Delancey Street

600 The Embarcadero

Tel: 415-512-5179

Delancey Street Restaurant bills itself as "an ethnic American bistro made possible in ‘an extraordinary spirit of community service." Chefs and waitstaff from some of the finest restaurants in San Francisco have helped train the restaurant staff, made up completely by Delancey Street residents.

‘Residents’ of Delancey Street are men recently freed from the yoke of prison and building a new existence through this free enterprise model of commercial incentive-based training and employment.

We were greeted at the bright, cheerful front door by a young man with
Arnold Schwarzenager shoulders who whisked us to a small table next to a service station, although the place was less than half full, and the patio remained even less busy. This cramped table was unacceptable due to the intense activity a service station engenders and we requested a change. Our waiter told us that the Maitre ‘D would have to be summoned to move us. He came, and without lifting his taut and severe mask of authority, once again whisked us to a larger table for four near the front door, never asking if there was a way to make our dining experience pleasant or more to our liking.

I have always had a soft spot for this joint since my first visit when I saw that among the cheese options for their burger was and is ‘Velveeta’ with a smiley face next to its place on the menu. That one offering saves this place from review doom in my opinion, and not much else does.

It had been awhile since I’d eaten at Delancey Street, and I was surprised at the lack of depth on the menu. It was almost all sandwiches, and although I saw several dozen whole chickens being spit-roasted, they weren’t ready for serving at 12:15 on a Friday for lunch. The menu was printed and dated for the day of our visit, but still leaves me wondering why in hell it was so limited. This is a large and complete bar/restaurant with a professional kitchen, so why such a simple and scant menu?

The balance of the menu consists sandwiches and ‘cold platters’ which are basically salads; a Caribbean grilled chicken over greens, oranges & avocado at $7.50; a pretty good Cobb salad at $7.95, an okay spinach salad at $4.95 and an overpowering filet of smoked trout at $6.95. ‘Hot dishes’ feature the unavailable spit roasted chicken at $7.50, oak fire BBQ with a choice of chicken or baby back ribs at 7.95.

A dessert menu does exist, and I tried some of these offerings although on our three previous visits the menu was never offered or suggested. This is by far the largest menu offered here with 15 desserts available from $2.95 to $4.95 and like the rest of the food served here, is very inconsistent in quality. The apple crisp at $3.50 was good and fresh, and would have been better with vanilla bean ice cream.

The prices at the Delancey Street Restaurant are great, the food is barely OK, and the view is dynamite, but the service pretty much sucks. There appears to be little training or guidance on the floor, and although I’ve never seen the place packed, perhaps they operate as if that milestone is ‘just around the corner’, and any minute now, the place will be overflowing with clamoring patrons.

All of the restaurant proceeds after food costs go directly to house, feed and clothe Delancey residents and teach all the skills, values and attitudes needed for a successful drug-free and crime-free life. It’s a noble mission, and appears to be succeeding; however more attention must be provided to ensure that the customer has a valued dining experience. When that happens, it could someday become a very good restaurant. Until then I can only recommend Delancey Street Restaurant for its location and prices, not the quality of the food or the service.

Stu Smith

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