How is Bar Tartine - Permanently Closed restaurant rated?

Bar Tartine - Permanently Closed, San Francisco, CA

Bar Tartine - Permanently Closed

4.1

2026 Reviews

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Top Tags:

Permanently Closed - 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.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Contemporary American, Californian, Eastern European
Hours of operation
Bar Tartine has permanently closed. Please visit the Tartine Team at the Bakery and Manufactory, and Chef's Nick Balla & Cortney Burns at Motze.
Phone number
(415) 487-1600
Website
http://bartartine.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Nick Balla & Cortney Burns
Private party facilities
We offer buy outs for private events.Non-private options for parties of 8 to 24 guests. Please email info@bartartine.com for further information.
Private party contact
Jamison Wiggins: (415) 487-1600

Location
561 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood
Mission District
Cross street
16th and 17th Streets
Parking details
Bar Tartine offers a private service during dinner for $15 per vehicle. Located at “Cherin’s Parking” on the corner of 18th & Valencia (just 1 block from Bar Tartine). Bar Tartine has partnered with Luxe, an on-demand valet service. By downloading the Luxe app (from http://dl.luxe.com/BARTARTINE) and using the promo code “BARTARTINE”, you can have a personal valet meet you at Bar Tartine.
Public transit
MUNI and BART both stop at Mission and 16th Streets
Additional
Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Wine

What 2,026 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.1

4.1 based on all time ratings

4.2Food
4.1Service
4Ambience
3.7Value

Noise • Moderate

1,854 Reviews

P
Paula
Exclusive
11 reviews
vip
4.0
11 reviews
Dined on December 31, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
I love Bar Tartine, but when I called after making reservations they told me it'd be the regular price - I was charged $90/person and did not have a choice since it was New Years Eve
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on December 31, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We went for NYE dinner and while the dishes were extremely creative and imaginative, I ended up with a pretty aggressive stomach ache afterwards, perhaps it was the richness of the food or seafood dominance, but I generally have no issues eating any food mixtures. Ambience was really nice esp for a romantic occasion. Overall not a bad experience, but a bit tough confronting a $300 bill for a meal that gave me a tummy ache.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Sacramento
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on December 30, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great place for wknd brunch and dinner. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The menu is a melange of well placed flavors that gets your mouth wanting more. I highly recommend this place for both the risk taking and the venerable eater. It has been difficult to find another place in SF comparable to their bold culinary ensembles.
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d
dubberkeley
San Francisco
8 reviews
4.0
8 reviews
Dined on December 30, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Sad that SF is losing this iconic restaurant, but glad to know that the chefs are moving on & up to new and exciting projects!
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FV
FernandoV
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 29, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Innovative cuisine of an interesting blend of ingredients and flavors.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Los Angeles
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on December 23, 2016
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Having had an amazing meal here in late 2014, we expected the same, but were perplexed at the result. Service was lovely and attentive, presentation was artful. But the food? It was very strange and did not taste good. We are adventurous, somewhat flexible diners with a few food allergies that were generously met here, but this food was just not edible. It was if if we had found ourselves on another planet or in an alternate universe- odd flavors that didn't combine well, uncooked meat and overly sauced stews, cabbage and pickled vegetables abounded. No alternatives to the prixe fixe menu and not much even there to choose from. Lamb and tartare the only options for entrees, cheese that was overly strong and orange and soft like velveeta, bread that was flat, appetizers served as entire plates, and on and on. Please bring back chicken and real potatoes that don't taste like fermented forest mushrooms and gamey meats.
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a
anon
New York Area
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on December 23, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Interesting ingredients and preparations, but not especially pleasing in flavor or texture. Reminded me a bit of the first natural foods restaurants, very principled and earnest, at the expense of pleasure. Only in this case, I don't know what the principles are.
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PP
PinkPanther
New York Area
14 reviews
vip
3.0
14 reviews
Dined on December 23, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Very disappointing. Strange combinations, none great. No real options on the menu, except that dishes can be converted to vegetarian/vegan. The chef accomodated a gluten free request. The only main course was a lamb stew. One out of four of us found this palatable (barely), so the rest of us went veggie for the night. I wanted to check out this restaurant before they close down since the chef is so highly regarded and they are opening a new restaurant next year. We were not impressed. Doubtful that we will try the new restaurant as a result of this experience.
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H
Honeymooner
San Francisco
3 reviews
vip
2.0
3 reviews
Dined on December 20, 2016
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Bar Tartine - The emperor has no clothes We went here for desserts and drinks - and we left deeply disappointed. First of all, the place looked lovely, with a pleasant, bustling ambiance. The service was friendly, no issues on that front. However - The drink I had was absolutely subpar. I'm a pretty adventurous drinker and eater, but the kefir-sherry concoction I had had almost no redeeming qualities. The bartender responsible for this seems to have suspended all their knowledge of flavor combinations... The desserts were absolutely unacceptable as well. The friendly waiter described them as 'savory', which was an understatement for a collection of sugarless weirdness. Very unappealing, to put it politely. Interesting techniques, high-quality local and regional ingredients, for sure. And I like restraint in using refined sugar. But it just, how do I put it best, was not delicious at all. Really - not even agave syrup? Honey? Maple syrup? Not sure what the waiters, chefs, proprietors and regulars tell each other about how avant-garde their approach is, but everyone with an open mind and functioning tastebuds has to admit this was a fail.
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W
Wendel
San Francisco
4 reviews
3.0
4 reviews
Dined on December 17, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
I didn't realize when I booked it that they were having a price-fixed menu. We played along because it was a rare date night for us and close to the holidays, but we weren't wowed by the food. It was good and we ate everything, it just didn't leave a lasting impression. I did like the ambience though, wood grains and candlelight. The wine was very good as well.
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R
Roops
San Francisco
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on December 14, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The food was great and good sized portions. Very creative dishes and the staff was very knowledgeable, helpful and accommodating. The desserts were disappointing though. The final round wasn't up to expectation thus leaving us with an unsatisfied end. Up until the desserts, the meal was delicious!
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T
Teresa
San Francisco
5 reviews
3.0
5 reviews
Dined on December 11, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent service, great quality in ingredients but none of the dishes really matched our taste buds and a bit over priced for brunch.
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K
Kent
New Mexico
28 reviews
5.0
28 reviews
Dined on December 10, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Have eaten here several times and it keeps getting better even though that doesn't seem possible to achieve. If you are into food and thoughtfully chosen wines Tartine is a must
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c
coop
San Francisco
5 reviews
3.0
5 reviews
Dined on December 10, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Food was good, but nothing special. Service was less than I expect from a restaurant like this
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LV
LVSF
San Francisco
40 reviews
vip
5.0
40 reviews
Dined on December 9, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Best restaurant in San Francisco
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ML
MorganL
San Francisco
5 reviews
3.0
5 reviews
Dined on December 4, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
I had dinner a couple times at Bar Tartine 2 years ago, everything was delicious. I had a great memory of my experience and the food. The menu has changed a lot (which makes sense, don't get me wrong) and our table kind of had to go with the prix fix family style menu because the short à la carte menu didn't look very exciting. The food was good but nothing crazy, everything was just ok (the lamb dish was very good though!) and the wine the waitress recumended to us was so crisp and dry (which she didn't mentioned) that none of us really enjoyed it. I missed Bar Tartine, I don't anymore, sorry but that last experience wasn't great.
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PP
PandP
San Francisco
12 reviews
vip
3.0
12 reviews
Dined on December 2, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food was tasty but a bit weird. I would have loved to have more lighting at the table so I can actually see what it is that I'm eating. Lots of unusual dishes - strange combination of ingredients and tastes. Not unpleasant. Indeed, I'm glad we went. But I'm certainly not inspired to revisit the place again.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
7 reviews
3.0
7 reviews
Dined on December 1, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
They changed their menu. Not a fan. Won't be back until it changes...
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JW
JW21
San Francisco
28 reviews
5.0
28 reviews
Dined on November 25, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Outstanding everything. Our meal was mostly vegetarian and completely wowed us with its creativity. From the actual tartine to their pickles and fish stew, we couldn't stop mmmmm-ing the entire time.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
10 reviews
5.0
10 reviews
Dined on November 19, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always delicious. They seated us in a perfect spot to have a toddler with us for dinner!
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JB
JohnB
San Francisco
5 reviews
4.0
5 reviews
Dined on November 15, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 2
Turn music down. We are there to talk to each other.
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HE
HighlyEnjoyable
Las Vegas
12 reviews
4.0
12 reviews
Dined on November 14, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Bar Tartine is a very cozy energetic hole in the wall that presents you with simple choices (do you want to eat what the chef has prepared (tasting menu) and do you want to drink a flight of wines selected for you). Say yes to both and you end up having several courses of right sized interesting eats and reasonable wines delivered to your table at a fair price.... enough for a few hours of people watching and hopefully engaging conversation. The wine selections we were treated to during our visit were interesting and paired well with the food. Not motivational selections but enjoyable. Food was nicely prepared and presented ... atmosphere inviting ... staff pleasant and attentive. Parking is street based and you will have to hunt for a meter. It was definitely worth the effort made to visit and I will return on my next trip to S.F.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on November 14, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Bar Tartine is one of a kind. There are flavors here that you will experience for the first time.
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SF
SFEatr
Los Angeles
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 13, 2016
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
Very challenging menu - made more challenging by the unclear and baffling rule that all members of the dining party must order the set menu if one does, and not off the other menu. Some items, the beef tartare on rye with horseradish and the mung bean croquettes, were good but there were others where the ingredients were muddled and eating felt like an exercise in health. On the other hand, I did feel good afterwards!
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A
Affan
San Francisco
12 reviews
vip
5.0
12 reviews
Dined on November 13, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always great. Love the place. So sad that it's closing down :-(.
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z
zachp
San Francisco
6 reviews
3.0
6 reviews
Dined on November 12, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Staff was friendly and knowledgeable, but the food? Simply not so great. The set menu concept was fine, they accommodated a gluten-free guest in our group with no trouble. However, the food was over-inspired and short on good flavor combinations. Lamb was chewy and not well-prepared, the sauce which accompanied the Brussels sprouts was gummy and bland, and the desserts were simply unsatisfying. The soju (spelling?) drinks were not even "ok," but "poor." A parsnip-inspired drink is not advised. I would make a number of other selections other than Bar Tartine in the future for similar occasions. Again, this isn't a knock on the staff, their professionalism, or the level of service provided by the restaurant--it's all about the food.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Seattle
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 9, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Absolutely amazing!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Montreal
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 6, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a very enjoyable tasting menu (Sunday brunch). Loved the combination of flavors, the drinks and service was great. Fresh and local ingredients on the menu.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on November 5, 2016
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 3
Unfortunately, Bar Tartine was a huge dissappointment. We've been a few times before, but it had been a couple of years. Friends from out of town were visiting and we wanted to show them some of SF's best. We expected an experience and knew the food was experimental. We're all fairly worldly and adventurous eaters. Most of us skipped one of the fish dishes and all desserts were terrible. So basically, 40% of the meal wasn't eaten by our table. However, the truly offensive part of the evening was our service. The food was never introduced to our table, we had no idea who our waiter was the whole time, one person had a dirty spoon, water glasses disappeared in the middle of the meal and were never replaced and the wine glasses were taken away when empty, but the bottle of wine was still not finished! When it was obvious we weren't delighted, we were then reprimanded by the host who's best excuse was that Bar Tartine is a "casual dining" experience. We could have forgiven not loving the food since it's experimental, but the service was truly disruptive to our evening. Our neighbors at the next table, felt exactly like us. They said they had even waited one hour to be seated, with a reservation! Bummer that what goes up, eventually goes down. I would normally chose to make this review private and send it to Bar Tartine, but since expressing my views ending in a scolding by the host I'll make it public this time.
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S
Sandra
San Francisco
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on November 1, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
The food was great! However, there may have been too much food - definitely not complaining, but we felt a little wasteful : ( There were 3 of us and we were all pretty full after the 1st course! We had to take our desserts to go, so we didn't get the full dining experience. The wait in between the courses seemed a bit long, even though we weren't "hungry" for the next course, our stay was a little lengthy. If we knew we would be there for 3 hours, we would have planned differently. The atmosphere is lovely, friendly and helpful waiter, and we loved our soup that we shared! Thanks for an experience!
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SF
SFjazzgirl
San Francisco
21 reviews
vip
3.0
21 reviews
Dined on November 1, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Great service but very weird food - some big hits (chicken roulade, paprika soft cheese, roast potatoes with cream) but mostly the dishes were too pickeled/sour, or just plain. For a $58 prix fixe, not worth it! The wine pairings were good and interesting, and the service was great. They should improve the food.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 1, 2016
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 1
I thought the food was terrible. Too many flavor a in one product. I would never ever return
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SP
StephenP
San Francisco
3 reviews
1.0
3 reviews
Dined on October 31, 2016
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
We had a confirmed reservation for Monday 10/31 at 7:15, for my wife's birthday. We took BART from Oakland and walked over to Bar Tartine in the rain for what we hoped was a great meal. The doors were locked and the restaurant was closed. There was no sign saying why. I left a message on they answering machine but haven't heard anything back.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 28, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Better than ever expected. Thank u so much for on of the best meals ever. The tasting menu is yummy and perfectly balanced flavore
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on October 28, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
While the bread was amazing, the rest of the menu felt like they were trying too hard. Plus the Hungarian influence often overwhelmed, resulting in too much vinegar and stone ground mustard. The atmosphere was nice, but for the price of the family style selections, I expected more wins.
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MU
MondayatUla
San Francisco
33 reviews
vip
3.0
33 reviews
Dined on October 25, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
The ingredients were there for a fantastic dinner, but that fantastic experience did not materialize. Bar Tartine went out of its way to gather the most exquisite components of a fresh, healthy and potentially delicious dinner: amazing local vegetables, grass-fed beef, and regional wines. But for some reason they sought to deliver a three-course meal with a sour theme. This worked well for a couple of dishes, but created an overall disappointing experience by the time of the 5th, 6th, and eventually 10th sour tasting dish. Outstandingly good were the beef tartare and the fish stew, but most of the other portions of the meal felt overly crafted to deliver on the sour.
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n
noname81
San Francisco
24 reviews
vip
4.0
24 reviews
Dined on October 21, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Tasting menu is a lot of food; so come hungry! Don't bother with the cocktails...stick to wine.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Sydney
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on October 17, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We feel that the chef is trying too hard, creating a confusing set of menu. Although the produce are amazing and sourced locally, each flavour is not highlighted but rather mashed up together. A little disappointed after hearing so many good things about this restaurant.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Seattle
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on October 16, 2016
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Service started a little rocky, taking around 10 minutes at our table before any server came over (and then, I think he only stopped because he made eye contact as he was passing by). He asked if we're doing ok, and I mentioned that we hadn't had any service yet. He seemed a bit impatient as he was explaining the menu (it wasn't entirely clear how the meal worked). After that, service was great, though we had a different server than the one who initially approached us. Food was ok, but not worth its cost. Neither my wife nor I liked any of the three deserts (and considering the reputation of the bakery, that was very disappointing), and I didn't like most of the courses (though the bread and dip was good). My wife enjoyed a couple of them, but wasn't a fan of about half. All-in-all, this place is pretty overrated. Worth noting that there was nothing "wrong" with the food (ie: badly cooked, hair in the food, etc), I just didn't really like the flavours. Others may disagree. Note, this was my second visit, and last time I also didn't really enjoy the food. The first time was a birthday, so our desert had a tres leches cake from the bakery that was fantastic.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Sacramento
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 15, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fun neighborhood eatery with long standing great reputation. Cozy, intimate atmosphere in-part due to limited seating. Interesting cuisine served in family/friends style giving diners a way to experience new, inventive dishes and accompanying wines. Both food and wine are fixed price.
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FAQs

Bar Tartine - Permanently Closed is rated 4.1 stars by 2026 OpenTable diners.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

561 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Additional information

Cross street
16th and 17th Streets
Neighborhood
Mission District
Hours of operation
Bar Tartine has permanently closed. Please visit the Tartine Team at the Bakery and Manufactory, and Chef's Nick Balla & Cortney Burns at Motze.
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Contemporary American, Californian, Eastern European
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Bar Tartine offers a private service during dinner for $15 per vehicle. Located at “Cherin’s Parking” on the corner of 18th & Valencia (just 1 block from Bar Tartine). Bar Tartine has partnered with Luxe, an on-demand valet service. By downloading the Luxe app (from http://dl.luxe.com/BARTARTINE) and using the promo code “BARTARTINE”, you can have a personal valet meet you at Bar Tartine.
Public transit
MUNI and BART both stop at Mission and 16th Streets
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Nick Balla & Cortney Burns
Additional
Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Wine

Website
http://bartartine.com/
Phone number
(415) 487-1600
Private party facilities
We offer buy outs for private events.Non-private options for parties of 8 to 24 guests. Please email info@bartartine.com for further information.
Private party contact
Jamison Wiggins: (415) 487-1600