Shopping is a pleasure, but, let’s be honest, it’s also tiring. Fortunately, Barneys New York in San Francisco has a stylish answer to this conundrum with the opening of its signature restaurant Freds at Barneys. The New York original was opened by Chef Marc Strausman in 1996, and this restaurant replicates its formula at its Union Square outpost with a posh bar, lounge and restaurant perched atop the 77 O’Farrell Street location.
Now you can refresh and recharge, see and be seen in the modern and elegant space that invites a pause from a busy day of shopping. Created by Barneys New York, Steven Harris Architects and Lalire March Architects, the light-filled interior is chic and soothing, with blond wood, white walls, and aqua marine accents. As you enter the restaurant, a cozy vestibule offers glimpses of the lounge and bar lined with a 36-foot-long faceted mirror glinting with light reflected from the windows of the airy dining room overlooking Union Square.
Dine on Freds classics such as Estelle’s Chicken Soup, Freds Chopped Chicken Salad, Pizza Margarita, and Dungeness Crab Cakes, or tuck into Californina-inspired plates such as Avocado Toast and Pico de Gallo on Cumin buttered Acme Bread or a confetti of Ceviche Pestactora-style spooned into a martini glass. For a lighter break, indulge in crispy Belgian-Style Pommes Frites with a trio of dipping sauces, accompanied by a glass of wine or a craft cocktail.
For a city that seems to have everything, San Francisco can now add a taste of iconic New York to its lengthy list of lunch and after work destinations. Freds at Barneys New York San Francisco is a glamorous time out from a day of hard work — and the hard work of shopping.
WHO Chef Marc Strausman
WHAT Freds at Barneys comes to San Francisco
WHERE 77 O’Farrell St, S.F., 415.268.3550, barneys.com/restaurants/freds $$ LD
Cheeseburger Deluxe
The Interior (left) and Belgian Pommes Frites (right)
Lynda Balslev is an award-winning food writer, editor and recipe developer based in the San Francisco Bay area. She authors the nationally syndicated column and blog TasteFood, and co-authored the cookbook Almonds: Recipes, History, Culture (2015 Silver Medal Winner Independent Publisher Awards). She is the 2011 recipient of the Chronicle Books Award (Recipe Writing) to the Symposium for Professional Food Writers, and a 2018 Fellowship Award recipient to the Symposium for Wine Writers at Meadowood, Napa Valley. Lynda’s writing and photography have been recognized by the New York Times Diners Journal, the Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post and more.
