Zuni Café

Great food, bread, wine, cocktails etc. Pro tip… go at lunch and get the zuni burger. Not as expensive as their dinners. Not as many of the typical Zuni dinner type people with their noses in the air and just as good as the chicken. If you can resist the urge to get apps, dessert and multiple cocktails/​glasses of wine you can escape for a good price. Also, save room for a glass of wine next door at Hotel Biron.

Pros: Friend was running late for our reservation and the host was kind enough to hold the table for us. Liked that there was a relaxed bar area inside where I could wait. Once we got seated, I ordered the Frisee and Caesar salad as appetizers and the sea bass as my main course. They offered sourdough bread while we waited for our food. The Frisee salad was small but ended up tasting very good; I especially loved the addition of green onions to the salad. The lemonade was also very fresh and organic, with no added sugar. Amazing!
Cons: The atmosphere itself was not as great as I expected, especially of a restaurant of this price point. However, I liked that our table was in a separate room from the main bar area, because that could get quite rowdy. The Frisee salad was good, but I did not like the caesar salad at all, despite the guy at the next table over telling me it was the best caesar salad he has ever had. The salad was way too salty and completely DRENCHED in dressing. I thought I was drinking it one point. Every time I would pick up one of the lettuces to eat I would have to pat the dressing off with a napkin — quite disappointing. The sea bass, however, was very fresh but lacked seasoning and flavor. Tasted bland. I also wish the dish came with a more sizable side portion rather than just the fish itself. I personally would not recommend.
A few other things to note: Our waitress was not all that friendly and somewhat cold. Seemed like a robot. Also, the restaurant is huge but they only have 2 individual bathrooms, so the line was always long.
Overall, not the best dining experience I have had, but not too bad. Unfortunately, I will not be coming back here.

Not a bad place to have lunch if you are in the city for business; Since it is pretty much near the heart of most businesses in the city. But for the price, it’s not impressive. Over the years, it has become run of the mill to me. Nothing in enticing. You want to meet over a business lunch, not over think where or what you are going to eat, good place. Beyond that, I would take a note to find something more noteworthy in the area.

Fantastic dining experience! The ambiance is great in the light filled dining area with piano playing in background– I like the old school feel. Service was top notch as well.
Now to the most important– the food. The Caesar and arugula salads were both fantastic– the Caesar was a solid portion. The gnocchi appetizer was unreal, rich and had the light and fluffy texture of scrambled eggs. The shoestring fries were also very good. I had to order this since it looked and smelled so good when I saw someone else order it at the bar. And finally the sea bass o the menu was fantastic. It was seared lightly to trap moisture and perfectly cooked and seasoned with butter and salt. Really tasty.
I cannot believe it took me this long to go to Zuni but this is one of my new favorites!

Classy restaurant in an easy to find location. The restaurants has street side parking a block away (don’t leave anything of value in plan view) the restaurant has valet parking too.
The entire staff treats everyone with respect not snobby like some high end restaurants.
I had the spaghetti Neri with bay Manila claims and sesame seeds. The sesame seeds made the claims taste very good. The noodles use squid ink for the dark coloring. It may sound odd but it actually taste very good. Deserts are good too, I can’t remember the names at this time.
Inside of the place is nice, the owners did a good job designing the two floor layout.
If your on foot not too far über, square hq located 1455 market street. Über and lyft is recommend option to use if you don’t want to drive. Easy to pick up and drop off.

The place looked interesting at first; we entered a side door off Market Street to find out the main entrance towards the back. We stopped for late lunch, the menu left much to be desired. 3 – 4 items to choose from and a few special dishes! We had a very pricey $ 17 fru-​fru hamburger not much taste to it. Service was bland like the waitress was average. Food wasn’t forth the high priced menu!!!

We came to Zuni for our reservation about 15 minutes early and were told they would get our table ready. They directed us to the bar for a drink while we wait. I got a glass of rosé and my friend got a riesling, which rang up around $ 24. Before we could close our tab, the table was ready and we were directed towards the back of the first floor. The ambiance is light and simple, very upscale for a lunch atmosphere, but we were in the neighborhood and couldn’t pass it up with its rave reviews.
We ordered some small plates while we waited for our famous chicken to be freshly roasted. My friend was set on indulging in the shoestring fries, but we wanted a salad option to balance that out. Per the strong recommendation of our waiter, we got the caesar salad. It’s one of those things that I love but am skeptical to get all the time because a lot of the time it’s bad. Just plain bad. But our waiter went into detail about the housemade caesar dressing, and we were completely sold.
When the salad came out, it was split into two portions on separate plates for us to share. I love when restaurants do that small step that is so thoughtful. The dressing went above and beyond our expectation. It’s the not the thick, creamy dressing you’re used to seeing. It was a light and bright dressing with the perfect balance of umami and citrus flavors. Perhaps our favorite part of the meal.
Our shoestring fries came out for us to munch on after the salad, and embarrassingly, we ate the ENTIRE heaping pile of fries in the 60 minutes the chicken took to roast. Went along nicely with my next rosé, ha.
Finally when our brick oven roasted chicken arrived, it was totally worth the wait. You could tell just by looking at it that it was properly juicy. The bird arrived cut into pieces and we knew we weren’t going to be able to finish it after our potato-​coma. The sweet currants were the perfect touch to the savory brined chicken. We ended up eating about a third of it and got the rest to go, which made for very delicious leftovers after some (also leftover) garlic pasta.
While pricey for a lunch, it was a great splurge meal while in town. They take classic dishes and elevate them with simple ingredients and proper technique.

A $ 54 brick oven roasted chicken should had taken my soul out of my body, shoot it up into the sky and back. But it did not. The chicken itself was good but not $ 54 worth. There’s a delicate charred flavor on the crispy chicken skin and the brine meat was smooth and almost silky… except it was slightly on the dry side. Under the chicken was day old bread that soaked up the greasy chicken juice. And on top was some mixed greens. Did all this have flavor town? Yes but then again, not for $ 54.
What I did like was the scallop ceviche. The scallops were thinly sliced horizontally and had slivers of avocado, fresh minced garlic, fresh peas, green onions, I think there were minced capers plus it was drizzled with a generous amount of pure olive oil. Oh lord! It was butter in my mouth. The scallops with the avocado and olive oil made it taste so soft, so fluffy and so smooth. It was sooo good. This DID give me an out of body experience I’ve never had before. AWESOME!
The service was good, we practically let the waiter decide what we should eat. I thought we had the best seats in the house, which was on the 2^nd floor facing the oyster bar and cooking area. The atmosphere is top notch.
NOTES: It’s stressful knowing that the chicken takes 1 freakin’ hour to bake. So, I wish they would accept our pre-​orders over the phone! We had a show to catch, so, time was very sensitive. It’s an expensive stressful feast. BTW — day old cold chicken tastes better than fresh out of the brick oven chicken. You can taste the brine chicken meat and greasiness better the next day.
** Good bye hard earned money… $ 130 bill comes with 1 chicken, 4 oysters, scallop ceviche, a glass of wine, cup of latte, waiters tip and restaurant healthy tax.

It’s been over twenty years since my last visit. The owner and founder Judy Rogers was still the chef, making a name for the restaurant and herself at this unassuming location.
She pioneered the brick oven movement for California cuisine in SF back in the 80’s and three dishes were often mentioned with this restaurant: Caesar’s salad, roasted chicken, and burger. My cousin picked this place for a recent weeknight dinner with my uncle. Street parking is not too difficult on the other side of Market Street, but do remember to take or place all valuables with you or in the trunk respectively; you’ll sometimes see shattered glass on the sidewalk as a not-​so-​subtle hint. We were seated at an upstairs table overlooking the kitchen which was nice as there weren’t too many tables to effect the noise level.
Here’s what we shared after a short menu study:
Appetizers
1) Caesar’s salad (
) — One of the best in the City, up there in my books with Alfred’s which no is no longer in business. Not overly dressed and crispy fresh.
2) Burratta (
) — A personification of California cuisine on a plate with the fresh greens, healthy light, and strong flavors in a simple presentation.
Entrees
3) Roasted chicken and bread salad (
) — Their staple dish that should never be compared with Costco’s roast chicken… this was as I remembered back in the day, tender and moist chicken pieces with amply dressed greens and their bread salad which reminds me of Thankgiving stuffing. Just get past the price and you’ll enjoy this dish.
4) Pork (
) — Tender but some stringy pieces of pork. Apologies for not remembering the dish name as I forgot to take a picture of the menu. The vegetables, cauliflower and squash, were nicely seasoned and not overcooked.
Desserts
5) Strawberry shortcake (
) — With strawberries just coming into season, this was deliciously yet naturally sweet. The pastry reminded me of a scone.
6) Ice cream sandwich (
) — This was a interesting take as it was deliciously light yet the pastry reminded me more bread than dessert and the ice cream flavor wasn’t overly sweet or rich.
Kudos to the restaurant in maintaining Judy Roger’s vision in creating what would define California cuisine in San Francisco. In other words, don’t expect heavy sauces with hearty portions and rustic cooking styles. Everything is done with a soft hand where you can better enjoy the original flavors of the ingredients whether it be vegetables, protein, or carbs. My uncle took home most of the pork dish home for later meal.
The bar was packed with people enjoying their famed bloody Mary’s and downing raw oysters.
Great spot for lunch or dinner. Just don’t expect something that will put you in a food coma.

Wow, is all I can say, especially when it come to the bill ouch. Altho this place is certainly pricey the food makes up for it. I had the polenta and tried samplings of everyone elses dishes. The chicken by far was my favorite and really superb, the homemade smoked stuffing was a perfect flavor twist.
I dont know if its 55 $ great but it was definetly one of the best tasting chicken dunners ive ever had.
The chicken tenders over at the Tipsy pig are to die for, just as tasty and a lot cheaper.
The deserts were all top shelf and had no problems making them all disappear.
Our service was prompt, helpful and professional.
The place was clean and rather upscale as far as the ambience and clientel. We were not and were carefully placed away from the windows lol.
If you want to impress someone this place will do that for you.

Nice space, good food, but not that good. We came here because of their famous chicken. I’m Portuguese so I’m pretty spoiled when comes to food and chicken. So I would say the chicken is pretty good but not $ 54 good or even 1h wait good. Yes, you will always need to wait 1 hour to get your chicken because of the way they cook it.
Apart from the chicken there was honestly nothing that seemed that special or yummy in this place. Yes they have oysters. It also all super expensive. Wine… Expensive too.
In summary, a forgettable place in my humble opinion. Go to a Peruvian rotisserie and you’ll enjoy prob even more their chicken… For a portion of the price.

On my way home from work the other day I stopped by Zuni Café for a little R&R and anchovies. The main restaurant wasn’t open yet because I was in between services but, the bar was open and I happily took a seat. I’ve dined at Zuni once before and experienced the amazing whole chicken, so I figured I’d see what the bar was all about.
I was on bike so ordered pretty light (see picture) and had a glass of white wine. The anchovies were ok, nothing special. I would have figured that with a place with such high expectations and great food, that their canned fish would have matched. Oh well. The cheese and olives were just fine too, nothing special. I suppose it’s tough to review a place just based on one starter so, I’m taking into account my prior visit which was definitely a 5 star experience. This time around, probably closer to 3.
Moral of this story… come to Zuni for dinner and you’ll have a great experience. Not a great spot for a quick in/​out app and drink. Either way, mad respect to place that’s been in business so long because it really is a great spot!

Nice lunch spot in hayes valley. Service is a little bit slow so be prepared if u only have one hour lunch. Wide variety of selection for lunch menu. I had Alaska hallibut, wild mushroom pasta and a cheese pizza. Everything is perfectly cooked and tasted decent. Shoestring potatoes is a must try item in my opinion.

Zuni is terrific. The food is light, delicious, well-​prepared. Great choice!

Came here late after seeing a show and was pleasantly surprised that Zuni Café was still open. We ordered 2 items:
1) Bowl of polenta with mascarpone (or Parmigiano-​Reggiano)
It was just okay for me. It was good but not exactly what I had expected.
2) Gnocchi
Simply the best gnocchi that I’ve ever had. It melts in your mouth, unlike your typical gnocchi that are rubbery and chewy. Definitely worth a try but the only downside is the cost ($$$).

This for me was like fan girling over a celebrity. It is a must when visiting San Francisco just for the prestige. Judy Rodgers was an amazing and inspirational chef for me when I was coming up through the culinary school. So this was a long awaited visit and it definitely did not disappoint.
Service is impeccable, they even accommodated our time strain because we were going to see Wicked at the Orpheum. Roast Chicken for two was the first thing ordered (it takes almost a hour and half to cook so keep that in mind), along with a selection of oysters that our knowledgeable server Tim picked for us based on our tastes, then fried squid, Caesar salad (that they split for us without asking). Everything was delicious and perfectly executed but of course we were there for the chicken. Which was incredible, juicy, delicious and the bread salad that comes with it is perfection.
I can’t rave/​recommend enough. If you haven’t been, go!

Nous avons eu la chance de pouvoir y dîner car il s’annonçait initialement complet. Il né restait malheureusement pas de gnocchi. Nous avons été contraintes de nous rabattre sur les salades. 13 dollars pour 10 feuilles de laitue, du parmesan râpé et 5 croûtons, c’est quand même un poil exagéré. Alors ça le service est aux petits soins, mais il faut bien mériter son pourboire. Bref, beaucoup d’attente et une grosse déception!

This is a large venue that is able to accommodate parties of all sizes though I would highly recommend getting a reservation beforehand. There is a wide variety of wine and cocktails to accompany your meal. The service was excellent. We had the pork chop which was cooked perfectly. The broccoli soup that was cheesy and delicious. The best of all was the gnocchi. This blew me away… I only wish there was more!

I’m feeling rather ripped off by Zuni’s high prices. At $ 29 for a lunch entrée, I should have left rather full; however, the entrée was sized like a large appetizer. The $ 29 «white bass» also tasted and had a consistency like swordfish. Yes, it tasted very fine, as did the bread/​butter (thought the butter was served too cold). Superb service, naturally, but any tables near the door (s) downstairs will get chilly on a chilly day, as did mine.

when I tell you that their roasted chicken + bread salad continue to be one of the most amazing dishes EVER, I’m not exaggerating. Yes, it takes an hour. Yes, you’re thinking «it’s chicken. how hard can it be to do chicken?» Trust me, whatever they’re doing to this dish before it hits the table — is truly the kind of stuff that could end wars and mend diplomatic fences.

I was lucky enough to try this restaurant last weekend. Like you I read a couple of reviews to see what to order. They have several excellent dishes but the main one is the oven cooked chicken, something I would not normally order. So why did I? well, you have to wait 75 minutes while they cook it, who has time, it’s just chicken. My advice MAKE THE TIME. It was simply the best chicken I ever had, moist, firm and delicious.
They also have excellent deserts, particularly ricotta ice cream, sounds weird, taste delicious. The cocktails were very good and I would listen to the recommendations, the staff were excellent

as I started researching places to eat this was the first place I found and knew we’d have to come here. I jumped and made a brunch reservation at the only time available on opentable of 11 am and couldn’t wait. the burger was beyond delicious! this place is also just amazing looking inside. we passed by it a few nights earlier and I was even more excited to come here. plus we overheard our waitress talking about walking dead so yeah awesome staff :)
I also loved the hot chocolate here! it was so good. I would say this was probably one of our favorite meals in San Fran and well worth the price. plus they didn’t mind as we sat a little longer waiting for the rain to stop after brunch. some people were dressed up but then some were more casual as we were. just such a nice place.

O.M.G. Why did it take me so long to try this place?!
Called in to see if they’d take a reservation on a Saturday night — they said they were booked, but they accepted walk-​ins. We were able to walk in and get seated promptly at around 7:30pm… we weren’t seated at a regular table and had to hail our server over a few times in the beginning, but service overall was pretty decent and food was just excellent.
Was the famous roast chicken worth the 1 hour wait? YES (x3). We munched on sides of fries and bread with sauerkraut and we still had room for the chicken. Also, not a beer drinker but I thought their menu selections paired quite nicely with our meal.
Next time I’ll be coming in with a proper reservation and to try some of their other appetizers. Cute setting — I almost felt like I was back in NYC. It was intimate enough, yet bustling at the same time. Totally coming back!

We arrived at 8 on a Saturday night and were seated without reservation after only 15 minutes. Restaurant is dressy casual, most people dress on the nicer side. Noticed this mainly because I was wearing yoga pants and athletic jacket. My companion and I were seated upstairs in a little crook next to a window overlooking the street, really cozy and a great seat to have an intimate dinner if you can manage it.
We ordered two Caesar salads, some fried squid and the espresso dessert. We wanted to try the roasted chicken but unfortunately that takes 75 min to make and we didn’t have the time. But we saw the dish pass by our table several times and it looks incredible– will need to go back to try it soon.
It’s true what they say, the Caesar salad is real good. Large enough portion to where you could eat it as a light meal.

Zuni’s on a warm spring day. Pure bliss. This place is classy and the quality of the food is excelent, yet the prices are quite reasonable. The menu is newly printed each day, so some of my recommendations may not be on the menu when you read this review.
However, there are several consistent dishes on the menu as well.
Drinks: Anything from their cocktail list is sure to please. I recommend the balsamic bloody mary with aged balsamic vinegar and chopped onions and red peppers.
Appetizers: The caeser salad is glazed with a made-​to-​order caeser dressing. The polenta is creamy and tender. The oyster selection here is excellent. Over 20 oysters varieties from around the globe, as well as littleneck and manila clams. The white shrimp are served steamed, not raw, so they’re not worth it. I recommend the kushi oysters when they’re available, they are deep shelled and complex in flavor. If not, the chef’s creek, pacific hog island, and fanny bay are also delicious.
Entrée: I have yet to try the roasted chicken for two with bread salad. If I bring a date to Zuni’s then that may just be what we order. Their meats are good quality but sometimes overcooked. If you want it on the rarer side, make a point of it to your server. The gnocchi, when available, is chewy and full of flavor.
Dessert: I recommend the strawberry meringue sculpture. It is delicate, sweet, zesty, and filling.
The service here is great and Steven is the best server. He is always smiling and makes great recommendations. But you have to sit upstairs to be in his section.
Anyhow, visit this place on a warm spring day and then explore our wonderful city.

Fantastic location and I was overdue to try this place. Pull up on a rainy night and the place is bustling at 6:30pm. Grab a spot at the bar and take in the vibe: piano player and full mix of tech crowd, families, visitors all in a good mood to get some quality dinner.
We had a table on the upper level facing Market St. and it was a great view. Wait service was good and attentive the whole time. Food was the star: Caesar Salad probably the best I have ever had. Lentil soup was flavorful. The real star was the roast chicken –OMG this was Amazing! You must get this at Zuni… tender, juicy, and seasoned perfectly, skin was delicious, and the bread pudding + salad it comes with were both great sides.
Overall recommend this spot for date night or family dinner and you won’t be disappointed!

I’m ooooold school Zuni — Billy, Vince and Judy days.
My most recent visit was not the Zuni I’ve loved for 30+ years. And just to keep this review short, WHO GAVE THE THUMBS UP ON CHANGING THE ROAST CHICKEN WITH BREAD/​SALAD STUFFING RECIPE?!
No currants, no pine nuts, 2 pieces of soggy, un-​toasted bread, and the vinegary-​sweet tang on the dressing — gone. Allllll gone.
I realize change is inevitable. But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

3.5 stars
This restaurant is much bigger than it looks on the outside. Definitely, make a rezi. We were seated at exactly the time of our’s and not one minute before, even though the table they sat us in was empty.
Our server, Michelle, was lovely and attentive. Our food was good, but a little lackluster. I loved my polenta and parmigiana cheese appetizer. I’m a vegetarian and they kindly made me a plate of vegetables for $ 20. If I stacked all of the vegetables together, it would have been about one and one half cups of veggies. It was just okay. The hubs liked his sea bass.
For the price, I expected the food to be a bit better.
Valet parking is $ 14, but you can find a spot if you drive around a bit.

Kind of a pompous vibe when you show up but the food isn’t pompous — fried chicken Caesar salad and French fries. They know what’s up minus well the bread pudding it could use some
Work

Cool restaurant to grab a afternoon snack while in the city.
Late afternoon seemed to be a good time to wonder in since there was no wait and we scored a corner table perfect for people watching.
The prosciutto and soft taleggio toast were so good and addicting that I made a note to make them at home. Also had a pizza of the day with nettle. I think it could’ve used a bit more flavor but at least the crust was good.

This place is the BEST!
Had a great birthday lunch with a couple of good friends today…
Jeff B. is an INCREDIBLE server. His recommendations and attention to detail were SPOT on:)

Last meal in San Francisco: Zuni Café.
No, I’m not dying! Simply moving out of the Bay Area and becoming more of a grown-​up.
Sure, Denver has plenty of fine dining establishments, especially when it comes to American (new) and comfort food. But there’s nothing to compare to Zuni, a San Francisco classic for 20+ years.
Gnocchi, chicken for two, shoestring potatoes and a Caesar salad. That and a bottle of Santa Barbara Pinot Noir. Can’t get much more California than that, can we?
Make a reservation and gorge yourself! It’s worth the calories and the price.

If you are looking for a bad service experience, this is your spot. The hostesses and waiters are rude and so unaccommodating. The manager is most rude, so no doubt he is training the staff! Will never come back.
To complete the experience, the completely unprofessional manager followed us to the street after hearing about the Unilocal review, started yelling we are never allowed back to the restaurant, started to frantically take pictures of us with his phone and threatened to call911 if we shows up at the restaurant!!! It’s more like Luni café!

Overall, the food was overrated. Not bad but nothing special which is why it’s a 3 star.
The Caesar salad and fried radicchio were pretty good so if you’re there already, get those as appetizers.
The entrees however were underwhelming. The chicken (what they’re famous for) is okay and similar to many other American restaurant’s grilled chicken and it takes a while.
The good thing though is it’s a big place so easy to get reservations and the service was really good! Big bar area to hang out in case you’re waiting for the rest of your party, you have somewhere to chill and grab a drink.

The service here is stunning. I recommend asking for a seat at the top of the stairs so you have a nice view of the bar and the front of the restaurant. If you like watching your food being prepared, you may be able to ask for a seat facing the kitchen.
The chicken is great. It’s steeply priced at $ 54 but it is fire roasted in-​house and the salad that comes along with it is doused in the roasted chicken drippings and makes a far more splendid (and rich) salad than their famous Caesar Salad.
Make sure that as soon as you get seated, you waste no time in ordering the chicken as it will take at least an hour for it to arrive.

Came here for Sunday brunch with a friend and it started terribly because my bag knocked down someone’s drink. The sitting area is a bit cramped even though the overall space is pretty big.
The menu is pretty bougie; I ordered a tortilla-​based dish and it was really good. Great service and atmosphere too. I also witnessed two solo brunch eaters mingle and end up sharing a table. :D
Zuni food creating friendships. I’d like to be back to try some of their other items!

Zuni has been opened since 1976, but I finally got to check it out this weekend. Walked in with Christine P on a Saturday night at 8pm and we were seated immediately. Upstairs is the dining section and downstairs is the café — only difference apparently is that the café doesn’t have table cloth. The menu changes daily. We ordered the roasted chicken for 2 ($ 54), which takes about an hour, so we snacked on bread and caesar salad ($ 12). The chicken was huge, really juicy and tender, worth the hour wait. We were stuffed but managed to try the Gâteau Victoire with whipped cream ($ 9), a dense flourless chocolate cake inspired by a Julia Child recipe.

Excellent excellent food !! But the wait was brutal even with reservation. And that explains it, everyone wants to eat here.
We didn’t try their famous chicken because of the long wait. But surprisingly all the other dishes were excellent as well, including a simple Caesar salad.
Will definitely come back for their chicken next time. But maybe when we are not as hungry so we can stand the super long wait.

The food here is good. Very flavorful and expertly prepared.
I had the roasted rabbit. It was probably one of the best rabbit that I have had. If you are interested in their roasted chicken dinner, it takes 45 minutes to prepare. It may be recommended that you call it in.
The restaurant itself has a very cool chic ambiance. The service is friendly and efficient.
Be prepare to spend money here, the prices are steep.

Charming atmosphere with really friendly service and a creative menu.
We wandered in for some late night snacks and a cocktail and were not disappointed. The Pink Gin and Tonic was well executed and the app list was tasty and fun.
Everyone loves the shoestring potatoes and we particularly enjoyed the calamari.

I have been meaning to try Zuni again. Haven’t been here in 20 years. The menu didn’t look too inspiring but we decided to try anyway give my the rave reviews.
We had a great experience and will probably be back. My hubby shared four courses starting with the prosciutto appetizer. The tapenade on the side was delicious. Then it was the root soup and ceasar salad. The root soup was made with chicken stock, surprisingly delicious and not heavy. We loved it. Ceasar was just ok. Surprisingly overdressed for a nice restaurant.
Main course we ordered was the lamb mixed grill with sausage. I thought I would just be okay but it was deliciously tender. Mix of flavor with Brussel sprouts sweat potato, turnip was perfect. Highly recommend. I asked for lamb medium as I don’t like my meat bloody and it came out just right
Last course — ginger honey granites with butter cookies. Perfect cleanser finish not too sweet and very refreshing.
Best of all our server Jeremiah was super helpful throughout the meal with recommendations up front and adjusting the cooking instruction of our lamb.
We had a very nice evening as a result. :-)

Ordered an entire roast chicken even though I just was having a «light» brunch with a girlfriend. It takes about an hour but we enjoyed our cappuccinos and the chance to catch up.
The chicken was pretty good. I wouldn’t say it’s that much different than other rotisserie chickens that I’ve had but it did taste very juicy and fresh. I’m just not sure if it’s $ 43 dollars better than Costco’s. I was pretty surprised to find out that it was featured on 7×7 afterwards.
Service was nice. Our waiter checked on us periodically and made sure our water cups were filled.

People say that you have to come to Zuni when in SF to get a taste of «California cuisine.» That means roasted chicken. and yes before «chicken for two» become a thing in NY, it was rampant here. We ordered the chicken for two but be sure you do it as soon as you sit down because it takes an hour to make. For real. Now, I’m not sure it was worth an hour wait. the chicken was good. Well brined, crispy on the outside (but not really ‘fried’), with really good herbs, currants and olive oiled stuffing (bread). And it was more like chicken for 3. not bad for $ 48. It was so much food though that all we had prior was a simple, seasonal persimmon salad and lots of delicious shoestring fries– totally addictive but not too greasy.
We skipped out on wine and dessert, but I loved the ambiance and I thought the prices were not too terrible. Definitely a classic SF restaurant– and easy to make a res unlike the rest of town. They seem to eat at more NY hours here. meaning the restaurant was busy when we dined around 730 and well after, too. Service is good — the hosts were great about seating us earlier and knew we wanted the chicken before we even sat down and got it going (I told them when I asked in advance on the phone).

Zuni café
Still amazing after all these 35 plus years
The roast chicken for two
The appetizers
The wines
The service
Still one of the best in SF
Thank you Zuni and Judy (RIP) for feeding us so well for four decades!

Why did we give this place 3 stars …
Minus 1 for service and minus 1 for the noise level (you have to shout over everyone around you to actually have a conversation, while remembering everyone else is talking pretty loudly since they can’t hear themselves either)
The food here is pretty darn good :-)
Bread — yum!
Shoe string fries — totally yum and shareable
Linguine and clams — really good I wish the portion was a little bigger but eating it with the bread they served was ok.
Ricotta gnocchi — small portion but perfect for someone who wants to eat light.
Good strong drinks too!
Try this place out if you are in the area.

Geez this was awful. We went in for brunch on saturday. But oh «we only do brunch on sunday.» Fine. Lunch it is. No wait which was nice but probably should be a red flag considering how hard it usually is to get into a place for brunch.
Our waitress was rude. We couldn’t tell if she was trying to joke, just having a bad day, totally hating being a waitress, or decided right off she didn’t like us.
One of our glasses had lipstick all over the rim. Not a little but, like a «I question if it was washed at all amount.» No response when we said it was dirty. This awkward giggle smirk like we were idiots and it was grabbed off the table.
Several items of our food were literally dropped in front of us. Like, really? It’s that hard to set it down?
There were 3 of us. They brought us 3 slices of bread after we’d ordered. When we ate those they asked if we’d like more. We said yes. They brought 2 slices. These aren’t giant slices. Definitely a 1 slice per person kind of thing. 3 bites maybe. We pointed out that we could use another piece and again got this sort of eye roll, non-​communicative responsive and then a plate of like 5 slices thrown on our table a few minutes later.
Atmosphere:
It feels worn down. Like it was originally a trendy, cool space but theyre phoning it in at this point. The seating was awful. I was on some sort of sectional type thing where my back was not separated from the back of the person eating behind me. I guess we couldve coordinated our movements to use each other as back rests. A much simpler solution would be seating with seat backs…
Food:
Shoestring fries — bad. they were so small it was like sopping up the crumbs from a normal thing of fries. no graceful way to eat them or put sauce on them.
The «aioli» with the fries — the most bland, blah, stuff ever. it tasted like nothing.
Potato herb soup — wow. that was good. at least one thing about this experience was good.
Polenta — this was my friends bad but the restaurant’s as well. It’s definitely polenta. Polenta is boring. Why on earth do they serve a portion this big? Imagine a giant bowl of very bland oatmeal. That’s polenta. It’s corn porridge. Don’t order polenta (here or otherwise).
Main course: chicken. Blah. Not worth the hour wait. Not worth ordering at all. It wasnt a bad roast chicken but I can throw one together at home that’s far far better. The skin wasnt crispy, not particularly flavorful. Decent at being moist.
The «bread salad» that it came with was absolutely repulsive. Like what on earth are they thinking repulsive. Soggy nasty bread. My best guess is it’s all the leftover table bread.
The chicken and vomit bread came covered in a mound of «frisee» that was absolutely repulsive. Between this and the bread it was like they served our chicken with garbage. Not pleased.
We are big dessert fans. We decided the best treat at the end of our meal was getting out of here as quickly as possible when we finished our food. We all felt worn out by the experience and had to go home for a nap to sleep it off.
We didn’t say anything to the staff. They weren’t light fixes but reflective of more structural issues. It didn’t seem like they wouldve cared anyway. We just won’t be going back.

Tomcat and I arrived a little behind schedule for our 6:15pm reservation and were seated promptly. Maybe I’m just not used to fancy places, but I LOOOOVEED that the wait staff was courteous enough to pull the table out so that I could scooch in and not have to struggle between two tables to get in.
Service was mostly top notch, with plates and utensils almost replaced immediately. I do wish my water was attended to as much as my plates were.
We started with the Crustone with burrata alla panna, cherry tomatoes, anise hyssop, and bee pollen. The burrata was amazing, the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes and the bee pollen really brought this marvelous appetizer together.
The burrata out with the picco frito (deep fried okra, onions, and eggplant with lemon and Urfa pepper). I am a big fan of okra, so this was a real treat. For those who hate okra’s sliminess, Zuni eliminates the slime and leaves behind only the flavor. Nicely breaded onions, okra and eggplant without leaving one feeling like a fatass.
Following those two were the Pio Tosini prosciutto with pea shoots, grilled orange tapenade, and pecorino sardo and the Zuni Caesar Salad. The grilled orange tapenade was zesty, tart, and sweet – perfectly complimenting the tang of the prosciutto. The Zuni Caesar Salad was great as it was light on the dressing and not drowning in it like most places.
Now drumroll for the epic Roasted Chicken I’ve read all about… The chicken was moist and flavorful without packing too much salt, but honestly, Costco’s chicken still wins top honors in my book. The warm bread sallad with scallions, garlic, mustard greens, dried currants, and pine nuts that came underneath the chicken was phenemonal though. I wish I could just have ordered the warm bread salad.
Accompanying the chicken were the shoestring potatoes with housemade ketchup. These are so fun and tasty, and the ketchup was tangy and marinara-​ish. A small part of me wishes the presentation was better and that they served these in bowls instead. Oh well… guess you have to gobble the fries up before the fry mountain tumbles over! My mouth will happily do that!

I had the soup. It was really really overpriced but tasted nice and fresh. Not hot enough, though. The setting was quite pleasant but I don’t know who would seriously want to go there with prior knowledge of the prices.

Wer das erleben will, was eine Amerikanerin aus einem Restaurant macht, nachdem sie viele viele Jahre lang als Köchin in Europa von einer zum nächsten guten Adresse weitergereicht wurde, geht ins Zuni Café. Bei Tageslicht sieht es von außen eher nüchtern aus, aber wenn man erst mal durchgefroren ist (ja, das kann in San Francisco durchaus passieren) und im Dunklen von dem schön beleuchteten Restaurant steht, weiß, wie warm es drinnen sein muss. Und kaum überquert man die Schwelle, merkt man, dass nicht nur die äußerliche Wärme gemeint ist. Freundliche Bedienung und illustres, teilweise zum Schwätzchen mit dem Nachbartisch aufgelegtes Publikum bilden mit sehr leckeren, europäisch beeinflussten Speisen ein stimmiges Gesamtbild.
Die Speisekarte lässt nicht zu viel Auswahl, allerdings ist so gut wie alles darauf aus biologischem Anbau. Vor allem bei meinem Schwein machte sich das aufs Angenehmste bemerkbar. Ich esse selten Fleisch, und wenn, dann so gut wie nie Schwein. Das war das dritte Mal im Leben, dass ich es getan und nicht bereut habe (knapp 17 USD). Super.
Auch die Vorspeise, hauchdünn geschnittene Scheiben Stangensellerie, hauchdünn geschnittene Scheiben Parmesan und Sardellenfilets in einem Gedicht von Olivenöl, dazu Oliven und Brot (9 USD). Die Nachspeise, ein dreistöckiges Baiser, dem Turm in San Franciscos Japantown durchaus ähnelnd, mit Mousse und einer frisch gemachten Beerensauce (9 USD).
Der Wein zum Hauptgericht war ein Gewürztraminer aus dem Valley, ja, sowas gibt es. Der Wein war perfekt temperiert, jedoch der einzige Posten, der seinen Preis (9 USD) nicht ganz wert war. Dennoch sehr gut passend, alles in allem ein perfekter Abend. (Es gibt übrigens das Zuni Café Cookbook, falls jemand Gerichte, die schon im Zuni Café zu haben waren und/​oder sind, nachkochen möchte. Allerdings nicht wundern, wenn man zuerst das Kochbuch und dann erst das Restaurant kennenlernt: Das Restaurant hat natürlich eine oft wechselnde Karte :)).

In einer Ecke der belebten Market Street, in die nicht mehr so viele Touristen laufen (von der City Hall runter zur Market und dann rechts halten), liegt ein SF-​Klassiker. Europäisch geprägtes Restaurant, die Bezeichnung Café ist irreführend, denn es gibt durchgehend leckeres Essen. Wunderbares Brot zum Appetizer, man wähnt sich in der Schweiz. Zu den Klassikern gehören wohl die Austern, die wir aber nicht probiert haben, Holzofenpizza, der typische Cesars Salat, alles prima. Eigene Version eines Burgers auf Focciaccia Brot, sensationell die Pickles dazu. Richtiger Espresso.
Freundlich professioneller Service, der Weg lohnt wenn man mal wieder europäisches Food-​Niveau möchte.