Town Cutler

This is THE place to go for high quality knives in SF. Galen is very helpful and knowledgeable, he also provides sharpening service for on many of the top chefs in SF. Oh, and buy a knife here, you won’ be disappointed!

Excellent service! Had my 2 Straight Razors sharpened to shave ready form. And i am impressed. Just wished they fixed the nick on one of them but never the less, i’m happy with what i paid for.

Apparently, I had no idea that brand new knives are actually supposed to be sharpened to get a nice edge on them. I’ve now taken in 3 Shun knives, new, old, and even chipped to get sharpened and I swear the knives came back sharper than new out of the box.
I’m a pastry chef by trade and in the industry, we are known to have dull knives. But not if you get your knives sharpened here! In case anyone didn’t know, Shun knives are known to have a softer metal so they chip easily. Next time I’m in the market for a knife, I will be coming here for one. About the same price range as those consumer brands, these guys have some knives that feel much better in your hand.
I will happily walk up the hill from BART to get here. Just call first, and get there early for same day pick up.

Yesterday I took in 6 knives to be sharpened, two of which I’ve owned for 31 years and had issues with the hilt being too large causing the rear of the blade not touch the surface when cutting. They adjusted the hilt on both knives, restoring them to better than new sharpness and correcting the shape. The other 4 were sharpened better than they have been in the 18 years that I’ve lived in San Francisco.
Previously I used to go to the knife sharpener across from the culinary institute on Polk Street which closed years ago. Then I switched to the guy across the street from BiRite on 18^th Street which is also closed. Neither of those even come close.
Truly great.
Parking is sort of a pain in this area.
Took 4 more knives in today.

As a chef, I am passionate about my knives, but they require old world craftsmanship to properly maintain. This kind of skill level is hard to find anymore, but it exists at Town Cutler. Whether you are a professional cook or a novice looking for your first knife, it is impossible not to appreciate the attention to detail and artisanal craftsmanship of Town Cutler’s people.

Very helpful and knowledgable staff. Really spent the time to explain things and more than happy to chat generally about knives.
Definitely will be visiting again for my knife needs!

strange — live a block away and always try to do business with the small local shops but as I stood looking into the window a ‘lady’ that was speaking to either the owner or a worker did a hand gesture to brush me away from the shop, to go away — I didn’t enter, obviously
don’t know what their relationship was but it was an insane way to do business — the guy working there — be it the owner or an employee did nothing

I had to add my five-​star review: great place, good service, reasonable price, and knowledgable staff. I will definitely return!

I’ve wanted to go here for a very long time, finally got the chance and drove two hours just to get there. The man I spoke to was Gaylen, if that’s how you spell it. I’m pretty sure he was the owner but not positive. He was a very nice and informative person. He was very eager to help and was extremely knowledgeable and informative. This is by far my favorite cutlery shop. I bought an 8 inch Zanmai Gyuto and a house made leather sheathe. Extremely impressed with the craftsmanship of both products. He sharpened my knife before I left with it and it feels and looks great. Will definitely return and highly recommend this place to anyone who’s interested to in kitchen cutlery or knives in general. Well worth the drive, made my day.

I’ve never had a knife so sharp as mine when these guys were done with it. Fast, reasonable and professional. Great shop too!

Excellent work on my knives. I brought in every dull knife from our butcher block at home and the team at Town Cutler did an amazing job bringing them back to life. I was thrilled when I got home and was able to use the knives the way they were intended and not feel like I was hacking through everything.
Great work, great price and great customer service.

I took Galen’s knife sharpening class. It was a ton of fun. he started with a nice little bit on the science of steel followed by practical instruction on how to add a razor sharp edge to your kitchen knives. I walked away with 3 super sharp knives and a new skill. I really can’t say enough nice things about Galen: he’s down to earth and very easy going. Exactly what you want from an expert craftsman teaching total novices. Highly recommend.

Came by around 1pm on a Saturday needing my knives sharpened right away as I had a flight to catch that evening. Galen said he might need until 4pm but would work on them as fast as he could. He had them ready in about an hour. Excellent quality too.

I am just a home chef, but I know the importance of keeping your knives sharp. Galen treats me as if I know what I’m talking about, and gives great info with top service. Fast turnaround on knife sharpening makes Town Cutler a must on your recipe list in SF.
Do not bring your knives to some guy in a pick up truck parked outside Williams-​Sonoma. And don’t grind them down in an electric machine. You spent the money on good knives, now bring them to Galen and get the right European or Japanese edge meant for your blades.

Sharpened my knives. This guy is the best. It’s just that simple.

Add me to the list of highly satisfied customers. They were speedy, helpful, and very reasonably priced. When I dropped off my scissors, I let him know that it might take a few days before I would have the chance to pick them up again. He immediately offered to get them done by 2 pm. People, it was like 11 am. He got it done in just a couple of hours. This guy gets all the cookies.
I didn’t browse much on my return trip — it was a busy day and I had to go – but the assistant told me about the offset spatulas by the register. They’re apparently handmade. Hand. Made. Wow.
Next time I need a cooking knife, I’m going here. Extra credit for the knife-​wielding stuffed raccoon in the front window.

Simply a wonderful shop on Nob Hill, and hopefully a trend toward more craftsmen taking over small retail spaces in the neighborhood.
I brought in 4 Global kitchen knives and 2 Stanley chisels for sharpening. The bill was $ 51 — a pretty average charge for that amount of sharpening in this area — and the experience of dropping off and picking up the items was a delight. The store itself is a trove of treasures and totally worth a few minutes of gawking. The staff is helpful, courteous and polite. Their retail style is a very pleasant and welcoming environment, and reflects tremendous engagement with the area’s service industry — you get the impression that most chefs in the neighborhood who don’t actually sharpen their own knives would get them sharpened here.
I was very pleased to find Town Cutler, and was extraordinarily satisfied with the quality of the edges they provided for me. I’ve never had sharper knives — much better than the factory edges — and my chisels are performing miracles on the jobsite.
Highly recommend; can’t wait to bring them the rest of my tools.

Visited here on recommendation from a chef friend of mine. Great place! Picked up a new utility knife and chatted with the owner and his colleague. If you are looking for specialty knives or a hand made knife sheath or case this is the place for you.

Don’t waste your money at other places. Waste it here at Town Cutler. Tried DIY with a Lansky sharpening set and didn’t even come close to a factory sharp edge on my Wüsthof. The did! They also have a wide assortment of rare exotic Japanese cutlery that you can’t find else where in department stores but only for professionals and collectors.

I hate to confess the awful condition my knives have been in. When the California Culinary Academy on Polk Street moved out of my neighborhood, it also took with it the only knife sharpening business close to me. Razor Sharp Cutlery not only catered to a lot of young aspiring chefs but also to a serious knife collector like myself. My collection of Wusthof knives hangs both impressive and threatening on my kitchen wall.
The set I’m most fond of was manufactured in the mid 70′s. They are fully forged high carbon steel with all-​natural wood handles. They feel great in my hand — the most important detail when you are making a knife purchase.
So I was excited to hear that a new cutlery business opened in my neighborhood in 2011. Town Cutler is located on Bush Street near Jones
The shop is run by its proprietor Galen Garretson. A ten year San Francisco resident who promises to provide — efficient service and quality products to the Bay Area’s epicurean community. I loved seeing a chalkboard with a list of job opportunities from a selection of local kitchens.
The turn around for getting my knives sharpened was less than 24 hours. And, not only did my knives look great but Galen even had a treat for Jack!