Saison, San Francisco CA

Saison is an "experience" rather than a meal. The restaurant strives for perfection, to the very last detail, and it was evident in every single bit, minute, from entering to departing. Everything had been thought through and yes, at this price point, you'd expect so. Saison however goes beyond.

The executive chef and his team definitely is not shy about flaunting their Asian origins. "Influence" is a weak word as pretty much every single dish has a Korean flair to it, obviously with modern interpretations. The courses are almost designed like a textbook, extracting the essence of what might make a bone marrow both flavorful and executing it in a modern San Franciscan way.

Some of the courses hit perfection - the ingredients, composition, balance of flavor, texture and the visuals. For example, the sashimi wrapped in greens or the steamed cod that literally melts in your mouth. Even the dessert courses were impeccable: the mandarin orange hinted shaved ice with milk cream or the chewy bread topped with dried persimmon.

And then there were some courses that failed to strike perfection. The dried carrot was chewy like a sweet potato but the puree went just a bit over on the carrot-ness. The brioche bread was great but a bit uneventful. The uni toast was a bit off balance with the saltiness and toast just too far apart in the palate. And the wagyu missed a hint of salt. Don't get me wrong, they are fabulous by any standards. Just a speck of blemishes given Saison desperately strives for perfection and the 3rd Michelin star.

Overall, Saison is an experience to be had. We left wondrous and enraptured in the chef's creation. The service was beyond perfect. We felt welcomed, hugged, spoiled, and nourished.

We will absolutely return. Can't wait to see how Saison evolves.

The Asian-influenced, Californian-sourced fusion food is terrific, with bold flavors and a subtle understanding of the ingredients shining through. Wagyu supplement well worth paying, as is the well-presented and generously-served wine pairing. Only quibble with the meal is the aromas from the open kitchen are too strong / frying fishes and charcoal smells do interfere. Top class service

Excellent service that gives you that Michelin star experience but the taste is lacking. It's a blend of Thai, Japanese, Chinese, and modern California fusion (and they will go to great lengths to explain how they aged or smoked something for a long time) but you can get plenty more food and flavor in many other places. One example of all show but no substance is this contraption with some ice inside. They said it will chill your sake to the right temperature but they simply pour the sake in (which was already chilled in the fridge) and ask you to immediately dispense the sake so how much use was it? And the sake tasted like any chilled sake. Overrated.

Beautifully done! Atmosphere was relaxed, but with a pristine attention to detail. They were able to accommodate vegetarian diets. Each course was a little masterpiece. I look forward to returning.

A true masterpiece of an experience! A once in a lifetime opportunity that everyone who has any appreciation for food should take. They served course after course with a beautiful presentation. Being seated in front of the open kitchen was an experience in itself and would definitely be my suggestion as to where to sit. The food courses were incredible, and made with ingredients that were elevated and prepared in a way that I'm still processing today. They even prepared for us non alcoholic drinks to pair with the courses.

Decent fine dining. Really enjoy the whole experience. The food was fresh and cooked very well. Everyone was nice and didn’t hesitate to answer any questions. Worth trying!

Highly recommend the experience. Worth trying at least once, if it's within your budget.

Very classy very clean so delicious worth every dollar $$$$ my husband took me here on my birthday we had a great time?

Hands down the best michelin 3 star dinner I have ever had in my life. Though this is a very pricey experience it is worth every penny to taste and to trust in the kitchen at Saison. I Highly Recomend the Wagyu Supplement

Went there to celebrate my birthday. Everything was amazing. Food was tasty and flavorful. Staff is very professional and nice, they pay attention to every single little thing. We left very happy thanks to everyone who was working there that night. The only thing that was confusing is the payment. You have to prepay in advance and for other things you order at the restaurant itself you get a bill. They only thing is that first you get a bill for the total that includes what you have prepaid and tip and all taxes and fees, and when you have to sign for it you need to do math all over again because second receipt would be only for add ons and the tip, taxes and fees amount would be different. That’s the only one thing I would’ve charged. Maybe you could change people a cancellation fee instead of splitting the payments

So the food, of course, is well prepared and flavorful. That said, the online ordering is confusing. The add-on I ordered (wagyu beef) appeared to be paired with wine. However, I was surprised to find an additional charge for the wine which I thought I had already paid for. While they did remove that charge, I still ended up paying $150 more than expected and that didn't include the tip. Did I pay the tip twice?

On a side note, the servers speak too quickly and it's difficult to understand what's being served.

Maybe I'm just too old for this place.

It’s now on my favourite list
Do enjoy a lot the way they fusion - conflict in harmony and with storytelling
The ingredients are of season yet go with their magic handling to have more interesting layers
And just can’t love more all their tablewares, all go with stories and happy to know the team also proud to source them from everywhere from the world
Bravo place

Incredible food, ambiance, staff and bartender. Even the playlist was 10/10. Have been to 3 star Michelin restaurants and it’s clear to me that this place deserves their third star back. Just fantastic. Worth the investment.

The talent at this place is off the charts! We were blown away by the food, wine and service. Loved the music and relaxing atmosphere. Thank you to the entire team for making our evening so special. Big shoutouts to Molly and Preston!

One of the most exceptional restaurants in the Bay Area and perhaps the world. An unfolding of delights in the culinary realm that will absolutely astonish the senses. Tables are uniquely set, and there aren’t many of them. The menu features drinks that range from $30 to $30000. And if that’s not strongly wording the “get out if you don’t have the money” vibe… then the overall per person $400/500 price tag should.

Perhaps the price has changed recently?

Anyway: (7 or higher is good)
Service 8.5/10
Plating: 9/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Table: 8/10 - great wood
Pricing: 3/10 - yeah
Location: 5/10 - it just… exists
Culinary skill: 8/10
Flavors: 8/10

Dinner was a scant 9+ courses featuring the most exceptional plates I had ever eaten off of. The crystal vessel from which we ate candied nuts probably cost more than my car. But that’s just it… the nuts were ok.

Caviar unwrapped from a giant kelp leaf and plated before our eyes was a cute touch and a crowd pleaser. The frozen dessert inside an orange was cute but I could have made it.

You come here and spend insane amounts for things you cannot do yourself. And for the most part that held true, but I’d have loved to see more inventive food and double the number of courses.

Everything from the ocean was a good showing, but the overall quantity of consumable sustenance just wasn’t there and the service while attentive sort of looked down its nose at us. We’ve dined at every Michelin 2/3* in the area and this was by far the worst value of the lot. One of my companions went to have more food after.

There’s a reason they lost their third star, but it’s still a stunning experience and if $500 feels like $100 for you, go wild. Live boldly. Saison is an interesting beast. Perhaps it lived up too well to the pretentiousness expected of it… like a high strung teenager of genius parents trying to make the A+ grade and staying up all night being miserable. Who knows.

First time visit to celebrate birthday with daughter. Beyond expectation!
Foods are delicious and well prepared. Should take a lot of work and the staff is wonderful. A very good experience for a special day. Expensive? Yes but worth it. No complain for a such wonderful dinner.

The uni sourdough toast was mind blowing. Oddly enough, I was super impressed by the shaved ice.

Service, food and music was on point.

We asked the food purchaser questions about provenance of some of the food, unfortunately he wasn’t sure.

Ice cream and sorbets were very good

Would come back to SF for it again.

Superlatives all around. From the greeting at the door until the end: every detail was thought out and perfect. Staff were skilled and courteous, food was beyond compare. It was an amazing night and worth every cent.

The food in this place was beyond amazing! The staffs are all incredibly knowledgeable in this place and help you decide what dishes the best suit your tastes. I love how unique presentation of every dish.