There are 41 one-star restaurants on Michelin’s current SF list. None of the ones I’ve been to are bad, but it’s a very narrow selection.
Their Bib Gourmand list is a lot more representative of the Bay Area and has a lot more places I’d like to try or return to.
Recently named the best new restaurant in America, angler is not inexpensive and calling it more casual and affordable than saison is like saying the lamborghini veneno is more affordable than the lamborghini veneno roadster.
Service was great and overall it was really good and i would return just for the pertral sole and soft serve sundae.
smoked salt
house-fermented hot sauce
great with the oysters
pickled peppers
oysters - pacific gold, shigoku, miyagi
shucking excellent
purple sea urchin
More of a lobster bisque with about three tongues of uni in it. Good, but not great and pretty small at $40. I wish they were serving saison’s uni toast instead.
amberjack, pickles, sudachi
good
big eye tuna
topped with a tomato water gelee, this was sweet, tart, fatty and delicious. thanks for the rec @bradford.
rice cracker, seaweed dust
parker house rolls
angler butter
sweet chicory caesar
petrale sole (half moon bay) #solefood
best dish of the night, cooked perfectly and served with a side of brown butter. better than dover sole i had at republique
hen of the woods
hot fried rabbit
this was more mild than it looked, with pretty earthy chipotle flavor. okay, but wouldn’t order it again.
angler potato
The exterior was sliced to give it more surface area and then fried, brilliant.
milk soft serve sundae, coco nibs, salted caramel
simple but perfectly executed. pro tip: ask for more caramel.
toto
Angler
132 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-872-9442
Nice report @PorkyBelly. 
It sounds like there were quite a few OK dishes, but not great? Worth a visit focused on just a few items like the sole?
Thanks!
i think it’s worth a visit, i would avoid the rabbit and sea urchin.
the Website shows that it might be opening one up in LA?
Yep, unfortunately opening in the beverly center.
…and pretty.
if you missed bauer…
Nice article. Did you know “A Plate of Ripe Fruit” is on the dessert menu? I love California.
NYT review today
Also hit up Angler during our recent trip.
Had to sample the cocktails after all the accolades - here is the Don Lockwood
Condiments
Raw oysters - Pacific Gold, Beau Soleil, and Shigoku; as usual, you guys were right, and the Shigoku were the best - plump with just enough brininess
Sesame bread from Tartine bakery - outstanding!
Simple salad - bright, fresh greens with a subtle dressing that was just acidic and salty enough to bring out the flavors of the veggies
Sweet chicory Caesar - I always love ordering well-executed Caesar salad variants
Raw scallop with some minced(?) apples
We couldn’t decide between the petrale sole and the pasture raised chicken so ordered both! I liked this, but you really needed to keep pouring the sauce over the meat to enhance the flavor (and perhaps that’s the point). The grilled skin had a really nice texture, with charred, earthy, and oily flavors.
Embered beet - they roast the beet for several hours and let it dry out while the juices drip out, and then at the end, they infuse the juices back into the beet to “restore” it. We should have asked them more about the details, but the dish was rich and utterly satisfying - it reminded me a bit of the best BBQ pulled pork. I thought this was the best dish of the night.
Pasture raised chicken - Peking duck style; the skin was not as decadent as your usual Peking duck - it was less crispy/fatty and slightly chewier. The entire chicken had been brined, so even the breast pieces were extremely juicy. My dining partner thought this dish was a bit too salty, but I really liked it. Was my second favorite dish of the night.
Angler potato - I did not enjoy this as much as the rest of you. I did not find the skin to be as crispy and decadent as advertised, and the insides tasted like an undercooked baked potato.
We liked our meal here - the restaurant feels like a game lodge, as has been mentioned before, and the service is detailed and attentive but relaxed. Couple things though - the price does creep up on you, and I had read a Yelp review (I know, I know) comparing this place to Asador Extebarri in Spain, and that probably made my expectations a bit unrealistic going into the meal.
Reminiscent of Saison’s “fire in the sky” Bull’s-blood beet which was smoked to dehydrate for a few days and then reconstituted with bone marrow, among other things (once had it with pickled rose and peach vinegar…paired with a very racy Kabinett, f’ing outstanding).
The Angler “embered tomato” a few months back was excellent, and it, too, was very reminiscent of BBQ. The way they coax out vegetables’ flavor with a judicious use of the live fire/smoke results in very concentrated and savory flavors.
This foodie I know said he ordered the most expensive dishes and then as he saw the vegetables going by realized he’d made a mistake.
Rolls with butter ($12) I would have sworn came from sheep’s milk, but they swore it was cow’s. Habanero salsa and pickled peppers behind the weapon, not sure what they came with.
Radicchio ($16), before and after.
Embered Ruby beet ($18) with beet greens and was it walnuts? Indeed ended up tasting like barbecue sauce. Really good.
Fluke sashimi ($27), least interesting of the batch.
With two glasses of wine from the very short by-the-glass list it came to $121.91 with tax and SF mandate before tip. I don’t think it makes much sense for a solo diner.
Was way too sober to order a $45 glass of amaro.
Starting next week, open for lunch Tuesday - Saturday, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm.
I went for lunch last week. They’ve had lunch Thurs-Sat for a little while now. Menu is just slightly different. Wasn’t sure if they’d do Tues and Wed but it’s now another option when working around there. They are sensitive to time for workers’ lunch hours.
Same prices?
As “senior citizens” we love lunch out. Did you like it?
Yes. They just don’t do the whole fishes / chickens, etc. for lunch.
Yes. I like the idea of returning for lunch for some oysters, a salad (radicchio or even the simple lettuces and herbs is very good), parker rolls, and split a fish and maybe one other main animal protein, a glass of wine with the fish or a daquiri to start. Finish with the sundae with smoked caramel. I loved several permutations of the beet at Saison, but the beet at Angler is dressed with walnut oil and walnuts (I don’t eat walnuts, so I haven’t tried it). Also, the bar is also open for walk-ins and isn’t hard to get in if you get there when they open. Similar to how I’d order at Zuni (oysters, caesar, chicken, a glass of wine). I liked the Shigoku and Miyagi oyster varietals in particular.
The radicchio with vegetarian “XO” is very good. It’s not actually a head of radicchio, but rather the best leaves of several radicchios, each cleaned and dressed separately, then recomposed to look like one head.
Thanks, sir. Your opinion is always valued.
