Bistro Gambrinus, CA
Bistro Gambrinus
Cuisine: European Bistro, Gastro Pub, Russian
Neighborhood: NoPa
Price: $10-15 appetizers, sub $20 entrées
Phone: 415.221.7777
Address: 1813 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 12pm-10pm, Friday-Saturday 12pm-11pm
Bistro Gambrinus, aptly named after the legendary King Gambrinus, patron of beer, serves 30 different draft beers, 42 bottle beers, and even 2 non-alcoholic varieties. Its Pilsners, Lagers, and Ales come from all over the world, but focus mainly on hard-to-find brews from Eastern European countries. In addition to the beer, Bistro Gambrinus serves up a full menu of European delicacies as well as typical American barfood fare. There are onion rings and calamari, and also marinated herring and dried salted fish, burgers and pita wraps, kebobs, sausages, schnitzels, and really anything you might desire.
I went to Bristro Gambrinus with a group of friends for Saturday brunch and had a great time. I could tell I would like this place just by the sheer number of taps it had poking out from behind the bar and the random Eastern European videos playing on the flatscreens. There was a lot of natural light, none of the typically musty beer smell that is so common at pubs and bars, and the place was pretty spacious. I ordered the Hungarian Goulash and it totally hit the spot — tender bits of meat in a hearty sauce, yum. I didn’t try most of my friends’ food, think I was too busy drinking beer and talking, but everyone was more than satisfied. I’d definitely recommend Bistro Gambrinus to any beer lover or just anyone who wants good, hearty Eastern European food.
Greek Salad – Fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onion, bell peppers and feta cheese
I ordered this just to add some leaves and vegetables to our otherwise very meat-heavy menu choices.
Pelmeni
Russian ravioli stuffed with meat and served with scallions and sour cream. Very juicy and savory, and nothing that’s served with sour cream can ever be bad. Period.
Chicken Schnitzel
Hunter’s Sausage – Smoked beef and pork sausage with French fries
Chicken Kabob – served with salad and homemade potatoes
Hungarian Goulash – Beef stew with bell peppers, paprika, celery and tomatoes, served with homemade potatoes
Vegetarian Pita – wrapped with lettuce, pickle, tomato, mayonnaise and cheese
food comas 