Chez Spencer

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82 14th St (at Harrison Street and Trainor Street)
San Francisco, CA 94103

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(415) 864-2191
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Chez Spencer - San Francisco, CA
Reviews
( 29 )
( 12 )
( 8 )
( 10 )
( 14 )

Best

I love this restaurant. It is one of my favorites in the City. I also love French food and great wine and this place covers both bases very well. I love the romantic atmosphere...

Worst

I tried this place with some friends. While the atmosphere was nice, the service was good, and the food was good, the prices were outrageous. I got the red snapper: mid-sized pi...

JUST A BAD EXPERIENCE.. 9/12/2003

OVERPRICED FOR THE QUALITY OF THE FOOD.. BAD SERVICE .... COLD FOOD...... NICE PLACE... NEVER GO BACK... more
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What can I say, WE LOVED IT! 8/30/2003

Chez Spencer is a find. The Bad stuff: Very friendly staff, but service is not personalized. We felt a little rushed at times; Its a bit noisey, but it could have had to do w/ your table location as litterally we sat in the kitchen. The good stuff: The food was just super for Nouveu French this place BLOWS away restaurants like Chez Papa; Attention to detail was just great little things were not overlooked; Very well chosen wine list and very reasonable; Chez Spencer is a beautiful restaurant -- the entrance way transports you into a lush garden in the middle of the urban jungle; The bill for what we had I believe to be just right on -- we had five courses that included starters, entree, a cheese course and dessert with wine all along by the glass. Pros: Great Food, Attention to detail, Well Chosen Wine List Cons: Service could improve, Loud more
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classy 4/21/2003

Chez Spencer is an oasis in the gritty north end of the Mission. Upon walking in, my fiancee and I felt at ease and the host immediately took care of us. We were seated promptly and an engaging (but not overly so) server was quickly taking our drink orders. The space is classic, yet not too formal feeling. Every aspect of fine dining was noted, including cleaning the crumbs off our table after we finished the bread. Our dinners arrived promptly, and the presentation was gorgeous. The food was delicious, however both of us felt that our meat dishes were a little too rare. I would definitely recommend Chez Spencer to all our friends. Pros: friendly, presentation Cons: neighborhood, expensive more
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Think Splurge 4/2/2003

The four of us had a delightful meal of moderate portions, with one cocktail, appetizer, entree each and three shared desserts, one bottle of CA Pinot Noir = $305 with tip. Our waiter, Guillaume, and team, provided attentive but unobtrusive service. Perfect for a special event, but pricey for a weekday dinner. Most delicious: Metropolitan cocktail, Salad Lyonnaise with duck breast & poached egg, Seared scallops with lobster vinegarette, and Chocolate pots de creme. Good but not great: Roast Antelope, and the Ameretto creme brulee. Pros: Good atmosphere, Delicious appetizers, Attentive service Cons: Pricey, Moderate portions, Can be loud if full more
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Nice but WAY overpriced 3/9/2003

I tried this place with some friends. While the atmosphere was nice, the service was good, and the food was good, the prices were outrageous. I got the red snapper: mid-sized piece of fish with two potato wedges for $27!!!! I have eaten at some high-end french restaurants that are a much better value (same money, more elaborate dishes). Pros: Great space Cons: Overpriced more
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Faux French Bistro with a High Tariff 2/21/2003

Located down a dark side street, Chez Spencer, with soaring ceilings and exposed brick walls, offers SOMA diners a glimpse of French bistro cuisine at a heavy tariff. Despite its small size, the kitchen turns out a numerous selections, including Bouillabaisse with Saffron Aioli, Smoked Duck Breast Lyonnaise, Sauteed Red Snapper en Consomme, and Pan Seared Antelope. While the kitchen staffs languid pace detracts from the continuity of the dining experience and the minuscule portion sizes ensure diners have room for dessert, patrons did not seem to mind, as the establishment was packed. The service is friendly and attentive, while the well-rounded wine list features French offerings from little known producers. With its off-the-beaten track location, Chez Spencer leaves nothing for diners to fear for except the safety of their car on the dark streets surrounding the restaurant and impact on their wallet. (Dinner for four with wine $300.) Pros: Fresh ingredients, Good wine list Cons: Location, Expensive more
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I will never return; Pretention Abounds! 2/14/2003

Gosh I was disappointed. I've never seen anything so outrageously overpriced in my life, and the waitress/bartend was snotty when I asked questions about the menu and portion sizes (which were teensy). It turned out that my olive-crusted cod was tasty, but not worth the $27 -- and when I ordered a glass of wine, they only filled the glass about one third of the way! The service was very inconspicuous, which is good I guess, but I'd prefer friendly to invisible. Finally, the dessert, a chocolate creme in a pot, was really tasty, but by that point I was already wondering where my $100 went. I just can't feel good about spending this kind of money when people right outside the door of the restaurant are possibly wondering where their next meal will come from (it's in a low income neighborhood). Is there some hysterical irony that I'm missing? Cons: Expensive, small portions, limited menu more
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Great SoMa Find 2/10/2003

Chez Spencer is absolutely my favorite new restaurant in SoMa - place is romantic, service is top-notch. Try the olive crusted black cod or the antelope. more
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needs experienced Sommelier 1/27/2003

No question: the food is good. But may not be worth the price for the entire restaurant experience. The recommended wine took the waiter 3 attempts to remove the cork which was molded and had fallen apart. Instead of bringing another bottle, waiter surrepticiously pocketed the cork pieces. When we asked, the waiter blamed it on the corkscrew. According to the most experienced palate at the table, it was much too young. When we asked that it be decanted, the waiter scoffed. While the food was tasty, there are many establishments where you can pay $27 for your entree, without the hassle, and a sewer grate behind your chair (porch seating). more
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Overall Great Private Party 1/24/2003

We had our wedding here last weekend. Positives: Laurent was extremely nice/easy to work with, food was excellent, especially the amazing appetizers, place was beautiful and outdoor patio was well heated. Negatives: they said 65 people would fit. We had 60 and was too crowded. Would work if you seat people outside but we wanted everyone together. Buffet was set as one awkward long line so it moved slowly. It was loud when people were trying to do speeches since kitchen is open to restaurant. We asked dishwashers to stop during the speeches and they gave us a hard time and kept washing ""quietly"". Seemed like once Laurent left the rest of the crew's attitude wasn't as easy to deal with. Overall, I'd have a party there again. Food was really amazing and doing a buffet was less expensive. We made several special requests and they were great about accomodating. Pros: Great Food, Beautiful Space, Friendly Owner Cons: Loud more
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Not Worth the Wait 12/29/2002

We recently had reservations for dinner at Chez Spencer. Despite the reservation, we still had to wait nearly an hour to be seated. Once seated, it took the wait staff an additional 15 minutes to bring us water. The food was significantly overpriced. I paid $27 for a steak smaller than a hockey puck . . . with no side dishes (unless you count the heaps of butter that the steak was swimming in as a side dish). I also paid $11 for seven pieces of cold asparagus as my appetizer. The food wasn't bad, it was just overpriced and not worth the wait. more
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Outstanding! 12/5/2002

I've eaten at Chez Spencer at least 6 times and each time it keeps getting better. The Fois Gras is out of this world. I was just in NYC and had Fois Gras at a top New York restaurant and it doesn't even come close to Chez Spencer's. The style of the food is unique and from reading the reviews, it seems that a lot of the reviewers would be better off at a more basic ""stuff your face"" type of restaurant. If you are looking for classy elegant food, head to Chez Spencer. more
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Destined to fade 11/22/2002

Don't get me wrong, everything our party ate was tasty. But the combination of a loud space with no good tables and a limited-feeling menu lead me to belive that the early raves were more new restaurant hype than reality. Space - we sat next to one of the open prep areas, with the fine aroma of detergent wafting by. All the other tables are similarly near kitchen, bar or high-traffic area. Food - A glance at the menu didn't leave me thinking ""how will I live without the three things I'm not choosing?"" - instead I struggled to decide which appetizer would be worth the price. And it was all good, no doubt. But there's nothing here that says ""staying power."" Bottom line: we'll go through this all over again when this place folds, the replacement rides in, and we all flock to discern the contenders from the pretenders. Pros: Food is fine Cons: Awkward space more
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Pretentious 11/20/2002

I had the duck breast. Just slices of the breast with a berry sauce and a dry part of the the breast with the bone was served over cooked leaves. Is it chic to serve only the meat and no rice, or potatoes or even a lousy veg and charge $25??!! Is there no shame? Pros: nice space, good bread, can't over eat Cons: overpriced, skimpy servings more
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Delectable food but disappointing servic 11/4/2002

The food! The intensity of the pureed bouillabaise, perfect wine pairings, mushroom risotto that wasn't too heavy, headiness of truffle drizzled over meat, crunch of fruit with nicely aged nutty cheese, and ending with moist crunchy sweet desserts. Wow. Sitting outside under a canopy amongst herbs and flowers with heatlamps. Romantic and quiet (the indoor seating seemed rather loud in comparison). We kept hoping that the service would improve - would be attentive, serve the right dish to the right person, keep our water and wine glasses full, apologize when 7 of 8 were served and it took 3-4 minutes to serve the 8th, ask us if we'd like another bottle of wine when the bottle was empty, give us a bill at the end that didn't double-charge for some items that we ordered. The service was charming but disappointingly uneven and inattentive. Pros: outdoor garden dining, heatlamps, fabulous wine list Cons: noisy indoors, uneven service more
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good food but overpriced 10/14/2002

i have the agree with some of the more recent reviews. i think the owners forgot about the recent dot-com bust, cause i have no idea why they a restaurant that is very $$$$ opened up, especially in that neighborhood. the food i thought was very good, but the service was not of high quality (although our waiter did have the french accent), nor the design of the space. give it a few more months and i think this restaurant will take the route of gordon's, by bringing the price down. Pros: outdoor eating Cons: cramped space, overpriced more
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No bang for the buck 10/11/2002

Any place that dares to charge Fifth Floor or Masa prices (they offered a $75 tasting menu) should have the basics -- polished service and heating. The restaurant was freezing the night we ate there, and they kept the darn door open! I bet the people who ate outside were warmer b/c they sat under heat lamps. The food, while OK, is outrageously overpriced --$27 for a steak with no sides. Heirloom tomato salad was very good. My olive-crusted cod was way too salty. The wait stuff is friendly but lacked the timing and polish you would expect for the prices. Beer and wine by the glass are miserly in quantity. I'd only go back if they drastically reduced their prices and turned on on the heating. more
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The staff must be writing the 10's 9/4/2002

Or the chef! Because anyone else who has had the displeasure of dinner here would know better. Not a bad joint - but, get real. Maybe this restaurant will be average when they have had a year or two to learn restaurant 101. Rule #1 - always hire a charming person for the front door. Rule #2 - remeber #1 - the guy on the door is a disaster. Add some color to the room - looks too much like a London restaurant from the late 70's. more
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A haven 8/16/2002

This place is like a little slice of paradise! Great space, delicious food, nice service... a wonderful surprise in an unexpected location. more
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Was nice, but wouldnt go back 8/13/2002

The wait staff was friendly, and although our waiter was great and had a an excellent wine suggestion, most of the wait staff seemed awfully young and.. well, I can see how some poeple may have had less than desirable wait staff experience in their writeups. The food was good - we had the lamb and filet mignon, and they were good. Not to fabulous, not just average, but somewhere inbetween. The wine and the desserts onthe other hand were excellent. My only real dislike was the atmosphere - the white walls, the big white lights.. We both agreed though, the restroom was nice...(that counts) Pros: candles on the tanles, good wine, good dessert Cons: lighting is awful, seating is close, pianoman back to us more
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Menu for Chez Spencer


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Editorial

  • The Scene
    A vast industrial space with soaring ceilings and concrete floors is warmed by a wood-burning oven that anchors one wall and by an open kitchen tucked in the back corner. A...

  • 12/12/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Daily 6pm-10pm
  • Payments: American Express, Visa, Discover, Master Card
  • Neighborhoods: Central East, Mission
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