Head-to-Head · San Francisco
Atelier Crenn vs Greens
San Francisco's three-star pescatarian poem against a 1979 vegetarian room with marina views. Book Crenn for the milestone, Greens for the easy lunch.
The Verdict
These two San Francisco tables both skip meat, but they could not be further apart. Atelier Crenn is Dominique Crenn's three-Michelin-star room on Fillmore Street in Cow Hollow, holding three stars since 2018, where a fourteen-course pescatarian tasting written as a poem runs from roughly 395 dollars. Greens is the Fort Mason institution the San Francisco Zen Center opened in 1979, a fully vegetarian dining room with Golden Gate views, now led by chef de cuisine Katie Reicher and sourced from Green Gulch Farm, where you eat a la carte for a fraction of the price. One is a special-occasion pilgrimage; the other is the city's most comfortable vegetarian room.
The split is tasting menu versus a la carte. Crenn serves a long, sea-led progression, no animal meat, with the kitchen built around seafood and the garden. Greens plates generous vegetarian cooking, from wood-grilled vegetables to its famous brochettes, in a light-filled room over the marina. See both in the San Francisco dining guide.
Scores, Side by Side
| Score | Atelier Crenn | Greens |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 10 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
| Atmosphere | 9 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
| Value | 6 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
Which One for Which Occasion
| Occasion | Editorial Pick |
|---|---|
| A milestone or proposal | Atelier CrennA three-star tasting written as a poem is built for the biggest occasions of the year. |
| A relaxed lunch with a view | GreensThe Fort Mason room over the marina is the easier, brighter setting for a midday meal. |
| A strict-vegetarian group | GreensGreens is fully vegetarian and a la carte, so a mixed table can order freely without a fixed tasting. |
| A once-in-a-lifetime tasting | Atelier CrennThe fourteen-course pescatarian menu and Crenn's three stars make for the more singular evening. |
| Value | GreensAn a la carte vegetarian dinner is a small fraction of a three-star tasting. |
Price Comparison
The gap is large. Atelier Crenn runs from around 395 dollars per person for the tasting before pairings, placing it among the priciest tables in the Bay Area. Greens is an a la carte vegetarian room where a full dinner with wine lands closer to 60 to 90 dollars a head, with an occasional Saturday tasting the only fixed menu. Weigh them against the best French restaurants worldwide and the top vegetarian restaurants worldwide.
How to Book
Atelier Crenn is the harder table. Tickets release on the first of the month, roughly two months out, through the restaurant's site and Tock, and the prime evenings go fast. Read the Atelier Crenn review in full before you commit.
Greens holds far better availability and books direct and on OpenTable, with the dining room closed Mondays at 2 Marina Boulevard. Read the Greens review first. For occasion fit, weigh both against the best San Francisco tables for a proposal and business lunch. For more match-ups see Atelier Crenn vs Benu and Atelier Crenn vs Quince, and browse the compare index.