My wife and I will be making a brief two day stay in San Francisco to visit close friends en-route to a month long vacation in the Orient.
We are fans of a well executed ‘Roasted Prime Ribs with Au Jus’ and would like to try out SF iconic ’ House of Prime Ribs '.
I was stunned to learn they are booked solid from 4.00 pm to 10.00 pm, both week days and weekends for the next three months!! Are you kidding me?..a Prime Rib house of all places?!! I have better luck with booking a table at World’s #1, Disfruta, Barcelona!! 
Any similar alternative in town?..saving a 3 hrs+, multi star Michelin tasting menu meal for another day.
Did you only try their website?
I had much better luck on Open Table, especially for middle of the week.
People say you can just arrive at 4:30, put your name on a list. I would not enjoy eating in the bar area … crowded, noisy. Just say you don’t want bar area.
A block away is Harris Steak House, more food options, more expensive but much easier to get a reservation.
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If you are a smaller party you can ask the bartender to get on the list for the bar, where the full menu is available. The bar is first come first serve, and I personally enjoy eating at the bar. I guess you do miss the show of the spinning salad being prepared, which you get at a table. There’s a waiting area in the hallway behind the bar where you can have a drink while waiting. It’s a SF classic. They do one thing and they do it very well.
Some impressions here: [San Francisco, Nob Hill] House of Prime Rib
With so many excellent restaurants in SF, I don’t think it is even close to being worth it.
It would be helpful to know what type of cuisine you are looking for (there are so many in SF), how much money you want to spend (there are many levels between fast casual and Michelin star restaurants in SF), where are you staying (do you have a car or willing to take Uber (which is relatively expensive in SF)…
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I called and talked to a live person who confirmed info on Opentable is correct and up-to-date!
For old school places that serve prime rib, there is Harris as mentioned above, and also Original Joe’s in North Beach. IMHO the prime rib at HOPR is better than that at both of these places though.
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First off…Thank you all for your prompt feedback! Much appreciated!
The major focus of my upcoming ‘Orient Food Crawl’ is yummy food over $$$.
However, since we’ll be eating pretty well in Taipei, Hong Kong, Macau, Kyoto and Osaka. I would prefer splurging across the ocean than on a single meal in SF…except for maybe something iconic like the Prime Rib at HOPR.
Anyway, we’ll be staying near Union and Market street, so maybe I’ll ‘wing’ it and have a simple meal of California Cuisine at say Nancy Oaks ‘Boulevard’?..though I was initially thinking of taking a long trek by Uber to Berkeley and revisit my old favourite - Chez Panisse.
Anyway, it’s just one meal. Worse come to worse I might even have something totally different like an upscale Indian meal at Campton Place?! 
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I’m seeing 8:30PM on 9/2 and 6PM on 9/3, on OpenTable. Cancellations?
I don’t think Chez Panisse is worth the cost and trek if it is your only meal in town. Bombay Brasserie in the Taj Hotel is very mixed - if you want some good upscale Indian then ROOH is very good and relatively close to your hotel. Boulevard is a bit old-fashionec with decent food. A few options worth considering from your hotel Ernest (New American with Asian twists), Nopa („classic” SF New American), Liloliho Yacht Club (New American with a heavy Pacific bent), Flour & Water (“classic” SF Italian), 7 Adams, Dalida (California-Mid East), Nari (excellent, upscale Thai with dishes you don’t see much anywhere else)
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House of Prime Rib gets institutional status, also probably legacy business status in SF. Is it up to the hype…depends on who you ask. Ask a long time San Franciscan and they’ll probably say yes…for certain occasions, maybe every few years. It is one of the few really old school places in SF of reasonable quality, among all the uber hipster places, the much vaunted mid level nice meal (not not so mid priced). SF isn’t a big steakhouse city….too much other stuff going on. So it’s nice to have a few really old school place, even if it doesn’t meet the fooderati or tourist high expectations.
It doesn’t get much more old school than cutting a hunk of prime rib and it’s pretty good but you go there for the vibe, take the grandparents or go during the holidays. They roll out the custom carts, do a show and also offer the “extra” cut of PR on certain plates. The bar also is old school.
Every city has these places, old school that get panned as old…but they’re still around and still in doing quite well. There has to be a reason beyond it’s the best, coolest or latest. In any case, hard to get a bad meal in SF…unless you don’t know how to pick or order. So you won’t starve.
BTW, not really hip on using “Tour of the Orient”. Talk about old school and out of date.
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What about venturing to Zuni Cafe? Another SF institution that probably has better food than HOPR.
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We’ve decided to make a reservation at ’ Boulevard '. Nancy Oakes still there after 3 decades!!
Also, the restaurant is closer to our hotel and by the water front for a nice stroll after an early dinner.
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Just be aware that they only have ALC at the bar, lounge and CC but otherwise (quite expensive) prix fixe
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You can get notifications on cancellations as well as do take out orders.
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I have been 3 times. It was a favourite for someone I knew well. We went to keep him happy. The Prime Rib is very good. I wasn’t keen on the creamed spinach some people love , but maybe I don’t know enough or much about creamed spinach. LOL
I don’t think your kind of restaurant, Charles.
It’s sort of a Lost in Time Nostalgic place that serves good meat and has good service. The equivalent kind of place in Toronto would be Barberian’s. ( For non- Torontonians, arguably still the best steakhouse in Toronto that serves prime rib, with great service and one of the best wine collections in Toronto )
My Bias:
When I have limited time in the Bay Area, my dining priorities are Crab, other seafood, and Mexican food, maybe followed by Artichokes and Japanese food. Prime Rib isn’t one of my priorities when I’m travelling. (I’ve also been getting better at roasting Prime Rib at home!)
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I go there with someone who avoids beef; he has gotten their wild salmon a few times and it’s always excellent.
The last time I went I requested the steamed spinach instead of the creamed. I like the creamed but the bacon in it doesn’t agree with me. All of us who chose steamed spinach disliked it … I have no idea why.
Otherwise, everything was delicious.
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The food is delicious, for sure.
I have dined out with Charles several times over the years, and we were FB friends until I quit FB in January, so I’ve seen what he likes to eat and order for decades ! Our cyberconnection through Chowhound goes back to the spring of 2003. haha
I don’t think it’s his kind of place, when he has a limited number of meals in San Francisco, knowing a little about what he likes and what he doesn’t. 
But, maybe he should try it to see for himself.
If you’re in the mood for beef, i would suggest the smoked short rib at Niku steakhouse. Otherwise I would try to get into Californios, Enclos (Sonoma) or 7 Adams.
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