This is a question from an overseas friend whose company is arranging a 20-person dinner in San Francisco for coworkers flying in from all over the world on a November Tuesday. They are staying in downtown San Francisco so the dinner should be 15-20 minutes drive max. Budget is $100-200 pp before drinks. Private room is preferred.
Since these reservations are usually a certain $$ minimum including wine, the $pp budget doesn’t directly translate. But the budget should give a reasonable idea range of restaurants that can be booked within it.
A local colleague of the friend suggested Dalida, Quince, Sons & Daughters, and Michelin ** and ***. I think ** and *** are out of the question since the prix fixe in those places are already $200+ so I can’t imagine getting a room or a private area will cost less than that.
Right now they have gotten a quote from Mastro’s the steakhouse for $5000 minimum which is $250pp, though I think they can do better than that in SF.
Dalida is a good idea (but depending on where they are staying downtown the drive could be longer than 10-15 minutes on a Tuesday evening)
Other tasty options with private room (though I don’t know the sizes of those) could be Ernest, Penny Roma, Foreign Cinema, Absinthe and The Progress
Boulevard Restaurant
Strong private dining options, with non-offensive and generally solid American fare
Kokkari Estiatorio
Has private rooms (Oenos room / event spaces) that handle ~8–30+ guests for seated dinners; excellent for a refined, group-friendly meal and reliable service. Fits your friend’s budget with pre-fix / family menus.
The Cavalier
Has a private room (“Marianne’s”) that seats ~22 (reception capacity larger). Stylish, comfortable, good for (I assume?) a corporate groupsand flexible menus.
Perbacco
Several private/semi-private rooms; the Barolo Room should fit your friend’s group nicely); generally solid Italian option
Waterbar
Multiple private spaces and event rooms (consider their “King’s Table” that cover ~20 guests); great water views if your friend wants a scenic downtown spot. They do private-dining menus and event coordination very well
Foreign Cinema has several private rooms of varying sizes. I’ve been in a private work event for ~20 people in one of them upstairs from the main outdoor area and it was fine. I don’t know what their current prices are but I would expect it to fit in that price range.
Flour and Water has a private room, but I’m not sure it would fit 20 people.
I might call Anchovy Bar for a full buy out? Might be too expensive, but it’s a fun international vibe. If they’re closed on Tuesday (my memory) it’s “free money” to them, they might do a full buy for a reasonable price.
