Lark Creek Grill - South San Francisco

This was my final stop before leaving town. During my last visit to SFO, I tried a different restaurant, so I decided to check this one out for a decent lunch before heading out. The food was quite good; I had the pulled pork BBQ sandwich, which was a bit on the sweet side—something I’m not particularly fond of anymore, probably after spending too much time on the East Coast with its more vinegary BBQ sauces. The sandwich had a generous portion of pork, and the bun was delicious. The beer selection was impressive, featuring several local brews, which I always appreciate. The service was excellent as well, with the bartender and the server who brought my food both being very friendly to everyone. Their warm demeanor really enhanced my dining experience. Overall, it was a nice visit.

I can't say I was particularly eager to eat here. There aren't many choices on this side of the airport, so if you're reading this and haven't gone through security, you might want to think twice about it. Aside from the usual overpriced airport food, the portion size was disappointing. I ordered the chicken fettuccine Alfredo, and the service was fast, likely because everything was pre-prepared in the back. Just add a bit of salt and pepper, and it felt like a frozen meal with maybe 2 ounces of chicken. They do have a full bar, which I might consider visiting again if I'm at SFO in the future.

I'm not quite sure why this place has such low ratings, as I had a fantastic experience. Perhaps it was just a quieter time during Sunday lunch (around 11:00 AM). Tim was taking orders at the bar and was incredibly friendly and helpful. When I asked him about the fish tacos, he provided an excellent, accurate description. The dish consisted of three tacos filled with pan-seared white fish, served on corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, and a delicious aioli sauce on top. It had just the right amount of kick, making me relish every bite for a solid ten minutes after I was done. I highly recommend squeezing some lime over the tacos since the acidity creates a perfect balance. Pairing it with a large, ice-cold draft beer made it one of my best meals in an airport. Yes, you do pay a premium for dining in the terminal, but it was still a great meal overall.

Firewood Grill is probably the only restaurant with significant seating available in SFO International Terminal A Gates. They serve breakfast and lunch and even has appetizers and desserts, but keep in mind NO pizzas. This is unfortunate since we loved the breakfast pizzas offered at OAK 's Firewood. They do offer a full bar if you plan to liquor up before a flight. We had some time before departing for Seoul in the afternoon, so we came here for brunch. Wife ordered capellini pasta with chicken Cap Chix . Pasta was OK ultra thin and similar to Angel Hair, with generous amount of shredded parmesan cheese mixed in. Despite the good pasta, grilled chicken was bland and dry. 2 stars . I got the roasted veggie panini with a side of fries. Bread was soft and thick, but I prefer some more sear. Veggies were decent got a large portobello mushroom and zucchini along with caramelized onions for sweetness. Fries were excellent crispy, thick, and well seasoned.

I'm not sure why this place got such low reviews because in terms of the food, it's actually not so bad. What's cool is that you're able to see what the food will look like because they have certain entrees prepared behind the glass counter for display. However, in terms of service, it's less than OK. After seeing how the Cobb Salad looked like and the battered fried fish, I was sold. However, I believe the salad comes with chicken and after asking the server if I could substitute the chicken for the fish, I was told it could not be done. I was told that the Cobb Salad comes the way it is and that I could order the Fish and Chips and substitute the chips (fries) for a salad. So, I ordered the latter. This is where the service was less than OK because I didn't think the Order Taker, Mark H., was friendly. He came across rigid. I must say however, the fried fish was delicately crispy and the salad came out looking fresh and green so all was good. I added malt vinegar to the fried fish and that just made it even better! There's not much places to choose from in the GATE A area, so I hope they open up more restaurants in that area. Overall, I'd come back here.