State Bird Provisions

An extraordinary culinary journey at State Bird Provisions that showcases why this restaurant remains one of San Francisco's most sought-after dining destinations. Pro tip: Make your reservations well in advance - the intimate dining room books up quickly, and for good reason.The restaurant's innovative dim sum-style service keeps you eagerly anticipating each new dish that comes around. We visited for a birthday celebration, and the staff thoughtfully added a candle to our dessert - a lovely touch that made the evening even more special.The menu is a masterclass in balancing flavors and textures. The duck doner dumpling with cilantro and endives was a standout - an explosion of spices reminiscent of cumin-forward street food, elevated to fine dining status. The duck confit croquette with wagon wheel cheese and raisin verjus was another highlight, achieving perfect harmony between rich cheese and sweet raisin notes.The Stemple creek beef cheeks were a testament to perfect execution - each strand of meat distinct yet meltingly tender, complemented by an understated chanterelle mushroom sauce that enhanced rather than masked the meat's natural umami. The house-made chips added a wonderful textural contrast.Even seemingly simple dishes showed thoughtful composition. The sweet potato with almond sauce and pomegranate was elevated by an exceptional sauce, while the hokkaido scallops with kiwi, lime, and kumquat demonstrated their prowess with seafood through a perfectly balanced tart and creamy sauce.Their namesake State Bird provision, while flavorful with its French onion soup notes, could benefit from slightly more tender onions. The duck liver mousse with almond financier was impressively smooth, though I found the components worked better separately than together.The meal concluded with a unique yuzu ice cream sandwich that intriguingly straddled the line between savory and sweet - a fitting end to a meal that consistently challenged and delighted the palate.While not every dish was perfect (the oysters with crab would benefit from a more integrated presentation), the overall experience was exceptional. State Bird Provisions continues to push culinary boundaries while maintaining a warm, unpretentious atmosphere. The attention to detail, from the innovative preparation to the birthday acknowledgment, makes this a perfect special occasion destination.

I found this spot very interesting that this American restaurant serves appetizers in a dim sum style. The servers push carts with price signs around the restaurant, stopping at each table to offer specific dishes. They also provide a menu with drinks, main dishes, and desserts for you to order from.We tried 10 appetizers, 2 entrées, and 2 desserts. Everything was delicious! My top favorites were the steamed egg tofu, duck sausage, sweet potato, and beef tongue pastrami. Both desserts were refreshing and tasty.Overall, the food was great, the ambiance was quite loud, and the service was decent. Some servers were very passionate and friendly, while others made us feel pressured to eat quickly and leave so they could prepare the table for the next party. I guess because it was Valentine's Day weekend, the restaurant was extremely busy. Still, it was worth checking out--the food stood out, and they have been awarded a Michelin one-star rating for ten years now.

i'm was a little disappointed to be honest. state bird provisions has been on my try list for so long so i was excited when i scored a prime reservation for saturday 7:30. i'll caveat by saying all of the food was very well made. the flavors and the techniques being used are definitely pushing boundaries and deserve praise. that being said, some of it was not worth the price. would order again:- the yuzu sesame ice cream sandwich was to die for! if i came back it would just be for this. ive never had anything like it. - the smoked trout dip and chips were creamy and yummy- the soy glazed black cod tail was extremely deliciously charred and succulent- the beef tartar was really delicious with yuzu sauce and dandelion saucegood but maybe wouldn't order again:- the xo sauce shrimp on tofu had very high quality tofu with delicious soy flavor. the xo sauce was rich and delicious - the steamed egg custard with chili oil was technically flawless. not a bubble in sight and delicious definitely would not order again: - the lamb dumpling had good flavor but the dough was thick and cold- the raw scallop dish was okay but not notable- the pork spare rib was also forgettable - the citrus pork belly was my least favorite; it was paired and fried well but covered with strong fish sauce which overpowered its pork flavorthe service was exceedingly mid. my server was nice and checked in, but the staff with the trays barely gave me the time to day. i felt like i had to chase them down to get them to give me attention and they barely explained the dishes. i'd expect this from a normal dimsum restaurant but given this type of restaurant i hoped for a little more. tldr; good to try, not sure if i'd come back. if i did, it would be for the yuzu ice cream sandwich which was the only mindblowing thing i ate. some food was delicious. some food was overpriced. the service was mid for a $300 dinner.

Not too many times available for reservations - mostly either 5:30pm or 8:45pm or later. Went with 8:45pm reservation on a Monday evening.Ambience is dimly lit, cozy, but also bustling. From the menu, we ordered the CA state bird, squash agnolotti, and yuzu "ice cream" sandwich. From the carts/trays, we got the scallops, pork belly and citrus salad, smoked trout dip with chips, egg tofu, and fried sourdough. I would get the smoked trout dip with chips again. I'd also get the yuzu "ice cream" sandwich again, which was probably my favorite dish since it was so unique and had a bunch of different flavors (black sesame, yuzu, kiwi, ginger, white chocolate gin).Everything else felt overpriced and not super mindblowing. CA state bird was a bit hard to eat with all the small bones. Squash agnolotti was a bit too heavy/rich and the pasta shell was very thick. Pork belly and egg tofu weren't bad but nothing out of this world. Our server was friendly and efficient. Overall service lagged a bit in terms of people coming around with the carts/trays and with clearing tables. Good for a one-time experience but wouldn't go out of my way to come back.

My first review - years ago - was skeptical (and just two stars); I kept thinking I might have missed something, or ordered wrong, or gone on a bad night. But this second visit - while an improvement over the first - still left me underwhelmed. I'm not sure what all the fanfare is over what is really just good food that merges American cuisine with some pan-Asian influence and serves it on dim sum carts. It's good, but this is really not what a Michelin-star meal could be. It's just good ingredients and nice plating, and almost anyone can make caviar or truffles good. Nothing wowed me, but I enjoyed it enough. And it's an affordable (at least for San Francisco Michelin starred spots) meal. Service is a weak spot - the dim sum carts feel very pushy, which is awkward. It's far too crowded - a few less tables and they'd still be able to turn a great profit, but sitting on top of people you don't know and hearing their arguments isn't necessarily a great time). I think two attempts and two disappointments is enough for me. The Progress (next door, same owners) is far more my speed.

Incredible food, especially the oyster, pasta, garlic bread with burrata. Fried quail was good, too.Service was not the best and seating was limited to 2.5 hours so our party of 6 felt a little rushed with our 15+ dishes, including add-ons, but nonetheless giving 5 stars for the several standout dishes. Note, no valet parking and it's quite loud but will be back!Many fun bars to walk to before or after dinner for a drink.

Finally got to try this place for a special occasion! Awesome vibes inside and although they were quite busy, servers were still attentive. Easy process to reserve online (just make sure to reserve in advance, I think I reserved 3-4 weeks ahead of time). Now onto the food- the process was so unique. You are given a menu from which you can select some options BUT they also have items that are not on the menu which they bring around on various trays/carts throughout your meal (like dim sum!). These items were evenly spaced out so that you can take your time enjoying everything. Portions were good for 2-4 people to share which was nice since I was able to try many dishes for variety. Favorite dishes- Smoked trout chip n dip: super fresh/crispy chips with a large portion of dip that was creamy but not overpowering - Duck liver mousse with almond financiers: sometimes I find that liver/pate dishes are too strong for my taste but this was relatively mild and the perfect texture - Donair dumpling: unique twist on dumplings with good filling - Beef cheeks: cooked just enough to still be quite tenderOther dishes we tried - CA state bird with provisions- Beef tongue pastrami - Hog Island oysters - Persimmon - Scallop crudo Since we went for a birthday, they also gave us a complimentary dessert (some type of peanut butter milk shots) which was super nice of them. Overall we had a great time, and I think this place is definitely one to experience.

It pains me to write this review but I have to share my experience. I have been going to State Bird Provisions for the past few years and every single visit has been five stars and up. I remember items like the guinea hen dumpling with the star anise broth, the shrimp toast and the wonderful strawberry granita. Of course, the buttermilk fried quail is absolutely delicious and so is the pork belly. Reservations are highly recommended!But on my recent visit, I was expecting to be wowed as usual but after spending $220, I left underwhelmed and very disappointed. Most of the meat dishes that my friend and I ordered were very dry and cold. The duck dumplings were very dry and wasn't worth it. Our first order of two orders of the pork belly salad was also disappointing as it was dry and chewy. However, we special ordered a 3rd order of the pork belly salad and it was much better and it was hot and tender. My friend and I ordered a good number of dishes but felt underwhelmed by most of them. Nothing really stood out and I absolutely love State Bird Provisions and I even bought the cookbook several years ago. Whenever I save money and set time to drive up to San Francisco to eat there, I do it to support one of my favorite restaurants but also to treat myself to an amazing meal. But this time around, it wasn't amazing at all. Hopefully, next time will be much better. Staff is always amazing and very helpful and friendly!

We have been wanting to try this restaurant for so long and finally glad we made it happen! I really love the concept and dim sum style where they walk around and offer different dishes. It's super unique and all the dishes were delicious! Lots of veggie options which was great for us! The staff were all super friendly and helpful while we decided what to try. Will definitely be coming back another time!

3.5 starsThe cheapest Michelin star for a reason! Should you try it? Yes , would you come back? No. Overall I think it's a good experience to try something different, but for the price you're paying, even though it's the one of the cheapest Michelin restaurants, a lot of the dishes were just okay, nothing completely blew me away. Only thing that stood out was the black sesame dumpling. Everything was still good, just based on price, had to drop a star.