Last updated: October 25, 2026
If you’re searching for the Saison San Francisco menu, you’re probably trying to answer a few expensive questions: what the tasting menu costs, what’s actually included, how to book, and whether the kitchen can handle dietary restrictions. Saison is a New American fine-dining restaurant built around live fire, and the experience is a single seasonal tasting menu — there are no à la carte choices to fall back on.
Saison sits in San Francisco’s SoMa district and earned three Michelin stars back in 2014 — a historic first for the city, shared with Benu. Note that the restaurant’s own official site currently describes it as a two-Michelin-star restaurant, so don’t trust older aggregators that still repeat the three-star claim. What hasn’t changed is the format: one seasonal tasting menu, served in a dining room with a view of the open kitchen, with reservations that work more like concert tickets than restaurant bookings.
Menu note: Saison does not publish a fixed menu — the tasting menu is seasonal and changes, so there is no permanent dish list to print here. Prices and fees in this guide are based on the restaurant’s official booking pages (via OpenTable Experiences) and verified third-party sources. Reported signature dishes come from diner accounts and may not be on the menu on your visit. Confirm the latest prices, policies, and availability before booking.
At a Glance
| Cuisine | Fire-based New American — a single seasonal tasting menu, no à la carte |
| Location | 178 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107 (SoMa) |
| Known for | Live-fire cooking and one seasonal tasting menu served in a dining room facing the open kitchen; the restaurant’s official site currently describes it as a two-Michelin-star restaurant (it earned three stars in 2014) |
| Price guide | Tasting menu from $368 per person (OpenTable Experiences lists a $368–$566 range); beverage pairings are extra, plus a 20% service charge, sales tax and San Francisco’s 6% mandate on top — all-in can run well north of $700 per person |
| Hours | Tuesday–Saturday 5:00pm–9:30pm; closed Sunday and Monday |
| Reservations | Ticket-style and final once booked — reserve online through saisonsf.com or by phone at (415) 828-7990 during office hours (10:00am–5:00pm) |
| Official website | saisonsf.com |
The Saison Menu at a Glance
Saison’s entire food offering is one seasonal tasting menu built around fire cooking and Northern California ingredients — the farm, foragers, fishermen, and ranchers the restaurant names as its suppliers all shape what lands on the plate.
| Menu element | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Format | Seasonal tasting menu only — no à la carte menu |
| Cooking style | Fire-based New American; ancient and modern methods, house preservation |
| Cuisine focus | Northern California ingredients, open-kitchen dining room |
| Course count | Diners report roughly 15–22 courses depending on the season |
| Dessert | Included in the tasting arc (diners rave about the mandarin creamsicle) |
| Beverages | Wine and beverage pairings available at extra cost |
Saison Menu Prices
The headline number is $368 per person — but that is the starting price of the tasting menu, not the final bill.
What’s included in the $368
- The seasonal tasting menu in the dining room with a kitchen view
- Service of the full multi-course experience
What’s extra
- Beverage pairings — wine and other pairings are sold separately and are the biggest add-on
- 20% service charge — on top of the menu price
- Sales tax — on top of menu price plus service
- 6% San Francisco mandate — the city’s additional per-check surcharge, itemized on the bill
The OpenTable Experiences listing quotes a $368–$566 per-person range, which suggests the menu price itself can vary by date or experience type. For a realistic per-person budget, take the menu price, add your chosen pairing, then add 20% service + ~8.5% SF sales tax + the 6% mandate — a $368 menu with a mid-range pairing can land well north of $700 per person all-in. Treat this as a planning estimate, not a quote, and confirm the current figures on the official booking page before you commit.
The Tasting Experience: What Courses to Expect
Saison’s tasting arc is deliberately paced and almost entirely cooked with fire — ember, hearth, and open flame are the kitchen’s defining tools. Diners describe a progression that typically moves from light, raw, and preserved preparations through seafood and vegetables into richer fire-cooked meats, closing with desserts. Because the menu is seasonal, the exact sequence changes, but the rhythm — delicate opening bites, a seafood middle, a fire-driven main arc, and a composed dessert course — stays consistent.
One practical point: the best seats are the dining-room tables facing the open kitchen, where you watch the fire cooking happen. There is also a lounge area where a full or abbreviated menu can be enjoyed, which some diners choose for a slightly more relaxed evening. For a different precision-driven multi-course experience, our Narisawa menu guide covers Tokyo’s two-Michelin-star omakase-style tasting.
Signature Dishes Diners Talk About
Because the menu changes with the seasons, none of these are guaranteed on your visit — but these are the dishes that keep appearing in diner accounts and reviews, and they give a real sense of what Saison does best:
- Sea urchin liquid toast — the famous opening bite, served in a small cup with toast
- Black truffle brioche croissant — an indulgent bread-course legend
- Caviar service — a luxe addition to the early courses
- Geoduck and uni toast — raw-seafood preparations that showcase sourcing
- Antelope with radicchio — an example of the fire-driven meat arc
- A5 Miyazaki wagyu — the premium beef course
- Five-spice duck — a standout meat course reported by recent diners
- Mandarin creamsicle — the dessert diners say “tastes exactly like childhood”
If a particular dish is the reason you’re booking, email the restaurant at [email protected] before you reserve — the seasonal rotation means no dish is promised.
Dietary Restrictions at Saison
Read this before you book, because the limits are hard lines, not requests the kitchen will bend:
- Vegan diets cannot be accommodated.
- The kitchen cannot handle the complete exclusion of any of the following: alliums, gluten, egg, vinegar, dairy, soy, finned fish, or mushrooms.
If your restriction falls outside those boundaries, the restaurant asks you to email [email protected] with questions before reserving. Since reservations are final-sale (see below), this is a check worth doing up front — a deposit on a menu you can’t eat is an expensive mistake.
What Should You Order at Saison?
There’s only one menu, so “ordering” is really about how you plan the evening.
For a special occasion: book the dining room with the kitchen view — watching the fire cooking is half the experience, and this is the seating diners remember most.
For wine lovers: budget for the pairing. At this tier the pairing is not a small add-on; plan it as a major line item (see the true-cost math above) or plan to drink by the glass if you prefer.
For dietary restrictions: email [email protected] before booking, not after. If your needs fall on the hard-exclusion list above, Saison is not the right room.
For a slightly more relaxed evening: ask about the lounge, where the full or an abbreviated menu can be enjoyed in a less formal setting.
For fine-dining fans comparing rooms: Saison’s fire-driven New American tasting is one style; for the French grand-restaurant tradition, see our Le Clarence menu guide.
Reservations & Cancellation Policy
Saison’s reservations work like tickets to a concert or sporting event — they are final and nontransferable once booked.
- Cancellations and no-shows within 48 hours: full menu charge, no credit offered
- Earlier cancellations: $98 per person; you get 30 days to rebook using that charge as a credit
- Reservations can be made online through saisonsf.com or by phone at (415) 828-7990 during office hours (10:00am–5:00pm)
Book through the official channels only, and make sure every guest in your party knows the cancellation terms — a changed plan within 48 hours costs the full menu price per person.
Saison Location & Opening Hours
Address: 178 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107 (SoMa, near the ballpark — allow extra travel time on game nights)
Phone: (415) 828-7990
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 5:00pm–9:30pm |
| Wednesday | 5:00pm–9:30pm |
| Thursday | 5:00pm–9:30pm |
| Friday | 5:00pm–9:30pm |
| Saturday | 5:00pm–9:30pm |
| Sunday–Monday | Closed |
The restaurant’s own site has described evening service as starting at 5:30pm at times, so confirm the current seating times when you book — hours and seating windows can change.
Before You Go
- Reservations work like concert tickets: they are final and nontransferable once booked, so make sure every guest knows the terms before you reserve.
- Cancellations and no-shows within 48 hours are charged the full menu price with no credit; earlier cancellations cost $98 per person, which you get 30 days to apply as credit toward a rebooking.
- Check dietary limits before booking — vegan diets cannot be accommodated, and the kitchen cannot handle the complete exclusion of alliums, gluten, egg, vinegar, dairy, soy, finned fish, or mushrooms; email [email protected] with questions first.
- Budget well beyond the $368 headline: pairings, the 20% service charge, sales tax and the 6% SF mandate are all added on top.
- The best seats are the dining-room tables facing the open kitchen; a lounge area offers the full or an abbreviated menu in a more relaxed setting.
- The restaurant is in SoMa near the ballpark — allow extra travel time on game nights.
Quick Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the tasting menu at Saison San Francisco?
The tasting menu starts at $368 per person (OpenTable Experiences lists a $368–$566 range). That price does not include beverages or pairings, the 20% service charge, sales tax, or San Francisco’s 6% mandate — all of which are added on top.
What is included in the Saison menu price?
The menu price covers the seasonal multi-course tasting menu served in the dining room with a kitchen view. Wine pairings and other beverages are extra, as are the 20% service charge, sales tax, and the 6% SF mandate.
How many Michelin stars does Saison have?
Saison earned three Michelin stars in 2014 — San Francisco’s first, shared with Benu. However, the restaurant’s own official website currently describes it as a two-Michelin-star restaurant. Treat any site still calling it three-star as outdated.
Does Saison accommodate dietary restrictions?
Only up to a point. The kitchen cannot accommodate vegan diets or the complete exclusion of alliums, gluten, egg, vinegar, dairy, soy, finned fish, or mushrooms. Email [email protected] with questions before booking.
What is Saison’s cancellation policy?
Reservations are final and nontransferable. Cancellations or no-shows within 48 hours incur the full menu charge with no credit. Earlier cancellations cost $98 per person, which you can apply as credit toward a rebooking within 30 days.
What are the opening hours of Saison San Francisco?
Saison is open Tuesday through Saturday, 5:00pm–9:30pm (dinner only), and closed Sunday and Monday. Confirm current seating times on the official booking page, as the listed start time has varied.
Where is Saison located?
Saison is at 178 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, in the SoMa district. The phone number is (415) 828-7990.
Is Saison worth the price?
That depends on your budget and occasion. The all-in cost per person runs well above the $368 starting price once pairings, service, tax, and the SF mandate are added, and the menu is a fixed seasonal tasting — not a place to pick your dishes. For diners who value fire-driven fine dining and a once-in-a-while splurge, reviewers consistently rate it among San Francisco’s most memorable meals. Confirm the current price and policies on the official booking page before deciding.
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