For nearly a century, the landmark address of 2100 Van Ness Avenue has hosted some of the finest meals on the West Coast. When Harris’ Restaurant opened in 1984, in the old location of Grisons, it continued the rich tradition of luxurious dining in a comfortable sophisticated environment. In fact, Harris’ was ranked as one of the nation’s Top 10 Steak houses by the Wine Spectator.
CUISINE
Here’s why: accompanying the world-renowned beef, chicken and seafood dishes are an array of imaginative and tasty appetizers, side dishes, salads, and desserts, and the top wines of the West Coast. And if that weren’t enough, Harris’ martini is as meaty as the beef that hangs in the famous display window out front. Following the meal, our pastry chef dishes up a variety of attractive and original desserts, including a Baked Alaska, a classic Crème Brûlée and Cheesecake.
It’s the main courses, though, that are the centerpiece of the restaurant. Harris’ uses a 21 day dry-aging process for its beef that creates tender and succulent cuts of meat that are sliced on the premises. In today’s market of vacuum sealed steaks our aging process is unique and guarantees a memorable and rare experience. We hand pick large primal cuts of beef that are aged in specially built aging boxes. After 21 days the loins are trimmed and cut into the finest steaks to be offered. And just as tasty as the meat are some of the restaurant’s other specialties, including Whole Maine Lobster, American Lamb Chops, and grilled Salmon.
WINE
Harris’ wine list reflects the combination of elegance and hometown charm of the restaurant itself, focusing mainly on California wines, but also offering a few selections from other wine-growing regions of the world, many choices of wines by the glass, and an array of late harvest dessert wines. Harris’ also offers a full bar with an extensive list of single malt Scotch whisky, small batch bourbon whiskey, cognac, brandy, grappa, and vintage port.
AMBIANCE
To a passerby, Harris’ Restaurant is a handsome restaurant on a busily traveled corner of the city. It is famous for a display window in which large primal cuts of beef age, an attraction that has been known to stop traffic. Inside, like its menu, the atmosphere at Harris’ is as diverse as the city it serves. Harris’ offers four different dining rooms and a bar, easily accommodating intimate dinners to large banquets. The main dining room, The Van Ness Room, offers curving, plush booths, high ceilings, brass chandeliers and skylights, softened even more by a lush mural by local artist Barnaby Conrad depicting a bucolic scene along the Kings River in Central California. In the Pacific Lounge, a rich mahogany bar from the turn of the century provides a backdrop of elegance, as does another mural, a montage of San Francisco scenes based on an original painting by artist Antonio Sotomeyer.
It’s no wonder that when San Franciscans want a special meal, they come back to Harris’.
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