Retro Bay Area
Had a delicious meal here a few weeks back. Great atmosphere and amazing service. I’ll be back again soon.
In the early 1950’s this location housed a restaurant called, Belden Gardens Restaurant.
At the time this was the only outdoor patio restaurant located in the financial district.
It was a place where people could go for a complete luncheon surrounded by tropical foliage while basking in the sun. It was also a place where people could go for leisurely dining under a colorful awning with radiant heat lamps for those cooler San Francisco evenings.
I compared the photo of the original bar with what it looks like today and it seems there was always a window behind the bar but back then it looks like they chose to hang rugs in order to cover it. The room also still has the booths in the same place.
Gary Maxwell
Update: Came back and the Fall menu is awesome. The Butternut Squash Soup seemed a little runny and salty, but the Calamari and the Roasted Pear Goat Cheese Salad made up. Hopping place on Thursday evening!
Original: Amazing dinner. Early Friday dinner comes with local office parties which made everything more fun. Everything has a positive vibe. Excellent bar menu where everyone we saw seemed to find a happy drink. (But espresso martinis? Really?) One of us had an Old Fashioned, the other the Toy Bubbles, both pairing with the Grilled Pear Goat Cheese Salad, as fresh as can be with some candied walnuts for a savory accent. The Bone-in Duran Pork Chop is substantial and shareable, ours had two ribs, slow roasted with a final sear, and a hearty and savory polenta to match. The grilled broccoli side was well made but ultimately a distraction. Multiple checks were made by wait and kitchen staff to make sure we were happy, and we absolutely were. We’ll be back!
Stephanie Tan
Small street filled with cosy diners. Service is down to earth and warm hearted. Comfort food on the menu, with some dishes great for sharing. Nice selection of draft beers and cocktails are available. Come for the (slightly) rambunctious pub atmosphere.
Cormac Craigie
My wife and I hosted our wedding rehearsal dinner at Toy Soldier and then a larger wedding welcome party and it is was perfect. The food was great and portions large and the staff was unbelievably kind and accommodating. They even brought in a mic so we were able to do some quick speeches. I will definitely be returning for lunch, dinner and, hopefully, find an excuse to host a party here again in the future! Toy Soldier was the perfect spot to host!
Lilian Mar
Toy Soldier makes some great cocktails. The bartenders personally brewed fresh coffee to make the Santa's Espresso Martini and the Winter Wonderland cocktail. The Espresso Martini is a very strong coffee cocktail. The Winter Wonderland is served warm and it is reminiscent of a hot toddy or a spiked hot chocolate. Careful though, it could sneak up on you! They don't hold back on the alcohol. Toy Soldier is a cozy spot for a drink on a night out in downtown
Mei Fu Lee
Came here for restaurant week and was excited for their three course lunch menu. We were seated right away upstairs. This restaurant is located in belden alley and has a lot of seating with outside patio seating, and inside has two levels of ample seating.
We ordered the meatballs and wedge salad, beef stroganoff and pork chop, and a strawberry short cake and chocolate pot de creme. The food came shortly after. The salad and meatballs were good. The beef stroganoff was really good, but the pork chop was sadly tough and dry. The dessert came and I was really looking forward to the strawberry shortcake but enjoyed the chocolate pot de creme a lot more.
Overall, it was a great experience. Restaurant week gave us a great opportunity to try this place. I was a little disappointed in the pork chop and strawberry shortcake. After we had finished lunch, it was pretty hard to get our waiter back for the check since we were upstairs alone. I would recommend this place as it seems like a nice place for a date.
Rebecca Kim
Everything tasted pretty great and the seats filled up really quickly for lunch. Definitely recommend making a reservation.
Food came out quickly and was cooked well. It was good but nothing was amazingly mind blowing. Definitely would come back though!
Martin Wasiak
You really can't beat the atmosphere! It's great food with a fun vibe!
Mohd Hasan
It's good for a party / get together! However, the place is a bit small, it's still fun to spend an evening here.
Whitney Goolsbee
My husband and I enjoyed dinner and drinks here while on vacation. Everything we had was fantastic! We highly recommend the sea bass, NY strip, brussel sprouts, calamari and chocolate cake. The drinks were also so good that they sneak up on you. Thank you to Arturo and Adam for making our visit extra special!
James C-D
Great location and atmosphere; hidden down an alley that is filled with restaurants w/ outdoor tables, bright signs and cool outdoor lighting. The food was incredible, perfectly prepared, and ample portions. I had the best porkchop I've ever had and I hear the sea bass was also delicious. I will definitely return on my next visit to SF.
Chris Cardema
Came in during a busy lunch hour. Service was good. Food was good. I had the crispy pork belly sandwich. Only docking it a star because the sandwich wasn't crispy but still good.
J G
Had dinner here with some family from out of town. It’s actually in a cool spot in downtown SF. It’s situated in an alley with several other restaurants. The food, drinks and service were great. The noise level was a bit much and it’s the only reason I’m giving it less than 5 stars. I would honestly give it 4.5 if I could. Definitely worth checking out.
Lisa Vukovic
This is such a fun place to go for happy hour after work! Great cocktails and the people who work there are awesome. I have stayed for dinner a couple times and the food was amazing. I highly recommend checking it out.
Leona Pratt
Excellent food and service. We were blown away by the flavor and creativity. The staff were attentive and patiently answered our questions. Thank you for a memorable night
Gijs Martens
The meat was overcooked but the waiter made us eat it anyway. He forgot the wine and the starters (18oysters) and served the main dish instead. My recommendations are: fire the waiter and the chef. Being polite costs nothing. Some people came in to eat, we advised them to go somewhere else.
Molli Bovard Funk
Jesse my fiancé decided to have my Birthday party at the Toy Soldier, from Get go they were on it, we had at least a 100 people there. The atmosphere was incredible, the food was amazing and fresh and the service to the music/dancing on the top floor... was top notch!! Also a shout out to Nathanael, the security who was a class act and made sure the single ladies were escorted to a taxi or uber and stood there until they were safe inside....Johnny Love, Franz to the beautiful servers, you all rock!! The best Birthday ever!! I cannot Thank you enough!!
Jeffrey Travis
My fiancé and I heard about Toy Soldier from friends....they were right! Great food, ambiance and the staff was superb! Our waiter Clayton was excellent! His recommendations really made our night special! 5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Doug Brown
We went to Belsen Place on recommendation of hotel staff the Omni. As we passed the Toy Soldier, the hostess was out front and gave us a good vibe and description of the new restaurant. They all raved about the chef �. We’ve been to Boulevard and Water Bar, and the food here is better. I had braised rabbit. Outstanding. After getting over the bunny part, my wife tried it and loved it. She had the fried chicken, which was uniquely wonderful. The creme brûlée was superb with the raspberry sorbet.
Yvette Yong
Have been twice. First time was great - table service was good and the stroganoff and broccolini were on point. Second time - service at the bar was just okay; rabbit was well cooked as were the sides, but the pancetta sauce was too salty. Will still come back because there are so many other things I want to try. Great menu!
Deah DiPietro
Classy, comfortable. Good space, good placement. Good vibes all the way around. A new facet for the FIDI. An appropriate place for the area while still distinctive to the natives. Great job!!
Melisa Elena Galvan
Great atmosphere, next level service, cocktails to drool over, and ridiculously delicious food!! The new kids on the ally...hit it out of the park!! Upstairs is kind of perfect for a birthday party 🤔
Laura Gutierrez
Fabulous. Great food, great drinks, great service. Can't wait to go back.
Rick Singleton
This place is the bomb. Great for lunch or dinner!
Joy Lowry
Two words, lobster escargot.
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