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  5. Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness
¡Chao Pescao!, San Francisco, CA

¡Chao Pescao!

4.4
4.4
623 Reviews
$30 and under
Latin American

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 8 times today
  • Lively
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for groups
Chao Pescao is a new casual Latin Caribbean restaurant from longtime San Francisco restaurateur Rene Denis inspired by his Cuban-Colombian heritage. The name, translating roughly to “see you later alligator,” captures the friendly and fun spirit of the restaurant. Cocktails are inspired by many of the traditional drinks from Latin America, while the food pulls from the comforting Cuban and Colombian home cooking of Denis’s childhood. The menu is rounded out with other Latin American favorites with particular emphasis on dishes designed for delivery. Chao Pescao is located in the Civic Center Plaza at the heart of the city, across from City Hall.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Latin American, Colombian, Cuban
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sat 11:30–20:00
  • Phone number
    (415) 621-2200
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Rene Denis
  • Catering
    Please visit our website at www.chaopescaosf.com and view our Events Menu for details.
  • Private party facilities
    Chao Pescao's mid-town location and latin-caribbean menu makes this city favorite a winning choice for private group dining, and Chao's plentiful array of Latin-themed cocktails and fine wine list will please every guest.
  • Area
    Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness
  • Cross Street
    Larkin
  • Parking details
    $5 Parking Mon-Fri after 5pm and all day Saturday with validation at the the Hastings Parking Garage.The UC Hastings Parking Garage is located at 376 Larkin St between McAllister and Golden Gate. The Civic Center Garage entrance is located at 355 McAllister. Street parking is also available and is free after 6pm.
  • Public transit
    Public Transit Stops: Civic Center Bart & Muni Stations - 2 blocks MUNI 5 Fulton - .5 blocks 19 Polk - .5 blocks 47 Van Ness - 2 blocks 49 Mission/Van Ness - 2 blocks Golden Gate Transit - .5 blocks
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeaway, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 623 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4
4.4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
¡Chao Pescao! delights with authentic Cuban cuisine and a lively atmosphere, perfect for pre-theater dining. "hands down the best cuban food," rave visitors. The cocktails are "excellent," and the service is friendly, though occasionally slow. Despite noise levels, its convenient location and delicious offerings make it a favored choice for locals and tourists alike.

623 Reviews
  1. sue

    VIP

    San Francisco

    25 reviews

    4.0

    25 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Excellent service. Good food and portion size. Seasoning could have been more robust/interesting, but maybe that is true to the cuisine type.

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  2. E D

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Cocktails and dinner were excellent!  the menu was impressive.

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  3. Linda

    VIP

    San Francisco

    19 reviews

    4.0

    19 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Service was really great. Very attentive and dirty dishes were removed quickly. Pork salad was divine, Caesar was superb and dinks were perfect.

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  4. Kathy

    San Francisco

    36 reviews

    5.0

    36 reviews

    Dined on 12 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The chicken sandwich was delicious! And huge . . . I brought half of it home. For dessert, I loved the shortbread cookie sandwiches with a dulce de leche filling and coconut. Service was superb. I would definitely go back. It's a great location if you are attending a performance at the Orpheum or any of the Civic Center venues.

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  5. Terry

    San Francisco

    108 reviews

    5.0

    108 reviews

    Dined on 22 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    One of those dining experiences where you think "why have I not been here sooner?" We came for lunch could not have been more pleased. Started with empanadas, then shared the Havana Salad and fried chicken sandwich, all of which is superb. A neighboring table ordered the fried chicken, which had us both looking forward to our next visit. Chao Pascao is a gem!

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  6. Randi

    San Francisco

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on 17 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great service. Great food. Will definitely be back!

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  7. Jim

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 16 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The staff surprised my girlfriend and me with their professionalism, attentiveness and care, and the food was creative and delicious! We stayed for three hours and tried the Prix Fix Menu, and it exceeded our expectations on all levels. If you want a truly delightful evening, you have to try !Chao Pescao!

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  8. michael

    San Francisco

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 9 November 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    Horrible service. Had reservations. Took 30 minutes after ordering to get our drinks, an hour to get our food. At 45 minutes they told us some of the food we ordered (impossible burger) was sold out. So we all got salads …. So it took an hour to get some shtty lettuce… which they grill for some reason. Tiny Caesar with 3 tiny shrimp - $25. Takes 4 mins to make. Total bill for some lettuce and drink? $50 a person plus tip.

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  9. Stephen

    San Francisco

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on 20 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Convenient option for dinner before the symphony, good value, open space, and comfortably not too noisy to have a conversation.

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  10. Laura

    VIP

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 16 October 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    I've been there before but this time was extremely disappointing. The food lacked flavor and was extraordinarily expensive. Our party of 4 got three different desserts -- the rice pudding was bland and way too thick; the cocnut pudding was tasteless; and the helado was very good. Portions were small and each dessert (which we didn't finish because see above) was $11. Total for four people was $175 not including tip. I understand prices have gone up everywhere but I prefer to have good food for that kind of money and the food was literally tasteless. Will not go back.

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FAQs

¡Chao Pescao! offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (415) 621-2200.

¡Chao Pescao! is rated 4.4 stars by 623 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 8 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for ¡Chao Pescao!

272 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Larkin
  • Area
    Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sat 11:30–20:00
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Latin American, Colombian, Cuban
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    $5 Parking Mon-Fri after 5pm and all day Saturday with validation at the the Hastings Parking Garage.The UC Hastings Parking Garage is located at 376 Larkin St between McAllister and Golden Gate. The Civic Center Garage entrance is located at 355 McAllister. Street parking is also available and is free after 6pm.
  • Public transit
    Public Transit Stops: Civic Center Bart & Muni Stations - 2 blocks MUNI 5 Fulton - .5 blocks 19 Polk - .5 blocks 47 Van Ness - 2 blocks 49 Mission/Van Ness - 2 blocks Golden Gate Transit - .5 blocks
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Rene Denis
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeaway, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (415) 621-2200
  • Catering
    Please visit our website at www.chaopescaosf.com and view our Events Menu for details.
  • Private party facilities
    Chao Pescao's mid-town location and latin-caribbean menu makes this city favorite a winning choice for private group dining, and Chao's plentiful array of Latin-themed cocktails and fine wine list will please every guest.
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