There's hope for SF after all. With Saison and Californios as 2s and Crenn and French Laundry as 3s, I sometimes wonder whether the Michelin inspectors walk a different path in the Bay Area. Even LA has their Somni, although it's probably more cost effective to fly to Barcelona to dine at Disfrutar, but it's been a long time since I've been pleasantly surprised in SF, and Wolfbane has done just that. If you are a fan of the taste profiles at Enigma, Diverxo, Singlethread, Lazy Bear, etc, give Wolfbane a try. read more

Well balanced meal from start to finish. More attention given to vegetables (than meat/seafood). The meal started with an assorted vegetables (peas, artichokes, radish, etc.), followed by a few vegetables courses with salmon, sea urchin, and monk fish. The monk fish was very nicely done with smoke. The desserts were really good. Particularly the sorbet with candied grape leaves, especially when a lot of the fine dining restaurants just do a simple sorbet scoop in a fancy cup. The atmosphere here was almost an urban forest feel, with whimsical chop stick holders and Japanese style wooden box for the to go sourdough bread at the end of the night. Expect a little bit of influence from multiple cultures. Why 4 stars? I took a star off because of the 3 supplemental options. From the start, the pressure was high to sell the 3 supplemental items (roughly $200 more per person, in additional to the $300+ per person meal). The rhythm of upselling became a common theme throughout 3 or 4 points during the meal, which felt a bit awkward. I get this upsell supplement strategy at Japanese restaurants but this is unexpected. And I got excited when I saw the number of courses but got disappointed when those are listed as supplemental options. read more

See all

In our opinion, Wolfsbane deserves a Michelin star. From the beginning to end, service was impeccable from everyone we interacted with. The menu/food is very inventive, expertly prepared, & beautifully presented. Some of our favorites included the Onion Petal, English Peas, Dolma, White Asparagus, Cabbage, Scallop, Monk Fish, Squab, Cheese, Grapezilla, & Rhubarb. The wine pairing is also a delightful journey of wines & spirits from around the world (France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Portugal) as well as around the "neighborhood" (Oakland, Mendocino, & North Yuba). The atmosphere is fun with beautiful music playing throughout the night. The decor is modern without being austere or cold. The seating felt ultra comfy for the entire night. The evening can be described in one word... "Lux"! We can't wait to go back. read more

See all

I loved it!! Every course in their menu was so fresh. Creative yet delicate flavors. I often walk out of tasting menus only liking a few of courses but every course was amazing. Ambience was intimate and service was fantastic. Courses came out slowly paced which I personally loved. Gave me more time to converse and settle into the vibes. read more

See all

Last minute anniversary dinner. Seasonal ingredients paired with great wine and beverage pairing program. Service can be improved with details, had a sparking water and was being refilled at times with tap water or vice versa, not a big deal. Ambiance is cool. Definitely recommend getting all the supplements and wines that pairs with it. read more

It's a very luxurious feeling tasting menu with beautiful presentation that is admittedly very difficult to see given the quite dim lighting. The service was great, very friendly and professional. Where it loses for me is the taste. Many things were not exceptional tasting, and very subdued in flavor. I will give benefit of the doubt and say maybe it's a flavor preference thing, but a good chunk of the menu was more an intellectual exercise and not anything I would want to eat again. It's also a very vegetable forward menu, and maybe their goal is to bring that out, but there were a couple dishes where I was just confused by the sheer quantity of veggies I was being fed. There was one dish that was a heaping bowl of cabbage, another that felt like there was a pound of peas. In contrast, the elements of meat and seafood were quite dainty. The desserts were lovely, and the breads were a highlight. read more

See all

Great location in a nicely developed walkable area in the Dogpatch. Beautiful space inside - an inviting green palate with greenery throughout and fresh floral arrangements. Bathrooms had Aesop hand wash and lotion - fun jams and wallpaper inside! Service ranged from traditional to feeling like we were regulars. Waters were never left less than half full, napkins folded when we left the table and space wiped in between dishes. Standouts: - snacks, creative presentation and delicious! Favorite was the seaweed chip and trout roe - cabbage, simple comfort food with a luxurious slant, buttermilk, topped with sea urchin bottarga - crab broth in the crab course - wild chanterelles in the duck course - pain au jus - the story, the meat drippings, the sourdough, so so good - sno ball - super refreshing and simply delightful - rhubarb dessert - so many elements that all worked harmoniously together and not overly sweet - smoked truffle, strong, smoky and quite unique! Really good: - half moon bay petrale sole, cooked perfectly - liberty farms duck The majority of the crab course was overly complicated and overpowered the crab. Both the sunchokes in the croquette and the dressing in the salad muted the crab. Also I personally would not think to deep fry fresh Dungeness crab rather using other methods to highlight its stunning natural flavors - which I appreciated with the broth. Wine paring - spot on. They curate mostly natural wines or at least wineries that practice regenerative methods. We didn't get any supplements - but it's nice to know that they allow guests the option to split. I would most definitely return during a different season to see what iterations arise from the kitchen. Or return to try the ala carte at the bar which the GM mentioned during one of our interactions. Fun meal in a lively environment. read more

See all

This husband and wife team serves thoughtful, non-fussy farm to table cuisine. The humble cabbage course was one of our favorites. The service was great, served in an environment that felt like a formerly industrial space reclaimed by the forest in the best possible way. read more

See all

I have always been a huge fan of Lord Stanley so when they opened up this permanent location I had to come. Just the ambience and interior core alone will make you feel like it's well worth the money to come here. The experience going through each of the bites was very delightful. Everything seemed to be very well thought out I especially love the staff. They are just so friendly and easy to talk to and very inviting.. Overall, it's a very good end to end experience where you will feel full at the end. read more

See all

Wonderful food! Great service. Carlos made some amazing cocktails. Food was exceptional.

Had a wonderful meal at Wolfsbane. Upon entering, you get subtle forestry vibes towards the main dining area, that feels like somewhat like you're dining an urban nature room, similar to the Anthropologie plant section. Our server JD was great, offered great service throughout the meal but perhaps even better he was very friendly and personable. He really helped elevate our experience. Overall, just a great and pleasant dining experience. Really enjoyed the evening so can't expect too much more than that. The take home gift was a pleasant surprise! read more

See all

The Bay Area has seen a string of impressive openings lately, but Wolfsbane doesn't just join the pack, it leads it. Full disclosure: I'm biased. I've dined at Lord Stanley and their Turntable guest-chef series countless times, so I came in with high expectations. Even so, I left genuinely impressed by how dialed-in this 11-course tasting menu felt during their preview service. The space, in Serpentine's former Dogpatch location, is the stuff of design dreams. Industrial bones softened by warm light, foliage, and an understated modern palette as refined and inviting as the service itself. Dinner began with delightful small bites, including a sunflower centerpiece that housed artichoke hearts, made to resemble sunflowers themselves, with petals and a poppy-seed center. Crisp tempura enoki mushrooms evoked delicate branches, while other bites also played with contrast. Next came a nod to Lord Stanley: creamy buttermilk cabbage topped with shaved uni bottarga and fresh dill, served in a sea urchin bowl. A tomato course followed, paired with a sip of tomato essence that burst with the sweetness and acidity of late summer. The later courses showcased balance and restraint: striped bass braised in a silky celery-root sauce, followed by a tender duck breast paired with sweet roasted fig. Before dessert, a staff favorite made an appearance--pain au jus, a slice of Lord Stanley sourdough dunked in red-wine jus and cultured butter. Desserts were just as strong. A milk-oolong shaved snow cleansed the palate, followed by an autumn fruit composition that was a textural delight. The meal closed with a tray of petits fours, including their signature cannelé. A beverage pairing is available, though we opted for cocktails--an area that still feels like it's finding its rhythm. Wolfsbane officially opens October 15 in Dogpatch. Reservations are required for the tasting menu, which starts at $248, or $383 with beverage pairing. An à la carte option will be available for walk-ins. read more

See all

My husband and I did a walk-in for date night this past Friday, and it was such a lovely experience. We were seated at the bar and ordered several light bites including enoki, lobster, cod, shellfish, tomato, and porcini, and finished with their "treats" dessert selection. The service was fast and attentive, with staff who made sure we were well taken care of throughout the meal. Portions were on the smaller side, but every dish was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented. You can really taste the care and creativity in each plate. The cocktails were fantastic (highly recommend trying one or two!) and the whole setting felt intimate and romantic, perfect for a date night. Definitely a spot we'll be coming back to! read more

See all

This very new (I ate there on their second night) restaurant is among the most anticipated splashy San Francisco restaurants; the tasting menu has clear Michelin ambitions from a team that had earned consecutive stars at the now-closed Lord Stanley. The space itself is expansive, with high ceilings in a modern and crisp design, lit by suspended lanterns and oil lamps on each table. For a second night, service is fantastic. The multiple trial runs with friends and family clearly paid off, and the entire team operates like they've been together for years. The food itself: sophisticated, with enough whimsy to entertain frequent diners of the city's more refined spots. Highlights for me included an artichoke shaped like a sunflower, a fanatic wild mussel escabeche, a perfect tomato (the jam is incredible), and a poached lobster claw. New restaurants sometimes take time to find a vision, but this was a clearly thought-out spot. I'm looking forward to seeing where they go in the next year. Though I suspect reservations will get more difficult when the Chronicle, Eater, and the Michelin inspectors come through. The optional add-on (has to be preordered when making a reservation) is a hen-en-croute; hen is a notoriously challenging bird to cook, they're usually too small, too bony, and often taste dry/bland. Here, they drape it with truffles and cook it in bread, and it's excellent - superior to the very nice duck served right before. It's a unique dish not available almost anywhere else in the Bay Area, and it will likely become a staple here. read more

Amazing food and service! Beautiful location. We will return in the future after we have checked off other restaurants off our list. If local we would have already dined there a second time. read more

It kills me to not be able to give this five stars, and I think that's really just down to price and expectations - so close to Michelin level, at a Michelin price, but not fullyyy there yet. The good: incredible and impeccable service, we were taken such good care of throughout the entire evening. The food is novel and beautifully executed. The interior design is one of a kind, and truly an experience alongside with the waitstaff outfits, no detail went to waste! The room to improve: many of the early courses fell flat for us, just missing a little umami or salt, which at the price level again feels hard to miss a single beat! read more

The tasting menu was a dazzling array of great innovation. Each dish had an element of pleasant surprise!

Wolfsbane just opened in the old Serpentine space in the Dogpatch, and the space is barely recognizable now. It's gotten a major upgrade with more wood, greenery, and a cool wolf mural at the entrance. We liked Lord Stanley (though the last visit was many years ago!), and it seems like it was more than just the chef who made it to this new project. They have a full bar with interesting cocktails and a pretty sizable whisky and bourbon collection. I started with a Taino's chapeau, which had rum, gin, tamarind, lime. It was spirit driven, clarified, clean tasting. The wine list had some interesting picks, and we ended up with a bottle from Savoie. I haven't had wine from Savoie, so it was nice to try something new, and the earthy yet lighter red went well with all the courses. Tasting menu ($248/person base price) - Snacks: 1. Sunflower (actual sunflowers): the center was an artichoke heart srtuffed with sunflower puree, toasted seed butter, poppyeed 2. Onion petal: blanched onion, allium, onion blossom, black garlic 3. "Potato salad": a rolled potato chip filled with leaves and herbs, served with a yogurt dip, nasturtium 4. Cod: crackers, whipped cod brandade, trout roe. This was my favorite of the snacks 5. Enoki: deep fried, with curry paste, preserved lemon, pickled kombu The rest of the menu: 1. Trio: chilled oyster, Manila clam ceviche, wild mussel escabeche. The sauce on the muscle was super complex, but the clam was also a great texture and clean tasting - hard to pick which I liked more 2. Caviar ($60 supplement): 20 g Tsar Nicoulai caviar on toasted nori, with green apple and maple creme fraiche. The nori was an interesting pairing with the caviar. 3. Cabbage: tender, cooked cabbage in a buttermilk sauce, topped with shaved sea urchin bottarga, fresh dill. The sea urchin bottarga was great 4. Tomato: early girls (last few days on the menu), cherry tomato essence, pickled rose petal, olive and rye, burrata. The clarified tomato broth on the side was one of my favorite parts of the night 5. Striped bass: cooked just right, with verjus braissage, celery root, fermented black chestnut, vanilla 6. Lobster: a grilled tail over a red pepper wrapped around a potato, lobster bisque; on the side was a lobster tempura claw, shiso, red oak, esplette. The lobster tempura claw was the highlight of this dish 7. Liberty farms duck breast, fig roasted in leaves, cocoa juniper. I requested something other than duck and got chicken breast, which was cooked perfectly, and it matched well since the jus that was used was chicken based 8. LS sourdough: an homage to the Lord Stanley tradition of the servers getting leftover bread with cultured butter and jus at the end of the night. The jus was so rich and fragrant, and the sourdough texture was a bit dense and chewy in a good way, making it like a savory bread pudding 9. Milk and oolong snow ball: in the center was a surprising amount of plum, served with grass jelly. Most pre-desserts are just a sorbet or granita, but this one had lots of texture elements 10. Strawberry sorbet, brown sugar mochi, berries, lemon verbena 11. Surprise treats - Condensed milk and fruit layered jelly - Hibiscus biscuit - Truffle - Canele: wonderful texture on this, reminded me of being in Bordeaux To finish, you also get a nice wood box to take home, which contained madelines, honey, and some sort of pound cake/bread (haven't tried it yet!). The team tried really hard, and they clearly put a lot of effort into the presentations and all of the elements on the menu. I appreciate the details that went into each course and can't wait to see what they come up with next! read more

I was definitely wowed by this place. New place so you never know what to expect. One of my top five meals ever and I've been to some incredible Michelin star restaurants. Glad I got in now because this place is going to be really hard to get a reservation at in the future. Definite multiple stars in their future. Food was absolutely incredible, presentation.. everything. Additionally was really impressed with their cocktails. Lots of times when you go to a restaurant of this caliber, the drinks don't measure up and they most definitely did. Loved that several of the chefs came out with food and explained the dishes. Nice touch! read more

We had a wonderful dinner here, we really enjoyed the crab, bass and duck courses - the painting menu was well executed and perfect. Also the chocolate sourdough treat for am was unique and thoughtful. read more

A delightful experience. The little service details, like having the door open for us with the matrie d' welcoming us in, really set the tone of a fab evening. The food was sublime (I've never had cabbage like that), the wine pairing was just perfect (Syrah by Emme melted in my mouth), as were the cocktails (The Partisan was my absolute favorite). I will forever dream of the canele at the end. Thank you, Wolfsbane, especially Carrie, Carlos, Alex, and David! read more

What a beautiful new addition to the San Francisco restaurant scene. Spectacular food and service. One of the co-owners, Carrie, attended to us and was an absolute delight. We loved this dining experience. read more

Absolutely incredible meal - Wolfsbane is an intimate multi-course experience. Food forward, creative cocktails, top notch service in an amazing atmosphere with the most friendly staff- what more could you ask for?! We had the full tasting menu and wine pairing (all wines in house are natural and delicious) and it was unbelievable. We added a few cocktails along the way and didn't realize the culinary experience we were in for. It's hard to express, but this experience nailed every aspect of a great meal. It's not cheap, but life is short. Go enjoy something fun and delicious! read more