Lunch at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco

The Garden Court at the Palace Hotel

When I’m planning out our travel itinerary, I love to find really special places to eat. I had such a good experience with the afternoon tea at the Georgian Hotel in Seattle that I wanted to find a similar venue to enjoy tea in San Francisco. Months before our trip, I stumbled upon the Garden Court at the Palace Hotel. Afternoon tea is served on Saturdays and as luck would have it we were going to be in San Francisco over the weekend. I was beyond excited! Unfortunately, I waited too long to make reservations and the tea seating had been filled.

I put my name on the list in case there were any cancellations, then I hung up the phone and sulked. (I don’t always process disappointment like a champ.) After I moped around for a while, I thought…what about lunch at the Palace Hotel?!! I mean, a delicious lunch in a fancy restaurant is just as special as tea, right?

I went online to check availability using OpenTable and quickly booked us for lunch at the Palace Hotel. Problem solved! Wouldn’t you know it, the day before our lunch, the hotel called back to say they had a tea cancellation. I asked my daughter which she preferred, and she chose lunch at the Palace Hotel for the win! It was absolute perfection: a conservatory-like setting, fancy chandeliers, pillars and ornate carvings…pure opulence everywhere you look.

This special lunch was to celebrate my daughter’s high school graduation, so I let her order anything she wanted. She decided to get steak!! Not just any steak, but this beautiful wagyu steak with garlic spinach and potato ribbons. My girl has good taste!

I ordered the Monte Cristo Sandwich. It was very delicious as was the spring salad with fresh strawberry vinaigrette.

The Best Part

While the food was incredible, I have to say the service was beyond amazing. Our waiter was fantastic. Very friendly, attentive and the BEST part for me…When I asked him if he would mind taking a photo of my daughter and I, he gladly took my camera and took photos from 3 or 4 different angles. He told me one of the people on staff was a photographer and instructed the waiters on how to take great photos!! WOW! He even did things like arrange the orchids so they would look nice for the photo…this level of care really, truly touched me and was was absolutely one of the best parts of the lunch for me. Is that weird?

The other best part…

You would think it would be the vanilla gelato with fresh berries that would be the other best part, but no, it’s that unassuming chocolate chip cookie sitting just to the right of the main attraction. This is likely one of the best chocolate chip cookies we’ve ever tasted. It was the perfect combination of chewy and soft with a pleasingly crisp outer layer. It was SO good! We also enjoyed cappuccinos with our shared dessert.

The Palace Hotel is exactly 642 miles from my house, but I am already thinking of a reason to return. Next time I will be sure to make reservations early enough to experience their afternoon tea! If your plans include a trip to San Francisco, I hope you treat yourself to a meal in the Garden Court at the Palace Hotel.