The Garden Court at the Palace Hotel

She is the grand old lady of San Francisco dining institutions and thanks to a few makeovers, she barely shows her age. The Garden Court at the Palace Hotel is the most splendid room in the city for breakfast, lunch, Sunday Brunch or Saturday Afternoon Tea.

Dinner isn’t served because evening dining wouldn’t be as special without The Garden Court’s massive stained-glass dome pouring sunlight down onto the tables, potted palms and flower arrangements. Yes, it’s the history, architecture and interior design of The Garden Court that set it apart from San Francisco’s myriad other restaurants, even though the food is excellent.

When it opened in 1875, the Palace Hotel was the largest in the world and so elegant that Civil War hero William T. Sherman called it “superior to the hotels of Paris and Vienna.” But on a night when opera legend Caruso was staying there, the 1906 Earthquake struck and fire destroyed it. Intent on showing the world how quickly San Francisco could come back, the Palace was rebuilt and reopened in 1909, with most of the same architecture, but adding the jewel that is The Garden Court.

It isn’t just the four-story-high stained-glass dome (made of 25,000 individual panes) that makes the setting of the room—longer, wider and taller than a high school gym—so spectacular. It’s also the Italian marble columns, ten 700-pound Austrian crystal chandeliers, gold-leafed embellishments and Belle Epoque carvings.

While the food may seem pricey for a daytime meal, the quality is high, the portions are generous, and of course, the setting is unrivaled. Green Goddess dressing and the lunch entrée it’s poured over, the Signature Dungeness Crab Salad, was introduced here in 1923 and remains on the menu. Thyme-Basted Diver Scallops and Grilled New York Steak are also favorites.

The Garden Court is best known for the Saturday Afternoon Tea (1:00-2:30, $40), served on traditional tiered tea stands since 1910. But there’s also breakfast ($14-$20 entrees) on weekdays, 6:30-10:30; Saturdays, 6:30-11:00; and Sundays, 7:00-11:00. The Sunday Jazz Brunch ($68 buffet) is 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. And lunch ($23-$27) is served Monday to Saturday, 11:30-2:00.

HelloSanFrancisco Tip: Besides The Garden Court, the four-diamond Palace Hotel features two other award-winning restaurants (Kyo-ya and Maxfield’s), the Pied Piper Bar (dominated by a $2.5 million Maxfield Parrish mural), 553 luxury guest rooms, three ballrooms and an indoor pool.
 

- by Bob Cooper, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Bob Cooper

Bob Cooper is a full-time freelance writer (www.bob-cooper.com) who writes about travel, outdoor sports and health. He is a monthly contributor to Runner's World and has written recent articles for other national magazines such as Continental, Ladies' Home Journal and Inc.