Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. San Francisco
  5. Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness
¡Chao Pescao!, San Francisco, CA

¡Chao Pescao!

4.4
4.4
655 Reviews
$30 and under
Latin American

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 2 times today
  • Lively
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • 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.

Restaurants you may also like

View all

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Latin American, Colombian, Cuban
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sat 11:30–20:00
  • 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.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Rene Denis
  • Delivery & takeout

What 655 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
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
¡Chao Pescao! offers a vibrant dining experience with "delicious food and great service." The menu features standout empanadas and flavorful Latin Caribbean dishes. Perfect for pre-theater meals, it boasts a "convenient location" near the Orpheum Theatre. While the atmosphere is lively, some reviews mention it being quite noisy. Overall, a "great vibe" and excellent culinary experience await diners.
655 Reviews
  1. Amber

    San Francisco

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Made reservations ahead of time because had an appointment. Waited an hour before the even appetizers arrived, asked for the check that because couldn’t wait any longer for the entrees and no one checked in at any point. Maybe they were backed up, or understaffed? Giving the benefit of the doubt but not thrilled.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Judie

    VIP

    San Francisco

    87 reviews

    5.0

    87 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    So happy to see Chao Pesco back and lively - interesting appetizer and meal options are great for couples or friends dining options. Location is perfect for close performance dinner or after work gatherings. I like that the restaurant is able to accomodate 2 to many diners!

    Is this helpful?

  3. William

    San Francisco

    20 reviews

    4.0

    20 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    The noise level is incredible. It is difficult to have a conversation with your dining partner. Food was great. I would like to see a larger font size on the menus to make them a bit easier to read. Restaurant is conveniently located to the Orpheum Theater.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Sarah

    VIP

    Milwaukee

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Went for the first time a few weeks ago and took myself right back. The food is addicting the drinks are unique and the vibe is so fun. Also for the gf/celiac people it has many options

    Is this helpful?

  5. Rebecca

    VIP

    San Francisco

    12 reviews

    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on 1 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great lunch. The interior of the restaurant is very nice! Service was good, our food didn’t all come out at the same time. But it was delicious. Sandwiches and salads were great!

    Is this helpful?

  6. Whitney

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    2.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    Nice atmosphere, server was terrible, food was good although not what we ordered. Reservations appear to be stacked too closely as they had to ask people to leave when we arrived so they could get us seated, and this also happened for a couple who came in a few minutes after us.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Ashley

    VIP

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    The food is amazing. The night we went they must have been understaffed because the service was rough. Everyone was very kind and trying to do their best, but they needed several more people on the floor/behind the bar. The $20 drinks were not great… hope we went on an off night and will try again bc the food was fabulous.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Heather

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We are here before a show at the Bill Graham Civic Center. Food was great, reasonably priced, fun atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Andrea

    Portland

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was amazing, but the service wasn’t great. Water was never refilled and we waited so long for our second round that the host ended up rushing us out the door.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Elyse

    New York City

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    My husband and I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Our table server was fantastic and her service was great. We did notice that it was difficult for the server to get back to us quickly to follow-up on drinks and food, but I don't think this was due to her. The place was busy and it seemed like all servers were also responsible for tending the bar. Maybe they were down staffed, but either way we really did love being there. The service only became an issue because after 1.5 hours at a bar table, the host (Not our server) told us we would need to finish up in the next 5 minutes because people were waiting. We were on our way out, so it wasn't a problem, but it did feel rushed. If there is a limit on table time, it would be helpful to have that noted when you make a reservation.

    Is this helpful?

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 655 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
Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 2 times today
Google Map for ¡Chao Pescao!

272 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Latin American, Colombian, Cuban
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sat 11:30–20:00
  • 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.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Rene Denis
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2024 OpenTable International Ltd. Alphabeta Building, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo