Balboa Cafe

Beat my expectations! The burger in a baguette was tasty, the meat was cooked well. That is their speciality. The fish and chips was also solid (I am British so I feel qualified to opine on this). Starters were also good for a bar. The hazy IPA and wine were both delightful. Service was great - we had an engaging waiter and everything was timely. It was a fun atmosphere to sit at a spacious table but have the energy of a bar behind us. Caveat: we had the best table in the house - 6 person circular table immediately on the left as you walk in so it felt very spacious. Other tables were not so spacious!

We love to try new spots and experience something different but you know that feeling when you regret not going with your gut? That's how I feel right now. I'm still trying to understand why this place has such good reviews and why people wait outside in the cold hoping for the chance to be seated. For us service was non-existent once the order was placed. We ordered two house specialty cocktails, they were about as good as that kids lemonade stand around the corner that you feel obligated to buy. Next, the food runner dropped my plate off in the same manner as I used to get my newspaper delivered. The famous burgers we ordered were of about the same quality as you'd expect from Oracle Park after about the sixth inning. Finally, after waiting for some time, I was able to flag down someone other than my understaffed server to get our check. Luckily, this person actually happened to be the manger. After explaining our experience to him, he offered about as much assistance as a San Francisco beat cop. As I stated in the beginning of this post, I should have gone with my gut. My gut told me to head to Original Joe's which is what you should do as well. I hope that this review helps those who where contemplating going to this 'landmark'.

Oh, Balboa… a true Marina District classic! My family’s been coming here for generations and it never disappoints. The cocktails are always top-notch, the staff are awesome, and the food is excellent. It can get pretty wild on the weekends, but weeknights are a great time to run into old friends and family. Definitely worth a visit if you’ve never been, and always worth a stop if you have!

Wandered upon this place, and happy we did. The staff was so helpful and knowledgeable regarding the menu. The waitress was beyond accommodating recommending half servings of salads, additions, etc. They even sent us free dessert bc it was our birthdays. The food was flavorful and nice size portions. I can see why this is a neighborhood joint and when I'm back in San Fran I will definitely return.

Popular spot known for espresso martinis in the Marina. Came here for dinner on a Friday evening around 9pm and it was pretty crowded. We didn’t have reservations for our party of four but we nabbed an inside table with a less than 5 minute wait. Outdoor seating with heat lamps is also available. The Mac and cheese was the crowd favorite. I did enjoy the poke nachos as well, though note that there is a lot of mayo-based sauce on top. The buttermilk calamari came in a huge portion size so that’s a good option for those groups that are hungry. We got a salad and risotto to round out the meal - those were alright. Service was pretty slow but it was a busy Friday night, so we just went up to the bar to try to pay the bill.

First time here, discovered by chance as we were driving by, lots of people but enough space to seat us inside right away. Salmon was really good, not very garlicky, combined with squash and navy beans, I usually don't eat the skin but I tried it and it was crunchy and flavoury, no regrets. Chimichurri fries had a good twist to traditional fries, they came with a kind of mayo sauce that didn't add anything to them, try them without it. Calamari looked good, I'd try it next time. Parking space? this is SF so good luck 😁