Doc Ricketts

I was just here for a drink before a show at Doc’s Lab but the guy next to me made me wish I had room to order a burger. What a neat little place with a good menu and friendly staff.

We had a group of 12 come here for a coworker’s going away lunch. The place is very clean and the music that played in the background was pretty relaxing. Ordered a Cobb salad. Presentation looked amazing! But the dressing was not mixed evenly and once I started digging into my food, I realized most of the dressing was in the middle. Chicken tasted dry. Service was friendly, but not too attentive. Also they got a couple of orders mixed up (gave my coworkers the wrong order). So they had to play musical entrees (came up with that myself XD) for a while and switched the orders around until everyone got their correct one.

Made a reservation on a Monday night but didn’t need it as there was only one other table. Cocktails were good, but nothing to write home about. Liver toast was very tasty — rich but not too «livery.» Warm olives were standard. Tuna dish was disappointing. The fish itself was nicely prepared but the sauce it came with made it taste like a cheap macaroni salad. Burger was excellent. Service was great.

After a long night of fighting the empire in the crazy crowd of the SF light saber meet up, my group of Jedi knights were positively famished. We needed to find a place that was relatively close, open late, and not too «SF» expensive. Thankfully Doc’s was right the corner!
Not to be confused with the bar/​lounge next door, Doc’s could be easily missed on a dark, stormy night. The lower level is quaint, with several tables and a mini bar. We promptly greeted and seated by our very eccentric and quirky waiter (wish I got his name, he was fantastic!) and we were ready to go!
While appearing seemingly casual, the food here is foodie approved and legit. The menu selection is small and presumably seasonal, but quality makes up for the lack of quantity here.
Shrimp Ceviche: Simple, but delicious and refreshing. You can’t beat a medley of shrimp, avocado, cilantro, and lemon. The sweet taro chips that accompanied the ceviche were a perfect counterpart!
Pork chop: They weren’t kidding when they said it was braised for days. #thatrhymed The pork was incredibly tender and moist. I just wish the portion size was larger because I could have probably had to plates of this! Came over potato purée. So, so good.
Friends had the short rib burger, the chicken, and trout, and they were all lovin’ it! There were also cocktails flying around (I don’t drink) which they also loved.
The star of the night though was totes our waiter. He was quite witty in the most understated manner and he was just positively charming. Keep up the awesome work good sir!
We will be back!

Had a disappointing experience Sunday night. It took 15 minutes for the waitress to take our drink orders … then an additional 30 minutes to get our drinks (came after the appetizers had already arrived). When the appetizers did arrive, we were brought two salads and when we mentioned that we only ordered one, she said she’d check the ticket. Then came back to the table with the second salad and said we had ordered two … okay, not how good servers typically handle this type of situation. The actual appetizers (mushroom soup, salad, charcuterie plate) were good, but the entrees were just okay. My burger and fries were cold by the time it arrived.

Friday night at Doc Ricketts was simply casual.
We started off with some great cocktail drinks at the bar and slowly move into the main dining area where we sat near a window. Perfect for people watching…
We ordered:
— Persimmons salad with baby lettuces, pepitas, pistachio, and burrata.
— Gnocchi with winter squash, hazelnuts, and brown butter. The texture was a little disappointing as it was too dry. A little sauce would do the trick.
— Tombo tuna confit with iacopi butter beans and tonnato.
Overall, I was a little sadface with this place after seeing some promising reviews. With that being said, at least they did not disappoint with their drinks. Cheers!

Amazing food, excellent service and stellar staff. Two stories of experience here. Top floor is fine dining, lower level is live entertainment and the option to have both. I’ve seen some amazing acts at this venue that you rarely see in San Francisco. Whether you’re interested in the obscure or the famous you’ll find it here. With a wide variety of acts and personalities — this is the venue San Francisco has been needing for quite a while.
Must Try’s: The Burger, Aged Pisco!, Roasted Chicken, Pork Chop, All Salads are to die for.
Check out the Saturday once a month Burlesque show

Get the chicken liver toast — super good. Also one of my favorite gnocci dishes in the city. Simply menu, but each dish packs a punch. Nice servers, easy to make resos on a Fri night, great place for date night or with a group!

Spontaneous Tuesday night dinner quickly turned into the BEST BURGER I’VE HAD IN SAN FRANCISCO!
I am a burger slut. I love love LOVE burgers and have been all over the city, trying burgers at various restaurants. I didn’t even know Doc Ricketts had a burger but the second I saw «Ground Shortrib Burger» on their menu, I had to try it and it did not disappoint! It was literally a huge hunk of meat with a fluffy bun, lettuce, burger sauce, and pickles. You could add cheese or bacon on the burger if you want to but honestly… it was INCREDIBLE without those toppings. I’m sure if you added the toppings on, it would have been even more amazing! The meat was juicy and tasty and perfectly cooked & seasoned. It also came with fresh & crunchy fries! OMG OMG.
Can’t wait to come back! If you love burgers, you will love this place!

This belated review is for their brunch menu in May, when they first started offering brunch, so many things may have changed by now (almost 5 months later). I was looking for a place for a last minute Mother’s Day brunch, and was thrilled to see availability for Doc Ricketts on Opentable. We got there right on time at 11:45am on a Sunday, and were one of two tables seated for a while. The restaurant isn’t that big, so reservations recommended, just in case. We tried:
–Fried Chicken Sandwich (Braised Swiss Chard, Andouille Aioli, B&B Pickles, Kaiser, Roll, $ 12,
): The fried chicken was good, and was fried well with a crispy exterior. However, it was overseasoned and on the salty side, and I didn’t think the swiss chard or b&b pickles went well with it. I would have preferred a cole slaw instead. I wouldn’t order this again.
–DR Burger w/​Fries (Shredded Lettuce, Burger Sauce, Pickles, Cheddar, $ 14 + Bacon $ 1,
): Good, but not worth $ 15 in my opinion. At least the fries were good, and nice and crispy. However, I wouldn’t order this again for the price.
–Meyer Lemon Pie ($ 8,
): Not my favorite since I thought it was too tart; however, the other 3 people seemed to really like it, so I guess my taste buds were off.
Service was good, and our server was friendly. Based on our experience, and the items on the brunch menu, I would definitely not return for brunch. It sounds like the dinner experience is much better, so would consider returning to check out their dinner menu. Parking in this area is notoriously tough, but there are street parking spots available.

Well, it took a couple tries, but I finally got to try Doc Ricketts a couple months back, and by god I’ve been missing out. Or, well, let’s back up a bit: I’ve commented before about how restaurants rarely seem to nail appetizers, entrees, AND dessert, but rather, some subset of them. Doc is the same, having pretty tasty entrees, but having particularly delicious appetizers:
* Yellowtail Crudo, Fried Avocado, Citrus — Definitely on the smaller, lighter side, as far as appetizers go, but enjoyable with every bite. The yellowtail was fresh, the fried avocado provided a nice crunch to every bite, and the citrus (grapefruit, we think) really sealed the deal and gave the entire dish a nice brightness.
* Beef Carpaccio & Fried Asparagus — The other excellent appetizer we had, with the beef having tons of great flavor, and the fried asparagus serving the same purpose as the avocado with the crudo, adding a nice textural mouthfeel.
* Pork Chops & Lentils — Well, first, you need to like lentils. Assuming you do, this dish had some good flavor, but the pork was a little tougher than I would have preferred.
* Pesto Gnocchi — Good flavor, but, as a personal preference, I tend to like my gnocchi with a little more resistance. Our waiter had described these as pillowy, and that’s indeed what they were, so if that’s how you like your gnocchi, give this a shot!
* Ground Short Rib Burger — This I had no complaints about. Best burger I’ve had? Nah, but definitely very, very tasty.
***Accessibility Info***
Venue — There are two entrances into the restaurant, from what I recall, of which (the side entrance) isn’t accessible. The main door (slightly further up the hill) where the maitre d’ is, is, however. The inside of the restaurant itself is rather open, so getting around isn’t an issue. Their bar is standard inaccessible bar height, but their actual dining tables are fine. I believe there’s either a lower or upper level, but I’m not sure those are accessible either.
Bathroom — Didn’t try them.

Absolutely fantastic dining experience at this wonderful gem. We were scouting venues for our annual Holiday party and the GM had us for lunch to taste the grub.
I have never been adventurous enough to try chicken liver pâté, but for some reason, I was feeling frisky on this day. I believe that everything happens for a reason. A step further, I may not know what that reason is until days, weeks, months, even years later. As it was, I passed on all of the other opportunities to try chicken liver pâté in order to try it here. It was truly delicious. I can’t compare it to anything, but I loved it.
House Charcuterie was a wonderful start to our meal. I don’t remember the details, but everything was fresh, fatty, deliciousness. Grilled bread served with it was fresh, crusty and a perfect match.
Sliders:
Wonderful fresh baked bun, delicious spreads and the burger itself was salty (salty good) fresh and juicy. Just as a burger should be.
Mushroom Kale Tarts:
I wasn’t expecting much from this item and boy was I surprised. A wonderful flavor of salty, creamy goodness and I could have downed about a half dozen of this little sluggers.
Albacore Confit:
Sounded like the #1 draft pick and unfortunately, it was just ok. Not amazing, not bad, not even mediocre. Just ok.
Seafood Crudo:
The wonderful and perfectly sliced fish was almost singing to us. It wanted to live just a tad longer, but alas, I devoured this one. Truly fresh and amazing. If only I could have enjoyed a half dozen of these sluggers too!
Roast beef Sandwich:
Absolutely HUGE portion of tender and salty roast beef, melted cheese and the most perfectly grilled sandwich bread made for an absolutely fantastic sandwich. By the time this hit the table we had chowed pretty good, but I still killed most of it.
Doc’s lab, which is underground, has a very NYC feel with a very SF vibe to it. Although it was empty while we walked the room, I have the imagination of an 8 year old child of the 80’s and I could picture music blasting, women dancing, friends laughing, folks drinking and carrying on. Definitely a venue we are interested in for our Holiday party and I look forward to the follow up review later this year.
Thanks for the hospitality and warm welcome.

Spontaneous weekday dinner turned into the meal with best chicken I’ve ever had.
The restaurant itself is not very big, and its modern yet classic design fits in with the surrounding stores. The water comes in a graduated cylinder looking bottle (super cute).
Since my friend and I arrived before their dinner menu officially opened at 5:30pm, it was completely empty save for a few people at the bar. The waiter was nice enough to let us order before the 5:30 so that we’d be able to get our food as soon as possible, which was awesome.
We started with the Oysters du Jour, which were cutely served on a bed of seaweed and pebbles (very Monterey-​esque). So fresh, so delicious — get them!
I had known I wanted the chicken dish after seeing pictures on Unilocal,so I was eager awaiting my entrée to arrive. The chicken is perfectly moist, tender, and well-​seasoned — and there’s a lot of it! The veggies were super flavorful, but my favorite thing on the plate next to the chicken has to be the bread with pâté. The pâté was so smooth and creamy and just an overall great addition to the plate.
Unfortunately, we were too full for dessert, but I definitely will be back!

First time here, the menu looked really good. I didn’t know if I wanted a salad or the burger, well of course I went with the burger. It was delicious! Cooked medium, the sauce they put on it was delicious and of course I ate the whole thing.
The service was good, the waiter was nice, I would definitely come back again. There is a option for reservations, I came around 12:30 for lunch and there was plenty of tables opened.

Good time with ol good friends
Needed a place for dinner and stumbled upon this this place.
Already looked at the menu before coming so I knew what to order
Short rib burger and beet salad with pigs ears.
Was not disappointed at all and just what I expected… Delish!!!
Friends ordered wine and it was served in a beaker.
Food plus science … My typical day … Everyday!!!
Short rib — tender and juicy
Beet salad with pigs ears– yum! Kinda brings back memories from a Purple pig
Don’t confuse this with doc Lab which is upstairs.
Good small place, good food, good service.
Happy place…

Short rib burger — ³⁄₅ — The patty itself was delicious. The short rib meat used was definitely noticeable in taste and it was perfectly pink in the middle. The rest was not very good unfortunately. The bun, slaw, pickles, bacon and cheese could all have been better. The fries were average as well.
Roasted Chicken — ³⁄₅ — Nicely crisped skin, average taste. Broccoli and plantains were average. I loved the liver pâté toast. It was flavorful and tasty without being too salty or overpowering. It was definitely some of the better pâté I’ve had.
Doc Rickets could be great with a few improvements, but is definitely «A-​OK» how it is now.

Talk about night & day. To see it now, someone young or not in-​the-​know would have no idea this place is steeped in history. This used to be the Purple Onion, an old, very divey entertainment venue. Back then, upstairs was just the entrance that led to the stairwell to take you down to the dungeon where all the magic happened. The owner was quite the character. Eccentric, unpredictable, just a bit crazy. Like a lot of old North Beachers. Lots of mayhem & debauchery happened at the Onion. Oh, the 90’s! Good times.
Today, it’s a casually elegant, urban space. Upstairs is the restaurant known as Doc Ricketts, & downstairs is Doc’s Lab, an updated stage for music & comedy. We came in just for dinner on Friday night…
Early for our reservation, we were warmly greeted & seated immediately. We started w 2 glasses of red, & went with the gnocchi & the short rib burger for our entrée choices.
The gnocchi was light & airy, but the short rib burger was the clear star of the table. Rich & juicy. We asked for medium rare & we actually got medium rare. This burger was so tender & full of flavor; it had that «fall off the bone» characteristic, right in our hands. I’d say it was a perfect burger, except for one thing. The soggy bun. This pitfall is not easy to avoid when you’re using such crazy juicy meat. But, just like when you eat pizza w a soggy crust, it takes away from the whole experience. Flavor wise, it was just fantastic though, unlike that famous (soggy) burger I had at Lark Creek Steak. Props for that.
The restaurant is comfortable & intimate, tiny & personal. Exposed brick & a wine cellar displayed in glass. It’s a casually refined aesthetic. Something we need & happily have been getting more of in the neighborhood.
Our server was informative & personable. Actually, the whole staff was. From the gentleman that greeted & sat us, to our server, to the gentleman that was working the entry to Doc’s Lab, all had a great restaurant manner. Props for that.
4 stars.

It’s pretty easy to miss the place because it’s pretty small. We came here for date night and thoroughly enjoyed our meal.
We shared the special appetizer, the mussels with thai chilies and ginger. It was super good. Plump mussels and the broth was to die for. The even gave us extra toast without us having to ask, which I thought was super nice, considering most places charge for bread these days.
We got the short rib burger and the chicken for our entrees. The burger is super juicy, although no pink in the middle (we asked for medium rare) but I think that might be because it’s harder to cook short rib to medium rare since it’s a tougher cut of meat. The chicken was also excellent. I loved the chicken liver toast, very different.
The only problem we had with our meal was that the food was pretty salty. Next time, we’ll as the waiter to go easy on the salt. Otherwise, a great joint for date nights.

Pretty chill, classy bar in the North Beach area
From the outside, the place looked pretty classy at night, with warm lighting, smooth background music, and professional bartenders who engage the patrons in conversation. The drinks were also pretty well-​made – the bartenders definitely knew what they were doing, and the crowd seemed to be generally relaxed and having a good time.
One of the few bars in the area that is classy instead of divey, and yet still is down-​to-​earth enough that you don’t have to pay a huge cover charge and dress-​up to enter.
Definitely a place that’s worth going back to again and again

A nice mix of casual ambiance + upscale food, Doc Ricketts is a refreshing change of pace from the typical North Beach scene. It feels more Hayes Valley, or Pac Heights, if that makes sense. Clean modern dining room, with subtle chemistry lab touches (wine presented in beakers). The atmosphere is thoroughly relaxing and intimate.
Food-​wise, everything was outstanding. My buddy had the short rib burger, which I got to steal a piece of: juicy meat heaven, with that fancy greasy taste. I had the black cod with couscous and clams: super flavorful and the fish was like butter. The kept the beakers of wine & water coming all night — perfectly attentive service.
Price-​wise, it seems on point with every other new, hip SF spot. There’s a small bar for smooching, and a downstairs club for comedy & such. So, Doc Ricketts is definitely bringing something fresh to the ‘hood!