I’ve been here a few times, but they were specifically good about a large party I made a reservation for. Customer service was great — they were more than willing to accommodate extra people who showed up who didn’t rsvp, drinks were great, fried chicken was better, I’ll definitely be back.
Juliette S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
FAVEPLACEINSFTOGETBRUNCH! We go here for every special occasion. I recently went for my birthday dinner as well, meaning to get something not on the brunch menu — but I still had to have the shrimp and grits. I’ll try again this Friday when we celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday! But seriously, this place is a treasure. The vibe is great, the people are nice, the music is legit, the smell should be bottled, the food is hyper-delicious to every homemade detail, and you can hit Rock Bar across the street while you wait for your reservation — what’s better than that?
Marshall M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
The food here was delicious from start to finish. I had the burger… Very well made. The fries had a delicious and subtle kick to them. We also had a side of Mac & Cheese; we only wish the portion was bigger. The staff was very accommodating and friendly. They always made sure we had enough to drink and eat.
David H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
This is definitely a Local Dive. So far, as I await the arrival of my perpetually late daughter, I have enjoyed the cornbread muffins and blue crab hush puppies. The jalapeño aioli is spot on. Perfect with my Speakeasy CASKIPA! Probably have a couple more before she arrives! My pics are lost in the plethora of pics — #2998& #2999, but of course I think they are the best. Noisy conversation and good beer seem to amplify each other! Hope she comes soon!
Bruce S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Elk Grove, CA
Corina and I went for brunch on last Saturday as it is just around the corner from the family place we stay at when in San Francisco. I know this is a well known and popular place, but we had never been there before. It was pretty good, but had expected it to knock our socks off and it just didn’t do that. Corina had the Baked Egg & Grits with wild mushrooms, spinach, goat cheese and bacon. It was OK, but she would have been happier with a side of ham and eggs. I had the Biscuits and Sausage Gravy with a side of sausage. The side sausage was spicy and while good didn’t go with the rest of my breakfast well. I got to tell ya it is pretty dark in this place. We had to use the lights on our phones to see the menu. We will leave it 4 stars and will go back.
Susan V.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Berkeley, CA
How is it that the chicken is fried without being overly oily? My boyfriend and I came here for dinner, and the parking was so difficult that it was beyond frustrating. Eventually, we figured out that we can park at the Bank of America parking(which is relatively close to the restaurant) for $ 12. Trust me, just pay that $ 12 to avoid the frustration of finding parking. We made reservation via Unilocal(cool!), and we were seated immediately. The lighting is very dim, and it has a southern feel as it reminded me of a couple of restaurants I’ve been to in Texas. Our server was great; she gave us water immediately and took our order. We were also given two hot sauces for our food. One bottle was red, and it was mild. The second hot sauce was a yellow-orange color that was habanero. Boy oh boy, as someone who loves spicy food, this sauce was spicy, and it was delicious! I would definitely recommend you try this sauce if you can handle spicy food. She then gave us two EXTREMELY small corn bread; it looks like muffins, and it’s ridiculous how tiny they were! They’re cute, but I am disappointed in the size of the corn bread. Other than the size, the corn bread was moist and delicious; the whipped butter that accompanies it was light and delicious. — BLUECRABHUSHPUPPIESWITHSPICYREMOULADE($ 11): after the corn breads were gone(which was an easy feat due to their size), we were given the blue crab hush puppies. Oh my gosh, they were so delicious! The order comes with 4. When I cut opened a hush puppy, I can smell the blue crab. The first bite I had was heavenly. It was perfectly crunchy on on the outside and soft inside. I will admit that the blue crab was not as strong as I would prefer, but it was still good. The spicy remoulade was not spicy, but it went well with the hush puppies. — FRIEDCHICKEN4PIECES($ 18.50): we ordered two of this because the pictures of these looked so delicious, and I’m so glad we trusted the pictures! This entrée comes with 4 pieces of fried chicken, collard greens, mashed potato, and some popcorn. The plating style was cute because it was like a cafeteria tray! Nostalgia alert! The POPCORN was out of place, and I’m pretty sure it was used as a decoration. The COLLARDGREENS were tangy, and it complimented well with the chicken and mashed potato. I would say that although the collard greens were tasty, I would NOT go out of my way to order this as a side(if it was offered as a side). The MASHEDPOTATO was divine! Oh my. It was so creamy. The ratio between the mashed potato and gravy was off as I would have preferred a bit more gravy. Now to the holy grail: the FRIEDCHICKEN. The fried chicken was so crunchy and moist. I poked one of my pieces with a fork, and the meat almost fell off the bone. It was effortless to peel the chicken off of the bones. The best part of the fried chicken is that it is not oily at all. I love fried chicken, but it always comes out oily. However, that’s not the case for this restaurant. I just love the fried chicken offered here! Other than parking, we had a great time at this restaurant. I would definitely order the hush puppies, but I would order the bucket of fried chicken that comes with 10 pieces($ 29) because it was so good! I’ve never had such moist, non-oily fried chicken before. You should definitely try this place if you are a fried chicken lover!
Mark W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Aliso Viejo, CA
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives brought me here, and I am so glad they did! The food here is incredible, and the atmosphere coupled with cool waitstaff make it a great plce for dinner. I started with the blue crab hush puppies to start. They were cooked perfectly… crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. They were paired with a mayo-based dipping sauce. My main was the shrimp and grits, which is one of the house specialties. It also came with andouille sausage, which had almost a beef jerky like flavor(texture was soft though). The shrimp were huge and perfectly cooked also and paired well with the grits and sauce. All in all a great experience. Cant wait to return to try their fried chicken!
Andrea M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Jose, CA
This place rocks! I made a reservation without knowing anything about it(last minute Mother’s Day thing) and at the end of the meal by whole fam were thanking me for researching and finding such a kick ass place. So I totally scored. Going on Mother’s Day, the place was packed but they took us right back because we had reservations. The place is funky, hipster and loud… And I’m not complaining about any of that. It is such a fun place. We got seated in a booth which was made out of old car seats, seatbelt included. Directly behind me was an old school payphone(no dial tone, I checked lol). As a vegan, I ordered the Josey’s vegan that had grit fries. I really had no idea what that was but I went for it. And boy was I happy I did. Grit fries maybe my new fav thing. It’s just fried grits, hard on the outside and smooth n gritty on the inside. Only thing better would be if I had grits to dip my grit fries in. Haha. Grits on grits. My meat eater fam got the actual grits and omg they looked amazing. Greasy, garlicky and cheesy. I had a little vegan envy of them. And that’s why this place isn’t getting 5 stars. I wished they had more vegan options. Like some fried tofu or vegan grits would be amazing. Like a small sampling of what Souley Vegan has? Either way, the food was amazing. It was an untraditional pick for Mother’s Day but it turned out to be one of our better mothers days! Bathroom report: small bathroom but complete with towels and toilet seats covers. Single user.
Sarah C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Francisco, CA
Surprisingly(I think) 5 of us were able to get a table at 730 on a Friday night without a reservation. It was busy. I guess we got lucky. Inside was pretty dark, but cozy. They had some tables outside that looked like they would be nice to sit at. They bring mini corn muffins with herb butter to the table instead of bread. Those were tasty. One of our party was allergic to celery and our waitress was great about checking to make sure there was no celery Our party got: The ahi tuna Wellington special. It was good. Tasted kinda like beef Wellington. Sauce and filo dough were tasty. The fried chicken was excellent. Very crispy and the chicken was moist and flavorful but still cooked through. Might have been a little too salty for my liking. Still, 5 stars. The shrimp gumbo polenta was a little bland. This could have been because we got the sauce on the side(it had celery) but when I added the sauce back it just didn’t quite have that richness I wanted. The beef short ribs looked good, but I didn’t actually try them. Would like to try the jambalaya risotto. I saw it on another table and it looked good. On the spendier side– easily 40 per person with a drink — and they have lots of special cocktails and a selection of beer and wine.
Chuck N.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Jose, CA
Very good southern/creole dining in Bernal Heights /Mission district in SF(8 min walk from the Bart). The spicy shrimp and grits = 5 stars. Great use of sweet sausage, light and fluffy grits, great shrimp, just put some of their house made hot sauce(mix them) and it’s a lovely dish. $ 18ish Fried okra appetizer is really good. Not soggy, not over fried. It’ll make anyone like the staple fried okra of the south. 5 stars.($ 8) Fried chicken meal is so so.($ 22 I think) The 4 piece meal chicken is supposed to be famous, and it’s really tender, but just doesn’t have a ton of flavor outside of the nice batter. The collared greens and mashed potatoes are solid, as is the spicy popcorn. 3 stars for the price. The corn bread free appetizer with garlic butter is a nice touch too. Service was good, décor is cool, can book a reservation on Unilocal.Overall, a good experience. Also, lose the ‘fucket get a bucket’ slogan and memorabilia.
Priscilla W.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Francisco, CA
I love occasional rich and heavy southern comfort-style food, but I have to crave it to really enjoy it. Anything from fried chicken to mac and cheese to gumbo will do. The Front Porch carries that southern charm, with quaint rocking chairs for the front patio seating, chill booth seating inside, laid back yet friendly service, and an open kitchen if you’re seated near the back of the darkly-lit restaurant. Of course I had to try The Front Porch’s fried chicken and waffle during this past weekend’s brunch. The estimated prep and cook time for this dish is 25 minutes, but we received ours shortly after 15 minutes(the restaurant wasn’t filled with diners though). The fried chicken was delicious, with crispy, crunchy battered skin and moist, though borderline overcooked/dry white breast meat. However, the cornmeal bacon infused waffle was divine — both the crispy edges and fluffy center were perfect. The medium-course cornmeal batter added a bit of crunch, and the bacon bits shined through with a hint of savoriness. Dousing the waffle in maple syrup and butter was optional. We had New Orleans style powdered sugar beignets and fried okra as starters to nibble on prior to our chicken and waffles. The beignets were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and sprinkled generously with powdered sugar that after taking a bite, you’ll have a fluffy white mustache. The fried okra was decent, the batter crunchy and not too thick. On the side was jalapeño aioli, which was not spicy at all. But if you love a bit of spicy, give their homemade hot sauce a try. The spicy, vinegary sauce packs a punch, without a lingering burning sensation. Probably the best fried chicken I’ve eaten is from The Screen Door in Portland, Oregon. Pair their fried chicken breast with The Front Porch’s cornmeal bacon waffle and we’ve got the perfect combination I’d be willing to wait in a 30+ minute line to eat!
Em T.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Francisco, CA
Made reservations, but came here 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Still got seated at time reserved. As we were seated, the server didn’t stop by at all, until we flagged her down to order. After she took our order, she brought a small bowl of grit for my younger son(because he didn’t know what it is). That was nice of her. After she brought us water and the small bowl of grit, not a peep for 30 minutes. Again, I had to wave someone down to ask about our order. We were told«It’ll be a few more minutes, we had a huge order right before you.» Didn’t get our food until 5 minutes later. I was not happy about the wait(35 mins) for the food. Oh right, the food. Meh, disappointing as well. I ordered the SPICYSHRIMP&GRITS. It was satisfying(mainly because I was super hungry by then), but nothing great. The grits had a good consistency, and went well with the gravy. The Mister had STONERSTEAK. Boys ordered the COUNTRYBREAKFAST and CHICKENFRIEDSTEAK. Both standard, nothing spectacular. All their dishes came with potatoes, which was luke warm and bland. The food we ordered really shouldn’t take that long to prepare. Overpriced food, if you ask me.
Lei H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Francisco, CA
It’s been a few years since we have been here. Really because we live too far away for this place to be a regular spot for us. We got the favorites tonight — started with Ceasar salad light on the dressing. Loved it. They serve the lettuce with long pieces which was great. Lots of fresh Parmesan cheese — we shared spicy shrimp and grits. The spiciness comes from the sausage slices. It was only slight perfect for us. This was a solid dish but not my favorite as the grit sauce was a little on the salty side. — 4 piece chicken with mash and collard. I wished we could order all dark meat. It was delicious. The corn meal coating is the secret with a slight spicy kick that made this dish simply awesome. We sat at the bar as we didn’t have reservation. All in all a very nice early dinner.
Melissa N.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Berkeley, CA
I first drove right past this place as the storefront isn’t very big or flamboyant as other eateries. Getting here at 5:30pm, there was a small crowd of people right outside the place. We didn’t have reservations, but we went in right as it opened and got seated right away. It’s a pretty cozy restaurant and by cozy I mean the spacing is tight. So if you’re sitting in the booth seat you have to wiggle and suck in your way into that back seat while trying to to knock over the next table’s candle(I’m a petite Asian and it was hard for me!). Now onto the food. My friend and I decided to split the 4 piece fried chicken and the shrimp and grits. Let’s start with the Shrimp and Grits since it was the first dish since the fried chicken takes 20 minutes to prepare. The shrimp was plump, well seasoned, and perfectly cooked. The only thing I would change is that I wish we got more than FIVE shrimp, that’s right FIVE shrimp! The sausage was nothing special, but the grits and gravy was magical. The hints of shallots added greater depth in flavor. It was so flavorful that I wanted to lick the bowl. It wasn’t very spicy, but when I added the mild hot sauce it was so good. I mean SOOOOGOOD! The fried chicken came about 15 minutes later. The mashed potatoes and collard greens isn’t anything special. The fried chicken was crispy, well seasoned, and most importantly not dry or too oily. When cutting into the chicken the inside meat was surprisingly moist and tender. IT wasn’t as finger licking good as the Shrimp and Grits, but satisfiying. Overall, good experience and I would definitely come back for the shrimp and grits. Which was bomb dot com :)
Rachel H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
I’ve been here a few times before, but today I experienced my first Front Porch brunch, and it met the high standards set by on-point dinners of the past. I started with coffee, but there are plenty of boozy options ranging from your classic Bloody Mary to whiskey coffee and egg white cocktails. I tried the bloody, and not only was it huge(#value), but also had a unique maple-bacon rub, a special Front Porch flare. Though it was hard to not settle for my all-time favorite Front Porch dish, Spicy Shrimp & Grits, I ended up being beyond satisfied with the Baked Egg and Grits with Wild Mushroom and Spinach. The dish came out piping hot, naturally, and the skillet was filled with creamy, goat cheese-infused grits, topped with«bacon crack» which is sweeter, maple-like bacon bits. The mushrooms and spinach were not to overwhelming, and I was surprised there weren’t more in the dish. I’m still drooling thinking about the bacon and goat cheese — these ingredients easily made the dish. The egg was an afterthought, but it was delicious nonetheless. Great service and a dog-friendly porch make this spot one of my favorites in the lower mission/Bernal neighborhood.
Eddie W.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Francisco, CA
This time, the fried chicken, served bucket style was disappointing. The exterior tasted slightly burnt and lacked proper seasoning but still retained a moist interior Mac and Cheese was even better this time around! Pork chop was delicious, great portion and super moist Braised Beef Short Ribs — super tender, very straightforward representation I thoroughly enjoyed the Bay Area Garden Party drink, a well balanced gin drink Overall Thoughts Chicken can be hit or miss so I hope you have it on a good day
Tara A.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Francisco, CA
I came here on a Wednesday night with my family to celebrate my dad’s birthday. We were all looking forward to some Southern food so we were excited to try this place! They start you off with these tiny cornbread muffins which are actually pretty good. Too bad they’re super small! We ended up ordering to share: — Fried chicken($ 18.50): Hot and crunchy! The chicken was moist and the fried outer coating was good. Collard greens and mashed potatoes with it were okay. Also came with a side of popcorn that was sort of drenched in the fried chicken oil… not sure what the popcorn’s purpose was — Fried pickles($ 7): I don’t even like pickles but these were pretty good. Tabasco aioli was tasty! Portion size was a small bowl for $ 7 — Dr. Pepper braised short ribs($ 25): Probably my favorite entrée – the beef was really tender and it went well with the mashed potatoes! — Spicy shrimp and grits($ 24): Needed a bigger portion of grits… Wasn’t spicy either. Shrimp was good though, and I liked the andouille sausage — Baked mac and cheese($ 7.50): Yummy!!! Came on a hot plate and was ooey, gooey, and cheeeezy Overall the prices were a little higher than usual. I’d rather wait in line for Brenda’s or Hard Knox because A) the food is cheaper, B) the food tastes better, and lastly C) the portions there are huge! Portion sizes here were definitely small for their big price tags.
JD G.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Francisco, CA
When will I learn? I am a native of the south so I came here expecting some authentic Southern cuisine but was greeted with a very hipster interpretation of my favorite dishes that really fell flat… I should have known by the menu that this place was too cool for school when I saw the fried pickles with Tabasco aioli, but the reviews were great AND they were featured on DD&D, so I figured, why the hell not? We made reservations for 7:30 but got there about half an hour early on Sunday night and said we’d wait but the hostess was very nice and offered to seat us immediately if we wanted to sit outside, which we did. Our server promptly greeted us, but she absolutely zero personality and seemed to be very cold… definitely a sign for things to come. They had sweet tea, to my delight, which tasted awesome, and I decided to split a bucket of chicken, with mashers and biscuits. My other friend got a cheeseburger and fries. So how’d it all taste? In short, I was not impressed. The bucket of fried chicken was served with chicken and popcorn… clever? Maybe the popcorn was just for show because it was STALE. As far as the chicken, it tasted like it was over marinated before it was fried and the batter has zero flavor, so all I could taste was the over marinated chicken which didn’t taste good at all. The biscuits weren’t burnt, but they were pretty darn close. They were very hard and just crumbled when you tried to eat them. I will say, though, that the jam that came with them was amazing. My friend who got the burger said it was nothing special but the fries were awful(undercooked and over flavored), and he was not impressed by the homemade ketchup. The star of the evening, foodwise? The mashers… yum! I originally asked for the without gravy but they put it on there anyways, which was no big deal, but they were sooooo good! After we were done, we had half of the chicken left… my friend and I were arguing over who didn’t have to take it home with us… I won that battle. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll be back. The service wasn’t great, the food wasn’t great, and I’ll stick with KFC if I want some good fried chicken in the future.
Jane P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Millbrae, CA
My husband and I made reservations here on a Sunday for brunch. I had the chicken and waffles, he had the country breakfast with eggs, and we shared beignets for dessert. The chicken and waffles is a pretty solid dish. A lot of restaurants get the waffles wrong, but The Front Porch did a good job. It was crispy, fresh, and had a slight sweetness to them. It came with a 3-piece fried chicken that was crunchy and flavored with a lot of herbs. Delicious! The country breakfast was standard, but the quality of the ingredients were definitely above average. The biggest disappointment was the beignets. I’ve had beignets from Café du Monde in New Orleans and these were not a good replica. They were really thick, compact, and very chewy. The service was a bit slow, but we were seated right at our reservation time. The restaurant is dark, so you’ll need to get outside seating if you need those good food pics with natural lighting. We were also able to get street parking nearby. Overall, the chicken and waffles and the country breakfast satisfied these two Southerners. :) We’ll be back to try the shrimp and grits!
Michelle S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Gabriel, CA
Made reservations for this place for Sunday Brunch. The outside of this place really looked like a front porch. When we walked in, it was pretty dark. The inside was quite small, maybe like 15 tables and a bar area. We definitely had to try the chicken and waffles! We also ordered the macaroni and cheese(and we added bacon). And had the beignets as a dessert. The macaroni came out first on a hot skillet. I thought it was really good, partly because we added bacon to it. It did seem quite oily. Then the chicken and waffles came out. I really liked that the chicken was still juicy and not dry like most other places. The waffles had little pieces of bacon bits in it as well. Everything paired very well together. We requested that the beignets come out at the end, just in case we wanted to take them to go. But we ended up eating it there since they wouldn’t taste as good when they get cold. Beignets tasted dry to me. Would probably come back if I’m ever in the area.
Elaine N.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Francisco, CA
Excited for my trip to Nola, we decided to try this place to give me a taste of that southern soul food flare. We ordered the following: Deviled eggs = with bacon and bourbon jam. Yum! Crawfish hush puppies = came out dry, doughy, and chewy. I had better hush puppies elsewhere. Fried chicken = 4 pieces of fried chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green collards. It was way too salty for my taste and I was not impressed with the fried chicken. KFC mashed potatoes with gravy taste way better than this. Flounder = the only dish that night that was decent. Fish was cooked perfectly. While the food was mediocre, I did enjoy the casual ambiance and the chill staff. Tip: Make reservation or come early to secure a spot. It can get crowded.
Janet K.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Francisco, CA
Fried chickeeennnnnn is my favorite comfort food! I trek around cities finding the best fried chicken and front porch is definitely one of the best. I came here with friends on a weekend and it was packed; they had no more tables so we had it to sit by the bar. I got their fried chicken and their hush puppies. The fried chicken plate came with 4 pieces of chicken, collard greens, mashed potatoes and popcorn! Their fried chicken was bursting hot and when you bit into it, it was so moist! The breading and the seasoning was also superb! My second favorite was the collard greens! It complimented the greasiness of the fried chicken so well because it was acidic! And the mashed potatoes and gravy were delicious! I also liked how buttery the popcorn was! But I thought their hush puppies were just ok. It was actually kind of bready in texture. Tip– they have house made hot sauce! Sooo good but super spicy be careful for you have been warned!
Andrew E.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
F*** it and get a bucket! Love that saying, and it holds true at the Front Porch. Their fried chicken is executed so well when it comes to breading, spice, and the juiciness of the meat. I have a strong appreciation for places that can make deep fried chicken breast taste like a thigh. Be careful when biting into these bad boys, cuz your tongue will get blasted by the piping hot juicy goodness that is their fried chicken. Also on the menu for our night were the blue crab hush puppies(oh mai gah!), mac’n cheese(good, but not life changing), and mashed potatoes(suggestion to staff: please serve with more gravy!). I also ordered the porch swing(cocktail) and my fiancée ordered the old fashioned. The porch swing was a bit whatevers in my book, but we both agreed that their Dr. Pepper braised old fashioned is a must! FYI we had a good amount of left overs to take home. Please note that although they can accommodate big groups, I wouldn’t recommend walking in with one unless you have a reservation. There isn’t a ton of space in there. I’ll be back for those short ribs!
.Vanessa G.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Oakland, CA
I’ll start by saying I’m not the biggest southern style food lover there is, but i will say if you are this is probably one of 3 places I would visit. The fried chicken and waffle is really good. the biscuits weren’t great, they were ok. Overall, i’d say if you were in the area and were hungry for some southern style cuisine you probably should come here. I really liked the ambiance too, i felt like i was somewhere other than SF but it was a little loud for my taste, i had to yell across the table to people in my party. Service was good and prices were fair.
Camille C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Ramon, CA
This is such a cute, little joint. We made reservations for a Saturday night &WOW, parking is no bueno dude. There is a Safeway that EVERYONE& I mean EVERYONE was parking at & it doesn’t seem to be regulated so we ended up taking our chances. I do not recommend it as I’m sure they will for sure start regulating. There is no waiting area, you walk into the building & there is a table right there. Like I said, super cute ambiance. We were seated towards the back, where we could see the cooks. It was pretty cool. They had cute little candle lights on each table & the lighting is pretty dark, SUPERROMANTICAL :) They gave us corn bread to snack on before they took our orders. They provide you with glasses along with a glass pitcher so you can fill your own water which is an idea I think a lot of restaurants should adapt. Just sayin’ I ordered the Farmer’s Vegan which is ansom mills farro verde with delicate squash, dino kale, brussel sprouts, caramelized onions, pumpkin seed oil. It was pretty good :) Not a big fan of squash but I enjoyed it. Larrs has some baked Mac & Cheese that came with his order of Fried Chicken which also came with Garlic Mashers with gracy & Hock Collards. The Mac & Cheese were bomb! The collards were a bit salty for my taste but still good nonetheless. All in all, it’s a cute little romantical place. I’d definitely recommend making reservations.
Joseph L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Francisco, CA
Get a bucket of fried chicken. That’s all. It’s really your local watering hole with solid solid food if anything. Been here a couple times now and sure it’s off the beaten path, but the food, drink, and vibe is what you get if you’re in this part of town. Let’s get back to the food though. That’s what you came from isn’t it? Well all the other things I came for the fried chicken. I consider myself an expert and aficionado of fried chicken(wait, who really isn’t though?). This ain’t my bucket from KFC or Popeye’s(I might actually prefer those, my body probably doesn’t) … but it’s still oh so good and pretty sure way healthier. The bucket came with some popcorn mixed in too, so that was clever, but the chicken itself was CRUNCHY and moist on the inside. Dang, I do get some KFC buckets that are dry as the Sahara sometimes, so I’m glad I got what I paid for. Fried chicken bucket. Listen to the others too. Come get it. Come be happy. Cheers!
Josephine T.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Moraga, CA
I went here a couple nights ago for a late night dinner. First off, the place is adorable. It looks kind of dingy — kind of like a bar — but with decorative touches. Like fake indoor windows and petite white shelves spotting the wall with potted plants on them. Also, Christmas just happened so they had haphazard stockings hanging from the ceilings. Overall, the décor was adorable in an off-center and whimsical way. I liked it. I ordered the fried okra and 4 piece fried chicken. I am going to be honest here: I’m biased because I don’t like okra because I hate that slimy consistency. However, the fried-ness kind of helps to counterbalance that sliminess. The breading was really good and the jalapeño aioli was on point. Definitely has a kick to it if you’re not a spicy person. Fried chicken was bomb af. Personally liked it more than hard knox by a margin. I would definitely come here again. They have three hot sauces available that they make in-house. I think the fucket get a bucket(mild) is the perfect companion. The fried chicken comes with mashed potatoes, collard greens, and popcorn. I definitely am looking forward to coming back here again.
Tina F.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
Everything about this place has personality!!! starting with the food, all the way down to the condiment labels! FOOD: 4 stars * fried pickles, 5 stars, are always perfectly fried, not over battered, never soggy. the Tabasco aioli is yummy! * fried chicken, 4.5 finger licking good! if you F’it and get the bucket, you also get some popcorn, happy surprise! * pork chop, 4 stars. i’ve only had this three times. of course the first time was the best, flavor was on par w/Nopa’s pork chop. second time, some parts were way under cooked. third time just didn’t have as much flavor. i love this dish, just wish the preparation was a bit more consistent, like the chicken * brunch items, you can’t go wrong with anything you order LIBATIONS: 4 stars AMBIANCE: 3.5 stars * «cozy»(a word I often use to describe the size of most SF apartments). careful if you sit at the bar by the door entrance, people will hit your right elbow when passing by. * love the retro art SERVICE: 4 stars 9 out of 10 times, it’s pretty spot on! servers are always friendly and accommodating TIPS * street parking can be difficult * if you order the chicken to go, it stays pretty warm and doesn’t get soggy(at least when we drive back to dogpatch) * you can buy the hot sauce * reservations are not required, but better to have during dinner
June S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 New York, NY
We heard about this place from an acquaintance, so we were very excite to get some yummy food here. What we found was a cute outside décor, lovely outdoor seating, and dark interior. The inside extended long-way towards the back of the building, and they only have windows at the front of the restaurant. The menu seemed like, but we were shocked by the high price tags. I don’t really put the Southern food with high price together… The food was ok, the hush puppies were large and tasty, and the fried chicken was nice. The baked mac & cheese were melt-y and gooey. But none them were that special, it was good but not amazing. Maybe we had too high of an expectation… Read my full review of this restaurant and the food on my blog, foodlovergirl.
Josh Giosue D.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Francisco, CA
This place was a big disappointment as a whole. We came here with 4 other people and we all felt the same way :(yup, pretty sad, especially when you want to justify the pricing. Let me start by what I liked, I did enjoy the Mac and cheese, collard greens, and hush puppies(even though they served them with ranch instead of honey butter). Now off to the things I didn’t like, their fried chicken was the biggest disappointment(we ordered 2 buckets, so it wasn’t a fluke) the batter was not crunchy, mostly flaky, by far some of the worst fried chicken I had. The gumbo was mediocre, the flavors didn’t pop. The cheese balls should be called meatballs due to the fact that it was a meatball not a cheese ball smh. We ended the meal with beignets and thought how bad can they be, big mistake, it was dense and not beignet like consistency. Perhaps the places ive been to previously set the bar too high for this place. Would I come back? I would, only for their Mac and cheese, to be honest that’s what earned them the 2 stars, do not be deceived by the 4 star rating.
Dexter D.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Leandro, CA
We were looking to try someplace new. Living in the East Bay, we’re making an effort to try out neighborhood restaurants in San Francisco. Being fans of Cajun/Creole, we decided to try the Front Porch. We were greeted and given several seating options. We liked the hipster vibe of the restaurant. Upon being seated, we were presented with a pair of very small Corn Muffins. How small? Two bites each. The menu is pretty basic. Everything short of dessert fits on one page. I asked if the size of the Gumbo(appetizer) was appropriate for sharing. I was told that if I ordered the Dr. Pepper Beef Short Rib and she ordered the Fried Chicken Dinner, that the Gumbo would fill us up just fine, as the Gumbo came in a medium sized bowl. The gumbo was served with three bottles of hot sauce. A mild, a medium and a spicy habanero. The mild was bland. The medium had a nice little kick to it. We didn’t dare try the habanero. The gumbo itself was very bland and needed the hot sauce. My Beef Short Rib was boneless and sitting on top of a pile of Smashed Potatoes. There was also some Broccolini keeping the Short Rib company. Flavorwise, it was good. Portionwise, it was adequate. Tenderwise, the fat was cooked out so the meat was a tad drier than I would have preferred. I didn’t realize until after the meal was over that I hadn’t received any horseradish(or if I had, it had no heat!). The Fried Chicken was flavorful. The Garlic Mashed Potatoes were good but needed a bit more gravy as she ran out before finishing the potatoes. The Ham Hock Collard Greens were tender but lacked any smoky flavor. All in all, an okay restaurant with very good service but not enough bang for the buck to bring us back.
Danielle M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Baton Rouge, LA
I can’t start this review without mentioning how absolutely perfect the service was! The host and hostess were friendly, polite and accommodating. Since this was my first visit to San Francisco, I didn’t have a good handle on parking and was — yikes –15 minutes late for my reservation, which I hear are hard to come by because of the popularity of this spot. Nevertheless, the host welcomed me and gave me the option of a seat at the bar or outdoor seating under the heat lamp. After starting at the bar, I ultimately ended outdoors and oh. what a great experience! The timing between courses was on point. To begin, they started with complimentary little corn muffins, which were just ok, but taken to the next level with some amazing Rosemary butter. I also started with one of the yummiest, most beautiful salads ever — a fall arugula mix with Fuji apples, pomegranates, pecans and delicious persimmons, which added a great tasty element. It was topped with a nice light balsamic vinaigrette. Very good salad and definitely shareable. And as a show of their extreme southern hospitality to a visiting southern girl, the chef let me sample one of the best versions of fried okra I’ve ever tried. Instead of the little slices I’m used to, these were larger pieces and salted perfectly. The jalapeño dipping aioli was a perfect accompaniment. I’m also a sucker for trying out fried chicken and Front Porch didn’t disappoint. It was fried very well and reminded me of the cast iron fried chicken my grandmother used to fry. I would give it an 8.5 out of 10 because I tend to prefer a wet battered chicken recipe with just a tad more salt, but it was still very very good. The house made hot sauce completed it. They served four huge seasoned pieces with collard greens, popcorn(this was different) and although it usually comes with garlic mashed potatoes, I subbed for the«new» moms twice baked potatoes with crispy potato skins. Definitely worth the $ 2 upgrade! I had the pleasure of visiting with two locals as they finished their drinks outside. They were lovely and shared they they visit often, mostly for the fried chicken. I was very pleased with my visit and look forward to coming back during my next visit to the Bay Area next year!
Kristina K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Lincolnwood, IL
I can’t be happier when Unilocal comes through. It wasn’t even me Unilocaling this time around. It was my not so Unilocaler of a significant other. He converted for me! Anyway we were looking to cheat hard on our diets when the front porch appeared on our radar. It was serendipitous, I am convinced. We meant to go for ice cream rather than food but saw The Front Porch wondered what it was. Only the smallest restaurant with the biggest personality. We got sat right away and ordered right away as well. We got fried pickles, fried chicken, the burger, braised beef and a salad but holly cow was that food great. I can easily say it was probably in the top 5 for me. The service is phenomenal, the place is cool, and the food is great. What’s not to love?
Eddie W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
Fingerlickin moist tender fried chicken +2 Scrumptious beignets made by angels +2 Creamy gooey mac and cheese +1 Pass on the okra and Shrimp Po Boy… the okra is fine but nothing special, Shrimp Po boy only comes with four measly shrimp on a non butter bun and no sauce Overall Thoughts Freakin good fried chicken and stellar beignets…10x better than Brenda’s
Cynthia W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
I’ve been here for brunch twice now! If you are walking, the surrounding area is a little rough(passed by a guy getting arrested for assaulting a woman, whose face was bloody), but mostly fine. It’s one of the few places near Bernal Hill that takes reservations for brunch! The first thing you notice when you walk in is how dark it is inside. Then your eyes adjust and you realize there are lots of people around you, and the inside is just as cute as the outside. The French toast sticks($ 8) are amazing!!! Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside — the best I’ve ever had. The Stoner Stack was also great(14), but the food definitely canceled out my «hike» that morning! Everyone around us had fried chicken, which seemed a little aggressive for me that morning, but I can’t wait to come back to try it!
Josh F.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Foster City, CA
They converted a house into a hell of a kitchen so you might as well check it out. My girlfriend and I came here in a Sunday for brunch so there was an hour wait but not to worry… there’s a Safeway within walking distance and hot Cheetos were 2 for $ 4. Anyways, we got the shrimp and grits as well as the fried chicken with bacon over a biscuit with potatoes. The grits was alright… just alright. Actually to save you from some reading, both meals were just alright. The shrimp was nicely cooked however so I’ll give that part of the dish a 8⁄10. The grits part was tasty but ehhh. Let’s go with a 6⁄10 since I’d love for you to try a spoonful but definitely not a bowlful. The sandwich was better but not by much. On the real it didn’t taste. There was a sauce over the sandwich but it only had a faint taste of cream and cream and some broth and more cream. The ketchup was good though. And the bacon was aite. More bacon please. 6.5÷10 cuz I shoulda gotten chicken and waffles or an omelet or anything else. Looking forward to trying their bucket of chicken. Cuz fucket, get a bucket
Ryan S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Vallejo, CA
Great food and décor, the long wait is well worth it. I went for the shrimp and grits which hit a variety of flavorful notes from the perfectly cooked shrimp to the well-seasoned coarse grits. I would certainly come back to try other menu items.