A few months ago, I had some friends come into town for the weekend to visit! We had a nice set plan of drinks and dinner on Friday and a movie night on Saturday so we could watch some films each other were in. (Yes, I did some scenes for a film my friends were making in college, and no it didn’t go to a cinema. It did however, finally get finished after twenty plus years, so I felt the need to show it off to someone I knew would appreciate it. Her film was more mainstream, but she was an extra and very far away!) However, I digress and after wine tasting at the Ritz-Carlton, we headed over to Pawn Shop to have tapa and dinner. It’s been on my list for awhile, as it’s close to our house and has a “secret” entrance through what appears to be an actual pawn shop.
The secret entrance actually requires a bit of effort. You can either a) barter your way in (and shockingly, the guy didn’t wanted my friend’s ten year old athletic pass for the university she works at) or b) tell a joke, which the first joke of “What’s brown a sticky? A stick.” wasn’t sufficient. But after a much longer joke about a woman wanting to buy chocolate ice cream, we were deemed worthy to enter, so we were shown to our seats against the wall.
It’s a pretty loud venue to be honest which wasn’t what I was expecting and not something I would ordinarily want to go to, especially when you’re catching up with old friends. It had a very Farmhouse Kitchen vibe to it, as every time a person claimed it was their birthday there was a giant banging of drums and a show, which was one of the things I hated so much about Farmhouse Kitchen. Also the wine menu was a bit out of date, as they had older vintages on the menu that weren’t actually in existence, which is definitely one of the pet peeves we have when dining out, but the wine we did get turned out to be very enjoyable and everyone was happy with it.
We ordered a few dishes to try out and waited for them to arrive. First we had some padron peppers with a tuna aioli which were heavenly. I love the blistered peppers on their own, and I’m always excited to see new dips to try with them. We also ordered some shrimp in a brandy and sherry sauce, which were very well cooked and had a ton of flavor. I also wanted to try the pickled vegetables. I liked them a lot, but they were a bit hit or miss with everyone else at the table.
We also got meatballs which were well cooked and delicious. We ordered some chicken croquettes, and they were very crispy with a nice chicken taste. We also had a cheese board which ended up being a bit disappointing, even though I love a good amount of cheese. It just felt like there could have been a bit better selection with some of the cheeses.
We also had to get the patatas bravas, and a few were undercooked, but overall they were very well done with a ton of flavor. We also ended up getting some hangar steak with croutons, and it was another hit or miss dish as some of the beef was overcooked, but it was still really flavorful. It would have been nice to be a bit more consistent, but it was enjoyed by most people at the table. Sadly, the one dessert we ordered, the almond cake, was really not that great, as the cake itself was rubbery and the texture was not at all a pleasant one. There was a great selection of sherries to have with dessert though, and we tried several from very dry to very sweet, and everyone was incredibly happy with their choice.
Overall the food at Pawn Shop was amazing, with a few dishes that could have been improved with a a bit more attention to the cooking. The dessert was the only exception to this, which did leave us on a bit of a sour note. However, they did let us get into the bar next door for free through a secret passage between the buildings once we had finished our meal, so that was a fun ending. Overall, while the food was way above average, it was very loud, so I’m not sure I’d go back when trying to catch up with friends, but if I was in the mood for more of a party experience with dinner, it would be a great place to go and enjoy myself.
Score: 4/5
Recommendation: Padron Peppers, Croquettes and some after dinner sherry!
The Pawn Shop
993 Mission street
San Francisco, CA 94103
I have also dined at The Pawn Shop and this review is spot on! ;-D
I feel like it’s got total “21st birthday party vibes” (In addition to the staff ringing cowbells and marching around for each bday, every time *anyone* entered the restaurant, all of the other patrons were sort of expected to drop what they were doing and make noise!) which is an interesting contrast to the fantastic food and higher prices.
That said, the format of the restaurant was so fun and unique… The entryway really looked like a pawn shop, with a secret door to get into the restaurant… Then, another secret door (fake wall) spits you into the cool bar next door.
If I was turning 21, I’d LOVE to celebrate my birthday dinner at The Pawn Shop!
I forgot about cheering every time anyone made it through the door! Thanks for that reminder!
Yeah, maybe we’re just too old to enjoy something like that, but I bet in my 20s, it would have been amazing, even if in my 20s it was mostly chain restaurants for me! hahaha