Historic John's Grill

4.7

7308 Reviews

$31 to $50

American

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 30, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 61 times today

Good for special occasions
Charming
Good for business meals

John's Grill has been a San Francisco tradition since 1908. This historic restaurant is one of the city's oldest and most famous and is a favorite of celebrities who enjoy great steaks, expertly prepared fresh seafood with excellent service and a one of a kind atmosphere. John's Grill was a setting in author Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon.

Order delivery or takeout

Private dining

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Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Steak, Seafood
Hours of operation
Lunch Daily 11:45 am–3:30 pm Dinner Daily 3:30 pm–9:30 pm
Phone number
(415) 986-0069
Website
http://johnsgrill.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Mauricio Sibrian
Private party facilities
Historic John's Grill is a landmark restaurant established in 1908 offers private dining rooms for 20 - 300 guests. Classic San Francisco atmosphere offering local seafood and fine cuts of steaks and chops. Chosen as top 10 by Esquire and featured in Gourmet.

Location
63 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Neighborhood
Downtown / Union Square
Cross street
Powell Street
Parking details
There is a parking garage directly across the street, Ellis - O'Farrell Garage.https://www.sfmta.com/garages-lots/ellis-ofarrell-garageParking near John's Grill:https://www.parkinsf.com/sanfrancisco/parking-near/John%27s+Grill
Public transit
BART / MUNI at Powell Street Station
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

100 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Popular dishes

New England Clam Chowder$8.95
Lobster Bisque$9.95
Lunch Salad$6.95
Seasonal greens, with vinaigrette dressing
- With Bleu Cheese Dressing$7.95
Caesar a la John's$14.95
Bay Shrimp Louie$17.95
Roquefort Salad$17.95
bay shrimp, avocado
Roasted Beet Salad$15.95
Candied walnuts, feta cheese, lemon aioli topped with micro greens
Jack LaLanne's Favorite Salad$29.95
Seasonal greens, crab, shrimp, avocado, mushrooms, tomato tossed in our famous creamy bleu cheese vinaigrette dressing

Seafood & Shellfish

All the below entrees served with seasonal vegetables

Grilled Pacific Snapper$17.95
Sauce Piquante (spiced tomato sauce)
Jumbo Prawns Dijonnaise$19.95
Sautéed with mushrooms, wine, garlic and Dijon cream
Broiled Salmon$22.95
Served with Hollandaise Sauce and mashed potatoes
Petrale Amandine$18.95
Sliced almonds, Lemon butter sauce
Fried Jumbo Prawns$19.95
Fried Sea Scallops$28.95
Fried Oysters$16.95
Fried Combination Seafood$25.95
Coated with herbed breadcrumbs and accompanied by tartar sauce

John's Featured Steaks

Served with seasonal vegetables & baked Idaho potato. All of our steaks are sourced from Black Angus Midwest Corn-fed beef, the finest available. They are naturally aged in order to ensure maximum flavor and tenderness. Each steak is hand selected and hand cut in California to meet our exact specification. Add 3 Fried Jumbo Prawns to any steak $12, Add 4 Oz Maine Lobster Tail to any steak $19.95, Side Peppercorn or Bearnaise Sauce $3

New York Steak$31.95
Ribeye Steak$36.95
Filet Mignon$38.95
Surf and Turf$43.95
New York Steak & 3 Fried Jumbo Prawns

Sam Spade's Lamb Chops

Sam Spade's Lamb Chops$35.95
Served with baked potato and sliced tomatoes [Sam Spade went to John's Grill, asked the waiter to hurry his order of chops, baked potato, sliced tomatoes...and was smoking a cigarette with his coffee when... The Maltese Falcon]

Sandwiches & Pasta

Broiled 1/2 Lb. Deluxe Burger$19.95
Broiled New York Steak Sandwich$24.95
All Accompanied by French Fries
Tortellone$15.95
Filled with sundried tomato, romano, parmigiano and ricotta cheese in a basil cream sauce topped with shredded Grana Padano cheese
Maine Lobster Ravioli$18.95
Herbed tomato cream
Chicken Linguine Alfredo$18.95
Fisherman's Pasta$25.95
Linguine, jumbo prawns, salmon, snapper, mushrooms in basil cream

On the Side

Baked Idaho Potato$5.95
French Fries$6.95
Sautéed Mushrooms$7.95
Fresh Creamed Spinach$7.95
Caramelized Onions$7.95

Chef's Weekly Special

Fish & Chips$17.95
Anchor Steam beer batter, wild caught Pollock with caper tartar sauce
Crispy Chicken Sandwich on Brioche$17.95
Roasted garlic-sundried tomato aioli
Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Cheese$16.95
Aged balsamic, extra virgin olive oil and basil
Medallions of Beef$32.95
Medallions of Filet mignon, béarnaise sauce served with Parmesan mashed potato and seasonal vegetables

What 7,308 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.7Service
4.6Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

San Francisco
American

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Historic John's Grill is a cherished San Francisco institution with a "classic old school" vibe and "amazing food." Guests rave about the "best steak in town," attentive service, and vibrant atmosphere. The historic ambiance, coupled with live jazz, creates a truly "memorable dining experience" perfect for both locals and visitors.

7,308 Reviews

D
Dan
Hawaii
4 reviews
vip
5.0
4 reviews
Dined today
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
excellent food and service great steak and great seafood! :-)
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J
Julie
Palm Springs
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent service. Lamb was excellent. Lobster ravioli was excellent. baked potato came plane. My cosmo needed a sugar rim. But, over all, the experience was great.
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T
Tonino
Hong Kong
3 reviews
4.0
3 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Restaurants have a tough time of it, during the holidays. Had a reservation and on arrival 30+ people outside awaiting their reservation table. Was told it would take 20mins and it was about triple that. Food was pretty OK, again restaurants and their kitchens have it tough this time of year...
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W
William
San Francisco
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
This is a great place to dine, but management made the error of overbooking. Unfortunately, many patrons waited over an hour to get seated from their original reservation time. I wish the hostess would have been more transparent in sharing the potential wait time. She shared with many people that the wait time would be 15 -20 minutes rather than the hour that many people experienced. After waiting a 1.5 hour, we elected to find another restaurant. Management made every effort to appease their hungry and patient guests by providing wine and other appetizers, but the evening felt chaotic and filled with irritation and uncertainty.
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E
Elizabeth
Chicago
11 reviews
vip
5.0
11 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We loved our Thanksgiving dinner at John’s Grill. The food, service and ambience was excellent. I left my purse on the chair and didn’t realize until I got home. Fortunately, the staff was honest and kept my purse safe until I returned to retrieve it.
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F
Frederick
San Francisco
54 reviews
vip
5.0
54 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Thanksgiving day. Difficult to get seated. Add reservation had to wait 45 minutes. With the elevator out had to be seated on the first floor. ADA issue. Elevator was out and I appreciated the warning. The meal was great and a fun evening. Great environment service was great.
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A
Alaina
San Francisco
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
It’s an old style place, but I think you can get better food elsewhere for the same price.
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A
Ana
London
6 reviews
vip
5.0
6 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Although it was Thanksgiving we decided to order from the menu, and we have no regrets! Our wonderful waitress recommended I have the lamb chops (stating they were the best thing on the menu)…and they were superb! My husband had the surf and turf, but honestly we would order just the steak next time! We started our meal with the prawn cocktail (fabulous) and the lobster ravioli (too salty for our taste). Greetings from Mexico!
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C
Carl
San Francisco
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Thanksgiving day! We were seated at appointed time, service was Excellent, Food was Excellent & the ambiance was Festive. We thoroughly enjoyed our time & our meal(s) on a very busy day.
Is this helpful?
M
Mark
San Francisco
10 reviews
vip
5.0
10 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This was a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving without having to cook at home.
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FAQs

Historic John's Grill offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (415) 986-0069.

Historic John's Grill is rated 4.7 stars by 7308 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 30, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 61 times today

Order delivery or takeout

63 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross street
Powell Street
Neighborhood
Downtown / Union Square
Hours of operation
Lunch Daily 11:45 am–3:30 pm Dinner Daily 3:30 pm–9:30 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Steak, Seafood
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
There is a parking garage directly across the street, Ellis - O'Farrell Garage.https://www.sfmta.com/garages-lots/ellis-ofarrell-garageParking near John's Grill:https://www.parkinsf.com/sanfrancisco/parking-near/John%27s+Grill
Public transit
BART / MUNI at Powell Street Station
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Mauricio Sibrian
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://johnsgrill.com/
Phone number
(415) 986-0069
Private party facilities
Historic John's Grill is a landmark restaurant established in 1908 offers private dining rooms for 20 - 300 guests. Classic San Francisco atmosphere offering local seafood and fine cuts of steaks and chops. Chosen as top 10 by Esquire and featured in Gourmet.

Featured in

100 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Historic John's Grill

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Private dining

Dining areas

Additional information

100 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Ribeye Steak

Filet Mignon

New York Steak

Appetizers

Escargots$11.95

Jumbo Prawn Cocktail$17.95

Soup & Salads

New England Clam Chowder$8.95

Lobster Bisque$9.95

Lunch Salad$6.95

Caesar a la John's$14.95

Bay Shrimp Louie$17.95

Roquefort Salad$17.95

Roasted Beet Salad$15.95

Jack LaLanne's Favorite Salad$29.95

Seafood & Shellfish

Grilled Pacific Snapper$17.95

Jumbo Prawns Dijonnaise$19.95

Broiled Salmon$22.95

Petrale Amandine$18.95

Fried Jumbo Prawns$19.95

Fried Sea Scallops$28.95

Fried Oysters$16.95

Fried Combination Seafood$25.95

John's Featured Steaks

New York Steak$31.95

Ribeye Steak$36.95

Filet Mignon$38.95

Surf and Turf$43.95

Sam Spade's Lamb Chops

Sam Spade's Lamb Chops$35.95

Sandwiches & Pasta

Broiled 1/2 Lb. Deluxe Burger$19.95

Broiled New York Steak Sandwich$24.95

Tortellone$15.95

Maine Lobster Ravioli$18.95

Chicken Linguine Alfredo$18.95

Fisherman's Pasta$25.95

On the Side

Baked Idaho Potato$5.95

French Fries$6.95

Sautéed Mushrooms$7.95

Fresh Creamed Spinach$7.95

Caramelized Onions$7.95

Chef's Weekly Special

Fish & Chips$17.95

Crispy Chicken Sandwich on Brioche$17.95

Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Cheese$16.95

Medallions of Beef$32.95

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Historic John's Grill offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Historic John's Grill restaurant rated?

Is Historic John's Grill currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

100 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day