an iconic SF restaurant: "the big four"

after walking by it countless times on the top of nob hill, 

we finally went to SF's famed big four restaurant. you can

read the history about it here, but basically this was

the place to see and be seen in the city back in the day.

it's still one of the nicest places you can go out, and it's a 

true san francisco experience to eat here at least once.

the top players in the city were known as the "big 4"

leland stanford (you might know a nearby school he

started,)...mark hopkins, c.p. huntingon, and charles

crocker. these were well-known men in the city, and 

their era is recreated by the big 4 restaurant. it was such

a lively, important time in the city. you walk in and

feel transported back in time immediately. it made me

wish i was around during that time period in san francisco!

the best part is: although this is a super nice restaurant

in an amazing part of town, we discovered that you can

go here and still experience it in a reasonable way.

our trick -- order off the bar menu! you can still dress up,

sit in the dining room and feel like a hob-nobber from 

back in the day, but your bill won't take up your month's

paycheck and the food is still delicious. the fancy grilled

cheese toast + creamy tomato soup is perfect for a foggy

night, and the chicken pot pie is a favorite here too!

the dining room -- see what i mean?
it truly feels like you've stepped back in time.

even the bathroom was so nice i had to run in and

take a photo of it before leaving! damask walls, please!

^^ can't go wrong with this!

the cod didn't end up being my very favorite,

but that's why we say--- stick to the basics

here like the burger/ chicken pot pie, etc!

*note that this restaurant
is centered around being fancy,

so be sure to dress nicely :)

^^ not a bad location either!
thanks for letting us step back into
the best of our city's history and feel like
we were friends with "the big 4" for a night!

xo