Bottom line: I will recommend Big City Catering to anyone who will listen. Big City catered my wedding reception this weekend and I could not be happier with the result. My hubby and I agreed that we would forego fancy decorations in favor of delicious food, and we're really glad we did. We have discerning tastes when it comes to food and we just plain wanted to eat well on the best day of our lives. We did the tasting, and decided that 1. Carole is an awesome fun lady and we needed her energy and expertise, and 2. Carole is an amazing chef and we needed her food at our wedding. The crazy part is the food at the wedding was EVEN BETTER than it was at the tasting. Everyone absolutely raved about how delicious everything was, from the beef short rib, to the herbed salmon, and the mushroom pasta. Her staff was professional and accommodating and provided wonderful service that many of my guests took note of and appreciated. Also, Carole was able to provide rentals for the flatware, dinnerware, and linens, high chairs, votives, extra tables and bar service. She took care of everything and it all looked great! I feel it's also important to note that Carole was great with communication via phone and email. Such a pleasure to work with. It was a big investment (the biggest of our wedding), but totally worth every penny. read more

Big City Catering - Our wedding buffet dinner - Caterers Near Me - San Francisco, California

This review is long overdue for Carole and the Big City Catering team. Simply the Best! In early 2015 my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer with 6-12-month life expectancy. My sister decided to move up her wedding, and we had just 4 months to get everything together. It was going to be a wedding for 100 people in a very short time. In our search for caterers, we were highly disappointment until we encountered Carole. She did it right from the very start! Our initial tasting was well prepared, food was wonderful and with a glass of Champagne. We were sold. And then Carole and her team surpassed our expectations at the event. Her team was early, set everything up quickly and were professional. The food was exceptional despite the small size of the kitchen at the venue. Many guests asked for seconds and raved about the food. The service from the start to finish was beyond professional - it was like being at a 5-star restaurant. Carole and Big City Catering team helped make a wonderful evening possible. read more

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Carole and her team catered our wedding reception and if I could give 10 stars I would!!! The food was outstanding; our guests are still talking about it. The service was stellar, the decorations beautiful, and they helped create a fun and intimate party. Carole really went above and beyond for us and it was such a joy to work with her. She's a master chef and a lovely person. My husband and I would hire her and her team without hesitation and we highly recommend them. Thank you Carole for making it such a special event!! read more

We had an excellent experience with Carole and her crew. I was coordinating a shop opening reception for Kristi Will Home+Design in Princeton by the Sea. Big City couldn't have been a better partner in the event. We changed our date, our menu and our number of attendees during the course of our discussions and Carole adjusted to everything with grace and talent. Our menu included mini chicken tostadas, crab salad on endive leaves, ahi tartar, red pears with blue cheese, petite beef wellingtons, and a gorgeous desert display. Carole provided great suggestions at every step, excellent pricing, and it felt as though she was invested in the event and it's success as much as we were. I just wish I had more events to cater, and would absolutely use Big City Catering again. As you can see from my other yelp reviews, I'm kind of a hard grader. No reservation here about the 5 stars. I don't want to sound like a commercial for BCC, so my only suggestion would be that they might want to invest in a part time marketing type person, just because Carole is so busy and sometimes it's tricky getting a quote, or a response right away (we had a short time line), but, she gave us her own cell number and never failed to get back to me when I needed it. read more

Carole is AWESOME! Big City catering is great! They catered a private event for us at 111 Minna and she did an amazing job! The food was very good and very well presented. She worked with our budget and is so easy to work with! I definietly recommend Big City! read more

Carole and her staff were absolutely amazing! We hired Big City Catering for our neighbors moving party. Carole was so easy to work with, I gave her our budget and she delivered an amazing spread. When our bar tender we hired was a no show, one of the girls on Caroles staff jumped in and took over the bar, Carole totally had us covered, don't know what I would have done without her and her professional staff! I would definitely recommend Big City Catering for any event. Looking forward to working with them again in the future read more

I was in San Francisco for my birthday and got to enjoy Big City Catering as a gift from my girlfriend. Big City arranged an unbelievable spread for me (for my birthday!) at our hotel. All my favorite styles of food (Asian-fusion, French, pastries, cocktails and more!) were there, looking & tasting delicious. It was better than going to a local restaurant because this was an intimate affair, all laid out and ready to devour! A few friends met us at the hotel, and they too (locals!) were impressed by what Carole (the owner of Big City) was able to do for us for my birthday foodie celebration! If you are looking for a fantastic food experience (it's all about the food, right?) with all the appropriate touches (decor, visual touches, music, etc) I would direct you to Big City. The site to look at for more info is http://www.BigCitySF.com/ - I know you'll enjoy! read more

Well, they did it again. We had Big City Catering cater my parent's 56th wedding anniversary party. The food was so amazing one guest literally said it was the "best meal he has ever eaten". Start to finish... perfection. Thank you Big City Catering!!! read more

Fantastic....food & service prepared and delivered with love & respect. Take your party to the next level and have a great time yourself because you are in the hands of professionals. read more

The stellar service and food that Carole and her team provided at our wedding more than justifies my very first Yelp review! I gave Carole a target budget and she worked patiently with me to create a super original and unique menu. The last thing I wanted was the standard chicken or beef with veggies you see at every wedding; Carole embraced the idea of exploring a multi-ethnic culinary spread that matched my multi-ethnic marriage and she executed flawlessly. Our guests were very impressed! The favors were bold yet balanced and the presentation was better than I ever imagined. If you're hesitant to book a caterer without a tasting first, don't be... because Carole will deliver. I understand how scary that can be (I planned my Montara, CA wedding from Colorado), but Big City is a bet I'd recommend to anyone. read more

I recently chose Big City SF Catering based on all the glowing reviews on Yelp. Everything I read was true. From the first contact, everything surpassed my expectations. Diane made excellent suggestions for logistics and needs. Carole, the owner and chef, proposed menu ideas and alternatives , and was receptive to my input. I had free range of choices for the incredible cake. The occasion was a party for our 50th Anniversary. Carole and her team arrived two hours before the party with calm efficiency-- organized the kitchen, beautifully decorated the table and set up the beverage service. And it only got better. The food was four stars. Beautifully prepared and served, the hors d'oeuvres were not the predictable staples but refreshingly original and delightful. The servers were the epitome of attentiveness to the guests without being intrusive. We were able to focus entirely on visiting with our friends and never any concerns about anything else. Top professionals all around. If you want to have an event that is graciously and efficiently managed, with superb food, leaving you free to enjoy it yourself, this is the catering company to book. Look no further. read more

I don't have words for how lucky I feel that we hired Carole as our caterer for our wedding in Sausalito on April, 26. The food was amazing! We had 105 guests, some with several dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten-free etc) and everybody found something on the buffet that they loved. Even though people went for a second round of food, we had leftovers. Carole is amazing to work with, she took care of the rentals and was flexible with us bringing our own food. Her staff was super professional and fun - compliments to them! We were on a really tight budget, but somehow she made it all work without cutting on quality or variety or friendly smiles. Not to mention that we only started working with her 3 weeks before the wedding...! Super delicious food - very very reasonable prices - amazing woman! Married-couples-to-be - this is the caterer you've been dreaming of and looking for! read more

I can't say enough about Big City Catering. I used to be in the business and am extremely particular ;-) Carole and her staff always exceed my hopes and expectations. First of all, she is a dream to work with -- funny, accommodating, professional and always, collaborative. No 'tude, ever. Then comes the staff -- amazing, efficient, helpful, focused. The food? Better than most high-end restaurants. I don't know how she and her staff do it, in challenging makeshift kitchens. But they crank out tasty, sophisticated, flavorful menus with the best ingredients around. The menu for our annual wine dinner is always paired to the region -- Carole researches and comes up with authentic dishes geared towards California palates. My guests rave every year -- months before the dinner, they ask, "Is Carole doing it? Great!" That's exactly how I feel. In Carole's hands, whatever event I'm hosting will be amazing. read more

Awesome! BCC recently did my grandfather's 99th birthday party! From start to finish BCC was incredible. Great customer service, prompt responses and they cared about what i wanted. Diane was great with following up and making sure we had all we wanted on our menu. Carol, Toby and John were absolutely amazing as well. They went above and beyond our expectations. BCC provided about 80% of our food and we chose to supplement with our own food choices as well. BCC helped to make sure even our food was prepped and ready to go. They took care of tea serving, opening our champange, just all of the kitchen duties. They even gave my grandpa a little gift bag as a surprise which i thought was a great personal touch. Bottom line, food was great!! The beef wellingtons was everyone's favorite!! Along with the shrimp and mango skewers. They definitely helped make the day unforgettable. And in the end, they cleaned up so i couldn't even tell they were in the kitchen! Thanks BCC. read more

Just came back from a fundraising event and the food was so fantastic that I had to log on as soon as I got home and Yelp about it. Big City Catering' food was so good that I almost pushed a darling older couple into the pool just so I could get to the waiter with the shrimp and mango appetizers. The staff was friendly and the food was presented beautifully. And I am not ashamed to say that I stayed at the party longer that I would have because I had to try the deserts; delicate rich brownie bites and fresh fruit tarts. Needless to say, I was so impressed I went back to the kitchen to meet and compliment, the Chef and Proprietor Carole Zipperman. Carole was friendly and very passionate about her food I am definitely going to use Big City Catering at my next event. read more

I hired Carole and her crew for a stand-up garden cocktail party/ birthday dinner (heavy hors d'oeuvres) for forty guests. They moved into my kitchen and found their away around unassisted and with assurance, running an oyster bar and open liquor bar and passing around some mouth-watering entrees like lamp chops, short ribs and mashed potatoes, teriyaki chicken, pork quesadillas, artichoke and kalamata tartlets, and ahi tataki. Some of those things have sauces, so I was glad I had so many guests in the garden to minimize cleanup. They left the kitchen broom clean! All I had to do was mop the floor. They even brought all the rental glassware and took it away! And the mango/passion fruit cake was a hit. There was no food leftover to speak of and the only ones who complained about not getting enough to eat were two really late-comers. read more

Carole and her team catered our wedding reception this June 2014 at a private home in SF and I couldn't have been happier with their work! From start to finish Carole was an absolute pleasure to work with, the calm eye in a hurricane. When I first got in touch to see if she was available (less than a month from the event date) she was incredibly thoughtful about accommodating our party. The family style menu she put together was simply delicious, from the appetizers, the main, to the cheese and fruit plates for dessert. Everyone complimented the food, even days later. And then there's the service and helpfulness of her staff! They set the tables, figured out a great way to display the wedding cake and were so attentive during our entire meal, filling wine glasses, clearing plates as soon as we finished - like a well rehearsed and on point team at a top notch restaurant. They went above and beyond any of our expectations and made our event even better than we hoped. I can't wait to have another event where I can hire Big City Catering! The menu: -Starters- Lobster Quesadillas Chicken Wellingtons Caprese Skewers -Family Style- Grilled Filet Mignon Herb Crusted Grilled Breast of Chicken Seared Tofu Steaks Summer Salad Asparagus Provençale Orrichette Primavera read more

A family member surprised us on our anniversary with a Big City Catering 4 course meal prepared in our own kitchen! Our favorites were a pear and gorgonzola mousse app, a delicious caesar salad, seared wild salmon filet with lemon caper aioli and a key lime pie. So fun, and so delicious. They were also super flexible with timing and logistics. Thanks so much! read more

We hired Big City Catering to cater a Bay Area grand opening event for the Orange County-based Amen Clinics, run by Dr. Daniel Amen, "the Brain Doctor." I was located in Southern California and would not be in the area before or during the event, so it was important to find a caterer I could rely on to handle everything. A business associate in San Francisco recommended Big City Catering, saying they were the BEST. And he was right! The owner, Carole Zipperman, and her staff, took care of us from start to finish, and went above-and-beyond to make sure everyone was happy and well-fed. The food was delicious AND and gorgeous and the service was great. Even the simple, organic veggie appetizers requested by Dr. Amen were amazing! If you are looking for a company to cater your event, can't go wrong with Big City! read more

Big City catered our wedding and my wife and I could not have been happier with the food and service. As it turns out, every single one of our ~100 guests was equally impressed. The food received endless compliments, deservedly so. Since it was a summer afternoon ceremony and we were holding our reception outdoors, we opted for lighter fare along the lines of tapas. Our selection consisted of the Ahi Tataki, Vietnamese Shrimp & Mango Skewers, Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho Shots, Cajun Style Filet Mignon Canapes, Fig and Stilton Canapes, Watermelon Amuse Bouche, and Mini Chicken Wellingtons. Tray after tray after tray of consistently delicious and well-prepared food. This was complimented by a robust beverage service of perfectly paired wines, prosecco, Italian sodas, and coffee. This was one aspect of our wedding that was trouble-free and well worth every penny we spent. Big City is not the most expensive, but it's not a thrifty option either. You get what you pay for, which is quite simply sublime, sophisticated food...served by a friendly, fast and unobtrusive wait staff. Chef/owner Carole is fun and a culinary master, while Diane is fantastic with the operational end of things. They came highly recommended to us, and my wife and I are eager to add our voices to the chorus of praise for Big City! read more

We highly recommend Carole and Big City. She and her crew put on a fantastic dinner for my husband's birthday party. Everyone was truly impressed with the food and the flavors. Carole is easy to work with and very professional. We came up with a menu including cocktails and dessert that made everyone happy. read more

Carole provided the most delicious and amazing food this past weekend for my parents' party. She was very professional, replied promptly to my mother for all of her requests, and was super friendly! We absolutely loved working with her. Everyone at the party wanted her card and was super impressed with how delicious the food was. We loved all of it. If we could give more than 5 stars, we would! Thank you Carole!! read more

We had the pleasure of having Carole and her staff cater our event this weekend. WOW...was I IMPRESSED! I almost don't want to write a review because she is so amazing and I don't want her getting out there! The food was unbelievable!! I have extremely high expectations when it comes to food, wine and service and they really did exceed my expectations. My guests and I never had our glass empty and everyone was raving about the food...short rib spoons with homemade horseradish cream, mini sliders, delicious tuna tar tar spoons and much much more...everything was so flavorful! What I loved most was I honestly didn't even know they were there. The food and drinks just kept coming and we were all having an absolute blast. We were definitely on the crazier side...turned into a dance party and Carole and her staff just did their thing. I am so happy I hired Big City Catering! You will not be disappointed! BTW...I have never written a review on YELP, but because I was so happy I had to put this out there. THANK YOU CAROLE! read more

Used Big City Catering for a 35 person event at our office. with 2 days notice, we had an amazing menu, tailored to our fussy eaters and to our budget and everything was delicious. Carole was amazing. Professional. On time. presentation was really good. the individual items and the trays and supplies she brought were spot on. I can't recommend Big City catering enough. Would definitely use them again. read more

I was planning a 70th birthday party for my husband and needed a caterer. I became aware of Big City Catering while attending a luncheon for volunteers of the SF Botanical Gardens....I really liked what I saw and loved their delicious food! Working with Carole to provide some of my husband's favorite foods, which had to be gluten free, was an easy process. Carole and her staff made the day of the party a breeze for me as they took care of every detail and made our guests feel welcome and cared for. I'm still getting rave reviews for the food and the stellar servers! Thank you, Carole!! read more

Big City Catering / or Big City SF Catering is awesome! They catered a friends 60th birthday party, the food & presentation was wonderful!! Everyone kept moving from tray to tray saying "Oh my gosh, try this one it's SO good" There were NO complaints from anyone. Carol, the owner and Chef, is wonderful - down to earth and really loves what she does, she was a pleasure to work with. They put flavors together that are surprising that wows your pallet. We checked out the website first and came up with some ideas for the party, but asked and inquired about other things we thought would be good. They walked us through everything and will make more than what you see in the site, they offered great ideas and worked with our budget. The staff was great; proficient, polite and knew what they were doing. We will most definitely hire them again. Give them a try, you won't be sorry. read more

Wow, Carole and crew just knocked it out of the park! We recently hosted a graduation/18th birthday party for our daughter at our home in the midst of packing up to move out of the country - an overwhelmingly busy time for our family. Carole was incredibly responsive, easy to communicate with, and reduced my stress-level at every stage of the planning process. She was accommodating and respectful of our guests's dietary restrictions and helped me put together a fun Asian-fusion menu that was fresh, seasonal, and appealed to everyone. On the evening of the event, Carole's crew of servers and bartenders were incredibly helpful with general party set-up: they worked with the DJ to plan out the space and even grabbed a broom to sweep up on the patio. They were all charming, interesting, self-sufficient adults, who helped things run smoothly and contributed positively to the atmosphere at the party. We will definitely use Big City Catering for all our future events and recommend them in the highest terms possible! read more

I feel completely safe in Carole's hands. Her menus are inventive, and the food is always delicious. But more important to me, as the Foundation Assistant taking care logistics for all our events, she is the most professional caterer you could ask for. She is so organized and efficient there is barely time at all between pulling up and a beautiful spread - and her spreads are always gorgeous. She does it all silently and with the absolute minimum of disturbance. She responded instantly to every communication, and always with infinite patience. We threw our two events at her a week beforehand, and every request we posed to her she made happen, including dietary restrictions and vendor requirements. She is always exactly on time, despite our location in the middle of the most atrocious parking - anyone located in downtown SF knows how valuable is an intimate knowledge of the city and its challenges when it comes to choosing your vendors, and Carole definitely has that. She also returned the same day at exactly the time we requested to pick up all her equipment. She was on top of everything from the very beginning, applying careful attention to every detail. I know that once I have engaged Carole's services, I don't have to think about catering anymore - I trust her entirely. This extends to a trust in her environmental record, something extremely important to our mission. We can be sure she will do everything she can to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Finally the generosity of her amazing prices makes it clear that the high quality of the service Carole provides stems in large part from a deep love for what she does. read more