Hayes Street Grill, San Francisco

DO NOT eat here if you are a vegetarian! They served me a plate of corn and rice! It was one of the most awful and boring dinners I've ever had. To add insult to injury, they charged $26.50 for my corn and rice. The waiter was clearly disinterested. All in all, a very negative experience.

I love oysters and ordered the fried ones. They were too small and too breaded and came out as fried crumbs. My friend and I ate at the bar area which is very small. Our mistake. Though a little grumpy in his demeanor, the bartender unexpectedly became social and managed to listen in on our conversation and tried to join in which was a bit of a surprise to both of us. Wine is good. Liked the french fries . .. but feel like I missed the oysters and just got the crumbs.

I have eaten at Hayes St. Grill at least 50 or 60 times in the last 20 years and have always enjoyed the food. Today was an exception. I made the BIG mistake of ordering the house made Boudin blanc sausage with salad and French fries. I'm in my late 70's and I don't think I've sent food back to a kitchen more than 2 or 3 times in my life. Today was an exception. The sausages, two of them, had marks from the grill but were barely warm inside and of a consistency that was like a mousse. I ate part of one and asked the waitperson if she would ask the cook to throw the other sausage back on the grill. She was fine with that and the sausage came back at least hot inside, but almost tasteless. We shared a good bottle of Honig Sauvignon Blanc and the French fries and the coffee were good. I'm still in shock, as this is one of the busiest and most consistently good restaurants in the Civic Center area, and one of my favorites.

We always go just after attending the symphony on Friday evenings, usually with guests. I like the convenience of the location; the fresh, delicious, well-prepared food; the serious, knowlegable and attentive staff; the clean, well-lit spaces; the autographed photos of conductors, instrumentalists and singers which surround the dining rooms; and generally the straightforward, unpretentious style. We have had many a fine time there in intimate conversation with friends and family. Consequently, we are very comfortable in this restaurant and look forward to many more pleasant late evenings at the Hayes Street Grill.

One of the best seafood establishments in San Francisco. Anything better than Fishermans's Warf and much more reasonably priced than Aqua. Dishes are well prepared and tasty. Nice New England atmosphere with very nice and friendly service. Always a delight!!

On the night we visited, we were one of the few diners who weren't rushing out the door to a performance at the nearby Opera House and we told our waiter this. Still, the seafood was unimaginatively prepared and the sides were bland. On top of this, the prices were high for similar cuisine in the same neighborhood.