1601 Bar & Kitchen

We had a really spectacular meal here. The menu was creative and fresh, and was presented beautifully. Our server was friendly and attentive, and ensured we had a great meal. One of the better tasting menus I've had in San Francisco.

1601 is one of the most unusual restaurants I've ever enjoyed. Not only is the food a work of creative fusion of cuisine from an under-represented part of the world, the results are well-executed with great attention to detail. I have been here about four times for dinner, but have put off reviewing the place because I still don't know how to describe some of the dishes. Much less do I feel confident I can guide a newcomer as to what to order or expect, other than that if you are at all adventurous with food you really must give this place a try. For starters, read a bit about the couple that started this venture, and especially about chef Brian Fernando. He describes what he's doing with the food at 1601 as a California-styled fusion of flavors and ingredients from Sri Lanka using French preparation techniques. The result are dishes you won't find anywhere else, which is not to say they are totally off the wall, just that the food is presented in a form presumably a bit like home but turned out as well as if coming from a Michelin star kitchen in Paris. I was just there the week of April 7 and had the set tasting menu for that week. There were no a la carte items this evening and in any case I strongly suggest going with the set dinner. It will occupy a good bit of your evening and you will come away filled not only with memories of delicious food but with a new scale for food innovation. I especially like the fish items, which this evening was Hokkaido scallops crudo paired with Tsar Nicoulai 'Estate' caviar. That dish in itself gives you some idea of where the evening went after that. You will likely have the "egg hopper", a kind of signature dish here and unlike anything you've had before, yet described here as a kind of "street food" back home. A celery soup was perfectly pureed with highlight flavors of fresh crab. On and on it went, have a look at the restaurant's website for the full spring offering. At the end was my personal favorite, a dessert described as Valrhona white chocolate & passion fruit mousse dome. Just the perfect geometry of the dome itself is amazing, but once you crack the white chocolate dome covering it the passion fruit mousse inside is wonderfully fresh. Again, this is a must-try if you're an adventurous sort but it will also appeal to anyone who is open to new flavors, forms and textures of food.

The food is amazing. The chef uses fresh ingredients and elevates Sri Lankan food using french cooking techniques.The sea food is cooked to perfection. My all time favorite is definitely the black cod dish. I never had anything like that in my life before. The service is spectacular, the chef even came out and handed us the dish and explained the ingredients and cooking method used. The restaurant is very cute and romantic. No loud music so you don't need to guess what your partner is saying, which is really shocking to find in San Francisco. Highly recommend this place to those that want to see what it's like when South Asian food fuses with french.

This was one of the best recent finds, despite it being around for 11 years now. We're both Sri Lankan and found the food both authentic and innovative. The bites were all great - although the standouts were the fish cutlets and smoked steelhead. The highlight was the appetizers - the hoppers were great and the chicken curry was the best I've ever had. The lamb curry was quite nice and the dessert was delicious.Service was prompt and attentive and the decor was amazing. Can't wait to go back!

Absolutely delightful experience. The service was superb, with great explanations of the dishes by the chef and staff. The food was impeccable and truly a fantastic set of flavors - Sri Lankan food is uncommon in the US and almost non-existent in SF, and it was really amazing to taste especially in a context where the chef was free to experiment at a higher price point. Will come again when the menu rotates (probably 3-4 months).

Tasty food with creative plating, excellent ambiance, and wonderful service and as always, great owners (husband and wife team). This is the MUST be place for a fine dining evening in San Francisco...we enjoy our evening once again as a group.

Delicious, carefully crafted food and awesome service. Extremely good value for the quality and amount of food provided. Will be back!

This place is a total GEM. Owned by Yulia and her husband (whose father was from Sri Lanka), this restaurant features dishes and flavors I had never encountered before. Super innovative and delicious! Small, peaceful place away from the loud buzz of too many hyped-up restaurants. The staff is always discreet and very helpful, the seats are comfortable and the setting is tastefully decorated. A great place for a date or a change of pace.

This place is very unique. I don't know Sri Lankan food well, but my friend who accompanied did and mentioned how many of the dishes were based on traditional things, but with an interesting and creative twist. The tasting menu was in my opinion fantastic with a nice variety, the people very nice, and it was very easy to park on the street, so basically everything you could ever want. Considering the quality, time we spent there, and number of dishes (something like 10ish items), it was well worth it! We were basically alone in the restaurant for most of the time, which may not be a positive for everyone, but I felt like it was a very personal dining experience.

Excellent food and great service. Flavours are not watered down like we see in many other ethnic restaurants