Wayfare Tavern

I have never written a review before but my experience compelled me to do this. I was initially worried that this place wouldn't live up to the hype but I was luckily very wrong. It was outstanding. The service was spectacular. The food was even more so. And the drinks! So delicious. We started out with the complementary popover bread was one of the best bits of carbs I've had in a very long time. Then we had two appetizers, the burrata and the deviled eggs. The burrata was insane. Wanted to eat it alone but had to share. The deviled eggs great. Since we'd eaten a lot that day already, I ordered the butter lettuce salad and added a bit of their famous fried chicken on the side. Wow. If people hadn't been around I would have licked my plate. My friends got the cioppino and another salad. My partner got the pork and it was probably one of the best pieces of meat I have ever ever eaten. We were too full for dessert but I saw those donuts go by and wished I hadn't eaten so much earlier. Next time! Go there. It's great and I felt like unlike some other SF places this one was worth the price tag. :)

Everything we had was top notch, from the fried chicken to the broccolini to the deviled eggs. I was a bit worried initially since it was so easy to get a reservation and they have a less than stellar health score right now, but enjoyed my meal thoroughly. The popover bread they give is yummy too!

The host was so nice. I reserved for six and arrived with eight and he immediately rearranged gave us a private room. The room was lovely, warm and full of light. The service attentive without being overbearing. The food was fantastic. Everyone got something different and it was all delicious. I am not someone who is effusive but this place hit it out of the park. They also would split eight cards. Totally coming back.

We had friends in town and unfortunately the experience fell flat. Hard face plant on a concrete sidewalk flat. We were surprised by the experience as we’ve been here a dozen times over the last few years so we’ve experienced the typical high service level and food quality. Not sure if it was an off night, turnover on the FOH and BOH teams, or poor management. We didn’t see our server from when we ordered to about 20 minutes after we received our food (and only after we flagged down three others because we needed serving spoons for all our sides and half our drinks were still not delivered from our initial drink order). When we were trying to ask about the spoons and drinks, the lady we asked walked away before we barely finished asking for spoons. So we had to ask about the drinks when she came back and she was clearly annoyed by the multiple requests. Half the dishes were too salty. The best service of the night was from the bussers who did a fabulous job so we still ended up tipping our MIA waitress so they wouldn’t be penalized (hoping they share in the tips).

Old school high quality tavern; delicious 60 day dry aged prime rib, truly delicious ( am not overstating) fried chicken as well as other truly excellent comfort food. Will go again most definitively.

Atmosphere was lovely, not too dark. Service was impeccable, both at the bar and once we were seated. We enjoyed our meals, the fried chicken was absolutely amazing, as were the whipped potatoes. We finished the meal with the donuts and they did not disappoint. Will come back next time I am on this coast.

Food was delicious, especially the cote de boeuf. Dark and clubby atmosphere. Ours was the only table with children but we were made to feel welcome! Good wine list

Served food late. Good meal. Worth a visit.

Excellent brunch. The popovers and doughnuts were exceptional. Great service and ambiance for good price

Loved the decor and food. We had the fried chicken short rib appetizer and brussel sprouts.

Great food and the service was excellent!

Excellent in every way! Would highly recommend -great ambiance, too!

Service was good! They were super accommodating when I last minute asked to change the table from 4 people to 6, and the wait staff was attentive and so kind. Food was just alright in my opinion. I got the city salad and it was pretty bland, and looked like something I would make myself (but not even as good) and just the salad itself (no protein add on) was $19!

My fiancé got the burger and he said it was subpar as well. Probably our fault as the fried chicken is the thing to get I’ve heard.

Great for cozy, fun city ambiance though.

Delicious food, impeccable service and cozy ambiance. They made my husbands birthday so special - amazing personal touches throughout. Can’t recommend this place enough.

After having a reservation, we were abruptly told that we needed to order right away as they needed the table right away. We easily ate in that time frame, but it was so disturbing and annoying to be rushed thru our wxperience. It was a disappointment.

Great meal, our server Lorelei was excellent. Hostess was unfriendly and not welcoming.

The best fried chicken you'll ever try. And if you've never tried Steak Tartare, this is the place to try it - it's incredibly delicious. Excellent service, delicious food - you'll be glad you went there.

Chef Tyler Florence spoke at a conference I attended, so I rushed to make a reservation. Wayfare is a don't-miss for San Fran!

Food is always delicious. Buratta mashed potatoes were like warm though and the kitchen always always puts a mound of coarse salt and pepper hidden under herbes on the side of the plate which taints a portion of your food that gets pushed into it. I keep forgetting they do that!
They accommodated us with our table request for our anniversary and the server was perfectly but not over attentive.

Server was great, super attentive and I always had a full drink in front of me. Food was good too.

We went for NY eve dinner. Our server was very good. Ambiance was good and we enjoyed it. The drinks and food we ordered were good too. Their fresh baked bread was delicious. The manager, Nora, was grumpy and rude and just killed the vibe. She took our menu without taking our order. Repeated our order wrong and when corrected she said “that’s what I said!” Wouldn’t go back just because of her though everything else was fine.

Chose Wayfare Tavern for our New Year’s Eve dinner and we could not have been happier, the food was excellent as was the service by Alejandro. Every dish was perfectly prepared, the duck breast was delicious and the Cioppino and Salmon were perfect.

Server and bartender were both condescending. Not sure if that is their normal behavior or if it was the fact we were dinning with our kids (ages 8 to 16). Their rude behavior was a good example of “how not to behave” for the kids.

Food was good. Prices are a bit high. Noise level is on the loud side.

Loved the food service and vibe would highly recommend Wayfare Tavern.

The hostess was very pleasant, the food was amazing, but the waiter seemed annoyed and didn’t make us feel very welcome.

Prompt, professional, friendly service. Excellent eggnog creme brûlée! Fried chicken was splendid as always and so were the deviled eggs. Drinks were a little on the weak side and smaller than we’re used to (compared to Boulevard or Spruce, for example)

Great service, excellent food, and beautiful interior!

The decir is beautiful and you feel you step in an old, established family restaurant (my kind of place). Our reservation was at 7:45, we were seated 20 minutes after such time, even though we arrived on time. Waited 30 minutes for our drinks and bread order. Our waiter didn’t tell us one of our appetizers took about 20 minutes to make, I had ordered a salad, so we had to wait a while for that as well. By the time dinner rolled in, we were tired (of waiting and mediocre service), and couldn’t rejoice on how good the fried chicken actually was. We took the leftovers home to enjoy the next morning b/c it really was delicious.

If not for holiday rush, I would have preferred a booth because we were seated in the rear by the door just left of the fireplace after I informed hostess that we were a party of four and not five. Overall, a great lunch experience regardless.

Great experience as always. One of my favorite restaurants. Staff is attentive but not over whelming and the food is always good!

Holiday cooking staff overcooked hamburger and Brussels sprouts and had server come to make excuses on tardy food. This place has gone downhill. Used to be impeccable service and food. Bartender also seemed short staffed as cocktails came late too

Great service and great food!

Great location. Charming decor. Wonderful service. Terrific food. The popovers to start the meal are amazing. But save room for the fried chicken or burger. A side of Brussel sprouts is excellent too ! The cocktails are noteworthy as well.

This was our second time dining at the Wayfare Tavern. On our first visit we tried the mussels, that were on special, and they were fishy and terrible; but, we thought we would give it another try and stick with the celebrated fried chicken this time. It was underwhelming to say the least. All the seasonings were on the side, which made the breading very bland. I thought the rule of thumb was to season right out of the fryer, so that the seasonings stick? I’m sorry to say the famous fried chicken was dry and tasteless. On a brighter note, the service was very good, even though we were seated next to the utensil/water station and in front of the payment station; however, this will be our last visit to the Wayfare Tavern. It just doesn’t stand up to the hype.

The service started out good but steadily went down hill. Food was alright, but no sides came with the chicken or were offered. Menu was very small, only 3 entrees to choose from.

I went here to try the burger at lunch. It was outstanding. My boyfriend had the fried chicken, which was great as well. The ambiance and decor was warm and welcoming. Service was very good as well.
I will be back again!

We were a party of eight and our experience was a bit mixed. The restaurant enjoys a much greater reputation than is warranted by the quality of food. While they are famous for their fried chicken, we have had better fried chicken at other places. Two of our guests gave mixed reviews of the duck breast and no one was impressed with the desserts. One guest liked the fried chicken. The service was however very good and the popovers were excellent.

Great food, drinks and service! Love this place.

All I can say was a fantastic experience and meal

Made a reservation here for dinner before the Ali Wong show and it was an awesome choice! The valet parking was $12 and convenient since you are able to put it on your final bill. The famous fried chicken did not disappoint. I loved it. The mac n’ cheese was good but needed a bit more seasoning for my taste. Our server was friendly and pleasant and between him and other staff members I didn’t feel like I waited for anything. If you have room for dessert - and you should! - the homemade donuts are to die for! Served warm, with whipped creme fraiche and raspberry sauce, it was divine. I will definitely dine here again.