was kind of funny to look down the row of tables and see everyone have the same things. We did happen to notice at the same time that plating was inconsistent.
Ahi Tuna Tartare with a Rice Crisp
refreshing. rice crisp was slightly burned and I found a fish scale in the tartare.
Wild Mushroom Ravioli
soooo incredible and cheesy. Pasta was cooked perfectly, except that two raviolis were stuck together, so kind of an unmeticulous presentation.
There was a long wait — about 20 minutes — between our apps and entrees, and the waiter warned us this would happen and brought us more bread. Also, a manager came by to apologize.
Fried Chicken Terrine with mushroom pancakes
I wasn’t a fan of the arugula and huckleberry sauce that this came with; it was a bit salty. The terrine and pancakes, however, were delicious.
Grilled Prawns with pencil cob grits
Prawns were fresh and the grits tasted good with them.
Salted Caramel Swirled Brownie with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Brownie was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The coffee crême anglaise and meringue were lovely additions. The ice cream was a little aerated, but it was a solid dessert overall.
Bathroom was in disarray… very wet floors around the toilets and one of the stalls was completely out of toilet paper. This was on a Friday night around 8 pm.

Love this place, both for its food and its drinks. I’ve been here before for drinks and the finger food had been excellent, albeit pricey, but still quite worth it in the opinion. I distinctly remember that the pretzel was especially delicious and the cocktails were all outstanding.
I came back during restaurant week to try the food and I remain very impressed. Although the appetizer we wanted, the ahi tuna tartare, had ran out, the mushroom ravioli was very well made. For entrée, I had the fried chicken terrine and it was terrific. The skin was crispy and the meat was soft, while the arugula salad went great with the sauce. My friend’s grilled shrimp was also quite fresh, although there was not enough sauce for her dish and it was a bit plain. For dessert, we had the caramel brownie, which was quite good, although I did find that the caramel taste overpowered by the chocolate.
Still, with the great environment and ambiance (note: it’s a tad bit dark in there), as well as the high quality food and drinks, I highly recommend this restaurant bar.

Thanks to SF Restaurant Week, my BF and I seized the opportunity to visit Twenty Five Lusk. Unassuming from the outside, the interior reads a different story. I was amazed by the beautiful décor. The upstairs floor has table seating while downstairs has low level tables and comfy seats where it’s more ideal for groups that come to talk and unwind over drinks.
From the prix-​fixe menu ($ 40 dinner), I chose the Ahi Tuna Tartare, Fried Chicken Terrini, and the Salted Caramel Swirled Brownie. My BF also started with the Ahi Tuna Tartare, steak (I forgot the name of the dish), and Lime Posset. We also went with the half pour wine pairing ($ 20). Each of these dishes were amazing. You cannot go wrong with any of the options on the menu. The tartare was flavorful, while the fried chicken was tender and juicy. Both desserts were delicious. The portions are perfect and the wines suited each course well.
The staff are attentive which made the dinner experience even better. If you decide on visiting Twenty Five Lusk during restaurant week, be sure to make a reservation.

I was really looking forward to my dining experience here. The pics on Unilocal looked amazing. I must say its a fab place and loved the lounge on the first floor. The ambiance was on par and it had a good vibe.
We started off at the lounge for some drinks. The service was really slow and it took forever to get our drinks.
Once we got seated, upstairs, the food was good, but not exceptional. We were served focaccia bread and some goat cheese squares. Pretty good. There were items on the menu they had run out of, which was disappointing. I ordered the pork chops which was ok. They brought out the dishes for the people I was with, but forgot about my dish. Once I got the dish, they forgot to bring out cutting utensils. This was pretty annoying, considering this is a high end restaurant. They need to improve their service and pay attention to details.
The food and service was not worth the price.
Tip: valet is cheaper than parking at the Beacon garage.

So this place is a hidden gym in a dead-​end alley. You would. Lever find it unless you were looking for it. It’s got a super nice bar downstairs with good service and truly handcrafted drinks. The oaxacan smokey mezcal drink is amazing. So is the bourbon and bitters drink. Wow.
When we went upstairs for our dinner we found a beautiful dining area, modern in design and décor, Great wait staff but our waitress had a chip on her shoulder and was rather «lazy» or uninterested in excelling at service since we were a large group and her «gratuity» was guaranteed regardless of her quality. she was short and rude with several individuals in our party.
Well. Onto the food. Everything was spectacular from the grilled octopus (1 tentacle $ 18) on a purée of deliciousness (worth it but definitely overpriced). The sirloin was very thick cut and very juicy perfectly cooked. The fried chicken on the mushroom pancakes was also uniquely seasoned and paired. And I had the braised rabbit that was simply divine, not game’y at all and richly flavored on a bed of potatoes and greens. B

This is such a cool restaurant. There are two floors. Bottom floor is a bar/​lounge with its own menu. Upstairs is a fancy upscale dining. We are upstairs.
We ordered:
Parmesan Fries with this amazing cheese sauce and poutine. This was just simply amazing. I could not even describe it. It was just perfect. The fries were crispy and delicious.
Octopus– this was cooked great and good flavors if you are into the curry thing.
Gnocchi– this was really cool. Green sauce with crispy pork belly. Absolutely delicious. I recommend ordering this
Rabbit– who would’ve thought rabbit taste like chicken? The fresh noodles rolled together was really good! The rabbit meat was tender and reminded me of chicken/​carnitas.
Pork Chop– nicely cooked. Great sauce. Great cabbage on the bottom. Overall great dish.
Service was good. Very comfortable not too over the top. Definitely would recommend it.

Based on all the glowing reviews, I decided to give this place another chance for brunch. Fortunately, our brunch experience this time around was much more eventful than our first encounter.
Tucked away on 25 Lusk Street, I dig the intimate and cozy ambiance and I cannot help but continually take pleasure in its seductive, industrial-​chic design.
This time around we had the opportunity to try:
+ Grilled Organic Banana: Tasty, subtly sweet small plate with fresh berries and refreshing raspberry sorbet. Light pre-​brunch appetizer.
+ Maine Lobster Benedict: Due to my recent dietary restrictions, I had to request for my eggs over-​medium and the kitchen happily obliged. Though one of my husband’s eggs was overcooked, the other egg on his plate was perfectly poached. There was a generous piece of tender lobster and the slightly crispy and salty prosciutto was a lovely contrast. The hollandaise sauce was silky and flavorful. I really liked how crispy and fluffy the bread was!
+ Hobbs Breakfast Sausage: There was a spice in here I could not pin point, its aroma was quite distinctive, in a good way.
Our server, Jessie, was exceptional throughout the experience. Always smiling and he made sure to periodically check-​in on us. I was impressed that he remembered to accomodate my request regarding my breakfast plate. I also applaud the professional Assistant General Manager, Josh, for visiting each of the tables to graciously acknowledge each patron. Service is a definite highlight here.
Overall, we had a better brunch experience this time around, with the dishes we ordered and the phenomenal service we encountered. We’ll be back – next time for dinner and drinks!