Osito - Californian restaurant in San Francisco - 2875 18th St, USA

Came here with a large group and had the tasting menu! Honestly, the experience here was kind of like the movie, "The Menu". Good: - The chef explained each course as it came out, and it was clear that a lot of thought was put behind each one! - The food was all so so good, we had a tomato on a spoon, oysters, pork, 2 courses of dessert, fondue, and even a waffle appetizer. - Super aesthetic plating, and lots of care put into the presentation - Very nice vibes, cool long private table for us Bad: - I left hungry even after the tasting, and wished each dish was 25% larger! Overall, this place is about what I'd expect from a tasting in SF, but I appreciate the thoughts and the way that each dish was explained!

An innovative tasting menu. Chef Seth and his team took their time to explain the dishes to us and we felt the passion and creativity in each dish. The cow trachea melon salas and "peaches and cream" pie was the stand out dishes. Would have loved a few more of those. The desserts were also unique. Overall a very good culinary experience.

Amazing hospitality from one of the best teams in the business. Chef Seth has sought out a way to run a restaurant without the toxic environment that 90% of all restaurants cultivate. It shows in the service and atmosphere. The food is stellar and always almost beyond comprehension, filled with flawless technique and fresh local ingredients. Dishes surprise and delight with echos of familiarity twisted within stunning new flavors and textures. The ever-changing seasonal menu shines with market freshness and cozy California flare.

I had been wanting to go here for a longggg time. I have been to their bar next door, Liliana, many times and love their cocktails and bites so I had high hopes for Osito. First, I want to say the food was very good. But the experience, given the cost and a Michelin star, needed some work. When we first arrived the people next to us were complaining how long everything was taking and given it’s a communal table this was hard to ignore. Second, it was freezing inside so I had to wear my coat the entire time. Third, the timing of the food was VERY slow and inconsistent. You’d sometimes get your next course in 2-3 mins and at some points we waited 10 mins. This is NOT how multi course meals are supposed to be delivered. I love the concept and the food was good but they have to get their timing figured out. Otherwise it’s not pleasant. I would not go back here or recommend it given my experience. Better to spend an extra $50 and go to Lazy Bear.

Great food experience. Given the fire emphasis, I expected more protagonism on this, but everything is indeed cooked on fire and you can see it from the table. The Chef was present during the whole dinner and shared a bit of his incredible story with us, which we really appreciated. The food was quite unique, loved the rabbit and antelope, the chocolate dessert was lovely! And The final bbq dish was exquisite. We really enjoyed the classic wine pairing, some very special selections! The cocktails were not our favorites, hit or miss with some difficult to drink. While we very much enjoyed our time at the restaurant, there are two reasons I mark it down: (1) the restaurant proactively reached out for food restrictions yet unfortunately in one of the plates, my wife was served pork and she ate it thinking it was an alternative, this very much ruined her experience and this should never happen in this level of restaurant. It could’ve been an honest mistake but I think they should’ve done more to apologize and help remedy, my wife left quite unhappy due to this. Also, the alternatives never came close to the main dishes in taste or uniqueness, so I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to non-meat eaters. (2)The cost blew up to >$500 per person after wine tasting, drinks and tips. This is a 3 Michelin star price pretty much, and while this restaurant can get there, it’s not quite there. Nonetheless, this is a great restaurant offering something new and the chef is deeply invested in making something special, I hope they take the criticism constructively and continue to refine their experience.

We were here for a birthday dinner in the main dining room. A fascinating experience. I’d tried their joint pop up with Nisei before the open and was excited to try the full experience. The conceit here is that everything is done via live fire, and I have to say, it doesn’t quite come together. Yet, everything is GOOD, and that kind of flows through this entire experience. Overall, food was fantastic. Lots of small multi-course presentations (2 or 3 courses in a single presentation), with surprisingly few mains given the live fire aspect. A lot of interesting flavors and ingredients, a generally fun and inventive menu. That said, if you hadn’t told me this was a live fire-centric restaurant, I wouldn’t have even know by the food. Drink pairings were great, wine list was good, cocktail program was strong. Staff was generally great, though a couple need just a bit of polish if this place is going to shoot for 2 stars (and it feels like it’s trying to shoot for 2 stars). Overall space was very well done, great design work. We went on a Friday night, and our seating clearly was not full. I’m also surprised at the lack of PR for such a place. I hope this place is able to make the tweaks necessary to be successful. It’s got the staff, the food, the drink, the vibe. Just needs to bring the theme together more, get some PR, and get some more polish over time. Personally really looking forward to trying out the lounge by itself - it looks to be well worth it by itself.

Incredible meal, but the whole experience is really elevated by the staff. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. The chef comes over to fully explain dishes and give you a background into understanding the theme of the night. The ambiance is awesome, the open flames, seeing the open kitchen, and being able to have small conversations with people at your table. Highly recommend for a great dinner.

Phenomenal food in a beautiful space. My wife and I agreed this place seems like it will be Michelin starred very soon. Rare find to feel like we discovered a hidden gem in the city before most of the crowds and the critics. As we ate through the meal we found ourselves rooting for Osito to get discovered, win the awards, and establish themselves as an SF institution. The food is that good. Edit: they did indeed win a (well-deserved) Michelin star! Rooting for the next one and the next one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️