First Crush Restaurant Wine Bar & Lounge

I went here with six others for a reward dinner - wish I could take back those 2 hours of my life. We got there and they seated 7 of us at a table made for 4. The appetizers were really good - scallops, ahi (interesting approach with a kind of tomato vinegarette) and some eggroll thing. They were paired excellently with the wine (they have a great selection. This was all fine until we got our main courses. I got the lamb, which, while very tender didn't have much flavor. Very boring. I then switched with a friend to finish her duck, which was awesome although the mashed potatoes were flavorless as well. I get to my last bite and a long black hair got wrapped around my tounge. At this point everyone at my table was too drunk so I didn't get much sympathy. We got desserts which were kind of bland as well. Creme brulee was pretty nice, with a lavender flair. All in all I'd say this place was decent but not amazing. Go here on a date not a group outing though...

Posted 03/01/07

The service here is not great. Staff is friendly however I noticed that different customers were serviced better than others. The upstairs dining area was bar-like and seating is very cramped. The salmon was undercooked and raw in the middle, when I asked the staff to cook it a little more it can back overdone and tough. I have dined at many restaurants in the city that are less expensive and provide an overall more enjoyable dining experience.

Posted 02/13/07

This is by far my favorite restaurant. It is expensive but worth every penny. Excellent place to take out-of-towners. Very fun place to eat.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Pricey

Posted 02/09/07

one of my favorite restaurants in sf. great service, food, ambience, and the prices were still reasonable.

Pros: just about everything

Cons: parking

Posted 02/06/07

Per the previous review - I'm not from out of town and I found First Crush to be quite nice. The wine selection was very impressive, we all got very good recommendations. The appetizers and main courses were also tasty. The prices are sort of high, but nothing too bad. Ther service and atmosphere were good too. Oh, and the desserts, although nothing to amazing, were yummy. The lavender vanilla creme brulee was very good. We will definitely be back!

Pros: wine, atmosphere

Cons: price

Posted 01/31/07

I went here for an anniversary dinner with high expectations based on City Search postings. I should have known better that because of the location, most of the postings HAD to be from out of towners!
They sat us on the top floor in what is more like a bar than a restaurant....I had no idea until I went downstairs for the bathroom! The scallops under seasoned and overpriced as was the raw fillet of salmon I had to send back. My boyfriend was served the New York steak that was barely recognizable beneath the mess of cafeteria style gravy that covered it.
I will say that the wine flights were good, and I would recommend the shrimp and oysters. Our service was actually quite good. Go for a drink and an appetizer, but stay away from the $20+ Sizzler quality entrees.

Pros: Service, appetizers

Cons: Main Courses

Posted 01/28/07

Get yourself one of the wine flights and a couple of the appetizers. It's about $30/person, but plenty of delicious food. The grilled artichoke, cheese plate, and asparagas/prawn springrolls were excellent.

Posted 01/18/07

great food and great service and great atmosphere. i went for the first time last month and the food was great. i loved the atmosphere, very romantic great date place. i am definately planning my return trip

Pros: food service and ambience

Posted 11/05/06

Great food, great service, great atmosphere, lovely wine, romantic, and value. I recommend this place for a date or a dinner with friends.

Pros: Service, food, atmosphere

Cons: None

Posted 10/28/06

Ate here last weekend. My wife and I both enjoyed our apps and entrees. Service was average, wine list very good. The setting is dark and rather loud. Good for a date but would not take in laws or clients.

Pros: Food and wine list

Cons: dark and noisy

Posted 10/27/06

I am truly mystified by the mediocre and poor reviews for First Crush.
I had my first meal there for my birthday, and it was absolutely fantastic! The service couldn't have been better, and the food was spectacular. The spring rolls, grilled ahi tuna (no matter how clich this dish may seem to some) and the filet mignon were perfect and I couldn't have asked for better wines. We had immediate seating with a reservation (made using OpenTable[dot]com -- so easy!), a fast, courteous and charming waiter, there was a great atmosphere and the price was reasonable for a fine restaurant. I couldn't complain if I tried.

I highly recommend it!

Pros: Food, service - everything!

Cons: The restaurant can hardly be blamed ofr the loud table beside us.

Posted 10/01/06

We had a horrible expereince with the Salmon. Make sure to get the Salmon cooked, not raw to medium.

Posted 09/29/06

I loved First Crush! Walking into the restaurant and walking down the stairs felt like I was walking into a wine cellar! It was such the romantic spot! The Macadamia Crusted Halibut was excellent and tri dessert platter was excellent. It is such a romantic restaurant; private and service was outstanding!

Pros: Ambience, Service, Food

Cons: Parking

Posted 09/27/06

I try to stay as far away from Union Square as possible, BUT I will make that acception to dine at First Crush.
The service is AMAZING! My boyfriend and I dined there for our anniversary, and the waitress brought us champagne! It was a wonderful start to a fabuolus meal.
The cherry glazed duck was delicious, and make sure to try the ceasar salad!
The desserts were okay, but I would go with the cheeseplate instead.

Pros: Excellent Service.

Cons: Touristy.

Posted 09/09/06

I just dined here this Thursday for a company dinner, and I have to say I was quite impressed. Being a local, I rarely venture to Union Square to dine. However, the service staff was quite impressive for how busy they were; we sat downstairs in a full room, yet we were taken care of as though we were the only ones there. I will highly recommend this restaurant to all of my clients for the wine and service (some of the dishes need a little work, though).

Pros: service staff

Cons: desserts weren't spectacular, one or two entrees were average

Posted 09/07/06

First time and what a treat. Always looking for something in the Union Square area and now I have found it. We only had small plates for our party of three but they were all GREAT!
The artichoke, short ribs, prawns, spring rolls, oysters and salads were very tasty and had a great presentation. The only drawback is that the tables are a little close together, but you're
in the city and have to expect that.

Pros: Food, service, location and atmosphere

Cons: tables a little close together

Posted 08/25/06

The upstairs and downstairs have distinctly different ambience. The upstairs is far more casual, and almost a bit rundown. The dowstairs is very elegant, with wonderful lighting and decor. The wine list is great, without being snooty, and dinner was very good and reasonably priced. This is a nice date place- we went with another couple and had a wonderful evening. The service was attentive but not overbearing.

Pros: The downstairs, wine list

Cons: Difficult parking, upstairs feels rundown

Posted 08/21/06

Love the ambiance. Great to take a date. The time I came here was when there was the Dine about Town menu. I got the crab cake which came this this mustard sauce and leeks which was pretty good, for entree, I had the pan roasted chicken, cooked perfectly and was not dry at all and came with a crispy potato cake, also very good! Lastly for dessert, I had the smore's pie, good but not great. The service was friendly

Posted 08/10/06

GREAT FOOD, FAST SERVICE, WINE SELECTION IS SECOND TO NONE. EVERYTIME WAS PERFECT . DINNER MELTED IN MY MOUTH. THE DESSERTS ARE TO DIE FOR.
GET YOUR TAILS OVER TO THIS RESTAURANT NOW . ENJOY YOUR DINNER

Posted 08/03/06

Good food. I highly recommend the macadamia nut crusted halibut. The wine flights are a good value and a great way to try a few different wines.

Pros: ambience

Cons: noise level, parking

Posted 07/31/06

Quite an excellent place. The food was really quite good, especially the cheese plate, the duck and the lamb chops. The wine list is extensive and the tasting flights were really fun to try out a bunch of different wines. It has a nice ambiance, but don't expect it to be too quiet. Lots of people having lots of fun was the atmosphere.

I had great service--the waitress knew some good wines to suggest and the staff kept our water glasses fun, bread was plentiful, and the waitress was there whenever I needed her.

Pros: Great food, great wine, great place

Cons: A tiny bit too expensive, a little noisy/crowded

Posted 07/24/06

I chose this restaurant as a romantic night for me and my first crush. In town for only the weekend, I had to make the right moves.....and I did. The restaurant it self might have been a bit on the noisy side, but the dim lighting allowed us a feeling of privacy. Amazing wine, great food and a very helpful staff made it a night to remember.

Posted 07/01/06

We went to First Crush for the first time after reading the reviews and rating from CitySearch.
We initially ordered one of the restaurants cocktails and found them both delicious, but we couldnt resist not ordering the flight of wines. Overall food was okay (e.g. sea bass was a bit tough and pork chop was okay), and would not be the best in SF. Probably biggest con of the night was the tight quarters between the dining area and bar on the top level. Trying to have a romantic dinner doesnt help with people yelling behind at the bar.

Pros: Great wine selection and cocktails

Cons: Tight quarters

Posted 06/18/06

Food was quite average, nothing special. Wasn't a bad dining experience, just nothing special about the food, service, or ambience. There is better by far in the city. Paid $12 for a glass of wine that sells for $11/bottle @ Bevmo. Check your tab as ours was incorrect and it was not at all busy. One excellent item-the crush salad. Great!!

Posted 06/18/06

My boyfriend and I were visiting San Francisco from New York City, and picked this place for a romantic dinner on our first night in the area. Surprisingly, this place was not crowded at all on a Saturday night! The service, food, wine, and ambience of First Crush was outstanding. We'll definitely dine here again next time we're in town!

Pros: Atmosphere, Great Service, Delicious Food

Posted 05/14/06

I went to First Crush for a company outing and it was a great experience. Great service and ambiance. The food was excellent. Definitely need to go back there for a date night.

Posted 05/04/06

The ambience was very romantic, dim lights and candles at each table. The food was good, but portions were quite small for the price. Wine list was impressive. The waitress was kind and helpful.

Posted 04/29/06

Was told about First Crush before visiting SF, and when I finally dined there , I was pleasantly surprised. It was a nice change from all of the loud and trendy restaurants that we've been to during our business trip to SF. The service was perfect. We were greeted, seated promptly and was attended to immediately. The wine list was great. Everyone was warm and welcoming. The food was delicious! My group was very happy and full! And, THANK YOU to our server who took care of us and others in a huge dining room downstairs...By HIMSELF!

Pros: wine, food, service

Cons: lounge

Posted 03/28/06

we stopped in here looking for a bite to eat after a very long day and had a lovely meal. the ambience is great, perfect for a date or an intimate dinner with friends. the food was good, and the wine list was interesting (only californian wines on the menu, but a great variety). overall the service was good, but i would rate our experience as below average due to our terrible waitress. she was loud, obnoxious, condesending, and unattentive. the other waitstaff did pick up her slack for the most part, but it took about 15 minutes for our plates to be cleared after the main course and we waited for 20 minutes after having to ask for our check. we were one of two remaining tables in the restaurant but our waitress was very unattentive, the worst waitress i have had in recent memory.

Pros: food, wine, ambience

Cons: our waitress

Posted 03/20/06

This has the makings of a great place and the other reviews got me interested. When we walked in, I was amazed at how small and dark and intimate it was. The two men playing soothing jazz guitar and bass set the mood very nicely. The service was OK although no great efforts were made. The menu could have benefited from a couple more selections. The ribeye steak was chewy and cut a little too thin but otherwise tasted ok. The shrimp fritatta was nice, I could've eaten 3 orders of that. The wines by the glass looked awfully small and I don't think it was just because they came in these huge glasses. This is a good date place so if you're concentrating on each other more than on your dinner then you'll still have a decent time. We may try it again.

Pros: Nice ambience

Cons: Feeling you need more

Posted 03/19/06

I had a wonderful dining experience late into the evening at this swank and friendly restaurant. The entire staff including the manager was wonderful, not to mention the fantastic wine selection which complemented the entrees perfectly. This will be a mandatory stop for every visit to San Francisco I make.

Pros: Food and Wine, Service, Atmosphere

Cons: none, none, none

Posted 03/15/06

Who knew, a restaurant that we have never heard of before and it was phenomenal. We were there for the Valentine fixe menu and the food was unbelievable! I had the best risotto, ever. Unpretentious good food, definitely worth the trouble of finding parking downtown. Service was good although the first couple glasses of wine that paired with the food didn't come with the food... problem quickly fixed once we notified our waiter.

Pros: Extremely good food!

Posted 02/21/06

My first experience with this place involved a bad server, great hostess, good food (although make sure they don't over cook your filet if you like it medium well) and great drinks. Nice spot for a romantic date, not so much if your looking to be loud and crazy with a large group of friends. I would go back for sure as long as I didn't get the same server (you know who you are).

Pros: Nice Hostess, Lounge/Bar, Food

Cons: Servers Might be bad

Posted 02/08/06

I had been to the one in Marin, and this one is even better. The service was friendly and prompt. The flights of wine were great. I recommend the heavier reds, like cab.

We were in more of a drinking mode but did have some apps and they were excellent. The cheese plate was perfect with our flights of wine, as well as the marinated olives.
Great for later night dining, as were didn't even get there until 11 pm.

Pros: great wine selection, good staff

Posted 01/26/06

In sum: the service was terrible, the food was fairly good, and the wine list is great. It took my wife there for our anniversary, and told the reservation taker just that when I made the reservation over two weeks in advance. I inquired as to the noise level and requested a quiet table and was informed there was downstairs and they would take care of us. We showed up about five minutes early and waited over 20 minutes for our table. The table was next to a crowded bar and as noisy as could be. We asked to be moved and after a lot of excuses they moved us... ten feet over and just as noisy. Our waiter was non-existent, we waited over 30 minutes to get our drinks and it was almost an hour before our entrees came. We will never go back.

Pros: Average Food, Good Wine

Cons: Service, Service, Noise

Posted 01/26/06

I've eaten at this restaurant several times and always been impressed. The tables are a little close together (like in most trendy spots), but you hardly notice it. The servers were well educated on the wine list, had great recommendations, and flights of flavors for the tasting just in case you can't decide. EXCELLENT wine. The food is also outstanding. The pork is tender, and the duck is bursting with flavor- I haven't tried the steak yet, but I'm sure it's delicious.

Pros: Wine, wine, wine, Delicious Food, Service

Cons: Parking, Tables are tight, Only small tables

Posted 01/03/06

A friend and I went to First Crush last week and both were pleasantly surprised.
The menu reminded me of a few places I've eaten at around the city, but the service, drinks and cheese plate gave it a clear distinction.
The first bottle of wine we ordered didn'ttaste right by either of our standards and after sending the bottle back the waitress only seemed more willing to make sure everything else was great. After finishing our meal we had a few cocktails with the cheese selection and the fireworks began. For not being fine dining, the cheese display was quite unexpected and the scotch list only put a nice ending to the whole affair. Being in the restaurant industry myself I strongly recommend this place. We each spent a little over 100, but was wealth worth it and could easily dine here for much less and still be satisfied.

Pros: chees plate, service, scotch

Cons: host lost our res.

Posted 11/08/05

I made a reservation for a larger party several weeks ago for my boyfriend's birthday, and I ended up receiving about a thousand phone calls from some woman telling me I had to choose a prix fix menu option through her if I wanted to keep my party size! I've dined here on several occassions with groups who were not forced into this option, and I'm apalled that she would feel it necessary to badger me with so many messages. We ended up dining on a different night, since I did not want to choose this option. Danny and Melissa provided awesome serivce, but I'm not sure about booking there again, to save me the harassment.

Pros: Service, Wine, Food

Cons: harassing calls

Posted 10/24/05

My husband and I dined at First Crush last Tuesday and had an excellent time. The bartender Oscar and waitress Melissa were excellent; we sat downstairs at a couch and received very good attention by both of them. The ambiance was perfect, and the wine list was more than we expected for an all California wine bar. I highly recommend this place to anyone wanting a nice, romanitc dining experience.

Pros: wine, service

Cons: restrooms

Posted 10/24/05

We late arriving in town and had to change our reservations. They were very accomodating. We had a great time with Oscar, the bartender at the downstairs bar. The flights of wine were a wonderful way to sample some good/unique California wines. After our friends' plane arrived even later than ours we were seated and served very well by the friendly and welcoming staff. The halibut and salmon were some of the best prepared I've ever had. I think the steaks left a little to be desired but I don't know why my husband orders steaks in a restaurant like this. I chose this restaurant based on the city search user reviews and I'm so glad I did. My husband and friends thanked me for finding such a fun spot.

Pros: Very nice staff, good prices, classy, fun place

Cons: parking, not a steak place

Posted 10/16/05

So First Crush was definitely an excellent place to go. I took my girlfriend there on our 4th date and we had an excellent time. The bar is a bit small and usually full, but their downstairs seating is quite nice if you can grab a chair. In addition, I really enjoyed the food, we started off with the artichoke and it was fabulous. Main course included salmon and scallops and it was fantastic. My favorite part of the dinner was dessert, we enjoyed the creme brulee and and I must say it was the best one I ever had. The restaurant is very quaint and the service was pretty good. Our waitress was very nice and provided us with top notch service.

Definitely a place I will go to again.

Pros: great service, good food

Posted 10/16/05

I heard about this place a few times and went to dinner the other night for a friend's birthday. We were downstairs, and it was a group of 14. I had the crabcake as an app, the ribeye and the chocolate cake dessert. The crabcake itself was pretty good, but it was laid on top of poorly cooked leek. The ribeye was ok, most of us had the steak and i think only about 2 were cooked properly. Overall, the steak was poor quality beef. The dessert, described as "cake" was no more than a blob of choc pudding, the waitress never did ask anyone if they wanted coffee...terrible. Overall, I wouldn't go back...not worth the $$$.

Pros: ok ambiance

Cons: poor food quality, service

Posted 10/16/05

My husband and I had an amazing dining experience here. We did not have reservations, but were able to snag a table. We were informed that the table was reserved for later when we were seated and were politely moved to another spot for our dessert. The wine list was fabulous. We each opted for one of their wine flights. The food was incredible - from appetizer to dessert, it was a wonderful experience. Our waitress was beyond fabulous. The ambience is perfect - the ultimate date spot. We cannot recommend this place enough.

Pros: Excellent food, Excellent wine list, Excellent service

Posted 10/02/05

the service was horrible, the workers were horrible, and I will never come to this restaurant again

Pros: decor

Cons: service , quality of food

Posted 09/12/05

Went on a first date last Friday and had a fabulous time! We sat upstairs at a window table near the bar. Our waitress was friendly and was patient with our lack of wine knowledge. She made excellent pairing and food suggestions. Highly recommended and will definitly be back.

Posted 08/20/05

when I read the last two reviews, but our experience was completely opposite. The food was excellent, cooked perfectly, and the wait-staff was very knowledgable and friendly, even on a Saturday night. Sure they were busy, but we had excellent service, and the downstairs basement is a great atmosphere, especially for the size of our party. I highly recommend First Crush; I'm just sorry those others had such a bad experience.

Pros: Service!, Food

Cons: only 1 bathroom

Posted 08/19/05

Basically, we had a really bad experience! The waitress took too long to take our orders...she was busy at the bar taking shots! When she took our orders, she didn't write anything down. That's fine, but when the entrees came out, 5 out of the 6 steaks were cooked wrong. Hard to rate the food because my steak was overcooked. I was going to try my friends steak, but her was so rare that is was walking off her plate! To top off the evening the wait staff talked back to us!

Pros: wine selection

Cons: service!

Posted 08/06/05

My fiance was not in the best of moods and our waiter/bartender/host did not provide the best service. It was a Tuesday night and very dead, so I would have expected him to be nicer or in a better mood. I hate it when people are in bad moods and bring it to their jobs. The food was good and I'm sure this place could have been better. If our server would have been more upbeat it could have made my fiance in a better mood but instead made it worse. Too bad because this place could have been really romantic and lovely.

Pros: ambience, wine list

Cons: service this time

Posted 07/28/05

We were seated near the entrance. There was a problem with the door which was making noise. After requesting to switch table, we were taken to another table right away. Food and wine were wonderful. Cheese plate was good but it was too big for two people.
One of the review on this site said there were not many tables at the restaurant. There were over 15 tables.... There were ground level and basement.
The picture of the restaurant on the City Search is the basement. Atmosphere at the basement seems better. I do recommend to make and reservation and if you do, request a table at the basement or back of the ground level.

Pros: service, wine, food

Cons: noise

Posted 07/15/05

We had a company party here this past Sunday, and everything was beyond fantastic. Our waitress was extremely friendly and informative; the food was fantastic, and the space we had was perfect. They met, and went, beyond, our expectations. I had several associates from Japan and Germany in town, and they were all impressed. I definitely recommend this restaurant for any event. Everything was perfect!

Pros: service, food, wine

Cons: lights

Posted 07/12/05