Zazie's History
Zazie was opened in Cole Valley in 1992 by Catherine Opoix, who named her neighborhood bistro after the main character in Louis Malle's film Zazie dans le Métro. Jen Piallat started as General Manager in 2000, eventually buying the restaurant from Catherine in 2005, and promoted longtime server Mario Rojas to General Manager. Over the next few years, Jen developed a benefits program that is unparalleled in non-union restaurants, including fully funded health & dental insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, paid family leave, and paid sick leave. After being featured on Check, Please! Bay Area in 2010, the secret was out, and Zazie became as well known for dinner as it always had been for brunch. Celebrating 27 years as Cole Valley's neighborhood bistro, Zazie is proud to be home to a fantastic staff and a family of regular guests.
In 2017, Jen opened a sister restaurant up in the beautiful wine country spa town of Calistoga! Lovina is a charming farm to table restaurant in an old Edwardian home on the main street of Calistoga with a garden patio. Jen is proud to feature her own home-thrown pottery at Lovina, and enjoys working on a wine list that she calls "The Judgment of Calistoga," modeled after the 1976 Judgment of Paris when Calistoga wines first shone for the national stage. Local wines and French wines can be compared in tasting flights. Creative, playful Executive Chef Shaun McGrath designs dishes inspired by local farms and seasonal produce, and General Manager Suhail (a Zazie manager for 16 years) runs the dining room with grace and precision. Come visit us in the country sometime!
To learn more about Jen's bio, our benefits program, and our Tip Free system, click here.
Zazie was opened in Cole Valley in 1992 by Catherine Opoix, who named her neighborhood bistro after the main character in Louis Malle's film Zazie dans le Métro. Jen Piallat started as General Manager in 2000, eventually buying the restaurant from Catherine in 2005, and promoted longtime server Mario Rojas to General Manager. Over the next few years, Jen developed a benefits program that is unparalleled in non-union restaurants, including fully funded health & dental insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, paid family leave, and paid sick leave. After being featured on Check, Please! Bay Area in 2010, the secret was out, and Zazie became as well known for dinner as it always had been for brunch. Celebrating 27 years as Cole Valley's neighborhood bistro, Zazie is proud to be home to a fantastic staff and a family of regular guests.
In 2017, Jen opened a sister restaurant up in the beautiful wine country spa town of Calistoga! Lovina is a charming farm to table restaurant in an old Edwardian home on the main street of Calistoga with a garden patio. Jen is proud to feature her own home-thrown pottery at Lovina, and enjoys working on a wine list that she calls "The Judgment of Calistoga," modeled after the 1976 Judgment of Paris when Calistoga wines first shone for the national stage. Local wines and French wines can be compared in tasting flights. Creative, playful Executive Chef Shaun McGrath designs dishes inspired by local farms and seasonal produce, and General Manager Suhail (a Zazie manager for 16 years) runs the dining room with grace and precision. Come visit us in the country sometime!
To learn more about Jen's bio, our benefits program, and our Tip Free system, click here.