While living in London, some of the biggest bonding moments I had with my friends were weekend brunches. But not just any brunch, we always sought out those brunches involving lots of bubbles! It was always a great way to start a weekend afternoon, but sadly, most of the bottomless brunches in San Francisco seem to involve mimosas, and personally, I could do without the juice. So when one of my brunch buddies was visiting San Francisco over my birthday weekend, I knew that I needed to find a fantastic way to celebrate. I had heard so many things about the Champagne brunch at Top of the Mark after enjoying many afternoons there having some fantastic cocktails with an amazing view of the city. It’s a bit spendy at $99 per person, but given it was a special occasion, everyone was on board.
I have to admit that the hours of brunch are a bit weird, as they only allow bookings from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on a Sunday. It’s kind of a strange time to have brunch, as on Sundays, who really wants to go anywhere in the morning? I ended up booking us in at 12:30 pm, as apparently even though they stop the bookings early, the buffet continues on after their last seating. Although I feel like there should be a bit of a disclaimer here: Every single thing I read online about the brunch said there is unlimited Champagne, but be aware that they serve California sparkling wine, not Champagne. It’s a minor thing I know, but there is a difference, and when the wine being poured isn’t from France, the level of luxury just seems to decrease slightly in my mind. In fact, even the Intercontinental Hotel website says it’s a Champagne brunch. However, they were very generous with the drinks, and we were never found with an empty glass.
Caviar station, a bit empty! 
A plate of caviar!
The rest of the brunch is a massive buffet. So for your $99 you get to enjoy whatever you want from the selection of food that is available. There was a lot of caviar (although most of it was roe) served with blinis, a plethora of cheeses, meats and pates, and a huge hot buffet available. There was also a carving station with lamb and prime rib, an omelet station, and freshly made waffles. There was a section for salads and veggies, and of course, they had a huge selection of desserts available. It does make one want to try everything, but because I wanted a later dining time, a lot of the food had been sitting around for a while, so it was hard to know which things were freshly put out and which had been there all day. Both the meats on the carving station had been there for an indeterminate amount as time, as even though there were heat lamps, they were both on the cold side. They did bring out a second prime rib roast very late in the day, and that one was much better.
Meets and cheeses! 
Waffle and bread pudding!
The caviar station was quite popular with our table, as well as the cheeses. The caviar was restocked fairly often, but the cheese wasn’t, so if there is anything there you have your eye on, I would recommend grabbing it early (which may not be a problem if you decide to go when they open). I also really enjoyed the waffle, as it was freshly made, hot and crisp. I had some short ribs and pork out of the warm trays that were also quite enjoyable.
The dessert bar was impressive, but overall, I wasn’t impressed with much. The fruit tarts were nice, but for me, the bread pudding was by far the best thing there. I also tried bites of the creme caramel (also nice), the carrot cake (okay) and the cheesecake (not great). Since it was my birthday, they also brought me a chocolate mousse with a candle in it which was a nice touch.
Dessert bar 
Happy birthday!
We also sat around until about 3:00, so we had a really relaxed day. Of course, they stopped serving the sparkling wine much earlier than that, but even though they were breaking down the service to set up for cocktails, they were kind enough to let us hang out and enjoy ourselves. Overall, while I had a great time with friends with the amazing view and service, the brunch itself felt lacking in a lot of ways, especially for the price. So while I would go back if someone wanted to spend a special occasion there, I wouldn’t actively choose to go back myself.
Score: 3/5
Recommendation: It’s a buffet so anything you want!
Top of the Mark
Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel
999 California Street
San Francisco, California 94108
