Kingfish

Can’t really give this place anymore stars at all… It’s CLOSED!!! Yes, that’s right the Kingfish San Francisco is closed. If you happen to try and go there to eat… good luck on getting in… Reasons for this??? Who knows… Probably too much $$$ going down the drain, was crappy all along anyway. The good thing is that there is still the origional KINGFISH in SAN MATEO… and they are GREAT… The one in San Mateo has been around for nearly 5 years. It’s waaaayyyyy better… As for the Kingfish in S. F… until next time… goodnight… By the way this place is not a chain at all.

I ended up at Kingfish not long after it opened because I found myself searching for kid-​friendly SF restaurants for my visiting relatives (two toddlers). Kingfish ended up being perfect because it is large (no worrying about bumping into tables as you maneuver strollers), loud enough (you don’t feel bad if the kids make some noise), and pretty decent food. It feels a little chain-​y, but certainly miles ahead of true chains like Olive Garden or Chevy’s.
As a bonus, it was nice to have a post-​dinner walk around the ballpark.
Bottom Line: A great find for accommodating pint-​sized visitors without resorting to restaurants they can eat at back home.

This place had great service. Waiter was fun, friendly and helpful. Points for having a 375ml selection on the wine list.
The calamari was crisp and hot. The cocktail sauce was fantastic and spicy.
The mussels and clams on the iron skillet with herb aioli.
I am picky about aioli but this was good.
Pomme Frites were delightful.
Baby salad was properly dresses with a marvelous sherry vinaigrette.
It’s near my office, so I will definitely be back to try a few more things off the menu.
Plus they accept amex.

If the San Francisco foodies on this site think that Kingfish is good, authentic New Orleans food, then something is rotten in SF.
A little bit of background — I grew up in New Orleans for 18 years. I have relatives whose last name ends in an X. I grew up cooking with both parents at when I was 5. I can cook good Creole and Cajun food. Kingfish cannot.
The gumbo was ok. A bit on the thin side with too much chicken. Throw in some more tasso, duck, or even better, crab.
The etoufee was ok but it was not etoufee. I dunno what to call it. It obviously wasn’t made from a roux. It appeared to have been made from some red tomato-​ey sauce. Heresy!
The jambalaya was inedible. Flat out, it was just too hot. The waitress seemed to take pride in how hot it was. This is just plain wrong. Cajun and Creole food is not Thai or Indian food! It has seasoning for flavor not for heat. There was just too much cayenne pepper in the Jambalaya. It also needed more salt.
It was pretty dead on a Friday night. I’m betting that this place won’t last, but I hope that it does. As mediocre and subpar as the food was, that area needs all the restaurants it can get.

The service was unbelievable — our server was extremely nice, attentive without being overbearing, and quick. We ordered the tuna tartare — which is pretty standard, served with a quail egg and terra chips. The skirt steak is yummy and served over a bed of mashed potatoes and green beans — good, but nothing extraordinary. The bread pudding w/​caramel and bananas was yummy, but again — nothing spectacular. The food was good — nothing was really innovative or spectacular — kind of priced a little high for what you get. The atmosphere is a little weird — can’t figure out what theme they are going for. But, it’s a good place to go if you want to grab a bite before the game. They have a big screen to watch games on. They valet park for $ 9.

The first time I went here I sat at the bar and had drinks and some appetizers. It was a Sat in Dec and the place was dead. It was decent, so I went back in April and had dinner. We ordered the wine that was featured and after 15 mins the waitress came and told us they were out. We ordered a bottle of Silver Oak and when she open the bottle she broke the cork. She continued to pour us a glass full of cork. We told the manager and he went and got a decanter and just re poured the wine back into the same glass that was full of cork. B-​friend asked for a new bottle and glasses and we were told that was not a option. Food came and it was good, however just can’t get past the whole wine thing. This place claims to be a wine place, you might want to teach the waitress how to open a bottle. But my biggest gripe was the manager. He offered us nothing and acted like we were totally crazy foe expecting one.

For a city that offers everything from Senagalese to Ethiopian to Chinese, it sure comes short when it comes to a good Cajun place. Unfortunately, I don’t think Kingfish really fit the bill. It was a huge space (three levels) with a big screen in the main dining room (which was great for World Cup games). There’s even a fountain in the middle of the dining room. But the food, IMHO, wasn’t worth the price. I had the tuna, which was good, but not worth the $ 23. We started with the oysters, which at $ 50 (for the large plate) was a disappointment. Their desserts also fit under the «Ok, but not at that price category». The beignets were a little to California-​y for me (I guess raw tuna isn’t too Louisiana-​ish either), and nothing like what I remembered from the infamous Café du Monde.

UPDATE — This place no longer exists. When will the restaurants around here plan for the periods after baseball season?
Expensive. $ 10 po’ boys. It’s dark inside, which always irritates me, but other than that, the food itself tastes great, and my favorites aren’t the actual New Orleans specialties, but the pizzas.
The clam chowder is delicious, and generally there’s not much of a crowd for lunch. Service is attentive and friendly, but slow.

Food is pretty good but pricey for the quality. Jambalaya was a disappointment for sure. Not spicy enough. Oh, and if you have ever had Beignets in New Orleans… don’t try them here. Not even close.

Might be my new favorite post game hang. The food was great. The drinks where great. The décor was great. We all were able to take over a couple comfy chairs on the second level. There was one star taken away for the service, although, I have to say, I think I would have gotten better service from the hottie hottie waitress had I been there by myself instead of with a bunch of dudes.
Might have to test the theory… ;-)

I thought the seafood was very good. The interior is tastefully decorated in a New Orleans style. Most of all I was just surprised with the quality of the food. Its not amazing, but its worth a try if you haven’t been.

It’s good for large parties as they have large tables and a fairly open space. But price-​wise I just didn’t feel it was real value for money. Not that the food was bad, but it was just expensive.
Times visited: 1

I chose Kingfish because I love the one in San Mateo, but the SOMA location was mediocre. The front of house staff did not know the menu, nor was their service worth the wait.
fortunately, my company made it worthwhile…
i won’t go there again, except for cocktails before or after a Giant’s game.

Kingfish is located across the street from Pac Bell and next to Momo’s. I had my rehearsal dinner there and they did an excellent job. We rented out the top balcony and it went perfectly. The food was great and the staff attended to our every need. It has a really cool vibe inside with 30 foot ceilings and an old fountain in the middle from New Orleans.
This can be a really good spot to go before a game because the bar is cool and they have a projection tv that is probably 15 feet by 10 feet. Unfortunately, it’s located in the middle of the restaurant.

Nothing special. We had a party of four and all four entrees were sub par. Crab bisque had very little crab. Halibut was overcooked. Not recommended.

This place is different. The general consensus is you either warm up to it or you don’t at all. I did, and do appreciate going to a restaurant with good food and drinks that are not overpriced at all. The New Orleans vibe brings a change to the city and offers something a little different. The menu has something for everyone, and the setting is broken up into a section for everyone. Good place to bring clients for lunch.

The interior of this place is really beautiful. Totally not what I was expecting from the outside… Theres a great from bar area which I’m sure is totally slammed during game season, but then you walk up a few steps and it’s this really big dining room with very high cielings, draped walls with red velvet, giving it a really warm feeling in this huge loft space. There’s even a great third floor which overlooks Embarcadero and the ballpark (whatever they decide to rename it), which is the perfect size for a private dinner, reception etc. I went with a girlfriend of mine last night because tres agave was closed for a private function, and we were both very happy with our meal, service, décor etc. Our server was very friendly and introduced me with a bradn new drink they had just come up with that morning… the rasberry mojito. YUMMM! perfect for simmering down that creole spice. We started with the skirt steak, which was pretty good… a bit salty, but the meat was really tender perfectly «medium». Then we split the baby red pomelo and chile salad, which despite it’s name wasn’t spicy at all. The dressing was a very interesting fish sauce/​vinaigrette, where the sourness just left you craving for more. Then we split the Halibut in two sauces entrée (they split it for us in the kitchen without us asking and didn’t charge a splitting fee). The fish had some crispy stuff on top which was really good, and then came with a green tomatillo sauce on one side and a tomato based sauce on the other. Both were good, but I really liked the tomato one (tomatillo was a bit too gerneric). Sadly we didn’t have enough room for dessert… but next time!!!

I had dinner here and it was very nice. They have interesting dishes that seem chaotic but aren’t. Their ingredients are very fresh and savory. For a Creole place I expected heavy food and was pleasantly surprised.
The skirt steak appetizer was good but it comes out rare so if you like it cooked more you should mention it. The fish was cooked perfectly and lost none of it’s tenderness and juicyness.
It was a nice place. Not amazing… not crappy… just nice.
They have a fun drink menu amply stocked with what I call «girly» drinks. Pick your poison and drink up fellow ladies!!!

I didn’t think this place was all that. We had the mussels and fries for appetizer. The portion was pretty big. mussels were decent, but nothing special. I had the ahi tuna and head of iceberg lettuce for my entrée. It was good. but nothing from the ordinary. My date had the beer and crab soup. That was a disappointment… there wasn’t even any crab meat in it! at all! We had the chocolate banana bread pudding for dessert. That was pretty good, but it was topped with a huge amount of whipped cream. if it was ice cream, I would have given it a 3 star. the service was really good though. but the food was just ok. I probably wouldn’t go back.

A taste of New Orleans in the City by the Bay? Yes. Kingfish is open to serve their signature Southern spin on dishes incorporating fresh fish, oysters, and steamers. Their oyster and shellfish bar is a heaven for those who wish to indulge without inhibition. The atmosphere is lively and Kingfish will do well as a new neighbor to the Ball Park area of South Beach. Their bar and layout is going to be a hit with the growing population of this part of the City. It wouldn’t hurt to dim the lights a bit, as I all ready have a good base tan.