SF Insider > Featured > Is It the Music or the Food That Defines Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco?
Is It the Music or the Food That Defines Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco?
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Is Cafe Du Nord a restaurant or a music venue? Which aspect more clearly defines, embraces and epitomizes the space? Asking that is like asking who is a better Beatle, John or Paul? There is no right answer to that question. Although the building has been around since 1907, the restaurant and music venue have each taken a turn in the spotlight since its latest inception in 2003. Yahoo! calls it a nightclub, Yelp categorizes it as a restaurant and Wikipedia calls it both. It is perhaps best known and described as a bar with a dinner menu, with the kitchen's last call being at 1:30. However defined, both its menu and ambiance is an updated nod to its past, which reviewers and critics agree is a very good thing indeed.
Cafe Du Nord is the subterranean part of the Swedish American Hall. It was reinvented and officially added as a San Francisco historical landmark in 2015 by the same group that opened the street-level Aatze restaurant, a Basque and Spanish tapas grill where the food is a preamble to the gin and tonic menu boasting over 50 offerings with matching mixers. They kept Cafe du Nord's art deco styling, and the bar's original mahogany that has been greeting customers almost nonstop since the early 1900s, when Swedish-born San Franciscan architect August Nordin laid plans for a new building to house The Swedish American Hall. It has hosted an abundance of cultural, musical and social events ever since. Upstairs, NoisePop is alive and operating The Swedish American Hall. The full event schedule and private event inquiries can be found on their website.
The Restaurant: On the Menu
Cafe du Nord's menu features snacks, fresh seafood, appetizers, entrees and desserts, along with wine and cocktails. From popcorn to rib eye steak, they feature fare reminiscent of their building's Scandinavian roots.
The Venue: Music Nightly
The Viking Room is the back room that is reserved for live music and customers on the weekends. During the week, the 30 dining tables are open on a first-come-first-serve basis. Seven days a week, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., music is tastefully served as an addition to dinner rather than a full-blown rock concert atmosphere, featuring toned-down jazz. If the music isn't enough to make for a late-night evening out, guests stay for the half-price champagne and dollar oysters after midnight.