Caruso’s

Can not say enough about this place!
Went for brunch and after dinner dessert.
The display cooler and was filled with options for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and sweet portions for everyone’s appetite. I had a wonderful breakfast croissant with game cheese and egg. Needed a little sauce to help balance the airy croissant, and if we had stayed to eat there, options were available.
My fiancé had a delicious bagel with egg and cheese. Light and appropriate everything bagel with savory cheese and fluffy egg omelette.
Came back to visit after dinner for the key lime tart I had my eyes on at breakfast. Amazing! Smooth, sweet and expected flavor. Good portion for the price too.
Will definitely go back tomorrow before we leave the area.

A little spendy but the atmosphere is pukka.

Caruso’s is just a nice little café bar in the lobby of the Westin St Francis. You can grab some cookies and a coffee or calamari and a cocktail. After spending far too long on the BART I was quite happy to sit and have a drink and a snack with my companions. I must have been really hungry, though, because I polished off the Chex Mix in a flash. One of my companions (who likes to be called «the Baroness») must have noticed because he ordered sliders and calamari for everyone. The sliders were rather tasty and came with tiny condiment bottles. I really appreciated that since I am not a big condiment fan and was able to put it on very slightly. I didn’t try the calamari as I just can’t bring myself to eat any cephalopods. I was told it was good, though.
The service was great. It really was. The waitress as well as the guys behind the bar were all very prompt, friendly, and accommodating.
If you are in the area or staying at the hotel and you just want to unwind, read a book or use your laptop, and have a drink this is a nice spot to do it.

Stay away from the calamari it’s horrible! Great ambiance at this hotel but there is another lounge you can go to instead of this one or dine out!

Great cream cheese danish & the orange juice is really fresh!!!

Caruso’s is part of our family tradition of taking in the Union Square holiday scene. Tucked in off the lobby of the Westin St. Francis, we like to walk through the hotel’s iconic entry way enjoying the Christmas decorations — one of which is almost always a gingerbread castle with a train encircling it (a favorite of my son). As this is one of several stops we’ve already made around the square, we grab a table at Caruso’s to quench our thirst and enjoy a snack before heading out into the cheery holiday crowds again.
Let’s start with the pros, shall we?
— This place makes a terrific martini. It also offers some fun holiday drinks like, «The Spiced Apple,» trust me, it’s delicious!
— A decent appetizer menu is also on hand here. My family recommends the Dim Sum Sampler.
One Con:
— The service is hit or miss. We’ve had good service on one visit, spotty service the next time around. The place is busy, busy, busy, so be patient and assertive. It is worth it.

Cozy little café/​lounge area in the Westin Saint Francis hotel lobby. Try the Grapefruit Essence made with Grey Goose… tasty
Oh the cocktails are all $ 14…little steep but theyre good

WOW — what an awesome Happy Hour deal! For $ 15 you get a flight of wine from a specific winery and complimentary bites.
Our server was funny and flirty. The sommelier/​wine expert was very informative about the wine and food pairing.
The trio of wine was from the Rutherford Winery and the food pairings (seared ahi-​tuna with a drizzle of sesame oil, creamy polenta with a tomato compote and blue cheese with a dollop of blueberry preserve) was Delicious!
Great place in the heart of the city to unwind and have a glass of wine with friends. Seating is very comfortable — maybe it be on a bar stool or overstuffed chair. Noise level is perfect.

Breakfast — good for pastries and coffee = the pastry chef is in from Tues-​Friday…
Lunch — pass and go somewhere else… it’s dissapointing, cardboard and expensive menu… not worth it…
EXCELLENT wine hour…$ 15.00 for a flight of wine along with a winemaker rep there.
Ambience…it’s a HOTEL LOBBY… not much of ambience… people waiting to go to the airport…
Caution: be careful with the lobby scammers and purse snatchers. they actively work this place… don’t get distracted…

In my experience here, both the service and food quality was poor for such a quality-​looking establishment at the Westin. We went here with some friends who were visiting from out of town. They were staying at the Westin and tried to make reservations with the Oak Room. After being told 3 times they could make reservations on a Monday night, they found that the Oak Room was closed on Mondays. In addition, they were told over the phone that if went to Caruso’s we would be able to order off of the Oak Room menu. So we proceeded to order from the short menu provided at Caruso’s. Our group of 4 was seated by the door where a breeze could be felt every time people entered or exited the building. However there were other seats available, and we were not offered them until we asked for them.
Upon receiving my french onion soup, there was no soup spoon provided. When I was able to flag down the server to request a spoon, she seemed surprised that our dinner table wasn’t set with soup spoons. When the main entrees were served, two in our party ordered steaks. One friend ordered his medium rare. His steak came out very well done. After asking if he could have a steak prepared the way he ordered it, he was served still another steak not nearly prepared the way he ordered it. Not all was bad, though, as another dinner companion received his steak as requested… although I tried it and it wasn’t as high a quality as one would expect from this company. Needless to say, we will not be returning and will not recommend making restaurant reservations at Westin restaurants to our out of town visitors.

All style, no substance.
Took way too long to get our orders taken and to pay our bill. My dad fell asleep waiting for our order to be taken (plus side: super comfy seats). Maybe that’s a testament to just how boring I can be, but nevertheless it shows that we waited too long to order. Somehow having four guys behind the counter and three people serving for 20-​something tables wasn’t enough. That really is food service cakewalk.
If after waiting 15 minutes for service I come to the counter, take my order. If you tell me that a server will be ‘right over’ MAKE SURE HE COMES RIGHT OVER.
Coffee was okay, tea was okay, nothing to write home about. There must be better quality in the area.
Aside from the ultra comfortable seating, I’ve got to give props to the sugar rock candy sticks given with each hot drink. That’s pretty smooth.

Ok place to hang – kind of like a cross between a hotel bar and an open coffee shop. Don’t think I would come here if I wasn’t staying at the hotel. We came here cause the hub saw their wine tasting and he knows I’m obsessed with wine.
Highlights:
— Wine pairing with cheese: nice presentation with a long plate with indentations for each of the cheeses and a printed out mat for your wine in a leather folder. You can see this in the picture I posted.
— Different cheeses: I found out a like the hard petit basque but didn’t like a certain kind of blue that tasted overpoweringly truffly.
— Cheeses with toppings: one had a berry sauce and another honey. Also came with nuts and grapes.
— Guy who presented us with the wine was funny – said the blue cheese didn’t smell like a sock so that was good. ;-)
— Snack menu looked good: crab cakes, kobe mini burgers, etc.
Lowlights (my flip side to highlights):
— The wine tasting (their «unwind hour») was billed as having a «portfolio of 11 wineries representing the finest of California and around the world.» They gave us Mondavi – the most touristy winery.
— They said «A wine educator» would be there for guest to «learn more about the wines and to encourage discussion.» He pretty much poured the wines, said a few generic words, and then disappeared. either wasn’t a wine expert, wanted to dull it down for the general audience, or was in a hurry.
— We waited a long time – after ordering and for our bill. Good news is we were told the bill was magically taken care of after spending 15 minutes trying to get a hole of someone. Ok they didn’t say magically but it felt like it – no reason given but it was «complimentary,» so cool.
— Atmosphere: just ok – nothing special
They are at a disadvantage with my review since I go to Napa or wine bars and drink wine as often as I can. When I go to a wine tasting, I’m expecting a bit more. However, if the average visitor comes here, it may be a fun starter thing they would feel fancy with and enjoy. It is in a hotel, so can’t really fault them for playing to that audience.

Centrally located in Union Square, Caruso’s a a decent lounge area that serves breakfast, lunch, appetizers/​dinner, and cocktails. Being a hotel lounge bar, the clientele tends to be business travelers, tourists or those just passing through town after a full day of shopping.
When its cold out, your feet are tired, and you really just want a cocktail (that you’re willing to drop $ 10-​$ 15 for) without dealing with lines and reservations, it’s a good unplanned destination.
Sliders hamburgers ($ 16) were a big hit with my co-​explorer. Small, but with lots of flavor. (Not him, the burgers, jeez).
I had the cheese plate ($ 16, I think) and a glass of champagne ($ 12).
So definitely not cheap, but a convenient location if you’ve been wandering around Union Square (especially with out-​of-​towners). And everyone was super friendly, which is always a big plus in my world.