The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus: Reviews | restaurant info + video | full episode video
Name: Herman
Occupation: Real Estate Broker
Location: Berkeley
Favorite Restaurant: The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus
Reviewed The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus: Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Usually the better the view, the worse the food, right? But this is definitely not the case at The Rotunda! You get a world class view of Union Square, under a sundrenched stain glass dome and impeccable service and wonderful food. As an added bonus, it is located in Neiman Marcus, so you’ll have an excuse to pick up some fabulous outfit after lunch! Who can complain!?
The setting is just glorious; the circular layout is such that almost every seat has some view. They also have private rooms and a bar too — perfect to bring clients, business associates or shopping break! Anyone you bring here will be impressed, not just from seeing all the couture wear on the way up to the restaurant, but the atmosphere is classic SF. It’s effortlessly elegant. The staffs from the front desk to the servers are all polite and well versed on the menu and the ingredients. The customer service is top notch (it’s Neiman’s, so I would expect nothing less!)
As for the food, there is great variety, so there is something for everyone! Whether you bring your cousin from the Midwest who only eats burgers or foreign clients who want food with international flair, you can’t go wrong. Not only do they serve lunch, but they also do tea time! The only drawback of this place is that I wish they served dinner too!

Name: Allison
Occupation: Television Producer
Location: Emeryville
Favorite Restaurant: Bocanova
Reviewed The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus: Saturday, February 23, 2013
The minute you step into the Rotunda, the experience feels special and truly unique. There are two entrances to the restaurant, either using the escalators through the main Neiman Marcus store, or directly from the street level using an elevator. Immediately, you notice the open, airy space with the most magnificent stained glass dome above. This architectural centerpiece (with more than 2000 pieces of stained glass) is stunning, once a part of the City of Paris department store. The dining room is elegant and comfortable, offering seating at a booth or at a table in front of large open windows overlooking Union Square. The service was outstanding! Our server was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable about both the menu and the history of the restaurant/store, and really made our dining experience the best it could be and lots of fun. The noise level was ideal. We ordered a few salads, sandwiches, the afternoon tea and desserts. The presentation was nicely done, very well prepared. The crab and shrimp Louie salad was fresh, with a good serving of crab and shrimp, along with egg, avocado, tomato and cucumber. Tasty, but it was simple and slightly bland. The other salad we tried was the Asian All Natural Chicken. It had a Chinese mustard-soy vinaigrette, adding good flavor to this dish. The lobster club sandwich was good, but what you might expect with a club sandwich. It was served on a toasted brioche, but not quite as flavorful as I was expecting. The grilled barbeque Portobello sandwich had probably the most unique taste amongst the items we ordered with a barbeque sauce: slightly tangy and spicy with delicious horseradish pickles and crispy sweet potato fires. My favorites were the warm and freshly baked popovers (fantastic, served warm out of the oven and perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside) with strawberry butter (surprisingly good considering I only like a little bit of butter and I’m not typically a fan of fruit mixed in) and the desserts! The caramel butterscotch Budino (apparently the chef’s own original creation) was not too sweet, but just the perfect blend of ingredients with sea salt and crème fraiche whipped cream.
Name: Eric
Occupation: Hotel Sales Manager
Location: Santa Rosa
Favorite Restaurant: Willi’s Wine Bar
Reviewed The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus: Sunday, February 24, 2013