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Prelude, San Francisco, CA

Prelude

4.8
4.8
93 Reviews
$31 to $50
Californian
333 Battery St, San Francisco, CA 94111-3234

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 13 times today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
  • Great for creative cocktails
Prelude is a restaurant that is reimagining Southern cuisine. As a team, we will produce and serve nostalgic Americana food and drink, inspired by the Bay Area. We will be using some of the best produce in the world, combining modern high-level cooking techniques and recipes passed down through the generations of our Chef Celtin Hendrickson-Jones maternal family. Our offerings will be available in two menu formats: a multi course pre-fixe menu with options for guests to handpick their dining experience, and “salon menu” featuring quick bites to larger plates, all ordered at the guest's discretion.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Southern
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Bar Tue–Sat 4:00 pm–5:30 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Celtin Hendrickson-Jones
  • Neighborhood
    Financial District / Embarcadero
  • Cross street
    The conner of Clay and Battery on the ground floor of The Jay Hotel
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Private Room, Wine

Experiences

  • Tasting Menu

    $165.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Join Chef Celtin for an unforgettable experience that evokes the warmth of Sunday suppers through an ever-evolving menu, celebrating seasonal produce and nostalgic dishes. Please note that due to our culinary process, we are unable to accommodate vegan options.
  • Tasting Menu + Wine Pairing

    $283.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    "Join Chef Celtin for an unforgettable experience that evokes the warmth of Sunday suppers through an ever-evolving menu, celebrating seasonal produce and nostalgic dishes. Each course is thoughtfully paired with exquisite wines, enhancing the flavors and creating the perfect balance between food and drink Please note that due to our culinary process, we are unable to accommodate vegan options.
  • Mother's Day Brunch

    $125.00 per person

    May 11, 2025 only
    This Mother’s Day, treat Mom to a special 4-course brunch, filled with seasonal delicacies and refreshing brunch cocktails. It's the perfect way to show her how much she means, while enjoying a memorable and elegant dining experience together. Let us help make her day as wonderful as she is!

What 93 people are saying

Prelude reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.9Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Francisco

    Innovative

  • San Francisco

    Californian

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Prelude offers an exceptional dining experience with "impressive staff attentiveness," "elegant ambiance," and "delicious, beautifully presented food." The menu creatively blends Southern charm with fine dining techniques, offering standout dishes like pork chops and catfish dumplings. "Service is top notch," and the "wine program is amazing." A must-visit gem.

93 Reviews
  1. Lois VIP

    Denver1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    An exceptional experience from start to finish. The attentiveness and knowledge of the staff was impressive, the ambiance was elegant without being overstated, and the food was arguably one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. Every bite was well-balanced and full of flavor. It’s no surprise they’ve been short-listed for a Michelin Star. Run, don’t walk to book your reservation here!

    1 person found this helpful

  2. Selamawit VIP

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 18, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing service. Can’t talk enough about how attentive the staff was. Portions were great and I was getting really full. It’s not one of the places you go to then later go get a burger. Flavor profile was great. The southern touch to a lot of the dishes was impeccable.

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  3. Jenea VIP

    Atlanta6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 18, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    From the top down everyone was extremely personable. Also as someone from the south I was skeptical about eating at a southern restaurant in California. However the menu exceeded my expectations. Hats off to chef , 10/10.

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  4. Lourdes

    Sacramento7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 13, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everyone was awesome! The caviar and pork chop were remarkable, and the mocktails out of this WORLD!

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  5. Pam

    San Francisco11 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What a nice place.. the food was super. The staff very friendly

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  6. marcus

    Portland1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 11, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. It’s an excellent blend between a food tradition and a series of creative experimentations with it. Every member of the staff was bright, engaged with the menu, and a pleasure to talk with. The wine program is amazing, don’t skip having a glass or bottle.

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  7. Michael VIP

    San Francisco21 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 10, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What is better than a story told through food? It’s my absolute favorite thing about the San Francisco dining scene. And Prelude is a showcase of a beautiful and unique Northern California story. The Bay Area often doesn’t have a lot of ties to the American South in food tradition. Chef Celtin gets to display his flavors of his upbringing from his grandmother, and ties together the tradition of utilizing the highest quality ingredients that the Bay Area has to offer, with fine dining techniques and execution. I came here on a weekday night to celebrate my partner’s birthday in our favorite manner, using our special dates as a means to explore a new fine dining restaurant. But with so many restaurants doing a variation of Asian fusion, Japanese omakase, Italian or French or New American, it was such a find to discover a new restaurant that is willing to venture into trying something completely new and seldom if ever done. The comfort and warmth of the American South. Right away we were shown two tables that we could choose from, as our front of house host gave us the option to pick our favorite view of the ambience, decor, and open kitchen. They immediately took our bottle of sparkling to put onto ice, and went over a few of the favorite cocktail options and to highlight the supplements for our course. If you’re looking for a fine dining restaurant. Prelude is a hit. If you’re looking for a romantic date spot, if you’re looking to feel taken care of, if you’re looking for a restaurant that provides a unique flavor set and cuisine that allows you to branch out of your comfort zone of Japanese French Italian and American meets California New American, then Prelude is your spot. I can’t wait to continue following along their journey. Wonderful time. Thank you to the team!

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  8. Mark

    San Francisco5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 5, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The service and food were absolutely impeccable. I highly recommend the tasting menu with wine paring… That is a phenomenal experience. When we engaged the wait staff they were friendly and showed complete mastery of the menu, preparation and wines. I absolutely unequivocally recommend Prelude.

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  9. Jason

    San Francisco2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 5, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great experience. Service was top notch, bite for bite, a top 5 restaurant for me in sf

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  10. Janet VIP

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 5, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything was wonderful at Prelude. The food was delicious and beautifully presented, the staff were all engaging and professional, and - best of all - we could hear ourselves talk, even though the dining room was almost full. We look forward to our next visit when we can try out more items from the menu. Bravo Prelude!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Prelude is rated 4.8 stars by 93 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. San Francisco
  5. Financial District / Embarcadero

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 13 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Prelude

333 Battery St, San Francisco, CA 94111-3234

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    The conner of Clay and Battery on the ground floor of The Jay Hotel
  • Neighborhood
    Financial District / Embarcadero
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Bar Tue–Sat 4:00 pm–5:30 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Southern
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Celtin Hendrickson-Jones
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Private Room, Wine
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