Charmaine’s
San Francisco
Avis
Fantastic view from the rooftop. As it was windy, we ate inside. Very classy place. The service was good. The food was OK, but pricey. I thought that the coconut panna cotta, the deviled eggs, and the Whoopie pies were the best of what we ordered. The lobster roll was pretty good, as were the prime rib sliders. I thought the sliders seemed overpriced for what we got.
Charmaine's is the best rooftop bar in SF without a doubt. I have stayed at the Proper Hotel before and highly recommend if you have not already but Charmaine's is the absolute cherry on top of this place! You do need a reservation in advance for all days/times so make sure you get it at least 24 hours in advance or you will miss out. From the beginning the security staff that check you in is kind and courteous. Shout out to Mario, one of the security guards who escorted me to the elevator, he was a saint! The hostess was warm and inviting, greeted me like a friend and got me a beautiful fire pit with an incredible view. From the second I sat down I was immediately offered water and got my drink/food order in and was truly able to relax for a solo evening. There was quite a few people but at your own table you don't feel crowed or overwhelmed by noise. The staff is incredible and I could not be happier with my night ❤️
Gorgeous terrace. The decor of the bar and of the hotel was curated by world-renowned interior designer Kelly Wearstler and it’s stunning and very avant-garde. Good cocktail and the selection of food is well thought of.
The drinks were really good and well crafted. The bar aesthetic is very elegant and the views of the city breathtaking. I booked my dinner at 6:30pm so I could enjoy the sunset and the night view. We had an amazing server, and the cheese potatoes with smoked mushroom was delicious. We also had the tacos, but they were below average. The guac and pico were not great. The guac was creamy but didn’t tasted like avocado it was very plain, no onions or cilantro, like nothing to elevate it. The pico has cucumber lots of it, which although refreshing took away from what the taste of pico should’ve been.
**This review is for the rooftop bar** Charmaines is a place you go for the view and the atmosphere more than anything else. Dont get me wrong, the food and drinks are great but this is about the view. Food is excellent but its appetizers and finger food, not a meal. You can make a meal of it but its going to take a few orders and some imagination. Drinks are excellent and there is something for every taste - beer, wine, mixed. Personally, I recommend the cocktails. Im generally a beer guy but when you have a chance to get really well made cocktails take advantage of it. Back to the view. Its amazing. Its also SF. The panorama picture below was taken on July 19th. It was COLD with blowing fog. They brought us blankets and of course there is a fire. We were still cold. The second round of pictures is from October and it was significantly warmer but there was more wind. Where we were seated we were completely protected from the wind and it was great. Where you sit will have a HUGE impact on the temperature you feel. Same day in two different locations you could be hot or cold. I would recommend a jacket/sweater no matter what time of year it is. Its a lot easier to take off a sweater than knit one from scratch. I gave Charmaines 4 stars for service and atmosphere. The service can be spotty and is very much impacted by the other guests. Same with he atmosphere. If you get a bunch of VC tech bros in there the atmosphere can be terrible and the service can suffer. I get it, go to the table buying bottle service first. Thats not the fault of the staff, its the curse of the Tech bros. And that brings me to the last part. This is expensive even by SF standards. To me its worth it but you might not agree.
