Bar Jules

Bar Jules Review

An open kitchen, a counter lined with red-topped stools, a dozen or so small tables, and a generally young crowd are tucked into this cozy, bright eatery on the edge of trendy Hayes Valley. The daily-changing blackboard menu is small and invariably appealing, with seasonal dishes like butternut squash soup with pumpkin seed, cauliflower and sunchoke gratin with Gruyère and thyme, and wood-grilled steak with caper butter sauce. Desserts range from plum tart to butterscotch pudding to the famed Chocolate Nemesis. Sunday brunch draws a neighborhood crowd to the sunny storefront. On the downside: service can be slow, and the sea of hard surfaces can make quiet conversation impossible.