Located in the Embarcadero neighborhood of San Francisco, the waterfront restaurant, Waterbar, is truly a gem.
The Embarcadero and Financial District neighborhoods of San Francisco pose as a two of the more beautiful places to check out in the city. Since San Francisco draws a lot of attention for its big city, compact vibes, with things like the Golden Gate Bridge and a couple of top professional sports teams, there is a lot of tourist traffic. Not to mention, San Francisco is a travel hub with one of the largest international airports on the west coast.
It is not abnormal to find yourself in this city, traveling for both business and pleasure. If there is one recommendation I can make on your travels, go to Waterbar.
Ambiance
Waterbar, with a panoramic view of both the bay and the city skyline, will make you need to catch your breath at first glance. Not only are the outer views amazing, but the restaurant itself is almost more breathtaking. When you walk in, there is a beautiful, antique feeling with the brick walls and tall windows. There are also multiple, tall cylindrical pillars that are actually aquariums with vibrant fish giving entertainment for your dinner.
The restaurant has multiple bars, each unique in its own way; one even has a window of fresh fish for you to look at. The restaurant’s multileveled interior layout and exterior patio layouts, also have a more old fashioned restaurant feel. Don’t let the old fashioned feeling throw you off though, this restaurant is known for having some of the freshest seafood in the world, and the recipes are nothing, if not modern.
The Food at Waterbar, San Francisco
Waterbar in San Francisco has three menus, the lunch menu, dinner menu, and bar menu. Each is unique and amazing in their own ways. The menus for each include oysters, prawns, crab and lobster, as different side dishes. Beyond that, unlike the other two menus, the bar menu goes into small bites, or classic sea bar food.
The lunch menu has things like scallops, smoked salmon pastrami sandwiches and beer battered rockfish. A little more casual than the dinner menu, but each of these dishes are sourced from some of the most respected seafood areas in the United States. You know that, because with each menu item, they tell you exactly where they are sourcing the seafood from.
The dinner menu is a little more fancy, like the oak grilled ahi tuna or the oven roasted swordfish. Also, do not forget that with each of these menus, you are able to buy either white sturgeon or kaluga caviar served with traditional accompaniments.
The dessert menu, as enticing as the lunch, dinner and bar menus, is filled with cookies, cakes, ice creams, and tiramisu. Each looks absolutely stunning, and the menu even gives their pairing recommendations for dessert wines. The menu has a dessert wine list, with beautiful wines from around the world. Along with that, there is a list of ports, sherries, cognacs, brandies, and more.
The Cocktails
The restaurant has three in house sommeliers, giving them a huge edge when it comes to the wine list. The list is broken up into categories of varietals, winemaking practices, and regional wines. The list is international and very well put together, with large variances in price, without being forgiving on the quality of wine presented in the restaurant. They have a large “by the glass” list, along with some options for half bottles, followed by a huge bottle list.
Beyond that, there is a decent list of craft cocktails and domestic beer options. They even go as far as having non-alcoholic options!
Obviously, a wine based restaurant, Waterbar did not fall short on giving other options to the customers, to ensure customer satisfaction with their drink menu. Having multiple sommeliers in this case, created a widely successful drink and pairing menu, that meets the needs of all customers.
To Wrap Things Up
Waterbar in San Francisco is an extremely aesthetic restaurant, with a relaxing, approachable ambiance, for all to enjoy. It is on the pricey side, but you are paying for both the amazing food and drinks along with the views and incredible customer service the Waterbar staff brings.
The environment is nothing short of impeccable, the wine list is amazing, the seafood is as fresh as can be, and there is nothing negative to say about the experience of enjoying a meal at Waterbar.
