Zuni Café

Don’t let the less than desirable Market Street neighborhood location of this Northern California legendary eatery deter you from a securing a reservation. The iconic roast chicken and the hand cured anchovies on the best caesar salad in the United States give reason enough to eat at this essential California dining experience. After choosing these two plates ten times in a row—they ARE that good—venture into other equally good fresh and simple dishes on the menu. The late Judy Rodgers installed the wood-fired oven in 1987 after trading her extensive travel itineraries and stint at Chez Panisse for her own go as head chef in the quirky, triangular shaped, two story floor to ceiling glass restaurant. The pizzas are perfect for sharing (or not).

A Stanford University graduate with a degree in art history, Judy Rodgers took, and her successors take, to heart the perfect intersection of California food sensibility and home cooking techniques. This isn’t a fancy, frilly, dress up place, but rather a killer first date, second date, 40 years later date just as impressive as the day it opened food establishment. This is a get your hands dirty, lick your fingers, slurp your bivalves best kind of place.