Comstock Saloon

Comstock Saloon has been on my “return to” list for quite a long time. I first came to try their amazing burger (which is still, at least at the time of writing this post, my favorite burger in the city), and I knew immediately I wanted to come back and try some of the other stuff on the menu. However, that opportunity never arose until I had a friend in town (which is usually when I manage to make repeat visits to restaurants). So I quickly booked us all in so I could try out other things on the menu, and so that my friends who appreciate burgers could finally give this one a try.

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We arrived on time for our reservation on a Friday night, and the place was hopping. We ended up coming through the bar, so when I asked the bartender about our reservation, we were very rudely sent to the other door (which I didn’t know about) to check-in. We were seated at our table (and given it was the only empty table there, I’m not sure why the bartender was rude AF about it), and given one cocktail menu and one dinner menu…for five people. We finally managed to flag down a server for more menus, and she not-so-graciously found some and returned to slam them on our table and storm off. So far, the service definitely left a lot to be desired.

The cocktail list is pretty decent with a mix of mostly sweet cocktails with a few boozy, hard-hitters littered throughout. Of course, if you’re feeling courageous, you can always opt to go for the bartender’s choice which could get you something you really love or really hate. We decided to share some nibbles to start, and being fans of both miso and tots, the garlic miso tater tots seemed like a no-brainer. I also love a good deviled egg, so a plate of those was also welcome. The tots were tasty of course, and I loved the beetroot with the eggs so they were both a great start to the meal. Several people at the table ordered burgers (And if you do, which you definitely should do, you MUST get the house-made gravy to go alongside it). But as I wanted to try a few more things, so a plate of Brussels sprouts and short rib chow fun seemed like a couple of other dishes that would be interesting.

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I always love a good plate of Brussels sprouts, and these were definitely up there in flavor. The chow fun was also really tasty, although the beef was slightly overcooked and tough for my liking. But the flavors were pretty rich with a nice bit of heat from the chiles shining through. Of course, the burger was fantastic, and it was very well received around the table. In fact, it was so well received, that we couldn’t stop talking about the gravy the rest of the night. Imagine if they introduced poutine on the menu! Basically, the consensus was everything should be served with it as it is extremely decadent.

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Of course, I wanted dessert, and since we were a table full of people who lived in London, I wanted to try out their sticky date pudding, as I’m a sucker for a great sticky toffee pudding. Sadly, the dish was nothing like the sticky toffee puddings I was used to, and was kind of dry and not very good. It was a sad ending to an otherwise tasty meal.

Overall, I think the food at Comstock is very good, especially the burger and some of the small nibbles to start. Unfortunately, the service was pretty horrible from start to finish. I get that they are busy, but being nice never hurt anyone. There was also some live music which was a pretty nice touch for the night. It’s a mix for me, I’d come back any time for the burger, but the other half probably would never return due to the how rudely we were treated.

Score: 3/5 (mostly for the service and the dessert)
Recommendation: Burger and jus, Burger and jus… I dream about that burger and jus…

Comstock Saloon
155 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133