The Morris

If you've already been once and are deciding whether to return, the answer is yes: and you should go with a different section of the menu than last time. The kitchen rotates its emphasis with the seasons, which means the version of The Morris you visited six months ago is not quite the same one you'll find tonight.

Portrait

The space on Mariposa Street reads as a serious neighborhood room rather than a destination dining event. The layout is intimate without feeling cramped: the kind of place where a table of two gets privacy and a group of four gets a proper conversation. Lighting is low enough to feel considered without making the menu unreadable. If you're returning, note that the bar area offers a slightly different energy from the main dining room: it's a better perch if you want to move through a few smaller plates and a glass or two without committing to a full sit-down arc. Seating fills on a standard dinner night, and the room has a steady hum rather than the performative noise of places playing to Instagram.

Paul Einbund, the owner, spent years as beverage director at Sorrel and Frances before opening The Morris, named for his father. That background is legible in every part of the experience: the wine list skews deep and specific in ways that generic neighborhood restaurants don't bother, and the cocktail program holds its own alongside it. Chef Gavin Schmidt runs the kitchen, and the menu sits squarely in New American comfort territory with enough technique to keep it interesting across multiple visits.

The seasonal rotation is the most important thing to understand about The Morris if you're a returning guest. The kitchen leans into what's available and adjusts the menu accordingly, which means the sensible move is to ask your server what's changed since your last visit rather than defaulting to what you ordered before. The charcuterie program is one of the more stable anchors: house-made selections appear consistently, and the pâté de campagne has drawn specific mention from Opinionated About Dining reviewers as a standout. The smoked duck, brined for two days and aged for four, is the signature that travels across seasons and has become the dish most associated with the kitchen's identity. If you haven't tried it, that's your starting point. If you have, build your order around it rather than repeating the exact same supporting cast.

Tartine country loaf, baked a short walk away on the same street, arrives at the table as a natural lead-in while you settle in and review the menu. It's a detail that signals the kitchen's approach to sourcing: local, specific, relationship-based. That applies to how the seasonal menu works too, the kitchen builds around what's available from known suppliers rather than engineering a fixed menu and sourcing to fit it. For a returning guest, this means the vegetable-forward dishes in particular are worth re-examining each visit. Charred broccolini with grilled squid in a chili-lime dressing has appeared on the menu and represents the kitchen's comfort zone: simple technique, clear flavour, ingredient-led. Dishes like that shift with the season in ways that make them worth revisiting.

Bookings at The Morris run at moderate difficulty. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 9:30 pm, and is closed Sunday and Monday. Given the Michelin Plate recognition and consistent OAD ranking (currently #162 in North America for casual dining in 2025, up from #208 in 2024), the room does not sit empty on weekend nights. Book one to two weeks out for a midweek table; aim for two to three weeks ahead for Friday or Saturday. The Morris does not appear to take walk-ins as a primary strategy, so calling ahead or booking through their standard reservation channel is the reliable approach. If you're planning a special occasion visit, three weeks out is a safer target.

On the value question: at $$$, this is a restaurant where the bill will feel proportionate if you engage with the wine list and the charcuterie program, and slightly less so if you order conservatively. The beverage component is where Einbund's background pays off most directly, and the wine selection rewards asking for guidance. If you treat The Morris purely as a food-only dinner and skip the drinks program, you're leaving the most distinctive part of the experience on the table.

For context on how The Morris sits in the broader San Francisco scene, see our full San Francisco restaurants guide. If you're planning a longer trip, our San Francisco hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest. For comparable New American dining outside the city, The Wolf's Tailor in Denver and The Modern in New York City occupy a similar register at different price points. If you're travelling to California wine country, Single Thread in Healdsburg is worth considering as a longer-format alternative. And for those benchmarking against the country's leading tables, The French Laundry in Napa, Le Bernardin in New York City, and Alinea in Chicago represent the ceiling of the format in the US.

Ratings & Recognition

• Michelin Plate (2025)
• Opinionated About Dining, Casual North America: #162 (2025), #208 (2024), Recommended (2023)
• 4.7 out of 5 (606 reviews)

Booking & Practical Details

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 5:00–9:30 pm. Address: 2501 Mariposa St, San Francisco, CA 94110. Book one to two weeks ahead for midweek, two to three weeks for weekends. Moderate booking difficulty, the room fills on peak nights. Dress is smart-casual; the room is neighbourhood-serious rather than formal. Groups of four or more should book as early as possible and confirm table configuration when reserving.

Pearl Picks, Related Venues

• Lazy Bear, Progressive American, Mission district, $$$$
• Sons & Daughters, Contemporary, San Francisco
• Gary Danko, San Francisco, formal end of the spectrum
• Protégé, San Francisco, wine-forward dining
• Providence, Los Angeles, for comparison on West Coast fine-casual
• Emeril's, New Orleans, for comparison on American comfort at scale
• San Francisco wineries guide