Balboa Cafe Reviews

The food was ok ,but service was not nice .He was bad mooded and it seems like he is always like that.So my day did not start good because of it

I'd actually made a new years resolution to not write any more negative reviews...so thanks, Balboa Cafe, for breaking me down.

Brunch this morning: Corned beef hash. The most unappetizing item I've eaten in recent history. Oddly reminiscent of cat food, overly salty and otherwise tasteless. But the texture, such a complete turnoff! The toasted english muffin was so overdone that it was nearly impossible to cut through.

I've been here for brunch four times now, and my previous meals have ranged from decent to mediocre. Unfortunately, today's was terrible.

Favorite hangout in SF. Fun people and great food and drink.

I am in no way a fan of the marina. But, during a weekday afternoon, this place is perfect. Beautiful bar with bartenders who really know how to make a classic cocktail - none of those fluffy, overly fancy hipster drinks either.
Note: Try their fries. Tiny yet crispy goodness.

THE BEST burger I've had in the last 15 years! Absolutely the bomb!

Locals hangout. True be told, we were all nursing hangovers. The waiter promptly got us something to cure it. The food was good but not what my stomach was interested in at the time. I'd love to return and have a second chance to sample their cuisine again, without the hangover. At the very least, their Bloody Mary's are to die for!

Nice place to meet people and eat and dine and i never tried there food yet. Crowd there and nice place to drink at night and social and people there are mature and sober and good place to meet people. Lots of group friends and certain few single people there at times and nice place to meet certain women in leather and are lots of business professionals there to and network. People just wanting to have a good time and night there to and a good place to go at day and night.

Went here Friday Night for a few after dinner cocktails. Place was packed. Problem was my girlfriend was 1 of 6 girls in the whole place. There seemed to be like 100 dudes there. Not sure if this is unique to this bar or SF in general. Drinks were nothing special but the bartenders wear these white lab coats and are very attentive.

Not a terrible place overall, but I don't really have a whole lot positive to say either. It's a large space, but the layout somehow manages to make it overly crowded anyway. Drinks & decor were nothing special. And beyond that, most of what you care about in a bar has to do with the crowd: on that front, the night we were here this place was extremely man-heavy (probably at _least_ a 60/40 male/female split). On the plus side though, most of the guys didn't have the douche vibe that's common in the Marina. Then of the women who were here, a majority were definitely approaching "cougar" territory -- older than the typical Marina crowd, yet overly made up, and feeling like they're out on the prowl to snag a younger guy. If you want to have a drink but take a break from the overly loud and douchey bars elsewhere in the Marina, this place is probably a good bet; but aside from that I can't really recommend it.

Great place for brunch! Attentive. professional, staff. Outstanding service from waiter Brian today at breakfast! Lovely ambiance. Clean and tidy restaurant. We love this place and most definitely recommend!!

Sad to report my Irish coffee was rather unremarkable.

Quality food and good strong cocktails, delivered consistently. A little old school, but always a solid choice in the Marina. Can be quite a scene nights and weekends, with plenty of cougars on the prowl.

Balboa, so much more than just a cafe. The thundering masses, the throngs, the braunschweiger.

Great staple of the marina restaurant scene, if not the most iconic

We went for dinner and it was more of a bar than a restaurant. The food was good but too salty for my taste. I had a pasta that was pretty yummy but very very salty. Maybe I chose the wrong things because my dessert was too sweet, I had the chocolate tart and it had a honey and marshmallow so it was good but SWEET. My husband had the pork and I liked that!

Literally the worst food I've had in a long time. The oysters were mangled and filled with grit. The deviled eggs were a bland egg salad at best, the tuna tartar was weird at best and the chicken paillard tasted like the cheapest mechanically separated chicken with watered down aunt jamima syrup smothering the plate, completely inedible. Still had to pay for it. Cocktails were incorrect as well, the only saving grace is the people watching and atmosphere

Delicious food, wonderful waiter! Very loud, noisy. Still I'd go back.

I had the chicken sandwich and it was a soggy mess. Not the quality I have come to expect from the Balboa Cafe.

Good quality food, busy, loud, crowded and with good cocktails. Good weekend spot if you look for action

Had good experience the first time visiting this restaurant.
However, today: security staff decided to selectively enforce against my hispsnic friend ONLY an arbitrary rule to stand across the street where he could not hear that his table was ready, while NOT requiring a group of white females drinking alcohol on the sidewalk or a group of white men the same rule. My friend believes that this was a blatant violation of the Unruh civil rights act which prohibits racial discrimination and was outrageous after the black lives movement. Needless to say, we would not recommend going to an establishment that engages in such tactics.

Really enjoyed eating here. Great menu selection and the staff really know the menu and wine selection.

Once was THE hot spot in SF - everyone flocked to the Balboa...
made the society column - a lot. Now there is no Society Column.
Our Gov and the Getty kids took over...We used to call the area The Four Corners as there was a hot bar on each corner...

Great find by our stay in Coventry Inn. Great old bar with friendly staff. Food was great and drinks were flowing. The Irish coffee is the best. Try this place for drinks or food.

Excellence is paired with food and drink. Don't think about going elsewhere. You'll only be disappointed.

Iconic meeting point of the Marina of San Francisco. Pleasant atmosphere and discreet food.