Tosca Café, A Reinvented North Beach Classic

Grid View

April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman's reimagined Tosca Café finally opened its doors on Thursday, and for those who didn't drop by over the weekend, the gallery below offers a look at the re-engineered space, which has been a North Beach mainstay for over 100 years. Tosca hadn't had a working kitchen in 50+ years, so Bloomfield and Friedman ripped out the old kitchen and installed a lovely new one where the stage used to be, the space's most notable change. Other big shifts: there's a new wall-mounted wine library (accessible by library ladder) on the path to the back room, and the bar now only has one coffee steamer—the other has been replaced by a meat slicer and antipasto bar.

Aside from those changes, Tosca looks mostly the same: same dark wood paneling, same opera-playing jukebox, same checkerboard floors, same red leather booths (upgraded from vinyl). The paintings above the bar have been cleaned and restored, accented by special lighting, and former owner Jeannette Etheredge still promises to make regular appearances at the bar (though her phone booth/office has been turned into storage). And of course, there are plenty of house cappuccinos to be had. Check out the food, wine, and cocktail menus here. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 5 pm-2 am, with the kitchen open until 1 am.

· EXCLUSIVE: Peep April Bloomfield's Tosca Café Menu [~ ESF ~]
· Tosca SAVED By April Bloomfield/Spotted Pig Group [~ ESF ~]
· SF's 10 Most Anticipated Fall Restaurants [~ ESF ~]