Top Hatters Kitchen & Bar

Review summary

1. s

   shihchao

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Good restaurant We have oysters,tissue bread and chicken and pork with rice noodles which all delicious
   

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2. D

   Deborah

   San Francisco

   1 review

   vip
   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Food and drinks were very good. I’d go back except for the QR ordering system. It was annoying and hard with a group of 7. No fun to be looking at a menu on a phone. They automatically charged us a 20% gratuity which I thought was over reaching considering we took our own order. If they changed their model I’d go back for sure.
   

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3. M

   Mia

   San Francisco

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I love the food and ambience and service. I do NOT like ordering using a QR code; I bring clients who are older and don't use cell phones and certainly don't know how to use QR codes, but the staff pushes the online ordering ... I really do not like that.
   

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4. L

   Leslie

   San Francisco

   19 reviews

   5.0

   19 reviews

   Dined on 4 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Fresh farm to table flavors! California/Vietnamese fusion, but not fussy -- just straightforward, exciting flavors, lovely cocktails and an upscale/casual atmosphere -- more laid back than you'd think for a restaurant with a Michelin star. Lovely patio. It's becoming a regular rotation of ours!
   

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5. J

   Jason

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 24 November 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   I'll try to keep this short but I'll probably fail. First, the food and ambiance were great. We primarily come to Top Hatters for these and we were not disappointed one bit. But here's the deal: Top Hatters does not have traditional serve-staff anymore. When we arrived for our reservation, the host pointed towards our table across the restaurant and said, "That's your table over there," and we walked there alone. No server came to tell us about specials or take our order... everything by on the QR code. When we ordered, food came out promptly but by different people the entire night. And each person was very friendly. The explanation for this on the menu was that there is a labor shortage and that QR code ordering makes everything better because then tips get shared and the serving responsibility is shared by all. That being said, my opinion is that when I go out for a nice meal and drop $$$, I doing for the food AND the service experience. I want to talk to someone who can tell me about specials. I want someone to engage in conversation with me. I want to meet people who work there who live interesting lives and are real people. It's all a part of the dining experience. To remove a personal server from the table does a few things: 1. It lessens the human interaction in the dining experience. 2. It cheapens the experience. Our service at Top Hatters was no more involved than at a Red Robin. 3. It decreases my desire to tip. If the service I'm actually receiving is less than a chain restaurant and bordering on McDonald's, then why should I tip at all? And that means fewer tips for the entire staff to share...the opposite intention that was printed on the menu. I understand that this might not matter to a lot of people but it does to me, especially if I'm looking for an in-depth dining experience. That being said, we'll still go back to Top Hatters. But now we know it'll be less of the experience that we're looking for. And I've failed at keeping it short.
   

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6. S

   Steve

   San Francisco

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 22 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great food. Very friendly staff. One of our favorite places
   

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7. J

   Jennifer

   San Francisco

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on 22 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   What a charming spot in an offbeat area! We were greeted immediately, and though the menu and payment were through a QR code, we still received attention from our multiple employees, and the menus were still conveniently printed for reference. All our dishes were delicious and charmingly presented. I loved the balance of meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes. I'd love to return during the day and enjoy the patio.
   

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8. a

   anna

   San Francisco

   22 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   22 reviews

   Dined on 21 November 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   Mediocre food with uninspired menu. 22% service charge asked for after ordering and paying using QR code!
   

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9. Y

   Yolanda

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 18 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I took my team of volunteers to Top Hatters to celebrate the end of great farm season. The food, cocktails and service were top notch.
   

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10. L

    Luis

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 2 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    I live a few miles away and go to Top Hatters several times a month. The food is always delicious, the menu changes to reflect availability from local farmers, and the drinks are delicious. Highly recommend!
    

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