Birdsong

“A really amazing meal. The menu was creative and fun without being too quirky, and perfectly executed without being too stuffy. Service was excellent, and the view from the chefs counter was fascinating. Treat yourself for a special occasion.”

“Birdsong Retrospective Evaluation Audit Date: April 2021 If you're looking for the best restaurants in SF that offer a truly unique tasting menu, Birdsong should be at the top of your foodie bucket list. Looking back at my visit during the transitional pandemic era of April 2021, it was impressive to see how this multi-Michelin-starred destination maintained its identity. From the second you walk up to the entrance on Mission Street, the massive stacks of split logs in the windows tip you off to the kitchen's live-fire philosophy. Inside, the design strikes a perfect balance between rustic timber pillars and sleek, modern accents. Sitting at the chef's counter gives you a front-row seat to the open kitchen, where you can watch the culinary team orchestrate plates under massive heat lamps and an open wood hearth. The menu progression follows a brilliant path, starting with delicate, cold-water coastal elements before building into rich, smoky comfort food. The opening bite was a beautiful contrast of textures—paper-thin, translucent sheets of cured fat layered over a ultra-crisp base. The technical skill on display here is easily on par with the best fine dining in San Francisco. A great early example was the "sweet onion stuffed caviar," which elegantly paired sweet onion petals with a massive portion of caviar and a velvety walnut milk emulsion. Next came the "shigoku oysters," which arrived completely hidden under a gorgeous, geometric blanket of sliced cucumbers. Tucked underneath was a plump oyster swimming in a bright green jalapeño granita that brought a perfect hit of acidity. It cleared the palate beautifully for their famous sea urchin cream puff—a huge, sweet lobe of uni balanced on a crisp choux pastry dusted with savory mushroom powder. The absolute highlight of the night was the creek-raised trout, which the kitchen brilliantly broke down into three separate courses to showcase different temperatures and textures: The Sabayon: A light, foamy pine kombucha sabayon mixed with pop-in-your-mouth trout roe and spring peas. The Cedar Wrap: A delicate piece of fish wrapped like a little present in cedar wood, tied with twine, and served over pine needles. The Warm Loin: A pristine, perfectly cooked loin served over seasoned rice with a glossy glaze made from grilled bones. They even included a side of quick pickles and a vibrant yellow condiment paste to keep the rich flavors in check. Shortly after, the kitchen pivoted back to the hearth with a charred Caesar salad, utilizing a compressed wedge of grilled romaine to give a classic dish a smoky rewrite. As the menu shifted into the heavier proteins, the open-fire cooking really took center stage. The beef stew course was a work of art, featuring a perfectly round potato sphere and a charred, glazed onion root sitting in a crystal-clear broth packed with marrow flavor. Then came the smoked quail, which had a fun, hands-on element—the bottom of the legs were wrapped in twine so you could pick them up and eat the lacquered, flower-topped protein right off the bone. This wrapped up with their signature grilled Parker House rolls, which had a beautiful cross-hatched char from the fire but stayed completely pillowy and soft on the inside. To finish, the pastry team scaled back the heavy fats with an incredible herb sorbet granita that hid a tart lime curd core underneath. The grand finale was a strawberry and rhubarb dessert with an olive oil custard base centered in a bright hibiscus reduction and topped with fresh pansies. Breaking into it revealed a flawless, silky custard that perfectly balanced the tartness of the fruit syrup. For anyone hunting down the ultimate San Francisco fine dining experience, Birdsong lives up to the hype.”

“Delicious food, good service, beautiful dining room. Definitely would love to come back. + The savory portion of the menu was outstanding, with my faves being the abalone, uni puff, and quail. The spring vegetables were also beautifully cooked - Unfortunately, the desserts were very underwhelming compared to the savory courses - Hated the utensil choice for the first few courses (can only use chopsticks and must drink the broth from holding up the bowl). While I get the intention, it just didn’t work for some dishes like the abalone, where a spoon would significantly improve the experience”

“The experience at Birdsong was exceptional. Hard to funnel down the type of food but I would say they combine Asian influence, Nordic fermentation techniques and open fire grill concepts to local produce/seafood/meat. Some of my favorite courses were the Montego Bag abalone, the Black Cod and Uni courses. They do a great job of mixing flavors and textures. Lots of acidity, fat and aged vegetables and proteins. The team from Tanjee, Marcus, Anna and Chefs Noe, Misaki and Cherkab were great. The chefs I met hailed from Japan, Turkey and France. An international team serving some of the best food in SF.”

“Husband took me here for my birthday and we had an amazing experience. The moment we got inside we felt welcomed by the great staff. During the whole meal someone explained every dish and wine we had. And each dish was delicious and beautifully presented to us. It was great to see how the dishes were created since we sat at the chef's table.”