Eight Tables by George Chen - Reviews

My experience at this restaurant was a huge disappointment. I was shocked by the taste and quality of the food for the price, which I found completely unjustifiable. It felt like a prime example of fine dining corrupted by greed. The food was described as terrible and awful, leading to a strong recommendation not to waste money here. The only redeeming qualities were the cool ambience and good service, which were the sole reasons for the two-star rating.

My experience at this restaurant was a great time. Everything was executed very well, especially the "nine essential flavors" dish, which stood out for its creativity and presentation. While I would have loved a few more bites of some flavors, overall it was a great way to pamper ourselves with some elevated Chinese cuisine.

My experience at this restaurant was exceptional. I was absolutely blown away by the food, service, and the interior design, which all together elevated the entire experience. I’m definitely coming back!

My experience at Eight Tables was a good pick. The restaurant offers something for everyone, catering to different palates. The food was excellent, with several highlights, though the dumpling was just 'mid'. The spicy soy milk dish was amazing. While the price point in SF in 2024, including base meal, gratuity, tip, and tax, is high, the Eight Tables experience is recommended if you're looking for that specific experience. It was worth it, sure. The service, atmosphere, and food all received a 5/5 rating.

My experience at this restaurant was truly special, thanks to the absolutely excellent staff. The kitchen showcased a lot of time and thought into creating really unique dishes. While it was definitely pricey, the service and the unique dishes were well worth the cost.

From the moment we were welcomed into the elevator until the moment we collected our coats, we felt like valued guests. Every step of the way, the service was warm, attentive, and professional. The food was, of course, quite excellent. My favorite was the Cold Noodle with fresh soy milk, sea urchin and sesame. But the high point of the experience was the sommelier - who was actually interested in what we liked and varied his pourings from the normal pairing menu to match our tastes. Highly recommended. I look forward to returning.

My experience at the restaurant was a mixed bag. The service was really good, earning a perfect score. However, the food was below my expectation, rating a 3 out of 5. For the same price, I believe Mr Jiu offers better food. The atmosphere was also rated highly at 5 out of 5.

I genuinely don't think this experience is worth the money. I don't usually write bad reviews, but this place made me feel like I not only wasted my money but also the time and effort to get there. I want to save you the latter. I came here for my birthday and my partner's 2-year anniversary. The preparation time was around 2 months. We were asked about our dietary restrictions, assuming so that they could accommodate to our needs, but nothing was done to accommodate at all. We walk into an unassuming alleyway, up an elevator, and into a nice cozy room with the smell of nostalgic burning incense filling your nose. Seated with a warm damp towel and hot tea, you're reminded about the dietary restrictions YOU put in place for the table. Then course by course comes out over the next 2-3 hours, and that's the whole experience. Seems pleasant enough, until the main courses come by and a dish of Rice broth with Iberico ham comes out to our VEGETARIAN table. When we reminded the staff about the dietary restrictions in place, they took the item to the back, took off the piece of ham, and brought it back with no replacements or accommodations. The next dish on the tasting course is the tea-smoked squab. After reminding staff yet again that we are a vegetarian table, they BRING OUT three killed, cooked, and uncut squabs for us to SEE, then proceed to bring out the prepared dish. My partner was forced to eat it because there were no replacements for the whole dish and he didn't want it to go to waste. We would have lost out on another dish that they did not make any effort into accommodating for. What's the point in asking for dietary restrictions if they don't use them? They have 2 months to come up with something that we can eat and choose to do nothing. I would also like to add that our "experience" was almost 4 hours long. We had to wait sometimes 35 minutes in between dishes with nothing in front of us, while other tables that came the same time and got the same tasting course as us, finished hours before we did. Little to no table service other than the bare minimum of an hourly water refill and plate cleanup. The audacity to charge us a mandatory $100 tip after that awful experience. Biggest waste of $500 I've ever spent. If a refund were in place, I would still be upset that we lost 4 hours of our special day to that. Very disappointed. I've had better food and service at a Burger King. I was looking forward to this for months. Ruined my anniversary and birthday.

My experience at the restaurant was great overall. I loved each course, with the cucumber with caviar and the cold noodles stealing the show. Milton provided the best service. However, the price of $500 per person was a bit much. It's a bit pricey, but okay once every 10 years.

I celebrated my birthday here and had a truly great experience! The restaurant offers a tasting menu, which simplifies the decision-making process, leaving you to only consider drink pairings. I appreciated the availability of a non-alcoholic pairing, though we opted for the wine pairing. The nine flavors first course was simply amazing, a perfect start to the meal. I hope to return someday.