Old Bus Tavern

Reviews 4

DA

Dave Jeffrey

I went to Old Bus Tavern on Friday night with seven friends. We unanimously agreed that everything was incredible. Food: Before I go into anything else, I have to say they had the best burger Ive had in the city, hands down. It has 40-day dry-aged beef patties grilled with a perfect balance between a crispy seared exterior and juicy interior; red onions specially cryovacced to remove their pungency; beer-cured pickles made in house; and, perfectly melted cheese on a toasted bun. I had to keep reminding myself to slow down and savor it. The brined quail eggs are sous-vide to perfection and served on a nest of deep-fried onions. In the best possible way, they were not what we expected, and a great way to fire off the meal. We ordered a second batch right after the first. The deep-fried sunflowers had a very light batter that was well-seasoned, and they were served with a delicious buttermilk dressing. They went like hot cakes. The potates were double-fried for a fluffy interior with a snappy crunch, had lip-smacking seasoning (like everything else on the menu), and were served with a Chipotle aioli that went far beyond dumping some La Costena/Embasa in mayonnaise. I only got crumbs of the buckwheat cornbread because the rest of the table descended on it like starving street urchins, but the crumbs I managed to salvage were melt-in-your-mouth tender. Speaking of melt-in-your-mouth tender, their chili is made with chuck that is toothsome, meaty, and velvety all at once. Not that it mattered, because we were shoveling it in our mouths so fast that we didnt really chew anyway. The spice level was certainly present, but perfect for the entire group. The special of the night was INSANE: a giant shortrib that was braised for what had to be ta least 24 hours, thinly sliced, layered on top of the bone, and served with a rich jus. There was a pall of silence that settled over the table until the dish was done, occasionally interrupted by an, "Oh my God, this good." Drinks: Their signature basil lemon saison is dangerously good. If they sold these in sixers or gobblers, Id be stopping by any time I was going to have pizza night at my house. Their in-house selection are also complemented by a fantastic variety of other local beers, many of which I hadnt head of, all of which were quality or better. Their spicy margarita was unanimously agreed to be one of the best any of us had ever had, as evidenced by everyone at the table ordering at least two. Good news for all for those with gluten allergies (we live in San Francisco, so of course there was someone in our party who asked): the beers they make are specially brewed with an enzyme that makes them less than 20 ppm gluten. Service: The owners and wait staff were cheerful, attentive, conversational without impeding on our conversation, and knowledgeable about the menu. Atmosphere: The tavern has a fun vibe: it has a great-looking bar, comfortable seating, and quality lighting, all that is brought together with a warm southwestern feel. Overall: This really was an amazing SF dining experience, and a steal price-wise considering how much we ordered. In short: Old Bus Tavern has great food, drinks, service, and atmosphere. 5/5!

SA

Samantha Berg

I had heard great things about this place, so I was excited to find myself nearby on a Friday night and looking for a place to grab some dinner before a party. My two friends and I stopped in around 7pm and we were seated immediately. Our server gave us a run down of the menu and the drinks and we ordered a few things to share: Toasted buckwheat cornbread: 3-stars. Served with salted honey-miso butter and chives. The bread was warm, toasted, and instantly fell apart as we ate it. The buckwheat flavor was a bit too much for me, it just tasted like buckwheat bread and not cornbread. The butter was great, though, and the chives provided a bit of sharpness. Chilled avocado and mint soup: 4-stars. Served as a bowl with melon, cucumber, and pistachio, then the soup was poured around and on top. Very minty, very refreshing, and surprisingly tart, thanks to creamy buttermilk. This dish initially came off as light but was deepened by the earthiness of the pistachios. I wish there had been a few more! Poached halibut: 3-stars. Served on top of corn, okra, and parsley with a pour over of tomato horseradish broth. The broth was thicker than it looked, though it wasnt heavy, and it had a very distinctive flavor. Poaching the halibut gave it interesting texture and the burnt garlic on top was a nice touch, but the dish was overwhelmed by parsley and most of the ingredients were bland and boring. Overall, I found the dish unremarkable. Green garlic spaetzle: 4-stars. Served with cabbage, hen of the woods mushrooms, whole grain mustard, and chunks of apple and kohlrabi. The spaetzle was unexpected, both in its length and color. At first glance, I almost thought it was pieces of asparagus instead of spaetzle. The dish had lots of mustard seed and quite a bit of dill, though I enjoyed both, as well as the other earthy flavors. The brussel sprout leaves, in particular, were awesome, and I wish there had been more mushrooms. Aged duck: 5-stars. Served with roasted peach and wild fennel. This dish was the star of the night. The duck was super fatty and perfectly rare. The fennel was caramelized to perfection adding some subtle spice and sweetness. The peaches were ripe and sweet. Everything came together really well. I just wanted more! Overall, I enjoyed my meal, but I likely wont be running back here anytime soon. For starters, its out of my way, but also it was pretty pricy for what it was. The bill came to about $150 (food plus three cocktails), which was more than I felt the meal was worth. The atmosphere also felt a bit pretentious, which was a bummer. That said, Im glad I tried it.

JA

Jay Goldberg

Old Bus is great for drinks. The ambiance is great, the people are friendly, and you could be so easily whisked away into a true sense that this is _your_ city and _your_ neighborhood. And youll feel pretty good about it, cause hey, life is good, and after 3 beers, your friends kinda find your jokes funny, hooray! Then you try the food. In an inane attempt to outdo the rest of San Franciscos culinary scene theyve delivered on a great set of meager, gold-lined entrees and starters that happen to be decent. Youll sit there thinking, "Hey, this is pretty good, right?", all the while fanning your red face with a flappy stack of $20s that is quickly becoming lighter and flappier. Youll leave thinking, "Huh, I wanted more.", and the next day youll have an uneasy feeling in your stomach, thinking it was a good time, but maybe you should have just had drinks. Going to Old Bus is kinda like a one-night stand.

AN

Andrew Michaels

This place is a solid 4 stars, maybe even 4.5 stars. Food was well thought out and the menu offers a diverse selection of small and larger plates. Here is what we had: Quail eggs with fried onions: The quail eggs were well prepared but the fried onions were a bit dry for my taste and acted almost like kale used to at a buffet. Chili- We loved this so much we actually ordered two of them. This has an incredible smoky, robust flavor and is perfectly complimented by their house-made cornbread. Spaetzle- This was also delicious. Cocktails- Well crafted and complimented the food well. Had the whistle stop and would order this again for sure. Definitely want to come back and try the trout and the bavette steak. You will not be let down by anything on the menu. Also, tax and tip are included!