Zuni Café
A Market Street institution beloved for its wood-oven roast chicken for two and its long, civilized lunches.
The call
Worth it if you are traveling as a couple and you are traveling solo.
Why
- 01
Light pours through the big windows of the wedge-shaped room and the pace is unhurried in the best way.
Our read - 02
It feels timeless and grown-up, less a scene than a ritual.
Our read
Is it a fit?
Go if
You are traveling as a couple
As a couple, Zuni Café works.
You are traveling solo
Solo, Zuni Café works.
Food is a reason to travel
For food & drink, Zuni Café delivers.
You prefer local life to spectacle
For local authenticity, Zuni Café delivers.
Think twice if
You are watching the budget
On a budget, weigh it — Zuni Café isn't cheap for what it is.
You only have one day
Zuni Café is a real time commitment — fit it in only if it's a priority.
You are traveling with kids
With kids, it depends on the day.
You want the trip to feel easy
For relaxation, Zuni Café is hit or miss.
The plates that decide it
- The wood-oven roast chicken for two with warm bread salad — fired to order, ~1 hour; order it the moment you sit
- The Caesar, the daily oysters, and the bar burger — the burger and oysters-and-wine route is the lighter, faster path when you don't have the hour for the chicken
Plan it well
- Cost
- $$$
- Timing
- Late lunch or early dinner
- Booking
- Reservations recommended
- Allow
- 1.5–2 hours
- Accessibility
- Multi-level dining room
Sources and method (2)
- Opened February 15, 1979; won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2003 and Outstanding Service in 2018. en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The signature wood-fired roast chicken for two is cooked to order and takes about an hour. zunicafe.com ↗