La Bande is one of the two restaurants of the Proper Hotel, which also offers a rooftop bar. We had been to the more formal – and expensive – Villon several times but this was our first visit to the more casual La Bande. Indoor and outdoor seating is available and, on an unusually hot June day in San Francisco, we decided to eat inside La Bande. The restaurant offers a variety of Spanish tapas, which you can buy by the plate. However, we decided to try the prix fixe “Menu del Dia” at $49 per person. The items are “chef’s choice”, but the waiter considered our dietary needs and made the appropriate substitutions.The drink menu is extensive, with many items available by the glass. They even offered a special Gay Pride Month cocktail on the drink card! Given the record high temperatures, I went with a Saison Dupont Belgian ale on tap, and it was perfect. My dining companion enjoyed a cold glass of Aval cider rose on tap.Our initial waiter switched from serving indoors to outdoors, but his substitute, who told us that he is a resident of the Tenderloin neighborhood, did a great job. Kudos to the management for hiring locally! The restaurant manager, Pablo, who told us that he is from the north of Spain, stopped by our table a couple of times. We appreciated his involvement with making sure that his restaurant was running smoothly.We were curious about whether a meal of tapas would be sufficiently filling and, suffice it to say, it was! La Bande is a great choice for dining if you are planning to attend a performance at the Orpheum Theatre, just one block away.
Fantastic wait staff. Everyone really friendly. Yummy food.
We had theater tickets and were on a time crunch and they were very speedy and accommodating. The food was OUTSTANDING!! Our server was phenomenal and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I will definitely be back!!
Perfect spot for before the Orpheum. Knowledgeable staff, great service
Service was extremely slow, which can be a problem if you are on a time crunch like seeing a show nearby. We waited over 45 minutes and still hadn't received our drinks.
Waited 15 mins for drinks, 40 for half the food we ordered. Then we had to leave for theater. Server did not take all undelivered food off the bill as promised. Food we got was great, waiter was somewhat apologetic but not communicative enough about problems kitchen was having
La Bande offers both indoors and outdoors seating and we opted for dining inside the restaurant. We were curious about whether a meal of tapas would be sufficiently filling before our show at the nearby Orpheum. We can attest that it was! La Bande’s menu includes a variety of Spanish tapas, which you can buy by the plate. We decided to try the prix fixe “Chef’s Choice” at $49 per person. The chef is willing to make substitutions for those with dietary concerns. On the day we dined at La Bande, the weather was unusually hot by San Francisco standards, so I ordered a refreshing Saison Dupont Belgian ale on tap and my dining companion liked the Aval cider rose he ordered, also available on tap by the glass. The drink menu is extensive with many items available by the glass. They even had a special cocktail to honor Pride Month on the day we were there. Our waiter indicated that he is a resident of the Tenderloin neighborhood adjacent to which the restaurant is located. He did a great job serving our table, and we applaud the management for hiring locally! The very nice restaurant manager, Pedro, who told us that he is from the north of Spain, stopped by our table to make sure that his restaurant was running smoothly. Compared to the cost of dinner at the more formal adjacent restaurant, Villon, also part of the Proper Hotel, where we have dined several times in the past, we felt that La Bande was reasonably priced. We recommend La Bande as an excellent option for dining when attending events in the neighborhood, e.g., shows at the Orpheum, or if you happen to be in the Civic Center – Mid Market neighborhood for any reason.
the staff worked extra hard to get us fed before our show
This restaurant featured a contemporary and comfortable vibe. We were greeted with warmth and charm by our server Josh who suggested the perfect wine to start. Then the chef offered a creative amuse-bouche that was fresh and delicious. Following that was a meal of delightful bites that we thoroughly enjoyed. We would not hesitate to return for another meal at this establishment. There was a team effort to accommodate the customers, and Josh stood out as a fun and amusing server making our meal even more enjoyable.
Great service, outstanding unique food, cool and classy vibe… will be returning soon!