Best Restaurants with a Fireplace in Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness

Wayfare Tavern has become an institution in San Francisco, and our most recent visit confirms it’s as great as it’s always been.

Had a lovely mid day meal for the holiday. Everything about it exceeded expectations.

We returned for a second visit this holiday season; it was wonderful. Got adventurous and had the creamed corn. I noticed my daughters snuck more than an initial half teaspoon taste. It was very, very good. Not watery creamy. This had a nice texture. Try it! The prime rib was exceptional. I had the smaller portion. One daughter had the thinner slices. One daughter had the regular cut. All were sumptuous! Had a baked potato instead of the mashed. It was yummy. We ordered an apple crisp to share between the three of us. It was delicious with a nice amount of apple slices hidden under the topping and surrounded by the usual warm spices. Our server was great! She was friendly, attentive but didn’t hover. Thank you all for a wonderful evening! I may not be back for a while. Palo Alto daughter is moving to Duarte. CA this summer. If she needs help moving, we’ll have to do a farewell visit at House of Prime Rib. Again, thank you!

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!

Went to Charmaine's this weekend with 12 people to celebrate a special birthday. The experience was beyond my expectations! We had a lovely area inside on the sofa and chairs. The service was just right--not too slow and not too rushed. The food and drinks were superb. We didn't sit outdoors around the cozy firepits because of the size of our group, but the ambiance and views of the city were superb. Went early to catch the sunset and it did not disappoint.