Chez Maman East - San Francisco

This place is really small – it has about 8 bar stools, 2 tables indoors, and a few outdoor seats if the weather is nice. However, if you're lucky enough to snag a seat, the food is delicious and reasonably priced. The bar seating is especially enjoyable because you can watch the kitchen as they prepare your meal. I highly recommend the arugula salad with baked goat cheese; it was especially tasty!

I'm really disappointed that I don't live near Chez Maman anymore. They serve the most indulgent hamburger I've ever tasted.

We also ordered the Brie panini with sausage, and honestly, I expected it to be good—it's hard to go wrong with bread, cheese, and sausage. However, it was a complete disaster and tasted awful. The side salad that came with it was lackluster and bland. The French onion soup I had was probably the best item I ordered, but that’s not saying much. The onions weren't caramelized and had a very strong raw onion flavor. I won't be coming back here and would recommend that you choose another place to avoid wasting a meal in this establishment.

For the main dish, I ordered veal. The veal was divided into three thin, flat pieces covered in a delicious butter sauce with mushrooms. While the sauce was delightful, the veal itself was a bit dry and tougher than I would have preferred, likely due to being pounded so thin. However, the sauce and accompanying vegetables were very tasty. On the other hand, the duck was phenomenal—rich in flavor and with tender meat. It’s definitely a must-try. To finish, the gelato was both delicious and reasonably priced. The staff was friendly, and the service was quick. Overall, I would come back, but I’d focus on the best main courses they offer and skip the appetizers.

Everything was great! The food was delicious, and the ambiance of the restaurant was lovely, especially the onion soup. The only disappointment I had was with the steak—I ordered it medium, but it was obviously overcooked. This isn't my first time experiencing this in the U.S., so I’ve come to think that "medium" often means something different here.