Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in San Geronimo

Born and raised in the Bay Area but have been living in SF proper for 14 years now. Kinda ashamed to say I finally checked out this SF institute today but better late than never as the food and service were absolutely incredible! I consider myself a cioppino connoisseur so had to try theirs and cross it off my list. I must say, the cioppino at Original Joe’s definitely did not disappoint and immediately shot to my top 5 list for sure. Throw in the impeccable service we received from our server David and his fellow team members and I can see why it’s become such a San Francisco landmark! Kudos to Original Joe’s in North Beach!

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!

The holiday experience is in full swing at Joes of Westlake. It’s beautifully decorated. The waiters were bustling around, very busy. We had a 3 pm reservation and they seated us by a lovely open fire pit. The only drawback was that our waiter left and as far as we could tell, a new waiter did not take his place until we called someone over to us to ask about our waiter. We were told he left, and two other waiters came to help us. So it all worked out in the end.

Always An amazing experience! Everything on the Menus is dependable and superb. We had an extra person and a miscommunication on our reservation however Val the lead hostess and manager made a huge effort to accommodate us and ensure we could fit our guest. I’ve never seen a manager go through so much effort and be as gracious as Val was and go above and beyond to help us out. Thank you Val.