08/08/08

Great Italian Fare

by trekers

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?

• Pros: good food & service, great choice menu,
• Cons: noisy but fun, pricey

04/17/08

love it!

by lizzylovesfood

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!!!!

• Pros: memory maker!

03/07/08

Food OK, terrible service!

by jcmulf

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!

• Pros: Food was good, Bar service was good, Negronis were great
• Cons: Overpriced tourist trap, Terrible service

02/17/08

tasty food - great place for lunch

by LMG321

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.

• Pros: ambience, feeling of welcome
• Cons: a bit pricy

01/06/08

Very disappointed

by waverly31

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.

• Pros: ambience
• Cons: food was not very tasty, inattentive service, overpriced food

11/11/07

Tasty Italian, Good Wine List, A Bit Overpriced

by mushci

I would have to say that the food and the atmosphere were the two highlights of my meal at this place. I got the seafood risotto and it was incredible! Also, the atmosphere was comfortable, and lively without being too loud. One of the few complaints I have however is of the rude host, who obviously works by the mantra: the customer is always wrong. Also, I would have to say that the prices for the food were a little too high for what we got, despite how good it was. Despite these two things, overall, I would definitely go back, but only once in a while.

• Pros: Great Food, Atmosphere, Wine List
• Cons: Rude Host, Pricey

05/14/07

A Rip off

by jennifer9859

I had a bad experience in this restaurant several years ago, but since I live in the neighborhood decided to try it again. Bad idea. The food is terrible, and the prices are a rip off. For a basic dinner for 3, with a low-end bottle of wine, our bill was $190. Our waiter was apathetic, at best,to boot. Any good reviews of this restaurant are plants by the restaurant. Locals do not go near this place. Stay away!

04/09/07

Avoid, not worth the $

by chrisrae

My husband and I spent our anniversary in San Francisco and we were really looking forward to some excellent Italian dining. We began our journey in North Beach and were overwhelmed by all the Italian choices. We walked around for 20 minutes and made our final choice with this one. We were greeted well and seated quickly. Our waiter sounded Italian which made it authentic. But at times hard to understand. We began to make our dinner choice and a tasting of their famous wine came our way from the wine guy, it was horrible!!! I didnt want to be rude but that was the truth. We let him make another choice and that seemed to work fine. Our dinner was just ok. But we have tasted better at the Olive Garden. They seemed to be at our table every 2 mins with questions and such, Not much for romance, but we were hungry. The food was not worth $ amount, and the dessert was a disapointment, when I asked the waiter if the cheesecake was made by his chef he lied and said yes, And then I told him I owned a bakery, he then change his story and said that it was made by the chef at the factory that makes cheesecakes. I could tell when I tasted it that is was made a couple weeks ago. The presentation was lacking. The tiramisu was drenched in coffee, and was bland. Overall our dining experience was just ok. We will not return.

• Pros: seated quickly, prompt attention to details,
• Cons: overfriendly, lying waiter, loud noisy atmosphere

04/08/07

Wonderful restaurant in North Beach

by mjachim

The mixture of food, wine and atmosphere makes this restaurant a must do in San Francisco. The location is centrally located in North Beach. I recommend using the valet parking. There are few tables downstairs that aren't great, so ask to be placed upstairs.

• Pros: Wine, Food, Atmosphere
• Cons: Parking

04/02/07

never have so few paid so much for so little

by easl

we happened along this restaurant by chance - and i wish that we had kept on going. this seemed to continue our tour of "restaurants that take advantage of tourists in san francisco.) good wine list or no, there is absolutely no reason to charge $20+ for pasta dishes. speaking of wine, we ordered a 2000 wine of a certain label- and the waiter brought us a 200 with a completely different label. i have seen other restaurants pull this b.s. before, so i was pretty peeved. the insalata caprese was decent (although i have never had it with red onion before) but my friend's cesar salad seemed wilted. the bread was stale, and the spaghetti carbonara was a rip off at, $5 per bite my friend had the osso bucco, which was the only thing really flavorful that evening. even the tiramisu, which they claim is homeade, was mediocre. sheesh - avoid this place unles you want to be considered a total suckah. total price for touristy mediocrity? $172

• Pros: blech
• Cons: waiters trying to switch wine on you and $20+ pasta dishes - rip off.