Roxy’s Cafe

Although it says «closed» it is actually called Prubechu now and the chef I had is Shawn he’s Guamanian. Hey, I was close. Check it out. The food is awesome!

Post: 1÷9÷2014 12:45pm: Trying to make a reservation to dine here with the Groupon deal. Is this place still open? When you call their phone, it goes directly to a voicemail box and their online reservation isn’t working. :(How can I make a reservation to go dine at their restaurant?
Edit: 1÷9÷2014 12:50pm: Managed to phone in and get someone to answer. They will be closed until February 2014 due to ownership change. They did say that they will honor the Groupon deals that expire on 1÷12÷2014 still.

***Pop-​up restaurant Roxy’s Café from former Mr. Pollo chef Manny Torres Gimenez offers a reasonably priced ($ 25) and elegant 4-​course tasting menu that utilizes good quality seasonal ingredients***
Roxy’s Café is a pop-​up restaurant from chef Manny Torres Gimenez, who rose to fame with a similar pop-​up restaurant at nearby Mr. Pollo in Mission. That restaurant gained a lot of popularity from its ability to serve high quality, sophisticated cuisine with fresh ingredients at a reasonable price (4 courses under $ 20). Gimenez’s Roxy’s Café is in a similar style. Gimenez offers both a reasonably priced 4-​course tasting menu at $ 25 as well as a 10-​course tasting menu at $ 75, which not only provides more food but showcases more premium ingredients.
I have read that Gimenez’s 4-​course tasting menu is too small, but I found it perfect for lunch and still very reasonably priced given the quality and variety of ingredients. The 4-​course menu started with a warm and creamy potato soup that featured great garnishes – a good lime oil and really great caramelized heirloom cauliflower (crispy edges to provide a very pleasing and contrasting texture as well as a different flavor from the center of the cauliflower).
Next was a big but very simple salad. The salad was a fresh mix of arugula, shaved fennel, radishes, and pecorino. The salad was fine, but it was a little too ordinary and did not really fit with the other courses on the menu – kind of like something that you would get from a good order-​at-​the-​counter café.
The third course was a pasta course. Gimenez’s Roxy’s Café is intended to showcase the pasta skills Gimenez learned while working at San Francisco’s very best Italian restaurants including Quince and SPQR. The pasta course was easily the best dish of the menu. It consisted of yucca root gnocchi, Brussels sprouts, pancetta, and an acorn squash purée and brown butter sauce.
The gnocchi itself had a great soft texture, but it was just okay in terms of flavor. It was a tad underseasoned. All the garnishes were great though and really completed the dish. The pancetta provided a nice salty and meaty note. The Brussels sprouts (like the heirloom cauliflower) were very nicely cooked – great contrast between the crispy leaves and the knobby center. The acorn squash and brown butter sauce was creamy and had a great, sweet butternut squash-​like flavor.
The final course seemed to showcase Gimenez’s heritage. It was a shrimp patty with small but good pieces of plump and moist shrimp. The patty had a cornbread-​esque like feel and it featured great vibrance from the topping of yuzu zest. On the side were really assertive pickled vegetables.
Service was very quick as plates almost came out on top of each other. If you have a time-​sensitive lunch break, Roxy’s Café is a great option despite being 4 courses.
There is not much in terms of a restaurant décor. The restaurant is very small, but it does not really have a neighborhood restaurant-​like feel. It truly feels like a pop-​up restaurant though – right down to the very pop-​up kitchen that seems to be held together by hot plates and dutch ovens (definitely not a restaurant but more like something out of a Top Chef challenge). It is actually quite surprising that the chefs are able to achieve such quality flavors and optimal textures/​temperatures in a very limited kitchen.
As mentioned, prices are very reasonable for the 4-​course menu. The 10-​course menu’s price inches Roxy’s Café a lot closer towards some of the Bay Area’s top restaurants and it might not seem like a good value given the restaurant’s surroundings, but judging from the food photos, it looks like Roxy’s Café can deliver a very special dining experience that may even rival some Bay Area top spots.
Roxy’s Café is a fun restaurant. It is a great way to experience the type of high-​end and seasonal cuisine that San Francisco is known for at a very reasonable price. It is a must visit if you spend a lot of time in Mission.
Given Roxy’s Café is in Mission, street parking is hard to find.

Interesting experiment in small dish dining. A 10 course tapa style fixed price menu which could be reduced to seven because the time between servings is a bit too long.
If you are looking for ambiance look elsewhere. The original sign for the café hangs tough outside in the central heart of Mission Street like an afterthought with no attempt to attract. The seating is narrow for no more than 16 diners with small tables up front and a few along the length of the kitchen, sort of sushi bar style. The walls are industrial Grey with a distracting mirror on one side to give the illusion of a larger space.
The lighting is an afterthought with some tables only illuminated by the harsh lights of the kitchen. Whoever did the design, like inserting a plank of unfinished wood into the sheet rock as a statement, should change their meds. Curtains on the front window look like they were put up during remodeling and hang precariously. The side wall at the front door looks like it will fall if you lean on it.
So does the food work?
Yes and no. If you are doing many course dining the one important rule to follow is timing and delivery. With only one waitress working the diners, that clearly fails at Roxy’s.
I give the owner an F here for being too cheap to hire more servers.
The dishes span excellent to ho hum which should concern who is responsible for setting the menu selection. Our server and later some of the chefs who delivered dishes to the table seemed more focused on telling us what all the ingredients were rather than why the dish was important to them. It felt a bit like watching Top Chef competitors who focus on presentation but fail on basic cooking techniques.
I give the service a B only because they have to keep running between tables since their concept of multi-​course dining needs work
As for the food, it is good although the portions are minuscule leaving me to wonder whether paying $ 100 for ten courses is something most people will agree is worth the price when each course is about 3 bites. Seeing so many reviewers coming in with a Groupon offer gives me a clue that people want to pay much less.
I give the food a B+ because the chefs are hard working and deliver on most of the menu items — except for those with pasta since precooking those items should never be done.
Worth a visit, because it definitely is a different experience. I hope they improve their service and learn from their customers what works and what doesn’t. After all, places that survive do so from loyalty, not just reputation.
A final note, corkage is $ 10 but their Chianti red is excellent. Only 2 wines served as choices.

Came here by default cuz my bud and I couldn’t get rezzies for Chef Manny’s new spot, The Palace, and were referred to Roxy’s since it was just down a couple blocks. Looking at the menu, it appears that this spot is another of Chef Manny’s, prior to The Palace. Roxy’s Café offers a four-​course tasting for $ 25 or ten-​course tasting for $ 75, and several dishes offered a la carte as well. We both went for the 4-​course tasting, a pretty good deal for $ 25. Here’s what we had…
FOOD & TASTE:
Amuse bousche– Miyagi oyster w/​migonette & wasabi tobiko
[Fresh raw oyster, tobiko gave a nice crunch and brought out a sea-​like flavor in the oyster. One bite of delishusness made me crave for summore!]
1^st course– Roasted beets, caramelized apples, goat cheese, seaweed salad
[Apples added a nice crunch. Beets were sweeter than fruit. Seaweed blended well in the salad. I’m a fan of the goat cheese, even tho my bud is not. I was very pleased with their rendition of a beet & goat cheese salad and so was my bud, minus the goat cheese part.]
2^nd course– Shrimp & corn soufflé w/​pickled cucumbers & onion cream
[This course was interesting and was my FAVE! Love the airy texture of the soufflé, combined with the sweet corn and sweet shrimp… this dish had a perfect blend of both sweet & savory. Pickled cucumbers gave it a bit of acid and onion cream provided some fat, both served a purpose… to bring out more flavors! YUM! Btw, this dish came out piping HOT!]
3^rd course– Capellini pasta, chorizo, pinenuts, & heirloom tomatoes
[Thin-​noodle pasta cooked al dente with tasty chorizo meatballs! Pinenuts added a crunch, but not much added flavor. Heirloom cherry tomatoes offered some acid, but couldn’t tell if they were heirloom without being told.]
4^th course– Starch: Yuca potato gnocchi with pancetta, Brussels sprouts, & olive oil
[Another interesting dish… Gnocchi made with yuca potatoes were soft & chewy, no doughy-​ness at all. Pancetta & Brussels sprouts added a salty & bitter flavor to my palate without overpowering the dish. Twas a good dish to end on!]
Dessert– was on the house! Soursop ice cream… MmmMmmmM! [I think it was on the house cuz as I was wearing my dunce cap, I embarrassingly showed my Unilocal check-​in offer for a FREE ice cream. Err… duh! Roxy’s Café used to be an old frozen yogurt shop, which the Unilocal check-​in offer pertains to that.
DRINKS: $ 7 for a glass of vino or $ 10 for corkage fee. We opted for the latter… good thing we brought a bottle!
CONVENIENCE: **** [Located in the middle of the block on Mission St
AMBIANCE: **** [
SERVICE: ***** [Service is superb! Chef Shaun first inquired if we had any food allergies or exceptions, which we both said, «No.» Altho, my bud wasn’t too fond of goat cheese. It’s hard to think of the exact things we don’t want find pleasure in eating, even tho it’s not an allergy.]
PRICE: $ [$ 25 per person, not including drinks. $ 10 corkage fee. And two items were on the house! Gotta love FREE!]
OVERALL: ***** [5-​stars!!! …for quality, value, & service! I’m a BIG fan of fine dining on a budget!]
Thanks Chef Manny & Chef Shaun!
Nuff said.
[#58 of 100 Unilocal CHALLENGE 2013]

Came here to redeem my 10 course chefs tasting menu for my sisters birthday. Located in the mission district, I must admit the place was unimpressive at first sight and I hoped for the best, that it would be a hole in the wall. I also do not understand why we needed to make a reservation, though it was a Wednesday night (place was empty).
The place was run by only three young men, of which I assume one to be the owner/​chef/​server. Was a little intrigued that one was wearing a baseball cap and another a warriors beanie as they cooked and served us, but I guess they’re going for a relaxed environment. The restaurant itself is small, and there are mismatched curtains throughout the place, one covering the bathroom door.
The food was surprisingly and pleasantly well done, for the most part, and showed unexpected creativity. I liked the food. There were inconsistencies in dishes, as her plate would have things mine didn’t or the party next to us was having the chefs menu simultaneously and they had ingredients that were not seen in ours. The salmon and the beef were so delicious, some dishes were good but needed more flavor.
Overall it was a good experience, and I hope these guys catch a break. I probably won’t go back without the groupon, but I recommend you try it if you do!

Chef Manny did not disappoint.
Out of 10 courses, every single one was exceptional except for one: the gnocchi with mushrooms was just so-​so. Batting .900 is not too shabby, especially in this rare game of high-​end cuisine at low-​end prices. Service was just as unpretentious as the prices, whole experience was really enjoyable. Can’t wait to check out the Palace next.

Not sure if this is a fair review, since it was during a visit from guest chef — manfred Wrembel.
6 course meal for $ 65. It’s a small, unassuming place with no hoods, no burners, not much anything. The 2 chefs made dishes off of induction burners… and it was all FANTASTIC!
Oysters with pear and tarragon ice
Endless summer salad
Cauliflower soup with crispy quinoa
Perfectly cooked rainbow trout with home made crème fraîche and potatoes
Beef tartare with a bone marrow dumpling and broth
Apple strudel with vanilla crème
Not sure if the regular meals here are like this. But if it’s anything close… I’ll be back again and again!

I came here for a Unilocal elite special dinner series and sadly, I was disappointed. Considering the first dinner series was at the Ritz Carlton and had 8 courses, this place was vastly underwhelming.
We had four courses:
The first was a watery broth that I found way too salty. It actually had good seafood flavor, but the salt just overpowered the subtle sweetness of the seafood.
The second course was a pasta, it was creamy (some sort of Alfredo sauce?) and had some green purée on top, probably attempting to cut the overpowering buttery-​ness of the dish. The sauce was starting to separate toward the last few bites, so considering how tiny the portion was, I think it’s a serious mistake on the chef’s part.
The third course was another pasta, similarly creamy. Copy and paste course two and you get the point.
The dessert course was some sort of latin american corn cake with two scoops of flavorless sorbet. I guess if you close your eyes and concentrate enough, you can taste some sweetness from the corn cakes. I’m not one for really sweet desserts, but even for me, it was more masa/​pupusa dough than dessert, and masa/​pupusa has better texture. This thing tasted like it was just defrosted.
I was initially quite intrigued by the restaurant. I have been to Mr. Pollo and didn’t think much of it. Maybe this place was a better incarnation of Mr. Pollo, but I was disappointed again. Definitely not coming back here for their regular tasting menu.

Hole-​in-​the-​wall fine dining! Great food, great price.
The stand out here are the pastas. It’s on par with the best pasta dishes in the city.
Don’t expect fancy service. Just friendly and honest people running the place.
Drink options are very limited but they let you byob.

Wow, that was so yummy!
Those who made a comment about how long it took for each dish to come out should have lunch there. My fiancé and I took a Friday off to recover from birthday festivities the night before and decided to use our Groupon for lunch instead of dinner. We decided on a 1pm reservation, which we didn’t need since there was only one other couple there.
We were asked about food allergies and if we wanted a glass of wine. Yup, you heard that correctly, for those who said they don’t serve wine, well they do now. One by one dishes came out with the lightest ones first and then some pasta and last but not lease we got the pork belly. Everything was delicious and we rounded off course #10 with dessert.
So go; it’s excellent!

Wow! I went here for a Unilocal pop up dinner earlier this week and it DID NOT disappoint. It was $ 30 for a 5 course meal and was well worth it. Home made noodles, amazing flavor profiles, extremely friendly staff. MUST TRY IT!
The only place were I would ding them is the décor. It almost looks more like a deli, not a place where fine food is being served. Killed the ambiance a little.
Read on for a description of each course:
–The first course was a coconut and lobster bisque. I could have had just that and left happy.
–The second course was a shrimp and rice hand-​roll with a meyer lemon aioli. OMG! We loved it so much… they brought us each over another one on the house!
–Third course was a house made pasta with house made pork sausage and pesto. This was my favorite. We could actually see them hand rolling the noodles in the back so you can imagine how tender and delicious they were.
–The 4^th course was fettuccine with organic rotisserated chicken. This was also super good but the portion was huge considering how much we had just ate. Obviously, I still finished it.
–By the time we got to our dessert I was really full. It was a fried cheesecake with raspberry preserves and sorbet.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Roxy’s! We came here for a four course chef’s tasting for $ 25, BYOW. If it’s not the best value in SF, I’m sure I don’t know what is.
We started with the stinging nettle soup, and while it didn’t sound like anything I would like, I loved it. A beautifully prepared and presented salad trio was absolutely outstanding. The third course, a butternut squash ravioli was equally remarkable. I tend not to like butternut squash dishes as they are often too sweet, like pumpkin pie. But this was so perfectly garlicky, salty, olive-​oily savory that I ate every bite and wanted more. Finally, the pasta Bolongese was some of the best pasta I’ve ever had, and trust me, I know my pasta!
The members of the small family that run the restaurant were charming, helpful, and all quite good at what they do. I think each of us enjoyed ourselves thoroughly!
It was a truly wonderful meal and I look forward to coming back next time I’m in San Francisco!

I got a Groupon from my boss for a 4 course meal for $ 39.
I never really come to the city despite the fact that I don’t live far away at all. The one way streets and the aggressive driving kinda scares me… anywho since we had a free dinner, why not be brave right?
Came here with an open mind because they don’t have a set menu. You get whatever the chef got in the market that morning.
The first course was an asparagus soup which was good. The second course was a mixed green salad with pears made into little stars, mandarin oranges, and slivers of green apple. It was good, the dressing in some parts was a bit too salty though. The third course was butternut squash and queso fresco ravioli with pancetta and in a butter sauce. They also put sprouts which gives it a nice taste. And the final and my favorite course was fresh pasta bolognese.
Service was amazing! We were there with my 1 ½ year old baby and since they don’t have any high chairs, she brought a chair, some cushions and made a very comfy chair for my daughter!
The only thing that I would say is that it got really stuffy there at times, but since we sat near the door, all I had to do was ask if they could open the door a bit and the fresh air was beautiful.

Despite the fact that the Groupon for this place was an AMAZING deal ($ 20 for 4 course dinner for TWO!) The place is still a five star at the «regular» prices.
It is BYOB, so you can save $$‘s that way anyway.
We had an asparagus soup, a baby kale salad, butternut squash ravioli with pancetta brown butter sauce (I could have used a little more pancetta, but really a minor issue), and fresh pasta bolognese.
The service was very attentive and there was none of that «you are a lesser customer b/​c you are a Groupon patron» business. I also enjoyed that it wasn’t a «wham bam-​paced» meal. We were probably there for an hour and a half total. I had always wanted to try Mr. Pollo and now I (sorta) have — and I am mightily pleased. We left a $ 20 tip and they were very appreciative. Anyone going on the Groupon should leave $ 20. The meal was worth about $ 80 in my opinion, so still a fantastic deal.
I would LOVE to come back for the $ 75 dollar 10 course meal. (hint hint Norman)
Or even just the regular menu.
The reservation system seems wonky… you send a text, but they texted back in about 5 minutes «confirmed»
LOVE LOVE!

After reading review on SF Chronicle, I got so excited about Roxy’s Café so I made a reservation right away for that Friday and chef Manny didn’t disappoint us.
We decided to be adventurous and ordered the 10-​course tasting menu.
1. Kumamoto oyster with pickled ginger and onion — so fresh and flavorful, a great way to start.
2. Maguro sushi
3. Hamachi roll with green sauce (I think it is Guasacaca) — love the sauce and brown rice with sesame, I personally like brown rice texture more than white rice.
4. Garden salad — great choice on both the greens and dressing.
5. Soup
6. Ravioli
7. Plantain chitarra with chorizo — this is my favorite course. The chitarra was cooked to perfection and the chorizo added a nice kick of flavor.
8. Yucca gnocchi — Yucca gave it a chewier texture which I like, very creative.
9. Smoked rib and pork belly
10. House-​made strawberry ice-​cream with pancake
A few complains about the tasting menu are the portion and how the course lined up. We were really full by the end of the 7^th course but we didn’t want to waste food because it was so good so we finished all anyway. I think if the portion was a bit smaller it would have been perfect. Also the 3 pasta courses in a row is a bit too much. I think it would be better to have a change of taste in between those pasta courses.
Overall, it was a great meal. Love the BYOB policy!

Between the don’t ask don’t tell BYOB policy and the fact that you make reservations by text message I instantly knew this place was at least going to be an entertaining visit. Turned out to be the best dining experience of my entire week in San Francisco.
Apparently it used to be a little smoothie shop, was then rented out to a lovely couple who started a pop-​up restaurant and they recently took over the lease for a full time run at things. So glad they did. The experience was incredible!!!
It’s so small and intimate. It was like this sweet little couple that owned the place had invited us into their home as if we were best friends. Most of our crew did the $ 25 dollar tasting menu which included 4 of the chefs selections each which were fully explained as they were brought out. We tried an asparagus soup, salad, and two pastas all which had our whole table buzzing and not from the several bottles of wine we brought in.
My only caution is that they do charge a corkage fee despite not telling you they do, but overall it’s worth it to check out this amazingly unique dining experience.

Umm… is there a way to make a new restaurant for «Chef Manny at Roxy’s Café»?? Before I came here for food, I thought that my friend wanted to try a milkshake place. The reviews under «Roxy’s Café» is confusing. Please make a note — this review refers to Chef Manny’s pop-​up restaurant at Roxy’s café. No milkshakes.
I came here with a group of 5 people. We decided to go with the 4-​course tasting menu ($ 20 each) and added a couple of a la carte items (the fettuccine and arepas). The 4-​course tasting menu was entirely vegetarian, so please make a note of that. We only had a little meat from our a la carte items.
First Course: Arugula Salad with Asian Pears, Persimmon, and Tangerine slices. This was a pretty refreshing starter, though I found the salad dressing to be a little too much. I like a much lighter hand with salad dressing, though I admit this was «well dressed» for a typical salad. It was just enough to coat the leaves, but not so much as to leave oily stains on my plate.
Second Course: Spinach soup with Japanese 7 spice and crème. This was really yummy. The soup was a great consistency, and Chef Manny designed it to look like a flower. How cute. They had some fried garlic pieces on top for garnish.
3^rd Course: Arepas. This was interesting. Since we were sharing, they were nice enough to cut it into smaller pieces and place each on a spoon for us. Each of us had one spoon of the savory (tomato, ham, something else…), and sweet (cheese and corn). The savory one wasn’t as amazing, but the sweet one was really delicious! Though… I swear mine had no cheese. My friend sitting in front of me got this gooey string of cheese from her bite, but mine seemed lacking. Boo.
4^th Course: Butternut Squash Ravioli with brown butter. Yummy! it was really good, though only 3 pieces. I think I could have eaten a lot more of this. Yes, I realize its a tasting menu. The pasta was really freshly made, and it tasted SO GOOD. I swear, once you have fresh pasta, anything else is crap! Our waitress told us Chef Manny made all his pasta fresh that morning (as with every morning). YUM. I smelled brown butter almost all night, as this dish was SO POPULAR.
5^th Course: Fettuccine with ground meat and a balsamic reduction. Yum. Though I could not taste the balsamic much. There was just a light drizzle around the outside. I wanted a bit more. =(That being said, the tomatoes used in the sauce was really fresh and the pasta had a perfect bite to it. You could tell it was fresh made, since none of the slices looked «perfect.»
6^th Course: Yucca Gnocchi. OMG YUM! Ok, I have a preference for these kind of gnocchi’s. They’re light, and really pillowy, and super super delicious! That being said, my friend didn’t like the taste much because it was sweeter than usual gnocchi. I attribute this to the yucca in it — yucca’s naturally sweeter than potatoes. Though, this texture with yucca is amazing. Yucca is not a veg that wants to be this pillowy!
The service was great — our waitress was this really nice woman who was very attentive and pushed us to order more foods without seeming like it! She easily got us to order 2 additional dishes (we had 2 orders of the fettuccine instead of 1) and we don’t regret the order. This is a BYOB place, and they were really great at serving us.
The price was decent, though I must admit we had a groupon which brought down the cost significantly.

Came here on a Tuesday night with my friends for Chef Manny at Roxy’s. $ 20 for four courses sound like a great deal, and indeed it was, even though none of the courses contain meat. We each got the four courses, and sides of the savory arepas as well as sweet one. Oh yes, we also got his fresh fettuccine. There weren’t many staffs here, the chefs had to come out and help served the food. But it was fine because it showed how much they care about customer services. Also, lots of props for the chefs cooking on a hot grill, without a full kitchen. The only thing I didn’t like about the place was the lack of ventilation. My clothing and I were infused with kitchen grease odor and at one point, it was hard to breathe. Other than that, fabulous place and food!
Arugula Salad with fuyu persimmon: the salad was lightly dressed and the sweetness of the fruit added some sweetness to the nutty arugula.
Spinach Soup with fried garlic flakes: Very smooth and didn’t taste like spinach at all. The garlic was bit overpowering though.
Butternut Squash Ravioli: Yummm, this things were fresh and made with brown butter… BROWN BUTTER! Enough said. Delish!
Yucca Gnnochi: I love gnnochi, but these made with yucca was mildly sweet and super duper fluffy… like clouds! This was my favorite course of the four.
Savory Arepas: It wasn’t seasoned or salted enough, so it was just okay.
Sweet Arepas: This is definitely a must try! It was hot, toasty with sweet cream in the middle.
Fettuccine: Again, I love how fresh the pasta here. The sauce was light and meaty. I love it.

Good old fashioned milkshakes made with real ice cream, near 24^th street BART station (across the street from Rosamunde).
The menu is huge. I counted 63 milkshakes, 11 non-​dairy shakes, 26 smoothies, plus hot and cold coffee drinks. There’s a special machine to make creamy fruit only smoothies.
My 5 star rating is for the milkshakes (S/​M/​L: $ 3.50/$ 4.50/ $ 5.50). I’m not a froyo person, so I haven’t tried that.
I had a delicious avocado and ice cream milkshake (#20).
I also like the Mexican chocolate shake (#19).
The owner Al is super friendly. He recently added a lunch sandwich combo w/​drink and chips ($ 5), waffles ($ 3.50-$ 6.99), and pre-​packaged salads ($ 6.50).
Free WiFi
Hours: daily 10:30am-9pm