1601 Bar & Kitchen

Great service and great atmosphere. Their recommendations were right on target. Food out on time!

Disappointing — was expecting Sri Lankan food but they totally missed the point. Food was not tasty and expensive. The placed smelled musky when you first walked in.

At the beginning of 2016, I told myself that I’m going to branch out of my traditional American fare comfort zone and try new things. 1601 fit the profile for trying something new without going at it cold turkey and trying something I know nothing about. While I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of Indian food, the Sri Lankan inspired menu at 1601 enticed me enough to come here with a few friends on a stormy Friday night. Located in a strange and almost eerily quiet part of SOMA, parking was available, albeit a little scary since the dimly lit streets in that area make me a little nervous.
After sitting down at their long table by the entrance, the five us covered almost the entire menu by sharing everything (which is recommended) and enjoyed dinner at an entirely leisurely pace. On to the food!
House-​smoked salmon, burnt onion crème fraîche, turmeric gel: This was my favorite small bite dish we had. The smoked salmon was delicious and soft, and the delicious crème fraîche was a perfect add-​on.
Raw kale salad, toasted coconut meat, black garlic-​citrus vinaigrette, parmesan: At the behest of Unilocal,this was recommended as a must-​get item. It was a lot more flavorful than I imagined; raw kale is always a rough one to get excited over.
Traditional egg hopper, Jidori egg, sambols: Definitely the most interesting dish of the evening in terms of presentation, but also something recommended by Unilocal.This was a little hard to share with 5 people, but it was definitely good!
Maine lobster kottu roti: Since my friends are lobster fiends, we ordered two of these and it was a really good idea. The lobster was cooked perfectly, and the cabbage it sat on top was equally delicious.
Crispy okra, desiccated coconut, cashew nut curry: Even if you aren’t a fan of okra, frying it is going to make it taste delicious. I’m so glad we ordered this since it’s not something I would order but ended up liking it!
Fried Yukon Gold potatoes, chile-​fenugreek vinegar: The potatoes are an absolute must-​order item if you’re going with any of the larger entrée items. Heck, they’re worth ordering irrespective.
Lamb and pork meatballs, Sri Lankan cinnamon, cilantro-​almond relish, Straus yogurt: Probably the most «meh» item we had; we were all split decision on these. Two of my friends loved them, one was indifferent, and the other two weren’t fans. If you aren’t a lamb fan, I’d go with something else.
Black curry crusted Bavette steak, tamarind-​date chutney: This was my favorite of the larger entrée items, the steak was cooked perfectly and I absolutely loved the curry crust that was on the meat!
Bittersweet Valrhona chocolate custard, toasted curry, coconut lace cookie: We didn’t need dessert, but since we had made it this far, we made an impulsive decision to just go for it. The chocolate is definitely rich, and the lace cookie is pleasantly thin and delicious.
Service wise, our waitress was helpful when it came to dish ordering. The rest of the staff seems to need some work though. They came and started clearing dishes while we were still eating and food was still on the plates, and then stopped coming by all together later on in the meal. That being said, everyone that we spoke to were very nice. This is a great place to go with a large group of people, so while I may not come back for a quiet date night, I’d definitely come back with friends!

This was a last minute gamble that paid off for my friend and me. The restaurant was busy with a soft but lively atmosphere, but not over crowded and there was room for us at the bar during prime time.
We had:
–The egg hopper (a must… really…it isn’t like anything you have ever had if you have never had it)
–The black garlic kale salad (delicious…so light and flavorful and a great introduction to a new ingredient for me)
–The okra — (so yum… If you have prepared okra before you know that dealing with the slimy suckers is kind of unpleasant. This not only as a unique and again… flavorful…way of preparing okra but I didn’t have to touch the raw product ;))
–Lastly…and this was my favorite I have to say, was the bavette steak with the tamarind chutney… it was perfectly cooked and tamarind is really a nice accompaniment to the steak… perfect)
Dinner for two plus four glasses of wine was $ 100…not bad right?
All in all… this is quite the neighborhood gem!

A group of 6 of us had a reservation for 7:00 on a Saturday night.
Given that the menu has about 12 – 15 items on it and we wanted a little taste of everything, we proceeded to order one of everything.
The first few dishes arrive and the waiter explains he has divided them up for us, although it appears that he is bringing us 2 of each everything. After 5 dishes come out, appearing to be double the serving than we ordered, we ask the waiter about the entrees coming, explaining again that we only ordered one of everything.
Instead of apologizing or stating some sort of mis-​communication, he tells us he just assumed we would want more food to divide over the 6 people in our party.
His personal assumption and decision lead us to paying for twice the amount we expected and way more food than needed. He offered no compensation or even appeared to feel any remorse for having ordered us 2 of everything on the menu, exactly double the amount we wished to eat and pay for.
After all of that, he then tells us that we need to leave because there is another party waiting for our table. Any restaurant with class would expect to have it’s diners occupy a table for at least 1 – 2 hours at the most. Thank you 1601 for making decisions for it’s customers, overcharging unapologetically and kicking us out.

Came here on a whim and was totally surprised. The dining experience was absolutely delightful. The staff is so friendly, kind and attentive. We did the Chef’s tasting menu and couldn’t have been more pleased with each of the many (like almost too many) courses. I highly recommend you go out on a limb and choose the tasting menu.

terrible expensive $$$$$$$ make sure eat a big meal before you come here
terrible expensive $$$$$$$ make sure eat a big meal before you come here
terrible expensive $$$$$$$ make sure eat a big meal before you come here
terrible expensive $$$$$$$ make sure eat a big meal before you come here
terrible expensive $$$$$$$ make sure eat a big meal before you come here

Simply unbelievable! My friend and I had the sampling dinner consisting of 16 different dishes, each one unique and each one sublime. The portions were tiny and after dish 8 or 9 I was beginning to think I might go home hungry, but not so. After dish 16 I felt surprisingly satiated and very happy to have partaken of such an exciting meal. The service was top notch, staff very friendly and the atmosphere upscale. You simply can’t go wrong in a place where the towels in the restroom are cloth and you discard them into a wicker basket. This has proven to be one of my best dining experiences to date.

One thing I didn’t pick up from the other Unilocal reviews was the seriousness/​ambition of this restaurant. The décor is casual, the execution of the dishes is precise.
We began with the house salmon, which was lightly hot-​smoked, with a texture akin to really fine kippered salmon. Next up was Portuguese octopus, which came with an «iced chutney» (more like a granita) of tomato, if memory serves. Although I was able to portion it, I’d recommend ordering an egg topper for each person in your party. It’s superb and not very filling. The accompanying condiments are just like Indonesian sambal oelek and sambal manis, so season to taste. Sharing the Hokkaido scallops may present a math problem, as there are only three. Three is also the number of the pork and lamb meatballs, which despite the exotic menu description, are ordinary. Unlike the other dishes, they will not cause any fights.
The lampreis of duck is a larger portion, a savory ragu presented in a leaf wrapper. The lampreis can be shared, but the solitary slice of duck breast that comes with it is harder to parcel. We finished with the halal goat, presented as two separate plates, a stew over rice, and a purée of beets with goat cheese. The accompanying and tasty green leaf is unidentified.
Small portions leave room for dessert. We went for the filled poached pear and Valrhona chocolate custard. No complaints there.
My son went with beers from Saison and Firestone. The missus and I drank Gewurtztraminer by the glass.
Figure about $ 90 – 95 a head with drinks.

I was the Cinderella at ball that night: a vintage pencil polka dot dress styles from the 1950s, a pair of 5 inch high boots in the same black and white pattern, Hair and nails all done just right, age indeterminate. I arrived early with a poem book in tow. It was not difficult to pull that off, as the restaurant’s location has no shortage of street parking.
I suspect I was over dressed for this city, in my old age, I stopped caring what people might think and accepted the fact my dressing too nicely when out is just me being me. After all, it was a holiday dinner and had I been in New York or Paris, this would be par for the course.
The service was over the top nice. I had not seen this type of attentiveness in a while. While I read and waited for my friend to show, I was served a glass of rosé, and staff came over several times to ask if I had any questions with the menu.
We ordered the kale salad to start, with a stewed goat as the main, a potato as a side and finished with a pot de créme like dish, it had curry and coconut in the chocolate dust, very unusual.
Not everyday do you get Sri Lanka food. It is most definitely my first meal of this kind. Reading the critic reviews, chef had French culinary training. That is a very nice combo as it showed in the food we consumed that evening.
I was in a good mood as the holidays were upon us. I had imagined this meal would be outstanding, but I did not expect service was also equally wonderful.
This is an adventurous eating establishment. I suppose if you wanted to try something unusual, and fanciful, do put it on your list.

I had heard a lot of great things about 1601 after they re-​vamped the menu to make it more Sri Lankan, and I thought the menu choices sounded really interesting. 4 of us came for dinner on a Saturday. Parking was super easy around 6pm in this area.
I wish they had a full liquor license, but they have beer, wine, and some loophole cocktails. The menu items sounded interesting, and we ordered family style.
Notable dishes:
1. Egg Hopper ($ 9 each): unique — a rice flour and coconut bowl shaped crêpe with a jidori egg inside. The caramelized red onions, coconut meat, and chili pepper on top added a lot of flavor. This dish looks pretty cool and is something I haven’t seen on other menus in SF. I would get 1 for every 2 people
2. Cauliflower ($ 12): roasted, with a lime pickle emulsion and spiced carrot purée. It had lots of colors and flavors and was a really good vegetable dish for sharing
3. Fried Yukon gold potatoes ($ 8): super sweet, nicely roasted. I felt kind of guilty eating this because it was fatty and sugary, but that’s what made it so good. It was topped with a chile-​fenugreek vinegar, and there were these really good crispy onion bits
Others:
1. Scallops ($ 19): a bit overcooked and on the small side, 3 per order
2. Lobster kottu roti ($ 19): I’m not sure where the roti went? It was like a bed of shredded vegetables topped with lobster on top
3. Meatballs ($ 16): lamb and pork, 3 per order (we added on 1 more for our 4^th person). The sauce was interesting and had a lot going on (yogurt, cinnamon, cilantro), and the toasted hazelnuts were good
4. Bavette Steak ($ 25): crusted in black curry, medium rare, but it was a bit tough. The pomegranates were nice. This came with 6 small pieces.
The staff was very quick to refill water and clear plates.
My biggest complaint is that the portion sizes were small. Things are meant for sharing, but we basically had 1 – 3 bites of each dish. In the end, it was about $ 100 per couple before tip (we each had 1 glass of wine), and we weren’t hungry per se, but I think we could have used larger portions.

Wonderful service, polite and efficient. The foo in amazing mix of flavors-​asian an mid-​eastern. I had the ochre as octopus that was So tasty I wanted more. Small portions for sure but you don’t need much to yank on those tastebuds. Nice décor and ark and relaxing and romantic. Had my wife’s BDay there and it was wonderful! REally a change from the ‘Mission’ stuff in SF!

Wedged between auto dealerships and warehouses, it’s easy to pass by this place without noticing it. But what the restaurant may lack from the outside, it well makes up for with a unique, artfully curated and flavor packed dining experience.
Most plates are small and perfect for sharing. Each dish was beautifully presented and offered an exciting palette of colorful flavors. I had to restrain myself from ordering everything on the menu!

Pretty amazing! It’s a mix of asian fusion, seafood and sri lankan style mixed together. It seems like its a family owned restaurant. The host, servers were great but the only thing is different servers kept coming up and got confused who I should order from (only improvement thats needed) but other than that the food was delicious!
This is more of a family style/​tapas — small portions but it’s great to share and try different dishes. Theres a pretty good selection of wine as well. AND the temperate of the wine was on point.
What I ordered/​recommend:
— House-​smoked salmon w/​burnt onion crème fraîche, turmeric gel
— Raw kale salad w/​toasted coconut meat, black garlic-​citrus vinaigrette, parmesan
— Lobster fricassee w/​barley, English peas, spring onion achcharu, coconut oil
— Hokkaido scallops w/​goraka, traditional fish cutlet, champagne vinegar
— Lamb and pork meatballs, Sri Lankan cinnamon, cilantro-​almond relish, Straus yogurt (a little over cooked but was still tasteful)
— Portuguese octopus w/​lime gelée, iced heirloom tomato chutney

I liked it. Nice space. Inventive menu. But, it’s not South Asian enough for me. It’s tasty and good, and upscale. Meatballs were good, as was kale salad. Nice bar!

Loved the food and ambiance. Really amazing favors and nice tapa style dishes! I’ll come back for sure.
Service was OK. But they nicely spaced out our dishes which was good.
Note: This is a French cook with some Sri Lankan influenced flavored and only two or so actual Sri Lankan dishes. So don’t come with the expectation you’ll get actual Sri Lankan kottu rotti. It’s amazing, but not traditional, which is great if you set your expectations. We really LOVED everything we had– really nice flavors and nicely displayed dishes. The hoppers were legit and so delish… we ordered more! Very different/​unique sambol and onion relish on it. Hats off to the chef for bringing two unique backgrounds together!

With strikingly innovative flavors, 1601 Bar and Kitchen is a great dining change of pace.
Located in an obscure corner in SOMA, 1601 Bar and Kitchen is worth the trip. Upon entering, diners will experience a cool, sleek bar and dining room, which does steal the focus from the real star, the food.
Heavily influenced by his Sri Lankan heritage, chef-​owner Brian Fernando deftly uses a mélange of spices to create exotic flavor combinations. Divided between «short eats» (tapas sized portions) and entrees, the ever-​changing seasonal menu is vibrant and colorful, a treat for your eyes and your palate. The staff recommends multiple «short eats» per person. A warning: heed this recommendation or leave hungry. A good alternative is the degustation menu ($ 85), however this option must be selected by the entire table.
The Portuguese octopus with lime gelée and iced heirloom tomato chutney ($ 13) was tender and delicious. Although not as piquant as is traditional, the Chesapeake Bay soft-​shell crab kottu roti ($ 16) highlights the delicate flavors of the crab. Sprinkled with shaved parmesan, the raw kale salad with toasted coconut and a black garlic-​citrus vinaigrette ($ 11) was delightfully free of the bitter taste normally associated with this now-​ubiquitous super-​food. Served medium-​rare, the flavor of the black curry crusted Bavette steak ($ 25) was sparked by a healthy dose of tamarind-​date chutney.
Unfamiliar spices are normally hard to pair with wine, and Fernando’s cuisine is no exception. As such, the by-​the-​glass wine list is a let down: no Muller-​Thurgau, no Riesling, no Gewürztraminer. The bottle list, however, does not disappoint: the expected selections, as well as some surprises, are evident. Beer aficionados will not be disappointed: there is a good selection of craft brews on tap and by the bottle.
Service is spot-​on. Water glasses were always full; drinks were replenished quickly; and used plates were swiftly removed.
For a quick, culinary trip to South Asia, be sure to visit 1601 Bar and Kitchen.

Exquisite! Amazing! Innovative! Delightful! Great blend of flavors.
I loved every minute of it. I had the scallops with butternut squash, mulligatawny soup, egg hopper, and chocolate custard with lace cookie. Everything was top notch superb.

Gastronomical excitement!!!
Exceptional service. Intimate with a good balance of volume.
Whoa…titillated taste buds!
Ok… I thoroughly enjoyed my meal experience. Thank you. This is a must visit.
I will bring my family and visit again.

Good friends of ours wanted to take the husband and I to a nice meal for our birthdays! Since we were late in the game it was very hard to get a reservation in establishments such as Gary Danko. Slightly disappointed but definitely not discouraged we researched Unilocal with an advanced case of avidity.
1601 sounded interesting and they had a reservation. So with great trepidation we made the hike from the south bay into the big smoke. The location is definitely surprising as it appears to be fairly residential but as a plus parking is a plenty. The restaurant itself is industrial chic but surprisingly feels like you are having a meal at your friend’s house (albeit — fancy shmancy friends :)). We were greeted by the hostess (Yulia) who correctly pointed out that the communal table at the front of the restaurant would be secluded from the rest of the patrons.
Right of the bat the service was impeccable. And the high standard of service was consistent throughout the night. Yulia who doubled as the sommelier was knowledgeable about the food, drinks and had a definite passion and enthusiasm for food.
We had called earlier and informed them that we were vegetarian and they told us that they would be happy to put together a tasting menu for us. Two of us at the table decided to do a wine pairing with the meal.
They have a good selection of cocktails and an overwhelming wine offering. As a side they don’t have diet coke or any other kind of canned soda.
In a nutshell, the food was exceptional. As my friend at the table mentioned after eating out for so many years and seeking out good restaurants .it is becoming a rarity to discover new cuisines or be surprised by flavors, but course after course 1601 did that! The pacing of the courses was perfect. Goldilocks would approve. not too fast that you can’t enjoy the food or not too slow that you can’t concentrate on the conversation as your mind is focusing on the arrival of the next plate of food.
As for the tasting menu itself :
— Compressed cucumber salad, tomato chutney ice
(Brut Rose)
— Traditional Egg hopper
(Buzzerkeley)
— Muligatawny soup
(Riesling)
— Raw kale salad with toasted coconut meat, parmesan and garlic dressing
(Muscato)
— Melted endive, almond purée, cilantro almond relish
(Vermouth)
— Cauliflower, ime pickle emulsion, carrot purée
(Riesling)
— Crispy Okra, cashew nut curry
(Cotes Du Rhone Blanc)
— Eggplant lamprais, chickpea, cumin yoghurt
(Pinot Noir
— Riesling poached apricot, coconut sorbet
— Ceylon tea semi freddo, almond streussel
Every course was perfectly cooked and executed. The favors were interesting and yet delicious. My palette definitely could not anticipate what a dish would taste like just by looking at the plate of food and at the same time at the end of the course my tongue wanted to lick the plate :) The other aspect which was extremely enjoyable was that the pairing with each course wasn’t limited to wine… for many of the courses the pairing of spirits created an extended finish and enhanced the flavors of the food.
The portions were appropriate for a tasting menu as I was full after the meal (no taco bell on the way home!) and it was well priced. Given the number of courses and the quality of food I wouldn’t have been surprised if they charged as more than the $ 79 a head that they did charge!
Definitely a great experience and in case you skipped the entire review, here is the byline:
— Looking for a vegetarian tasting menu: Exceptional food, great service, good on the wallet. GO!
And yes we do have the best friends ever that know how to give amazing presents :)