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Betty Lou's Seafood & Grill - Steakhouse in San Francisco, California

Betty Lou's Seafood & Grill

4.6 (1097 reviews)

318 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Seafood restaurant
Family restaurant
Italian restaurant
Steak house

About Betty Lou's Seafood & Grill - steak house in San Francisco, California

Bright, spacious bistro for oysters, chowder, pasta & seafood mains in old-world environs.

Customer Review Summary

Betty Lou's Seafood & Grill is praised for its fresh seafood dishes, with standout items including the cioppino, seafood linguine, and homemade tiramisu. Many reviewers commend the exceptional service and the personal touch from Chef Hector, who engages with customers. However, some patrons noted inconsistent experiences, mentioning stale bread, lackluster service, and mediocre dishes during their visits. The atmosphere is described as cute and inviting, though some felt the waitstaff could be more attentive. Overall, while many highly recommend the restaurant, others found their experiences disappointing and below average.

Key Features

From the business

  • Identifies as Latino-owned

Service options

  • No-contact delivery
  • Delivery
  • Takeout
  • Dine-in

Highlights

  • Fast service

Popular for

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Solo dining

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair accessible entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible restroom
  • Wheelchair accessible seating

Offerings

  • Alcohol
  • Beer
  • Coffee
  • Comfort food
  • Happy hour drinks
  • Healthy options
  • Vegetarian options
  • Wine

Dining options

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Counter service
  • Dessert
  • Seating

Amenities

  • Gender-neutral restroom
  • Restroom

Atmosphere

  • Casual
  • Cozy
  • Trendy

Crowd

  • Family-friendly
  • Groups
  • LGBTQ+ friendly
  • Tourists
  • Transgender safespace

Planning

  • Dinner reservations recommended
  • Accepts reservations

Payments

  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • NFC mobile payments

Children

  • Good for kids
  • High chairs

Parking

  • Paid parking lot

Customer Reviews

Rating Distribution

4.6 out of 5
5
821
4
171
3
57
2
22
1
26
Based on 1097 reviews

Amy S

2 months ago

Omg wow one of the best freshest seafood dishes I have ever had. The sauce, amazing. The service, phenomenal. What a wonderful place completely recommend. Don't pass on the homemade tiramisu. Both our seafood plates were completely packed with a diversity of fresh seafood.

Aiko T

4 months ago

We come to Betty Lou’s every few months for the fresh seafood and great service. We got the last classic cioppino of the day and we were so glad! Plentiful and heartwarming comfort food. We met the chef Hector, who personally came to chat with us any offered his homemade tiramisu it tasted just like Italy. With all their dishes, you can taste the chef’s love for cooking. I wish I lived closer so I could come back more often!

Lea Niculescu

3 months ago

I wanted to try this place because they had raving reviews and the menu looked promising. Upon entering, we pretty much got the worst seats. We were served bread that seemed stale and possibly a day old. My clam chowder was good but nothing to write home about. My partner ordered pasta and said the sauce was incredibly bland, but the redeeming factor was the meatballs. Service was lackluster. My partner watched as the people seated next to us received Parmesan cheese for their pastas and my partner was ignored. It did kind of feel like the waiters looked us up and down and decided we just weren’t worth the effort. It definitely wasn’t the best Christmas Eve meal. Oh well.

Dave Rogers

6 months ago

Went on a Wednesday night, had the seafood Risotto and the steak. Both were not good, seemed frozen and reheated, cheap cuts of meat. The Risotto rice wasn't very good as well. The place is cute and the servers are friendly and attentive.

Greg Saunders

6 months ago

I was pleasantly surprised by this relatively new seafood bistro near a vibrant intersection of Columbus and Grant. I was surprised how easy it was to get a reservation on the same Saturday. They serve up some really good fresh seafood, and I loved the risotto. Waitstaff could be slightly more attentive. There was not as much personality put into the service and our water went unchecked for the whole meal.

Göktuğ Özdem

3 months ago

I came here looking at the great reviews but it was disappointing. It was below average sea food. I ordered a Linguine with Sea food. Clams, Mussels, Prawn, Scallop, Calamari, Shrimps.

Jeni Ni

5 months ago

absolutely delicious meal that hit all the spots. shared the cioppino and the seafood linguine in tomato cream sauce and they were both to die for. I'll be taking the memory of them both home with me to try and recreate... my friend even said it would be fun to do a fusion cioppino of the tomato cream sauce with all the seafood in it!

Stephanie Tan

3 months ago

Can I just say... that SF really knows how to do oyster shooters? They're wonderful, and I wish I can have more of them everytime. Wonderful oyster shooters, clams were super fresh and tasty. The service was friendly and attentive with abit of flair. I just wish I have more stomach capacity to try the cioppino which looks excellent

Location

Contact Information

Hours of Operation

Friday 11:30 AM–9:30 PM
Monday 11:30 AM–9:30 PM
Saturday 11:30 AM–9:30 PM
Sunday 11:30 AM–9:30 PM
Thursday 11:30 AM–9:30 PM
Tuesday 11:30 AM–9:30 PM
Wednesday 11:30 AM–9:30 PM

Price Range

$30–50