Insider Pages Reviews for Fresca

5 Stars: Best muscles in town (by smithy11)

smithy11 — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:00:00 GMT

If you like spicy, delicious chiorizo sauce and an out of this world "Cohito" you must go to Fresca! I love the lively atmosphere and the special lobster risotto was excellent. Fun, friendly place to have a great, flavorful meal!

4 Stars: Great, but Screwed Up too (by JaneRW)

JaneRW — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Fresca is a really fun and lively place to go, with noise and crowds and a great atmosphere. The ceviche is wonderful and you have got to have a pisco sour (or 2). BUT as another reviewer noted, their service is kind of lacking in that it can be slow and they can indeed be forgetful. I've been there several times and have to say I still recommend it in spite of one time when they forgot to put our dessert order in and it took 30min to get it. Great fun to go with a group but dont expect to be able to hear each other over the noise. By the way, desserts are mediocre but the rest of the menu is tasty stuff, especially the appetizers. I like the ceviche mixto, but the 4, 5 or 6 ceviche sampler is a great way to go. There is one with black squid/octopus ink that is extremely good.
My boyfriend adds: "It's true that the food is great, especially the ceviche, but the real draw is the crowded, noisy, fun ambiance. However, it's fairly expensive (easy to spend $100+ for a couple incl drinks) and you should know that high quality, Peruvian food of almost the same quality can be had for a fraction of the price at dive Peruvian restaurants throughout the Mission. WARNING: the pisco sours have a delayed reaction...WALK home."

5 Stars: unbelieveable cheviche (by oneofakind864)

oneofakind864 — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Fresca is one of my favorite places to eat. I adore cheviche and they have the largest selection of choices I have ever seen. It is FABULOUS. They also do a great peruvian specialty of fish with tomatoes that;s the national specialty. I'm from a seafood town and it's HARD to impress me and my freinds with seafood. fresca managed to do so in SPADES. The only drawback is the parking which can be a little sticky to find and it IS expensive. But for a special treat it is well worth the price.

5 Stars: Awesome Food and Setting (by Caesar G.)

Caesar G. — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:15:00 GMT

I love this place. The food is excellent and the setting is great. I usually get the pollo and I love the portions, it is big and comes with fries. This is a great place to bring out of town guests. If you love ceviche, then you will really love the ceviche bar.

1 Stars: Terrible service (by isathea)

isathea — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 09:00:00 GMT

We had a first great experience with fresca and their ceviche. But the second time we went there, it was horrible. I ordered a ceviche and my husband ordered something else so that he could share a bit with our 2 years old daughter. They had at that time a take out order for 10 people and they forgot about us (I would say did not care). I had my ceviche but my husband and daughter nothing. We had to ask several times, asking them for bread for our daughter. The food of my husband and daughter arrived more than an hour after my ceviche!! The weird thing is that some people arrived after us and they had their food before us. We were really angry. With the bill, they gave us a card to give our opinion... They never contacted us though.

3 Stars: Don't get the hype (by lyss61)

lyss61 — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:00:00 GMT

I'm not sure what all the rave is about here. we went there for a weekend brunch and had really poor service (and a waitress whose cleavage was so inappropriate i could barely concentrate) and average food. we didn't try the ceviche, but i would be willing to go back to give that a shot. nothing special. next time i'm in pac heights i'm going to la med down the street. much better food there.

4 Stars: If you love ceviche then come here! (by food_diva)

food_diva — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Fresca is wonderful. Exotic variations of ceviche abound on their menu. While a bit pricey, each preparation of ceviche is fresh and a wonder of flavors. For my entree, I chose the Causa Andina which comes with smoked salmon and tuna tartar, deliciously complimentary sauces and decadent creamy garlic mashed potatoes. We also tried the rotisserie chicken which was a tad on the dry side, but still seasoned well and served with crunchy and satisfying french fries.

I love this place and despite multiple locations popping up all over the city, Fresca has maintained a fresh and delightful take on Peruvian fare.

2 Stars: Terrible Service. NEVER AGAIN. (by sparky714)

sparky714 — Sun, 27 May 2007 09:00:00 GMT

My boyfriend and I stumbled upon the 24th Street location for a late lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Although there were tables in the front and at the bar, we were seated at a table in the back, next to the restrooms. Upon 10 seconds of taking our seats, we became aware of the steady flow of people brushing up against us on their way to the bathrooms, as there was practically no walking space between us and adjacent tables. We requested to be moved to another table across the room and were told that it was "reserved," though it was unoccupied during our entire 1+ hour lunch. We also quickly became aware of the table of about 12 next to us -- a bridal shower. Now, I completely understand that there is certain amount of rambunctiousness associated with such a celebration, but these women (in addition to the understandable yelling, clapping, lingerie throwing, etc.) were constantly getting up to mingle with one another. Bear in mind that there was practically no space between our table and the bridal shower table, so my boyfriend and I were constantly staring at these womens' rear ends (and I know this isn't politically correct, but they weren't exactly centerfolds) which were just inches away from our faces, and enduring the rear ends brushing up against us throughout our entire lunch. At one point, one woman stood so close to me that she grabbed onto my chair and began shaking it amidst of a fit of laughter. When I turned around, she said "oh, we're just being obnoxious, you should request a different table," and proceeded to re-stick her butt in my face. This ENTIRE time, there were other tables available, and none of the servers ever came by to check on us, or much less, display some degree of attention or empathy for our situation.

4 Stars: Tasty Peruvian Cuisine in Noe Valley (by damian_esq)

damian_esq — Sun, 13 May 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Somewhat pricey, but delicious. Despite reviews to the contrary, we were seated right at the time of our reservations. Service was friendly and efficient. The cocktails were unique, flavorful and colorful. The crab cakes were amazing. We had shared 3 entres (Peruvian Paella, fish, and lamb) and all were perfect. Dessert was also right on the mark. While it was $200 for 3 people, we paid for 2 appetizers, 3 entres, 2 desserts, 6 drinks and tip. The halibut ceviche was the only blah dish, other than that everything sparkled. We ran into a family of Peruvians while we were there, always a good sign.

Maybe the Fillmore and West Portal locations don't have their service and cooking together, but our experience at the Noe Valley branch was just great.

3 Stars: Terrible Service (by sf_delight)

sf_delight — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:00:00 GMT

I recommend going to the one in Fillmore. Their space is tiny but their service is a lot better and the atmosphere is nicer. I live in the neighborhood so I end up going to this place a lot because my boyfriend loves ceviche and they do have a nice ceviche bar/selection. However, everytime we go, I swear that I'm never coming back because of the lousy service. The waiters are not attentive at all, and they're downright rude. They all have this attitude like, 'I can't be bothered by you.' Well gee- last time I checked, you work at this restaurant and it's your job to cater to diners. I once waited 20 minutes before I got a single glass of water. The rest of the food isn't bad but tends to be very, very salty. If it wasn't for the good ceviche and the fact that my boyfriend loves it, I wouldn't come near this place again.

2 Stars: Good food, terrible service (by frosting100)

frosting100 — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 09:00:00 GMT

It's a good thing I enjoyed the food and my friend's company because the Fresca staff really tried to ruin our night! Fresca lost our reservation, and from the moment we showed up we were treated as if we were mistaken and a nuisance. The hostess implied we had called the wrong location, but we confirmed we were correct by looking at our cell phone history. She wrinkled her face many times, and servers shooed us away as we tried to identify tables we could be seated at. We waited 45 minutes to be seated, and service throughout the dinner was incredibly slow. Luckily, we did get seated with a great server who helped to improve the experience. I would not choose to go here again.

5 Stars: Great Ceviche Bar!! (by pitipat)

pitipat — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Great place to dine!! Very tasty Ceviche!! Try their Treo or even Quado... We loved all four Ceviche dishes we tried. Great Mojito... I read about bad service and hostess. I guess we got lucky. Our hostess and waitess were very friendly and helpful. What a GEM!!

3 Stars: Best Peruvian! (by latina415)

latina415 — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 09:00:00 GMT

I had tried another Peruvian restaurant and was left unsatisfied, and so when my best friends party was going to be held there I wasn't too thrilled. But I was pleasantly surprised when out came the GREAT food and drinks. The prices were incredibly reasonable as well.
The only downfall was the hostess. I know I am not the only one who noticed that the service is a little mediocre, but it's not enough to take the attention away from the fab food.

3 Stars: Food's good, service is (usually) sub-par (by resvon)

resvon — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 09:00:00 GMT

As has been noted by many others, while the food is generally good the service is generally bad. Everything from long waits to be seated to my favorite story... after being seated at the ceviche bar, despite being in the middle of all the waiter traffic and sitting right across from the chef, we were not initially approached by a server for almost 30 minutes. We were finally able to grab a busboy and request that someone look after us... a waiter was sent over and made a big deal about looking after our table despite it not being his. We placed our order and proceeded to wait. And wait. And wait. The people seated next to us at the bar who ordered the same food had their food served and finished and still nothing for us (that bread was getting put to heavy use). Several inquiries of our waiter informed us that "there was a huge backlog" in the kitchen and that the food was just about ready. So we wait. And wait. And wait. This time we grab the manager and ask again where our food is... she goes into the kitchen and raises hell. Magically, 10 minutes later, our food shows up. Kitchen backlog? Try lost order. It was brutal. My girlfriend had finished the bread and was down to eating her nails. Mercifully the food showed up just in time before she started in on her fingers.

5 Stars: Yum! I can even take my parents here! (by noodlecat)

noodlecat — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 09:00:00 GMT

This place was so good. The ceviche was tasty as was the braised pork I had - tasted like homemade. I really wanted to shovel the food into my mouth as quickly as possible but remember I was in public. My boyfriend and our friends both really loved their dishes as well. Even my Shirley Temple (I don't drink hardly) was exceptional! It's very lively but doesn't feel annoyingly trendy - a good place to take the folks!

5 Stars: Best Tuna Cerviche (by babs77c)

babs77c — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 09:00:00 GMT

Wonderful sangria, amazing paella and fun atmosphere in noe valley. Very cozy and good service. highly recommeded.

1 Stars: Rude Hostess (by petichifli)

petichifli — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 09:00:00 GMT

Showed up on a Sat night at 9 pm (9/16) with a reservation for 3. We were told they couldn't find it and were going to have to wait 1 hour. No apology just matter of fact. We said ok and were understanding. Went back an hour later and were told 45 more minutes at least. There was no apology, no attempt to make us feel better and the hostess had a totally ridiculous attitude ("well I told you at least one hour" with an eye roll). I am from South America, and was taking my mother and sister there who were visiting from New York. We all love ceviche and were really excited. We would have waited if the service had been more attentive, but after that encounter we left and I have no intention of returning. I hope the owner of Fresca reads this and knows that because of his little princess of a hostess he has lost someone who would otherwise have been a great customer.

2 Stars: Very Inconsistent (by taguai)

taguai — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 09:00:00 GMT

We've tried to give this restaurant a fair chance since it opened on 24th. (we've been about 4 times) and have had only one satisfying experience. This last visit was the last straw. We arrived for a 9PM reservation on a Sat. night to a full and busy restaurant. While we were seated promptly, and greeted by friendly wait staff, the food was miserable. We both had fish entrees and both were severely under-cooked. While the seared Ahi tuna that I ordered was *supposed* to be somewhat raw in the the center, the whole portion was cold from the outside in with the center feeling just-pulled-from-the-fridge. It was very unpleasant. My girlfriend's halibut was also undercooked, but not as badly. While our waiter was fine, the busboy cleared our table while we were still chewing, and also did this to the table next to ours. This is not the level of quality in food and service that I would expect for a restaurant in this price range, and during peak hours on a Sat. night. I'd really like Fresca to succeed on 24th., but they really need to do a better job at quality control. Sadly I won't be giving them another chance. In contrast we have had very good experiences at the Portola location. YMMV

4 Stars: great food! (by bakesalot)

bakesalot — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 09:00:00 GMT

The food is always good at Fresca. The service can be rough but the last few times I have been it has been great, very nice servers. The ceviche is amazing! Great Sangria.

5 Stars: Great food and mood music (by trisor)

trisor — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 09:00:00 GMT

We really loved this place, great service, the seafood gumbo was absolutely incredible, the decor is very interesting (apparently orginal artwork). I want a copy of their music loop!

3 Stars: ok Ceviche (by screwtat)

screwtat — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 09:00:00 GMT

Lousy service, dont make a reservation and expect to get in when its your time, the Hostess had major personality pproblems, so dont expect to have anything difficult go wrong ie one of your diners late. The food was ok, ceviche, I've had better in the mission. An whats so great about this Sangria that I hear so much about, its not all that. The fish I ordered was pretty good but the sides were cold. And it took forever to get our food, I quess the staff was worried about getting more people in than actually taking care of the customers already seaated. oh well another one bites the dust

4 Stars: Pleasantly Surprised (by 7072)

7072 — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 09:00:00 GMT

Last night I went to Fresca for the first time. I went to the Noe Valley location. Prior to going I read the reviews and although the food always received a good rating, the service didn't. I was pleasantly surprised that the hostess and waitress were great! The food was good and they give you a lot of it. The ceviche is good and fresh. The sangria was delicious also. Also, the prices are very reasonable. The only problem I encountered was that I called the day before and made a reservation for 8:30 p.m. for the following day and when I arrived I was told that they could not find my reservation. (Fresca should get involved with Open Table.com) Fortunately, the restaurant wasn't crowded and we were able to be seated. Overall, I would recommend Fresca, and will definitely go again.

4 Stars: Fresca - a fun ceviche bar (by tiggeress70)

tiggeress70 — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 09:00:00 GMT

Very crowded on a Saturday night with a lively, exciting atmosphere. The pork chop and tuna appetizer were delicious. Service was polite and did not rush us through an enjoyable and relaxing dining experience. Definitely recommend making a reservation. Sangrias were fantastic!

5 Stars: A fantastic dinner on 24th Street (by ryanedw)

ryanedw — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 09:00:00 GMT

My wife and I have been here twice, and the food has astounded us both times. The wine list has also impressed, and the ambiance is very nice. I'd say their menu is Peruvian *influenced*, with much California cuisine styles thrown in: lots of fresh flavors, both simple and sometimes complex.

Space is somewhat limited relative to the demand, so don't be surprised if you have to wait outside before being seated. Late seating seems to have helped this aspect for us.

We had a slightly bizarre experience with our waiter, involving some wine being spilled on us but not by us. But the manager efficiently resolved the issue the next day.

All in all, I'd rate it at the top of the several restaurants we've visited along 24th in Noe Valley. Bravo!

4 Stars: What a greeting... (by greenport)

greenport — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 09:00:00 GMT

They've got the food down... But the service?? The Chick that greeted me at 7:33pm on a Thursday night promptly informed me that she would wait 10 minutes for the other 2 in my party--for a 7:30 reservation(no line mind you). When I told her that 1 of the 3 would probably be more than 10 minutes, but she could seat us and we'd order a bottle of wine, she informed me that she'd have to get that 'approved' with management. Approved with management???...She then informed me that this is standard policy in SF. Ummm, I think not... There's way too much attitude coming over the phone line when making a reservation, and far too much of it when you walk in. Love your food guys, but work on the delivery and the accomodation of your patrons a bit more. I'm not the first to say it, either.

1 Stars: IS IT WORTH IT? (by gretchenwingard)

gretchenwingard — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 09:00:00 GMT

In a city where there are so many great restaurants to chose from you must stand out in one way or another. This restaurant stands out with its horrible service. I can not remember the last time that I could actually say that. On a Tuesday night we waited an hour to be seated which was fine because the bartender was very entertaining. When we were seated, we proceeded to wait fifiteen to twenty minutes before the waiter even approached our table. After an hour, we started to question where our entrees were. We were told three different reasons by three different people. After one hour and forty minutes we walked out without dinner. Need I say more....

5 Stars: A Jewel in Noe Valley (by sniggy)

sniggy — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:00:00 GMT

We had reservations on a busy Friday night and were seated promptly. Our waiter was very attentive, despite the large crowd. The owner visited with most of the diners. The food was divine! The wine list is composed of affordable wines that are perfectly matched to the food. And the place is beautiful! I highly recommend Fresca Noe Valley.

4 Stars: Food's great, but... (by smiley507)

smiley507 — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 09:00:00 GMT

My partner and I are huge fans of the West Portal location, so we were thrilled to learn that another Fresca would open just blocks from our Noe Valley home. While the food is predictably excellent (DO NOT pass up the ceviche, especially the squid ink ceviche; the hailbut over a risotto cake is also amazing), the service at the NV location is not up to par for a restaurant of its caliber. Our last waitress acted like she could care less about us, not even making eye contact as she spoke with us. She was unfriendly and made no effort to ensure we had a good experience. And the noise level! Some dope decided to put vaulted ceilings in the main dining room, creating an insanely loud room -- I couldn't even hear the people sitting at my table! Visit the West Portal location instead.