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Historic John's Grill, San Francisco, CA

Historic John's Grill

4.7
4.7
7500 Reviews
$31 to $50
American

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2 people
19:00

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Booked 46 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
  • Neighbourhood gem
John's Grill has been a San Francisco tradition since 1908. This historic restaurant is one of the city's oldest and most famous and is a favorite of celebrities who enjoy great steaks, expertly prepared fresh seafood with excellent service and a one of a kind atmosphere. John's Grill was a setting in author Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon.
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Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Steak, Seafood
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Daily 11:45–15:30 Dinner Daily 15:30–21:00
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    There is a parking garage directly across the street, Ellis - O'Farrell Garage.https://www.sfmta.com/garages-lots/ellis-ofarrell-garageParking near John's Grill:https://www.parkinsf.com/sanfrancisco/parking-near/John%27s+Grill
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Mauricio Sibrian

What 7,500 people are saying

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
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • San Francisco

    American

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Historic John's Grill is a San Francisco staple offering "wonderful steaks, wonderful people" in a lively, historic setting. Guests rave about the "amazing jazz band" and "perfectly cooked" dishes like halibut and filet mignon. The ambiance is "old school" with a "touch of historic atmosphere," making it a must-visit for both locals and tourists.
7,500 Reviews
  1. Janet

    San Francisco

    11 reviews

    3.0

    11 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Service was great. Everything was quick and smooth. The atmosphere was definitely old San Francisco, which was a plus, except for the noise level which made it hard to carry on a conversation. My partner and I both felt the dishes we ordered were very average in terms of how they tasted, although the servings were large.

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  2. MelanieD

    VIP

    San Francisco

    13 reviews

    3.0

    13 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    I had eaten here in the past and had a great experience. Tonight it was good. The waiter was very kind splitting our food as requested. The portions are large so when it was split it was just right

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  3. janetB

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is our go to for date night in the city . Never disappoints us. Oh yeah .. get the ribeye steak .. really good !!

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  4. gene

    San Francisco

    14 reviews

    4.0

    14 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    I love old fashioned restaurants! Nothing inventive here, just good old school food!

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  5. Emily

    Orange County

    6 reviews

    2.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    We were excited to dine at John's to celebrate a family member’s 50th birthday, but unfortunately, the experience did not live up to expectations. Service was not on par with the price point. While most of our drinks arrived in a timely manner, one drink order was completely forgotten. Additionally, the restaurant did not have the bottle of wine we originally ordered. The waiter returned with alternative suggestions—without mentioning that they were nearly double the price of our initial choice. We only realized this when we received the bill. At the time, we went ahead with his recommendation since our food had already arrived, and we didn’t want to wait any longer, but in hindsight, we wish we hadn’t. Another awkward moment came with dessert. We ordered specific items, yet a flan was brought to the table—something we did not order. When we pointed this out, the waiter insisted we had ordered it and left it anyway. It seemed like it was meant to be a birthday dessert, but the lack of communication made it feel more uncomfortable than celebratory. While the food was good, the service issues and lack of transparency left us disappointed. For the prices we paid, we expected a much better experience. Unfortunately, we left feeling underwhelmed rather than celebrating the special night as we had hoped.

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  6. Aleta

    VIP

    San Francisco

    23 reviews

    5.0

    23 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Perfect drinks and dinner. Cool sounds. Great crowd. Our kind of place.

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  7. NubiaR

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We were fortunate to go when some jazz music was playing upstairs. It was good ambience and nice music. I ordered the prefixe menu of lobster bisque, which was good but lacking lobster pieces. My felt mignon with lobster tail were delicious. Made perfectly. Came with bake potato and vegetables and a delicious mousse tarte. Overall a great, meal.

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  8. Mark

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    John's Grill is always a wonderful place to go. Great service and food along a wonderful atmosphere.

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  9. Mona

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Native San Franciscan who loves the legendary restaurant.

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  10. thomas

    VIP

    San Francisco

    162 reviews

    5.0

    162 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Our waitress was not as personable as most employees of the restaurant. Her service was okay , but with attitude.

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FAQs

Historic John's Grill offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (415) 986-0069.

Historic John's Grill is rated 4.7 stars by 7500 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
19:00

Select a time

Booked 46 times today
Google Map for Historic John's Grill

63 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Steak, Seafood
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Daily 11:45–15:30 Dinner Daily 15:30–21:00
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    There is a parking garage directly across the street, Ellis - O'Farrell Garage.https://www.sfmta.com/garages-lots/ellis-ofarrell-garageParking near John's Grill:https://www.parkinsf.com/sanfrancisco/parking-near/John%27s+Grill
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Mauricio Sibrian
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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