Harris’ Steakhouse Restaurant, San Francisco

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Harris' 2100 Van Ness Ave. (at Pacific) San Francisco, CA 94109 415-673-1888 Harris' Website Book Reservation

Harris’, The San Francisco Steakhouse has been located since 1984. The restaurant has Old school steakhouse traditional decor with tall banquettes, and high quality 21 day dry aged, Mid-western, corn-fed meats. This is one place I think about when folks ask for a Steakhouse in San Francisco.

Check out our: Top Steakhouses in San Francisco

Decor, Vibe – Old school with a decidedly older clientele along with some tourists. (Do no wear shorts or they will exile you to the bar) Live Jazz music from the bar on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday adds to the classic atmosphere. On a Tuesday night, it was still fairly full. Business folks, couples, and more. Older set and no kids. Noise level was a lot lower than most other high end restaurants. Our last visit was for dinner in September 2024.

Don’t feel like eating here or want a souvenir? You can buy some pretty nice looking cuts of beef from their meat counter.

Verdict – Service was attentive but not over done. Service in the bar area is definitely inferior. Harris’ is still one of the top Steakhouses in the City.  Forget about chains like Ruth Chris. Top notch meats, classic atmosphere. Don’t forget to consider Other top American restaurants for good steak.  Boulevard come instantly to mind..

Harris Steakhouse vs House of Prime Rib (HOPR)

• Harris has steaks and prime rib, House of Prime Rib only has Prime rib
• Harris has a more intimate, luxurious environment vs loud, very commercial HOPR
• Harris service is better than HOPR, HOPR is like a cattle car production set
• Harris charges more than HOPR – $85 vs $63
• HOPR includes salad, Yorkshire pudding
• If you like beef, you need to visit both
• Both have a vegetarian entree

Harris’ Menu

The Harris’ menu features the usual steakhouse standbys with several upmarket additions including Foie Gras. Lots of starter options. The steaks are expensive and have gone up after the Pandemic. They have lamb, chicken, and Salmon for those who get dragged here. There is an off the menu vegetable plates for vegetarians.

Food Picks

Bread man with Acme Epi-bread. Lots of refills

Traditional Onion Soup ($17) Topped with Crispy Fried Onions had good flavor and was just slightly salty. No cheesy crust. 8/10

Mixed Greens Salad ($16) with Balsamic Vinaigrette was pretty pedestrian as salads go. Nothing special. 7.5/10

Harris Steak ($84) 16oz — a Thick Bone-in New York includes Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables and a Choice of a Baked Potato or Evening Potato.  Medium rare was red in the center, just perfect.  Thick cut of meat with ample char flavor. Expensive, but at least it comes with a baked potatoe and veggies. 9/10

Prime Rib ($85) Regular Cut 14oz English style (thinly sliced) Served with creamed spinach and a choice of baked potato or the evening’s potato (Scalloped) Everyone is going to compare Harris’ Prime rib with House of Prime Rib 2 blocks away.  This one was tender and flavorful, definitely hitting the mark. More expensive than House of Prime Rib, but the atmosphere here is more relaxed and not commercial. 9.5/10

 

Harris’ Food Picks from the Past Visits

6 Fresh oysters on the half shell ($18) came with 3 sauces.  Fresh and tasty.  Wish there were more. Need to save room for the meat.

Smoked Salmon ($18) with dill cream cheese and toast points hit the mark. Thinly cut salmon of good quality with some rich cream cheese.

Harris’ Caesar Salad ($12) was on the creamy side, but respectable for a steak place.

Seared Foie Gras ($22) with poached egg, grilled toast and truffled madeira sauce was decadent, but tiny.  Most other restaurants give twice as much.

Veal Sweetbreads ($17) Sauteed with wild shitake mushrooms and sherry cream were good and very high in quantity. Mushroom Sauce was not overly creamy, adding to the yum factor.

Steamed Clams Mariniere ($16) came with a large number of tasty clams in a buttery sauce. Be sure to ask for more bread to sop up this leftover sauce.

House Cab was excellent value for $8. Mojito ($10) was just right with lots of potency.

Bone in Ribeye Steak (20oz $55) is always a favorite.  Love the bone and a good sear to the meat.  A bit overdone on our last visit.

Roast Prime Rib (Regular Cut 14oz $48 or $55 Bone-in Executive cut) was a very good entree. No need to just order steak. Huge, mild flavor and tenderness, perfect medium rare. Baked potato and sauteed seasonal veggies or very garlicy creamed spinach rounded it out.  Larger Executive cut comes with a bone and is downright huge. Good enough for 2 people

Fillet Mignon (12oz $53) was good, very tender, cooked well.  Same solid sides.

OK:

American Kobe beef ($75) had the distinctive flavor of kobe beef.  A little more marbled so it was more tender and fatty.  Good but not worth the money. Same side options. Check out our review of real Wagyu Beef in Tokyo.

Sauteed Mushrooms ($6) were in good quantity and had decent flavor.

Restaurant Map: