The juiciest places in SF to get prime rib (besides House of Prime Rib)

In Eat Here Now, we serve up the newest, the buzziest, or simply the rediscovered in SF restaurants. If you can pick only one place to eat at this week — go here (or here or here).

We all know San Francisco is famous for its collective commitment to all things biodynamic and grass-fed, but we also harbor another passion: for big slabs of corn-fed, bloody-rare prime rib.

I don’t need to tell you that it’s always beef o’clock at San Francisco’s beloved temple to the tender cut, House of Prime Rib. Step inside the massive restaurant on any night and you’ll find every table full and just about every plate loaded with juicy slices, blood-red at the center. Reservations open a year in advance yet are nearly impossible to score. The restaurant’s fandom goes so far as to have inspired unlicensed merch. 

But this city’s obsession with beef goes deeper than just one century-old restaurant. Here are four other places for prime rib in San Francisco.

On a foggy Wednesday, there wasn’t an open seat at this restaurant on a quiet corner of Cow Hollow. Brazen Head’s 10-ounce slice of prime rib ($45) comes with a side of creamed spinach and a mound of horseradish so strong it makes the eyes water. It’s advertised on the menu as having “limited availability,” and I’ve had the misfortune of showing up too late to get it, so you should aim to arrive early on busy weekend nights. 

Chef Matt Accarrino’s Bush Street restaurant recently added prime rib to the menu. On B&B Thursdays, the Italian restaurant plies the neighborhood with Barolo, Barbaresco, and beef; specifically, bone-in prime rib cooked over a wood-fired hearth. Unlike most restaurants, Mattina serves its prime rib by weight ($18 for 100 grams), covered in an acidic salsa verde with a heap of roasted potatoes. 

Chef Nancy Oakes’ New American restaurant on the Embarcadero puts prime rib on the menu every Friday night from late October through the end of the year. “We sell out every week,” confirms general manager Eloy Garcia, adding that prime rib is the kind of celebratory meal diners crave during the holidays. Prospect’s untraditional koji-marinated prime rib ($75) is served with a twice-baked potato, creamed spinach, and popovers. 

Technically in Daly City, this is the sister to North Beach’s iconic Original Joe’s from prolific restaurateurs the Duggan family. By 2:30 p.m., the roasted prime rib ($46.95) is ready for serving, with all the classic trappings: mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, horseradish sauce, and au jus.