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¡Chao Pescao!, San Francisco, CA

¡Chao Pescao!

4.3
4.3
652 Reviews
$30 and under
Latin American

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
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At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 11 times today
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Lively
  • Good for groups
Chao Pescao is a new casual Latin Caribbean restaurant from longtime San Francisco restaurateur Rene Denis inspired by his Cuban-Colombian heritage. The name, translating roughly to “see you later alligator,” captures the friendly and fun spirit of the restaurant. Cocktails are inspired by many of the traditional drinks from Latin America, while the food pulls from the comforting Cuban and Colombian home cooking of Denis’s childhood. The menu is rounded out with other Latin American favorites with particular emphasis on dishes designed for delivery. Chao Pescao is located in the Civic Center Plaza at the heart of the city, across from City Hall.

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Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Latin American, Colombian, Cuban
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sat 11:30 am–8:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    $5 Parking Mon-Fri after 5pm and all day Saturday with validation at the the Hastings Parking Garage.The UC Hastings Parking Garage is located at 376 Larkin St between McAllister and Golden Gate. The Civic Center Garage entrance is located at 355 McAllister. Street parking is also available and is free after 6pm.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Rene Denis
  • Delivery & takeout

What 652 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.1Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
¡Chao Pescao! is a vibrant pre-theater destination offering "delicious" and "unique" Caribbean-influenced cuisine. Guests rave about the "fantastic" empanadas and "excellent cocktails." While service can be slow during busy times, the "warm-hearted staff" and "fun atmosphere" make it a memorable dining experience. Perfect for a lively night out!
652 Reviews
  1. Sarah

    VIP

    Milwaukee

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Went for the first time a few weeks ago and took myself right back. The food is addicting the drinks are unique and the vibe is so fun. Also for the gf/celiac people it has many options

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  2. Rebecca

    VIP

    San Francisco

    12 reviews

    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great lunch. The interior of the restaurant is very nice! Service was good, our food didn’t all come out at the same time. But it was delicious. Sandwiches and salads were great!

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  3. Whitney

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    2.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    Nice atmosphere, server was terrible, food was good although not what we ordered. Reservations appear to be stacked too closely as they had to ask people to leave when we arrived so they could get us seated, and this also happened for a couple who came in a few minutes after us.

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  4. Ashley

    VIP

    San Francisco

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    The food is amazing. The night we went they must have been understaffed because the service was rough. Everyone was very kind and trying to do their best, but they needed several more people on the floor/behind the bar. The $20 drinks were not great… hope we went on an off night and will try again bc the food was fabulous.

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  5. Heather

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We are here before a show at the Bill Graham Civic Center. Food was great, reasonably priced, fun atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.

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  6. Andrea

    Portland

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was amazing, but the service wasn’t great. Water was never refilled and we waited so long for our second round that the host ended up rushing us out the door.

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  7. Elyse

    New York City

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    My husband and I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Our table server was fantastic and her service was great. We did notice that it was difficult for the server to get back to us quickly to follow-up on drinks and food, but I don't think this was due to her. The place was busy and it seemed like all servers were also responsible for tending the bar. Maybe they were down staffed, but either way we really did love being there. The service only became an issue because after 1.5 hours at a bar table, the host (Not our server) told us we would need to finish up in the next 5 minutes because people were waiting. We were on our way out, so it wasn't a problem, but it did feel rushed. If there is a limit on table time, it would be helpful to have that noted when you make a reservation.

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  8. Ainsley

    VIP

    San Francisco

    18 reviews

    3.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on 21 February 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was good, but nothing wowed me. Service was fine.

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  9. Johnnie L

    Unspecified

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 16 February 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    The waiter forgot our full dinner order request. Ended up getting/receiving our salad order last. Black beans and rice made up 50% of my steak dinner plate. Chicken empanadas were not good. Beef empanadas were better. All empanadas required more flavor, felt like eating unflavored hospital food.

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  10. Mojgan

    VIP

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 15 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food tastes amazing and very unique. Service and ambience are good.

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FAQs

¡Chao Pescao! offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (415) 621-2200.

¡Chao Pescao! is rated 4.3 stars by 652 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 11 times today
Google Map for ¡Chao Pescao!

272 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Latin American, Colombian, Cuban
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sat 11:30 am–8:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    $5 Parking Mon-Fri after 5pm and all day Saturday with validation at the the Hastings Parking Garage.The UC Hastings Parking Garage is located at 376 Larkin St between McAllister and Golden Gate. The Civic Center Garage entrance is located at 355 McAllister. Street parking is also available and is free after 6pm.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Chef Rene Denis
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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