Tavares

Hit or miss, some dishes yummy but overpriced.
—- Daily Specials —-
Tomato soup: 4 stars
Came with chicken, vegetables and croutons. Not too sweet/​salty the way a lot of tomato soups are. Chicken was sautéed flavourful before it was added to the soup.
Chicken Tamarindo: 2 stars
Out of the three pieces of chicken, 2 were overcooked and almost inedibly dry. Best thing in dish was buttery rice. For $ 14, no thanks.

I was not huge fan of the brunch. The eggs are not organic. The potatoes were all greasy. The tea was $ 4 for the Tazo brand of green tea in a paper bag. If you are looking for a good, healthy brunch this is not the place. I wouldn’t go here again.
Oh and we tried to order an omelette and they asked if we would mind if they made it scrambled — which we awkwardly said ok. Do they not know how to cook omelettes or was it because they didn’t have very fresh ingredients to fill it with? Very strange.

Tried the breakfast. Coffee was weak. I could tell just by looking at it, when I could see through to to bottom of the cup. «The essence of Tavares is to procure extremely fresh ingredients and accentuate their natural flavors.» (says their website) But the french toast I ordered was topped with berries that seemed to have spent some time in storage/​freezer, & were put on my food while still cold. The hollandaise sauce on my friend’s eggs Benedict tasted like salty mayonnaise. Not the worst… But I’ve had way better.

If I could give this place a negative star, I would!!! I went here for a business lunch on Tuesday (Dec.15^th) both client and I got food poisoning!!! Worse part is we had 2 different plates. This place is awful. AVOID AT ALL COST!!!

Went here for brunch, right when they opened up and we were the first customer. Service was ok we just waited for long time to get our orders taken (given the fact that we were the only customers there we thought we would get faster service).
Food wasn’t bad, the only thing we didn’t like was the pancakes were dry and they were actually pretty horrible.
Menu doesn’t have much selection.
I would eat here again but not something I would crave for…

I’m sorry to give this cute, sweet, Potrero restaurant a relatively low rating, but I was really underwhelmed by their brunch. Maybe their lunch and dinner menu has Brazilian-​inspired food, but the brunch was mediocre at best.
I actually specifically went because I heard they had tapioca pancakes, but they no longer have that as an option, but they do still have regular pancakes and french toast. Other options include lox bagel, burger, benedicts, and other brunch offerings.
None of the food that we had was bad, but it was definitely nothing special or interesting. I love the location and the décor is cute and open, so I really hope they jazz up the food a bit for brunch!

Tavares is pretty awesome. I came here for a leisurely lunch/​study and the service was pretty on-​point. I’ve seen other reviews knock the attentiveness of the service but I was very well taken care of. Also of note is if you are sitting by the kitchen, there are USB outlets to charge your device. Pretty nice touch! Anyway, I started with the Tilapia Ceviche and while it wasn’t drop-​dead amazing, it was pretty good and fresh and they definitely give you enough chips to get at all of it. That got points with me because generally when I order ceviche, you get like 10 chips to use for the entire bowl. Tavares got the portions right.
Next up I had the Chicken Milanese and it was simply fantastic. The chicken was moist and tasty, there were olives on there adding extra flavor, and the mashed potatoes were awesome to even look at. It seriously looked great and the texture was perfect.
IMO Tavares is a pretty great spot to grab lunch. The food is well thought-​out and the service at least in my experience was excellent.

Decent food, but horribly inattentive service.
It took a while to be seated when there were only two other parties in the restaurant. It took a really long time to place our order, but once placed, the food came out pretty quickly.
The sauce for the crab cakes has some kick to it. The kabocha (under small plates) was good. The polenta was tasty, but swimming in grease.
It was a really hot day, and the waitress never refilled our water. She actually never checked in on us. She seemed distracted and then later overwhelmed by a larger party that came in mid-​way through our meal, and then all her attention was on them.

So disappointed. A very average menu, average presentation, average quality. It feels like a diner disguised as a restaurant with a story and influence. The only thing our breakfast had with any uniqueness was a side of delicious salsa that I had to ask for. Eggs came with dry toast-​nothing to put on it. I asked for something and prepackaged jams were brought, just like in a cafeteria. There’s not one person with a family recipe with mediterranean or brazilian influence? Something native to somewhere other than Fresno? Poor effort.
At least the space is cool, has outdoor seating. That’s a plus.

Was shopping in local design stores and asked for a lunch recommendation. The staff suggested a small row of restaurants on De Haro and 16^th. I picked Tavares after a quick look at the menu.
They have a pleasant outdoor seating area and a very attentive staff. I ordered the burger. Wow was I surprised. The burger was garnished with freshly sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, a slab of mozzarella and some greens. The bun was perfectly seared. What an outstanding burger. Maybe I was exceptionally hungry as it was a late lunch for me but the burger and the bun were cooked perfectly. There were some small potatoes on the side that were excellent.
Highly recommend for lunch.

Nice set up. We were here for Lunch.
Good and simple food. I had the crab cake, it was more oily than what I’d expected, but the salad and the avocado gave the dish a good balance.
Alfajor cake as a dessert! Yummy! Even the coffee was good (I like espresso).
Overall, great place. I would come back for the milanese next time!

This is the first time I have ever written a bad review on Unilocal as I used to work with small businesses and like to usually give them the benefit of the doubt. In this case it is well deserved. I came in with a number of colleagues who ordered different items, all but one bitterly disappointed.
First off they have a filet mignon dish that is only served well done and diced up like minced meat. This alone is an absolute joke. Needless to say this came tasting decently for its hard to butcher filet but for the over $ 20 price tag it was absurd for the minimal amount of meat served and the preparation.
After seeing that questionable item I went with the hamburger ordered medium. I figured that even a questionable restaurant can knock that one out despite it being $ 16. Not only did it take over 30 minutes for our food to show up it came well done. I ended up having to put on a good amount of ketchup and yellow mustard to make it taste decent.
Now to the service:
Not that the food was not bad enough the service was even worse. To start I ordered tea which after waiting 15 minutes and never came I decided to cancel. When the food finally arrived after the wait one of the meals was missing and they accidentally made another nasty filet mignon dish instead.
My coworker asked them to box the mistake meal up but they told him that he would need to pay for it despite the fact they were going to throw it away. In the end they hesitantly took off the meal that never showed up in the first place but charged us for the boxed up meal that was going to get thrown away. As an apology they offered us 10% off our next meal which is like offering 1 tissue to someone with a massive nose bleed.
It is safe to say that none of us will be coming back, and unless you are willing to risk throwing away money on overpriced food when you can get comparable food at the diner next door avoid this place.

Fantastic food and service. The coffee here is the best in the city. Cute and quaint! We were here for brunch but will be back for dinner!

Great food! Wonderfull Service. Awesome location.
If you stop by at lunch time you have to try“tilapia ceviche” … best ever!
You don’t like fish? Go with the tapas of the day :)
I’ll be back for sure!!!

Great neighborhood addition. I was not a fan of Mason, and I’m glad to see a Brazilian-​inspired restaurant in its place.
Visited here on a Friday night, and the place was half-​empty. We didn’t have a reservation. Hoping things ramp up or that our visit was an anomaly. I’d like to see this place stick around.
The menu was inventive, and our table had a tough time choosing what to order since so many things sounded good. Between us, we had a seafood pasta, the filet dish, the fish in banana leaf, ceviche, heart of palm salad and the burger. My friend raved about the fish as being very flavorful and moist. The pasta and filet were very good… different, not amazing… but worth ordering. Ceviche was vibrant, and the burger was solid. Some of the flavors in our entrees didn’t seem to completely meld together and were somewhat odd in terms of combination, but still yummy.
Service was really gracious and knowledgeable. Things were a bit slow, but the folks that run the restaurant are super friendly — the types of restaurant owners you want to do well.
Dining room had a nice energy. Not trendy. A little rustic. A nice place for a Friday night date or friend gathering.
Basically, this is a very good neighborhood option — solid food at reasonable prices, warm and likable service, convenient. I’d return here again. Not sure I’d drive all the way across town to try it, but if you’re in the area and want something a bit different from your standard SF hipster fare, Tavares is a great option.

We had brunch for two, included two mimosas. The service was excellent the waitress was very friendly the gentleman seating people was very friendly and check back with us often. We sat at the outside tables because we had a dog with us. We normally eat at Sally’s which is right next-​door, this place is new, so we decided to give it a try. The food was delicious we both had the tomato parmesan arugula omelette, with a side of bacon and a side of sausage. Since it was brunch we went ahead and split a dessert. Including tip the price was $ 71 for two.
We might return to the restaurant, it’s a bit pricey for us, but if you skip the mimosas, The rice would drop to around $ 55.

No offense to the owners of Mason, which was also very good, but this place is awesome! Reminds me of the french restaurant that used to be in this location years ago.
I got the Croque Madam and it was one of the best I’ve ever had. The bechamel sauce wasn’t overdone/​overpowering, and all of the rest of the ingredients blended extremely well. A small side was the perfect compliment.
Will DEFINITELY be eating here again!

Stopped here for brunch this morning, and was pleasantly surprised by both the quality of the food and the wonderful service. Also loved the option of outdoor seating.
The tapioca pancakes were fantastic, especially with the coconut & pineapple topping. We also really enjoyed the ‘Spanish tortilla’. which I would generally refer to as a frittata.
The Guava mimosas were also tasty and fun.
We spoke with the manager for a bit and he explained how they are combining Brazilian ingredients with various European dishes for a very unique combination of flavors. We were able to experience this wonderful combination of tastes, andI know we will certainly come for lunch/​dinner soon.

The bf and I stopped by for a nice dinner. This is really good Brazilian food that focuses on a farm to table concept and a lot of prep time. We had the smoked salmon tapas and ceviche to start. Both were really good. The salmon is served with cheese on a wheat bread. The ceviche had a very generous amount of fish.
For entrees we had the tilapia served on banana leaf as well as the filet mignon. The tilapia was executed very well. It basically melt in your mouth and the coconut sauce went well with the dish. The (chicken fried) filet mignon was also very good. It came with a coarse ground mustard spread that I really enjoyed but the bf that does not like mustard would have just favored lemon on the side. The mashed potatoes that came with the filet mignon were also great :).
For dessert we had the bread pudding which was delicious. It had a nice combination of dried fruit, nuts and the soft sweet pudding. All the options on the dessert menu sounded great.
For those that like wine or beer, they have a pretty good selection and we were happy with our Cabernet Sauvignon selection. Overall we were very happy with our dinner and will be back for lunch to try the chicken and burger! I really hope that this restaurant gets the business it deserves. As many to the missionbay/​Potrero hill/​Design district know, this spot has had some bad mojo.

Time: 12:21pm/63°F partly sunny
Purpose: Came by after a brief meeting with potential client. Talks came to a stall nothing has been reach no deals, no inking. All of this while stomach was growling.
Ambiance: Located in a share business complex building nestle between Tiptoes and Market & Rye. They just open about three weeks ago. Patio area with 6 – 7 tables surrounded by mid high wooden fence. Exterior walls with blackboards of various sizes indicating daily specials. The inside holds about 15 tables respectively with one round tuck in corner set up for four. The rest are regular unstained wooden glue flush together set up mostly for two. Some tables have mismatch chairs, some with wooden highback bench seating. Utensils are set on each table with chairs halfway out from each of table. Its inviting just by looking at it. Kitchen area over looking the main dining area. Tuck away in corner, small beverage area with draft beer paddles. About 3 – 4 stools set up that appears to be a small bar area with Elektra 2 chamber espresso machine. Half shelf rack with assorted bottles of wines lines the cashier front. Noise can be a problem here when its at capacity. Best bet take the patio area, much quieter more people watching.
Staff: My host/​waitress Nina really nice and friendly girl. Brought over menu and water under a minute of entering. No push for higher price entrees or recommendations. I suggest they get Nina the training she needs in case questions from patrons. There are wine/​beer alcoholic beverages being served, sooner or later questions will arise on pairing options.
Cleanliness: Grade A, impeccable clean with all posted licenses and permits. Servesafe certificate posted next to range hood. Side notes; dangling AC outlet wires for lights is place cloes by patron tables. An unforeseen accident waiting to happen. You have hot plates, beverages and staffs in/​out over counter continuously.
Eats/​Drinks: Potato and funghi galette $ 6 and Thai-​style salad with shrimp $ 11. Potato side dish was definitely tasty. Its basically potatos slice thinly fan out layers by layers nestled between cheese and stuffed with sautee mushrooms. Nicely seared on top its, presentation calls for a slight crunch while flavors still can be tasted. For a better picture think of it as knish. Thai salad was pretty bland with three shrimp the size of half dollar coins. All ingredients listed was there, but just didn’t wow me. Only thing I could taste was seaweed, peanuts, fresh mint, mango. The rice noodle and shrimp, bland tasting. It appears that all the ingredients are prep ready to go. Not a bad thing, but add some flavor or spice to it. At $ 11 the box wasn’t even fill half way. More like a small package salad from TJ’s. At that price thats $ 3.66 per shrimp. Ok round it off with other ingredients thrown in $ 4 each. Not a good deal with this salad. I won’t say anything if, there were at least 5 – 6 in order. A standard in most places.
Main Features: For lunch only Top sirloin burger and tilapia ceviche is best during lunch.
Products/​Services: Since I came here on lunch, I’ll go ahead and put what I see on menu. Appetizers-​tapas, focaccia, ceviche, polenta, crab & shrimp terrine. Salads– arugula, Caesar, Thai-​style, grain & sprout. Entrées-​pupunha salad with fish, ½ Mary’s organic chicken, filet mignon, picadinho tavares, shrimp pasta, top sirloin burger. Sides– kabocha squash gratin, potato and funghi galette, mashed potatoes, organic broken potatoes. Beer on draft/​wine by glass or bottle. Coffee by Ritual. Take out available. Takes plastics.
Punch Lines: Décor leaves something to desired, pricey, budget watchers, personable staff, zippy service, lively atmosphere, business lunch, occasional spotty service, nothing out of the ordinary, são paulo influenced, interesting takes, afterwork drinks/​apps, quite bland, not as great, go elsewhere, warm service, struggling during peak hours, small lot, WF ATM kiosk, gym, 280 freeway, Portero/​SOMA, young professionals.
Tradeoffs: Unpretentious with drool worthy food at more than Fi-​di prices. Not much specials listed when I was there.
Final Thoughts: I get the concept and all. Being that its a new place. I’ll probably come back for dinner and give it another shot. The setting, ambiance, staff, neighborhood, layout, people are all there. Only thing that’s lacking is, the portion size and flavors. Now if those areas improves. I’ll certainly update review and perhaps recommend people to try out. For now it would be somewhat embarrassing to do referral on. I’ll look like a fool, people would think I’ve lost my taste. For now 3.5 stars is the best I can do for now.