The Lounge, The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco’s primary restaurant with rays of sunlight shining through its floor-to-ceiling windows into the lobby, offers a dazzling view for all who arrive at Nob Hill’s landmark hotel. The restaurant serves Coastal California cuisine and handcrafted cocktails from lunch to late-night bites.
The space, decadently designed honoring the hotel’s historic architecture, overlooks the scenic San Francisco skyline. When dining, opt for a window seat, if available, to watch the sunset while sipping on a seasonal cocktail.
When it comes to drinks, go big with The Volcan cocktail, as large as it sounds with a name meaning “volcano.” It is a refreshing drink to sip throughout one’s entire meal with Clase Azul reposado, grapefruit, lime and Dom Perignon Brut. Also, The Volcan makes quite the photo opportunity.
A crowd favorite for happy hour, the Chocolate Smith & Carlton with Tito’s Vodka, Godiva chocolate liquor, Frangelico, cream, and soda. It’s a sweet take on a classic Carrie Bradshaw favorite.
The menu is intimate in size but dense in variety and quality. The Lounge offers plates from land and sea with a West Coast California influence with globally diverse seasonings and flavors.
For starters, the pomegranate-glazed lamb lollipops are a must-try with Castelvetrano olives, Marcona almonds, apricots, mint and cumin-spiced yogurt. Pairing well with the lamb lollipops, and light enough to eat before a main plate, would be the crispy Brussels sprouts with pomegranate reduction and Marcona almonds for some crunch.
As for a main course, the Marina Coast black cod is made with miso marinade, Brussels sprout kimchi and nori emulsion. Packed with flavor, this seafood dish is a lighter choice that showcases the restaurant’s dedication to California Coastal ingredients. On the heartier side, the 8-oz. filet mignon is served with bordelaise sauce, bone marrow butter, red wine-braised cipollini onions and signature steak sauce.
The Lounge also serves up the well-known Nob Hill burger, bringing in many guests for lunch or a more casual dinner, and a dessert menu featuring seasonal sweets.
The Lounge takes reservations and accepts walk-ins. It is open for lunch (daily from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.), for dinner (daily from 5 to 10 p.m.), and for late-night bites Sunday to Thursday, 10 to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m. to midnight.
To learn more, visit www.ritzcarlton.com.