Best Fun Restaurants in Outer Mission

Here’s the revised review: I had an excellent experience overall at Elena’s! The drinks were fantastic, and the atmosphere was perfect. The bartender was awesome—super attentive and friendly. The busboys were amazing, going above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed. Honestly, they gave me better service than my waitress, who wasn’t quite on the ball. While her service left something to be desired, the rest of the staff really stepped up and made it a great night. Big thanks to the team at Elena’s for making it memorable!

We go as often as we can -- definitely at Christmas. This time we were in a cozy room with a fireplace. Dinners was DELICOUS as always. Everything included -- just a few choices to make and drinks aplenty! Great martinis and service that is beyond (Trevor and our carver were fantastic). A San Francisco institution!

Regardless of whether you eat with your eyes or with your stomach, you won’t be disappointed. My husband and I had dinner here last night and we couldn’t be more thrilled. The restaurant itself is absolutely gorgeous and the food is outstanding in every way. The menu is interesting and innovative. We enjoyed appetizers of Carne Crudo and Insalata Tritata which were absolutely delicious. Our entrees of rockfish and lasagne verde were perfect. We sat at the bar which was lively and festive considering it’s the holiday season. The staff is super friendly and the vibe is lively and fun. A definite must try if you haven’t already!

We LOVED this restaurant. We sat inside so we couldn’t see the movie, but that wasn’t really an issue. The restaurant itself was stunning. Our server David was absolutely lovely. He really made our experience. The food was great, we got the smoked salmon, burrata with pears, sesame chicken, and pork chop. Everything was delicious. For dessert we got crème brûlée and a sort of chocolate mousse. Fantastic. It’s an expensive date but you pay for the food and the experience. Would go again!

Absolutely incredible meal! Everything about it from start to finish was near perfection! Firstly, the hospitality is on point. A server is always right there when you need them to be and they made the amazing suggestion to get half an order of each of the pancakes rather than a full order of one. The servers that come around with the trays of food also know what they’re doing. When I ordered a single oyster for myself and my partner made a comment about not liking oysters, the servers gave us an extra one for free just so my partner could try it. This was an absolutely amazing opportunity to show not just above-and-beyond hospitality, but also that the restaurant truly believes in the quality of its food. And you know what? My partner did say it was the best oyster he ever had! They’re known for their quail however, I just think it’s not meaty enough of a bird for how it was prepared (Most parts were more breading than quail). As for everything else I tried, I just can’t think of any criticisms at all. I guess I could complain about my glass of rosé but that’s entirely my fault. I went with sparkling when I should have gone with still. The hit of the night were the blue corn-pepita pancakes with braised bacon and coffee butter. I wasn’t even going to order it until the server made the suggestion and I’m glad they did! The pecorino and ricotta pancakes are good too just not as good. The wedge salad is all the right balance of flavors with a nice crunch of lettuce to feel extra bright and fresh. The fried brussel sprouts are paired with an incredibly deep cashew satay sauce. The umami richness is impeccable. The almond financiers with duck liver mousse are another example of perfect balance in flavor. The financiers are light and fluffy and the mousse is smooth and delicate. I thought the burrata and bread dish came a too late into the night for us to fully enjoy however the peanut milk was the perfect cap to our evening.