SF Restaurants w/ No Corkage -- Here's the List
I'm trying to assemble a current, up-to-date list of SF restaurants that either don't charge a corkage fee or that charge a minimal one. If you have a favorite SF restaurant that fits this criteria, will you please share it? I'll start the list with Houston's. They have no corkage fee. Their sister restaurant in Napa, Rutherford Grill, has the same no corkage fee policy. Any others to add to this list?
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Houston's Restaurant
1800 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94111
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In St. Helena, AKA has no corkage Sunday-Thursday nights, Market no corkage, and Vercelli will wave corkage some nights (it seems to vary) if you buy wine. PIzzeria Tra Vigne (NOT Tra Vigne!!!!) seems to typically wave corkage, at least for locals.
A reminder -- you should buff up the tip to reflect no corkage, especially if the server does more than just open the wine and drop a couple of glasses on the table.
Another board, another time, there was a strong feeling among some wine geeks that bringing wine into a restaurant was a God-given right and any corkage was an affront to humanity. While I disagree with that, charging more than $25 corkage -- especially if you buy some alcohol from them -- is nothing less than a ripoff. If a restaurant flatly wants to forbid it, let them, but the gouging is unseemly in what is supposedly the "hospitality" industry.
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Pizzeria Tra Vigne
1016 Main St, Saint Helena, CA 94574 -
Alamo Square Seafood has no corkage on Wed nights, limit 2 bottles.
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re: finemansf
Eugene Park
May 4, 2009 03:50 PM
Is there somewhere on the web that outlines the Morton's SJ free corkage special? I don't see it on their website. Am curious if it's just San Jose, or if other Morton's locations are also offering this.
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re: tvham
Robert Lauriston
Feb 24, 2008 08:36 AM
I think at least a hundred SF restaurants do that. Even places that have no stated policy of doing so often will comp one for one.
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Looks like this list is headed toward the high-end restaurants, but just a warning that we should be careful here not to "out" any restaurants that allow BYOB who will get in trouble.
More information:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/s...›5 Replies-
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re: foodiesf
ccbweb
Feb 23, 2008 04:34 PM
As you'll see if you get a chance to check out the link in Fig Newton's post, there are some number of relatively inexpensive restaurants that don't serve wine but allow patrons to bring their own....it's very unofficial, though, as it's technically illegal and if the beverage control folks catch wind of it, they'll fine the restaurant and shut down the place. I would never encourage any illegal behavior of any sort, but neither would I encourage the announcing of policies that one may not know everything about at such relatively inexpensive restaurants on a website.
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re: ccbweb
foodiesf
Feb 23, 2008 06:37 PM
Again, that's not what I was asking about. I have no interest in restaurants that don't serve wine. This was not a BYOB question. I am trying to get a current, up-to-date list of fully-licensed restaurants that have a wine list but also allow you to bring your own bottle without charging a corkage fee.
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re: foodiesf
ccbweb
Feb 23, 2008 10:07 PM
Yes, I understand that that's what you're after. However, this being the internet, people can't know what you were thinking when you wrote the OP. Further, your OP doesn't specify that. Further than that, not everyone will necessarily care what the original question was after or specified when they write a response and Fig Newton (and myself) is just hoping that no one inadvertently causes trouble for anyone. That's all. I think a list such as you propose to build is a great one and one to which I'd refer a fair bit; great idea to put it together. There's no slight intended to you or your idea for a good list.
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re: rahir
foodiesf
Feb 22, 2008 02:24 PM
No, I don't think so. We typically prefer Southern Rhone reds, and we make regular trips to Kermit Lynch to stock up. So we usually have a Kermit Lynch bottle of French wine with us at Houston's. They are always gracious and friendly about it -- and there's never been a fee.
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Lori SF
Feb 21, 2008 06:12 PM
Plump Jack Cafe has no charge if you buy the wine next door.
There are quit a few places that have no charge certain nights a week. I would say from my past dining experience when I lived in LA and was with my in laws major winos with major wines, most French restaurants hardly charge a fee. Not sure if that is the case here. Seems like the French might expect for you to bring from your cellar, no?
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Robert Lauriston
Feb 21, 2008 06:01 PM
There are hundreds of restaurants with corkage under $25. It would be a lot less work to list the handful that charge $25 or more.
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farmersdaughter
Feb 21, 2008 04:38 PM
Fish & Farm, from their website: "Corkage is $5 per 750 ml bottle California wine. All others $10 —waived with a 750 ml. bottle purchase Limit of two bottles personal wine per table."
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Fish and Farm
339 Taylor Street, San Francisco, CA 94102›1 Reply -
