Jardiniere

Beautiful fine dining experience with intimate lighting and delicious food. Came here for a wedding reception back in 2018.

Shame that it closed. One less fine dining restaurant that left San Francisco.

If you are looking for the quintessential SF fine dining experience, look no further than the tasting menu at Jardiniere. The meal includes the usual Bay Area top ingredients (Mt. Lassen Trout, Liberty Duck and Imperial Wagyu) served in a warm atmosphere that can be best described as timeless.

I've been at Jardiniere several times before - usually enjoying a drink and some bites at the downstairs bar. This is the first time I've actually sat down for a proper dinner here. They sat me on the second floor around the atrium overlooking the bar. It's amazing seating. The tasting menu was fabulous - warm mushroom consommé, bread service, steamed Japanese sweet potato, Kanpachi crudo, hand made gnocchi with truffle, Mt. Lassen Trout, Liberty Duck, Imperial Wagyu steak and semolina cake. Everything was great and the Liberty Duck and the gnocchi were the highlights of the meal for me. Non-alcoholic apple pilar was the beverage pairing for the savory courses with white peony tea for dessert.

Service was great and consistent with what you'd expect with fine dining. With tax and tip, the tasting menu, including two pilars and the tea totaled $200. In my opinion, this experience is well worth the price and the calories. Highly recommended!!!

We came here for a team celebratory dinner and it was one of the best meals I've ever eaten. It was a prix fixe, pre-theater menu and reasonably priced at $64 for your choice of 3 courses (soup or salad, entree & dessert).

Our server was knowledgeable with wine recommendations with our food selections. I ordered a the persimmon salad, poussin & panna cotta and I was not disappointed, everything was delicious. My favorite was the panna cotta dessert with the freeze dried meringue tubes and raspberries.

This is the perfect place for romance or an intimate dinner. It is dimly lit and mostly quiet, although you can hear some of the street noise if you are seated by the windows on the 2nd floor.

I was surprised to learn that this has been here for over 20 years...I remember when it was a jazz night club. The food is amazing and it is worth the cost to try it at least once!

It's sad that this institution will be shutting down in less than a month. Seeing all the dressed up people going in and out, taking in the dimly lit hall with its rounded bar table and chandeliers - there aren't that many restaurants that are old-school elegant in the way that Jardiniere is.

We were seated upstairs in a comfortable booth, and our waiter immediately popped up to ask us how we were, followed closely by my favorite person at any restaurant - the bread server. He plopped toasty round loaves on our plates, along with some salted butter.

The Impossible Burger is not listed on the menu, but they do serve it! We ordered that, the Impossible Larb, and the Tagliatelle, along with a fruity bottle of white wine.

Impossible Burger ($16) - 5/5. The fries that came with this thing had that well-done, crispy texture and were skinny enough to have a crunch, but not quite shoestring. The burger itself definitely could have passed for real meat. I didn't think the bun looked that appetizing, but it was fluffy and went well with the patty and the acidic sauce that came with it.

Tagliatelle ($23) - 4/5. I enjoyed the taste of the cheese and pork, but it was a very small bowl of pasta. The pasta seemed to be whole grain (?) and was very al dente. It was enough to fill me up, but my boyfriend was shocked that it passed as a regular portion.

Impossible Larb ($10) - 3/5. They used the itty bitty parts of the lettuce (the core leaves you have left after cooking the actual parts of the lettuce) for this dish, or at least it seemed that way. These were a bit too acidic, leaving me unable to taste the actual "meat" part.

One can only hope that whatever place takes Jardiniere's spot will be just as classy. Pay this spot a visit before it's too late!

It's a shame that this restaurant is closing this month... But needed to have dinner here one more time before it gets permanently closed. If you're a fan of French cuisine, I definitely suggest eating there before this month ends

Ambiance is perfect. Good for dinner if you want on a fancier side. Appetizers are good for sharing -- we had the salad and burrata. It was very filling. For the main courses, we had Tagliatelle, Halibut and Wagyu. I liked all of them but I would say my favorite is the wagyu. It was very tender and perfectly cooked.

Hilariously unaware of Jardiniere's reputation as one of San Francisco's romantic gems, a good friend booked us an early weekend dinner here. The two of us jokesters sat amidst elegant older patrons, canoodling couples, and vivacious theater-goers and had a ball!

AMBIENCE (4.5/5)
Jardiniere's gorgeous two-level architecture with winding staircase and upstairs dining area overlooking the luxurious downstairs bar sets the tone for an unique experience.

FOOD (4/5)
We very much enjoyed our Californian-French meal:

Oysters on the Half Shell: friend ordered two of one of the day's two oyster specials. Fresh, tasty sweet!

Acme Bread: as yummy as advertised. Available upon request (our server asked us if we wanted bread - we said yes!).

Duck Duo: pan-seared duck breast and confit with candied kumquats and greens - very good!

Spaghetti a La Chitarra: pasta with housemade pancetta, spring peas, Parmesan - delightful and bursting with fresh flavors - compact portion - highly recommend!

Broccoli Rabe: nicely done, garlicky, good side

We paired our food with some good Sangiovese and Pinot Noir!

SERVICE (4.5/5)
Our server was courteous, incredibly focused on efficiency (clearly used to meeting tight timelines for pre-theater patrons), and professional. The sommelier quietly brought out wine. Both he and our server lit up like Christmas trees when we complimented the great food, wine, and service.

Oh, Jardiniere! A lovely location for a delicious dinner or drinks before or after Davies Symphony Hall concert.
Cocktails are strong and food is excellent - both sharing plates for the whole table or individual entres.

To share, I highly recomment crudo, heard oysters were good and... don't skip the bread! it's ACME bakery bread, and it's absolutely delicious.

For main course, sea bass was really good, but you can also opt into ordering one of the pastas. The portion is a bit on the smaller side, but if you had a few sharing plates, you should be fine.

Also don't forget to leave room for dessert!

We came to celebrate our First Date anniversary. After a dance performance at the Yerba Buena. Brian the Maitre d' greeted us and made sure that our luggage could be checked so we were unencumbered. Our server Michael was very courteous and informative.

Jonathan the sommelier came by when we ordered a bottle of the 2014 "Lower East" by Gramercy Cellars secured by revered Wine Director Alan Murray. Jonathan also introduced us to a beautiful 2016 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Le Blanc from Saint Aubin. It was unexpectedly good so we split a glass and were able to enjoy a white and a very flavorful red with dinner.

Our dining opened with cocktails. I had a perfectly balanced Corpse Reviver #2. The House Rolls arrived warm and had an exception crust. We tasted a beautiful corn tea, a bite of fresh Marin salmon tartare to start. For entrees: my Husband ordered the duck with confit and peach for $38 and I preferred the rare Wagyu Flank Steak with kimchi for $40. The kimchi was prepared to perfection -- wished for more of it. For dessert we order the smooth and creamy pannacotta with crunchy meringues and the Upside Down Cake with peach, crème fraîche, and vanilla. Both were paired with espresso that came with a twist of lemon. To say we were not disappointed is an understatement.

They had several waitstaff stationed unobtrusively, continually observing clients, so that when we were finished our courses are dishes were removed instantly. The emphasis on service here, truly exceptional service, is note worthy.

Then check came with housemaid Carmels flavored with Fernet Branca. Beat that.

For more than dinner we had an exceptional dining experience. Recommend this place highly. The ambiance is elegant and understated and easy to feel at ease in. Will certainly return again.

Oooooh fancy!!

Eating at Jardiniere is like...eating in a makeshift Titanic. The restaurant itself is uniquely oriented in a spiral. There is a second floor dining area, which overlooks the center of the first floor. The staff was nice enough to allow my boyfriend and I to bring in our dog, but we had to eat on the first floor.

We ordered:

IMPOSSIBLE BAO (4/5) - These appetizers were great. They were still testing it out, and our server made it known that we were guinea pigs to this dish. The reason that they are "impossible" is because the "meat" in it is vegan ...but it tasted just like meat! The skin of the bao was thin but chewy, so each bite was very satisfying. When our server asked us for feedback on the dish, the only thing I could think of is getting an even juicier bite. So...a juicier bao would bump this to a 5!

SALMON (4/5): Oh MAN this was my FAVORITE! The salmon was plated beautifully, and was cooked to a tender bright pink. The layers flaked gorgeously, and each bite was absolutely delightful. I think this dish would have been more satisfying (and bumped to 5 stars!) if it were served on a plate of carbs, say...risotto or polenta? While the salmon itself was delicious, the dish as a whole was not as satisfying as it could be.

CHARLESTONE GOLD RICE (1/5): I would skip on this. The name itself was definitely attention grabbing. The server spoke highly of this dish, so we thought we'd order it. Not only was it extremely small, it was bland. I imagined a decadent risotto kind of ordeal, but the rice was dry and there was no sauce. The only thing that gave it flavor was the uni that came with it.

PORK CHOPS (3.5/5): These were quite good. I'm giving it 3.5 stars instead of 4, because I felt like the garnish was the star of this dish. I'm not sure if pork texture is just naturally tougher than other meats, but I found the meat to be a little tough/dry. It was flavorful, but I would have liked a juicier finish. The garnish underneath was ABSOLUTELY delicious. I mopped it all up with each bite of pork!

Service could have been more attentive. While our server was very kind and polite, it took forever for him to get us anything. Whether it be the dessert menu, water, or our check, we had to endure a rather long wait.

Everyone is super nice at this place. The restaurant itself is gorgeous. And while the food was decent, it was not as spectacular as I had hoped a place as classy as this should have been. Also, I feel like this place should have been a $$$ place instead of $$$$.

That beautiful round bar/lounge area definitely WOW'd me when I stepped in. The crowd was mostly older older folks (is this what Gary Danko's feels like?) who appreciate dressing up when dining at places like this. I'd say this place is less hipster and more posh.

Pros:
+ Food was executed and timed nicely
+ Beautiful, spacious, and elegant interior
+ Private Room is spacious and suitable for presentations
+ Service was attentive

Cons:
- Street parking might be difficult, but there's a garage a few steps away

Prix Fixe Menu:
+ Escarole Salad, 4/5
+ Striped Sea Bass, 5/5
+ Chocolate Pavé, 5/5

Private Room:
+ Seats 11 comfortably
+ Has a projector for presentations
+ This is also where they store the wine
+ Noise level from outside was minimal

Salads are salads, not remarkable but not awful. The striped sea bass was perfection. Everyone loved it! Moist, flavorful, and not heavy on the condiments/spices. The chocolate pavé was done nicely, not overly rich or sweet. I really appreciate restaurants that don't go overboard on the sugar, salt, and oil.

Not big on French food/fancy French food, but I'd come back for another educational dinner. This place is great for special occasions for the classy folks who enjoy an elevated dining experience every now and then.