Unwind on Union

What do I love about Unwind? Other than their ample TVs and gorgeous back patio?
Chicken Noodle Soup! It has fresh egg noodles, amazing stock, tender chicken, and a bit of egg dropped whites to make it super tasty and eggy!
Roasted Brussel Sprouts! Originally I had them remake it without the balsalmic dressing which was WAY too over powering, but after that, it was AMAZING! Perfectly fresh and roasty!
Check in with Unilocal and get a great deal on house wine as well. When all the other sports bars are too crowded, I suggest Unwind.

The food here is pretty nice, I love the big windows in the front, the menu is sectioned off into small bites, light fare, and a heartier section. I thought this was pretty helpful.
Came by here for lunch on Saturday afternoon. We tried the fish tacos and the veggie burger. We also got a side of brussel sprouts. The brussel sprouts were really interesting, a little undercooked, but topped with balsamic vinegar, which I thought was kind of fun. The veggie burger was nice, the bun a little thick (though a fluffy sort of dough) for the patty. The fish tacos were excellent!
I like the food, location, and the great natural lighting that comes in from the front portion of the restaurant. I’ve been here twice and noticed both times it can be difficult to get your server’s attention even when the restaurant is not terribly crowded.

I should probably write the last part of my review first so I don’t lead you on, but I’m going to start it the way I was going to write it before my last visit…
This restaurant in the old Pasta Pomodoro space is a nice spot for a casual meal or a quick drink. I’ve been here several times for lunch and dinner and they have a mix of small dishes for when you want to eat light and some more substantial dishes when you’re a little hungrier. I usually get a salad (I like the spinach with strawberries and chicken), so I can’t offer judgment on much of the menu. I like that salad, but I’d probably skip the Caesar Chicken Wrap and Chicken Salad Sandwich. They just aren’t very flavorful. The sweet potato fries are good.
They have wine on tap that is less expensive than some of the other wines on their list, but just as good. On all but my last visit I’ve always received friendly and attentive service (even when I was dining solo).
I would have given this place 3 stars for being A-​OK, but I was put off on my last visit a couple of weeks ago and probably won’t return because of it, so I have to give it 2 stars.
I was given my choice of tables in the front (back wasn’t open). Since there was only one clean table left, I took that one and ordered a glass of one of the wines on tap. When I checked in through my Unilocal app, I discovered that I’d unlocked a deal for a *free* glass of draft beer or tap wine. Yes…$ 0! Score!
I showed the screen to the bartender (who was doubling as my server) and he said it shouldn’t have said $ 0. He said it was a mistake that should have been changed and that he could give it to me for the Happy Hour price of $ 4. WHAT?! The screen showed $ 0! He told me to hit the button to redeem the deal and it still said $ 0, so he very reluctantly said he could give it to me for $ 0 as he was walking away from me. Gee, thanks. If establishments are going to participate in Unilocal promotions, they need to honor the agreement without making their customers look like idiots.

ROFLMAO.
The reason why Unwind has so many TVs on the premises is so you can look at anything besides your food.
Fries were under-​seasoned and limp. Sandwiches had burned crusts. Bacon was so dry it was like having a cracker. $ 8 nets you a «lobster» corn dog the size of a finger with some spicy mustard as the attraction. Salmon and waffles = some struggling artist in the Haight on his third joint at 3am decided it’d be genius to combine an Eggo waffle with leftover fish for the munchies.
To add to the experience, you get a free side of obnoxious yuppies-​in-​training loudly boasting about how good they’re at with figuratively fellating their bosses at work.

So, Californian should leave the waffle to belgian and southern people… and stick to making wine.
Chicken and waffle works for some weird reason, that does not mean you can put salmon and mushy creamy sauce top of sweet waffle and think you are so innovative… just does not work together… not to mention bad paring with any wine!
However, the waiter was so cute and nice, and wine itself was great. I just wished I ordered sliders or something generic, that no one can mess it up.

Brunch.
Aya and I had a late start on brunch, and being around 1130am on a Saturday morning we knew we would have to wait forever to be seated at any of our favorite brunch spots.
Drove around Union thinking we should just settle for La Boulange and that was when we passed by Unwind. We walked inside to find the place completely empty. We had the option to sit outside in the patio, in which, there were only 1 other party. To be honest, I was a little skeptical because every restaurant we had passed by on Union was packed, yet this place was empty.
To start:
— 2 glasses of Mimosas
The dishes:
— Belgian waffles served w/​fresh fruits, maple syrup and 2 strips of bacon
— Unwind Loco Moco: Rice, hamburger, fried egg, mushroom gravy
— Sausage Scramble w/​Red Onions, mushrooms, spinach & sides of tater tots
The mimosas were really refreshing. Usually, I find mimosas at restaurants to be overly diluted with OJ but Unwind’s mimosa was equally balanced with champagne and OJ.
The Belgian waffles were fluffy and delicious. Loved the idea that they served it with bacon on the side. It reminds me of chicken & waffles because of it’s sweet and savory flavors but bacon and waffles is just as good (if not better).
Loco Moco was a little bland but I enjoyed the mushroom gravy sauce with the fried egg and rice. Ditto with the sausage scramble, also a little bland but real treasure of that dish were the tator tots. The small, crispy potato nuggets are to kill for.
Unwind, you’re offically added to my brunch list.

This place is killer! Their Burger is the best burger I have had in the city.
The staff is great, you feel like your having food at your buddies house. The menu is very diverse and will satisfy the hungriest of hungries along with light appetizers.
they have great wines on tap… yep, wines on tap!
Favorite Meal is the burger with an extra slice of cheese and both regular fries and sweet potato fries. Boom!

Food is colorful, but not awesome. However, location for big party is so great I had to give it four stars.
I adore their big party outdoor seating. It is like a comfie outdoor patio with surround LCDs. Perfect place for girl who likes to be somewhat outdoors and boy who likes to watch sports.
I recommend this place for super large groups. I had a party of 16 on Sunday night and the place was so roomie and bright for all of us.
Food summary (3 stars):
Chopped Salad-​Romaine, garden veggies, sourdough toasts. I don’t recommend it. It is fresh, but doesn’t hold a colorful taste in my mouth. And the choice of cheese is not good. Makes the salad chopped but bulkly tasting. I would like to see a type of shaved cheese over the salad to make it feel lighter.
Lobster Corn Dog –fun to order. But only about three bites. Lobster is not heavy in flavor, but fun concept.
Tecate Beer Can Chicken for two-​Regular or sweet potato fries and choice of vegetable side dish. Tasty and juicy. A little pricey, but worth sharing with someone at least once.
Spice Rub Tri-Tip-«Three sisters» salsa, white corn hominy. Overcooked! What a shame. I think I will need to ask for raw next time.
Salmon and Waffle-​Bacon & white cheddar waffle, corn succotash. Good concept and tasty.
Dessert was only ok. I would probably choose to go elsewhere for dessert next time. Tried Cookie surprise, Waffle ice cream sandwich, Homemade Tiramisu, and NY style cheesecake. Everything was kinda out of the box. other than the waffle ice cream sandwich, but that was just using the same waffles from the salmon dish.
This place is great for large groups. Outdoor patio is one of the best looking. It is absolutely wonderful place to unwind. However, the food is pretty in concept, but could be made better in quality and consistency.

I’m a fan of the Unilocal and Foursquare deals here on beer!
And they have an outdoor patio in the back!

Unwind is a solid finger-​food joint on Union. The drinks are solid, and the service is solid.
Pro’s include lobster corndog… I’m not kidding… order it. The outdoor area in the back is well-​equip with TV’s and comfortable seating.
Con’s include the ambiance of the interior, it’s a bit of an awkward narrow seating space (blame union street real estate) and it’s a bit dim for a group environment — might have been a better date spot. Definitely recommended!

Chicken Tecate. what a creative dish?
it was awesome!

If you check in with Unilocal,you get a free house wine or beer!!! The house white was delicious!

Random note: Funny, my company’s holiday party was called «Unwind from the Holidays,» so whenever I eat here I think of the good time I had drinking wine at the Press Club.
Like Meredith R.‘s review, I think that they have a lot of potential. The space is great (and I hear the patio is fabulous even though I’ve never utilized it), ambiance is mellow but lively, and the service has been great both times I’ve visited. I’m happy that it’s replaced Pasta Pomodoro — a mediocre chain that didn’t belong on Union Street.
I love the menu and the options are good ones. However, they need to dedicate some resources focusing in on the food, perfecting it, making it top-​notch. Right now it’s good, edible; there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just not fantastic. The pizza’s presentation looks like 4-​stars but the taste isn’t quite at the same level. I found that to be true for just about everything I ordered. Great presentation — average food.
I hope they can kick it up a couple levels. I’d love to see them thrive!

Solid spot on union for some wine and low key food. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it but it’s a good option when you dont’ want somewhere very loud on a weekend night but you might want some drinks and conversation. cozy décor, nice having the back patio.
My suggestion is to keep it simple with the food — but stear away from traditional bar food like burgers, they’re terrible. I did enjoy the spinach and strawberry salad with chicken though. Again, nothing to knock your socks off but decent. One really great thing is that the staff is very friendly and accomodating. 5 stars to the owner who knows how to attend to customers

This was a little Gem.
The food was great, service was equally accommodating, and a great back patio…
1. BBQ chicken sandwich was super tasty. Sweet buns, and well prepped juicy chicken. Everything went well together.
Will be coming back for more.

Pros:
Great location and easy to get a table.
Cons:
Something is just a little mediocre about the place. The lighting is a big issue and the seating and inside décor – it feels a little dry and stale. It could just use more life.
Fun:
They rent the back patio for parties!

Lets just start this off new for 2011. I’m going back to informal journal type review. Let the first thoughts hit the page.
I’ve been to Unwind 3 times now, mainly because its close from my house, and people keep wanting to go. Each time I feel like I see more issues with the place, rather than more consistency, or improvements.
I feel like the service is decent, owners are nice, when there is an issue, it is not correctly promptly. Food is just okay, but you’re paying for «good» or higher than just «okay» food. So there is a major price point issue.
Loco Moco was not as ordered, usually one of two things is wrong: hamburger patty is over done or egg is not runny. Could use more flavor in the beef patty, better gravy. (optional)
Chicken Finger (not fingers) is about 4 dollars, kinda small, bland, and overall unmemorable. (pass)
Thai Spring Rolls — Okay-​ish for a non Thai Place (pass)
Steak-​Ceasar Rolls — Always pretty good, meat is medium rare roast beef slices, salad and crutons are crisp. (order!)
Sweet Potato Fries — Good, pretty much all the time. (order!)
Mac n’ Cheese — Just plain salty, thats really it, not really tasty just salty. (pass)
Service — Takes a while to fix a Runny Egg or an Overcooked Patty… weird. Other than that, its pretty good. Owners are really nice.

Let’s start on a high note… There are free gummy bears on the host table as you walk in. But, I think the free gummy bears are the only interesting thing about Unwind on Union.
The service is fine but nothing to write home about. The food is boring and overpriced. On the waitress’s recommendation, I had the chopped salad. I’m not sure what was so chopped about it — it looked like they just dumped a bag of lettuce in the bowl and added boring, water-​flavored dressing on top. I consider myself a big eater but I wasn’t motivated to have more than two bites. My girlfriend got the «Salmon Waffle». Their menu leads you to believe that this will be an interesting item, however, it’s just a piece of salmon on top of a waffle. I also tried the macaroni and cheese. Boring. Nothing to see here. Move along. My friend across the table had the tri-​tip and it looked decent, but he didn’t seem to love it.
The three of us were thoroughly disappointed and it really is a shame — the place looks like it could fill a cool niche on Union.

This is a great new place to hang out and Unwind. (yes, I said unwind) The staff make you feel very welcome. Make sure to try a Bloody Mary, the pickled okra was a first for me and I loved it! Caesar rolls are excellent as is the burger. Crab cake sliders are an interesting twist. The tri-​tip with hominy is a very well balanced dish, I’ll defiantly be having that again.
The ambiance is perfect. It is very comfortable. The owners make sure you are having a great time. Looking forward to brunch and desserts!

I’m excited for Unwind and its potential. I usually won’t Unilocal!after my first try however I feel like Unwind has so much potential and I’m hoping it lasts on Union a long time. So, one star for potential.
One star for ambiance. Super cozy. Back patio is divine. We sat out there and were promised it wouldn’t be cold. Low and behold the temp was just right. We scored a cozy corner table and watched as it became full over the 2 hours we were there.
One final star for service. We were greeted by a friendly manager with a smile. Every server was so friendly. Gracious. Happy to be gainfully employed. Ours was particularly awesome. Don’t know her name but she was great with the menu, suggestions and swift with everything.
I have to say the buck stops here. The food. We ordered four things. All pretty average. If I can make something better at home, it’s an issue for me because I’m not that good in the kitchen. The chopped salad was blah. Nothing exciting about it. Needs more bite. More vegetables. And the lettuce needs to be chopped (!) — Marengo is kicking Unwind’s butt in the salad area. Mac-​n-​cheese. Average, bland. The bacon helps but overall it needs more flavor. Dunno if it’s salt or they need a new cheese but mac-​n-​cheese should be sinful like Stouffer’s outa the box. This one, not so much. The steak Caesar rolls — very unique. I liked them but was okay eating just one. The best part of our meal was the sweet potato fries, but those are hard to mess up.
I have faith this place can be a four star. Good luck Unwind! You have so much to work with.