Volta, San Francisco

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Volta 868 Mission St San Francisco, CA 94103 628-400-6200 Volta Website

Why did we dine here? – Volta is a new brasserie restaurant from the Perbacco / Barbacco team Chef Staffan Terje and Umberto Gibin. It is located in the space that once housed Wichcraft, next door to Bloomingdale’s in the Westfield San Francisco shopping center. We feel Perbacco is one of the best Italian restaurants in San Francisco and could not wait to try his latest endeavor.

Insider Tip – More upscale than expected, so dress up

Cuisine – Modern French – Scandinavian
Location – Downtown San Francisco
Opened – 2016

Service – Volta had a knowledgeable waiter who helped us navigate the menu, but service faded as the meal progressed.
Verdict – Volta met out high expectations. The food was solid and unique. Portion sizes were reasonable, unlike many new restaurants. Service could use some tuning. The decor was upscale, more so than we expected.

Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Maybe.

Volta Signature Dishes – Herring x 5, Duck, pot au feu, boeuf bourguignon, skagen.

Volta’s Menu is fairly wide ranging. Some classic French dishes like Steak Frites and boeuf bourguignon to Scandinavian dishes of Herring x 5, gravad lax, and more.

Website Volta Menu

Volta Food Picks:
Amuse of radish with herb butter. Their bread looks old and crusty but tastes pretty good.

Mojito ($10) was strong and good. They have a nice looking bar up front.

Herring X 5 ($19) tasting of five preparations: traditional pickled – mustard-dill – curry-apple – matjes herring with gubbora – herring-beet salad – crisp bread – dill butter – greve cheese is a signature dish and must order. A good variety of different items to get you in the mood.

Salade de fraises ($14) caramelized fennel – fromage blanc – toasted almonds was perfect start on a warm summer day. Fruit and refreshing, not too bold.

Boeuf “BOURGUIGNON” ($29) braised beef – ox tail crepinette – lardons – mushrooms – pearl onions carrots – red wine – potato purée was a must get. The beef is tender to the point of melting in your mouth. Some pork belly chunks and rich sauce rounded out this dish. The best version we had was in Paris.

Steak Frites – Herb Butter – Watercress – Red Wine Jus pommes frites entrecôte (rib eye steak) ($40) was massive. It will satisfy any carnivore. Nice crust on top and clearly high quality beef. It was served as a big slice, not sliced up French style, as we’ve seen elsewhere. Good fries. You can also choose a cheaper cut of beef. (Flat Iron Steak $28)

Cassis pat de fruit with Honey and Lavender

OK: (Order if you like this dish)

Canard aux cerises ($31) dry aged duck breast – leg confit – Sausage – Cherries – braised greens – turnips – foie gras was also highly recommended. Although we liked the breast, some of the other pieces were not to the same quality level. The accents were unique and looked better than they worked. Weird to find some collard greens in there!

Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
None

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