Maxfield’s Pied Piper Bar

This bar is located in the Palace hotel, fyi. I really didn’t need any more drinks but my friends raved about their gimlets. So we stopped here to try their drinks. We got a round of the Market gimlets. It’s served in a tumbler like glass. Not sure how much it was but pretty big size drink. It was super tasty — there was like a basil or cucumber flavor to them. I think they were strong but I really couldn’t tell at this point in the night. It was our last stop and well past midnight so I think they had also stopped serving food. And another friend ordered the St. Germain cocktail. I had a sip of it and it was delicious. They use like an elderflower liqueur and I think it tasted like lychee. Mmmmm. Would like to come back for HH, food, and more drinks!

I think a place has to try really hard to be this bad.
Dungeonous crab appetizer had an excess of celery salt– poor and salty.
The lobster bisque had chards of tomatoes and the spice– I think tumeric was so strong it took over.
My companion got the Caesar salad with chicken. The chicken was dry and over cooked. The service is pretty poor. .
We waited to be seated in the dining area. After 10 minutes of not being acknowledged, we sat in the bar area. The other night when we came for a drink, they told us they wanted to go home and started chasing everyone out at 11:45 pm.
We hoped for a decent dinner but were disappointed. Save your money! Too expensive, worst food, and poor service. I would have given zero stars.

I do not like giving only 1 star especially to a restaurant in a ritzy hotel but we came to the Palace Hotel to spend our Wedding Anniversary. The Hotel is grand and we would highly recommend it however, Maxfield’s Pied Piper Bar menu clearly states that their Kobe Beef Burger is the Best in the Bay Area~me thinks not. This poor burger was cremated by the ‘chef’
My husband clearly ordered this burger medium; which is a bit pink in the middle. This burger came out totally well done, dry, no flavor. Why would any ‘chef’ totally over cook expensive Kobe beef is beyond me. Also, our waiter was so forgetful. The restaurant was not busy at all either. He forgot my husband’s wine, didn’t bring us napkins with our appetizer. He was jolly however. We would recommend going somewhere else in the area as there are plenty of other delicious restaurants!

I can’t say enough about this place. The history, that gorgeous painting… maybe a touch pricy, but it’s a time machine and time machines are worth it.

If you can, head to the back room rather than the front bar. It’s much quieter and has a really great ambience to just sit and enjoy chatting with your friends over a drink or two.
My only gripe is how pricy the drinks are.

Nice place very elegant, one problem we ordered our food and the waiter kept telling the food is almost ready 1hr still waiting on food. If you’re dying of hunger this is the place to die of waiting.

This is a bar located inside the Palace Hotel. It wasn’t too busy when we went on a Saturday night. The cocktails were on the pricier side, but they were strong. They also give you a bowl of snacks, which include wasabi peas, peanuts, and asian crackers. And FYI, taxes are not included in your drinks, so don’t be surprised when you get the bill.

Had the burger and truffle fries which were good but I ended up with food poisoning and hunched over a toilet for the entire night. Not an ideal way to spend your last night of a vacation.

You have to be International when ordering the staff comes from the four corners of the world so you have to be patient when trying to order a drink or food. We got caught in the usual city downpour and decided to stay in and get some food. The main salon was closed early for supper being Sunday and we settled into Maxfields for bar snacks.
We ordered the soup de jour cream of artichoke a mild not very flavored Luke warm creamed soup. The filet quesadilla was a nice surprise packed with soft moist meat and variety of condiments to slather on the lightly browned shell. The Caesar with whole anchovies was delightful and very authentic, crisp romaine no hearts and lightly dress a yummy side dish. The Lobster club was enjoyable with the truffle fries, crisped lightly and tossed in a black truffle oil. The service was nice but they were busy and could have had one more person on the floor. It was down pouring outside so I understand how they could be busy when not expected. Al in all very nice and I will return on my next visit to SF.

An outstanding bar in the Palace Hotel on busy Market Street. Come here at the wrong times and it will feel exactly busy and crazy inside as it is outside, but even on busy days, this place provides a nice respite from the milling crowds outside.
One does not come here for any vaulted cocktails, because the bartenders while friendly and attentive, can only make the basic cocktails (old fashioned, manhattan etc.). Asking for anything like a corpse reviver will need instructions that are executed pretty well, and with a smile. The nosh list is quite good with the cheese plate and baked potato croquettes being particular favorites. The croquettes boast a beautiful texture and flavor bomb enveloped by a perfectly fried crisp outside that is a perfect accompaniment to a beer in the summer or a warming cocktail in the fall.
Overall a old fashioned interior complemented by old fashioned attentive service and a pretty good old fashioned make this is a worthwhile stop on any pedestrian journey on market.

Stuffy, snooty, hotel wanna b s. Move on to a real SF experience. …not. … your not in LA baby. It’s all like this. even the wait help is off balance… black n white, let us not see another dressed in black n white with grey accents again…

Tired.
Stale.
Lackluster.
3 adjectives I do not want the venue I choose to have a sophisticated drink to be.
Especially when 2 drinks average 40 bucks.
And the service?
Tired.
Stale.
Lackluster.
I know that hotel staff can be very unenthusiastic. I get it. But the service we experienced last night hit a whole new level of corporate impersonal.
First off, the bar was full except for one empty seat. We were told that that seat was extra, & wasn’t supposed to be there. I’m sorry, what?
I immediately saw 2 women had just paid their bill & were about to leave. I said «those 2 ladies are leaving, can we take those seats???»
2 different employees told me they weren’t leaving.
One right as the 2 ladies stood up… to leave.
She then said «oh, you can take those if they’re leaving.»
Brilliant. I must have said they were leaving 3 times. I’ve never felt staff go so out of their way to not welcome or accommodate us. They had no interest & couldn’t be bothered. If you’re not happy to be working here, then don’t. I’m not responsible for your career path or unrequited dreams, right?
The bartenders were… civil. It would be a stretch to say pleasant, but they weren’t completely impassioned. We asked one bartender about the liquor they had in a glass case. He informed us it was Louis XIII, in the most expressionless way. My man didn’t hear him the first time, so the bartender then practically barked it at him. Much in the same style as when we first sat down, & the bartender gave us the bar snacks so haphazardly that he may as well have thrown them at us. Like we’re cattle.
There is only one reason to come here. That painting.
And that’s it.
The Big 4 at The Huntington Hotel runs MILES around this place. That’s where you should go the next time you want a drink in a refined establishment. Dirty Habit, Hakkasan, Bourbon Steak, Top Of The Mark… are also exceptional.
1 star for the Parrish.
1 star for bringing it back.
2 stars period.
Wait. I was too generous. Giving credit for bringing back the painting when they should have understood that it shouldn’t be sold in the first place?!
That’s like giving a kid credit for brushing his/​her teeth.
You’re not supposed to get credit for doing the bare minimum…
ONE star.

Drinks and food are good. Staff are generally attentive.
The highlight is the Pied Piper mural behind the bar.

I stopped here for a drink while staying at the Palace. It was great to finally have a drink under the legendary Pied Piper painting. However, I found that the drinks were lacking. They were not balanced and were a little strange. This isn’t a bad place, but I think next time I’d stick to the standards.

AMBIANCE: in the Palace Hotel. They have bar seating and then a larger more open room with tables. Very classy, beautifully decorated, feelings of old luxury, gorgeous historical painting over the bar (hence the Pied Piper), live music with a very talented band (maybe only certain days of the week, we were there on a Friday).
FOOD/​DRINKS:
Cocktails: they boast about their «signature» cocktails. I tried the Ralston Cocktail which was Absolut pear, passion fruit purée, and peach bitters, topped with sparkling wine. I noticed that a lot of their cocktails used cheaper/​mid-​range alcohol, yet the drinks were $ 14. They also make a pretty mean Manhattan. I’d say the bartenders are talented. The Market Gimlet also seems to be pretty popular.
Food: I was absolutely surprised that the food was so good. Pricey, but delicious. The salmon ($ 29) was cooked perfectly and served with brussel sprouts (YUM), butternut squash purée (YUM), potato hash. The trout with couscous was also good. I would also recommend the burger. It’s huge! The spicy shrimp salad looked meh. The bread basket was also noteworthy with the biscuits and the olive bread.
SERVICE: very nice, prompt, quick. The waiter even noticed the kitchen forgot to put the sauce on the trout so he took it back for us.
Everything was pretty on point, but it is pricey. It’s a good place to go for a date or a business meeting with some drinks, something were you need to be intimate but don’t mind the background music of a live band. The historical aspect to it is also a plus. Great experience overall, but not somewhere I’d go all the time.

Solid 3 star cocktail experience in the heart of San Francisco.
Quintessential old school ambiance, but the cocktails don’t really live up to the prices when factoring in that it’s well type liquor and the Maraschino cherries.
Have had appetizers and meals here before, but it’s not thing to write home about.
You’re paying a premium to drink before a vivid work of art in a stately bar. Cocktail and beer snobs will fare much better at House of Shields.

This place was made for martini lunches and booze-​soaked happy hours. It ain’t cheap, being in the Palace Hotel and all, but if you want a bit of old-​timey ambiance with your cocktail, Pied Piper is what’s up. It’s dark, full of glossy wood, and man cave décor. Draper and Sterling would most definitely approve.
Service is impersonal, the servers just trying to keep up with the demand from their high-​fly business clientele. That said, this place is perfect for biz meetings, when your expense account is paying for those $ 15 drinks.

If you want to be a baller in SOMA, then this is the place to grab drinks after work.
Located in the fancy-​schmanzy Palace Hotel, MaxField’s Pied Piper Bar is a pretty hip, happening spot for an old-​school venue. To be honest, I was expecting a much older, stuffier scene (eg elderly women sipping tea and playing Bridge). But this bar attracts a wide arrange of people (young and older). In fact, it took my friends and I 10 minutes to find a table where we could perch our thirsty bods.
The interior sort of reminded me of the House of Prime Rib (lots of leather chairs, wooden tables, a long bar, and servers dressed up in formal attire). I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the setting that made me want a martini. While my friends opted for a glass of bubbles. Prices, while high ($ 12 for a cocktail), are still no higher than other places in the hood (I’m looking at you Trou Normand, House of Shields, etc.).
Service is prompt and efficient. But given how busy they are at 6pm, it’s definitely not a place where you and your server are going to engage in lots of idle chit-​chat.
If you’re looking to impress a client or a date after work, then I would def recommend Maxfield’s Pied Piper Bar. Or, if you and your friends just want to do some fun people watching, this is the spot for you. I’ll definitely be back!

If you want to have some cocktails in the perfect hip vintage lounge bar, this is one of them — in my humble opinion.
Walking through the hotel lobby to the bar is an experience. The place was built in 1875 and rebuilt after the San Francisco earthquake in 1909, and all of its opulence shows.
The Maxfield bar /​lounge is an upscale setting where you can drink as well as eat if you wish. It is so fucking beautiful and has a comfortably cool kind of classic rat pack hip place to have a drink feel. Take a look at my photos.
The huge wall painting by Maxfield is a reason to come here alone just to see. Absolutely gorgeous if you’re into art.

Bad night. I brought friends by to show them the painting, which is pretty much the only reason to visit the place. Sadly we sat in Ria (Rhea?) section and she acknowledged us after five minutes and then didn’t come back for ten minutes so we got up to leave. We drew the eye of another waiter and I asked him whose section we were in, which is how I got the phonetic of her name but even them he didn’t ask why we were leaving.
This place is poorly run and will likely soon fail. We were accosted by beggars outside and inside the hotel. Just not the scene you want. Go elsewhere. The staff doesn’t give a crap and the drinks are fungible with any other place.

Ein Muss für den Cocktailfreund in SF.
In diesem Lokal könnte gut eine Mad-​Men-​Folge spielen: Dunkles edles Holz, seht gut gekleidete Gäste und zuvorkommender Service (wenn auch manchmal etwas überfordert)
Es gibt sehr gute Cocktails (Tipp: der Gimlet!), das Essen ist ausgezeichnet (wenn auch eher bodenständig … Steaks, Burger …) — keine Haute Cuisine.
Gutes Essen und Trinken in einer sehr schönen Atmosphäre … so soll es sein :-)