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“Very good lunch”
Review of Zuni Cafe

Zuni Cafe
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2
Tue, 19/03
20:00
Ranked #161 of 6,033 Restaurants in San Francisco
Price range: ₹2,570 - ₹3,316
Cuisines: Mediterranean, Contemporary, Cafe, Fusion
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Good for: Local cuisine, Special Occasion Dining
Dining options: After-hours, Lunch, Breakfast, Dinner, Reservations
Dining style: Casual Elegant
Neighbourhood: Intermission
Cross street: Between Franklin & Gough
Reviewed 27 April 2017

Went here for lunch the other day with pretty high expectations and I would say that we weren't disappointed. Top 100 restaurant in the country? Not sure about that, but very good nonetheless. We had the Caesar salad to start which was really good and pretty good size as well. Probably not the best I have ever had, which I had read it would be, but very good. We also shared the Scallops, Burger, Roasted Chicken and French fries. I would say the chicken lived up to the hype, and the burger and scallops were good, but not great. I had read this was one of the best burgers in S.F., which I now hope is not the case. Not to say it wasn't good, but there are surely better. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, ambiance and area that Zuni was in and would recommend.

Date of visit: April 2017
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank RAZBW
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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181 - 185 of 1,062 reviews

Reviewed 27 April 2017

Please refer to all other reviews to the chicken as well, but here is mine. We went for a special Boozy girls lunch and we had reservations on a Wednesday at 12:15, it was kind of quite which was really nice, we were seated immediately and sat in the area that overlooks the kitchen. They bring bread immediately to the table which looked great but I held off for the chicken. We ordered our drinks and then a salad to split as well as put in our order of chicken immediately. Our waiter was super fast and very friendly. The chicken does take about 60 minutes, but either call ahead or just wait for it already, it is so worth it! The service is impeccable and so on top of things. So after munching on the potato string fries and the salad we were finally ready for some chicken. It says chicken for two, but we were three and still took some home. Make sure to eat some of the bread and currents underneath the chicken, that is what makes it really special. So anyways, please go check out this iconic restaurant and GET THE CHICKEN, you will be so happy you did!

Date of visit: April 2017
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank WaywardWander9
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 25 April 2017

I will get to the "immigrants" headline momentarily....but first...THE CHICKEN!!

Repeat customers know all about this menu item but for those first-timers you have to order the roast chicken for two. Hopefully, you will make reservations as far in advance as Open Table will allow. Then, when you arrive at there, order the chicken and give yourself an hour (as advertised) for preparation. For us, it was less than an hour.

While we made reservations in advance for 6:45 pm, we still arrived around 5 pm in hopes of getting a table earlier. Why? Because we had season tickets to 'HAMILTON"! We never would have been able to enjoy this entrée otherwise. We were just lucky that once we arrived a table in the "bar" section opened up and the host said to sit there. By the way, when they say sitting at the bar, there really isn't sitting "at the bar". It's standing room only. There are a few tables to the side and entrance that do qualify though. Our table was just fine.

Once seated we told our server we wanted the roast chicken for two. We then noticed that a couple next to us were enjoying the chicken already. While waiting for our chicken (it really took about 45 minutes), we enjoyed glasses of "ruelle-pertois", one little gem salad (it is little) and one Caesar salad (bigger). Both were delicious of course. Needless to say, the roast chicken was one of the best ever. We were concerned that it would be too large, but it was just right. After the chicken, we found room to share a nice lemon tart for dessert.

Service was also seamless with multiple servers not missing a beat. I would say that it was one of the best service experiences ever. For example, at the end of dinner, I noticed (actually my wife noticed) all the tiny white lint left on my sweater from the napkin. We asked the server if they had a lint roller and THEY DID PROVIDE IT!! Now, that's service.

Oh...the evening's theme turned out to be "immigrants make America great again". It was printed on the bottom of our bill! Locals know this is a major them in San Francisco and some restaurants, like Zuni, are printing it on their material. Also, we saw Hamilton (San Francisco road show) afterwards and of course it's all about the great immigrants who indeed did make America great the first time!!

You have to go to Zuni Café and enjoy a great meal and great service...even if you don't order the chicken.

Date of visit: April 2017
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank johnnnita
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 20 April 2017

We don't get to this part of Market street very much, but we drunkenly stumbled in for a late-night dinner and it was delicious. The staff was a little snooty (hence the 4 stars), but then again we might have been slightly annoying (hence the solid 4 stars). I don't eat meat, but my friend force fed me a bite of burger and YUM. Definitely made me wish I hadn't given up meat (and I NEVER miss it)! Yum.

Date of visit: April 2017
Thank bschoolbound
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 17 April 2017

Despite living in San Francisco for a number of years, we hadn't made it to Zuni Cafe. But when we finally did, we realized that the restaurant deserves all of the hype and is a true city institution for a reason. We were skeptical about the roast chicken at first -- but it's definitely worth the cost and the wait. Order it as soon as you sit down, and then decide your appetizers and wine afterwards which you can then enjoy as you wait for your chicken to be prepared.

Our server, Jeff, was also excellent. He was just the right amount of attentive and his recommendations (for wine, apps, oysters, and dessert) were spot on. We really thought he was one of the best servers we've had. The food itself was delicious, but the great service made the meal truly memorable.

We started our meal with fresh oysters (3 different kinds, although they had a menu of around 20+ kinds). Their menu is seasonal and rotates often. We had the grapefruit and avocado salad which was in season and a refreshing burst of flavor. We also tried the asparagus risotto with the first of the season asparagus, which was creamy and savory. And then arrived the chicken. Flavorful, juicy and delicious, every bite was a treat. But oh, that bread salad --it's what dreams of made of! Finished with a lovely champagne vinaigrette, dried currants and pine nuts, I've craved that bread pudding so much I've since looked up the recipe and made it at home. And the best part? There's enough of the chicken to take it home for another meal. Definitely plenty for 4 people to share. We finished the meal off with a lovely Meyer lemon tart that was demolished far too quickly.

We'll be back for sure -- both for the amazing food, and the great service!

Date of visit: March 2017
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank tourster
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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