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window view of parklet by Molly DeCoudreaux - Frances, San Francisco, CA
Award-winning

Frances

4.8
4.8
3499 Reviews
$50 and over
Californian
Top Tags:
At Frances, chef Melissa Perello’s seasonal menu reflects modern California sensibilities and focuses on ingredients from local markets, farms and producers in a casual, neighborhood setting. Named after Chef Perello’s grandmother, Frances is an ode to refined but comfortable sensibilities in both food and decor. Whether it’s the technique-rich, yet simple approach to food, or the open, familiar atmosphere and stellar service, Frances' honest, focused approach has resonated with customers and critics alike.


Make a reservation

2 people
7:30 PM
Booked 16 times today
Experiences are available.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Contemporary American
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Sat 5:15 pm–9:15 pm
  • Phone number
    (415) 621-3870
  • Website
    http://www.frances-sf.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Owned/operated by
    Women
  • Executive chef
    Melissa Perello
  • Private party facilities
    BUYOUT EVENT Capacity: 30 seated or 55 standingWe will work with you to create a personalized event including a uniquely crafted menu and a signature wine experience. PRIVATE, OUTDOOR PARKLET EVENTCapacity: 16We offer a family-style tasting menu of 8-10 dishes and supplemental wine and beverage pairings. Email info@frances-sf.com to inquire.
  • Private party contact
    Samantha at samantha@frances-sf.com: (415) 621-3870
  • Location
    3870 17th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Neighborhood
    The Castro
  • Cross street
    between Noe and Sanchez
  • Parking details
    Street parking only.
  • Public transit
    24, 33, 35, 37, F, K, M, and L
  • Entertainment
    Instagram: sf_frances
  • Additional
    Beer, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Experiences

  • Christmas Eve at Frances

    $125.00 per person

    Prepaid

    Dec 24, 2023 only
    Join us for Christmas Eve at Frances! We're offering a festive 4-course tasting menu featuring 8-10 dishes, served to share. Wine pairings and supplements will also be available onsite. MENU AND DETAILS: www.frances-sf.com/christmas-eve please contact the restaurant with all dietary restrictions at least 72 hours in advance to ensure accommodation tickets are non-refundable if cancelled within 72 hours of the reservation time
    Christmas Eve at Frances Photo

  • New Year's Eve at Frances

    $125.00 per person

    Prepaid

    Dec 31, 2023 only
    Join us for New Year's Eve at Frances! We're offering a festive 4-course tasting menu featuring 8-10 dishes, served to share. Wine pairings and signature enhancements will also be available onsite. MENU AND DETAILS: www.frances-sf.com/nye *please contact the restaurant with all dietary restrictions at least 72 hours in advance to ensure accommodation *tickets are non-refundable if cancelled within 72 hours of the reservation time *a la carte menu will not be available on this evening

What 3,499 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.9Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.5Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • San Francisco Bay Area

    Californian

  • San Francisco

    Californian

3,499 Reviews

  1. CeliaB

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food, friendly attentive staff, lively atmosphere.

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  2. Foodbaby

    San Francisco

    21 reviews

    5.0

    21 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Dinner for 4 before an event at The Castro Theater. Food and drinks were very tasty - good choices for vegetarian and pescatarian. Lovely, small restaurant.

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    London

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    overall4food3service5ambience5
    Excellent service and environment, but food was middling, especially for the price. Our group had a mix of starters, mains, and desserts. While the starters and desserts were quite good, the mains, including the fish and pork chop were disappointingly bland, while the veggie main was spicy hot, but lacked any complex flavors or textures. For the price and number of more reasonable but excellent nearby competition, I would have expected better.

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Divine! Every dish was superb, delicious and delightful!

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  5. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Truly a delicious meal! Our favorite dish was the short rib and summer fruits salad, but truly every dish we ordered was fresh and tasty. Looking forward to coming back!

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  6. JamieC

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 18, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Emily and all the associate servers were excellent. I have waited years to eat at this restaurant and finally it worked-out. Thanks for keeping Frances yummy, cozy and not over-the-top. I am so tired of the "precious" food restaurants in SF. Frances was superbly delicious -- and the vibe quaint and charming. Thank you for a perfect evening!

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Frances was lovely; the menu was ample in choices, the wait staff was kind and enthusiastic, and the ambiance was modern yet cozy. Wonderful spot for a date night or special occasion!

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  8. LauraH

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 12, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We had the chef's tasting menu and it was fantastically delicious! We will be back for sure! FYI, the restaurant was quite loud, though. We had to lean forward to hear each other.

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  9. PaulaB

    New York Area

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 12, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We look forward to returning! Everything was pefect from food to staff to ambience.

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The food was outstanding. The service was amazing. Highly recommend all around.

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  11. JPJP

    San Francisco

    33 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    33 reviews

    Dined on November 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Another great dining experience celebrating our anniversary! The Chef’s Tasting menu is spectacular.

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  12. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 5, 2023

    overall5food5service3ambience5
    The food, ambiance etc was so great but the service was a bit slow. We weren’t in a rush and it wasn’t a big deal and our server was lovely and thanked us for our patience! But we did feel like we were twiddling our thumbs at times. This won’t stop us from coming back as the food, environment etc are worth revisiting!

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  13. AlexD

    Seattle

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 3, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Kind staff, great atmosphere, and a thoughtfully delicious menu.

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  14. EricL

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 2, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Incredible experience!! So delicious and the most wonderful team!

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  15. Cheryl

    San Francisco

    161 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    161 reviews

    Dined on November 2, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    frances is my favorite restaurant so for my birthday I invited friends. the service is the best. we always get the tasting menu and the chef prepared an excellent menu we got beef AND fish and the other dishes are so good the wines are good as well. you will not go wrong at frances. I ate there about 10 times this year and 15 last year

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  16. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on October 29, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Really the best restaurant by far in Castro and one of the finest in the city. Exceptional fine cuisine, warm sophisticated service.

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  17. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 29, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Some of the dishes were insanely good like the fruit and pasta dishes

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  18. SFNA

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 28, 2023

    overall4food5service3ambience5
    Great food but pace of courses was unacceptably slow (waited 45 minutes between pasta course and main course)

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  19. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 27, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    As always, a wonderful experience. Superb service and excellent food.

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  20. Julien

    Philadelphia

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 25, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    Nice food, wine is a bit expensive but still ok. Good overall experience.

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  21. Dorian

    Richmond

    28 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    28 reviews

    Dined on October 25, 2023

    overall4food5service5ambience3
    Food and service was outstanding as always. The sitting outdoor, not that much! The heater didn’t do much against the wind which ravaged through the three tables in the little ‘outdoor’ space. When your food is cooling down faster than it should and you are zipping up your jacket to just put up with yet another swirl of wind, the ‘Frances’ experience, which I very much enjoyed over the years, it is just subpar! Do something to fix the outdoor space or stop offering it.

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  22. NinaB

    San Francisco

    7 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on October 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Amazing food in a neighborhood restaurant . Always welcoming and warm.

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  23. equiart

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on October 20, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    We were celebrating the birthday of one of the diners. He selected the tasting menu which selected It for the table. I would have preferred individual choices, but the birthday boy ruled the day. The food was uniformly good but not a rave. There was plenty of it and the service was great and not obtrusive. The interior space is small but very well ventilated and pleasant. Not noisy! A first for a small space. I will go back to try other menu offerings. The tasting menu was expensive but the general menu had many well-priced entrees.

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  24. KenM

    Palm Springs

    42 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    42 reviews

    Dined on October 18, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Excellent service, outstanding food, but the clincher was the Pavlova with peach sorbet for dessert. It was simply delicious and mouthwatering. We would come back again next time we visit the city.

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  25. SusanS

    Greater Boston

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on October 14, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Always a delight and one of my favorite places when I come back to SF.

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  26. JDarvey

    San Francisco

    15 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on October 13, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Loved having dinner outside with our dog, Bunny. Best meal in a while. Very creative.

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  27. Lotem

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 1, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We love this place, the food is always great, the staff is awesome and the atmosphere is romantic and fun

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  28. OpenTable Diner

    London

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 28, 2023

    overall3food4service4ambience3
    Decent food but small portions and really not great value for money. I'll never understand how a California wine from up the road costs twice in the States as it does in the UK (combination of tax + exchange rates?) - that's not a criticism of this venue per se, but eating out in the States in general.

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  29. DavidA

    Manchester

    36 reviews

    5.0

    36 reviews

    Dined on September 27, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We had a wonderful tasting menu meal at Frances, just as good as our first visit on our honeymoon ten years ago. The staff are friendly, helpful and able to provide good recommendations. The tasting menu was all fantastic and I certainly suggest anyone tries it. A must-do if you’re in San Francisco.

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  30. Curator89

    Columbus

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on September 23, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Always love getting the chefs tasting menu. Great variety, larger than expected portions. Excellent food and service

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  31. tkjj

    San Francisco

    11 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on September 20, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Lovely farm to table, highlighting local ingredients. The tasting menu hit the highlights. wonderful experience

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  32. Crispy

    London

    7 reviews

    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on September 16, 2023

    overall4food5service3ambience4
    The food was incredible. Everything was just so tasty. Our waitress was quite aloof and sometimes quite impatient which spoilt the mood a bit. It was also unfortunate that we were charged the wrong bill after we were told that high end restaurants take your card away to process the payment as opposed to bringing the machine to the table. Overall, an okay experience with great food.

    1 person found this helpful

  33. Gina

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Absolutely stunning environment, friendly service and delicious food!

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  34. Disappointed

    San Francisco

    42 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    42 reviews

    Dined on September 15, 2023

    overall3food2service3ambience4
    The pork was undercooked and almost inedible. The cassoulet was marginal. The waitstaff seemed busy folding napkins. Compared with last time I was here, the food was not as good

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  35. KateS

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on September 10, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Our server Emily was so lovely and knowledgeable. Amazing service!

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  36. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 10, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience3
    Unbelievably good food and kind staff. Wish tables were a bit less close together but really phenomenal place

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  37. TheToothsomePalate

    New York Area

    159 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    159 reviews

    Dined on September 10, 2023

    overall4food4service2ambience5
    Nice ambiance however the service was slow taking 25 minutes just to give a drink order after being seated. Food was interesting and somewhat tasty but not as flavorful as I had expected based on prior reviews. Oysters are very tiny, the watermelon gazpacho more like chilled tomato soup with small cubes of melon whose taste was overwhelmed by the soup. The cod was ok but again not that memorable. Interesting wine list with reasonable pricing.

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  38. wondertwinsmama

    San Francisco

    12 reviews

    4.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on September 10, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    Frances is one of our favorite restaurants to go to in SF. We had a bday to celebrate so of course my friends and I chose to do so at Frances. The 4 of us opted for the chef’s tasting menu. But we had to order the homemade sourdough bread since it is to die for! So much so that we had 2 orders for the 4 of us. (I mean- a bday celebration means carbs are ok, rt?) Every course was unique in its own way… the gazpacho was beautiful to the eye and flavorful, the halibut was so enticing that even the non-fish eater in our group braved a taste and enjoyed it!! Look forward to getting back asap.

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  39. Bernie

    San Francisco

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 10, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience3
    Appetizers (panisse frites, sourdough, heirloom tomato with yogurt) were outstanding. Extremely fresh and tasty Soup-watermelon gazpacho was a burst of flavor and equally outstanding Campanelle pasta was light and sauce had excellent flavor with squash blossom and zucchini mint pesto Main course--cod was light and fresh, served on flavorful black rice Bean cassoulet was okay--nothing special Side dishes were nothing special--corn was good, summer squash fritto was okay Dessert was standard--very good brownie and lumberjack cake Would come back again and just skip the main and sides! All the other dishes were worth it. Service was pleasant; ambience inside too loud and crowded...outdoor parklet has more room but is limited seating

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  40. Cheryl

    San Francisco

    161 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    161 reviews

    Dined on September 10, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Frances was such a dream My pescatarian guests loved the black cod. Heard a lot of wows when they tasted it The oysters a delight to start I love the pasta and the tomatoes in the salad were just so tasty. The pork chop so delicious I chewed on the bone The staff is like a lovely family A great time had by all 4 of us we always take the tasting menu Always creative and fresh , nicely served and oh so tasty

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Safety precautions

  • Cleaning & sanitizing

    • Surfaces sanitized between seatings
    • Common areas deep-cleaned daily

  • Screening

    • Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

Frances is rated 4.8 stars by 3499 OpenTable diners.

Frances does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:30 PM
Booked 16 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Frances

3870 17th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Cross street
    between Noe and Sanchez
  • Neighborhood
    The Castro
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Sat 5:15 pm–9:15 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Contemporary American
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street parking only.
  • Public transit
    24, 33, 35, 37, F, K, M, and L
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Owned/operated by
    Women
  • Executive chef
    Melissa Perello
  • Entertainment
    Instagram: sf_frances
  • Additional
    Beer, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Website
    http://www.frances-sf.com/
  • Phone number
    (415) 621-3870
  • Private party facilities
    BUYOUT EVENT Capacity: 30 seated or 55 standingWe will work with you to create a personalized event including a uniquely crafted menu and a signature wine experience. PRIVATE, OUTDOOR PARKLET EVENTCapacity: 16We offer a family-style tasting menu of 8-10 dishes and supplemental wine and beverage pairings. Email info@frances-sf.com to inquire.
  • Private party contact
    Samantha at samantha@frances-sf.com: (415) 621-3870

Featured in

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