Town's End Restaurant & Bakery

415-512-0749

2 Townsend St San Francisco, CA 94107

sanfrancisco.citysearch.com

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Cozy Town's End Embodies the Spirit of San Francisco- SF Chron 2005

Special Offer:

Tuesday Night

Categories:

Bakeries, Restaurants, Traditional American Restaurants

Details:

$$, Brunch, Prix Fixe Menu, Quiet, Waterfront Dining

Bookmark and Share See hours

Breakfast Tuesday - Friday 7:30am - 2:00pm Lunch Tuesday - Friday 11:30am - 2:00pm Dinner Tuesday - Thursday 5:30pm - 9:00pm Friday - Saturday 5:30pm - 9:30pm Brunch Saturday - Sunday 8:00am - 2:30pm Closed Sunday Evening & Monday

Message from Town's End Restaurant & Bakery

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*We have a fabulous prix fixe menu, with a fabulous price. *We do all of our own baking in-house, and start each meal with a fresh bread basket (scones and mini muffins for breakfast & brunch, breads & Parmesan breadsticks at lunch & dinner.) *We are committed to supporting local & organic farms. *We've been here for over 18 years, and as chef/owners we mean that we have literally been here for over 18 years! *We bring the level of quality that is usually associated with lunch & dinner to breakfast & brunch as well. *We offer almost all of our wines by the glass. That's over 30 carefully selected, moderately priced choices. *Our space is light & airy with a bank of windows along the entire length of the restaurant.

Editorial by Citysearch

The Scene
White walls, white tablecloths and bright white lighting lend a simple, clean feel to the triangular dining room. Prompt, attentive servers greet customers like friends--the crowd includes many regulars who enjoy the low-key, high-value appeal. Weekend brunches can get busy with crowds out for a waterfront stroll.

The Food
A menu ranging from risotto to steak to meat loaf to sauteed sole can signal a lack of focus, but all are solidly executed--especially given the moderate prices. Fresh, quality ingredients ensure dishes are successful, if not stunning: A crispy crab cake is plump with meat, seashell pasta with smoked chicken, peppers and tomatoes is flavorful and filling yet light, and beef brisket, despite its drab appearance, is richly savory. Sample the varieties of bread in the basket--the in-house bakery does wonders with bread sticks and rolls (useful for soaking up the sauce in earthy mushroom risotto)--as well as a rustic tarte Tatin.

Key Points

  • Breakfast
  • Brunch and Lunch
  • Dinner

The Inside Scoop

  1. Save Money - The $12 prix-fixe dinner is one of the best deals in town: Choose from soup or house salad, four entrees and any dessert (enjoy the delectable bread basket as well).
  2. What to Drink - Reasonably priced is an understatement: 21 of the 29 wines on the list are less than $30 (10 are $23).
  3. The Extras - The baked goods are worth a breakfast detour: Stop by for a muffin or roll and coffee after a walk or run along the Embarcadero.

Editorial and merchant content by Citysearch

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Insider Pages Reviews for Town's End Restaurant & Bakery

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Organic/local-sustainable cuisine

by Dianne J. | insider_expert Insider Expert | Rank: 4,228

I remember our meal was tasty and filling, and the menu is big on organic and local/sustainable. We didn't have the prix fixe, but it is a good deal and is popular. I had fish and it was well prepared. Only drawback was service. It took quite a while for our meals to come, and even longer for them to bring our check. Good bread basket. If I went again I'd try their brunch. Nice location near the embarcadero.

Posted 12/18/08 | Report Abuse

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Latest reviews from Citysearch.

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NOT one of the best.

by llol

Went there twice on my visit to SF. Was highly rated and I'd been told it was one of the best breakfast's in SF. First time ordered eggwhite omelet with cheddar and bacon. Egg whites were barely cooked very little cheese and WAY too much bacon. Not impressed @ all. The basket of muffins and scones they bring to the table are good I wouldn't say great. Went back again to see if just an off morning or maybe what I ordered. This time I ordered egg white omelet with gruyere. Not difficult so thought how could it go wrong!? The cheese wasn't even melted in the omelet. Was inedible. Waiter only charged me for egg whites but no one ever asked me how I liked my meal and paid very little attention. I wouild NEVER go back and it should not be rated one of the best in SF.

Posted 06/14/08

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great deal for a quiet restaurant

by amyh2

$20 prix fixe on Fri night (less for other nights?) chose anything from the menu, no restrictions or surcharges. The food is pretty good and they try to be organic. New fav for quiet, no-fuss dinner.

Pros: simple, quiet, value

Cons: too many choices!

Posted 01/09/07

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Excellent Dining Experience

by pauline94109

I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at Town's End. We arrived 20 minutes before our reservation time and were seated promptly. The waiter was very professional and courteous and helped us select just the right wine with our dinners. The food was superb and I especially loved the homemade breads. I will definitely be coming back soom.

Pros: Great value

Posted 03/22/06

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Amazing dinner for a bargain!

by zoukncook

Love the Pre-fixe dinner deal! A 3 course dinner for about $17.99 (wed-Sat). The crab cake and the pan-seared tuna were just right. For the main dish, I LOVED the beef ribs- succulent! The New york steak was made to perfection. As for dessert, the pecan pie and the pineapple upside down cake made a perfect ending. The only thing was that service was a tad slow- due to the shortage of staff. But if you are not in a hurry, it is a great place!

Pros: Amazing food, great deal

Cons: service

Posted 01/27/06

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Great food at bargain prices

by zinlover

Very well executed basic dishes at bargain prices - this is my favorite neighborhood spot! On Tuesdays, it is neighborhood night with a 3 course dinner for $14.75. I've been here about 5 times and each time, the food is very well done, good quality and very tasty. You cannot beat the value here and even the wine list is way more interesting than you would expect from a place like this. I am impressed and will keep going back!

Pros: Great food, Excellent value, Prompt service

Cons: Parking on game night

Posted 10/16/05

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Great $17.95 prix fixe

by calsurf77

They just started a Wed-Sun prix fixe, any starter, any entree, & any dessert of their menu! Food is very fresh and atmosphere is semi-casual, so you can wear jeans or dress up. I recommend the salads & the ribeye- very delicious!
Great value & we easily got a group reservation for 7 people.

Pros: Great value, Good bread

Cons: Not much parking, No online reserv

Posted 07/03/05

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Unbeatable Value

by planetexplorer

Towns End is a great spot for any meal. As soon as you sit down to their weekend brunch, you are immediately given a delicious basket of baked goodies and jam to take the hunger edge off. (It's hard not to fill up on these delicious morsels alone!) They also have a very extensive and delicious brunch menu. My favorite meal, though, is dinner on Tuesday nights. They have a 3-course Prix Fixe menu for $13.50 where you can select soup or salad, ANY entree and ANY dessert from the regular menu. This deal is just unbeatable and the food is marvelous. Did I mention the super-attentive wait-staff?

Posted 10/07/04

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Excellent food; spotty service

by thermador

This is one of my favorite places for Saturday or Sunday morning brunch. The baked goods alone are worth the trip. Every dish I've had here has been good to excellent. I especially like the messy eggs - not overcooked with just enough of everything so that nothing overwhelms the other ingredients. Service, however, is another story. It depends on who you get and now that I've eaten there so many times, I know which wait-person to avoid.

Pros: Scones, Food

Posted 06/14/04

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Worst Service!!!!

by jcpahler

I have been to this restaurant a couple of times. The food was good, but the service was barely passable. I took the chance and brought some out of town guests here. I was so embarassed and disappointed. The host was down-right rude about seating us and insisted we would have to leave in 1 hour so he could seat another party. The staff at this restaurant is rude and discourteous and I would never eat here again.

Posted 08/05/03

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excellent dinner deals!

by vst631

everyone knows about the great brunch they have, but their $12 pre fixe dinners are the best kept secret in the city. i live a block away and try to have dinner here at least once every other week. their ravioli is definitely above average, and their risotto is excellent. it's hard to find decent risotto in the city for $12, let alone risotto + salad + creme brulee. mmmm........

Pros: cheap pre fixe, great brunch

Cons: uncomfortable chairs, noisy weeknd brunch

Posted 06/07/03

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great brunch

by poonda

I've been going to Town's End for years and they are consistently my favorite brunch in The City.
Fantastc fresh baked breads for the table, good coffee and hearty portions of very good food.
And it is family run too.
Also has a great location for the walk along the bay afterwards...if I am not too full!

Pros: great bakery & food, very reasonable, inside/outside tables

Cons: may have to wait

Posted 04/21/03

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