A proper old school steakhouse. Very much keeps its 1940s ambience, and food. The steak is outstanding, perfectly seasoned and cooked. Perhaps the best steak in San Francisco. Good cocktails. The deserts are okay - my New York Cheesecake could have been served at the nearby (and vastly inferior) Cheesecake Factory. But you don't go to John's for the deserts. Good service, though it is loud, so can be hard to hear what the servers are saying, especially with masks on. Overall a great experience for steak lovers.

I was here today because my English name is John. But after I was in the restaurant, I realized it is historical restaurant. From these photos on the walls, you can imagine how many stories they had. The service was super. I found my favorite Escargots here. Usually only French restaurant has it. It tasted very close to these I had in France. Excellent! The New England clam chowder was also delicious and I highly recommend it too. I also like their house drink Bloody Brigid. I was surprised to know they even gave me the glass back as a souvenir.

This place is packed so I would recommend a reservation however it’s definitely worth making. I would not take children here it’s more of an adult place. There is a full bar & the bartender is heavy handed on the alcohol! John the manager was amazing with setting up our wonderful window table. The bouncer aka host was very accommodating & helped us by walking us to the cable car & even making sure we had a seat on the car. The food was amazing, & you have to try the escargot it is so delicious!! The steak was cooked to perfection & try the creamed spinach with it! Great place with so much history.

The ambiance, food, and service were so good we went back on the second day. Ana, our server was super professional yet friendly and attentive. Ask for her! The place oozes charm and history. The cherry on top is that the food was amazing! Not to mention that the location is super convenient to everything. Do yourself a favor, don't miss this San Francisco gem!

This is a classic and beautiful place to have dinner. The steak house restaurant has been running for a very long time and the building keeps the old times style. During Christmas they decorate with ornaments that made you feel cozier. The place is a 3 story restaurant and we had a chance to be seat on the 3rd floor which has an open space bar that you can see in one of me pictures. On Christmas eve I got the special menu for the season and I pick the traditional New England Clam chowder as a starter and the New york steak. The chowder was really good and tasteful. I eat some sourdough bread and it gave an extra flavor to my meal. Unfortunately the bread was really hard to chew. My mom had some difficulties to break it into pieces My second plate was the New York Steak, which is one of my favorites and I always order when I can. I ordered the medium well and the steak was in fact in that condition but in the cover they burned the steak on the edges which sometimes happens and is understandable but this time the burned side overcome the flavor (this ashy flavor) of the steak in every bite. I ended up cutting part of the steak to remove the burned side. For dessert I ordered the Cheesecake with the Amaretto coffee and they were awesome. The Cheesecake was not sweet as usually Cheesecakes are which is perfect for me and with the combination of my coffee, that was just awesome The place was packed and It must be a rush of the holidays and I would recommend this place only for first timers in a less busy time.

Visited a charming, long-standing steak and seafood restaurant with impressive historical décor. The steak was satisfactory, and the seafood showed freshness. However, the service was average, lacking the attentiveness expected from such an establishment. The ambiance, adorned with vintage accents, added a touch of elegance to the dining experience. While the culinary offerings were commendable, a bit more attention to service could elevate the overall dining experience. A fine choice for those seeking a blend of classic ambiance and decent steak and seafood options. I especially recommend a boiled halibut.

My last night in the city, I chose this restaurant as it was a block away from my hotel plus it caught my attention as I kept passing by it the past few days. It was fortunate that I was able to book a reservation online about half hr before my desired dinner time. I simply made the reservation on OpenTable and was seated right away as I attended to the host thou the restaurant was very busy. I checked out the menu online, so I already had a general idea of what I'm having. The escargot sauce was very delicious. The steak is a bit plain, rather tasteless without the steak sauce.

Classic old school vibe steak house. You can feel the history here. There are a lot of new fancy high end steak places with very expensive steaks in San Francisco and if you like that new fancy hip vibe you have plenty to choose from. This is very traditional and very old school and the food and service is fantastic. It’s a comfortable intimate setting. Quick fast and attentive service, waiter was always asking if we needed more soda or bread or anything else. Prices were very reasonable. I ordered the filet and it was cooked to perfection, tender, juicy, seared to crispy outside and moist inside. It also included green beans, baked potato and cooked carrot. Most other high end steak places charge you for this. Also ordered fries which were crispy and seasoned perfectly and grilled onions which I ate with baked potato. All in all a terrific place for a nice steak dinner.

Great food! Awesome staff! We were seated outside per our request, and the waiter turned on the heater for us. John’s is close to the cable car drop-off/pick-up and a few blocks away from Union Square. Try the escargot or salmon with a cherry coke and a smile! 😎

Average food quality, some dishes are excellent but some are below expected quality. Service was unfortunately poor, may be that was just our waiter. Seating is OK but looked cramped and crowded. Great fish and chips, steak was poorly cooked, extraordinary fries, and extremely bad quality pasta. Pasta felt like a can full of sauce poured over cold pasta and chicken that was dry and poorly made. Very salty and full of preservatives. Restaurant seems to have a great reputation, but our server (asian guy) was most uninterested in his job, and we got an impression that he was forced to work there.

We loved everything about John's Grill, San Francisco! We started with clam chowder and Ceasar salad, we ordered the Beef Medallions, Broiled Salmon, and the Fisherman's Pasta, which were all incredible. We also loved the sourdough bread starter and the Handmade Vanilla Bean ice cream. The service and atmosphere are excellent. This restaurant is historic, nostalgic, and has been here since 1908, and has served many famous people! I highly recommend experiencing a piece of history in San Francisico.

11/2023: Fantastic spot for a meal. Multiple floors with plenty of space, well decorated, and service is top notch. Bit pricey but seems well worth it! Food was fast and tasted great, and servers were just on it. Great spot, and highly recommend.

Cool vibe, good interesting history to the bulldozing (3 floors). I had the burger which I ordered medium and got well done, with no flavor, sauce or juiciness. It was completely flavorless and bland… I returned it and ate the bread and a soup. My wife got the ribeye and it was decent but again, completely flavorless and lacked maybe at least some salt if they’re not too familiar with seasoning. Moscow mule was great, the ginger kicks and you can tell that it’s real, with real ingredients. Just go get a drink and have a meal somewhere else.

Wow!!! Will not disappoint! Service is abundant, food choices are vast. 3 of us went ordered 3 different things.all were delicious!! A little on pricey side .but we'll worth it!!

In short, this place is classic, old school, and very satisfying. Delicate, refreshing lemon butter sauce drizzled over perfectly prepared tender white Petrale fish sprinkled with almonds. The Jack Lalanne Salad was healthy (as you might guess) but rich and really flavorful.

Why would you get anything other than the Sam Spade Lamb Chops???? The history of John’s is amazing, the service top notch, but the food; the Food!!!! Ample bread and sizable portions make this place a great option. Seriously, do yourself a favor, come down and get the Lamb Chops with the Heirloom and Baratta salad. It will change your life.

Wow, what a fantastic experience from start to finish. We left feeling like it was an absolute honour to have a meal here. This gem in San Francisco definitely doesn't rest on its laurels from years past. Thank you so much for being the highlight to our stay in San Francisco, we can't wait to come back one day.

This is a late review when the restaurant only had outdoor dining. The experience was wonderful and the food was really good too. Definitely a place to have dinner when in town.

Nice restaurant with long history. We had been told this restaurant is a must if you are in the Union Square area. The food was good, the atmosphere as well. However, our stake was not cooked as asked, and we were completely ignored when we stated that. However, I get that the place is always crowded, and they might be overwhelmed with the amount of work.

Servers were friendly. I ordered the steak as medium-rare and it was delicious. There were mushrooms, selmons and trout in the pasta. It was great as well. I ate the second floor and it smelled funny from the wall I guess.

My wife and I had reservations for dinner, after spending the day walking around Union Square. I'd been to John's Grill several times over the past couple of decades to have drinks, but I'd never dined there. The host was excellent! We arrived early and told her we'd be at the bar. The restaurant was busy, and we expected to wait a while for a table, but after just a few minutes, she came and found us at the bar to give us a romantic table for two on the 2nd level. It was a great table. I had to have Sam Spade's Lamb Chops, and my wife had the surf and turf. Both were fantastic. My medium rare lamb was perfect, moist and the baked potato was perfectly made. Likewise, my wife's medium rare New York Steak and Prawns were perfectly prepared. Look, it's John's Grill; everything was perfect and surpassed my expectations. It's not a tourist trap. It's a local favorite, and they do an excellent job of earning their place in San Francisco history.

If you are looking for a good grill in Union Square to enjoy a delicious steak, this is without doubt your place! It is one of the latest restaurants that closes in the area so it is a plus. Some dishes are more than enough for one person so before ordering two plates ask the waiter for his recommendation.

Decent food and calm atmosphere. Visit on a Monday around 2pm was not very crowded and service was relatively quick. Table service begins with ice waters and bread for the table. I ordered Chefs Special "Fish and Chips." Came out piping hot, well breaded and with a great taste. Fries were the crunchy "double-dipped" fried variety. Comes with Tartar, Ketchup, and malted vinegar. While its not the cheapest place around it is also not overly expensive. If you are looking for decent fare while you are in the area, consider giving it a try.

Loved the vibe of this place! Old restaurant but doesn’t feel run down inside, feels classic and authentic. The food was wonderful, really enjoyed the taste of everything we had.

Got hungrey in downtown SF, and boy, did I find a gem! A classic NY style steakhouse. I ordered a med-rare ribeye, and wow, it was done to perfection. The loaded baked potato was a perfect compliment. But the kicker was the long island iced tea. It was made in the original NY style. Totally recommend this fine hidden gem! The food was superb, and the service was spectacular.

Very good steakhouse. The steaks were very good and tasty, we had some good wine also. The service was really nice. One of the best meal I had during my time in SF.

Great experience at a historic restaurant. Even though it was very crowded the service was great. Our steaks were cooked perfectly and very flavorful and tender. It has a nice warm ambiance with wood paneled walls and low ceilings.