When I moved to the Haight-Ashbury with college friends in 1989, our weekends usually involved walking or hopping on the bus to Lower Haight to hang out at bars like the Mad Dog in the Fog or Toronado for cold beers on tap. We only occasionally visited the Marina District or Cow Hollow — the infamous “Triangle” of bars and restaurants was too fraught with frat boys and sorority girls for a rockabilly and goth-clad group of aspiring writers and artists.
There was, however, one place we would make the trip for semi-regularly: Izzy’s Steaks & Chops on Steiner Street. Opened in 1987 by prolific restaurateur Sam DuVall, the name was inspired by bootlegger Izzy Gomez, whose original saloon in San Francisco’s Barbary Coast was a local spot for folks from all walks of life.
Izzy’s had the same feel — a casual ambiance with great steaks, great drinks, and great prices. The five of us with boyfriends and girlfriends in tow could cram into a cozy booth with wood-paneled walls and shelves lined with bottles of different hot sauces as far as the eye could see and treat ourselves for special occasions.
When my parents moved to San Francisco from New York City’s Jamaica Queens in the early 1950s, their date spot was the House of Prime Rib, where Gus the maître d took care of them like family (it didn’t hurt that my mom was stunning, and Gus loved an innocent flirtation). After my mom passed away, my dad would visit me with his girlfriend, and while a trip to the House of Prime Rib was always in order, I introduced them to Izzy’s.
We usually sat upstairs in the big center booth with tall walls that enclosed it (many of the booths had this cozy touch). Our orders were always the same — Kickie and I split the filet mignon with sides of “Izzy’s Own Potatoes” (layered slices of tender Russets, cheesy and bubbly brown on top) and braised carrots and onions that tasted like they came straight from the juices of a long-simmered pot roast. My dad loved the thick-cut, bone-in glazed pork chop with Izzy’s potatoes and the creamed spinach.
Presentation wasn’t much — the meat and sides were plopped on the plates — but the food was rustic and consistent. Until it wasn’t. Somewhere around the mid-2000s Izzy’s lost its groove. From the cheerful hostess who greeted you at the stand when you arrived, to the meat, which was, as my dad said, “tough but tasty,” we simply stopped going.
Founder DuVall passed away in 2020, and his daughter, Samantha Bechtel, managing partner of the family’s restaurant group (there is another Izzy’s in San Carlos), took charge. In the summer of 2024, Bechtel decided to close the Steiner St. restaurant for renovation. New York City design studio Gachot refurbished the booths and cozy banquettes but kept nods to the past like those signature partitions, wood details, and the second floor’s gallery. The bar was also spruced up with stunning vintage lighting fixtures from the 1940s that cast a warm glow. The star-studded grand re-opening party was held Feb. 12, 2025.
While Bechtel smartly kept many of the classics longtime regulars like me remember fondly (like Izzy’s Own Potatoes and the creamed spinach), they brought in Chef Daniel Lucero (Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Las Vegas, Italienne in New York) to revamp those classics and add some new flare. Meat now comes from the highly regarded, certified humane Creekstone Farms in Kansas.
I ordered my old favorite, the filet mignon, simply grilled (8 oz., $52), which was everything you want from a filet — tender and lean with crispy brown edges. For $12, I made it “Surf & Turf” with the addition of a jumbo Skull Island tiger prawn. My dining companion also added the prawn and ordered one of my least-favorite cuts, the New York strip (14 oz., $49) in my least-favorite style (blackened) and cooked medium (I prefer medium rare). To my surprise, the steak was flavorful, with just enough marbling to keep it from becoming tough. The blackening wasn’t overwhelming, instead creating a smoky goodness to go along with the dark sear. The temperature was a perfect medium, maintaining a slight pink in the middle.
Unlike the old days, sides are now ordered individually ($9 each) and arrive in copper-hued metal casserole dishes. Of course, we ordered Izzy’s own potatoes, which Chef Lucero has taken up a notch in a layered Dauphinoise style. The casserole presentation keeps the potatoes compact, allowing the bubbling brown top to wow diners at the table before slicing. The bucolic carrots and onions have been replaced with the more refined Star Route Farms honey-glazed carrots, and we also couldn’t resist the roasted mushrooms because mushrooms, in my opinion, are one of the best accompaniments for steak.
We skipped the well-curated wine list in favor of cocktails ($16). The Legacy Martini can be made with Uncle Val’s gin or Belvedere organic vodka — I went with vodka because, as my mom used to say, “gin and me don’t agree” (yes, she knew the grammar was incorrect, but it rhymes). It comes with a twist and olives (I like my martinis up, dry, and a little dirty). But the star of the night was my dining companion’s Old Fashioned made with bacon-washed bourbon, mezcal, walnut bitters, and a touch of maple.
Our server, Liv, was professional and friendly, always there when you had a question or needed your cocktail refreshed. The only downside was they were out of the famous prime rib (even though our reservation was on a Tuesday at 6 p.m.), something I remember getting from time to time way back when.
My disappointment was short-lived, however, when I saw made-to-order glazed crullers on the dessert menu. For $15, you get four warm, glistening crullers (they take 20 minutes to make, so order ahead). I’m not a doughnut person because I’m not a bread person, which is why I love crullers — light, airy, fluted doughnuts extruded from French choux pastry that bear no resemblance to the dense, cakey American version. My dining companion loved the crullers so much she got three orders to go (I’m sure the Waymo camera caught us unable to resist them on the ride home).
If you have fantastic memories of the old Izzy’s like I do, definitely try the new incarnation. There’s just enough reverence for the past to make it feel familiar, but the refreshed menu and interior give it an exciting new vibe. It was packed on our visit — something we once took for granted but now love to see in San Francisco restaurants — so reservations are highly recommended.
Izzy’s Steaks & Chops: 3345 Steiner Street; (415) 563-0487. Sunday-Thursday 5-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 5-10 p.m. Reservations encouraged and walk-ins are always welcome.
