Rouge et Blanc

I had mixed feelings about this place. I stopped by here for breakfast. On the positive side, it had a very nice comfy atmosphere and offered light and tasty food. It was a little on the pricey side for the amount of food you got, but ok given the atmosphere. Well, except for the $ 3+ cup of standard coffee. On the negative side, the service was just immature. Three young girls were working that morning. 2 of the 3 girls were giggling and laughing over their phones a good majority of the time, playing with their hair, and really doing the bare minimum that was required of them. I would have asked for a refill of coffee or another cup of water, but when it was all said and done, I just wanted to leave.

As a local Sf resident I’ve just been here a few times after shopping in Union Square, etc.
It’s fairly pricey as most wine bars are but the pretentious French staff is a little bit schizoid. I remember after spending around $ 30 on drinks I asked if I could have some bread but they said they’d have to charge me the full price of the cheese plate even though I didn’t want any cheese. I would have paid for the bread but I didn’t want to pay for cheese I wasn’t intending to eat. I thought this was all kind of ridiculous but you can draw your own conclusions about a place that is too anally retentive to let you eat a baguette. Maybe they could invest in some popcorn or something. Other than that, this place is nothing to write home about, typical overpriced wine bar and such.

This is snug, hip and luxurious coffee and wine bar located near chinatown gate, although is technically in the financial district, it’s closer to chinatown then anything else.
It opens early enough for breakfast or just a coffee and a sweet, and late enough for a luxurious late night glass of wine or a cocktail.
There’s outside seating available, which can be nice to watch people go by. The inside seating is… well plush. There’s some hardtop tables and chairs if you want to eat formally, or want a place to work at, but most of the seating is couches or low slung plushy chars (EDIT: chairs, you evil spellcheck, CHAIRS not chars) with coffee tables. Very tasteful décor.
There’s a few chairs at the bar which has this impressive array of wine bottles all along it from counter to ceiling.
The food isn’t bad but expect to pay a premium for it. It offers a good breakfast choice in an area where there aren’t too many good breakfast choices. The coffee products-​lattes, espressos, mochas etc are about the same quality as you’d expect at a starbucks. In a city with some truly superb coffee shops that isn’t saying much.
The wine selection is epic and the bar can offer whisky and cocktails in addition to the wine.
I suspect that the primary focus of this business is the traffic offered by the four upscale hotels located close by (looking at YOU Triton!). I further suspect that the Triton owns or leases everything on their side of the street. The chef for Rouge et Blanc is shared by the restaurant on the corner, and I’ve a sneaky suspicion that they share the kitchen as well.
The real failing here is that this place is trying to be all things-Coffee!Lunch! Cocktails! Wine! Breakfast! Whisky! Dinner! Heck by the time you go there I’d imagine they’ll have a craft beer section. Sometimes making a few things really well beats doing everything in a mediocre manner. There are better places in SF for everything this coffee/​bar/​restaurant is trying to do.
For stars for the plush seating and hard working staff.

I’ve only been for the coffee bar part in the morning but seriously NICE people working here, good coffee, great and creative use of space, fabulous light and reasonable prices — love it!

The breakfast sandwich is AMAZING!
I stopped here before heading to a meeting and got a breakfast sandwich to go. I was a little put off by the price ($ 9 + tax) but the portion was huge and it came with a slide salad. If they could get this to under $ 10 with tax, it would be one of the better deals in the city.
Eggs were cooked perfectly runny which made for messy eating (make sure to get lots of napkins!) but the bread was sturdy and toasted so it didn’t become a mushy mess. Seriously good!
The décor is also really nice and cozy. Lots of comfy seating and would be a nice place to read or catch up with a friend on a weekend morning before it got crowded.
Lovely café/​wine bar that I’ll definitely visit again!

I’ve been going to Rouge et Blanc for four years now, and it occurred to me that I had never written a review of one of my favorite places in the city.
As a disclaimer, I’ve always come for the wine, never had the coffee.
This place is charming and cute, located just out of the way enough that it doesn’t get swarmed. Great ambiance, mix of high and low tables and lots of couches, as well as outdoor seating. Swingy French jazz music inside.
Typically, I get wine and the half and half charcuterie and cheese plate to share. The plate is delicious, great mix of rotating meats and cheeses, as well as honey, nuts, pickles, etc. — depending on the other flavors. Good portions, it makes quite a meal between two and can easily be shared among four. You can always get more bread, too, if the half baguette of (warm!) bread doesn’t last — and it likely won’t. There’s so much cheese! Wine is good, prices are on par with other wine bars and they have quite a range. I’ve never had a glass of wine I disliked here.
Staff is great. They welcome you in, sit you down, take your order (with suggestions, if you’d like) and leave you alone. I’ve spent hours chatting with friends here, never feeling rushed or like I’m hoarding a table that could be used elsewhere. They also are good at keeping an eye on emptying glasses. You might have to flag them down for a check, but this feels very French to me, and I like it.
Great place, I’ll keep coming back.

Just a bit off Union Square, this is a nice after drink bar, an innovative and well thought out wine list, nice stemware and definitely French service. This is my «go to» bar when in the neighborhood. Light bites (great olives) not a meal but enough to satisfy perhaps a single diner. Large windows and a nice illuminated ambiance complete the set-​up. The location is in midst of a number of Union Square hotels, so if you fancy a drink, this could easily be your spot.

Great location near shopping, it was a great spot for a glass of wine and selection of cheeses. Service was just what you need in a wine bar: helpful, timely and very informed on wine and cheese!

Great food, wine, and service. The cheese board was fantastic and came with warm bread, which they brought more of when we ran out. A few good beers too — I love Kronenbourg Blanc.

What a joke. My GF and I went in at 10am on a Monday morning. This place claims to be a breakfast place. First… no heating and it is 40 degrees outside. All the guests are wearing jackets!!! We sit down and get served after about 15 mins. After that we waited and waited an waited. The people behind us got their food… and it was same as our order. We ordered the baguette and the waitress gave it to a couple next to us (who came in after us)…I overheard them say «no we did not order it but we will take it». I reminded the waitress that we ordered the same thing 10 mins before them… she just said our food was coming up… another waitress said the same thing. BTW other people walked out… and even those people that ate had to pay cash because the staff took 20 mins or more just to pick up their credit card.
We walked out after an hour and just had a coffee and juice. The waitress apologized and said they were short staffed… but that does not explain the food being given to the wrong people or the lack of heat

Awesome place… Authentic French wine bar! Great bar food and wine selection! Don’t miss it!

Interesting concept. It’s definitely a wine bar, but open for breakfast. They’re obviously trying to make money during the day when there are fewer wine drinkers. I felt a little out of place having an espresso. However, the service was great, the people were cool and I ended up feeling like I was having an espresso at a cool restaurant.
AMBIANCE
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It has this dark wood, tons of wine bottles everywhere, very loungy ambiance
It’s definitely a dark, opium den-​ish wine bar turned into a café during the day.
It has an outdoor area to sit.
³⁄₅
BEVERAGE
=========
ESPRESSO and SPARKLING WATER
Delicious and refreshing.
I liked the presentation of both actually.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
PRICE /​VALUE
=======
It wasn’t outrageously expensive, but non-​alcoholic drinks rarely are.
SERVICE
==========
Great service, friendly people. Very attentive. It’s noteworthy that the people there are pretty attractive.
⁵⁄₅

This is a great concept, poorly executed. I’ve been here about half a dozen times and each time I wonder why I come back. Call it cognitive dissonance.
Great location. Good small bites. Limited wine menu for a wine bar, but a decent range of varietals.
However, all of this is for naught because of the consistent, inattentive, waitstaff. They seem to cluster together and chat among themselves instead of waiting on the patrons. If I sit outside, I end up having to walk in and flag down a waiter. I’m assured they will be right out. Once, ok. Twice, eh. Three times or more? This is what they are about. Maybe a new GM could change the culture, but I for one will go elsewhere. There is too much competition in the area to deal with uninterested staff.
Edit: last call is at 8:40. The hours are wrong.

Hated it! (you can’t give zero stars, I guess)
After the cold breakfast sausage that I ordered and was served, was re-​heated via microwave (Euro-​classy), I wound up injuring myself biting into it because it contained a hard, pebble-​like foreign object. Worse yet, when I explained this to the obese, white, effeminate manager on duty, in an attempt to resolve the matter, he refused to listen, and basically accused me of being a con man. I was wearing a pin striped suit, working on legal briefs, trying to enjoy a quick work lunch, and this idiot apparently thinks I’m trying to game him and the crappy «bistro» where he works. Loser.
I always knew this place was over-​priced, pretentious and served mediocre, fake «Euro-​food,» but I had no idea how poorly-​run it is. This place sucks. I think I will sue them.

We stopped at Rouge & Blanc for a quick lunch. The place looked great but the menu was minimalist. Our biggest issue came from the food quality — very cheap at best (check the picture of my Eggs Benedict). Food and drinks were super expensive ($ 11 – 12 on average for a glass of wine), and service was super slow (due to the kitchen). On a positive note, our waiter was funny and nice!
Ps: a 5% additional «Employer Mandates Surcharge» is added on the bill

I was supposed to be at a Unilocal event but got the location wrong (stupid me, I know!) so I stopped by here. Oh, and I took a picture of China town’s entrance first. What a different world that is.
Anyways, I sat at the bar and got me their sliders (sue me! I was hungry) of pork and beef and a cocktail. Oh, decent enough. At least two of the bartenders there that time were attentive.
Will definitely try their wine one of these days.

Me and my friend stumbled upon this «hole-​in-​the-​wall» restaurant for breakfast one morning and found it to be quite great. We ordered an omelet, quiche, and fruit. Here’s my verdict on all:
Omelet – fairly decent. It was just a simple flipped egg with ham and cheese. A piece of wheat bread with jam on the side made for a well rounded meal.
Fruit bowl – pretty decent. Our waiter forgot to bring it to us, so we got it near the end of our meal; nevertheless, it was a tasty treat to end on. Strawberries, bananas, and pears, oh my!
Quiche – very decent. The taste was fabulous; although, I have no idea what the heck «quiche» is, and I didn’t want to take the time to Google it… In fact, I still have no idea what it is. Hold tight while I check out what I ate.
Quiche (kēSH)
noun
a baked flan or tart with a savory filling thickened with eggs.
There you go. You’re leaving feeling more knowledgeable and craving baked flan. You’re welcome.
Overall, a fun atmosphere, great food, and a friendly but slow moving waiter.
TIPS & TRICKS:
* Free wifi inside, they have the password written on a chalkboard. Grab a beverage and your laptop, ya hipster.
* Eat outside if you enjoy the hustle and bustle of the street, it’s on a busy sidewalk, but it’s fun.

Santa Clause is coming to town. On Saturday, a million Santas raided the streets of San Francisco. How could I forget? Santacon. Since I had dedicated the day to Christmas shopping, and since I, in my hoodie, more resembled the ghost of Christmas future (
), I felt unprepared to be out among ‘em. It was the perfect reason to step off of the streets and into a café I’ve been wanting to try.
Rouge et Blanc is rumored to be run by the same owners as Café de la Presse. The latter exudes a certain je né sais quois, from its menu to its décor. The former? Je sais exactement quoi. Et ça c’est pas bon. Well, it’s not bad, either. It’s just not what I expected.
I ordered a glass of rosé off the wine list ($ 9.00) only to find that the server had no idea which wines were which. He ended up bringing me a sparkling white instead. No big deal, but could be frustrating for a more sophisticated oenologue. The waiter seemed nervous, as he chaotically bumbled from our table to the bar, to the back, to the bar…
The jambon et beurre sandwich was advertised as the café classic, complete with gruyère on a baguette, but the version we got was doused with mayo/​mustard and served on a soft ciabatta roll. Again, no big deal, just not what was expected.
It seemed like the staff was unprepared for us. But we didn’t mind– our bar-​height seating looked out the huge front window at the Grant Street passersby. I can’t decide which was my favorite: The Fireball-​chugging Santa who couldn’t take more than two steps without having to readjust her miniskirt over her butt cheeks, or the (hopefully fake-​pregnant) Virgin Mary carrying a box of wine…

I’ve been here twice for lunch and ordered the Portebello sandwich. Once as a combo and another w/​out.
Sandwich is great and waitstaff is attentive.
My friend orders some sort of ham and cheese on a baguette. It is safe to assume he like it because he orders it all the time.
Bill usually comes to $ 21 for two ppl. No alcohol

Nice little romantic spot where the vibe is casual and somewhat romantic. We were walking in the area and came in for a glass of wine and some drinks.
It’s dimly lit and there’s a bar, patio outside, and sofas/​tables to sit inside. We had a drink and some appetizers and it was totally relaxing.
The pour is generous and the olives are tasty!
Great place to relax after a long day of shopping in Union Square!