The Stinking Rose

10/15/11

Rockin - if you love Garlic, go for it!

by DukeSF at Citysearch

There are 2 kinds of people in this world:

1) People who LOVE garlic

2) Vampires

As a happy member of the former group, I love The Stinking Rose.

It's like all you can eat mussels - and garlic - and bread for $10 a head. Awesome. We always hit this place when we're in North Beach.

06/18/10

Garlic Paradise

by Vasil Azarov at Citysearch

We kicked off with cocktails to get us in a mood. Garlictini (vodka-martini) was strong, smooth and just perfect with a crunchy garlic-stuffed olive. My friend had a Vampire’s Bite – vodka, amaretto, midori and cranberry juice – definitely a winner for a girl “who likes it sweet”.

I order steamed clams every time I see them on the menu and the ones at Stinking Rose are phenomenal. I was so crazy about the garlic broth and started drinking it until it was gone… That’s how good it was! Rabbit was cooked nicely; the meat was tender underneath brown crispy skin and on top there was a generous heap of roasted garlic. The dish was accompanied with creamy garlic mashed potatoes and went very well with a spicy Rosenblum Zinfandel.

The atmosphere at the Stinking Rose is FUN! I couldn’t help taking pictures of the food and décor. I imagine this place is great for romantic dates as it has semi private booths with curtains as well as for casual “get together” before partying on the North Beach.

03/29/10

The Ultimate Comfort Food

by DGifford at Citysearch

This place has the ultimate comfort food. My wife had the musses-shrimp-crab combo and I had the lamb shank, ample servings beautifully prepared and presented and loaded with garlic. We loved it. It was worth the wait to get in and the weight we have to work off.

• Pros: Better than the Gilroy Garlic Festival
• Cons: Small place so expect to wait.

01/19/10

Indifferent staff, poor food quality

Contributor at Citysearch

I have been a regular patron over the last 10 years but sadly the service and food quality have been getting worse until finally last week our visit was totally unacceptable. We had a reservation. The restaurant was almost empty but they insisted on seating us right next to the service galley. Our meal was punctuated by rushing waiters and clattering trays. The wait to order was too long and then the orders were not correct. The waiters had no idea who ordered what. The food qaulity was average and unfortunately the two people who ordered the ribs were sick all night. We won't return.

09/07/09

Loved it!

by little_ang at Citysearch

I went here for a date. Very busy place so we made reservations. We had drinks at the bar beforehand (a bit spendy) but were seated at our table promptly in the Chianti room which had wonderful ambiance. Service was professional and efficient but not overly friendly. We had a great appetizer Garlic Balsamic Marinated Tomatoes-ate every bite. My entree of Gnocchetti in a Gorgonzola cream sauce was delicious to say the least. They had great soft foccocia dinner rolls which were kept heated over a candle and perfect for dipping. The portion sizes were just right. On the way out when they boxed up my meal they added extra bread which was a nice surprise. However, I only give this a 4/5 stars because the other entree ordered was only okay and not nearly as good as the Gnocchetti. In the end, I would definitely go back and recommend this place!

• Pros: Best Gnocchetti, good portions
• Cons: not all dishes as good as the Gnocchetti, spendy