I had a good experience at Bouche. We got our table in the upstairs area, which outlooks to Bush street. The staff are wise about wine and their food, the chefs are engaged and creative. The bone marrow tapenade is an excellent choice for an appetizer, and we also enjoyed the squash napoleon and the cod dishes as main courses, rounding off the night with a cheese platter. With intimate setting and satisfying French fare, we would recommend this restaurant to anyone spending time in the city. read more

Great great great small french restaurant. Great ambiance, great service, great food. Brussels sprouts super. The salmon was perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the tuba even though the portion was small, it was good read more

All of our entries arrived COLD. What a turn off... Not even once the waiter came by offering any assistance. I am very easy going, not demanding or demeaning so I do admit my feelings were hurt. -Filling water glasses well, that's all I could say... I asked about something and the French guy told me his English isn't that good and he can't answer my very easy question. He never even tried... It supposed to be a very important dinner to me, but it was NEVER acknowledged like it was supposed 2 be by the staff that got heads up. Why did you ask at the beginning but not acknowledge the very important occasion I mentioned? What a disappointment all together: cold food, tiny portions of aforementioned food. Bull shit. Since it was supposed to be a special occasion I felt very ashamed taking my guest to that place. Sadly, I won't be coming back. Big. Big turn off. read more

I went by myself for a birthday dinner so I could do some serious eating and analysis. Verdict: DEELIshhhhhhhhhh! I had the tar tar (delightful start), lamb shank (home sweet home), side of crab-mashed ( yes, I said crab-mashed which were spiritually moving), and because my mama didn't raise no calorie-counters, I finished with Creme fraiche custard. Whammo! Home run! It's your birthday! It's your birthday! Run don't walk. read more

The best authentic French restaurant in Downtown SF. Very personal high-class service!

We ate here at an early time (5:30) on a Saturday and while the food and service were fine the noise level and claustrophobic atmosphere made it impossible to enjoy the meal. The menu is very limited so you should check that before you go but what we ordered (steak, salmon and chicken) was good. read more

My wife and I found Bouche on Yelp and were very excited to try some French cuisine on our last night in SF--sadly, we left feeling underwhelmed, particularly after reading so many positive reviews. To their credit, the staff was friendly and even accommodated a last-minute addition to our party (three people instead of the initial two-person reservation.) Once seated, however, the surprises were mostly unpleasant: 1. The tasty bacon bread isn't complimentary, which although it may only cost five bucks, pales in comparison to many other restaurants we'd sampled during our trip--all of which offered delicious free bread courses (Nob Hill Cafe in particular.) It was accompanied by a minuscule pat of ice cold butter. 2. The appetizer we had (pickle plate) was extremely small and qualified more as an hors-douevre than anything else. Four bites, max. 3. Only four entrees and four apps on the menu; while I'm a big believer in not having TOO big of a menu--this was just too small. We ended up going with the pork loin and the sole. Both were very tasty, BUT each cost roughly thirty bucks and were almost comically small. The pork loin couldn't have been more than 3-4 ounces, while the fish came with "potatoes and grilled Brussel sprouts", which while technically correct, yielded about three tiny sprouts cut in half, and an identical amount of potatoes. 4. For dessert we tried the "Compressed cotton candy grapes and melons." For the uninitiated, cotton candy has nothing to do with the dessert--it's the type of psychotically overpriced grape they put on the plate. In essence, you pay nine bucks for 8-10 small bites of fruit. In summary, none of the food at Bouche was bad--to the contrary, it was good (although not spectacular)...the problem was that Bouche is simply not a good value for the money spent. For two of us (WITHOUT any wine/beer--water only) our total was almost $110. And we walked out hungry. There are half-a-dozen restaurants in the Nob Hill area that will take less of your money and absolutely impress you more. Unless you're seriously addicted to French food and small portions, I'd look elsewhere. read more

This spot was recommended to us by a foodie friend, all the dishes he recommended were not on the menu and unfortunately we didn't like it the new menu. The service and ambiance was great, but the food wasn't to our liking. Make sure to check the current menu before you're going there. read more

Yum!!! We were taken here by some friends who have such great recommendations for San Fransisco. Cute two storey little restaurant ... Bar down stairs and small intimate restaurant upstairs. The food was so amazing - the flavours were so well thought of, there was nothing left on our plates. Highly recommended. read more

Wow! I could almost leave it at that; that good! My wife and I sat at the bar (as we often prefer for real exposure to the staff and crowd watching!) and worked our way through 6 dishes (all small plate style). Guilliame paired our food with a lovely rose' followed by a crisp semillon blend. Perfect. Each dish, from the open salvo of Brown Butter Carrots to the seared calimari with mushrooms, was better than the last! Fantastic progression of flavors. Simply put, an amazing addition to the tastes of our fair city! Btw, reviewers complaints on portion size; Who couldn't grasp small plates concept from the "bouche" as in "amuse- bouche"??? Really? read more

An excellent French restaurant nestled on a quiet street by union square. Great service and hospitality and the staff couldn't be friendlier. No frills about the seating as it's a small room with a bar and stool set up where you dine in a ledge. The steak was my pick and excellent read more

One of the main reasons I came to this restaurant was because of all this fuss over the Pork Belly dish. I sat down in their cute little rustic place one Friday evening and to my horror, didn't see Pork Belly on the menu. Apparently, their menu changes, so if you're coming here for the Pork Belly, call in ahead! To somewhat compensate for the lack of Pork Belly, we got the Fougasse which supposedly had bits of bacon in it. No idea why everyone thinks it's the best bread ever. It just tasted like cold, dry, dusty bread and didn't even come with any olive oil! :( We also got the potato soup, salmon with egg, and roasted veal. The salmon was probably the best dish as the crunchiness at the bottom was perfect with the salmon and the yolk smeared all over it. Everything else was just okay. Bouche's ambience is definitely a plus though. Upstairs, it's charming with the dim lighting and soft music. Good place for a date. Downstairs, it feels more like a bar so it's better for drinking with your friends. read more

A cute neighbourhood French restaurant. Tried their dinner twice and I'm pretty satisfied. Good selection of wine and food. They use good ingredients. Service is always pleasant and I love the cozy atmosphere especially upstairs - almost feels like Paris. Their Salads is good, the crispy pork belly appetiser was nice. read more

From the chilled corn soup starter to the salmon main course and rasberry tart dessert, everything was delicious! The best meal that I've had in a long time. read more

I thought I did the research. Came here with a group of friends. I asked for dishes on Yelp review pics. None of them was available. The answer was they changed the chef, now they have a new menu. OK we tried two appetizers and every main course on the menu: Appetizer: * Wild Greens, Caramelized Pear, Roquefort, Walnut and Endive Vinaigrette, Pepper Crust Bacon And Pickled Poached Egg * Sautéed Sweetbread, Porcini Cream, Crimini and Maitake Mushroom Persillade Main: * Utternut Squash and Eggplant Napoléon, Cauliflower Velouté, White Truffle Vinaigrette * Pan Seared Petrale Sole, Crispy Porcini Risotto, Espelette and Carrot Purée, Lobster Cream Sauce * Citrus and Honey Confit Lamb Shank, Ratatouille, Roasted Almonds and Pomegrante Couscous * Marinated Flat Iron Steak, Summer Squash And Potato Gratin, Shaved Asparagus, Red Corn The two appetizers are OK. I don't eat lamb, so cannot comment it. The steak is great! The veggies and fish are so so. The veggies are too rich. Before came here, I also checked its website. The pics look so pretty and appetizing. The food we ordered look nothing like that. Damage: $45 ppl read more

Salmon is the best, service is awesome, decoration is nice, ambience is great. Authentic French cuisine for sure.

Some of the dishes was ok...stuff chicken for Saturday menu is not so great, for two pieces of chicken was undercook and cost $26.Service is good...not much choice on the menu. read more

No question about it the food is really wonderful and deserves five stars. While the hostess seemed friendly and welcoming I think our waiter may have had too many tables and we felt really rushed. This was a special birthday celebration so we really wanted to have more than a quick meal and it just didn't seem possible. I'd go back anytime for a quick glass of wine and appetizer in the bar, but not for a quiet relaxing dinner. read more

I have been here 3 times now and the food is amazing, every time I have tried something new and its impressive the flavors that I discovered, just try everything. The sizes are a little smaller but you should be fine with an appetizer and entree. read more

We fell in love with this small restaurant. My husband and I dined here Thursday night. We requested a table upstairs and decided to do a sampler dinner by ordering several appetizers. The two of us loved the bacon fougasse--rustic bread with pieces of bacon in it. We also had the pork belly, scallop carpaccio, and 2 other dishes, all of them full of originality and flavor. My husband had the goat cheese tart which came with beet ice cream, it was truly amazing. I almost ate all of it! Awesome value and top notch service for a delightful French bistro fare. read more

disappointing, solid tartare appetizer but mostly pricey unimpressive presentations of classic country French food, thin poorly represented and overpriced french wine list, menu entree offerings also lacking greatly, the many very good reviews previewed prior to booking a reservation were not represented in the meal on Friday nite, considering the high expectations had prior to attending - the meal was unimpressive, wait staff solid, pleasing interior, menu and wine list needs improvement, wanted very much to like it but will not return nor recommend read more

Excellent restaurant. Every dish on the table tasted wonderful. If you're French you get brownie points.

I took my wife here for our Anniversary dinner. We ordered the chick pea fries and crispy sweetbreads for starters. For the main dish, I ordered the swordfish and my wife ordered the hangar steak. We also ordered the custard for dessert. We both ordered a glass of wine. The food was excellent! All of it! The different flavors and textures in the food blended so well that it left you wanting more. The service was great. The waiter was very knowledgable about the food and took the time to answer our questions. The place is small and menu is limited, but the food made it worth it. Make sure to make a reservation. I highly recommend this place! read more

"Did you microwave my food?" "No, this sticky shit on top is because of the butter." Butter? In a pan sauce? so unusual! :P Any chef that will look that, will laugh like crazy! Thank you, i enjoy that! :-) Also, is good some times to wear a hat, right? read more

I had a late night birthday dinner after work back in March and I can't believe I didn't Yelp about it then. The details are fuzzy now but the feeling from the experience is still distinct. It's an extremely intimate space (small but with such warmth, charm, and character that small is the wrong word) with very delicious food. It is a little expensive for me but I expected it as I planned ahead since it was my birthday. This was my second experience at Bouche, both of which I arrived after 10:30pm, and I can't wait to have another occasion there again. read more

Charming, tiny French restaurant! Definitely make reservations as it's very small, but cute. The food was delicious and actually small enough portion sizes that we could enjoy a starter and main and still have room for dessert. We tried the bacon bread (a mini loaf of fresh bread with bacon chunks baked in - YUM!) and chickpea fries which were deliciously crispy and light, and the wagyu steak with potatoes, which was small (maybe 4oz) but delicious and still enough to satisfy. The chocolate mousse dessert was pretty good too although probably my least favourite of the courses. Service was attentive and very knowledgeable with wine recommendations. Great place to eat if you like delicious food, intimate atmosphere, and dislike being served ridiculously, waste fully large portions. read more

This place was an awesome find for late night dining. The food is pretty heavy since it is French. You definitely won't leave hungry since you will probably consume 5 sticks of butter. nom nom. The salmon app was good. I believe I had monk fish cheek or something. We also had the lamb shoulder. Good prices on bottled wines. read more

I ate there last week, and I get that it's a particularly cold SF winter. However, it was so cold in the dining area that my food got cold really fast and I wasn't able to linger over it and enjoy it. Let me assure you, I'm a fast eater in general anyway so my version of "lingering" is probably a normal person's average rate of eating. Everything was cold before I finished. It was very disappointing because the food was delicious, and I wanted to enjoy every last bit, but things aren't as good cold. I had a pretty dress on and I couldn't take off my heavy winter coat the entire time. I wouldn't complain, except that we paid approximately 105 each for dinner, which isn't cheap, and I expect a restaurant in that price range to shell out for some heating. They could have even put a space heater indoors. read more

the perfect place for a low key dinner. we had the bacon bread, scallops, lamb shank and dungeness crab mash potatoes. the scallop and polenta was amazing. bacon bread and dungeness crab mash was good. the lamb shank was good but not noteworthy. our order was enough to leave 2 people stuffed without room for dessert. the wine list was sufficient and place was cozy. i plan on adding Bouche to my restaurant rotation! read more

These guys can cook! Especially given the super tiny area they call a kitchen. Modernized french cuisine with a light hand. Food is top notch but the place didn't have any air-conditioning the night I went and the place was hot hot hot... didn't put me in a good mood for dinner but the food surprised and changed my mind. read more

Usually wouldn't give a restaurant 4 stars if the food is only good, versus great/mind blowing however the gorgeous decor and atmosphere of Bouche will have me back in no-time. Service was pretty decent with an interesting and fun wine/by the glass menu. Next time I'll likely eat at the bar and have a small bite + drink just so I can sit in that beautiful space again. read more

I've been here a few times and it's a cute an unique little restaurant (so it gets a bit crowded) with authentic french flavors. However, this is not very "traditional" french food- it's more french fusion than bistro, which I prefer. Prices are a little steep ($120 for dinner and a glass of one for 2) but it makes for a lovely date spot. The staff was attentive and helpful. read more

Thought we'd try this place out based on the outstanding Yelp reviews. Ok it's confirmed...this place is OUTSTANDING. We came here to celebrate and found the place very reminiscent of places we ate at during our trip to France. Basically, it has more of a home-y French feel as opposed to fancy shmancy French. We loved it. We had a great duck confit appetizer dish, wife got stuffed chicken and I got the chorizo/pistachio crusted halibut. They were delicious. To end the night, wife got the peach pie and I got the goat cheese cake with beet ice cream - wait what? Sounds so weird...but oh soooo good... read more

Value adjusted rating. Food was pretty good, but not as imaginative as I had hoped. The atmosphere was cute, kind of an upgraded chez maman. produce was clearly fresh. not a huge fan of the bacon bread ++ to the beet IC and goat cheese cake - highlight of evening http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2012/12/11/bouche-chef-shuffle-michel-rethore-replaces-nico-borzee/ read more

What a gem! Fantastic food, the fois gras is not be missed. Loved it, will definitely be back.

Romantic, friendly, and great food. You can only reserve tables upstairs where what appears cramped becomes cozy upon being seated. Bouche takes advantage of every inch of space, including one of the smallest exhibition kitchens I've seen, which uses ninth pans and shelves to maximize what looked like 100 sf of usable area. No wonder the menu is so limited, there's no room for ingredients! But each of the selections we had was exquisite (pork belly app, spinach salad and pork loin) and authentic to the atmosphere and service. All of it charming and fun. We felt transported to a rustic, timeless French inn. read more

The food was exceptional, atmosphere perfect and the staff friendly. Would definitely recommend this small restaurant as a "must try". A hidden Gem! read more

Deliberate but not overbearing ambiance, good service (we were at the bar), creative and delicate dishes. A few of the starters were a bit uninteresting despite sounding more so, but the creamy rice with roasted artichoke hit the bullseye for us all. The wine selection was a bit light but we came up with a Cote de Roussillon crowd pleaser for about $45. The dessert we split, blueberry tart with Grand Marinier creme, was quite good, not a knockout but at least not over sugary. Overall, definitely a place I'd recommend and return to. Reservations recommend if you don't like sitting at the bar. Note: The southern French boys running the place have a certain southern French charm reserved for the fairer gender. read more

Excellent Food! Authentic French. Servers spoke French too. Restaurant is a little cramped, but ambiance is cozy. Not too noisy but not too quiet either. Pricing was very good for this level of food. read more

Bouche is a very small restaurant near Union Square and very easy to find. I went on a Monday for a 8:30pm reservation and street parking was plentiful. The place is tiny but intimate and well managed. I would make a reservation at least by the morning of, since the less than 20 tables makes walk-ins difficult. You can see the kitchen from the first or second floor seating areas. Bouche had the best salmon dish I think I've ever had in my entire life. The salmon on poached egg dish was absolutely phenomenal. The food portions were good for the price. This place isn't crazy expensive which is great so you can drink and get dessert too. The service was very good as well. All the waiters seem like Frenchmen who could speak French at any moment. They were courteous and quick. I just can't wait to come back and get exactly what I got the first time. This will always be my go to dinner spot just for that amazing salmon dish. read more