Sutro’s at The Cliff House

Of course great views. So if you got the money to spend on the view and I mean top dollar on a restaurant that is no where near the top in SF — then go.
Food is OK. Bread was better. Service is fair — wait staff OK — meddling bus service is annoying.
Comes down to money — it’s just overpriced but then again it’s mainly for tourists.

This is a place to go for those with a bigger wallet. Made a reservation here for lunch and came with a group of about 12 during part of a vacation trip. Its hard to find parking outside because this place is known for its view of the ocean. The entrees here are fairly expensive but the food is quite tasty.
For appetizers, I tried the ahi tuna dish which is very similar to hawaiian poke if you’ve ever had that. It comes with a side of crackers munch with and the fish has a very refreshing taste.
I recommend ordering the bacon crusted salmon, which had little to no bacon but excellent texture. It also came with a very light cream sauce that balanced well with the mashed potatoes and mustard. I also recommend the seabass entrée which was similar but came with a slightly creamier sauce.
I also tried the foie gras dish which is a goose liver spread that you can eat with bread. I personally didn’t have much of a liking for this dish but thought it was mediocre nonetheless.
For dessert I recommend you ordering the passion fruit crème brûlée which has small cubes of mango atop the crunchy layer of burnt sugar.
I also tried the banana marscapone cheesecake which was similar to a regular cheesecake but had a crispy glazed banana on top and an incredibly hard cookie crust on the bottom.
All in all I would recommend coming here for the salmon or seabass entrees for the texture and taste of the meat, but don’t expect to be feel full after a meal here.

We enjoyed our meal, but we prefer the ambiance upstairs. My husband really missed Bistro’s popovers.

5 stars for the location and the breathtaking ocean view at Land’s End. We made a reservation and were seated quickly downstairs. Service was great and our waiter was attentive and friendly.
Food was good, though a bit pricey. We tried the two crab sandwich (my favorite!), mussels (mediocre), and Dungeness crab cake appetizer (yummy! but small servings). The two crab sandwich did not disappoint, with the texture of the fried soft shell and the softer crab salad. The crab was SUPER fresh and yummy. It came with crispy sweet potato fries. My beer braised mussels with caramelized onions was just okay — not the most flavorful I’ve had. The grilled focaccia it came with was a little dry/​crunchy.
Sutro’s at the Cliff house is a great place to bring tourists/​visitors primarily for its impressive view and beautiful interior, and we had fun learning about the history of the Cliff House after browsing the nearby gift shop and visitor’s center.

I was a bit disappointed when I heard a friend had made reservations here for our «tourist day» in the city. I try to avoid the touristy areas in San Francisco as much as possible. We had reservations at the Terrace Room for champagne brunch, but changed our minds when we were seated next to a table of older women who all had on way too much perfume. I am also not a fan of buffets. So we asked if they could accommodate us at Sutro’s.
We were seated by a table by the window and were treated to quite a wildlife show. Seal Rock was covered with pelicans. About 45 minutes after we were seated they all took flight. Our waiter, who we all enjoyed, told us to look out the window to see dolphins. It was fun.
The restaurant had a decent wine list. Some of the items on the menu were from local farms, including some from west Marin and Full Belly Farms, a personal favorite of mine.
I had the chicken and dumplings. Great flavor, perfectly cooked, although the gnocchi wasn’t as pillowy soft as Restaurant Picco in Larkspur, which has the best gnocchi I’ve ever had.
One person had the two crab sandwich, which the waiter said was their signature dish. He might want to stop saying that. It was rather disappointing. It could have used drawn butter to add some flavor, a squeeze of lemon helped. There didn’t appear to be very much softshell crab. Overall it wasn’t worth the price.
The other two at the table had the skirt steak and they both loved it.
The table finished off with two desserts which I did not taste. I was told the butterscotch pudding and the lava cake were good.
We enjoyed our waiter. He was jovial and made the dining experience worth a trip back.

Is there a reason why the hostess or phone reservationist always sound so pissed off /​moody?
I was here a couple of months ago and at that time we were thinking about doing a walk in. The reservationist /​host actually mocked us in our face, talking to another person next to her: «you see these are the type of people we have to deal with all the time — walk ins…». I don’t think that was very nice but we politely ignored it. Forward to today … I tried to call in to make a reservation ahead of time, perhaps a week; same thing… she basically sounded like she wasn’t very happy that she had to check the reservation schedule, and was very rude over the phone.
What’s up man? Chill pill?

View– 5 stars
Service– 4 stars
Food– 2 stars
Greeted when we stepped in. Nice view from outside of inside the build. We decided to try the restaurant downstair.
We ordered foie gras appetizer, black mussels and scallops entrée.
Foie gras– I love foie gras so it isn’t the best but not bad at all.
Black mussels– so tiny black mussels I have never had in my life. It may not be a good season for it but I had way bigger mussels at some other places week before. Sauce is tasty and the toasted bread along with sauce is great.
Scallop entrée– my wife didn’t like it at all. Just not taste right for her may be…

A friend from Arizona wanted a nice elegant place for dinner so I suggested the Cliff House, and I’m glad I did because she loved it. I made quick and easy same-​day reservations for a party of 3 using Open Table. When we got there we were given a classic window seat and since it was 5pm we were able to watch the entire sunset over the ocean.
We had an awesome waiter who was always there when we needed something, and even took the time to take a few group pictures of us with my camera.
Two of us had the Aged New York Strip (see pic) and it was awesome. Dessert was the butterscotch pot du crème and it was the best ever. A bit pricy ($ 48) for the entrée but worth it considering the whole experience was excellent.

I took my parents out for dinner here and it was a great choice. On a Monday night we had little wait time for a window seat with a nice view of the waves and the beach. Even at night you can see the whitecaps.
The service here was good and the server was funny and helpful with suggestions. We got the crab cakes to start with and they were crispy and made with real crab. I got the bacon crusted salmon which was cooked well and the crust was crispy but I didn’t think the bacon taste came through much. The mashed potato or purée whatever it is that it came on top of was really good as well. My mom got the pork chop which was pretty juicy for the most part. I don’t usually get pork chops in case they end up being too dry but this one was not bad.
Overall the food here is pretty good but nothing stellar. Rating def comes through from the ambiance and the views.

Came here for my mom’s birthday’s back in August. I was a bit skeptical considering this is a HUGE tourist attraction/​destination spot on this side of SF. I imagined sub par food, snooty service, and obnoxious tourists. In all honestly, I got the exact opposite.
The cliff house actually has three dining spots on Sunday
1) The champagne brunch buffet (which you have to schedule a reservation way in advance). I hear it’s pretty good but pricey ($ 55+/pp, and more expensive on holidays!)
2) Bistro — casual dining.
3) Sutro’s — where we went. A little bit classier than bistro but you don’t have to get dressed up.
Honestly, the best part of Sutro’s is the view. Big giant windows line the wall, with great views of the waves crashing along the shoreline, you might see surfers in the water. You honestly can beat the view of the Pacific Ocean skyline — 5 stars here.
Our server was very attentive, she came by frequently and always check-​in with us. Super friendly.
Food — I had the hangar steak which was made well and had good flavor paired with truffle fries (who doesn’t love truffle fries).
My favorite part was dessert. I had the butterscotch pot de crème while my sister/​mom had the daily selection of sorbets (mango, raspberry and lemon).
The only drawback here was parking. It’s on a hill so chances are you are either going to be walking up or down to/​from the restaurant unless you über/​lyft it over. Area itself gets packed so if you find a spot close, it’s like winning the lottery. I would recommend going early/​late (and not during prime time lunch/​dinner)

Beautiful view, but mediocre food, especially considering this is SF!
Great place to watch the sun set, though.
My friend and I ordered a burger, asked for it to be done medium rare, I believe.
We get the burger, it’s pretty much well done.
Inform the waitress, she takes it and sends it back for them to remake it.
We get it again, and still — just well done.
Le sigh.
But the truffle fries were good.

The Cliff House in San Francisco, CA.
This place is really really nice. I will say this, it’s a good thing I came here dressed somewhat decent. The Cliff House, is not a place to come all busted up. Well, at least I combed my hair lol.
We came here to celibrate my grandperents 61^st annivarsrry. So congrats to them yayayay. Also something for yours trully, but I’ll step out of the spotlight.
My Grandpa made some reservations and it was sunday and crazy packed inside. The wait time was going to be more then an hour or so. So when you walk in there are tables to the right side with a great view of the ocean. I guess it’s like a waiting area for when your table is ready.
There is another level downstairs and the Bistro is on the left side. We saw people ordering food and drinks and asked the hostess. If we could sit down in there, she told us we could. So we decided to wait on the upper right side of the Cliff House. Rather then walk around or sit outside and just wait for our table. Hour and some change is a long time, so a table cleared up for us and we were on our way.
Note: Where we were seated, it has a beautiful view of the ocean and rocks, it was perfect for my grandparents.
Our server Hannah came up to my Granparents and I, very quickly and asked for our drink options. The menu that was given to us was a bar menu and had limited food choices. So we decided to order some appetizers for starters.
My grandma just wanted water and my grandpa wanted a coffee and I had a coke. Hannah came back with our drinks and we put in our order. We didn’t want to spoil our meal later so at the time we thought. We wouldn’t get full off the Pot Stickers for my grandpa and I. A cup of clam chowder for my grandma and a bowl of clam chowder for my grandpa. We also added some fries to the mix as well.
Note: Hannah suggested that we try the pot stickers. She told us that they were her favorite.
I will say this!!! The fries here are really, I mean really good here. That’s something we all agreed on. My Grandparents really like the clam chowder. The pot stickers were pretty good and I had to take one for the team and polish off the rest for gramps. Yes Hannah you are right the Pot stickers were an excellent choice.
As time went on our reservation was ready to eat dinner. I won’t lie my button up shirt was feeling a little tight. The fries did me in, I lost self control and killed most of them off. So I had no room in the BELLY. My grandparents were full too, so we decided to hold off on dinner and take a walk and go sight seeing.
Just giving a shout out to our server Hannah, you did excellent that day with us. I love the fact when the sun was setting in and our area. The blinds got stuck and you pulled the motorized blinds down manually. So we wouldn’t be in the sun. Thank you for that small but wonderful thing you did. Your service was top notch and love the fact that you always had a smile on your face.
So my first impression of the Cliff House is a moment that I’ll always hold dear too me. Like I always say good company and good food, go hand and hand.
Sincerely VD… ta ta for now…

I have a huge negative bias towards ocean view restaurants. And this restaurant goes to prove my point when it comes to paying for the view rather than the quality of the food.
Sourdough in SF is huge and most restaurants, especially the high end ones, should have some of the best sourdough SF has to offer. The sourdough offered at this restaurant was stale and clearly not fresh. The butter was difficult to spread as well.
Out of the four items we ordered, the clam chowder was the only decent dish we had. The clam chowder wasn’t even the best we had in the SF area. The Frutti Mare dish was below average. The pasta tasted like pasta you could buy at a grocery store and the seafood was NOT fresh at all. It definitely was not worth paying $ 30 for such a dish. The shrimp were tiny and the scallops didn’t taste fresh, it was hard to chew. The clams were less than mediocre and the meat inside was very tiny. The lamp chops were extremely disappointing, especially since the price of the dish was so high. Not only was there so much fat on the bone, but also the sauce they used tasted like cheap barbeque sauce. The meat wasn’t tender and the sauce wasn’t incorporated into the meat very well. The only part I liked about that plate was the carb side that came with it; it had apricots and figs in it which I thought were pretty unique.
However, service was amazing. It was the first time I had heard someone say «pardon my reach». They kept refilling our sourdough and water was constantly poured for us. This is the only reason why I am giving them two stars. Price and quality of the food was ridiculous, all in all.

Cliff House is a great place for great views. Although it was an overcast day and we weren’t able to enjoy the sunset, it was still a wonderful view of the ocean. We arrived around 7:50pm and waited for a table for about 20 minutes. We sat by the bar and ordered dirty martinis which were nicely made. The restaurant manager was also very nice and accommodating, making sure we got a table by the window. The service was slow though and our waiter barely acknowledged us. Very strange. Overall décor was very nice though.
Onto the food… for appetizers we ordered the mussels and crab cakes. Both were good and the mussels had a bit of a kick to them with a very interesting flavor. Crab cakes were average… nothing to rave about. For main course we both had scallops and shrimp — I had mine over scallion gnocchi and my friend had the couscous. Scallion gnocchi would have had a nice flavor but they were totally overcooked, dry and like little hockey pucks. Seafood was nice.
Overall good experience, worth it for the location.

5 star view, 3 star food, 2 star service.
Chose to forgo the Cliff House Terrace Room in favor of succulent shrimp louis salad being served in the less prestigious Sutros dining room.
The shrimp louie salad was outstanding. The louie sauce had an authentic San Franciscan flavor and consistency. This salad was particularly delightful because it came with fresh cut fruit. Unusual and satisfying. Worth skipping the Terrace room for. Would come back just for this.
The crab cocktail was also first-​rate. Fresh cracked crab tasted like it just came off the boat. The horseradish cocktail sauce was perfectly balanced and didn’t overpower the crab.
We ordered a few other appetizers but none were memorable. Really. Like I can’t even remember what they were. That’s how not good they were.
We did have a bowl of clam chowder. It was different. Not bad. Not amazing. It was dill heavy.
For our entrees we ordered the cioppino and the steak. Our server brought us cioppino and a burger. We didn’t order the burger so we sent it back.
The cioppino was awful. Worst cioppino I’ve ever had. It tasted like thin tomato soup. Horrible cioppino base. And I hate to say it but the mussels and clams were bad. Yes. They served us dead seafood. I know this because the shells didn’t open. As soon as we experienced the scary cioppino we were ready to GTFO.
If I were to base my review on the cioppino alone it would receive no stars. However, the view and shrimp louie allow me to give 3 stars, which I believe to be quite generous.
Our server made some major errors and hardly checked on us. Our server shouldn’t have served us bad seafood. Left a lot to be desired but explains why people pay big bucks for the Terrace. Terrace service is always good just lacking in menu options.
Breathtaking views all around.

When you walk into The Cliff House, it’s not obvious you have three restaurant options: Bistro upstairs on the 3^rd floor, The Cliff House on the 2^nd floor and Sutro’s downstairs on the 1^st floor. My cousin had been wanting to eat here so I followed his lead.
The restaurants all have a stunning view of the water and there didn’t appear to be too many other dining options in the immediate vicinity, so this seems to be the go-​to spot, but I’m not a local so I don’t know.
We started with the Kumomotos, which tasted super fresh and paired nicely with the champagne vinaigrette. We followed up with the Dungeness crabcake, which was light on the breading and heavy on the crab. Not too lumpy, but not too skimpy.
For entrees, we split the Thai bouillabaisse, followed by the Maple Leaf Farms duck breast. Both were delicious, but it felt as if the kitchen staff had to go all the way to Maple Leaf Farms in Leesburg, Indiana to find us a duck. Our waitress was kind enough to offer to split our dishes for $ 3/​each and serve us in courses, but the serving time between the bouillabaisse and the duck had to be somewhere between 25 – 40 minutes. (Fortunately, my cousin and I had never previously met, but we were getting along just fine so this snafu was non-​problematic.)
The restaurant made a great recovery by giving us the chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream, which our server claimed was made by mistake. True or not true, I couldn’t have cared less. It was delicious, and a nice gesture.
Half off bottles of wine on Tuesdays, including half bottles.

I was in town for the weekend and decided to celebrate my sisters birthday to have fine dining with a majestic view.
Sutro is situated on the bottom floor of the Cliff House. It boasts magnificent views of the coastline at a elevated height. It is a very romantic setting and definitely a good way to soak in Northern California.
The wait staff were friendly and attentive, not once did I feel rushed or pressured into ordering. The drink menu alone was several pages. its a little overwhelming, however life is about choices and these choices do not disappoint. Lots of local choices as far as wine and beer. Their craft beer selection highlighted some of San Frans best and the 2 choices I sampled were excellent.
For starters we opted for the crab cake. I have to admit that this cake was one of the best i have eaten anywhere. I have had crab cakes all across the NE and South as im from the eastcoast. However, this cake takes it… no pun intended but this cake is the cake to take when its the cake thats taken! The cake had a nice crunchy exterior which comes apart delicately, exposing the crab strands. The chipotle aioli was a perfect compliment. Not too spicy but subtle, especially when paired with the arugula and citrus. It melted through every bite, leaving me wanting more.
For the entrée, i opted for the 28 day dry aged NY Strip which would have held its own in NY. The texture was perfect, cooked to a medium rare delight, not too bloody, just perfect. The sauce robert was an excellent pairing, however the star of the show was the organic potato creation. Hands down the best iteration of any potato based complimented dish. For that alone it deserved an additional star. I tried the bacon crusted scottish salmon, but it was brief. Every table member guarded their food respectively, allowing only the slightest tease to sample. From what i had tried, it deserves a mention.
By the time the desert menu arrived, i was full but can manage sharing a small dish. I opted for the lava cake, which was rich in dark chocolate wonder. It was a good take on this also ran dish, however its worth a try. For those that are in town looking for the perfect dinner retreat, look no further.

Kind of San Francisco locals of a sort. Live in Davis and needed to get away from the heat. Could not think of a better place than the Cliff House. You know what they say… Where Geary meets the Pacific Ocean. And yes the locals do go to the very touristy Cliff House. And why not… not only a beautiful location for all of us but also an incredibly dramatic glassed room looking out over the ocean in the downstairs bar and restaurant. We opted to sit at the bar and glad we did. We struck a home run all the way around with our encounter with Marissa the bartender along with the best Caesar salad and crab cakes… maybe in San Francisco.
who knows? We’ve been going to San Francisco forever and we can tell you they were excellent. A half bottle of Savignon Blanc and Acme bread …
we were set. But what made this a real joy of a day was hanging out with Marisa, first class bartender and waitperson… she does it all with such grace. And literally as we finished our last bite of everything we met chef Ralph who cooked it all. What a great and humble person he is… A couple of other standout employees we came across were Brandt. enjoyed conversing with him for a moment and kayleen. These people make it so much more fun. We will be back and a thank you to all.

The Cliff House est la dernière version d’une série de constructions qui occupent la pointe juste au nord d’Ocean Beach depuis le milieu du 19ième siècle. Dans le bâtiment actuel se trouvent un magasin de souvenirs (pas très intéressant) et deux restaurants, dont le Sutro’s en question, à l’ambiance assez feutrée et élégante tout en restant décontractée, SF oblige.
Bien sûr, vu le site, on vient en général plus pour le paysage (si vous réservez suffisamment à l’avance et s’il fait encore jour, pensez à demander une table avec vue sur la mer !) que pour le contenu des assiettes. Les plats sont classiques mais sans reproche (excellent le crab cake !), et le service très aimable: on vous apportera par exemple deux petites portions si vous commandez un seul plat que vous déclarez vouloir partager avec votre convive. C’est un des bons côtés de la restauration aux US (j’imagine mal un quelconque restaurant français faire ça avec le sourire !).
Par contre, point noir qui me fait retirer une étoile: les prix sont très élevés alors qu’on n’est quand même pas au niveau d’un restaurant gastronomique. Comptez 60 – 80 dollars par personne, on paye vraiment l’attractivité du site.
Une bonne adresse pour un dîner romantique donc, ou pour sortir ses parents, mais seulement si vous êtes prêts à y mettre le prix !

Truly amazing view, with pretty great food too. However, is it worth the price? Debatable. Paid $ 16 for a salad that probably cost about $ 3 or less to make. So you really pay for the experience more than anything. But that being said, it’s worth it if you are ready to splurge.
Definitely recommend the ravioli (artichoke and lobster). It was incredible.
And of course the views are great. Service is good, though wasn’t great. Maybe I’ll go back when I am rich.

I came here with a friend after a tiring hike over at Land’s End and had the brilliant idea to regain all the calories I lost during such a great workout. Keep in mind that I’m not always the smartest, but when the belly starts a grumblin’, if it’s wrong, I don’t wanna be right.
So, desperate for food and some draaanks, I did what any faithful Unilocaler would do and Unilocaled for the nearest restaurant.
The closest place to eat was Sutro’s at The Cliff House.
Ah– ha! «I’m tired of all this walking. We’ll go there!»
As we scurried through the front doors, we were kindly greeted by the hostess and asked whether we wanted to be seated for an entrée menu or just drinks and appetizers and that waiting for entrée seating would take approximately 45 minutes, whereas for drinks and appetizers, we would be seated immediately.
Uh duh, I’m a sucker for instant gratification so I’ll go with the drinks and appetizers to be seated immediately.
We were escorted into a nice dining area with windows spanning the size of the entire walls, and with great reason. The restaurant lookout carried out into the Pacific where you can see waves crashing onto the beach from the endless ocean, where the blue skies rolled on forever, and if you’re lucky, you might even spot a whale spouting as it breaks the water’s surface for a much needed breath of air.
We were handed our menus and I was fixated on creating this experience into a meal being that I was straight hangry.
I went with the: clam chowder, cheese plate, fried calamari, potstickers, jumbo prawns, with me washing it all down with a delicious Bloody Mary while my friend opted for a Irish coffee and mimosa.
Everything was presented very beautifully and tasted of the freshest and highest quality. I was actually very impressed and enjoyed my experience here.
Service was friendly and efficient. Despite being a busy day, she made us feel well taken care of.
I will gladly come back to Sutro’s at The Cliff House. Seated immediately, given great food, tasty drinks, and with views to die for; yeah, I’ll be happy to gain back my calories here anytime.
Next time I go on a hike at Land’s End, I’m coming here!

Direkt im Cliff House findet man das Restaurant Sutros mit einem traumhaftem Ausblick auf das Meer.
Am Besten man reserviert vorher einen Tisch am Fenster, dass geht auch online über die Webseite.
Lohnt sich!