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Bar Tartine

561 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110-1114
415-487-1600
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Ranked #370 of 3,785 restaurants in San Francisco
Price range: €24 - €31
Cuisines: American, French, Eclectic
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Restaurant details
Dining options: Reservations
Dining style: Casual Elegant
Cross street: 16th and 17th Streets
Transit: MUNI and BART both stop at Mission and 16th Streets
Description: Known for dishes that evoke distant places and a cooking style that draws on slow, subtle, and labor-intensive techniques, Executive Chef Nicolaus Balla has a decidedly global culinary approach. Balla employs his research into artisan techniques such as sausage preparation, cheese making, pickling and preserving to produce those authentic homemade flavors. His preference is for approachable and full-flavored dishes – what he calls “good social food.” The menu pairs naturally with Tartine’s bread by renown baker Chad Robertson, which serves both as inspiration and accompaniment for many of the dishes.
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50 reviews from our community

86% Recommend
    24
    19
    5
    2
    0
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
Budapest, Hungary
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
28 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 May 2013

The only thing to really get here are the potatoes and bread. This doesn't make for a great meal. I wish they would revisit their ethos and actually taste what they are sending out. Needs a rework. Soggy sandwiches, dry chicken, rotten potatoes. Not really worth the hype. We did however like the salad! Tables too small for the block-plates.

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See 9 more reviews by nmk3550 for San Francisco
San Francisco
Top Contributor
74 reviews 74 reviews
22 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 52 cities Reviews in 52 cities
39 helpful votes 39 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 April 2013

Wow! This place has a weird-looking menu, but the food is simply to die for. The flat bread, unbelievable. The deserts, unbelievable. The main courses, so tasty with interesting textures and large portions. The wine list--eclectic. The service is beyond compare. This is simply one of the most inventive, interesting places to eat in San Francisco. The food is just... More

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See 3 more reviews by Professor44 for San Francisco
Chicago, Illinois
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
4 restaurant reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 March 2013

We ordered a variety of dishes from the menu. Curry cauliflower, kimchi, pasta dish (I forgot exactly), beef tartare, and homemade soda all of which is highly recommended. The food was rich, complex, and very fresh. This was our favorite restaurant during our entire stay in San Francisco.

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See 4 more reviews by che_angel for San Francisco
Los Angeles
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
11 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 March 2013

We loved this place. We were so happy that we were able to get a reservation. Very crowded...in the Mission....but we got a perfect table. And the food is just delicious. My mouth was having a field day! Bread was amazing (they have an amazing bakery also)...service was great. Loved it!

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See 5 more reviews by markdmarc for San Francisco
Omaha, Nebraska
Top Contributor
77 reviews 77 reviews
67 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 March 2013 via mobile

Wow, just wow. Now for something completely different. The food here is not gimmicky, just good, and intense. Started with pickled beets, turnips, and daikon--wonderfully tart and flavorful. Then roasted kale with rye, seeds and yogurt, another flavor explosion. The baked goat cheese with greens and sea laver ( my wife says healthy, I say tasty) was also wonderful. Then... More

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San Francisco, California, United States
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
3 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 February 2013

Bar Tartine never ceases to fuel our desire for a tasty meal. The dishes are creative and tasty and in the $$-$$$ range, so definately affordable. With 2-4 dishes and a corkage fee, we usually end up spending somewhere in the ballpark of $70-90. We have visted Bar Tartine on 5 separate occassions with the service sub-par EVERY single time.... More

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Chico
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
10 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 January 2013

I really wanted to like this place. The food they serve is interesting. We had 5 plates. The escabeche, flat bread, dumplings , blood sausage, and one escapes me. See how memorable :) just not enough flavor, its just kinda of bland. The blood sausage was good, but the lardo toasts on the plate were soggy from the sauce, and... More

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See 2 more reviews by Elencastle for San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 January 2013

We had a wonderful night. The food is excellent and very innovative! The Hungarian inspiration is quite unique so it adds a lot. Wine list great too, lots of different choices. The service is rapid, precise, attentionate to details and discreet, not too in your face, ie perfect. And the ambiance builds up along the evening around the bar for... More

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Washington, DC
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
7 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 December 2012

This is a nice restaurant in the gentrifying neighborhood of Mission Dolores. The menus is usually based on catch of the day or local famers produce of the day. I enjoyed rustic bread with butter and the flatbread with creamy goat cheese was filling and delightful. Fisherman's stew was very good, although I found it a bit salty for my... More

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Sedona, Arizona
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
27 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 18 cities Reviews in 18 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 November 2012

I grew up on chicken paprikash and goulash and thought I knew Hungarian food. This place has dishes that are unique. Stuffed red peppers with sauerkraut, fish stew in green chili broth, fried potato bread, all magnificent and great energy as well!

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See 3 more reviews by sedonadiner for San Francisco

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