11/04/09

Worst meal I have ever had in San Francisco

by LyndaJ

The wait staff was surly and appeared quite bothered to wait on customers. The pasta Bolognese made me wish for a frozen dinner, a frozen dinner offers more food too! If you only accept cash, perhaps they should make note of that prior to presenting the check. They do have a sense of humor, they thought they deserved a 20% tip! Stay away!

• Pros: location
• Cons: service and food

10/04/09

A taste experience not to be missed

by davidB

They make such a perfect thin-crusted pizza that since I first discovered them 15 years ago I've had a hard time bringing myself to tour the menu. Due to the tiny kitchen size, they can't get city approval for any cooking devices but the pizza oven, and their entire repertoire is a function of that odd constraint. They do amazing things with au gratin and roasted vegetables.

The wine list is put together by a schizophrenic. Right now (late 09) I'd recommend the 06 LaGrein from Hofstatter.

Warning: if you want basil on your Margherita, you have to ask. I park in Chinatown and walk 4 blocks.

• Pros: they do a lot with so little
• Cons: parking, wine

11/03/08

Can't Beat this Food for the Money

by SusanRS

Afraid that their being listed in Zagat might have changed things, we went back to our favorite Italian food restaurant not knowing what we'd find. Everything is as it was when we left it - the food, the wine and the prices are all exactly like we remembered. Great food, especially great prices and brisk, but accommodating service. If you like Olive Garden, don't take up space in this restaurant, please! This is so much more than a chain restaurant could ever be. Obscure and delicious menu items make the dining experience unforgettable. We loved the Belgian endive wrapped in Speck, roasted. The roasted beef appetizer with porcini mushrooms was a perfect starter. But we're still talking about the superb milk roasted pork! Simply awesome.

• Pros: Great food at great prices.
• Cons: Tiny space.

02/25/08

NOT RECOMMENDED! did not even deserve one star

by jbeyer

On satuday Feb 23 around 4:30pm my son and I decided to dine at L'Osteria since we've drove by the restruant a few times. As soon as we open the door the waitress gave us a look like, "What do you want!". When we walked in I noticed there was only one other table with 3 customers who already placed their order. It took 10mins for them to give a menu then another 20mins to take our order. As we were waiting I also noticed that when the other customers would ask for something the waitress would turn around and roll her eyes at them as if she was being bothered. Then we had to listen to the two waitress bad mouth the third waitress who had just ended her shift.."She's a fu---- bi--- and I'm sick of her sh--!" Since they weren't discrete about their conversation we had to listen to it all because the place was so small. When the food arrived the waitress just dumped our food on the table and walked away without asking us if we wanted anything else nor did either one of the waitresses check up on us at anytime the way other waitress do. The food was so horrible that after eating only half of our dish we decided to leave and dine at another resturant. We had to ask twice for the check and again, we had to wait...remember, there was only one other table. This place has the most UNCLASSY waitresses who never smiled and looked as if they were mad at the world. The food was terrible and lacked basic flavors. Their advertisement of an authentic Italian resturant is FALSE advertisment....very misleading!

• Cons: unclassy waitress who seemed mad at the world

08/06/07

If you're young...

by jackbrokethecrown

There is a perfectly good reason why I'd give this restaurant three stars. A good friend of mine and I went into the city to bum around North Beach and hang out to get away from the East Bay. Neither of us look too particularly young, but we both happen to look around our age, which is about 20 years old. The servers picked up on this almost instantly; it was like they could smell we weren't going to purchase drinks or wine. We poured over the menu and both settled on paninis for lunch.

The paninis were, in fact, excellent. They were just as good as ones I've had in Italy. They were fresh and clean tasting, unlike average American food. The servers, as a result of our food and beverage choices, were incredibly rude. They took forever to take our order and helped people who had just sat down while we had been sitting ten or so minutes; they didn't ask us how our food was; they took our plates away before we were done without asking. And, on the whole, they were unpleasant. Needless to say, we didn't leave an overly generous tip. I would, though, still go back for the sandwiches and/or with a friend for dinner... but I'd feel the need to dress up.

• Pros: Great food, small, romantic
• Cons: Horrible service and rude servers

Tasty focaccia sandwiches and other oven-baked delights headline the menu at this authentic Italian restaurant in North Beach.

by Contributor

In Short
Tiny L'Osteria del Forno is a true diamond in the touristy rough of North Beach. As diners step inside the 28-seat room, they could be entering a cafe in Siena, complete with small tables, wine served in water glasses and a friendly, food-savvy staff. Everything on the menu is baked in the oven, from superb thin-crust pizzas lightly covered with fresh mozzarella to stellar focaccia sandwiches and daily roasts.

11/12/06

Tasteless.

by pincenez

I waited for a table for an hour outside and when I finally was seated ordered polenta with gruyere as an entree. It arrived on an off white oval plate with absolutley no garnish or color. The cheese gave it next to no flavor and looked less than appealing. When I asked the waitress for some kind of tomato sauce (which would be fundamental at an Italian restaurant) she said, " we don't serve it that way" and walked away. Her attitude seemed to be that the food was so spectacular and innovative that it would a travesty to add anything when in reality it was bland, uninteresting and incredible poorly presented. A few sliced cherry tomatoes or even a spring of basil or rosemary on top would have turned this boring yellow slab into an attractive dish; adding interesting flavor would have required a proficient chef's touch.

It is not worth the wait.

11/04/06

A tiny whole in the wall you'll love!

by znmci

I friend raved to me about this place for nearly a week before he took me there and I couldn't stop raving when I left. This tiny italian spot feels like your dining at someone's house. The food is AMAZING, but the ambience I thought, was way off mark. The service is very casual and not necessarily very good, but the food is worth the trip. I promise you'll love it! The prices are very reasonable too.

• Pros: food, food, food
• Cons: service, ambience

05/03/06

Good food, cute place

by geniechik

This place is tiny and very narrow, but the food and service was great! Definitely has an older feel---i.e. not hip and trendy, but homey and comfortable. I ordered the special of the day which was cornish hen and it was excellent---not at all dry and the flavors were delicious. It was also pretty reasonably priced--for the two of us, we got a glass of wine, two appetizers, two entrees and two desserts and it came out to about $55. We were both full and very satisfied! I'd go back for a midweek dinner with one or two friends, but probably not with a group or on a weekend as I imagine it'd take awhile to get seated...

• Pros: very yummy food, great service
• Cons: parking on columbus, pretty small

03/24/06

I Love this place.

by dcoe

The review by the ghost just goes to show that you can't please everyone. This place is great! My husband and I eat here once a week, it reminds us of our trips to Italy. I'm sure if one is used to Ital/American food laden with thick sauces and garlic, the food might seem bland, but I think it's a bit more refined. If one is used to ostentatious, man manipulated, American wines, more traditional wines from Italy would not appeal. The pizza at L'Osteria is the best! The roasted meats and vegeatables, so fresh! The service is great, we always feel welcome.

• Pros: value, service, food
• Cons: long lines, no reservations, no credit cards