Tenth Street Basque Cafe

I absolutely love it here. We were planning my 40^th bday here in March and to our surprise it is closed! I am devastated! But if you want to open it up one more time for myself and my family and friends to celebrate my 40^th please contact me! 408−439−6588. FYI — I had my wedding dinner served family style because of my experience here. I asked for it to be done the same way. It was great.

There is just not enough room here to tell you just how wonderful this place is. Karen goes out of her way to make this a truly exceptional dining experience. We have experienced this place as a couple sitting with 8 other stranger and with 8 other of our friends. Either way this is an amazing experience. We’ve made new friends and we’ve enjoyed watching and listening to our friends’ reaction to what amounts to the comfort food of all comfort food. The Basque Potatoes are unlike anything you have ever tasted. If and when we have leftover potatoes, we ask to take them. The next morning we fry them up and serve them with eggs. The Mountain Paella is ridiculously good. We have enjoyed this Paella at other special events throughout Paso. The wait staff is extremely friendly. They enjoy trading stories and keeping the wine and laughter flowing. Speaking of wine, order the house wine. I finally tried it and wished I had discovered it earlier. It’s very good! Even dessert will knock your socks off and I’m saying this as someone who who only occasionally eats dessert.

I think this place is out of business — or hopefully just doing a massive renovation? We stopped by on a Sunday at 1:30 and peeked in the Windows. Looks like everything inside is for sale: tableware, mirrors, etc.

Really can’t understand the Unilocal rating.
We had lunch at this place. It is kind of funky, but also filthy – plenty of cobwebs around the windows, I wonder when is the last time they cleaned.
We had the paella and the pulled pork sandwich. The paella was nothing special and very dry. The pulled pork sandwich tasted like canned BBQ sauce. Overall a forgettable experience.
Minus one star for cash only.

We did the communal dinner last night and I have to say, the chef and waitress were amazing. It was a multi-​course meal for $ 35 per person, and the food was excellent and plentiful. Personal highlights– the tomato soup, potato bravas and pumpkin bread pudding (I may have also eaten my father-​in-​laws serving… soooo good). House wine was also quite nice at $ 20 a bottle! A definite must if you are in the area.

What a great find! On our drive from SF to San Luis Obispo, we took the 10^th St. exit from the 101 South for a leg stretch and a bite to eat. What we found was a great little restaurant reminiscent of our summer in Basque Country 2 yrs ago!
Heads up — the chef/​owner only opens the restaurant in the weekends, so plan on visiting Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Similar to Spanish cafes, the menu is concise, and the options are fresh and flavorful. We ordered 2 glasses of house red wine, two paellas, tapenade with freshly baked bread and watermelon salad. The glasses of wine were huge, loved the wine! We ended up getting a bottle to take home (called Basque Café wine, produce in San Miguel by Locatelli Winery for the restaurant). The portions were very big and the taste was good and authentic. The prices? Surprisingly good, $ 9 for each paella and $ 5 for each glass of wine!
Come check it out and support local talent! You won’t regret it and you’ll leave happy with a full belly!

Real food, real fast. Great place to stop. Delicious paella and pulled pork sandwich.

Found this spot on our way home. we stopped at San Miguel Mission and passed right by this place. I had been checking Unilocal for basque in Pismo and this one came up. Lunch menu had 4 items. We tried grilled cheese and tomato soup, chicken and sausage paella, and the chicken sandwich. All were very good. Sangria was also very tasty. We passed on the pulled pork snadwich. Maybe next one were around this way.

Three stars since they were nice but limited menu was limited more so since they ran out of the pulled pork. Chicken sandwich was ok– but they ran out of the rolls. Grilled cheese is grilled cheese– can’t really go wrong. The chicken paella was not so good. Gristle in the first bite and you’re done. Not worth all the hype. Then again we’re foodies.

Unilocal needs to update … Came here for lunch … According to Unilocal restaurant opened … wRONG!!! Looks like they have been closed for awhile… No one is here… Deserted … Neighbor said that restaurant is hardly ever open due to lack of business!!! Sad … I really wanted to try their food!

Stopped by on way back home to LA tonight. Walked in at 830pm and got turned away. Apparently dinner was over. Posted hours mean nothing I guess :/​I won’t be back now.

So here is a little Basque trivia:
Trivia #1: According to Food & Wine: «Statistics show that the Basques spend more than twice as much of their disposable income on food as we do in the United States, and they probably spend a greater percentage of their time on cooking and eating too.
My commentary to that? — I could do that. Wait. I might already be doing that.
Trivia #2: A txoko is a Basque cooking society — a member’s only club where, traditionally only men, gather together to cook, sing, socialize and experiment with food. These days, women are allowed to enter, but depending on the society, they may or may not be welcome in the kitchen.
My commentary — If I thought I could get a man to cook for me on a daily basis, I would gladly stay out of the kitchen. I am hunting down a Basque national immediately. But the question is… does he clean up after?
End of trivia. Now for the real review.
Cozy, casual, countrified, family style meal, wine, jovial. More than a few words come to mind for here, and for Basque food in general. And don’t forget, stuffed. As in, my tummy.
The meal? Seven to eight courses. You don’t know what you are getting until you arrive. Some of it was good, some just ok. Each dish came out separately, allowing for a minimum of a 2 hour leisurely dining experience.
*Insanely good bread and appetizers, little wonton cups filled with a tasty pea purée. Not sure what is Basque about that.
*The winter squash soup, smooth and tasty.
*Stuffed mushrooms. Honestly, don’t remember them, but I know I ate one or two.
*The cilantro lime cabbage slaw. Ok, but not that impressed.
*The Basque potatoes, very flavorful but much too oily. I only ate the large chunks that seemed to have not absorbed as much grease.
*The paella, beautiful flavor for the rice, overcooked chicken.
*And lastly, dessert, a chocolate bread pudding. Rich chocolate sauce, but the chocolate bread pudding itself was not moist enough, almost anticlimactic.
A bottle of Basque wine is on every table, but not included in the base price of the meal. There are other local wines available as well. Or you can have non-​alcoholic drinks.
We bought a Unilocal Deal, $ 30 for $ 60. However they explained they were not honoring it due to some dispute over reimbursement. Not sure if that ever got resolved, but they did take $ 30 off our bill, the price of one meal. I have since contacted Unilocal Customer Service to not only look into this but to also receive the remainder of our refund.
We also bought a copy of Chef Dallas’ cookbook, «Never Cook Bacon Naked». Doesn’t exactly evoke a great picture in my head, but the book includes some interesting Basque recipes and good cooking tips.
There are not too many Basque restaurants anymore. Glad we found this one, it was a fun experience, pleasantly enhanced by the other couple seated at our table whom we did not even know. Try it, you might like it.

Great family style restaurant with pretty good food. Well worth a visit…
NOTE: Do not purchase the Unilocal discount coupon, the restaurant no longer honors the voucher. I don’t know, some issue ‘tween Unilocal and restaurant. However, if you have purchased one of the vouchers go here to submit for a refund:

It is amazing to find such a great place on the way to San Francisco: simple menu, tasty food, homemade bread and very fresh ingredients from the surrounding farms. Give them a try!

Had a fabulous lunch here today. They hosted the Chamber of Commerce Ambassador team for our monthly luncheon. I’ve been meaning to try this place. I will definitely return for dinner and bring some adventurous friends. The meal is served family style and it’s chef’s choice. I felt like I had been invited over to a friends home for dinner. Thank you so much for making us feel right at home!

My wife and I were pleasantly surprised to find such a unique and enjoyable café. Greeted by friendly and helpful staff, the owner walked is through the menu in great detail, and even offered an item not on the menu when we asked further questions.
A starter course of home made bread, fresh tapenade, pumpkin soup, and a cabbage salad was unexpected yet thoroughly satisfying. I don’t even like cabbage and had a third helping of that salad.
The pot pie was pure comfort food, and my wife’s chicken purse pouch dish was reminiscent of her mama’s home cookin’.
We felt well taken care of, and will stop by if we are ever in the area again.

It a unique experience with unique food. However the seven course meal is a farce. You have two chances to fill up on food: either with the bread or the entrée. I filled up on the bread. The paella chicken entrée was a disappointment. It was too dry and over cooked (and it was dark meat too!). I would give the place 2 stars for the entrée but the experience made it a 3 star. The other courses of the meal consisted of minimal appetizers and sample foods. Things like two little mushrooms, one cup of soup, etc. BTW– Where is the lamb? I thought Basque food had lamb??? FYI — the wine is not included in the meal. They charge $ 25 for a bottle. And the crowd can be as little as four people for the entire evening. Don’t let the pictures mislead you. Enjoy at your own risk.

Oh my gosh, amazing. I wish we lived closer so we could eat here again & again. One prix fixe menu, served family style. Be there on time! And come hungry, because you’re going to leave gleefully stuffed. Chef Dallas served a cilantro lime coleslaw (light & crunchy), fresh bread with tapenade (delicious, and I don’t even like olives), basque potatoes (yum), stuffed mushrooms, basque wonton stars filled with a pea and cream cheese purée topped with a smoky, spicy diablo sauce (wow). Then we got lucky and he served his award winning paella — crispy chicken, melt in your mouth sausage, peas, corn, peppers, roasted garlic, onions, and garlicky saffron rice, really just a giant platter of delicious. Oh, and order the sangria, yum. Finally, we ended with a dark chocolate bread pudding so good I licked the plate. Good news: the bread pudding recipe is in his cookbook…

Incredible, mind-​blowing food and an unforgettable experience.
This isn’t a typical restaurant. Our group was seated at a large table with a vinyl table cloth and another group. We introduced ourselves and started passing bowls; you serve yourself. Course after course, the food was phenomenal and there was always more than enough to go around. Pace yourself or you will be full before you make it to the entrée. Dinner takes 2 – 3 hours.
This place serves the most incredible cuisine in the most unassuming relaxed setting. Despite the unparalleled quality in the food, I don’t believe this place is about dinner, it’s about stepping into another lifestyle for the evening.
I can’t recommend this place enough, but I am going to try. See you there!
P. S. Bring wine to share. Or ask Cel for a recommendation, she is literally an expert.

Chef Dallas is simply amazing. Came here on a weekend afternoon when he is NOT open. Quick email and phone call resulted in a confirmed reservation for 13 hungry guys celebrating a bachelor party weekend. Stopped counting how many courses came out as there were so many. Basque potatoes were a mouthgasm just by itself. Add all the other tasty courses from house made herb breads, chops that you would injure another person for trying to touch yours, all the way to the best bread pudding ever!
Thank you to chef Dallas for a memorable day. A must return. Those that want to do a private dining off business hours, chef Dallas is very accommodating and makes you feel so welcome like family. Try his red wine if he has any left. Phenomenal!