Bisou Bistronomy

Bottomless mimosa brunch is perfection. We sat at bar. Enjoyed the view and bartender’s banter. French accent? Oui! Also had appetizers and entrees including Pork Belly Benedict that was amazing.
Was in town only for long weekend. But so
Impressed that we came back Monday night for dinner. It was just as awesome. Bisou Burger was perfection. Highly recommend this place any day of the week.

We came here last night to try their 4 course foie gras menu; however, we were told that they were out of the seared foie gras. With disappointment, we still ordered the same menu in replacement of the foie gras torchon in the 2 courses. The appetizer and the 2^nd course were pretty good. After that, we waited at least 1.5 hours for the 3^rd course. No apologies whatsoever. When the 3^rd entrée finally arrived, the foie gras was missing and no explanation was given. We had to ask the server and were only told that they will give us a discount and there was some accident in the kitchen. They should at least let us know in advance and APOLOGIZE! We were all excited waited for the foie gras and it was totally missing from the course. Service and management were totally unacceptable. There was also no «thank you» and «good bye» from the server. I will never come back again!

Love this place for brunch (mainly because of the bottomless mimosas). This place gets packed on some weekends, so the best thing to do is either wait it out, or call ahead.
The dinner menu is excellent as well, I would highly recommend the french onion soup, it’s the best I’ve ever had. The atmosphere is great, and the servers and bartenders are always very nice and are always there for suggestions on food and wine.

Chef/​owner Nick is an amazing man! His food is traditional with a modern touch to it. Never been disappointed in his cuisine and he always surprise me with the dessert which are a must have no matter how full you are! The staff are always kind and friendly which makes the experience even more delightful.

I love brunch here! $ 15 bottomless mimosas and delicious food! Great for groups because the servers are so patient!

The Restaurant Week menus are pretty fabulous. There is a $ 40 option and a $ 65 one, and we tried one of each. Three out of four courses in the $ 65 menu had generous portions of foie gras, which was amazing. The dessert was a little weird looking but judging from a previous Unilocal review, it’s a theme from year to year. The $ 40 menu had three courses including a French onion soup, a beef cheek dish, and a cake. Overall a great experience.

Came here last night and ordered the 4-​course foie gras tasting menu for $ 65 which was delicious and I think a great value.
I also ordered the beef tartare, which is to date, my favorite beef tartare in the city. They mix it up right there so you can tell them how you like it. I love pickles and mustard so I get everything mixed in mine. I order this everytime I eat here.
Foie Gras torchon: Came with a nice healthy portion of foie gras. Rich and delicious. No complaints here. Also accompanied with brandied cherries and a fruit sauce. Wish they gave you more than 2 pieces of brioche, but I just asked for more.
Sea Bass with foie gras: This was delicious. The fish was cooked perfectly. Definitely an entrée size portion. I’m glad my boyfriend and I were splitting the menu because I don’t think I would’ve been able to eat this and the beef entrée after the rich foie gras torchon. I would definitely order this if it was a la carte. They give you a nice size piece of seared foie gras on top of the fish too.
Steak with foie gras: Again, cooked a perfect medium rare. The sauce was on point, and of course foie pairs perfectly with steak.
Poached pear with ice cream: I loved that they covered their poached pear in a dark chocolate sauce. This dessert was a home run. The vanilla ice cream goes well with the pear and chocolate.
Cons: The iced tea they served my boyfriend was so watered down, it tasted just like water. When he asked for another one they brought him another glass from the same watered down pitcher. I really don’t think they should be charging for iced tea when it’s so watered down it doesn’t even taste like tea.
We didn’t order it last night, but the French onion soup has also been delicious in the past. They use the red wine with a heavy hand in the broth and I have no complaints.
I think the key here is to order the right things otherwise you might walk away with a very high check and be slightly unsatisfied. I’ve found my go-​tos, but not everyone can stomach raw beef.

Bisou is a consistently popular spot for brunch in the Castro, known for their bottomless mimosas. While I haven’t participated in this rite of passage to SF in the last several years, I did recently check out Bisou for dinner.
I didn’t realize that the owner was French, which was a pleasant surprise, as my dining companion was also French. I thought the food was a solid 3 — 3.5. Their pates and charcuterie was quite decent, and generous in portions, but I found everything else to be pretty average. We tried the French onion soup and steak frites, the class French go-​to. While the meat was tender and well-​cooked, I didn’t find it to match other French restaurants that have been really bringing their A-​game of late, such as Les Clos, Monsieur Benjamin, and Petit Crenn.
The service is friendly, dessert delicious, and it’s in a very convenient area in the Castro, I definitely think it’s worth going to if you’re in the neighborhood.

V cute French place.
French onion gratinee– top of the guyere cheese was burned :-(after excavating to the bread and broth below I found the soup to be more watery and bland for a French onion. There was also too much bread in the gratinee. Weak.
Beef tartare — quality beef mixed with delicious spiced in front of you at the table. Olive oil pepper and capers amongst glistening red morsels of beef. It’s great, BUT they serve the tartare with these bland soggy potato chips that you can’t do anything with. I dunno about you but I like my tartare with something.
For a French wine date place that plays massive attack, go to etcetera on Valencia instead.

12÷15÷15 — My review is specifically about their Foie Gras Menu, which is 4 courses for $ 75. Each item is available a la carte though.
Foie Gras Torchon Maison $ 24
House made foie gras torchon stuffed with fig jam, tiger plum coulis, red onion jam, toasted brioche
Noix de St Jacques $ 32
Day boat Scallop, cauliflower purée, foie gras tortellini, sweet corn, raw Chioggia beet
Bavette au Foie Gras Poele $ 34
Hanger steak, yam purée, roasted acorn squash, parsnip rissolé, seared foie gras, yam skin chip, shaved Burgundy black truffle
Symphonie de Fruits $ 10
Maple yogurt, plum, fig, clementine, raspberry, blueberry, Tawny port coulis, yogurt ice cream
I am definitely a BIG FAN of their foie gras menu here. You do get your money’s worth for the 4-​course dinner.
I keep meaning to return to try their other stuff, but it’s going to be difficult for me to resist ordering their foie gras dishes again… because they were THAT GOOD. Oh well, it’ll be a good excuse for me to keep coming back.
There are a few things I’d like to mention before I wrap up my review though. Finding street parking was a little hard the Tuesday evening that I was here. It took me a good 10 minutes of circling around until I found parking a few blocks away. The service is a little slow and spotty. The staff was friendly enough, but they kept forgetting to bring me the drinks I ordered. The ambience is just so so. There’s an upstairs and a ground floor section. I prefer the upstairs. We were seated upstairs, which I was happy about. However, there were these two ladies sitting at the table next to us, and they were so loud it was extremely challenging to hear my friend sitting across from me. If you’re looking for a somewhat quiet place to have a conversation with people, this is NOT the place.
Having said the above (about the parking, service, ambience, and small space), the delicious food is enough to make me want to keep coming back. If you like good, French cuisine… especially foie gras… then YOU SHOULD TRY THIS PLACE AT LEAST ONCE.

Came here for brunch with some friends…
I got the Croque monsieur. It was alright a bit greasy…
My friends all got some sort of variation of the eggs benedict. None of them cared for the dish too much.
Like most places in SF. over priced. The only thing memoriable was the potatoes. Everything there was meh.
Place felt stuffy and cramped. I wont be back.

What a great find!
We took a chance on this place because it was in the Castro district, and had good reviews.
Although the noise/​energy level was a bit overwhelming, the food made up for it.
Our special appetizer was sausage in bread, which doesn’t sound like much but it was great.
We had salmon and pork for dinner and a chocolate lava cake for desert.
We’ll be back.

I started coming here for the French steak tartar and before going out or on my way home from work. It excellent quality and generous. Beef bourguignon is beyond delicious. It melts in your mouth. Then I tried the lamb Casolete and it was such delightful unforgettable course. The server cuts the baked puffy pastry on the table to reveal the baked lamb. Generous portions and lovely stuff and service

For a place just steps away from the thumpa thumpa of the Café, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was here.
Two of us got the burger and it definitely is one of the best I’ve had this year. Actually cooked medium rare and it came with both salad and fries, thus eliminating the usual guilt about choosing one over the other. Bacon is included, and you can pay to add cheese. Brioche bun was perfect. The two other members of our dining crew got the porc a l’ancienne. Nothing to write home about and the portions were dramatically smaller than the burgers, even though the pork was a notch or two higher in the pricing structure.
I was curious about the cassolettes, but they take 25 minutes to prep. The neighboring table had one and it looked pretty awesome.
The curved red walls make the main seating area vaguely resemble a dining car, so pretty cozy.
Staff was friendly and attentive.

A friend and I split the foie gras menu which was $ 75. Goodness, there was a lot of foie gras — we didn’t really know what we were getting into! The quality of the foie gras was good, nothing like Paris though. I feel that the ratio of foie gras to other food was very high. There was some spinach in the filet mignon dish and it would have been nice if there was more of it. I really enjoyed the halibut dish as well as the appetizer. Then, finally the dessert did not contain foie gras and we were pretty relieved.
I have also tried their duck confit in the past, which also lacked a plain side dish to compliment the sharp salty taste of the duck. Perhaps they are more known for their charcuterie and drinks since we saw many other tables order them.
These guys get really loud and crowded around 8−9pm on weekends, so we are glad we reserved.

Brunch, bottomless mimosas… can’t go wrong amirite? Sorry Bisou, I can’t justify rating you higher than a «meh».
Here are my list of reasons:
— This is not a great place for large groups. Bar area is narrow and limited on space. We had a large party of 14, it was extremely cramped for everyone. And by everyone, I mean EVERYONE. Only one restroom for both men and women which means long wait, especially worse when there’s bottomless mimosas involved.
— Host not very friendly. I felt judged and got a «wtf are these people doing here» looks from the front. Did not get a good vibe at all.
— Food was meh. Presentation was nice but for the price it’s not worth it. It was a bit bland and most of us left hungry.
— Mimosa is not consistent. Bar lined up bottles and carafes for all of the tables, we were able to compare the colors and you can clearly see the inconsistency.
— This is French? Had no idea as there was absolutely no French vibe in the restaurant. Perhaps it was reflected on the food?
The plus side is the service was good and bottomless mimosas and BM for a decent price.

Decent din, not unforgettable tho.
Brunch was meh. Club vibe, loud music. Felt a little forced.
Not impressed, aye.

It’s not often I dream of my meal — but Bisou Bistronomy sent me into Heaven and back.
I came to Bisou with a group of co-​workers. It was a rather large group, about 15 in all. We arrived to two beautiful tables dressed in fine Parisian style.
Inside, the restaurant is warm and cozy. It’s the perfect romantic date place in the city.
As we sat, we were greeted with several friendly servers. Everyone was all smiles and as nice as could be. Our chairs were pulled out for us, napkins placed in our laps; but most importantly, my wine glass remained full from the moment I sat down until the moment I left. That, my friends, is 5 star service.
We were provided a prixe fixe menu with a few options. I chose the French onion soup, pork tenderloin, and chocolate lava cake. The French onion soup was rich and hearty. It was one of the sweetest soups I’ve had, but surprisingly balanced. I would definitely rank this as one of the best French onion soups I’ve had yet.
The pork tenderloin was a monster. Someone in my party likened it to the large turkey legs at Medieval Times. They weren’t kidding. The meat was buttery and flavorful. Too often I avoid pork. My childhood was filled with overcooked pork chops and applesauce that I’m now hesitant to try most pork dishes. Glad I gambled on this one. There was a hint of mustard, and what appeared to be sweet grapes and morel mushrooms in the sauce.
Dessert was decadent and quite possibly the most perfect ending to a dinner I’ve ever had. It was a true lava cake. Moist chocolate cake on the exterior, warm gooey chocolate within the interior. With a tiny scoop of ice cream and sprinkling of pistachios for flair — I was in a momentary food coma of which I never wanted out.
Dinner was long. 3 hours long. But with expertly prepared food, great wine, and the perfect company — Bisou Bistronomy is more an experience than dinner.

I recently joined some co-​workers at Bisou for dinner, and it was quite lovely! I studied French for 6 years, and after a couple glasses of wine, I was less embarrassed to chat with the waiter. If anything, I loved this place solely for the customer service. The servers were very attentive and accommodating.
Tip: French food takes time to cook. Be patient and you won’t be disappointed.
I had french onion soup for an appetizer. It was a tad sweet, but so warm and rich. Next, I enjoyed the Gnocchi pasta. The texture was light, buttery and melted in my mouth. I remember saying: «Currently having a food-​gasm.» No shame.
For dessert, I was so full, I could only waft the smells of the lava cake up to my nose. Pace yourself: a full belly is teasing agony when the food is so rich.
Overall, I had a great time. I got to brush up on my french, had some nice wine, and felt a little Parisian in the process. If you’re looking for a cute spot to be wined and dined, go for it.
Beaucoup de bisous!

Short Story:
No the best French restaurant to go for Restaurant Week.
Long Story:
We came here in a Friday night with reservations made for Restaurant Week. We got seated after about a 5 minute wait and were given menus. The place is two stories and a bit small. We chose the $ 40 option for a 3 course meal that was really more like 3 appetizers.
Our starter was the Oeuf Du Soir which was seared scallop with fried poached egg, pork belly, and sauce. That one was alright, the egg, was a bit soft and runny still.
The entrée was the beef cheeks braised in cumin. This also consisted of carrot purée, satisfy chips, spaetzle and bordelaise sauce. This was the best of the three dishes, though the portions were really really small.
Finally, the dessert was coffee panna cotta. Not sure what the designer of the dish was going for here, it looked like hersey kisses all over. The dessert itself was okay, but the looks of it was not appetizing.
The service was good and so was the décor and ambiance. The place is small so it gives it a cozy feel. We were upstairs too. Downstairs is probably more lively and entertaining.
Verdict:
There are better French restaurants to go to!

Vous allez avoir des sensations inconnues !!! C était une expérience culinaire incroyable … Et le chef est purement fantastique !!! A né pas louper a SF

C’est le meilleur endroit dans Castro pour un brunch à la française: pain perdu, crêpes, croque-​monsieurs, bonnes petites salades mais aussi oeufs en tout genre. Ce qui est génial c’est les boissons à volonté pour le prix d’une: simples jus d’orange ou carrément le mimosa (champagne et jus d’orange: attention à la surdose car çava vite !!!). L’ambiance est géniale: les serveurs sont super sympas, il y a des ballons partout et tout le monde parle français.
En tout cas venez vers 10h30 — 11h (au plus tard), sinon c’est ambiance boîte de nuit (il y a de la techno) et c’est vraiment bondé!