The San Francisco Saloon
The Details:
11501 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: (310) 973-9066
Daily 11:30am-2am
Happy Hour: Mon-Fri 4pm-7pm
The Los Angeles Foodie Rating:
The Summary:
The San Francisco Saloon is best known for its happy hour, during which it offers great discounts on drinks and food. The place is large, has plenty of seating and offers a warm décor and atmosphere that is absent from most Los Angeles watering holes.
The Place:
Richly colored wooden walls, tables and chairs set this bar apart from many of the sports bar clones around town. The San Francisco Saloon has character. It’s a big place, so even when the crowds pack in for happy hour, there are usually places to sit. They also just remodeled the restrooms, which is nice (they’re clean, and they smell good) but also sort of weird because they look like bathrooms from a suburban tract home. The bar itself is long and constructed from the same dark wood that is seen throughout the rest of the building. It kind of reminds me of The Buena Vista in San Francisco, though not nearly as cool because, let’s face it, The Buena Vista is pretty much awesome in every way.
The Food:
It’s all about the Crispy Buffalo Chicken Fingers, which are among the very best I’ve ever had. They arrive at the table hot and crispy, not soggy like at some other places. The buffalo sauce that coats the chicken strips is moderately spicy in a way that is enjoyable without being overwhelming. The bone-in hot wings were only OK, and the S.F. Cheeseburger was outstanding for bar food but certainly not on par with any of the truly great burgers that Los Angeles has to offer. The food also tends to be on the expensive side for what it is.
The Service:
My table was rather demanding on our server, and I wouldn’t say that she shrugged it off with a smile, but in many ways the service shined. We ended up staying for over an hour, and our server’s shift ended before we were ready to leave. Before she left, she pointed out who our new waitress would be. What struck me was the fact that she didn’t ask if we would please pay her (so she could get her tip before she left), as is usually the case at a bar. I’m not offended when this happens. I understand that servers typically work for tips, so it doesn’t bother me at all. But I found it exceptionally polite that she didn’t even bring it up. In fact, I asked her if she could go ahead and close us out because we were just about ready to leave anyway. Add to all of this the fact that our server gladly helped us switch tables so we could see a basketball game better, and I would certainly call the service above average.
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Technorati Tags: Pico Blvd, San Francisco Saloon, Los Angeles watering holes, happy hour, Crispy Buffalo Chicken Fingers, Cheeseburger
