Absinthe is a San Francisco benchmark restaurant. If you live in SF, and have not eaten here, you're due. The food is the star, but the restaurant location and ambiance enhance the experience. A slice of Paris in the modern bohemian Hayes valley neighborhood. This is a place to splurge, and they deliver. But each dish is so delicious, no matter what you order you'll enjoy it.

This French food restaurant serves delectably flavorful brunch. There aren't that many choices for the brunch menu, but everyone that we tried is absolutely delicious. The dessert was great but not extraordinary. And the service is excellent in a classy French venue with nice ambience.

Cozy beautiful seating. The food was expensive yet super delicious. I also love that they had a vegetarian option in each category. I'll highly recommend the squash soup and the sweet potato agnolotti. Taking down 1 star because my husband didn't enjoy his burger as much.

Amazing food and presentation of each dish. Celery soup was very unique and worth to try new menu :) Mussels were my favorite!! But too quiet for me to celebrate my birthday😋

Great place for a romantic meal or a gathering of friends. The food and drink are excellent, and not overly expensive by SF standards.

Did I pay $30 for a burger? Yes. Was it overpriced? Yes. Was it delicious? Yes. Should you also pay $30 for a burger? If you're looking for a burger that will rock your socks, yes. I'll say it again, and I'll shout it from the rooftops: execution is everything. And particularly with a dish that's as much of a staple as the American cheeseburger, how you spice it up matters. Absinthe's burger ingredients complement each other wonderfully. The grilled onions were cooked to perfection. The garlic aioli added creaminess, without being overbearing. The bun was fresh and had a light crisp to it from being on the grill. And the sleeper hit were the fries, which were piping hot, the perfect amount of crispness, and rounded out and already wonderful dish. I am simply hard pressed to find flaws.

Wonderful drinks, food, and a très français experience. Outdoor park let seating is well heated. Highly recommend the pan seared duck breast with lentils if still available.

So glad we finally tried Absinthe. We just walked in without reservation in a Saturday noon time, get a great seat right away. The food is amazing and feel so different from other restaurants, from the bread they use, to the sauce taste like. It's indeed out of the world. Love our waiter, very friendly & give out best suggestions. Dessert didn't surprise me, but love all the food we ordered and the cocktail is top-notch.

The food was good but the service was below average. Wouldn’t recommend for special occasions but good for casual dinners. Given the price didn’t seem like a good deal.

It is a decent French restaurant. The menu is limited, but everything we tried was delicious. The service was great.

Definitely expensive but all of the food looked incredible and tasted delicious. The staff was also above and beyond with how friendly they were. I wouldn't make this spot a regular place but I would go again.

A good place to have a meal in the city. The quiche was tasty and the accompanying salad had a light dressing. The burger was moist with loads of flavor.

Lovely French restaurant in the heart of Hayes Valley. Ambiance is very chic and lively. Service is attentive and watchful. Our waiter was observant of when to "interrupt" conversation to get our orders and when we needed another cocktail or when it was time for dessert. In the beginning he kindly served us drinks while waiting for our friends to park. Food was beautiful and delicious. The french onion soup was outstanding. One of the best I've had. The cauliflower soup was also a stand out. For the main we enjoyed the Sole Meunier and Beef Bourguignon. The dessert was pretty. But just ok IMHO. Maybe it was thr chestnut I wasn't fond of... Overall we had a magnificent Christmas celebration dinner with our friends.

A little piece of Paris in our own city. Food and service and atmosphere were absolutely excellent. The cocktails were delicious too. This will be one of our regular spots now. Also, whoever came up with this peach dessert is a genius!

It is nice to still have a classic French restaurant where you can get all the expected luxuries like escargot, caviar, and Beef Bourgogne. Nice non-alcoholic cocktails. Professional service. $105 per person including appetizer, main course dessert, tip, 6% mandate but no alcohol.

I had the autumn Manhatten it was incredibly refreshing and smooth and reminded me of how subtle and special a perfect cocktail can be . It was very relaxing to experience the whole aesthetic hey have curated here. Come here and remember ....

Absinthe is a lovely place to have a quiet lunch or romantic dinner. The service and hospitality are excellent; atmosphere is very nice; food and drinks are great. However, it is incredibly expensive—even by SF standards—and not worth the price you pay. They would have a lot more business (and profit) if the prices were not so inflated. I will return—when they have more reasonable prices.

My favorite San Francisco restaurant. Hayes Valley has completely changed in the last decade, Absinthe remains a destination. Incredible French-inluenced, but never stuffy, menu, attentive and witty servers, and food is always perfect.

Had a delicious meal and wonderful experience here last night. The Petrale Sole was incredible as was the fresh green salad. Incredibly fresh. Service was excellent and the atmosphere is really nice and not too loud. Perfect to catch up with a friend I had not seen in a few years. I will be back soon!

My husband and I are visiting from Upstate NY and this restaurant was recommended by my cousin who lives here. The ambiance was chic and romantic, the food was delicious, and the service was great! Our waiter was helpful and answered any questions we had. It was my first time having French food and escargot, I enjoyed it very much! We had a lovely evening.

Really nice and stylish bar and restaurant. Food was good, service great; they have always went out of their way to make my visits memorable. I have to give high praise to their hostess - welcoming smile, great personality, and always attentive. 🙏

My first time here. Food was delicious. We ordered mussels and French onion soup for appetizers. They both were delish. For the main course we ordered black truffle cheeseburger and salad lyonnaise. Yumm!! We wrapped up with egg nog crème brûlée for desert. Everything was delish and highly recommend. Please see food pictures. We will be back for sure.

Great food and service. The key here is that it gets packed Early because many people are going to shows at the theater so if you can wait until about 8 to eat, getting a seat is much easier. And your wait person will ask if you are going to a show. Had the oysters and steak, so great. Got a side of the potato puree, that rocked. The French onion soup is one of the best around. Worth having dinner here.

Beautiful atmosphere, great food. The duck breast on lentils was delicious. The crab salad refreshing and tasty. A bit expensive but worth it. Decent wine selection. Recommended.

Ethan was amazing! Super attentive, charming and knowledgeable! Delicious food from burger to French toast to Quiché. The Saint George absinthe was good. Will come again, maybe dinner instead of brunch next time

Completely classy and delicious in every way as ever.

Good was on the salter side. Service could have been better. They never did bring out neither a second glass of wine and bread. Waiter stopped by only once to check in after our food arrived

Really pretty restaurant. Brunch menu was delicious. A bit expensive, but worth the food and environment in San Francisco

My first time dining here and I have to say I loved it. I ordered the truffled burger and fries and my husband got the French toast. Both were delicious. We will be coming back. Thank you Abinthe Brasserie and Bar!

Fabulous food and thoughtful service 👍. I have wheat flour allergy but happily quinoa corn oat rye are Great! Their wonderfully helpful and communicative staff do an impressive job of explaining the Tasty options..

A thoroughly delightful adult evening with drinks and dinner at their lovely old wooden bar. In addition to the atmosphere, the food was heavenly - French inspired and done to perfection - with onion soup to die for, oysters, mussels, salad niccoise and on and on. Close to Symphony Hall and the Opera. But any night for any reason will do.

Nice little restaurant near SF symphony. We were able to get seated right away at 4pm. We tried the onion soup and the cheeseburger which were both pretty good and the mai tai was also superb. The servers were very attentive and friendly and the atmosphere was great. Would definitely go there again if attending another concert.

A great French restaurant in the heart of Hayes Valley. We had a wonderful brunch here. The French onion soup is exactly right - with a rich onion broth and a thick layer of gruyere over the top. If there is a better croque monsieur in San Francisco I want to know about it, because this one is perfection - proper jambon, exquisite cheese and the perfect amount of mustard for that bite of sharpness. Highly, highly recommended.

Great drink spot. Came in hear for some Saturday afternoon drinks. The Aperol Bresil was incredibly refreshing. They have a good list of cocktails and the bartenders are very friendly.

Still very good after all these years. I have not been in a while so I’m not sure if they changed hands or just have tweaked the menu. Drinks were excellent, quiche was amazing had the perfect custard texture. Wild mushroom omelette was also quite good. A definite stand out was the Kampachi.

French onion soup! JB the absolute best host! Highly recommend this place..

Very delicious. Lovely service. Great cocktailes and good food despite the wind blast. Will visit again.

Bartender gave regaled us with a plethora of whiskey and after-dinner wine history and education. I feel like I should have paid extra for all the knowledge I gained there. Delicious drinks at the bar.

Classic, old school bar scene. Great service. Fabulous martinis. What more do you want?