Atelier Crenn in San Francisco - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Amazing Michelin star experience and it was honestly magical and fun. 😄

I was somewhat disappointed by my experience here. Please note that when I give Atelier Crenn 4 stars, I'm grading on a scale where I was 1. expecting 3 Michelin stars; i.e., among the best on Earth; and 2. spending well over $1,500 on dinner for two. Our meal was pescatarian and dairy-free, not by our request, but because that was what was on offer -- as I knew when I made our reservation -- just noting it. We dined at 5:00 (I was flying out later) on a Tuesday, so it was not exactly the hippest crowd. In addition to the prix-fixe menu, my guest and I had the California wine pairings. I'll start with the physical space, because that was the worst thing about it. It's a colorless storefront, and somehow tiny without being intimate? The bathroom was amazing though! Charitably I'd describe the food as subtle. Certainly there were moments of awe and wonder. But more often it felt ... technical? Precise? I'm the type who likes fireworks in her meal so perhaps I was just looking for the wrong thing. The vibe here is "refined," and I wasn't feeling it that night/afternoon. Two elements here appealed to my taste for bombasticism: the florality, and the salinity. The dish that sticks in my mind the most was a dessert salad, immaculately balanced and crafted, that felt like I was inhaling your best local flower shop. The fishier fish courses were awesome here as well. What I didn't like so much were the attempts at playfulness: the pretzel bite, the green strawberry composed of anything but fruit, and so forth. If you're going to serve me a refined pretzel, it'd better be the best **** pretzel I eat in my life, and it wasn't. I've nothing much to say about the pescatarian and dairy-free aspects, but if those aspects aren't important to you, this might not be your place. The absence of meat was no big deal, but the absence of butter was felt. I've spent too much time on this already. The service was amazing, but I've experienced better at less-exalted restaurants. Bottom line, although I don't live in San Francisco, I wouldn't return here, and I wouldn't recommend this place to my friends who live in the Bay Area unless they've run through the other top places in town.

Very unimpressed with my recent experience at Atelier Crenn on August 3rd. TLDR: this isn’t worth the money and I would look at alternative 3* Michelin experiences. You can’t compare this to something like The French Laundry. What is equally frustrating is after sharing my feedback direct with the restaurant, they have failed to acknowledge or respond to any of the issues (now 8 business days after our meal and despite 3 emails chasing). Food: Nestled between good, at times poor, but never exceptional. We were particularly disappointed with 2 of the main dishes - the twice cooked shrimp was a strange consistency, chewy and not flavourful. The abalone was tough and unpleasant. We left both dishes but the team only noticed and commented on the abalone. The table next to us had the same feedback for both dishes. We also normally love a bread course, but the pretzel we experienced was very average and my husband didn’t even finish it. Service: lacked personality and connection. We enjoyed meeting many of the team members but the experience lacked having 1 person look after us. Knowledge clearly differed between each server and over hearing other tables, we felt at times we weren’t given the same level of detail or storytelling. Wine: The sommelier was rushed, and at times rude. When asking to take a photo of a bottle of wine (which we loved), he rolled his eyes and said that all wines would be shared at the end of meal. Whilst he grabbed the bottle for us, in other restaurants of this level I would expect this be an opportunity to engage with the customer vs feeling we were inconveniencing him. Lastly, this was a big birthday celebration for me. The team mentioned my birthday on my arrival and I received a lovely card from the team. But I was shocked we weren’t offered a glass of bubbles to mark the occasion. We had the Wines of the Word experience and I can’t believe that champagne wasn’t included when paying over $1K for 2 people. At the end of the meal, one of the servers proactively organized us an extra glass of wine (as they noticed we didn’t finished our abalone). It was a nice gesture but I wished they had asked us what our preferences would have been. Whether we wanted to revisit one of the wines or finally have that glass of fizz we were missing. We’ve never visited a Michelin star restaurant and not wanted to return nor been upset at the money spent. This was not the case last night & is incredibly upsetting based on the occasion.

After anticipating this dining experience for many years, when we did go it was such a let down. Dominique Crenn, we learned on arrival, was enjoying the Olympic games in Paris. Perhaps "the cat was away and the mice did play?" but this was a substandard experience at a cost approaching $2,000 (2 tasting menus plus 2 wine tastings at the lowest-priced option). This was the height of summer, we live locally and our veggies and fruits in our small urban garden are plentiful and very delicious. So, when we were told by one of the numerous wait staff that the Atelier Crenn "farm" (in Sonoma county) was being featured, and that the farmer had just come to the restaurant, we were excited to experience some summer produce......Well that was not to be the case. The tasting menu ($395 each, paid in advance through "Tock" app - on which they enforce adding a 20% tip, 8.6% tax, and 2% additional service - i.e. 30.6% upcharge to the price) is touted as having 16 (i believe) courses. Well, most of the courses are very small bites, meaning that several will come with a wine pour. That's fine, but the actual bites were so underwhelming. No fresh tomatoes, zucchinis, peppers, salads, or fruits such as tomatoes and stone fruits were on the menu. No! I lie.... one of the desert tasting bites did have a 3 extremely small slivers of santa rosa black plums on avocado. Which, since we grow them and know how delicious they should be, we pulled off the smashed avocado/guacamole tostada to taste -- and the plum was sour! Like from a grocery store in the midwest! (I know since I was just in the midwest and had the same disappointment). There was another fresh item - fresh peas. That was our highlight of the meal. It had a great flavor, bright green color, and different textures that wowed our taste buds. The peas were an early tasting item, and unfortunately the rest of the bites were not so exciting. The other "fresh" item we enjoyed was a fried shiso leaf as part of their desert tasting bites and it made for a tasty surprise. A strawberry (one of the first courses) was described as green strawberry deconstructed and made into a mouse. It tasted rather odd and had a nasty texture. Talking of texture, we were not fans of the other mouse's they gave us. One was a walnut mouse which was rather plain tasting. I cannot tell you what the others were now. There were 2 bread-ball courses. I prefer local Acme for breads, this was a rather uninspiring round ball - that at least helped fill our stomachs. The different seafoods were pretty all disguised in different ways, the exceptions being a delicious crab broth, 2 shrimps served 2 ways (fried heads being one of them), plus there as a nice size bite of tuna - except it had gristle that after chewing I had to spit out! The server did not apparently notice this when clearing the plate (with a glob of chewed gristle), although the kitchen prep staff should not have served a piece with a gristle line. I'd contacted the restaurant after the original booking since I had not added the "drinks" option to the ~$1,000 already paid when booking. I was told that the wine pairings were offered at $250, $480, and $1,225 depending on the wine list selected. Surprise! At the restaurant they offer these with the prices inclusive of all fees -- this means that you have no option but to pay 20% service (plus 2% additional service and the 8.6% tax) regardless. I'd have prefered to pay %15 on alcohol, but there you go. Overall expect to pay a load of money - a 30.6% upcharge on any of their prices. The atmosphere was good, the wait staff efficient -- albeit several are difficult to understand especially when they are rushing through their descriptions, which several of the guys were. Our favorite server was from the actual kitchen and she was very descriptive plus friendlier, to be honest! The men were rather stuffy and arrogant and, as mentioned, talked rapidly, often with English as a second language, so we had to ask them to repeat sever times. Our $300-a-person wine pairing was decent (we got the California wine selection), especially some of the wine pourings from southern CA. Our favorite was a light rose from Two Wolves in Santa barbara. That said, although we experienced some wines new to us, the pourings are small and they do not top you up (except one red which was stretched to several of the tasting "courses" and they told us would be repeated). In future (not that there probably will be - since it was that disappointing) I would order a bottle from the wine list and forgo the >$600 we paid on wine tastings. The place is small and several people were in sneakers and jeans but others were more dressed up. The place was not fully booked -- so perhaps they are not as popular anymore. I can understand if this is the case, this truly was a time that we were expecting a 5 star experience with the fresh local seafood and garden/farm produce. Instead it is more of a "guess what this is" and "find the local fresh produce if you can" experience we probably will not repeat -- there are many other options in San Francisco! Hopefully Dominique will take note of this and things will revert to the experience she used to tout! We left feeling very disappointed, but made a joke out of it when we told our friends. Really, it was too sad so we had to laugh.

Interesting ways to handle seafood. Luxurious wine pairing as well.

the place was really good. I thought Michelin star restaurants are over hyped till I ate here. this place is totally worth it. loved everything I had . fantastic service and great ambience.

Booked this place for wife's birthday dinner and was rather disappointed with the overall experience. Not what was expected from a $1000+ three stars Michelin restaurant. The ones I went to in Europe were WAY BETTER. The restaurant was small and somewhat noisy, serving between the courses were long; there were times we waited for nearly 10 minutes before the next course was served. The food was also very salty. Only thing ok was the presentation but how about focus on the taste first before attempt to sell your "story". Also, at the end of the experience we didnt even get to meet the Chef...again, something unimaginable from a 3-stars Michelin restaurant. Would not recommend this place.

What an incredible experience!! Not only was the food delicious, but each course was a visual delight! The wait staff is amazing, and meeting Dominique Crenn and getting a tour of the kitchen was a highlight of the evening ✨️

We had an 8:45 PM reservation, for which we arrived at 08:30. We were informed that our table was not available & we were seated at their bar which is next door to the restaurant. We waited patiently, & enjoyed a cocktail & listened to music.

Outstanding even in the face of extremely high expectations. Very attentive service, impeccable presentation, amazing flavors. Special treat to meet Chef Crenn who stopped by our table to check in with us. Quite a night!

Incredible place to eat. Both have tried 5 different dishes and my honest opinion 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟. The food, service and atmosphere were wonderful. Highly recommended this place. Big thanks from B+B at Sunbury Cove Winery CA

Incredible dining experience with finest service.

We were really excited to grab reservations back in November for our early January Dinner. Keep in mind that the chef/owner was NOT there this evening so maybe staff was off their game?? Here are a few of the things that we felt did not live up to 3 Michelin stars. • My chair back faced the kitchen and was hit by passing staff at least 3 times ?! They need more room for staff to clear the chairs without continuing to bump guests chairs. • We could not understand some of the descriptions clearly - at all. This left us frustrated and annoyed almost every course - BY the way - it’s a 19 course meal but keep in mind you’ll get 3 courses at a time!! • We paid around $45 a glass of Chablis that was literally over the hill or just plain flat. It was flabby and had NO acid. It should have been tasted before that shift so it wasn’t served to a patron (This is coming from a professional sommelier of over 25 years). • We also paid for truffles per person and I watched him shave it and it got stuck to the back so I had only 2 tiny truffle curls and my friend had barely much more. Certainly didn’t seem like the standard amount per plate. He seemed to pay no attention to that, all while we struggled to hear his descriptions. • Some of the dishes were hard to eat. The guey (sp?) duck, the oyster in an oyster bath was nearly inedible. A lot of the other courses were just meh. Nothing truly memorable. • The decor was also as bland. Just not what we expected for all the hype. In the end, the saving grace were the desserts. Those were extremely memorable and delightful. We wanted to love this place but ultimately we didn’t feel it was even close to a 3 star experience. All of us have had better food, wine and service at establishments not even on the Michelin scale and I’ve personally been in food and beverage industry for over 25 years. Our experience here has made us question the Michelin Rating system in general. The experience was sadly underwhelming and most definitely not worth the dinero.

The food and service were definitely affected by COVID and not having Dominique Crenn in house very often. The server could not tell us what town certain main produce from the Central Valley came from.

Best restaurant on the planet, hands-down!!!!

One of our most memorable dining experiences ever. The creativity on the presentation and the ingredients were mind blowing. We also tried the wine pairing which was on point with all the dishes, and would definitely recommend to anyone doing the tasting menu. The service also was impeccable, with zero complaints. We will definitely be back when we return to San Francisco.

Incredible gastronomic experience

Atelier Crenn, one of San Francisco's most exquisite and exclusive establishments. It never fails to mesmerize me with its magnificent experience on every visit. Its creative and flavorful menus offer a culinary journey where each dish is masterfully crafted with precision and presented as a visual delight. The ambiance feels like stepping into a work of art, enhancing not only the meal but the overall experience. Every detail is meticulously thought out, every flavor in perfect harmony. Stepping into Atelier Crenn guarantees an extraordinary dining experience. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking an unforgettable culinary adventure. ChatGPT can make mistakes. Consider checking important informa

Wonderful place to take the family

I went here 6 years ago and it was one of the best meals of my life. I was sooo excited to go back and see what it would be like now. And I was sadly sooooo disappointed. The ambiance has changed and the restaurant used to be warm and cozy and now it’s just too bright. And the food was just nothing special. There were multiple courses where I didn’t like anything (beet course, broccoli course), and it was just super disappointing. Sadly, I don’t ever need to return for another meal. I hope they change it up again because it’s not even close to what it used to be food-wise.

Worst Michelin restaurant in the world perhaps. Had heard bad things but being there even below that. Go to Quince or TFL or Lazy Bear instead

I traveled from Florida to San Francisco for a meeting with clients. I was accompanied by my wife. I did extensive research for our dining plans. I have watched the episodes of Chef's Table and I do cook. I have traveled extensively throughout the World. According to Dominique, each dish would take me on a journey. It was an absolute failure of a journey. The food service appeared to be rushed and insincere. There was very little explained prior to eating each dish. I found that the dishes all ran together with very little swings in tone or flavors. It was the exact opposite of an experience that Dominique claims to deliver. The Netflix episode is a great production film based mostly on a fictional experience at best. Dominique, nor what she claims to stand for never showed up.

Crenn provides a experience where food becomes art, and dining with friends becomes magic. The food is exquisite, the service very well trained, and the presentation reminds me of what Achatz is doing with Alinea. One of the times we went there, there was a dish I will always remember -- A Walk through the Forest. It paired mushrooms with sweet meringue on a wooden plank covered with pine needles. I never imagined mushrooms and meringue would pair well, but this was an amazing taste sensation in a form that truly evoked my childhood memories of exploring the woods adjacent to my home. Food that can transport you back in time is truly a wondrous gift.

Everything was perfect! We visited from Toronto. We loved the dishes especially the crab course. The crab ice cream was so impressive. I’m still dreaming about it. The service was very attentive as well. We loved having the option to get half bottles because we love trying out different wines. We already can’t wait to be back. It was very impressive. Loved the chocolate we got to take home as well!

Focus appears to be "sustainability." For this reason, butter is not used. Fish and shellfish are the proteins. Of the 10 course meal, 4 items were delicious. The rest were forgettable and one unpalatable. Overall, they try too hard to be politically correct and trendy. Bare bones depressing decor. Very expensive and overvalued.

Simply our best dining experience ever. Worth every cent. 19 bites we'll remember for a long time. Terrific balances, terrific products, subtle and complex flavors. The atmosphere and service were great too, not too formal.

I have been to a handful of 3-Michelin-star places around the world, and Atelier Crenn has some of the most creative uses of ingredients and flavors. The balance between vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes is perfect for me. The meal is light, refreshing, yet I am full and extremely pleased at the end of it.

Todo execelente!, super recomendado, amé la atención A1.

This has been our best Michelin 3 Star experience and we have been to a few around the world. Presentation, taste and portions were just perfect! Wine pairing worked very well with the vegetarian food that we had. All in all, this was an amazing start of 2024.

This is easily my favorite fine dining restaurant I’ve been to. My fiancé was completely speechless by the entire experience which is very difficult to do. Everything was so beautifully presented as well as delicious. I can’t wait to come back!

Fantastic experience all around. We had the vegetarian tasting menu and it was wonderful.

Everything we expected and more. Top-tier life experience from the food to the service to the vibe of the space. We definitely were taken on a three hour journey. I also so appreciate being able to enjoy a pescatarian tasting menu. Most times, there are meat-centric dishes involved with a tasting menu, so I don't splurge for fear of having to restrict my overall experience. The whole evening felt like we were part of a live theatre performance as each course unfolded in front of us. And there was so much care and detail to the star of the evening - the food.

Wow!!! We went here for our anniversary and were blown away by everything. We also did the wine pairing which was incredible and spot on. Everything is a perfect amount of food and the atmosphere is beautiful. The attention to detail was perfect. It is quite the pricey experience and very long, but well worth it for the quality and unique flavors. The little cupcake thing at the end and the airy pizza looking bite were so good I still think about them. If you get there early, the bar next door is very cool and beautiful.

Menu, service, and ambiance were all amazing. Each course was so thoughtfully put together from creation to presentation. I’ve seen other reviews that slammed the dessert courses and we couldn’t have disagreed more. Just perfect little flavor and texture bites. We enjoyed every bite of our meal and definitely left sleepy between the food and wonderful wine pairing but didn’t feel bogged down. This was a meal that we looked forward to for a long time and it delivered exactly what we’d hoped for.

The food was terribly disappointing, this was by far the worst fine dining experience I've ever had. For the cost of the tasting menu, and the 3 Michelin stars I expected a fantastic experience. The service was good but none of us at the table could hear the servers explaining the menu. The bathroom smells wafted into the dining room. Worst of all, and most importantly, the majority of the tasting menu simply did not taste good. All four of us seasoned foodies enjoyed 2 of the courses and found the remainder of them inedible. This restaurant having 3 Michelin stars makes be question the Michelin rating system :(

It was a 3 hours of gastronomic pleasure. Evening was capped with a tour of her kitchen and met many of her sous chef and staff. This is our 4th 3-Star Michelin restaurants visited (La Bernardin, Arpeğe, Amador) and didn't disappoint. Food was phenomenal. The only thing I can say about the ambiance is it's a little too busy and chaotic with wait staff walking in and around the table. It's loud. We are a table of 4 and I can't hear the details on the food being served. We've been to many 2-3 Michelin rated star restaurants - and this is the noisiest we've ever been.

We came on our honeymoon and were given the best experience one could ask for!! For some perspective, we have eaten at a number of 3 star Michelin restaurants in NYC, Washington DC, and here in California. The food was spot on, and in fact the best we had on our trip, the scenes in the kitchen (being able to see the kitchen and speak with the chef), and finally being able to finish our dinner with an amazing dessert in Bar Crenn. We again cannot thank the chefs, service staff, and everyone else who we interacted with who made this experience truly extraordinary!!

This was one of the worst meals I ever had. The food was not appetizing. The service was pretentious and robotic.

The savory courses were excellent, but for me the pastry courses were what set you'd meal apart, the fig tart in particular is probably the best sweet I have ever tasted.

Comida boa mas não espetacular. Bons vinhos. Serviço bom. Ambiente bonito mas muito barulhento. Mal conseguia ouvir a explicação dos pratos

I flew out to Cali for a milestone birthday celebration. I wanted to make it special. I earmarked all the experiences I wanted to have & booked them well in advance. I called to make a reservation before my trip to get a better sense of the timeline to expect if there was a wait-list. The lady I spoke to told me that they didn't make reservations for a party of 1. I told her I was willing to purchase 2 plates. She denied me still. If it was a matter of seating, I asked if it was possible for me to sit at the bar. She told me they didn't have one. That sounded extremely sketch. So I repeated her words back as a question, " You don't have a bar?" She told me flat out, "No". Although I thought it odd, especially if alcohol was being served, I just accepted it as some kind of upper echelon twist. I asked if I could be contacted if someone happened to cancel. She took my information & told me I would receive a notification. Needless to say I was In town for almost a week waiting on a last minute e-mail or text to attend that never came. I don't know why it didn't initially cross my mind to Google pics of the inside. When I finally did, lo and behold there's a bar!!! w/seating!!! The reason as to why this woman would tell me a bold face lie to refuse access to dine at this restaurant that I had my heart set upon, is beyond rational understanding. If it wasn't the purchase amount, party quota, or a matter of occupancy then the culprit remains a mystery. This treatment contradicted the impression & very essence exuded by the head chef that put this establishment on my radar. Huge letdown.

One of the BEST dining experiences of my life and I have worked and dined in many many 3 🌟 Michelin restaurants around the world...Chef Crenn truly is one of the best chefs in the world...

Team Atelier Crenn really knows fine dining, creative/tasty food, exceptional service, and wine pairings. I’m equally impressed now as I was when I first visited 18 months ago. Such freshness, such bold flavors, such creativity! Seafood and Vegetables were the stars of the meal with the “cherry bomb,” the carrot and pea taco, the cauliflower and caviar, and the beets and leche de tigre the standouts. The dry aged black cod with sides was superb. The restaurant’s redesign for 2023 gave it an airy and light feel. The overall experience (phenomenal dinner, visiting the food chefs in the kitchen, the pastry chefs in their kitchen, and delicious desserts in Bar Crenn) was worth the money and definitely worthy of its 3 stars. THANK YOU!

Beautiful food, high emphasis on seafood and local Californian cuisine right now, with Asian flair. The menu is meat and dairy free, including the desserts (which are cane sugar free and use fruit as sweetener) which I found to be very delightful and interesting!

Plus qu'un dîner, c'est une véritable expérience culinaire. Le cadre est splendide et intimiste ce qui favorise votre évasion. Le personnel attentionné et professionnel sait rester discret mais attentif. Maintenant parlons Cuisine. On retrouve les origines bretonnes de la Chef Crenn qu'elle a su enrichir, avec sa brigade, de techniques culinaires de pointe sans renier ou trahir la "racine" des plats ou des matières premières proposées. Ce voyage gastronomique m'a tellement bluffé que j'y retourné 2 jours plus tard et preuve de très haute qualité pour ne pas dire de la perfection : La magie a opéré une seconde fois ! Chose rarissime, croyez-moi.

Probably one of the best culinary experiences in US. You truly get to experience the diversity of Californian cuisine with locally sourced ingredients.

Perfect place for evening dinner with family and friends👌🏻 We ordered pizza and roasted vegetables and the taste was really very good and fresh. The stuff was very welcoming and friendly. Thanks for service and everything I will come back again and recommend to all my friends

PRO TIP: When you dine at Atelier Crenn, just make sure you are given all your courses. Clearly, they don’t seem to care if they don’t. I would have never thought a 3 Stars Michelin would forget a course. Atelier Crenn has proven otherwise. I’m just amazed at their caliber how something like this could happen. But nonetheless, everyone makes mistakes so we reached out to them to rectify the issue. This happened when we dined back in May on a Saturday. We realize they missed a course once we got home late and looked at the menu provided at the end of the meal that we didn’t receive one of them. They closed on Sunday, so I decided to write them an email. They didn’t even bother to respond but clearly they read my email because they called my dining companion (reservation was under his name) regarding the mishap. Someone make some sense how I wrote the email but they ignored it but decided to call my dining companion (reservation was under his name)?! The only thing I can think of is they wanted to speak to the person whose reservation was under just to verify we actually dined there? That’s fine I guess so I let him resolve it with the restaurant. It was a lot of back and forth and in the end they offered us to come back for a dessert tasting since they missed a dessert course. We finally settle on a date for 3 months later (random Wednesday). Mind you we were a party of 4 and we live all over and have very different schedules and would much prefer a Saturday as it’s much easier for us to commute, but they were not very flexible. So we settled on a weekday so the back and forth would stop. As the day got closer, my dining companion had to last minute travel for work on the day we were supposed to come back so he reached out to see if the alternative day we provided would work. They got back and said sorry they can’t accommodate but no other alternative provided. We were over it. It’s been so much back and forth and feel they don’t care so why do we need to go the extra when they were the ones that screws up. What if we all lived in different states and can’t come back, what would have they done? I expected more from a 3 Stars Michelin, even a non Michelin restaurant would have done better. Then again who would have thought at their caliber a course could be missed.

Ein hervorragendes, nachhaltiges Restaurant. Das Menü war sensationell, die Getränke fantastisch und der Service immer sehr höflich und zuvorkommend. Wir hatten einen großartigen Abend. Jederzeit gerne wieder.

We were invited to this party to celebrate our daughter's birthday. Atelier Crenn in San Francisco is a culinary masterpiece that deserves every praise it receives. From the moment I stepped into the restaurant, I was transported into a world of elegance and artistry. The minimalist decor created a serene atmosphere that perfectly complemented the dining experience to come. Every dish was a feast for the eyes, with vibrant colors and delicate plating that showcased the chef's attention to detail and her ability to turn ingredients into edible works of art. Atelier Crenn is undoubtedly a dining experience that transcends the ordinary. If you are looking for a culinary adventure that pushes boundaries and celebrates the beauty of food, Atelier Crenn is an absolute must-visit.

An unforgettable experience that would last a lifetime. Service was fantastic, utensils provided were unique and helped with the ambiance of each meal. I was fortunate to have one of the best wine pairings with a tasting menu that I have ever had. I would highly recommend the wine pairing menu to go along with the tasting menu to complete each meal. It will enhance your tasting experience.

Beautiful inventive new delicious cuisine, with attentive service, shoos tempura with beet compute soooo good. Then comes dessert maybe the worst ever certainly the worst for a 3 star restaurant, really ruined the experience and forced me to say don’t go.

small , uninteresting, loud [also pop/rock music] dining space with 20 to 30 seats depending on configuration; their bar next door for desert is more pleasant. they try for 2 seatings a night. good and very expensive wine list as expected. $1,200 for two included a nice bottle of burgundy. food must be prepaid, no cancellations.....can't blame them. 19 courses including 5-6 tiny deserts. adequate volume but few would leave "stuffed". no meat. we found almost all the courses interesting, many tasty, a few outstanding. excellent , friendly, busy team service. having been to over 40 michelin 3 stars around the world, this one is most unusual....up[or down] there with le petit nice in marseilles where all the courses have included seaweed. we had a good time and if you have a fat wallet, give it a try. we are one and done.

The dinner was an artistic presentation that intellectually challenged ones' sensory understanding of food. Chef Crenn's techniques decomposed common ingredients and then reconstituted them artistically to create new flavors and texture. The food was extremely delicate and required a lot of concentration to appreciate. The meal reminded me of the wholesome California spirit of Chez Panisse in the 1970's, the sophistication and precision of Jamin in the 1980's, and the creativeness of Ferran Adria in the 2000's. A thoroughly enjoyable dinner. For wine, we had a 4 year old Corton Charlemagne from a vintage that is early maturing. The wine tased like butter scotch in the first 45 minutes, evolved to pineapple cream in the next 45 minutes, but then shut down for the remaining meal. Perhaps it needed 5 or 10 more years of aging.

Food is okay but definitely not 3 star caliber. We just came back from Europe and a few one-star restaurants there actually tasted better than Atelier Crenn. We had problem with the service: they let us waited for 28 minutes between two dishes. That's unusual even for a regular restaurant. The restaurant is nicely decorated, but a bit on the noisy side. Tables are quite close to each other.

3 star Michelin,awesome food, drink too much. The tour of kitchen is plus.

Modern French cuisine, well earned Michelin stars.

Wow. This experience was phenomenal! The food was creative and fun from the start, and it never ceased to be inventive. The flavors were amazing - I read a few reviews that said flavors were too subtle, but I'll have to disagree. This may be due to the menu changing, but I don't think I would have described any of the courses as too subtle or lacking flavor. I had so much fun tasting the parts of each dish and then tasting as a whole, and seeing how the different parts fit with each other. I had the non-alcoholic pairing, and this was also amazing. I had no idea what to expect since I had never seen one before, but these drinks were novel and I've never had anything like them before. Speaking with the chef, the care, thought, and research in these really come through. There are details to be seen in the restaurant apart from the food - the plates and silverware, the tables and decor, look around. The more I looked around, the more I noticed the attention to detail. I'm amazed at what I got to experience, and though I can't afford to do it again anytime soon, look forward to visiting again. This is an experience. If you can, go in as blind as you're willing, and trust the chefs. They know what they're doing.

Quite possibly the most touching food in the world. Extremely experimental yet retaining of the wonder of new food after the reopening. It was also interesting to see the chef constantly looking at everyone's reactions. Please don't look up what the 14 courses are for this new one.

Chef Dominique & Chef Juan run the most Incredible Restaurant...

We were so fortunate to be able to book a table here in late September It was the best of the best of the best!!! And that’s not saying enough!!!!! Literally from the first step in the door until the last moment when we were stepping out, the service was the best and most attentive service that I have ever experienced. To be very clear, it was above and beyond other 3 star restaurants, and in a league of its own. Food was the same!!! The passion and love that the chef imparts into every dish is apparent in every bite. The experience was so intense that it made me cry out of joy and appreciation!!! The evening that we visited, the chef was not present, and that is the sign of the very best of the best restaurants. Meaning that even with the absence of the chef/owner, everything runs flawlessly! My only regret is that I was not able to thank the chef personally, and ask her if we might be able to take a photo with her. I highly recommend this restaurant as a must visit for anyone who wants to experience a top rank food experience created by a true artist!!! Thank you Chef Dominique!!!!! Jason and George Krikorian We can’t wait to visit again. Everything was delicious 🤤 !!!!!

Great experience! The food was so good and service was lovely. The ambiance was so nice and the people was so friendly.

After visiting France, we wanted to try authentic French Cuisine in America and this place definitely satisfy that palette for sure. Classy decor and delicious food makes it for a great date nite!

Great experience! The food was so good and service was lovely. The ambiance was so nice and the people was so friendly.

I was introduced to Dominique Crenn on CBS Sunday Morning in July 2020. After watching her interview, I ordered both of her books, The Rebel Chef and Metamorphosis of Taste, and knew that someday, I needed to experience her creativity and passion first hand. Atelier Crenn is a renowned delight in the heart of San Francisco. It was awarded 3 Michelin Stars along with the Icon Award for the World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2021. This far exceeded all of those expectations. Every bite of this fourteen course experience was exceptional, a dance of visual beauty alongside a blend of unique and surprising flavors that left you awestruck time and time again. As if this wasn't enough, we finished the evening with a tour of the kitchen, an introduction to the chefs behind the scenes, dessert at Bar Crenn and a signed copy of The Rebel Chef.

An absolutely amazing meal. Both the presentation and the food were exceptional and the service was wonderful - so beautifully choreographed. It's a tasting menu and yes, the bite sizes are small, but we did not leave hungry - nor were we stuffed - it really was the right amount of food spread out over 2 hours. It's a very small space with just eight tables, which explains why it's so hard to get a reservation. We didn't do the wine pairings instead opting to have full bottles of wine. The wine prices however, we more than a little exhobanant but the wines were delicious. An incredible experience and would recommend for anyone who appreciates food as an art.

Will redefine what your consider to be "food"... You will experience emotions and reactions you never knew you could experience due to food. They should make a 4 star category just for the this place. ... It's quite good... Better than saison, better than benu... Better than French Laundry... Incredible...

Ambiance, flavors, attention. I do warn you though: when you leave the Dining Room for dessert be sure to take your coat. It’s quite chilly where the work gets done.

Creative, elaborately presented courses. Some tasty, some muted. But at the end of the meal we were still hungry. Portions ridiculously small. Needed extra bread after bread course. Dinner is an elaborate show with a bevy of servers, somewhat disorienting. One server per table preferable. Coordinated wine flights excellent. But amazingly, we were charged for coffee. I wanted to support Chef Crenn, and glad to have had the experience but will not repeat. And, such a hassle to get bookings.

Poetic menu created to inspire your senses. The pre fix menu is built as a poem by Chef Crenn and her team to create an experience worthy of a trip to San Francisco. An extensive wine list will complement any pallet. Your night will conclude at Bar Crenn were Chef Juan will captivate you with a creative series of desserts which you can pair with your choice of tea or dessert wines. The kitchen tour is a nice way to end your dinner.

Incredible dining experience! I've had the pleasure of visiting during the winter, and summer, so I got to try different seasonal dishes. They were fully accommodating to my vegan diet. Aside from amazing food, the service was exceptional. They even brought out a knife box for us to select one to use. The pastry chef Juan made two types of chocolate candies for me to take home as a birthday gift. I will definitely come back here again!

22.10.28 dishes are all creative and unique, taste is on the sour/refreshing side. Love the crudo dish with lobster soup, it’s like a bite of the ocean, but not a huge fan for the beet dish.

My favorite Michelin experience in the bay so far. Dominique is a genius. Phenomenal pescatarian (earth-conscious!) menu. Mind-blowing textures, international flavor profiles, and high-quality ingredients.

Dining at Atelier Crenn was a grand adventure! The wait staff and sommelier took us through a story throughout the entire experience, and provided a service that was more than 5-star worthy!

The food was excellent and the service was very good. But I only give this four instead of five stars because I was honestly expecting a bit more from a 3-star Michelin restaurant. At most 3-star Michelins I have visited there is at least one, if not multiple, dishes where I just think "Wow! My mouth is in heaven!". But that didn't happen on any single course here at Atelier Crenn. Very good but nothing that really stood out as phenomenal.

Can I give this place 6 stars? From the moment we walked in the door, it felt like we were the only ones there. Everything from the service, ambiance, food, dessert, and wine was impeccable from start to finish. Every course was a feast for the senses and we easily spent 4 hours there and never wanted it to end. Thank you for the mind-blowing culinary experience Atelier Crenn!

Atelier Crenn has been in my bucket list for the longest time. We finally came here last week and to say it was glamorous would be an understatement. Atelier Crenn finally received its third Michelin Star in late 2018. This meal is entirely pescatarian and the tasting menu is $410 per person. My review: Atelier Crenn takes you on a culinary expedition where each dish serves a story. The meal offers more than just food, it is an art, it is a full experience. My personal favorites from the expedition ⬇️ 🍸Kir Breton - I love this first bite, the nearly translucent orb of white chocolate immediately shatters in the mouth with a shot of apple cider. 🏵Geoduck Tart - what a magical dish! This is the famous geoduck tart arranged like a rose, a tart with geoduck and stone fruits arranged like rose petals, top with butter poached uni. 🦐Spot Prawn - the spot prawn tartare and a cup of stock made from the prawns’ shells. the soup blew me away! 🍅Everything tomatoes - when I think of tomato, I don’t really think of depth in flavors. Crenn really surprised me with this dish. The depth in each bite really made me fall in love with tomatoes all over again. 🧅Onion & white pearl - this is art! how beautiful is this dish! charred onion petals with escargot caviars. The onion soup, the best I have ever had! 🍞 Bread - we are carb lovers here, need I say more? 🐟 Black Cod - this is our favorite dish of the night. The meat was buttery soft and the honey glazed skin….mmmhm chef’s kiss 🥛Almond - this dessert dish incorporates all of the almonds elements, it was creamy and refreshing. 🍫 Mignardises - hazelnut, pistachio and banana truffles. they also surprised us with a gold foiled wrapped marshmallow truffle. my favorite was the banana truffle! I love how the dining experience starts in the main dining room where we enjoyed our savory courses. We got a tour of the savory kitchen and the pastry kitchen (where I saw Chef Juan *squealing on the inside*), then we moved to Bar Crenn next door to finish off our meal with desserts. I will definitely come back again!

Every dish is very sophisticated and super well balanced. It’s a great honor for me to have a talk with Chef Dominique Crenn.

Atelier Crenn gets a lot of things right. The atmosphere is excellent, the food impeccably presented, the service friendly and knowledgeable. For my taste, however, the overall flavors were somewhat muted, such that I didn’t come away from the meal thinking any particular dish had wowed me.

Excellent haute cuisine dining experience

Food was fantastic, complex and delicious. It is a pescatarian menu which makes it more difficult to be creative and appeal to everyone and I think they nailed that. Service was a bit below expectation, mainly the 30 min wait for a table is not something you expect from a restaurant of this rating and from the overall price of dining.

Sorry for the delayed review. This is probably the 6th 3 star restaurant we’ve been to. I was truly underwhelmed. I have to give it to the “innovation” part - the way the menu was presented. The idea of “smokey” dishes was certainly intriguing at first. Then when I actually had it, the taste was way overwhelming. Almost EVERY dish was masked with heavy smoke taste and flavor. Imagine a pizza covered with a heavy smokey taste in your mouth or a delicate piece of sashimi covered in all wasabi and soy sauce. Good ideas with poor execution.

There's no way you could not rate this experience 5 stars - yes, the experience of flavor and mouth sensation is unlike anything I've ever experienced, a meal for the existentialist as much as for the gastronomist, a literal poem across your palate, and entirely worth the "once in a lifetime" investment for someone with an income like my girlfriend and I. For paying $500 per person, though, I would have hoped for a slightly fuller belly, more pronounced proteins (less than half of the "pescatarian" tasting menu had seafood), and more warning that the "welcome" glass of champagne in the beginning is actually $40 per glass ($80 surprise dollars is a lot for a social worker lol). But, part of the fee goes to the restaurant's efforts to help food-challenged populations in the city, and chef Crenn deserves a big shoutout for trying to make a difference in that regard. Do understand, too: Chef Crenn and her crew are putting out some outrageous creations in that kitchen, and all of the staff - host Wilmur, sommelier Mariana, server Sacha, everyone in the kitchen - were professional yet kind and delightful and down to earth in a way that you wouldn't expect in a Top 50 spot. Amazing place, incredible experience, and gratitude for it all that will last my lifetime.

Fantastic food and experience!!

The service and presentation, along with some whimsical touches such as turning the menu into a poem, are second-to-none. The small food portions are beautifully made and creatively blended, although would say the overall taste doesn't quite reach the heights I'd expect at 3 stars.

I was disappointed for a Michelin 3 star restaurant. The food was overly smoked. For example the abalone flavor was not even perceptible due to the over smoking of the dish. This happened to several dishes. The quality of the food had no chance to shine. Recently I have dined at several Michelin 1 to 3 star places and this does not deserve the 3. Not worth the cost.

Atelier Crenn After trying at least 3 different times, including a wait list, wife and I obtained a reservation for a midweek evening. The restaurant accepts only pre-paid ($410 per person with add-ons for chef’s tasting menu, no other choice. Service included.) reservations with wine, supplements, etc. paid at end of meal. From the outset, the staff (perhaps as many as patrons) were welcoming, warm, and always attentive. The layout is supposed to resemble at atelier with a central open space, some paintings, and a number of nooks, with framed poems on walls. There was also a sheet of poem on each table, a pretty long poem that took a while to read if you were so inclined. The atmosphere was somewhat dignified and conducive until more patrons arrived and all talked and laughed loudly – then it became quite loud which was annoying for us sedate diners. The 14+ course dinner (without wine pairing, but with a glass of champagne each, a half bottle of white wine, and a supplemental caviar course) was overall delicious including some unexpected delights, like the first course – an icy cold ball that burst in the mouth. For a Pescatarian restaurant, however, we were much of the time unable to taste the pesces in the food. Each dish was visually attractive, artfully prepared, intricately constructed (or deconstructed), many to be eaten in one bite. The teeny bites, however, were largely, very tasty. There were several dishes, e.g. the deconstructed onion soup, black cod, that were identifiable, not teeny, and excellent. The “moving feast” involved our moving, after the main course, to the Bar Crenn next door for the dessert and after dinner drinks following a brief tour through the kitchens. Bar Crenn had the look of a 1920’s comfortable bar. Overall, this atelier presents visually beautiful petite dishes, with very good to excellent taste and outstanding attentive service. The final bill came to $1,200 of which $820 was prepaid at reservation. Dining in this exclusive 3 starred Michelin restaurant, with its memorable service, savoring the artful yet uneven palate pleasers, was an experience!

Not that Atelier Crenn needs any more reviews, but this is a very unique dining experience. We booked months in advance, and we weren't disappointed. The entire evening was a story told in 18 chapters of awe-inspiring dishes. We celebrated out daughter's 21st birthday there, and they made it fun. It is an incredibly sensory experience while you are waited on lavishly by the entire team. Some of the reviews here say it's expensive. Yes, it is. It's a Michelin 3-star restaurant. Don't go if it doesn't fit your budget. But you will never have a dining experience like this. Watch the Netflix Chef's Table episode on Dominique Crenn before you go. If you can get in here, you won't be disappointed.

The very best tasting menu in the Bay Area. Atelier Crenn offers a one-of-a-kind experience that mixes art and food for an exceptional culinary adventure

I was visiting friends for a week of gastronomy delights and we were told to try this restaurant, but we were so disappointed! Although the food was presented beautifully, there was nothing extraordinary or memorable about and not one of us enjoyed any dish on the tasting menu. We also upgraded and added truffles to some of our dishes and even that didn't uplift the flavour. In addition, we added the wine pairing for an extra $250 per person and only 1 of the wines they paired, were enjoyable for us. What was worse was my friend found a hair on her plate with the second dish and while they did apologise, no compensation of a glass of wine was offered. They didn't even appear embarrassed! If you are paying $395 per person and in a 3 Michelin star restaurant, you do not expect to find a hair in your food! Yes, mistakes happen but the restaurant did not even care or make up for it with a proper apology or a gesture of compensation, by a drink or something! Although the staff were friendly, service was also slow. The atmosphere was also lacking and very pretentious. I can no stand places that give the feeling that their establishment is better than their patrons and their reaction to the hair on the plate compounded it! We were so disappointed. Two days later, we found ourselves in Napa and at the French Laundry, which was absolutely amazing and restored my faith in what a real, 3 Michelin star restaurant is all about! Skip it and save your money.

Had dinner here and was disappointed. It felt like it was over priced by about 2x @ $395/person base price for the quality of food and experience. Hair in the food. They weren't too apologetic about it. Staff forgot our wine order placed at the beginning of the meal. We had to request multiple times for the wifi password and it took a long time to get it still. Similarly, the staff took > 20min to bring our bill when we let them know we needed to leave 3.5hrs into the meal to go take care of our kid. The bill was wrong initially with extra wine added. The food was good overall but had weak flavors in several of the dishes and extra time between the courses made us hungry. The ambience was ok but it was hard to find the front of the restaurants, it was loud and hard to hear the staff, and it was difficult to find parking. This would be a 4 or 5 star review at $200 per person and 1 Michelin star but for the price and 3 star reputation it fell far short.

Two friends and I made a New Year’s resolution to eat at Atelier Crenn, and we did it! Who says no one keeps resolutions? Alas, we were all disappointed by the experience, especially for the price. Let me (re)count the ways… The three of us were seated around one edge of an enormous table that could have cozily fit six diners. It looked like this is the restaurant’s standard 4-top – there was a party of four next to us at the same size table -- and maybe the tables are so big in order to give the servers space to stand right at the table as they describe each course, because the room is so loud that we couldn’t have heard anything if they’d been standing further away. It was so loud that the three of us couldn’t carry on a conversation. Lucky for me I was seated in the middle, so I could lean toward one friend to talk, then lean toward the other to talk, then…you get the picture. I had to pass messages between the other two all night. Service started slowly and never found a rhythm. We’re two lightweight drinkers and one sommelier who definitely wanted a wine pairing with his meal, so much so that he asked three or four times about the pairing before the servers got around to explaining the options. Cripes, even I was thirsty by then! It took me days to realize why there had been a delay: Atelier Crenn does not include a (fairly standard for fine dining) first glass of champagne in the wine pairing; it’s an extra $40 for the bubbly. The high-end wine pairing, which my sommelier friend did order, costs $625 and does not include champagne – or anything – with the first three courses. Srsly. From then on, food came to us intermittently. There were several slow gaps when the three of us were sitting staring at an empty table after trying but failing to be able to carry on a conversation. Glasses were frequently empty. Some of the courses were really delightful, particularly the two early oyster dishes and the onion soup, but some of the presentation verged on silly, like the ceramic beet ceremoniously placed on the table while we ate a beet course, and other courses just didn’t stand out. Almost as a dare, one of us had the nerve to ask the servers if they had any hot sauce in the kitchen. They did, and excitedly brought it to our table, but it…wasn’t hot. I should say something complimentary now, so here goes: after glasses of champagne, we two lightweights shared a reasonably-priced, good half-bottle of wine that lasted us through the rest of the meal. There were some other small hitches. A server told us he didn’t know something because it was his second day, which I’m told is Not. Done. in fine dining. When asked if we wanted to add shaved truffles to a dish, for $40 more per person, I said I didn’t love truffles that much and the kitchen…then took all the truffles out of my portion of that course. I didn’t say I didn’t like them, just that I didn’t like them enough to pay the supplement. Sheesh. Finally, the dining room quieted down when we were the last table left seated. Hey, there was music playing! Had it been playing all night? We didn’t know! There’s a highly-touted backstage tour offered as you’re routed into the next-door bar for dessert, but the kitchen was already closed and empty as we tromped around it with nothing to see for a confusing minute. The desserts were not exceptional. Overall, Atelier Crenn did not meet expectations on any level. At $400+ per person per meal, we didn’t expect the service glitches, the challenging ambiance, and the lackluster meal we experienced. And frankly, we felt a bit nickel-and-dimed, with extra charges for champagne, truffles, and even espresso. If you’re like my friends and me, you’re gonna go anyway, because of the restaurant’s reputation, to be able to say you’ve been there, and to see if anything I wrote hit the mark. And I don’t begrudge you that, but do consider yourself warned.

I’ve dined all over the world and at dozens of Michelin-starred restaurants and Atelier Crenn is easily one of my top 5 dining-foodie experiences ever! The chefs’ and staff’s passion for excellence is abundantly obvious from the amuse bouche through the last bite of chocolate. I was a bit leery of on a non-meat dinner service but was blown away by the creative, innovative, fresh and extremely tasty fish and vegetable dishes. I highly recommend you request the wine pairing with the dinner since the synergy between them elevated both. The dishes were artfully presented by a courteous and professional staff who took pride in their work and the food prepared for us. It was a pleasure to meet the executive chef, sous chefs, and pastry chef when we transitioned from the dinner service at Atelier Crenn to the dessert service at Bar Crenn. It is easy to see why Dominique Crenn’s restaurant in the Cow Hollow district of San Francisco is a 3* Michelin Restaurant and consistently rated in the top 50 restaurants of the world…PERFECTION!!!! If you’re a foodie this restaurant should be at the top of your must do bucket list!

I love her story. I salute Dominique Crenn...first female chef in the US to receive three Michelin Stars. And in 2021, Crenn was the recipient of the World's 50 Best Icon Award. I first wanted to experience this restaurant because I'm a foodie and I heard good things but then I happened to watch Chef's Table on Netflix and became even more interested. I finally was able to book a reservation and experience the food, ambiance and experience first hand. It exceeded my expectations. Sadly, Dominique wasn't in the night we were there and I was really hoping to meet her.

Exquisite cuisine. A beautiful representation of food by a wonderful chef. Each course was delicately prepared along with a greater purpose. The experience was delightful.

My experience here was extraordinary. Both Chef Dominique Crenn and Pastry Chef Juan Contreras have created a sensory dining experience — in my humble opinion — without peer. I feel as though I was transported to a dining fantasy world where beauty reigned and pleasant surprises came at almost every turn. Probably the biggest surprise was realizing that I didn’t miss meat at all. The Onion Soup broth will forever keep me wondering — how on earth did they make something so incredibly delicious? I strongly recommend the “Moveable Feast” option. Being transported next door to the beautiful Bar Crenn to finish off the evening with Chef Juan’s fantastic dessert creations was literally the “icing on the cake”.

Such an amazing poetic journey through food! Was so star struck when Dominique Crenn visited our table ✨

Hands down one of the best dining experiences that I have ever had. Many thanx to Chef Crenn for stopping by our table and making us feel so welcome and also to Alex and Ernesto for taking such good care of us. The food was sublime and I'm still thinking about which course was my favorite. After 14 courses, my mind was blown and it will be hard to stop talking about this dinner. So worth the investment.

Art in a plate .... outstanding experience

My wife treated me for my birthday dinner. First time back since the pandemic. Not believing it was possible but the experience was at a whole new level. Every course, every wine pairing to match the food was absolutely amazing. The service too, each of those hard earned stars are well deserved. So lucky to live her in SF. Made for a wonderful evening with my bride of may years:)