Atrium Restaurant

It appears that Atrium Restaurant has closed it's door this was a great spot for our company events. Pros: great service& appetizers Cons: closed more

Our company had a dinner at the Atrium last night and it tood 1 1/2 hours for our table to get food. When it arrived, the dinner was room temperature at best. Even guests served at the beginning of the service rotation mentioned that their food was cold. Getting anything (like a replacement knife) was arduous. \r \r I can't recommend this dining experience. more

Our firm had a most glamorous and successful client appreciation reception at the Atrium. The most unusual aspect of the evening was the attentive, energetic, intelligent and personable service. I cannot praise this staff enough. Fine wines were graciously offered upon entry, and glasses tended by servers all night. We were a group of over 200, and noone had to go to the bar for wine service. For cocktail service, drinks were served cheerfully and without delay. Delicious and creative appetizer inventions (mushrooms stuffed with truffled wild mushrooms, dungeness crab topped with crab aioli stuffed into endive spears, silken ahi tuna with wasabi and ginger, hot smoked salmon pizzetta with melting goat cheese, etc.) were brought in unending succession, served with tact and grace. The sumptuous buffet was was continually refreshed and cooked with perfection. Last but not least, it is my opinion that this restaurant is breathtaking in its beauty. Extraordinary orchid varietals creatively potted abound, museum quality art hangs on walls that are artworks in themselves, palms, topiaries, fresh flowers, antique pieces, to name a few of the lovely touches, punctuate the contemporary design. The design of the dining room is split level, nice for our kind of event, with buffet and some tables and chairs on the upper level, beautiful black marble bar on maple flooring with oriental runners and large reception area on the lower. The glass room (atrium) with a scenic view of the world class Philip Johnson designed building and plaza was a lovely area for socializing, as was the reception area with bar. Our guests had another unusual benefit, the ability to go outside onto this spectacular plaza for further socializing and smoking, and to enjoy the city lights. I was the event organizer, and the stream of compliments from my colleagues who have said this was the best party they had ever been to, have been very nice to hear. I thank the Atrium staff for that. Pros: I cannot praise this staff enough + gorgeous dining room and outdoor plaza more

This place was adequate, which for the price and the area is just disappointing. I had the Farmers Greens... more

I have to chime in with all the praises for this wonderful restaurant. Not as famous as its neighbors Aqua, Perbacco, and Boulevard, it has been delivering the most warmhearted and aesthetically pleasing dining experiences to me and my colleagues for years. I would much rather be treated with the personal care and the consistently delicious cuisine, in this absolutely gorgeous setting, than be another anonymous number at one of its pretentious rivals. The owner is the perfect host, gracious, polished and attentive, and his professionalism and kindness trickles down through the entire staff, most of whom have been there for years. The menu is up to date and delicious Cal-Med cuisine, accessible to the upscale financial district clientele. Everything is very good. And the dining room is breathtakingly beautiful; museum quality paintings, marble shelves decorated with orchids and other delightful touches, a wall to ceiling glass view of spectacular 101 California plaza. Pros: Warmhearted and impeccable service more

A beautiful June night in San Francisco, perfect weather, the serene and majestic 101 California plaza all to ourselves. Everyone parked in this architecturally spectacular building's garage, entered into the world famous soaring atrium lobby, then to the plaza fountain area bedecked with white wood padded chairs perfectly lined up waiting for our ceremony, overlooking the most beautiful skyline in San Francisco. After the ceremony we were ushered across the plaza for drinks and scrumptious passed appetizers (new potatoes filled with caviar and creme fraiche, ahi tuna sashimi draped on a cucumber wheel with wasabi twirl, the best goat cheese pizza, etc. Nobody wanted to go inside. The night was so beautiful, the service so carefu, thorough and kind, and the bounty of wonderful foods and drink kept coming. The service from the beginning was so warm, generous, gracious, and welcoming throughout the night. There cannot possibly exist a more professional, kind and concerned staff, most of them performing these events together for the Atrium for 12 to 15 years. Finally and reluctantly we went in to the impossibly amazing big banquet dinner,---starting with a dripping with dungeness crabcake salad with prawns, avocado, oranges, endive, and green goddess dressing that people keep asking about. The very tasty flat iron steak was fanned medium rare, hot, with English Stilton potatoes, Marsala, and asparagus spears with bernaise. The delicate, sweet and perfectly fresh Petrale sole was draped over creamy parnsip mashed potatoes, with classic lemon caper sauce. The evening and taste treats swept along by this terrific bunch of people, caring for us like we were family, on to dancing under the stars in the glass atrium room---a perfect ending to a perfect night. I can't thank David Cohn, and his fantastic staff, for providing a night that we will always remember as the night of our dreams. The raves and gratitudes from relatives and friends continues to pour in. more

My new wife and I were initially very impressed with David, the owner at the Atrium. He assured us that we would have a wedding reception night to remember and that his staff was the best in town.\r Well it definitely was night to remember for rude service and lousy follow through by the staff. \r First of all, we confirmed at three times that we would have the parking garage for our guests to park. Well the door leading to the garage was closed and most of our guests had to park on the street. Second, we when tried to talk to the manager on duty in private to correct the problem he refused to accomodate us. Maybe it was because he had under staffed the reception as only 5 people work the entire time for a room with 160 guests. It also explains why the dinner was served two hours late and to top it off they served the salads with walnuts, which my wife (THE BRIDE) is deathly allegic to nuts!!! Very poor choice to stage a wedding reception. It ruined our special day. It was cheap and now you why... Pros: cheap, cool location Cons: rude staff members...customer is treated like a second class citizen more

My daughter and son-in-law had their wedding reception at the Atrium in January of 2007. We had initially been impressed with the sheer beauty of the decor and design, and with the care and thoroughness of the presentation by the owner. After we had decided to book with him, he stated that he and his staff would exceed our expectations. Indeed they did! The entire evening was so beautiful. The staff could not have been more lovely and kind, and they knew how to create an entire evening that was a joyous and inspiring experience, not just for our family but for all of our guests. It seemed like all of our needs and wishes were anticipated well in advance. The food, from the appetizers to the entrees, could not have been more satisfying and exceptional in presentation and taste. I highly recommend the Atrium as a very special place for a wedding reception. We could not have been more pleased. We could not take advantage of the famous outdoor plaza, in January, but understand that it is available for summer ceremonies as well. Pros: A ""Ritz Carlton"" experience for 1/3 the price---an exceptional value. Good parking. more

I told the manager after our holiday party at the Atrium that it was a stellar event, and that it far exceeded my expectations. Our group of lawyers is finicky, hard to please, and many are sophisticated diners. Everyone was impressed with the entire evening, and I, undeservedly, have been the recipient of an endless stream of congratulations and thank yous for finding this venue. We were at first knocked out by the understated elegance, and breathtaking beauty of the dining room. It has been lovingly tended by a fastitdious and most artistic decorator, in addition to being a stunning design. The service was almost shocking---it was so unusually complete, careful, kind, and, like the decor, understated. Last, but by far not least, was the food, that could have graced the plates of any number of 4 star restaurants in the city. Pecan crusted chicken on a butternut squash puree, with a roasted sweet onion sauce and chanterelles, grilled salmon on a celery root remoulade with citrus segments and orange sauce, filet mignon with morels, a silky veal reduction cabernet sauce, stilton cheese potatoes gratin and asparagus, were our choices, which looked even more beautiful and tasted more delicious than they sound. The salad was a dungeness crabcake (all crab) and prawns mixed with a variety of greens with an herb ranch dressing, and at the end the most creamy melt in your mouth chocolate mousse cake with gelato vanilla ice cream. Nothing could possibly have been better, which has inspired me to write this piece, which I have never done before. It was an inspired evening, and I just want to publicly say, BRAVO! Pros: elegant dining room, warm and impeccable service, brilliant food more

My fiancee and I had the ""dream"" wedding reception at the Atrium. We had the ceremony on the world famous pink granite plaza next to a modern fountain, surrounded by Philip Johnson architecture, and completely quiet and private because it is in the SF financial district which is closed down on Saturday. Everything was set up for us---chairs, runner, arch, as well as another outdoor space with a full bar and appetizer buffet, and of course the gorgeous dining room and glass dancing room. All we had to do was show up and do it. The staff cared for us as if we were their good friends, considerat, sincere, and sweet way beyond the call of duty, and completely competent and thorough in the way every detail was handled. The entire afternoon and evening was managed so seamlessly that it was like walking through a dream. We were ushered from the wedding site to the reception site, brought hand passed scrumptuous appetizers and champagne for an hour, which was a great fun time for eveyone. The weather was beautiful. We were served an extraordinary 4 star dinner, which included 3 choices for my guests' entrees. The food was not only beautifully plated, but was creative, had that extra special touch, and delicious---and this is banquet food. And the service was again impeccable, with no long waits, bread, water, wine constantly tended. We wisped along to cake cutting and dancing until 1 am. I am still receiving calls and notes about what an amazingly wonderful event my wedding reception was. And it was not expensive. Pros: Inexpensive parking right in building. Cons: None. more

We initially chose the Atrium for our daughter's wedding reception because, of all the places we visited, we completely trusted and had confidence in the owner, David Cohn, who was so personable, thorough, and sincere in our discussions. (And we thought it was one of the most beautiful restaurants we had ever seen---how lucky were we, to be able to have this stunning location for our daughter's wedding reception.) We thought he had gone too far when he said, ""We will exceed your expectations,"" but he was right. We cannot imagine a more wonderful day, and have been told the same by so many family members and friends. Everything was taken care of from the beginning. The outdoor plaza is magnificent, all set with a bar, and immediately the attentive waiters began to pass the most scrumptuous appetizers that we selected. Drinks were scrupulously offered and refilled. We felt like we were very Special. The entire wait staff is so nice and well trained. When it came time for the dinner, the food (this is banquet food) could not have been more beautifully presented, fresh, and deliciously prepared. Our friends and family tell us they don't need to have another fancy party for a couple of years---that this one satisfied their need for glitz for a long time. It was a truly amazing day. (And there was no sticker shock---very reasonable). more

Before I start this review, I'll say that the service at the Atrium is good, but the food quality is unbelievably poor! I took my girlfriend here for a ""nice"" dinner on a Friday evening. For the salads I paid $9/ea. and these salads were not any more special than what you could get at a Safeway. My girlfriend ordered Salmon and I ordered the Jumbalaya. I paid $24 for the jumbalaya and her meal was $27. When our meals arrived, the jumbalaya was extremely hot, giving me the impression that it had been microwaved. The quality of the jumbalaya itself left me feeling that I could pick up the ingredients at Trader Joes and make it myself. The salmon was pink in the middle, low-grade quality, and appeared to be prepared from a frozen state initially. The Israeli cous cous that came with the salmon was not authentic tasting at all and my girlfriend could tell that the vegetables were originally frozen. The bottom line is that this place is overpriced and overrated! Pros: Good service Cons: Food is overpriced more

I arranged for our firm's holiday party this year at the Atrium, and have received such a flood of praise from my colleagues for choosing thist extraordinary venue that I had to write the owner a thank you note. The restaurant is gorgeous---warm, elegant, understated, with handpainted ""waterscape"" walls, rich carpeting, and abundance of exotic orchids; the staff unsurpassable, tending to everyone with concern and detail of owners, passing terrific appetizers, promptly delivering and refreshing drinks. Each course outdid the previous, amazing for a group over 100, starting with real Dungeness crabcake in salad with shrimp and green goddess dressing, onto coriander crusted ahi on light white bean puree with a spicy remoulade that perfectly balanced the coolness of the rare fish + equally excellent steak vegetarian choice, followed by perfect tira misu. A fantastic time had by all. Pros: Beauty, Service, Food more

This impeccable gem of a financial district restaurant is discovered at lunch as the finest fine dining lunch spot, and is packed; but at night, it is undiscovered, when all its regulars go home from work. The decor is gorgeous, featuring orchids, topiaries, fresh flowers, original art, antiques and inspired split level design. The menu is cutting edge, changes frequently, and is universally appealing to this foodie and to my colleagues who frequent it at least weekly. The service is proprietary. I have heard the average tenure of server here is 12 years, a testament to the warmth, careful and concerned ambience. Pros: Free parking PM, Gorgeous design, Extraordinary food more

i had heard from many coworkers, and others that this was a good place to eat for lunch. So a friend and i went there for dinner last friday. I'm guessing this restaurant gets most of the business during lunch, becasue there were only a few tables occupied. I had the tuna, and my friend had the jamblaya The tuna was cooked perfectly, nice and rare, and the jambalaya was very well done, with a slight kick. Overall a decent place to eat. Im gonna stop by for lunch next time more

The Atrium is the perfect place to dine. It has great food (chef comes from Zuni), chic, elegant dining room washed in light and space, filled with paintings, antiques and flowers; and a wait staff that is just right. I dine here two or three times a month, as do many of my colleagues. We call it our ""lunchroom."" I can say I have never been disappointed with any dish. The cuisine is impressively composed on the plate in combinations that delight. The dining room is soothing, ---so lovely but not busy or overly excited. The walls themselves are works of art, washes of green, like water and marble. Little decorataive touches, like brass antique birds perched in a nest at the base of a tall palm, lets you know that someone is paying attention to every detail. The service is impeccable---careful, friendly, sensitive, just right. Pros: Gorgeous dining room, Delightful food, Impeccable service more