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Absinthe Brasserie and Bar - SF, San Francisco, CA

Absinthe Brasserie and Bar - SF

4.7 (7429)
$31 to $50
French
398 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

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2 people
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
19:00
Booked 10 times today

About this restaurant

  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
We are currently accepting reservations for lunch, brunch, and dinner.


Effective 09/26/2022:
Outdoor seating will not be available.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    French, Californian
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:00 pm Lunch Wed–Fri 11:30 am–3:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Ian Begg
  • Area
    Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness
  • Cross Street
    Gough
  • Parking details
    No valet. Street parking and nearby public lot located on Grove between Franklin and Gough.
  • Additional
    Patio/Outdoor Dining

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What 7,429 people are saying

Absinthe Brasserie and Bar - SF reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • San Francisco

    French

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Absinthe Brasserie and Bar in San Francisco offers a delightful dining experience with "sumptuous food and delightful wine" complemented by "impeccable service." Guests rave about the "delicious duck," "wonderful flavors," and "creative cocktails." Its elegant ambiance and attentive staff make it a perfect choice for special occasions or pre-performance dining.
7,429 Reviews
  1. Beate

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    4.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Service was not as good as we have had before at Absinth. the waiter blamed the shortage on staff for slow service. My friend had requested that the egg white be cooked more solid than the egg yolk . Well that did not happen, the egg white was soupy . I wonder if the waiter passed on the request or if it was just sloppily cooked. My meal was perfect . I had the quiche vegetarienne with salad. We love the ambience.

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  2. Reynette VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area45 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Our second visit in a week. Dinner last time, brunch this time before the opera. English Pea soup, Eggs Benedict, Mimosa, Bloody Mary, Dungeness crab salad, and Black Forest cake totally wonderful. Service from Ethan S. was excellent as usual (we always hope to have him). The table location was perfect with lots of natural light and not overly bright for mid-day. Food, service, ambiance, and location all great for what we like. It's a bit pricey, but what isn't these days. At least we had a wonderful experience (again!). Highly recommend.

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  3. Judy VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area46 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The kumamoto oysters were delicious as usual and I have not been able to resist the duck for more than a year. My friend's steak frites came with enough fries that we could have shared with a neighboring table. Absinthe is not just for a meal before the symphony or opera but a destination restaurant in its own right.

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  4. alan

    San Francisco Bay Area13 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent on all counts. Very accomadating with sustitutions and half glasses of wine. We are very fussy. Eat out once a week. Our favorite place in Hayes Vallry.

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  5. Jennifer

    San Francisco Bay Area18 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Incredible lunch with a friend - pea soup with lovely toppings and Oysters Rockefeller to begin. Truffle burger and Sole Meunier for the main course and the best spin on Black Forest Torte for dessert with espressos. The cocktails were delicious as well. Our waiter Ethan was so accommodating and gracious - we couldn’t ask for a better experience.

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  6. Walker VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area6 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    Service was lackluster. They had basically one server for our side of the restaurant, at prime time on a Friday. Food and drinks were good though.

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  7. Pretty VIP

    Atlanta2 reviews

    1.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    I was waiting for my order while the rest of the party had their food already for about 10 minutes only for the server to come out and tell me that they don’t have the salmon for my salad. So instead of asking if I want to pivot he said I would get the frisée and beets only. What? No option given? Also charging me for it? Like what kind of service is that…mind you I had been sitting there waiting for me meal…did you not know there wasn’t any salmon? Like why is that still on the menu? Poor service and to add on…he didn’t even come back to check on the table at all…we had to get up and leave to pay for our bill. Just awful. This place has lost it…no thank you.

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  8. IngerMarie

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was a magical evening of sumptuous food and delightful wine. The service was impeccable

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  9. Andrea

    San Francisco Bay Area11 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We enjoyed a delicious early dinner before the opera last evening. Absinthe is our favorite pre-show restaurant because the food and service are always outstanding. The newly redecorated dining room was gorgeous in its new color scheme.

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  10. Deanna

    California Central Coast5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great choice for a celebration or dinner before a performance!

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FAQs

Absinthe Brasserie and Bar - SF is rated 4.7 stars by 7429 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. San Francisco
  5. Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness

Make a booking


Booked 10 times today
Google Map for Absinthe Brasserie and Bar - SF

398 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Gough
  • Area
    Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:00 pm Lunch Wed–Fri 11:30 am–3:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    French, Californian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    No valet. Street parking and nearby public lot located on Grove between Franklin and Gough.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Ian Begg
  • Additional
    Patio/Outdoor Dining
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