Bistro Boudin

Went upstairs to the Bistro and found some amazing food. The views are incredible off Alcatraz. The bread you get when you sit is the sourdough. I had the fish and chips and my friend had the burger, be warned that there is a lot of food. Also if you eat, you get to go into the museum. For sure I will be back before I head back to Tahoe.

Worst service EVER!!! Had to ask to be put on list to be seated. He acted like it was an inconvenience to him. Finally got seated and 20 mins and we haven’t seen a waiter yet!
ETA: when our food arrived, it was wrong. I had ordered my sandwich with no avocado since I’m allergic. The guy quickly realized and took away my plate with the avocado on the sandwich. I opened the sandwich and to my surprise you could see where they put avocado on it and then took it off. I’m glad I looked. I could have ended up in the hospital. Obviously cross contamination is not a priority and could be deadly for some. The waiter did take the sandwich off our ticket since I had to wait while my family enjoyed their meal.

Excellent food. The ahi tuna fish cooked perfectly! The pot roast was fall apart tender. The scampi pasta was excellent. We will be back!

In the midst of tee shirt stores, tour booths and take-​out crab and shrimp cocktail vendors we saw a massive building beckoning our attention. As we approached the rain soaked air became filled with the smell of freshly backed bread. We knew this is where we wanted to settle down for lunch. This bakery, café and restaurant was just what we needed. We sat at the bar and had excellent service from Edward. He talked American football with us as we sipped our wine. I wanted to have the Clam Chowder and he suggested the corn and crab chowder. I was a bit hesitant since I REALLY wanted the clam chowder, so he brought me a sample of both. I decided on the clam chowder. It was delicious. We also had the ceviche sampler which was presented well and tasted great. A definite winner in my book for a mid day lunch and drinks.

My girlfriends and I were in San Francisco for a short stay and decided to check out this place for lunch. A few visitors suggested that this was THE place to eat on the pier. I ordered the shrimp tacos which I found to be delicious. My friends all ordered the smoked salmon sandwich which they all loved! The server was a bit pretentious and forgetful at times but overall we had a good experience!

I really enjoyed this restaurant with its freshly baked bread! I had the oysters Rockefeller and BBQ oysters as well as clam chowder. I highly recommend the chowder. It offers a huge portion for the price! Oysters weren’t bad but a little pricey. Although it is comparable to others in the area. I would definitely come back!

Extremely overpriced. The same bread bowls with chowder are nearly half the price in the bakery one floor below. Not impressed with quality of the sourdough. Skip the bistro and save money at one of the stands along the pier.

The clam chowder was amazing! I can never finish the bread bowl but the combination of the soft bread with the rich chowder was just great (along with with the weather in SF). Unfortunately I also ordered the dessert waffle (I really should stop ordering random things), it was just overly sweet and the chocolate covered my waffle at the end which made it look unappetizing.

Great tourist spot, great food.
Must order: Dungeness Crab, Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Very good: Crab & Corn Bisque
Good: Halibut

Redemption is sweet.
Julia took excellent care of us, and showed us what good service really is!
Will return. Thanks so much.

Always a pleasure to dine here. I always start with the garlic fries, topped with parsley. They are amazing. The flat iron steak, with garlic mashed potatoes, is a favorite. One of the top 3 favorite steaks I’ve ever had is served here. The clam chowder bread bowls are delicious, but the sourdough bread itself is worth a days walk just to nibble on. I’ll forever come back to treat myself when in SF.

Situated atop the Boudin Bakery and Café is this wonderful restaurant. The aroma of fresh bread is all around you, and the complimentary sour dough bread is chewy, with a perfectly crunchy crust.
We had a spinach, artichoke and crab dip to start, it was buttery and rich with garlic flavor and really delicious with the toasted bruscetta.
I had the halibut with cauliflower purée. While the halibut wasn’t perfect it was pretty good, the purée with chanterelles was really delicious.
Definitely worth a visit when at the fisherman’s wharf.

I really like this restaurant. I think this is one of the better restaurants in the Fishermen Wharf area. It is located on the second floor of the Boudin Bakery building. The ambiance is very good. The sourdough bread at this restaurant is amazing.
I really enjoyed my previous dinning experiences. I tried out several items. I really like the Dungeness Crab Louis. The salad and meat were fresh and well made. The presentation of the salad was very good. I also like their Anchor Steam Fish and Chips. The fish was cooked perfectly, and the meat was moist and flakey. It also came with an ample portion of french fries. The fries were okay. Moreover, their Sourdough Tortilla Tacos were very good. The sourdough tortilla gave the tacos an unique chewier texture. The taco meat (you can choose between shrimp, crab, and rock cod) was tasty. The toppings on the tacos were very good. The Boudin Bloody Mary I had okay. Their Gimlet was very good, but too strong for my tastes.
The customer service and fast, friendly, and efficient. The waitstaff was very attentive to me and my dinning partner’s needs. Lastly, I highly recommend getting reservations for this place.

Yum! Yum! Yum! Came for the chowder bowl. Got the crab bisque. Good decision! Also had the scallop ceviche. Oh. My. Gawd. Get it!
Free entry to the ‘museum’ while you wait for a table. Apparently we timed it just right because we didn’t have to wait too long.
Service was a bit slow, but the place was packed, so decent for the conditions. It’s a beautiful waterfront restaurant at a legendary SF company.
Worth the wait? Yep. What else do you have to do in SF besides wait in line for great seafood all day every day?

Here for happy hour!
Drinks are good, strong and not too expensive! I will update post when the food arrives. I plan on ordering pizza, calamari and a basket of sourdough bread (it’s only right).
UPDATE:
Ordered the pizza and it was sooo good! Oysters were fresh and delicious! Best friend ordered the Mule; so strong… But, so good!!! Definitely worth the trek. Happy Hour is until 7!!! If you work in the city, should definitely stop by; bar wasn’t as packed, as expected.

You can’t leave San Francisco without trying their infamous clam chowder. Thus, my boyfriend and I was on a hunt for it and came to Boudin based on locals’ recommendations. Upon entering the place you can smell the fresh sour dough baking. It was aaamazing!!! The actual restaurant is located upstairs while the main floor consisted of a fast food dining service and a gift shop. Upstairs you will also find a Boudin history museum and for the price of $ 3 you can sample their sour dough bread (oh, and check out its history of course). My boyfriend was being lame so we didn’t get to see the museum, but that was not a problem because we were able to get seated right away.
Bistro Boudin is pretty massive; there’s a lot of dining area with very good lighting and an awesome view. As for the food, oh-​M-​G! My boyfriend and I did not get the clam chowder that we originally came for because I saw the corn bisque on the menu and I’m a sucker for good bisque. And it was good bisque; the corn was super sweet, the actual soup was creamy and the sour bread was the icing on the cake. We also ordered the seafood cioppino and it was unbelievable. The seafood used was super fresh and the broth had an explosion of flavor. Honesty, this was my favorite meal of my trip.

We were passing by the restaurant and noticed tons of people dining with the famous bread bowls in front of them and so we decided to fall for the tourist trap like everyone else. Instead of sitting on the first floor, we decide to go to the second floor and got a great view of Alcatraz.
Our server wasn’t rude, but wasn’t friendly either. He didn’t give any recommendations on any food items so I jumped on Unilocal to look at pics and see what people here are raving about. Hubby and I decided on the Squash Bisque and Crab Sandwich.
The food was great and the bill came to $ 42 — pricey yes, but I guess I expected that price at a place like this.

Bistro Boudin is located in the über-​touristy area of Fisherman’s Warf, inside the giant Boudin bakery/​store/​museme/​restaurant right next to the iconic warf sign. If you are strong willed enough to make it past the fresh sour dough bread and goodies in the store, and then again past the café (the bread smell is strong in this place), up the stairs is Bistro Boudin– and you will be rewarded for not filling up before.
The views are great from here– you can see across the bay to Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the sun sets are beautiful! On top of that, the food is fantastic and the service is decent. You’ll be served all the sour dough delciousness that you want at the table (free bread and butter), and almost all of their entrees involve sour dough in some delectable form or fashion. For me, my choice is always the Dungeness Crab Mac and Cheese. I mean, Ahhh Mahh Gahhh I’ve had dreams about this dish it’s so good. It’s also a huge portion, so if you’re not too keen on the price (it is a $$ restaurant) you could easily split this dish with a friend and both be full.
Service has been decent the few times I’ve been, nothing spectacular but there are long stretches of time when you’re waiting for your drink to be refilled, or more bread to arrive. Be prepared to flag down your waiter/​waitress if necessary.
I always make this my first dinner when visiting SF, and can’t wait to come back and have the amazing mac and cheese! Until then, i’ll enjoy it in my dreams…

Premature ejection. Lol. Boudin actually had a working santa in the store! I never want to interrupt one of my dopelgangers. They might be making a living by being me! So we high tailed it out of there.
Anyway, we left and sat outside the building and had a clam chowder bread bowl. Pretty good.

Stopped by here to get some great seafood dinner and it really was great!
Entrée ordered:
Half dozen chilled oysters (****)
Boudin sourdough breadbowl (***) — clam chowder flavor was good but bread was way too cold.
Anchor steam fish & chip (*****) — highly recommended. Batter wasn’t too thick and seasoned perfectly!
Pan roasted halibut (***) — expected to be super delicious since it is $ 32 fish entrée but fish was little dry.
Service (5*) — waiter we had constantly checked up on us to see if we needed anything. I was hesitant to order fish and chip but I trusted waiter’s recommendation and he was right. It was really great.

My friends and I were looking to enjoying some soup sourdough bowls and two of my friends were looking to enjoy some beers with clam chowder bowls while another two were looking to enjoy the basil bowl deal at the restaurant downstairs. This resulted in us being separated from a table upstairs, ruining our dining experience. If both entities of upstairs and downstairs business are from the some owner why not allow a group of friends which does not exceed five to dine together, especially if a group can just as well sit down and order drinks and no food. Avoid this location and stick to locations that respect the dining experience for groups.

I don’t say this flippantly. THE BEST IPA I’ve ever had. 21^st amendment is packed with smooth stout-​like hoppy goodness. For the last 5 years, the favorite was arrogant bastard. On top of that, I ate like a wild animal the cioppino because it was so f-​ing good. What else do you want, besides a view… oh yeah, you can have that too. So to sum up. Best beer, best seafood, best beer, and service treats you like royalty. Now that’s #CustomerExperience

If you are on the Wharf and looking for a San Francisco experience, this is a great way to get it. Please note that this is the second floor restaurant I am talking about and not the ground floor Boudins. This is much nicer. Husband and I both had the crab and corn bisque bread bowls, and our son had the clam chowder. They came out in two minutes or less, which is great if you have other plans. We were all very happy with our choice. The sourdough and soup were both exceptional. Husband and I also ordered cocktails, and were happy with the quality and quick service. Our son got a very quick refill on his soda. Overall the food, service, and atmosphere is exactly what you would want from a Fisherman’s Wharf experience.

Our party of four stopped here for lunch right as it opened at 11:30 a.m., and will absolutely return next time we’re in SF. Yes, it is touristy and on the more expensive side for the type of food served, but we knew that before we opened the door.
Lunch:
Our waitress, Sharlene, was absolutely excellent. She was quick to refill drinks and bread, made great recommendations when we asked, and was very funny and witty. The bread was phenomenal. I had the crab tacos, which were very good; the crab was a tiny bit overcooked, but it didn’t detract from the dish. My husband had the beef stew, which he raved about. There was one small piece of beef that was tough/​gristle, but otherwise the meat was tender. Our friends ordered the chicken club and the crab cake sandwich, and enjoyed both. Three of us requested small modifications (no tomato, etc.), and all of our meals arrived exactly as ordered.
Museum:
After lunch, we stopped by the museum. It is free to visit if you have eaten or are planning to eat in the restaurant; otherwise, it is $ 3.00 per person. It was definitely worth the visit, as it also allows you to watch the bread-​making process from above. When we were in the museum portion looking at the family tree/​bakery «family» tree, Doug approached us to explain the tree (start at the bottom, one line for family, the other for bakery, etc.). He was the highlight of our visit, and taught us so much more than we would have learned by reading the exhibits. He really has a passion for what he does, and it made our visit superb. If you have any interest at all in the museum, history, or San Francisco generally, definitely stop by and ask for Doug.

After a long weekend with childhood friends, we decided to end our night in Fisherman’s Wharf. While walking through, we stopped in to see how bread was made at Boudin and ended up eating at the Bistro on the second floor.
I really like the fact that you can come and check out the museum while you wait for your table. You really learn some interesting things about this place. Once our buzzer went off, we were walked to our table. The place is nice, low lit lighting, cool ceiling fixtures and big table tops. Our server, although very nice, was a bit clumsy. He wasn’t very efficient throughout service and double charged my credit card because of a math mistake.
For dinner, I started with the crab cake appetizer for $ 16.95. Let me tell you, so worth the high price! This is hands down the best crab cake I’ve had to date. Lots of crab meat and not a lot of filler, served with a roasted corn salad and whole grain mustard aioli. ON POINT! My meal was the Anchor Steam shrimp and chips for $ 24.95. The shrimp had an Anchor Steam beer batter, served with cole slaw and homemade tartar sauce over thin cut fries. The batter was a little too dense in my opinion and made the overall dish seem stale and not as crispy as I would have preferred. Also, the fries were just blah, nothing really set them apart.
I wished everything else was like my experience with the crab cake but overall, I had a good time. This iconic SF landmark is definitely worth visiting again when family/​friends come to visit. Come check them out!

The bistro is upstairs above the café and baking area. At the top of the stairs is the hostess station, the oyster bar to the left, the main (drinks) bar just around the corner, and the dining room extends to both sides of the building; views of street activity on one side and water/​wharf on the other. Mostly warm wood décor, tables spaced nicely, and the dining area visually divided by short walls allows for a feeling of some privacy.
Came in for a late lunch on a Thursday at about 3:00pm — lunch menu was still available. It’s nice when the host (ess) offers a good seat without having to ask; a fine 2-​top table at the window overlooking the water/​wharf. We started lunch with a couple drinks: Basil Gimlet and an Extra Dirty Gin Martini (bleu stuffed olives. stuffed by our waitress). This is the waterfront area, expect there to be mostly seafood on the menu. There are a few meat options but no burgers. There are some pizza selections as well as salads and, of course, clam chowda’
I saw «smoked salmon» and was sold; didn’t care how it was served. In this case, it was the Hot Smoked Salmon Club (which means warm, not spicy). Served on sourdough with avocado and tomato. This sandwich was divine! My wife opted for a trio of sourdough taco’s (the tortilla is a sourdough); one each of grilled shrimp, grilled cod, and crab. I managed to snag half of the crab taco — too «fishy» for her. Interesting use of sourdough and more pita or bread like that tortilla, but still good.
Our server was jovial, energetic, and very accommodating (stuffing the olives). It was a bit of a wait for our drinks and the food followed quickly after. We had some leftover bread that was wrapped in a napkin. The server offered a fresh baguette ‘for the road’ instead. Very observant.
Like most places in the area, it’s not a cheap lunch. Drinks and food were $ 66 plus a generous tip for our server.

Friend wanted chowder in bread. Clam chowder always good here. Oysters was a disappointment, small, however fresh. Highlight was the trio ceviche of halibut (chunks), shrimp (not whole, was kinda skimpy) and squid.
Busy as always during the weekends with tourists and locals.

Sourdough craving quenched!
I really appreciated getting away from all the tourists. (Yes, hypocritical since I am a tourist myself…) But I had a migraine, and still wanted to take part in trying a breadbowl that I’d been ogling all weekend. I got the petite crab & corn chowder; couldn’t believe it was «petite.» Totally worth it.
The other dishes, however, were pretty pricey. (My not-​so-​petite breadbowl was a little over $ 10.)

Boudin’s in any form whether it’s the bakery, café, or bistro are all staples of San Francisco. You come here because you know it’s well known and that it’s going to be good. I’ve came here a couple times and each time was great. Service was good, food was good and the atmosphere and views around are as well. You can’t go wrong with some clam chowder in a freshly baked bread bowl. I was finally able to put down my first oysters here after trying them a couple times before elsewhere if I’m correct, I had the issue of getting gag reflexes trying to get them down my throat but this place made it successful.

3.5 stars
Dear Unilocal,jack that $$ up to $$$ please. Pricey indeed.
Very nice place to visit with your touristy friends. I took a friend from Toronto here for lunch yesterday and as we sat peeping outside the window staring at Alcatraz, I felt like it was nice. I looked away after about 4 seconds to notice Toronto still staring about 2 minutes later. Clearly another example of the spoiled as all gitup lifestyle we live out here in the Bay.
I was raving about the sourdough bread and he agreed that the flavors and texture are unlike any bread he’s ever devoured.
Crab cake sandwich was delicious and on point. Crispy, well toasted sourdough bread, well seasoned crab cake with minimal mayo, chunks of fresh, perfectly ripe avocado make for a wonderful sandwich. Fries were tiny and crispy, but good enough.
Overall I think this is definitely a tourist trap with a wonderful layout, exceptional décor and large, spacious environment. I understand the price gouge and full disclosure, if I owned a restaurant at this location I’d charge $ 20 for sandwiches too. I don’t own it, I don’t line my pockets with cash and that’s how we arrive at this conclusion.

I parked at the Pier 39 parking structure. Only a few minutes away from this restaurant. Eight of us decided to here for dinner. We would have been seated immediately but half of our party was not here yet. No harm there. We eventually were seated and we got our drinks in less than three minutes or so. About 10 minutes later, this is where it started to go bad. We were ready to order and our waiter was no where in sight. Then eventually he came back and took our order.
We got our food. I had the clam chowder bread bowl. It tasted delicious. My fiancée had the crab salad. There was too much crab, yet it tasted good.
There were times we wanted more water and another utensil, but our waiter was helping other tables and not even checking. I even attempted to ask the manager for it, but she just walked away without acknowledgement. One of my friends was able to get the attention of our waiter and attended to us.
We finally finished our meal and time to ask for the check. Waiter no where in sight! Once again we had to flag him down once one of us saw him. This is one of the worse service I have ever experienced.
Food was 4 out of 5 stars to me.
Service was 1 out of 5.

Definitely a bizarre experience… and I’m saying that after we went to Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
It seemed like a good idea for lunch. We’re in San Francisco for a mini vacation, so of course stopping at the famous Boudin bakery sounds like a great idea. Hmmm, I haven’t really ever done a compliment sandwich on here, let’s try that out.
First of all, I think it’s pretty cool that just by putting out name down for a table we were granted access to the Boudin «museum» and a chance to look down into the bread… factory…if that’s what you all it. It was the perfect way to eat up the time waiting for our table to be ready. The museum isn’t huge, but it doesn’t need to be… it’s sourdough bread, not NASA.
Unfortunately the worst aspects of the meal revolve around the service. Our server was… a bit weird. He had the tendency to disappear for long periods of time, but thankfully we never needed him for much. The main issues were in his tone. When we asked for refills on our water, he came over and said:
«You know because of the drought here in California we can only refill water upon request.»
«Oh, okay.»
«Where are you all from?»
«Southern California.»
«So you live here, you should know that.»
Yes, yes we were aware of that new law. I understand if this was just a friendly reminder, but his tone came across as really condescending and almost scolding us for requesting more water.
He also famously approached the table later on after the food arrived and asked one of our party if he was ok. Not all of us if the food was ok, just one of us specifically. He then proceeded to spill precious water as he poured and didn’t say a word.
Also, as soon as we got up to leave another party came and grabbed our seats and started yelling at the servers to ask if they were going to clean the table. As a reminder, we got a buzzer and were seated, so this is the norm for how the restaurant operates. Either these people were being stupid a-​holes or the staff neglected to man the hosting station properly. I’m a pessimist, so I will go with both.
But a compliment sandwich wouldn’t be complete with another piece of back-​patting bread on the bottom, so I will go ahead and say that the food was good. I tried the crab and shrimp pizza, which surprisingly was quite good (I only say surprisingly because seafood and cheese can be a dangerous combination). The sourdough crust didn’t overpower in flavor and there was a generous amount of the crab and shrimp on the pizza so I didn’t feel ripped off. I also heard that the clam chowder was good, though not amazing.
It’s really a sort of tourist trap of a restaurant, not a place to visit more than once or expect amazing food or service. Not terrible, just felt more like a formality than anything with passion behind it.

Having been to Boudin a number of times already, I’ve reviewed the downstairs bakery, but didn’t realize until recently that the upstairs restaurant is listed separately.
I’ve dined at the Bistro a few times already, most recently with some family tourists. But I suppose everyone still kind of feels like a tourist when stepping into Boudin, which is fine because it’s always worth a visit. Once you secure a table with the host/​ess, your pager gets you into the museum for free.
The restaurant features a variety of seafood dishes, salads, meat items, and their famous bread bowls. The complimentary sourdough made in-​house is always a nice introduction. I had the Linguini Pasta Primavera, which was good.
The bar has a limited draught beer selection, but a list of bottles are available. I don’t remember seeing a separate bar menu, so I assume everything on the main menu is available to order.
Service is okay (it will always be busy), prices are expected given the area. The location is so convenient, with windows from the dining room that overlook Fisherman’s Wharf. If you’re spending a little more time at Boudin and want to sit down for a full meal, the Bistro will suit your needs.

Salivating on the window is not welcomed, but it happens very often. A bread factory in-​action. Absolutely love it, fantasies comes true. Kind of like a 50 Shades of Bread.
Downstairs, a moderate café and touristy store, where you can dawn a Boudin cap or apron, or pin, or, or, or. Upstairs, a full-​fledged restaurant and bar. Thus, the Bistro.
A modern yet traditional design. Built like a airplane hangar with very tall rafters: metal, wood, and glass. The thing to get here is the Clam chowder in a bread bowl for $ 15.95. Of course, with warm bread and butter served while the food is prepared, I lacked control and got near full before the soup was delivered. Well, almost. The chowder was super creamy, very white, and mostly consisted of the cream and potato, light on the clams. It was good, not great.
The service was suberb. Nice, warm, and funny server named Gerard. Kudos Gerard!
Would I go back? Sure. But not before I ate Chowder at one the other 432 places nearby. It was $ 42 for 2 soups and 2 iced teas… ouch!

Una trampa para turistas. El local es el mejor ubicado en Fishermans Wharf, lo que presumo los impulsa para dar comida de mala calidad, con precios excesivos, pequeñas porciones y mal servicio. La parte baje es una panadería con tienda de souvenirs, y la parte alta el Bistro. La especialidad son las sopas servidas en pan campesino. Probé la Clam Chowder pero nada especial. Buena carta de vinos locales pero muy costosos. Tienen el mal gusto de hacerte esperar sin razón para asignar mesa para «impulsar» la visita a un pequeño museo sobre la panadería cuya entrada cobran en US$ 3.00 y es patética.

First off I hate writing bad reviews
So if I ever write one, it’s because it was really really bad.
This restaurant and food itself is not bad, but having HORRIBLE service can ruin your whole experience. This was my first time coming here and i was initially excited until our table was waiting 30 something minutes without any type of acknowledgement.
Our waiter didn’t ask to take our orders and we literally had to flag him down for water TWICE. When we saw that he was free he went to take other peoples orders and cleaned up other tables as if we weren’t there.
I swear I’m not a snob or anything. But if were gonna pay 20 dollars a plate I Better get SOME service. After being ignored so long we went to complain and had to switch waiters. When our food came out, It was okay. We had two clam chowder bowls, a cheese plate, and a burger. First off the clam chowder bowls are not worth 15 bucks. The consistency was super watery. The cheese plate was 22 dollars. When it came out, I felt like this was something they would feed a miniature village.
Maybe if our waiter wasn’t so crappy our we would’ve been more tolerant. Also they gave us a «sorry his service sucked» baguette. Thanks but our food didn’t Taste any better.
SERIOUSLY no hate, but the truth.