buddy - San Francisco, California

Alison M C

I wish this bar was in MY neighborhood. Standout food, quick and efficient service, friendly atmosphere, good music, and delicious wines. We had both orange wines (one mineral and one juicy), the lambrusco, a white sparkling, and a medium-bodied red--all wonderful. For food we loved the trumpet mushrooms in chile oil, the crisp/sticky chicken sandwich on perfect toast, the fresh bread with curry garlic butter, the charred cabbage, and the refreshing scallop crudo. Plenty of sauces to sop up with bread. Could also eat the warm olive mix all day as well. I had such a nice time I forgot to take more photos. Ambience was relaxed and intimate. Everything about our late dinner was top-notch. 20% tip was absolutely earned + I appreciated not having to think about it. If I lived closer I'd be an instant regular. Can't wait to come back.

LoMo Phillips

Wow, Buddy is truly such a gem. If you ever want a delicious meal full of flavors and textures, you gotta go to Buddy!
We sat outside to enjoy the warm San Francisco weather. It was right on the sidewalk with no parklet, but it was fine.
Here’s what we ordered:
- Corn Fritters - pretty tasty, great crunch, while still moist. Pretty corny-tasting, but well-balanced with the creme fraiche and the saltiness of the smoked trout roe.
- Carrots - wonderful crunch and even more delicious seeds and tahini sauce. A must have!
- Smoked whitefish tonnato - strange flavors and texture at first, but it grew on me. Not sure if the crackers added much, but the dish by itself was a fun combo!
- Fried chicken sammy - perfect crunch (sensing a theme?) and wonderful flavor. The bread was buttery and garlicky, and the chicken was moist.
Our waitperson was super attentive and our food was perfectly spaced out time-wise - we had a small table, and they brought out just enough food at any one time to make sure we had room to eat. IMO, deserving of a Michelin!

Nico A

Cute little wine bar and small plates type of restaurant. Very European inspired. Nice cocktails too. Liked the vibe and food, service was a little slow.

Danielle Veluz

New favorite spot in the Mission - and I'm not even a wine person! We ordered the following dishes along with a couple of cocktails. As for food:

Crudites - a plate of bright and fresh summer veggies

Little gem salad- crisp greens slathered with a generous serving of blue cheese dressing- not my favorite but I'm sure blue cheese fans will love it),

Charred cabbage- very interesting flavors! Loved the tamarind in it, complements the smoky charred cabbage well

Roasted trumpet shrooms- this everything I had hoped for- a simple dish with sophisticated flavors ranging from sweet to earthy with amazing textures all throughout (I am still dreaming of the honey + feta + salsa macha flavor combo as I write this before going to bed lol)

Chocolate brownie - delicious and moist butterscotch brownie with dessert wine poured over it (+$9)

Even without the draw of it being a wine bar, this place is worth checking out for the amazing veg-forward options, welcoming and casual ambience and great drink options. A bit on the pricey side considering the automatic +20% added in but the whole experience made it all worth it. Would definitely go back for more.

James Balaguer

This was fun! I saw this in a SFGate article, had to try. They had a great happy hour set up that I built an early dinner around. 4 drinks and 4 plates for less than what you'd pay in SF normally at this tier. Service was great, chatted the owner a bunch, plus staff seemed skilled, warm and close knit. Highly recommend, especially if you like a veg-forward menu.

Emily Jung

Stepping into this cozy, dimly lit venue offers a perfect atmosphere for enjoying light bites paired with a great selection of wines. The service was attentive and friendly, adding to the relaxed ambiance.

Food:
-Bread & Butter: The curry butter, with its complex flavors, paired perfectly with ciabatta. A take-home jar would be a dream come true.

- Crudo Halibut: A refreshing dish with a hint of spice, served over thinly sliced zucchini, though I would have preferred a cucumber base for a more elevated crunch and refreshing taste, which would complement the wine selection even better.

Beverage:
- Bambu: An elevated vodka martini with a bitter citrus twist that leaves you wishing for a larger glass.

Highly recommended for a casual wine and bite experience!

Jonathan Park

Truly a phenomenal experience. Wandered in on a weeknight, was sat right away. Every dish was vibrant, creative, diverse in texture, influence, and overall manifestation. We tried 7 different things and each one was memorable and immaculately done, noticeably high quality of ingredients. If this was a white table cloth, reservation only meal that cost twice the price I would have left just as impressed and happy. The staff was attentive, informative, warm and adorable. I’ve been thinking about the mushrooms with salsa matcha and truffle honey every day for a week now. Not really a sweets person and I ordered a second brownie to go after how good it was. Wish I had gotten more. The music was great and progressed in tempo as the night went on. Best part is I left feeling nourished, they clearly didn’t pump everything full of fat and sugar to impress in the moment. I was blown away, honestly couldn’t have asked for more.

Holly Vaughan

I'm writing this review because I cannot stop thinking about the incredible meal my sister and I had at Buddy on 6/19/24.

If I remember correctly, the menu was Mediterranean Lebanese cuisine that night by a brilliant chef named Maz Naba.
We arrived around 7pm, and despite how crowded it was, we were seated by 7:05pm. Impressive. The vibe in Buddy was so fun and lively! Plus the music selection was so groovy that night!

The whole meal was a flavor adventure that was perfectly curated from the starters to the dessert.
The real show stopper on the menu was the "spreads and breads". It was so simple yet so elegant. My sister even teared up when she tasted the "eggplant black on black" spread because it was the most delicious spread she had ever tasted. It was such a divine way to start our sensational feast. We were truly blown away by how much flavor and love were put into those dishes.

In addition to the food, Buddy had a special selection of wine from a local winery called Augur Wine Co. which was truly phenomenal. It was such a pleasure to pair that wine with our food that night.

I returned a week later and was disappointed that Maz Naba was only a guest chef that night.
Buddy, please bring Maz back so I can bring my friends and whole extended family next time. I already told everyone I know how incredible my experience was at Buddy when Maz was the chef and now my whole social network would like to taste his food too.

Maz Naba, if you ever read this, I want you to know that I think you're so talented and you have a small cult following now.
But in all seriousness, tasting your food made me realize that food can also be an art form. Thank you ?