First Born

First Born reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. S

   Saket

   San Francisco3 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   Drinks are very sweet, food is greasy and fried, and ambience is too bright. Overall the experience was okay. Also all items recommended by server were deep fried.
   

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2. A

   Amber

   San Francisco31 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on February 23, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   The restaurant looks beautiful when peeking in as you walk by. The bar is pretty, the lighting attractive, but it was often only half full. We had reservations for 7:15 on a Saturday. Per usual, it was half full. No one was even sitting at the bar. The food was very good as were the drinks. The ambience is a little odd. First of all there was a DJ spinning club beats during dinner which I thought was odd. Thankfully he wasn’t too loud. Secondly, the space is sterile. It’s like a fancy cafeteria. There are no booths, quiet corners, or separate spaces. Everyone can see everyone. Thirdly, there was some sort of awkwardly hung black curtains portioning off the back of the room for some reason. The owners should remove some tables, rearrange to create private spaces and to make the restaurant appear more full, and do something about the weird black drapes. Also, music is good, but ditch the club beats during dinner. The food is good, the bartenders are top notch and that place should be jumping on a Saturday night.
   

   1 person found this helpful

3. N

   Neal

   San Francisco14 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on February 2, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 2

   The food is outstanding; very creative and tasty. Service was excellent. The interior is totally renovated from when we started going to this location (not this restaurant) 50 years ago. Very chic. However it is much too loud inside. Lower the volume and nix the DJ.
   

   1 person found this helpful

4. R

   Russell

   San Francisco48 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on January 25, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 2

   Music much too loud for dining. Missed the mark on Los Gatos demographic, who do not want loud DJ music with dinner. Will not return unless the music volume changes.
   

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5. N

   Neena VIP

   San Francisco2 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on January 5, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   We visited First Born for the first time and were very impressed with the ambience and location and the overall feel and set up. The food was sub-par though. All the appetizers like the fries and mushroom fritetrs and spring rolls were way too oily. You could actaully taste the oil. we had ordered vegetarian spring rolls and it has the smell of fish so was probably fired in the same oil as other meat dishes, which is not right at all. The main dishes were so sweet, it felt like we were having dessert and not savory dishes. Lots of improvement on the food is required.
   

   1 person found this helpful

6. E

   Erica VIP

   San Francisco13 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on December 30, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This restaurant was absolutely fantastic, from the service to the atmosphere to the delicious food. Every dish we had was unique and full of flavor. The pork riblets were incredibly tender, and the prawns were cooked to perfection. The standout side dish was the ube sticky rice because of its flavor—I’ve never had anything like it! Shoutout to the chef for the outstanding appetizers, mains, and desserts! We will be back the next time we’re in town!!
   

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   1 person found this helpful

7. M

   Miriam

   Toronto9 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on December 23, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   We had a great family dinner to celebrate my husband's birthday. We ate a bunch of their tapas/ share plates and each one was delicious. The food came out hot, it was beautifully plated/presented, and the flavours were fresh and balanced. Our server was prompt and polite, and also managed to give us space while still being present. Total pro. We will definitely return.
   

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   1 person found this helpful

8. D

   Don

   San Francisco2 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on December 14, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 2

   Food was very good. We ordered tapas style and portions were actually pretty large. Sharing 3 “small plates” and one main was too much for two people. Spirits list was good. Noise level was high and the DJ confuses what they are trying to achieve. I like EDM and house music but they could do without the DJ here and invest in some noise reducing fabric/material. Service was just okay. Not horrible but level of attention could have been better. We would go back.
   

   1 person found this helpful

9. S

   Sandra VIP

   San Francisco22 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on December 14, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   My husband and I dined at First Born on Fri., Dec. 13. It's a beautiful restaurant. Very sophisticated looking. My husband asked to have some cabernet wine. The one he chose; they said they don't have it. He asked about the other cabernet but they had only one other one, however my husband said he'll just have beer. We both had Truffle Fries. They were delicious. We also liked our entree that came with rice. The staff made sure that we were enjoying the food. RESTAURANT'S that have a variety of liquor are restaurants that know liquor brings in revenue!
   

   1 person found this helpful

10. J

    Julie VIP

    New York City11 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on December 7, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4

    Amazing menu. Superb portions and we enjoyed everything ordered
    

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