Waterbar Restaurant, San Francisco CA

I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant and the fact that it has beautiful view of the BayBridge. The crab salad was really good lot of flavor and well done. The server was so nice, she gave us a good wine option for the selection of food we order. The epic steak was cooked to perfection, it had a lot of flavor. Loved loved the steak, we also order a few seafood dishes. Everything we order was well executed and had lots of flavor to bad I didn’t take images of the dishes.

The food and ambiance here are fairly good, but it's a little overpriced for what it is. Service was generally fine but not exemplary.

Excellent atmosphere and service. We've tried a selection of different oysters and all were very well described by our waiter beforehand. Plenty of places to sit, with a nice view of the bay and the bridge.

Very nice restaurant in a top location.
Very good quality.
Watch out for happy hour ;-)

My reviews of this restaurant keep going down. From 5 many years ago to 3 four years ago, to 1 today for my dining experience yesterday. We showed up for our lunch reservation on time and checked in and were asked by the hostess to stand to the side so she could seat the party that checked in before us. We obliged. Another party then came in after us and waited at the reception. A different gentleman came to the station and then served them and seated them at the last best table with a view and then came back and asked us if we had been helped. I indicated that the hostess was helping us. She then realized what a mistake had been made by the gentleman that took the other party before he took us. There was a back and forth between them and then she seated us at a small table with a view of buildings. The couple that came after us but was seated before us was seated at a large table with a beautiful view of the bay bridge. *Really not off to a good start. * It then took a good ten minutes before we even got water and then another ten minutes before the waiter came. Mind you, the restaurant was not busy at all this early on a Friday. Drinks took forever to arrive. When a straw was requested, it took another five minutes. The service was annoyingly slow. We ordered oysters, including the daily special, which were described as medium-sized and medium brine. I don't know what reality these "medium" oysters came from, but they were small. A group next to ours ordered them later and also commented that they were really small. We ordered two each of three kinds of oysters and four of them had shells in them. It's never a wonderful feeling, crunching on oyster shells. Our appetizers came and they were alright. When we finished, a server came and took everything from our table, as in thinking our entire meal was done. Our waiter came by immediately (the only time that happened!) and even mentioned and apologized as he reset our table. Our entrees arrived and, as usual, there was no consistency between them. We both ordered the lobster roll and again, one of the rolls had 50% more meat in it than the other, which was observed in my last review. The menu here is usually uninspiring, the service is slow and very much missed the mark on this last visit right from the start. If you like cheap oysters with shells in them, this is the place for you. Otherwise, go to Epic right next door where you can also get oysters and much better and attentive service with better views and proper service.

Have had many delicious raw oysters in my lifetime (bordering on the thousands) ; unfortunately, I had a bad oyster here. Vibriosis resulted in an unpleasant past week.

It took over ten minutes after sitting down to get water. We had to ask the guy giving us water to bring our waiter to order drinks. We were sat next to the aquariums and they clearly aren’t cleaning them properly. There was a dead fish in the tank next to us the entire time with a big one trying to eat it. It was very difficult not to focus on that during the meal. If you are going to keep animals at your facility, take care of them. It’s heartbreaking to see how dirty the water was. The food was good but I wouldn’t come back for it.

This place has one of the rudest staff. We had lunch reservations for meeting some business associates. The girl at the reception desk curtly told me that I needed to wait outside until all of our party had arrived. That is without checking first if our party had actually arrived or not. Before I could ask her anything else, she quickly turned her back and walked away.
Fast forward to food - It was pretty mediocre and the servers seemed generally disinterested in working or asking the patrons if they needed anything.
The only thing going for this place is the location but there are a lot of other options near the water. Avoid this one if you can.

I love this restaurant, I usually eat there very often, a friend of mine invited me on Saturday at waterbar, they changed their menu, Petrale sole, halibut, beet salad were my favorite dish they took it off from their menu, not excited with their new menu.

Fantastic seafood, great service, and classy ambience, in a beautiful setting overlooking the bay. What more could you want? I've been with family, friends, coworkers, and my partner, and every visit is a delight. The staff is very attentive from the moment you walk in the door, taking note of special occasions and food sensitivities, refilling water glasses promptly, and pacing the meals carefully without rushing you. Every piece of seafood I have had here has been perfect, from delicate oysters, to plump prawns, to tender cod with a crispy skin. The drinks and desserts are also fantastic. Expensive, yes, but rest assured that you are not just paying for the view.

Always enjoy sitting at the bar and enjoying happy hour oysters and a nice bottle of Muscadet. Service is always great at the bar no matter how busy they are and there's a great selection of beers, wines and mixed drinks.
Outside patio is perfect for sunny fall San Francisco days.
Prices are reasonable for quality and great location under the Bay Bridge.

Decided to have a dinner with a view. Well that did not happen as apparently kids are not welcome in the area with “big windows”. Instead you will get seated in the back with small windows and low ceiling – absolutely non-impressive view.
As an appetizer we had “sea brim crudo” - this one was ok (it is a full serving on the photo), another dish was “chicken liver mousse” - we got one with burned pita and the taste was “empty” (kudos for removing it from the bill). Ordered “seafood risotto for two” as our main dish – was surprised to find chopped sausage which makes it more of a paella at this point, seafood itself was ok. Kid’s cheese ravioli and sourdough bread were good. The waiter that worked with us was very nice.

We has a wonderful lunch sitting outside. The food and the service were excellent. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Oct 2023 review -
Waterbar’s best selling point is its ambience and views of the Bay Bridge and Embarcadero. The food itself is decent but nothing particularly exotic or noteworthy. I enjoyed the spicy mezcal cocktail (Berry Smoking Hot). Great for date nights - but maybe not the best for large groups.

Food is good but too noisy when its packed. Spread the tables some more so its not so crowded.

Went to have a nice evening with friends last weekend. We were able to get a table on the patio, and had the most gorgeous view of the sunset with the Bay Bridge.

The food was fantastic. Everything we ordered was lovely. I had the stone fruit salad and the oven roasted Alaskan halibut. Both were fantastic choices! We also had bread for the table, which was very tasty. When we got our checks, we were treated to little cheesecake bites, and I immediately wished I had 10 more. I will go back specifically to order that cheesecake.

Service was excellent, the waiters were friendly and responsive. We always had drinks, and the food came quickly.