Bocce Cafe

07/08/2008 Posted by slideboy

My wife and I had the misfortune of landing at this spot on a recent trip to the city. We visit often and always enjoy both old, favorite dining spots as well as new ones. While the restaurant is nice looking and well-situated, it leaves much to be desired. Our service was mediocre but I had to feel sorry for other hopeful diners who simply sat and sat and sat...Our waiter was inattentive, rushed and surly and, somehow, seemed to be aware that the food he was serving was substandard. We shared a caesar salad which was boring, dry but did have one crouton atop. When both entrees arrived, they appeared to be something taken from a box in a freezer and quickly heated up. If we had purchased them from a frozen section of a grocery store....we still would have been disappointed. In short, the place is simply awful. There are so many nice restaurants in San Francisco; I'd strongly suggest you skip this one.

Pros: Good location

Cons: Poor food and service

04/23/2008 Posted by ArtandFood

A good friend of mine took me on a lunch date years ago and I have always enjoyed this restaurant for being consistant. The seating both inside and the patio have always been a Gem, the food and service have been real and always on the 4star side from where I am sitting. Friday and Saturday nights offer music which can set back a reservation and that is somthing I have learned to roll with. This can be a problem but the restaurant has grown on me and I do feel I am at home in a nice homey cafe in Italy. So when I add the price, location, food and service it all deserves the 4 stars. I might be there with my wifefor a nice dinner or lunch and I know a group will all have a great casual time.

11/20/2007 Posted by 2foodlovers

The best thing this place has going for it is the space it's in. Nice large area, open feeling, and comfortable. The quality of the food, however, doesn't come close to matching the quality of the decor. Bread: sans character and nutrition--just white bread. (It was warm, a nice touch.) The tricolor dish was lackluster. The gnocchi itself was fair, the sauce had as much character as the white bread. You can easily get better pesto pasta at Trader Joe's. And the fetuccine alfredo was average--the cream sauce had a sort of slight metallic flavor. The look and feel of the entire presentation just felt empty of effort. The dish could have just went from the freezer to the microwave to our table for all we knew. Kind of a shame this beautiful space is being so underutilized. So much potential, such a weak result.

Pros: The space.

Cons: Food not impressive.

08/05/2007 Posted by rockngal

Great food, great service, great prices!!! We had my sisters bachelorette party there last night, they let us decorate the table, servers were helpful and friendly and the food was fantastic! great place to dine with a large group!

08/05/2007 Posted by aandeauntie

i had read some reviews, good and bad, but tryed it myself. BOO this place! we had a reservation for 6. thank goodness one didn't show-- we were seated at a table that uncomfortably sat 5 and when we complained to the manager he said "we'll give you free music" (i guess he was trying to be funny since there is free "live" music there). Service was bad. Got water initially, they comp'd us a bottle of their cheapest wine after much fretting over the table and 30 minute after-our-reservation-wait, thenwe didn't see our server for 20 min. We ordered our food, cheap and "worth" every dollar, got water spilled on us and by the end we determined every request took 20 min. INCLUDING extra napkins when our server spilled water on us. F this place. Will NEVER go back. WILL NEVER understand why there were people waiting to be seated. You'd have thought this was their first day in operation with servers and management who had NO CLUE. We were giving warnings to waiting patrons on our way out. To add insult to injury we passes about a dozen great looking places on our back down to Columbus St. I'd rather wait 2 hours for a slice of pizza then go back to Bocce Cafe. Sincerely

Pros: near other great places

Cons: service, wait, service, wait, service, service, service, management, service, wait, service

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

05/26/2007 Posted by nycgirl27

I read a few good reviews, and decided to check it out. The place itself isn't so bad. But the service is horrendous. I'd at least be forgiving on that front if the food was worthwhile, but um, no. We ordered chicken parm and spaghetti and meatballs. HOW CAN YOU GET THAT WRONG? After being ignored for 15 minutes, we finally ordered 2 glasses of wine and our meals. The meals came 3 minutes later, without the wine. What I got was a thin piece of chicken swimming in gummy cheese with some no frills tomato sauce. Clearly, Ragu is better. The wine eventually came near the end of the meal. Of course it wasn't good, but regardless. Totally. Unsatisfied. Disgusting. What a waste. I don't know how any of these people can bother giving this place good reviews. We left and thought spaghettios are better. Indeed they are. SAVE YOURSELF A TRIP! There are plenty other better places that are reasonable.

04/02/2007 Posted by kventura1

We left the bustle of the city behind us as we walked along the tree lined entrance to the cafe. My wife and I had come in (late) on a Thursday night, but were greeted kindly and seated promptly. The brushcetta was excellent, and the gnocchi was home made. Home made gnocchi is tricky, but this was soft and "melt in your mouth" like it should be. Their red sauce is very good--rich with just a hint of wine (not tangy like some so called "Italian restaurants"). I liked the feature on the menu that allowed you to have the pasta and sauce of your choosing. It is out of the way in North Beach, but that's the good part about it. We were "tourists" but we don't like the "touristy" places. This was perfect. It's about an $8 cab fare from Union Square. Perfect for a quiet, casual, romantic night out.

Pros: Ambience, value, service, out of the way

Cons: out of the way

01/31/2007 Posted by audreyjl

We stumbled upon bocce one night while wandering north beach. It is sort of hidden away from the street, you walk down a cute little garden pathway to the restaurant. Inside you find a very large building, old funky decor that is very welcoming. The service was good for us. The food choices are you very classic italian, a decent selection of wine but nothing to brag about. We left feeling full and satisfied with our meal and experience. I would like to return again in the summer season to enjoy their beautful little patio dining in the back.

Pros: price, food, atmosphere

Cons: off the beaten path - but then again that's a good thing

10/12/2006 Posted by osterkp

I will be honest, the food was more or less ok for the price we paid, not really tasty, however exceptional and probably only for a lunch with a relativly cheap price But the service was really terrible. Before arrival to the restaurant I called to make a reservation, but when we arrive they forgot to put our names on the reservation list. Because we went there in a Wednesday night we were able to find a place. Prior to arrival to that restaurant I visited their web site and even call them about entertainment. You can savor great food and wine in the company of music five nights a week. Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday 7:00pm-11:00pm enjoy the sweet melodies of piano. According to the waitress that doesnt happen during the week days. Furthermore, the service was bad, waitress seems to be very busy, we been waiting for a long time to get water, refill was done--once and even it was obvious that our glasses are empty , they still remained empty throughout the rest of the meal. Everything including food was served late. We ask water, to bring ask simultaneously coffee and tiramisu, and it took him half an hour to bring the cake. Bill arrived after I asked 3 times to bring me a bill. I would rate this restaurant average or even below average.

09/24/2006 Posted by beergirlsf

This restaurant is one of my favorites. The food is not gourmet, it's simple Italian food. My boyfriend and I love going there because it's a great experience. They have live music on the weekends for dinner which makes for a romantic night. One of the great things is the make your own pasta for about $6.95. You have a choice of the type of pasta you want and then the sauce. We love the Spaghetti a la Carbonara- it's hearty and delicious.>>>The decor is unique and it's fairly spacious. I've read the reviews of people who bashed this place, but i think they are dead-wrong. The servers are pleasant and helpful.>>> I like the ambiance the most, it's a great place to go on a Saturday night for dinner then a nice walk through the busy North Beach nightlife.>>> Bocce has a lot of characrter and is also great to take friends or better yet a date.

Pros: Good portions at bargain price, live music, ambiance

Cons: Parking, can get busy on weekends