Address: | 1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA |
Phone: | +1 415-824-4224 |
Site: | piccino.com |
Rating: | 4.4 |
Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM |
KE
Ken Tokusei
Chic enough to have an anniversary dinner with your wife and the staff makes it feel to be a special occasion, yet casual enough that you can take you kids and enjoy their signature pizzas. In fact, we were there on our 20th anniversary based on a strong recommendation from our restauranteur friend, and at that time, there were at least 3 large families with kids, but we never felt bothered or awkward. In fact wed love to take our kid here next time. We arent big meat eaters, but pork terrine (house-made) and pork sugo pappardelle, even in succession, were just great and never too heavy. Great selection of wine, and if you dont know which one to have by the glass, they still let you taste a few varieties. All the staff is all friendly yet professional. I called ahead to prepare a small cake to celebrate our anniversary with some message on it, and they just did it at the right moment to my wifes surprise. No reminder was needed on the premises. They just made it happen. The decor: as you can see in the inside view photos, the restaurant is just one big hall, but acoustic is never a problem (the lattice of joists on the ceiling must help diffuse sound), and light coming in from the western side near the sunset hours (theres a park on the west side, so no obstruction) gave just the right glow to start the evening, with the white walls and wood trimming and floor giving bright yet warm ambience. The view of the large, open, and impeccably clean kitchen with half a dozen neatly dressed staff working in a busy yet very coordinated fashion adds an upbeat rhythm to complement the otherwise relaxed and static interior. So...food is great, staff is friendly, place looks great, and things just work. And easy on your wallet (for this quality), and oh, plenty of parking available, around this area of SF. What not to like!?
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Jenn W
My friend made a reservation for five of us at Piccino - I was really excited to try it! We all arrived around 5 minutes on either side of our reservation for 7pm. However, we werent seated until 7:15pm. When I went to talk to the host at 7:10pm about a table, he told me to give our server some time. Wow, okay? We made a reservation for 7pm, but we should give our server some time? I also told him it was my friends birthday, which he failed to relay to our server. Then we ended up at a shared table seated next to an extremely obnoxious child who couldnt stop moving or making strange noises. So much for reservations. Throughout the meal, we had to ask for our bottle of water to be refilled. This happened at least five times. It was never taken or refilled without our asking. We also poured our own water the entire time, minus the first glass. Our server was often nowhere to be found, and I had to ask other servers and the host to help us instead. Even then, the hosts and servers were often conversing instead of attending to guests or tables. We had to tell another server that it was my friends birthday, which she was able to relay to the kitchen. The wine list also boasts expensive wines - there were no reasonably priced ones. The average glass cost $14-15. The $50 bottle we ordered was only okay. The only saving grace was the food. The pasta I had was great, well seasoned and well made. The portions are pretty small though, so keep that in mind when ordering! Weirdly, in the middle of dusk, they placed a candle on our table. But it was about an hour later around 8:30pm that they abruptly turned down the lights... and turned them back on again. With the awful service, strange ambiance, and shared tables, I wont be going back. The food is good, but isnt worth it.
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Johnny Wang
*** In Short *** Casually upscale Italian with tasty, albeit pricy, food. *** In Depth *** Despite living in the neighborhood, Ive only been to Piccino twice. Now, thats not without trying: thereve certainly been more occasions than that, when Ive tried to have brunch here. Unfortunately, Piccinos popularity is not particular conducive to walk-ins or last minute reservation attempts, so some upfront planning is highly recommended. And its easy to see why this is the case: the restaurant itself is comfortable and inviting, but definitely nicer and somewhat upscale. This is reflected in both the food on the menu, but especially in the prices: when youre paying close to $20 for an entree with the likes of some scrambled eggs and sauteed veggies, you know youre probably paying for a lot more than just the food itself, as tasty as it is. Because of this, Piccino will unlikely ever be one of my top choices for brunch in my neighborhood, as your money will go a lot further at other nearby eateries, but if youre looking for something a bit more atmospheric (say, for a date), or something a bit simpler and fresher, theyre well worth considering. ***Accessibility Info*** Venue - Another spacious restaurant with both seating and maneuvering shouldnt pose a problem. The restaurant entrance is elevated onto a second floor, but there are both stairs and a long winding ramp to the right of them to get you there. Bathroom - Still havent tried them.
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Sylvia Lewis
They love their bitter and citrus here so if that is your flavor profile, then this is a fantastic spot for you. Had the very photogenic funghi pizza (the savory paste on it is lovely but the thin crispy crust is one of the best things ever), the aged goat cheese (much more aged and funky than expected but surprisingly delicious - especially with the bitter grapefruit compote on the side), and I think the tagliatelle with these bits of fried pork belly. Everything was spectacular. Service was very attentive. They also brought out generous samples of wines when we couldnt decide. I think we ended up with a carafe of chardonnay but cant remember its name. Also sitting at the bar is a lot more fun than the table. You get to watch the chefs prepare all the dishes which I quite enjoy.
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Ming De
I come to the cafe in the mornings for the lattes at a reasonable price, but MAINLY for the housemade granola and yogurt. Its so good and I cant get enough of it, even though its $6. Just do it and make your morning better! During the day and at night, I love the ambiance in the restaurant as its clean and classy without coming off as too fancy. The food is great. The first time I came here was for lunch and I got a bowl of beef meatballs. It was a bit pricey but so delicious! The second time I came here was for dinner (great date night spot!) and I got the ricotta gnudi with wild mushrooms and also had some of the salsiccia pizza. Everything was so on point, writing this review Im salivating and wondering the next time Ill be able to eat here!
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Victoria P.
I went here for brunch this past weekend. The waitress was really patient with us as my group were having a fun conversation that distracted us from the menu. When we did finally order, our food came out promptly. I ordered the french toast, which came with an oat crumble, apples, and almonds. I thought the portion size was just right, but I wish it was less in price. The french toast was one slice of bread at $14. The atmosphere is relaxing, almost cabana style (sorry, Im not well-versed in interior decorating). Its a pretty laid-back vibe. If youre here for brunch and are hungry, I would order a pizza or two of their brunch items.