Apr 2016

Zuni Café – San Francisco

Zuni Café - San Francisco

After dining at two super-hip restaurants back-to-back while in San Francisco (see: State Bird Provisions and Al’s Place), a low-key lunch at beloved institution Zuni Café was just my speed before catching a flight back to Los Angeles.

Zuni Café - San Francisco

I’ve been hearing about Chef and Owner Judy Rogers‘ legendary roast chicken ever since I started reading and writing about food, and my colleagues were kind enough to satisfy my longtime culinary curiosity on our final afternoon in the city.

Zuni Café - San Francisco

Opened in 1979, Zuni Café serves an ever-changing seasonal menu inspired by traditional Italian and French recipes. As one of the pioneers of California cuisine, it’s not surprising that nearly all of the produce, meat, and fish served here is farmed or harvested in a sustainable manner.

Zuni Café - San Francisco

To start: excellent bread served with a generous slab of butter.

Zuni Café - San Francisco

Since it took a solid hour for the famous roast chicken to be prepared, we snacked on a pizza topped with Wagon Wheel cheese, Tenerumi greens, Lipstick peppers, green olives, and fennel seed ($14.75). It was a fine pizza, but we made sure to save room for the main attraction.

Zuni Café - San Francisco

The roast chicken for two ($49), which is served atop a warm Tuscan-style bread salad, wasn’t much of a looker but totally delivered on the flavor front. The bird, juicy through and through, boasted crispy, well-seasoned skin and wonderfully flavorful meat. Quite possibly even better was the panzanella salad beneath that sopped up all of the chicken’s delicious juices.

It’s a rare occasion when a legendary dish lives up to its hype, but Zuni’s roast chicken met our high expectations. Joy!

Zuni Café
1658 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: 415-552-2522

The Bay. Yay!

 

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One thought on “Zuni Café – San Francisco

  1. Zuni Cafe is one of my favorite places when I visit San Francisco. It does work great for a dinner before boarding a flight back to LA. In fact I schedule my flights around having a nice dinner while avoiding rush hour. My go-to restaurant for this scenario is Fringale. Their Duck Leg Confit with Lentils is killer.

    Love the reviews. Keep up the good work.

    Paul

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