This is a question from an overseas friend whose company is arranging a 20-person dinner in San Francisco for coworkers flying in from all over the world on a November Tuesday. They are staying in downtown San Francisco so the dinner should be 15-20 minutes drive max. Budget is $100-200 pp before drinks. Private room is preferred.
Since these reservations are usually a certain $$ minimum including wine, the $pp budget doesn’t directly translate. But the budget should give a reasonable idea range of restaurants that can be booked within it.
A local colleague of the friend suggested Dalida, Quince, Sons & Daughters, and Michelin ** and ***. I think ** and *** are out of the question since the prix fixe in those places are already $200+ so I can’t imagine getting a room or a private area will cost less than that.
Right now they have gotten a quote from Mastro’s the steakhouse for $5000 minimum which is $250pp, though I think they can do better than that in SF.
Dalida is a good idea (but depending on where they are staying downtown the drive could be longer than 10-15 minutes on a Tuesday evening)
Other tasty options with private room (though I don’t know the sizes of those) could be Ernest, Penny Roma, Foreign Cinema, Absinthe and The Progress
Boulevard Restaurant
Strong private dining options, with non-offensive and generally solid American fare
Kokkari Estiatorio
Has private rooms (Oenos room / event spaces) that handle ~8–30+ guests for seated dinners; excellent for a refined, group-friendly meal and reliable service. Fits your friend’s budget with pre-fix / family menus.
The Cavalier
Has a private room (“Marianne’s”) that seats ~22 (reception capacity larger). Stylish, comfortable, good for (I assume?) a corporate groupsand flexible menus.
Perbacco
Several private/semi-private rooms; the Barolo Room should fit your friend’s group nicely); generally solid Italian option
Waterbar
Multiple private spaces and event rooms (consider their “King’s Table” that cover ~20 guests); great water views if your friend wants a scenic downtown spot. They do private-dining menus and event coordination very well
Foreign Cinema has several private rooms of varying sizes. I’ve been in a private work event for ~20 people in one of them upstairs from the main outdoor area and it was fine. I don’t know what their current prices are but I would expect it to fit in that price range.
Flour and Water has a private room, but I’m not sure it would fit 20 people.
I might call Anchovy Bar for a full buy out? Might be too expensive, but it’s a fun international vibe. If they’re closed on Tuesday (my memory) it’s “free money” to them, they might do a full buy for a reasonable price.
I hadn’t heard of Mastro’s either despite having been in the Bay Area for quite some time. I’d feel kinda bad for that group if they end up there because there are so many choices around SF.
