5A5 Steak Lounge – San Francisco, CA, United States: It was my husband Mark’s birthday and he wanted to go to a steak house for his celebration with me. San Francisco is filled with many steak house options from Morton’s to Harris’ but since it was a celebration, we chose 5A5 Steak Lounge. We decided to put on our fancy clothes, which for me a work-from-home PR consultant meant slipping on a pair of my high heels! Lucky for us, putting on the fancy clothes was the right choice. In a town full of flip-flops and jeans, no more than two or three people were in jeans that night.

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A “steak lounge” versus a “steak house” revealed a trendy, hip and very modern ambiance compared to a stuffier and up-tight feel that some other steak houses may have. The main dining area sits under a circular dome of lights and adjacent to a bar area with a dance floor and DJ. While our reservation was early enough that the DJ wasn’t quite yet mixing his tunes, by the time we got the check, the true lounge part of 5A5 Steak Lounge was about to reveal itself.

Our server was super cheery and upbeat, which is nice when one is out celebrating but it got to be slightly annoying as the evening wore on – she definitely provided excellent service and stopped by our table more than necessary to make sure we were doing OK.

We ordered a bottle of Malbec, one of our favorite wines, along with an order of truffle fries to start. The truffle fries were served with a drizzle of truffle oil and a spicy sriracha aioli dipping sauce. Delicious!

Mark ordered a buffalo filet, which comes in two sizes (6 oz. and 10 oz.). While our server warned him that the buffalo filet has a distinct gamier taste to it, he was up for the adventure. I was a little more cautious and went with a 4 oz. Australian f1 NY filet, 50% Wagyu and 50% Holstein (also available in different sizes: 4 oz., 8 oz., and 12 oz.). We shared an order of haricot vert served with prosciutto and feta cheese and the mac & cheese made with a blend of Gruyere, mozzarella and cheddar.

The buffalo was definitely gamey and not for me. Made with a spice rub and Worcestershire sauce and cipollini onions, Mark enjoyed his buffalo. But then he had a bite of mine. My Wagyu/Holstein filet was to die for and I’ve had my fair share of to-die-for filets. It truly was melt-in-your-mouth goodness served with toybox tomatoes. It didn’t hurt either that the haricot vert and mac & cheese were also delicious. I could have eaten either of them for a nice meal on their own.

Because it was Mark’s birthday, the Chef sent out a special chocolate cake with a candle in it. We also went ahead and ordered another dessert that I don’t even remember what it was because it was not too impressive. The meal by far was memorable because of my Wagyu/Holstein filet.

I’m sure that if someone asked us to join them for dinner at 5A5 Steak Lounge for a meal, we would not hesitate to return. However, with so many restaurants in San Francisco that are calling for us to visit, we probably won’t return anytime soon.

My rating for 5A5 Steak Lounge in San Francisco is Bombastic!

What I liked: Atmosphere, food, wine options

What I didn’t like: Over-attentive server, location is a little out of the way for a weekend night

Rating: Bombastic

Address and Telephone Number:
5A5 Steak Lounge
244 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA
415-989-2539

Review by Michelle Landwehr - Contributor

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