05/17/09

Nice Try but Food Won't Cut It

by summerdog

With the stellar reviews that this restaurant received it is hard to believe that they are really in the food business. I haven't had pasta this bad since college in the dorm. I was stunned by the low grade of food from appetizer to pasta. The dessert was passable, but then it was only sorbet! A real waste of money and time. Thank goodness our dining companions who kept our minds away from the food! Stay away!

• Pros: They didn't screw up the wine
• Cons: Highly Uncreative and Awful Food

08/26/08

great appetizers and wine selection but u will eat at the bar!

by samemeht

I liked SPQRs food, though it took me 3 attempts to eat there without waiting for 90 minutes. I also thought the travelvixen review was pretty snobby. I've travelled everywhere and the food culture in London is only recently developed; and who cares if you have a place in Paris? that doesn't make your standards higher on desert, trust me. but i guess a snob like you thinks the rest of us just don't have your palette so the desert is okay for us. jesus.

• Pros: good apps
• Cons: the wait

03/09/08

Best part was leaving.

by robertspcorp

I felt as though I missed out on the good food at this place. I sat by the kitchen and saw some very creatie looking dishes being prepared and I was enjoying this. But I was very dissappointed after having one of the worst italian meal I had in san francisco. I tried two appetizers, the first one was recommended higly, but it tasted like baby food farina with tasteless mushrooms on top. I give it a good grade for freshness though. More tasteless than authentic English food.

The next appetizer, the ribs, was digustingly fatty. Maybe I got the bad straw, maybe I did not look young enough to get the good cuts for this place since I am over 40, but I had too push the food aside and kindly ask for the check since I have tasted enough.

This place does have pretense, but thankfully, not as much as A16, where people think they are better than everyone around them. Much like places in NYC, been there, done that.

I perhaps missed out on good pasta, but I think I will not be passing the ever so friendly vivande restaurant or other Italian restaurants a few blocks away before stopping to try the pasta here. Still, the cooks cooking the meals were very nice and showed me there finished products. Could have been an everthing that could have gone wrong did go wrong night, but then again, I almost never experience that in San Francisco.

• Pros: Looks of restaurant, good counter top dining, nice selection of wines by glass
• Cons: Food -- tried two appetizers

03/05/08

SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS

by gwinston73

My first impression of this place is warm and inviting. The brussel sprouts are delicious, a bit greasy. We have tried several different pastas, perfectedly al dente.

02/17/08

A not to miss winning wining and dining experience for a BARGAIN price

by Travelvixen

Pleasant surprise! Coming from the Michelin food capital of the world, London, and with a second home in Paris, I can easily be considered an HMF- High Maintenance Foodie. Couple that with a desire for healthful offerings with great taste and you've got quite a challenge to please me. However, SPQR did that with no apparent effort and at extremely reasonable prices for both food and wine. My warm and knowledgeable server was attentive without being brusque nor even rushing me despite the number of people waiting at the door. I found the atmosphere lively without being cafeteria style as some restaurants end up. Of notable mention should be the calamari, flash fried brussel sprouts with garlic, broccoli, and all the salads. Dining alone as I often do while traveling on business, I was thrilled at the choice of wines by the glass and even HALF GLASS! I'm a grazer at heart and they stole my heart Furthermore, I enjoyed the option, as a solo diner, of dining at the bar. A much more convivial option than sitting alone at a table. Their selection of Italian wines is delicious. I drank both reds and whites and can say that their sommelier chose varietals to please many palates. The weakest point of the meal was dessert- but remember that I hail from Paris for the past seven years, so my dessert standards are quite high. I only tried one- a sort of bread pudding I think, maybe another would have pleased me more.Yes, the wait can be long, but Fillmore is a wonderful street and my advice would be to either show up around 5:30 pm when they open and have an early dinner or show up closer to 6pm, put your name on the list and wander off to explore some of the other bars and boutiques in the area then zip back around the time they tell you a table should be free. Don't miss this dining experience. Bon Appetit!

• Pros: Food, Wine, Service, Location
• Cons: Dessert

02/12/08

EXCELLENT FOOD

by joiedevivre

I had a fantastic lunch here. The food made a lasting impression; I ate there over a week a week ago;. Enjoyed the beets with ricotta, white beans with pork soffrito (sp? ground pork tomato based sauce) and the most amazing brussel sprouts fried with garlic. The scallop entree and had the bundido dessert were nice as well. EVERYTHING we had was so tasty. There was no wait when we arrived around 11:45 am; the restaurant was about half full. Service was normal - not great, not terrible. The atmosphere had the buzz of busy cafe but with a minimalist decor (assuming out of necessity with such a small space). I'll definitely be back for the awesome food.

• Pros: delicious food

01/31/08

Dont Bother

by rosabianca

The food was less than stellar, which wasn't helped by the the two hour wait. Their saving grace is the great staff - our hostess and server were gracious and really fun. Too much pork on the menu and the pastas were really bland. Nothing at all like A16. Shut it.

01/15/08

Bland and cramped

by lolamac

I have to join the ranks of those who just don't get what the fuss is about. I've been there twice and had pedestrian food (at best) both times -- the food was not only bland but uninspired conceptually. The appetizer on my first visit was dense and tasteless. Tried the soup the next time and it too was absolutely without flavor (despite having a liberal amount of pancetta). The pastas were a bit better, but certainly nothing to swoon over and not even so good as those found at many other restaurants in SF. Add to that a much too cramped space (I was actually jostled by waitstaff on one occasion) and I'll have to pass on future visits. (Chez Nous, where and why did you go????)

12/28/07

Great food, but expect to wait an hour or more for a table

by buddhabebe2000

I read the review in the Chronicle went there with a few friends on a Thursday night. I arrived at 6PM & did not get a table until 7:30PM. There is NO room to wait except for the bar, which seats only 10 people. At 7:15 the hostess said it would be ANOTHER 20 minutes. Luckily a few seats at the bar opened up & we sat & ordered 3 appetizers (fried mozzarella, sausage with lentils & proscuitto w/ olives) & a wine. The food arrives VERY fast & is extremely good, but we felt rushed. Our 1st appetizer arrived at the bar just as our table was ready so the hostess came by & asked us to "wrap it up with Betsy". Betsy was our bartender. They require, or rather "recommend" you close out the tab at the bar before moving the 5 feet to your table. So we were trying to eat the appetizers while paying the tab & having the hostess come back & ask us 3 times if we were ready yet. That sucked, because I really wanted to enjoy our 3 appetizers, most of which we had to leave at the bar.

We finally sat at our table, ordered the young fried chicken, lamb, & beef brisket. The food is excellent. The lamb needed sauce, it was very plain & had a side of fresh greens that wasn't dressed at all. Very bland. The chicken came with a dipping sauce, although it was delicious all on its own. The beef brisket was plentiful & very tasty. They keep a constant supply of bread & olive oil on the table (the olive oil is out of this world but unavailable for purchase anywhere!).

The food was delicious but the Lamp Scollopini (needed sauce). The place is small & cramped & there is no where to wait. The draft from the door is AWFUL. Patrons come in & put their names in & hold the door open while they hum & haw with the hostess who stands in front of the door (there is no room for a hostess stands so she has to stand at the entrance). Also, they don't call you when your table is ready, you just have to keep popping back in to see if your table is ready.

12/12/07

I guess I need to try SPQR again

by lyss61

Apparently I need to try this restaurant again. I went shortly after they opened and was very disappointed. As someone who lived in Rome, the food does not compare to anything you would find there. the suppli' were decent but they definitely need to work on presentation of this dish (as well as their other plates). i found the restaurant extremely inconsistent from a decorative perspective too. the owners apparently could not decide between new age, modern design and rustic elements. the glasses were contemporary and non-traditional but all the servingware was earthy. I can appreciate dichotomy and creative design as much as the next diner, but this just came across as inconsistent. so did the clinical, gallery-like walls next to the beautiful organic floral/leaf arrangements. The hostess also forgot about us...they do not take reservations but if you're going to use that system then you have to be able to remember which patrons arrived first to be seated. some of our food arrived cold and the service was sub-par. the space is small, but somehow chez nous was able to pull it off without feeling claustrophobic (maybe it was the cozy red walls). I sincerely miss Chez Nous! I'll have to go back to SPQR to see what all the fuss is about.

• Pros: fairly inexpensive meal by san francisco standards
• Cons: loud, claustrophobic, no reservations