North Beach Restaurant

Doesn't Recommend

Bernard K.

Joined 11 months ago

We were in a hurry. Looked over the menu outside, looked good. First thing we found was that the outside menu and the inside menu were different. You guessed it. Once you sat down, the prices went up. We got a couple of glasses of their most reasonably priced wine, a couple of plates of pasta and asked for some bread. BTW, we had to ask for bread. Here's the punch lineâ?¦2 plates of pasta (no meat or fish), 2 glasses of wine and stale breadâ?¦over $75! The biggest surprise was the price of the wine which was almost twice as much as the one we ordered. These people nailed us with the trifecta of restaurant ripoffsâ?¦bait and switch menus, unauthorized wine upsell, and stale bread. Stay away my friends. These people are bad news.

Doesn't Recommend

Roy Porter

Joined 3 years ago

No advertisement for San Francisco. As a Brit I thoughly agree with vg99. This place was recommended to me by a friend who went there many years ago. The service was clinical and it was clear that they wanted to serve me quickly to get the table back into service as soon as possible. As for the food, it was lack lustre and very much overpriced. I had the mussels in a dishwater sauce which worked out more than a dollar a mussel ! as for the lamb which I had to follow,they probably used a razor blade to slice it so thin, it was tastless and there was less than 2 ounces carefully arranged on the plate to make it look more together with two and half slices of a potato and a piece of greenery which I couldn't identify! that cost $32 ! Coming from London I am used to paying a fair price and I have paid many times more than I paid for this meal but never so much for so little ! This place is a blot on the landscape and as such should be removed !

Doesn't Recommend

vg99

Joined 3 years ago

WORST SERVICE AND MANAGEMENT EVER. The staff and management at this restaurant was the worst that I have ever experienced during a dining experience. When I asked questions about the menu I was given a smug response as if I was bothering the server. Then when there was a question about the bill the server went off on my husband and I in and took off with our money and hid out back. We go out to eat A LOT from really nice fine dinning place to sports bars and never has someone acted like that to us. Then to top it off the manager was just as rude and condescending to us when we told him about the behavior. I will NEVER go back there and make a point to tell everyone I know how AWFUL the service and management is. The food was not great either. Just average and overpriced for the quality. I think they thought we were tourists or something and were trying to rip us off. WORST restaurant in North Beach by FAR! Maybe even ALL of San Francisco.

Recommends

allennorman46

Joined 3 years ago

Great!. Great! I moved to San Francisco over 20 years ago, and this is the first restaurant that I ate at that's "Italian" better than in Italy itself...

The food is delicious, a really trip in deep Sicily…Very friendly service, clean and very stylish furnished. The holder, Paolo, always leads me to the best specialty of the day, and he's always ready to advice his guests all around San Francisco (that's why we called him "Mr. San Francisco). If you are ever in the area, you cannot miss it!!!!

Recommends

Tuffy McGuffy

Joined 4 years ago

Authentic Northern and Tuscan Italian Fare. When you go to an old established S,F. landmark restaurant, order the local fare. I would order sand dabs or petrale sole instead of Salmon flown in from Alasks. Come on! the local fisherman haven't been allowed to fish salmon in two years,All the veal dishes are excellent , the pasta is superb. The mixed house salad and the Ceasar's salad is great. Who would complain about stale bread. I no of no S.F. restaurant who would do that in a sourdough town. Really the bad reviews are from people that can't afford it or order a steak in a place like this when they should be at Alfreds.

Recommends

trekers

Joined 5 years ago

Great Italian Fare. This is a very good Italian restaurant & what fun it is. It's not for the casual uptight diner or for the "in-a-hurry" eater. Here you dine on good food with a group of good friends & enjoy both all evening! We surely did & plan on doing it again the next time we're in the city. The fare was an Italian food lovers best choices dream down to the sweetbreads & chicken livers entrees. Where else do you see these anymore? It's abit pricey, sad to say, but most things are now so we go out less huh?

Recommends

lizzylovesfood

Joined 5 years ago

love it!. yumm..oh!....this place makes you feel warm all over...love the service ....love the wine and love the polenta!!!! every bit of this place just makes me smile!!!! it is the same place that i remenber going on a first date with my husband and now a favorite of my girls....truly north beach dining at it's best!!!!

Doesn't Recommend

jcmulf

Joined 5 years ago

Food OK, terrible service!. We're locals who had fond memories of this restaurant from the late 80's, but it has gone totally downhill. We were seated 30 minutes late after booking in advance on Open Table on line. The waiter continually attempted to push us in the direction of more expensive entries and wine. The prices are outrageous. For a party of 5 with one bottle of moderately priced wine, an appetizer and main entry the bill was $390. We had to beg twice to get water brought to the table and it was obvious that the waiter had no concern for our well being whatsoever. Never again and you shouldn't go here either!

Recommends

LMG321

Joined 5 years ago

tasty food - great place for lunch. We enjoyed ourselves at this restaurant. The Sunday lunch crowd last week was casual; the wait staff was busy, but attentive overall. We were a party of 5 which included an active toddler, but were never made to feel inferior. We were seated at a corner table with one side as a booth and the host made the comment "Kids love sitting in the booth" and he was right. One member of our party hails from north of Venice, Italy and for him to complement the food -it had to be good. Only sugestion is go easier on the salt in the bolognese sauce. Enjoyable experience. Would return.

Doesn't Recommend

waverly31

Joined 5 years ago

Very disappointed. I ordered the salmon steak and it was dry and not very extraordinary in taste and the green vegetables that they included with the meal was incredibly disgusting. My husband's steak was also very salty. We should have tried their actual Italian dishes but please avoid the salmon and the steak. Also, their tiramisu had a very strong taste and gave me some heartburn. After 2 bites, I just couldn't eat it anymore. Also, the presentation of it was bad as it seemed like it was just slabbed on the plate. The total meal was about $85 and my husband and I left feeling very unsatisfied and disappointed. The service also wasn't that great. We totally regret having gone there and wish we had rather eaten at a cheaper place like In and Out.