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Prelude, San Francisco, CA

Prelude

4.6
4.6
36 Reviews
$31 to $50
Californian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 10 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for business meals
  • Fancy
Prelude is a restaurant that is reimagining Southern cuisine. As a team, we will produce and serve nostalgic Americana food and drink, inspired by the Bay Area. We will be using some of the best produce in the world, combining modern high-level cooking techniques and recipes passed down through the generations of our Chef Celtin Hendrickson-Jones maternal family. Our offerings will be available in two menu formats: a multi course pre-fixe menu with options for guests to handpick their dining experience, and “salon menu” featuring quick bites to larger plates, all ordered at the guest's discretion.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Southern
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Bar Tue–Sat 4:00 pm–5:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (415) 375-8041
  • Website
    http://www.preludesf.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Celtin Hendrickson-Jones
  • Location
    333 Battery St, San Francisco, CA 94111-3234
  • Neighborhood
    Financial District / Embarcadero
  • Cross street
    The conner of Clay and Battery on the ground floor of The Jay Hotel
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Private Room, Wine

Experiences

  • Tasting Menu

    $140.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Join Chef Celtin for an unforgettable experience that evokes the warmth of Sunday suppers through an ever-evolving menu, celebrating seasonal produce and nostalgic dishes. Please note that due to our culinary process, we are unable to accommodate vegan or vegetarian options.

  • NYE 5 Course Tasting

    $155.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Ring in the New Year with a Luxurious Culinary Journey This New Year’s Eve, indulge in an unforgettable dining experience with our exclusive five-course tasting menu, thoughtfully curated by our Executive Chef. Featuring the finest seasonal ingredients and elevated touches, each dish is crafted to delight the senses and elevate your celebration. Join us for a night of extraordinary food, exquisite wine pairings, and unforgettable memories—an unforgettable way to welcome 2025 in style.

  • NYE 8 Course Tasting

    $195.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Ring in the New Year with a Luxurious Culinary Journey This New Year’s Eve, indulge in an unforgettable dining experience with our exclusive eight-course tasting menu, thoughtfully curated by our Executive Chef. Featuring the finest seasonal ingredients and elevated touches, each dish is crafted to delight the senses and elevate your celebration. Join us for a night of extraordinary food, exquisite wine pairings, and unforgettable memories—an unforgettable way to welcome 2025 in style.

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 36 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Prelude offers an "exceptional experience" with outstanding food, "superb service," and a "sexy ambiance." Diners praise its creative and delicious southern-inspired dishes, like sweetbreads and catfish dumplings, and "mind-blowing" desserts such as banana cream pie. The "warm, friendly, and attentive" staff ensures a memorable dining adventure.

36 Reviews

  1. Tim

    VIP

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was a wonderful dining experience! All the dishes from the starters to dessert were delicious, the service was wonderful, ambience was perfect, and the signature cocktails were exceptional. The chef really did an amazing job with this; southern comfort food with a California twist. Amazing.

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  2. Teresa

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    The  reception was bad service and feels like unhappy

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  3. Tammy

    VIP

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had very high hopes for this place. Ambiance is incredible and great service. The portions at this place leave something to be desired, we ordered a bunch of appetizers for the table and wanted to share three entrées between five people. The steak was no more than 4 ounces of Wagyu, and for what they’re charging, leaves something to be desired. The food is impeccable but portion size to price, especially for this caliber of restaurant is unbalanced.

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  4. Kenneth

    London

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    This was one of the best "occasion" dining experiences which we have had in the Bay Area in a long time. Food was flavorful, interesting and creative and served in a truly elegant and beautiful setting. (Skip the deviled eggs: they were the only exception to a truly fine meal.) Excellent setting for a date, a business meal or, in our case, a special occasion. On par with the finest restaurants in Bay Area but at a lower price point. Really cannot stress how beautiful the design of this restaurant is.

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  5. Frank

    VIP

    San Francisco

    8 reviews

    4.0

    8 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    All was amazing. The service was slow but friendly and the food made up for it.

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  6. Aurora

    VIP

    Dallas

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 14, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We’re baiting from Dallas for the weekend to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday and we couldn’t have picked a more special place. The ambiance was beautiful, the food was outstanding and the service was so genuine. The head chef came out to bring us dessert and wish my boyfriend a happy birthday. Incredible experience

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  7. zeph

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 24, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    A very special meal. We felt very well taken care of by the staff!

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  8. Vee Valerie

    VIP

    San Francisco

    52 reviews

    5.0

    52 reviews

    Dined on November 23, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Superb service. Cleanliness. Sexy ambiance. Small, straight to the point menu. The Hot Oyster is my fav, must try. AND, If you can make pork chop this good… enough said!

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  9. Erin

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 20, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Prelude is such a gem that we are lucky to have in the Bay Area. In an era where tasting menus can often leave you underwhelmed and needing a slice of pizza at the end, Prelude did the exact opposite. While I did opt for the caviar supplement and added on the sweetbreads dish from the ala carte menu, even without the extras I still would have left full to the brim. Some can’t miss dishes are the stuffed chicken wing, the catfish dumplings, the aforementioned sweetbreads, and the pork chop. The service was warm, friendly, and attentive, and I found the by the glass wine options superb- I was particularly fond of a pour of a very special 1996 Chenin Blanc with dessert. I look forward to returning to Prelude again and again.

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  10. Brian

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 16, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Greta spot with really great people who seem to enjoy doing what they do. Keep it up!

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FAQs

Prelude is rated 4.6 stars by 36 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 10 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Prelude

333 Battery St, San Francisco, CA 94111-3234

Additional information

  • Cross street
    The conner of Clay and Battery on the ground floor of The Jay Hotel
  • Neighborhood
    Financial District / Embarcadero
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Bar Tue–Sat 4:00 pm–5:30 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Southern
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Celtin Hendrickson-Jones
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Private Room, Wine
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