08/15/09

Nothing Special

by ksarantakis

This place did not live up to it's reputation. The best thing we had was the ceasar salad. We waited over an hour for the baked chicken, which is supposed to be their signature dish, and it was nothing special at all. Very disappointing and very expensive for what we got.

• Pros: Caesar Salad
• Cons: Expensive

03/08/09

fair at best

by danandashley

"Fair at best" is an appropriate description. Hate that we spent 175 with a bottle of wine and tip. Service was mediocre, very non-intursive to be polite. chicken served with a slight pink hue, which I am not accustomed to; combination of flavors was to be commended with the fried sweet potatoes and bitter greens. Tuna was a bit strong and not much flavor and too much char on the veggies. too many other good establishments to choose from. they must have comp'd the fodor's et al reviewers.

• Pros: not sure
• Cons: value

03/07/09

Great food, great vibe

by KnowsQuality

Zuni Cafe has been around soooo long, and yet it is still so very relevant as a culinary destination. We arrived on a Thursday night and the place was packed. It was around 8pm. We were given a table in a smaller room upstairs, not bad considering we had no reservations. The server was incredibly friendly and very attentive without being overbearing. He made great suggestions and did not become negative when my friend ordered two appetizers. My friend had the polenta with marscapone and a Caesar salad. I had the rabbit salad and the flat iron steak. We split a bottle of Qupe Petite Syrah. There were other items on the menu I wanted (the beat salad, the sole, etc), so you should be able to find a selection of items that will appeal to most tastes. This place has a very sort of New York feel to it. I love it. We will be back!

10/21/08

Decades after its 1979 opening, this San Francisco classic is still at the top of the list.

by Contributor

The Scene
Tucked into a narrow corner building shaped like a slice of pie, Zuni is ideal for people-watching. Expansive gallery windows, exposed-brick walls and a coppertop bar set the scene. The quieter second-floor loft is perched above an open kitchen, where chefs buzz from the old-fashioned brick oven to the sparkling oyster bar. Although most of the tightly packed tables seat a dapper business crowd, Zuni also attracts the occasional affluent family with well-behaved children.

The Food
The French and Italian inspired menu changes daily and offers a few menu staples. The entrees come with a twist; here, "meat-and-potatoes" means perfectly cooked Grimaud Farm guinea hen on a bed of buttermilk spuds, juicy seared carrots and crumbled house-made pancetta. A major draw is the fresh and richly flavorful oyster bar, with exotic choices from British Columbia to Cape Cod. All-ricotta gnocchi, cured anchovies and oven-roasted chicken for two are some of the popular standards on their daily rotating menu. All meat is organic, and the legendary Zuni burger is seasoned 24 hours in advance--with nothing but salt.

08/12/08

Not worth the money.

by MelissaFromIL

My husband and I chose to go here after noting the 5-star review on CitySearch... Wish I had read the review right before mine first!

We had reservations for 10. We were seated where I thought was a terrible spot - in a hallway-like bottleneck right across from the waiter's station, looking into the kitchen. My husband thought it was neat to watch the food being prepared, but I would have much preferred a seat by the window, especially since we had reservations!

Our waitress was friendly - when we saw her, which was hardly ever. You'd think that being by the waiter's station would mean she's be around frequently, but nope. She took our orders, and about thirty seconds after the food was served (by someone else), she asked how it was. Our menus, bread, salads, food, and drinks were all brought out by assorted mute staff.

Had anyone cared to ask how the food was after we actually had a chance to taste it, my husband would have said his pork was amazing, and I would have said my "baked" salmon was raw. Literally. It was cooked through about 2mm. If I had wanted sushi, there are plenty of other places I could have gone. I picked around the green bean salad seasoned (too) heavily with cilantro, my husband finished his pork... and 20 minutes later someone cleared our plates. Didn't ask how it was, nothing, just grabbed the plates and silverware and took it away.

To summarize, if you choose to go, get the pork, and don't expect any kind of service from your waitress.

07/26/08

A Must Miss!

by gregmor1

A recommended SF resturant on our visit we were anticipating a great culinary experience.

Our reservation was at 10 pm due to their high demand but the host were very accomodating to seat us at 9:30 since we got there earlier than expected.

We had a slight wait at the bar where the atmosphere was very uninviting. Bartenders ignored us and the cocktails we did have were poorly executed and the wait was long at an uncrowded bar. I asked if they had a specialty cocktail and she threw me the menu and walked away neverr to return!

Once at our table, again the service was not friendly or hospitable. Seemed to be a bother to serve us. No friendly greeting or suggestions on the menu, only that the chicken (their signature dish and was so raved about by a friend) would take 1 hour to prepare. You wouuld think being a signature they would have a better grasp on preparation and demand. Another signature the ricotta pasta was also unavailble after we placed that order. We settled for an uneventful duck substitue for their steak special again unavailable after placing that order, and halibut (which was passable at best).

The oysters were good and fresh. Their "specialty" caesar salad was bland and watery. (boring)

Desserts were pretentious uninspired and limited. We passed on them.

Be aware of a 4% surcharge for a community services donation? We had that removed. The coulple next to us was duly unimpressed.

We saw our server only once after the food was dropped when we flagged her down for a vegetable substitute in place of the bitter kale that accompanied the duck. No sign of server after that and was giving our check from another waiter without even a thank-you. The hostess did thank us on our way out.

Poor service, unviting and unfriendly and pretentious atmosphere, limited menu and poor presentation. Everythjing that makes up a MUST MISS! Would have had a better meal at In and Out Burger! Avoid this place. We wasted our evening here.

02/11/08

A great experience

by snoopral

Some people are so quick to report when their restaurant experience isn't perfect. Perhaps the waiter was rushed, or it was busy & they had to wait, or the manager was upset about something. However, rarely do people go back & mention when they had a great experience. Well, I was there on a Sunday evening with a party of 4. We sat at the entrance having cocktails, got a great table upstairs, the service was awesome, the daily menu was wonderful, the food was amazing, the desserts were also amazing. I liked it so much, that I am going back to give it a great review. Don't let those "Neigh" sayers steer you away. This place is great for a date, a big dinner party, or whatever you got in mind. We even saw a dude eating solo & loving it. So, go there, relax, enjoy & eat like royalty.

• Pros: the food
• Cons: parking

09/20/07

Worst San Francisco experience-EVER

by frankie46

I had the worst possible experience at Zuni cafe

The manager was the weirdest passive aggressive person I have ever met.

Apparently the kitchen is open till late-until you order something, then the manager will ask you to leave and concoct some B.S story about a no cell phone rule when other people are on the phone all around you

Its obvious to me that the staff do not want to stay late-so do not order the chicken-it takes an hour and that will upset them, and if you really complain as to the absurdity, they will call the police and waste their time as well

Do not go there, it's really weird

09/13/07

Zuni's still got it going on!

by joefoodster

I just returned to the Bay Area after moving away for several years. Been reacquainting myself with the food scene. Just had an extremely enjoyable lunch at Zuni --- thank goodness for old standbys that never change! The pizza crust was a masterpiece. The salad light and perfectly tossed. And the burger ... still a classic best! Thanks Zuni for hanging in there after all these years! Like an old friend who you haven't seen in a few years, it was easy to pick things up where we last left off.

• Pros: Consistently good food after all these years
• Cons: Difficulty in getting reservations

08/18/07

Awful bar service, mediocre food, friendly waitstaff -- continually underwhelmed

by bakerspercentage

I feel compelled to speak up. Zuni has always been appealing for location and ambiance and was the exact reason Deb and I choose it for catching up. Instead of oysters and martinis we chose noshing and a gin ricky for catchin-up. I haven't been to Zuni in about 6 years because my friends and I have always felt let down for one reason or another -- depending on the day/night service is off, staff can be rather uppity, food inconsistent. For a place lasting 20 years in SF I was really hoping things had improved. Hey, you have a published cook book proudly displayed bible-like for cryin-out-loud.

This time it's bar service. Taking into consideration mixology is complex we were not surprised when a young bar tender did not know what a Gin Ricky is...nor did the 'experienced' bar captain. But, much to our amazement no effort was made by the bar captain to find out how to make it. What -- no reference book behind the bar? Shame on you Zuni. With a $41 roasted chicken on the menu and gushing written reviews I expect and demand excellent service. And how about a raspberry and a fresh mint leaf to add something to your flourless chocolate cake. Better yet, find a recipe that is not devoid of moisture. Thanks to a cheerful waiter and great conversation Deb and I enjoyed catchin-up. After all, why let underwhelming food and inferior bar service ruin spending quality time with those I love. Next time we'll head to the Mission.

• Pros: ambience, location
• Cons: mediocre inconsistent service and quality