Farallon: Exquisite Seafood Dining Experience in San Francisco

A SanFran institution doing seafood really well. A solid 3.5* for history, whimsical decor, and service with a smile. Where this place really excels in my opinion isn't actually the seafood or the menu, it's actually the wine list and the wonderful sommeliers on staff. A must visit for a casual night out, that's in the high value caliber. We're talking good service, good atmosphere, and non-Michelin pricing here.

With a craving for seafood Farallon was the best choice in DT San Francisco. It was a busy Saturday night and were lucky to find seats at the shell fish bar. Service was attentive and friendly from beginning to end. As for the food everything we ordered was good, however, for me I didn't find a lot of items I wanted to order. Started with oysters and they were definitely fresh and tasty. A couple small shell fragments but overall a good deal for the price. Next came the fish and chips which were quite delicious. Serving size was ample to share. Top that off with some well mixed vodka martinis to make it a memory evening. I'd go again.... but make reservations. They have some cool plush couch seating which would be fun for a happy hour.

So this place has a happy hour at the bar but we had an awesome dinner service instead. I was able to get an early reservation an hour prior to dining via Open Table and earned 1000 points! The Food and service was amazing! Prix fix menu for 3 items was $80 but well worth it! Can't wait to go again!

Wondering experience from start to finish. The jellyfish themed decor of the restaurant made us feel like we were dining underwater. Their booth seatings are very comfortable as well. We went for the 3-course tasting menu with wine pairings. My friend and I ordered different dishes for each course and ended up sharing, which was a great way for us to try a little bit of everything! Although I don't remember the exact names of the dishes we ordered, my favorites were the gnocchi with oyster and caviar, and the pumpkin panna cotta. We were also able to try two of their finest oysters and they were definitely one of the best oysters I've ever had. For our entrees, we ordered the filet of beef and duck trio - both meats were perfectly cooked and very flavorful. With some tasting menus, I worry that the courses would be too small and we would still be hungry afterwards but this was definitely not the case at Farallon. The portions were perfect and we left full and satisfied. Shout out to our server Michael (and others) for the amazing customer service!

Purely AMAZING!! I have eaten here multiple times and I can not believe I have not reviewed them. The service is hands down one of the best. The ambiance of the restaurant is so cute and really gets you in the mood to dig into the fresh sea food that they prepare daily. My waiter was super helpful in choosing a bottle of wine to pair with our scallops and the sea urchin gnocchi with black truffles. All the food just melted in my mouth. Every bite bursting with flavor and immersing yourself into a wonderful food coma. Loved how intimate it was and although every table was taken it wasn't loud and I still felt as if it was just my friend and I. Starfish kisses and mermaid wishes def will be what you will be feeling after you're done eating. Highly recommend this place to anyone who wants delicious food, great service and a fun ambiance.

Farallon is opulence at its best. Looking to really treat yourself to something fay-ncy? This is the place to go. We made reservations for an early NYE dinner but were running late because of SF traffic. We called the restaurant to let them know we'd be 15 minutes late and they said it was no problem at all. Total score. When we arrived, we leveraged their valet service and were brought to our table. The ambiance is stunning. I felt like I was transported to an underwater paradise, something similar to the Little Mermaid but more mature and sexy. The dim lighting made it a bit more intimate and romantic, and the decor was stunning. I never knew I needed a sea urchin chandelier in my life until visiting this place lol. I kept looking up in awe. We were seated by the open kitchen and watched as each dish was specially created for us. Definitely an experience for the books. The table service was spectacular. We were promoting brought an ice bucket for our wine, and our waiter explained each dish including which ones to avoid due to food allergies. I was surprised that they were willing to be so accommodating with excluding dairy and mushrooms from my dishes, since many of the menu plates included these. The NYE Menu was a three-course tasting at $150 a pop per person. Pricey, but worth it for the experience. It's not like we're eating here everyday. We made sure to order different dishes to we could mix-and-match for an even better experience. I can speak to the dishes I tasted, all of which were superb: Oyster Tasting Scallop Crudo Grilled Octopus and Rare Tuna Cayucos Abalone Schnitzel Shellfish Tom Kha Soup w/ Sticky Rice Pecan Tart w/ berries Illy Espresso Complimentary Truffles Farallon really knows how to do seafood, and the service was amazing. This was a really nice NYE treat.

$ $ $ $$$$$ $$$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$$$$ $ $ $ $$$$ $$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$$$$ $ $ $$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$$$$ $$$$$ $ $ I'm an Oyster Whore...if you're one too, you'll want to be here between 4:30-6:00pm...the BEST oyster deal in the entire city of San Francisco...6 fresh local oysters for only $7! That's only $1.17 an oyster! And they're served professionally: chucked, on ice, with lemons, horseradish, migonette, and hot sauce...classic and perfect! My wife and each had a dozen! These came from Tomales Bay, which is about a 75 minute drive north...that's Local AF! Select cocktails and wines are also available at $7, and if you need something more meaty and filling get the tasty $7 burger...its a fancy burger, but its got divine beef, fried onions, and on a tasty toasted bun. This also makes for a relatively economical early dinner in San Francisco. PRO TIP: This Happy Hour is well known, get there earlier rather than later.

Came with a friend to try out their happy hour in their Jellyfish Lounge! It's offered daily from 4:30 to 6 pm and includes a selection of food and drinks at either $5 or $7. I arrived a little after 5 pm and the lounge was pretty empty. There were a couple parties there but I was able to snag a spot pretty easily. It never got full over the course of the 2 hours we were there. The decor is done beautifully here. As a primarily seafood spot, Farallon goes all out to add touches of marine life everywhere. I particularly enjoyed the jellyfish lights and the columns designed to invoke the image of marine plants. For drinks, I had their classic margarita and the Hemingway daiquiri ($7 each). Both drinks were okay, but my daiquiri was way too sour compared to my friend's which was much sweeter. I had to send it back to the bar to have them fix it. I was a little bit disappointed that the same drink could taste so different when made at the same bar. For food, we split the fish 'n' chips ($7) and also a dozen oysters ($14). The fish and chips only comes with one small piece, which was a little disappointing but reasonable given the price point. I forgot to ask where the happy oysters were from, but they were small and briny. Not my favorite type of oysters, but hey oysters are oysters. I still enjoyed them. It was pretty quiet in the lounge, which made it easier for my friend and I to chat as we slowly sipped and ate our way through everything. I appreciated that the servers respected our space and didn't try to rush us at all.