Zuni Cafe is one of those interesting places in San Francisco. It has been around almost as long as I have as it opened in 1979. It’s been on my list to go to for ages, as they are well known for their roast chicken as well as their burger (the latter they only serve at lunch), and I have wanted to try it as I’m obsessed with finding the best burger in San Francisco. However, when my parents were visiting, I thought it might be a great excuse to check it out. As it turns out, even though my parents have been visiting San Francisco for about as many years at Zuni Cafe has been open, they also had never been so we were all really excited about heading there for dinner.
They first tried to seat us at a weird table with mostly banquette seating for people who should not be trying to slide around a table, but we did manage to get a different table that was more appropriate for the age of the people dining. That was the end of the weird service, however, as after that, the service was absolutely impeccable, with a lot of attention paid to what we wanted to order as well as the food we were interested in having. (One diner commented on the outstanding water service too!) We started with a few cocktails, and they definitely had a wide selection of things that a person might enjoy with a wide range of sweetness levels.
Food wise, we had to get the shoe string potatoes which were very well received around the table. We also got some delicious bread, and some clams, but sadly my clam wasn’t fantastic, but everyone else really enjoyed the clam that they had, so maybe I was just unlucky. We ordered a selection of small and large plates, and they even split the onion soup we ordered into two different bowls so we could share amongst the couples. The soup was honestly some of the best I had ever had, and while it wasn’t a classic French onion, it was phenomenal. Another standout dish we ordered was a seafood risotto, and the risotto was perfectly cooked which I often find isn’t the case at restaurants. The flavor was also absolutely fantastic with a nice richness provided from the seafood.
Since it was our first time there, we decided we definitely needed to try their signature dish: Roasted chicken with bread salad. Everyone at the table enjoyed it, and I thought the flavor of the bread salad was phenomenal. The chicken was a very nice roast chicken, but for me wasn’t fantastic, however I can see why it is a dish people come back for. We also ordered bavette steak which was perfectly cooked and incredibly tasty.
After this, I really wanted dessert, so we opted for a peach and ginger eton mess and Parmesan cheese with dates. I thought the mess was delicious, but others at the table just found it okay. The cheese was very high quality, and I wish I had Parmesan like that at home on a regular basis.
The whole experience at Zuni Cafe was wonderful, from amazing service to delicious wine to a wide selection of classic California cuisine. My parents were both slightly disappointed that they hadn’t come here earlier on their many trips to San Francisco, and it just cemented to me to have many more visits here, especially to come back for the burger. So if you ware looking for some fantastic Californian food with amazing service, Zuni Cafe should definitely be at the top of your list.
Score: 5/5
Recommendation: Shoestring potatoes and any risotto they may have. Plus onion soup if it’s on offer.
Zuni Cafe
1658 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
