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Zuni Café
Zuni Café
Map
Restaurant information
Established1979 (1979)
Street address1658 Market Street
CitySan Francisco, California
Postal/ZIP Code94102
CountryUnited States
Coordinates37°46′25″N 122°25′17″W / 37.773656°N 122.421447°W / 37.773656; -122.421447
Websitewww.zunicafe.com

Zuni Café is a restaurant in San Francisco, California, named after the Zuni tribe of indigenous Pueblo peoples of Arizona and New Mexico.[1] It occupies a triangular building on Market Street at the corner of Rose Street.[2]

History

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Bar at the Zuni Café

Zuni Café was established in 1979 by Billy West. In 1981 he hired Vince Calcagno as the manager, who became a business partner in 1987. West and Calcagno hired Judy Rodgers (formerly of Chez Panisse) as head chef in 1987.[3] West died on July 1, 1994; Calcagno and Rodgers went on to become co-owners.

Originally a Southwest-themed café, in the 1980s Zuni Café expanded into the adjacent space that had been a cactus shop, and under Rodgers came to serve primarily Italian- and French-inspired cuisine.[2] With her at the helm, Zuni Café won the James Beard Foundation Award for 'Best Chef: Pacific' in 2000, 'Outstanding Restaurant' in 2003, and 'Outstanding Chef' in 2004.[4] In 2018, the restaurant received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Service.[5] Rodgers published The Zuni Café Cookbook in 2002.[6]

Calcagno retired in 2006, and was succeeded as co-owner by Gilbert Pilgram, also formerly of Chez Panisse.[1][2][7] Rodgers died on December 2, 2013.[6] Subsequently the head chef was Nate Norris, who was succeeded in October 2022 by Anne Alvero.[2] On reopening in 2021 after the COVID-19 shutdown, Zuni Café replaced tips with a service charge for diners.[8][9]

The restaurant has a piano and a changing exhibition of modern art, both instituted by West. West also added a Parisian-inspired copper bar; since there are no bar stools, Rodgers had a metal rod added for people to prop a foot on.[2] Rodgers also designed the brick oven, used for roasting chicken over wood.[10] The building underwent a seismic retrofit in 1991, when the interior was given exposed ceiling beams.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "History". Zuni.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Omar Mamoon (March 23, 2023). "It's a vibe: The oven. The piano. The bar. How Zuni Cafe built its timeless S.F. vibe". San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. ^ Michael Bauer (February 11, 2009). "1979: A classic year for San Francisco dining". SFGate (Between Meals blog). Archived from the original on February 14, 2009.
  4. ^ James Beard Foundation website. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  5. ^ Linda Zavoral (May 8, 2018). "James Beard winners: Grgich, Crenn, B. Patisserie, Zuni Cafe". The Mercury News. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Eric Asimov (December 3, 2013). "Judy Rodgers, Chef of Refined Simplicity, Dies at 57". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Michael Bauer (October 6, 2006). "A New Owner for Zuni Cafe". SFGate (Between Meals blog). Archived from the original on February 25, 2007.
  8. ^ Janelle Bitker (May 10, 2021) [May 6, 2021]. "Legendary Zuni Cafe gets rid of tips, joining a wage-equity movement in Bay Area". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  9. ^ Sienna Barnes (June 24, 2021). "The Tip of the Iceberg". SF Weekly. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  10. ^ Michael Bauer (January 17, 2018). "Zuni and Poggio: Still good after all these years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
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