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A 16
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Pizza Italian, Pizza [Edit]
2355 Chestnut St(between Divisadero St & Scott St)
San Francisco, CA 94123
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
(415) 771-2216
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Wed-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Fri 5:30 pm - 11 pm
Sat 5 pm - 11 pm
Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Classy, Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
1289 reviews for A 16
Review Highlights
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"The wine list is diverse and expansive." In 161 reviews -
"Oh my gosh the mozzarella burrata is outstanding." In 73 reviews -
"Maccaronara with tomato ragu and house-made ricotta salata." In 20 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
1289 reviews in English
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Review from Jordan P.
San Francisco, CA
5/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
I don't often find myself in this part of town but now I know where to come and eat.
I brought my folks here for my graduation dinner. We were seated promptly, the staff and service was stellar, which I have come to expect from all fine SF dining institutions. Unfortunately their menu changes regularly and when I booked the reservation there were a plethora of vegetarian entree options. When we arrived this was not the case. They managed to hold the beef on the sugo but I feel like they screwed the pooch a little by not offering a non-pizza veggie option. But I digress.
The two salads went over well with the family, as did the wine. I had the Funghi pizza and man, oh man, it was probably one of the best mushroom-topped things I have ever munched on that didn't involved giggle fits thirty minutes later. We also split the hen gnocchi, which was neon green and not very noteworthy, although the shredded hen was most excellent.
For desert some goat, cow, and goat-cow cheese along with raw honey and pickled cherries (which taste like they sound- gross) and a few cups of blue bottle french pressed at the table.
All in all it was grand. -
Review from Jennifer H.
San Francisco, CA
5/21/2012
This is one of those restaurants where you know you are going to have wait at least an additional 15-20 minutes after your reservation time to be seated. The last time we went in I think we waited about 40 mins, because of some oversight. However, the hostess felt so bad that she (without being prompted) brought over a glass of Prosecco for all of us, and made sure to bring us some olives and a salad to share as soon as we were seated. Wow, nice.
I love this place. It is romantic enough for a special date, and fun enough for a last minute casual meal and a nice place to bring friends or family from out of town.
The pastas, apps (espesh the mozzarella burrata app and the tuna app), and PIZZA are so good and they have plenty of wines to choose from.
Despite always having to wait longer than promised, you never have to twist my arm to come back. -
Review from Nicole O.
San Francisco, CA
5/16/2012
Delish!
I had the English and snap pea salad and pasta paccheri with asparagus passato, lemon and pecorino. I tasted my fellow diner's romana pizza and it was amazing.
I don't recall the bottle of wine we had, but their list is beyond extensive and the wine we had was phenomenal. Lastly, the service was impeccable and their house sparkling water was a lovely surprise. So refreshing and tasty. -
Review from Jason G.
Huntington Beach, CA
5/21/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Took four business partners to dinner. We sampled a variety of appetizers and the classic margherita pizza. All were exceptional. My main was the porchetta and it is a heavenly, crispy piece of pork belly. The green strawberries added an amazing element of tart/sour. All wine selections were spot on.
It's quite busy, somewhat cramped and not the place for a quiet, romantic night. But it is perfect for a hustling, lively dinner spot. -
Review from Stephanie M.
San Francisco, CA
5/7/2012
This is the type of restaurant you would probably only go once. It's not as special as I expected it to be. Came here for dinner with four people, even with a reservation, the wait was a bit long. The decor is nice, tables are pretty close together, and the noise level overpowers your dining experience.
The pastas were alright, had the maccaronara, which is #42 on the 7x7 Big Eat List 2012, I found it to be good, but too salty. The Salsiccia, funghi, and margherita were flavorful, but not my favorite in the city. I enjoyed the flourless chocolate budino tart with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil, burrata, and the wines the most. Good food and great location, but not up to the hype. -
Review from Liz Y.
San Francisco, CA
5/13/2012
Dinner at A16 was delicious, I loved the squid ink and sea urchin pasta- the half portion was very filling. We also had the artichoke appetizer, it was full of flavor, presentation was not gorgeous but it sure tasted good. We tried the famous pizza and it was incredibly spicy- maybe it's just the Romana that is so hot, there was also no visible cheese on the pizza, perhaps a bit healthier than the norm. We were lucky enough to get seated in the back room, it has a romantic ambience, the ivy growing down the walls is beautiful. The staff is likable and service was great, we'll definitely be back!
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Review from Ron K.
San Francisco, CA
4/16/2012
I've heard so many great things about A16 that I was excited to have the opportunity to finally check out the restaurant this past weekend.
I was not terribly impressed with anything about A16. The service and wine list were OK - nothing great. The menu was stale and unimaginative. We had arugala/strawberry salad, the pea bruschetta, the Salsiccia (sp?) pizza and the budino cake. Wasn't very hungry - just wanted to try a few dishes to get a sense of the place. Nothing was exceptional. Nothing was even remarkable. $130 for a few glasses of average sparkling & Italian wine and average to sub-average food was a rip-off.
A16 was a dissappointment. Zuppa, Cupola, Zero Zero and Beretta are all far superior in my opinion. After hearing all the hype about this place - it was really a huge letdown...
Finally, what kind of italian restaurant doesn't have Peroni on the beer menu - strike 4... -
Review from Laura f.
3/26/2012
A very knowledgeable wine aficionado told me that dining at A16 is like dining in a candy store (of wines). I tried 8+ wine samplings here alongside their pizza, pastas, and starters and I agree!
Fun for large groups of wine aficionados! -
Review from Henry H, H.
San Francisco, CA
5/22/2012
Still good but has lost its edge. Or perhaps we are Now so used to thin crust pizza that the thrill has passed? Still very good. Very noisy though and tables crammed together so not much privacy. Dining room can get quite warm due to pizza oven Burrata to die for. Friendly service. Yummy desserts. Great location !!
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Review from Sara P.
San Francisco, CA
3/30/2012
I made a reservation for Thursday night with no problem. I wanted to make sure we'd get in here because I've been wanting to try it for a few years.
Salsiccia pizza: YUM! I'm totally sold.
Squid ink cavatelli: the pasta was a little dense but maybe that was personal preference. I would have liked a bit more calamari in there.
Gnocchi: light and fluffy like they should be but I was a little disappointed in the sauce. It just didn't have very much flavor.
Pizza + 2 full portions of pasta was enough for 2!
And the WINE... they have a huge wine list! Goretti Perugia 2006 from Umbria was a great choice though ;)Listed in: SF Lovin'
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Review from David C.
San Francisco, CA
4/1/2012
I can see why food critics in SF are skipping this on their go-to lists.
Put simply, A-16 has seen better days. They are apparently on edge from the vacant dining room which used to never be in the not so distant past.
Service with an attitude. Burned charcoal pizza crust isn't my idea of a delicious meal. I also tried to order a pasta dish from the menu and have them swap the noodle with a spaghetti noodle that was on the menu (and even offered to pay more if necessary.) The server refused. We escalated to the cook, and he refused. We will never go back. -
Review from Jackson G.
Santa Barbara, CA
5/12/2012
Just okay. High expectations maybe, but the food was just...meh.
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Review from Lauren J.
San Francisco, CA
3/28/2012
Wow!
Food: The food here has to be some of the best in the city. As someone who has had pizza at ZeroZero, Flour and Water, Cafe Deluxe, Beretta and Cafe Baonecci pizza, I can say this may be the best pizza in town, certainly it rivals any of its high-end competition well. Had squid ink pasta as well. A bit chewy and fishy tasting (I like fish but it has sea urchin in it and it was a bit much for my taste), I wouldn't order it again but all in all the food was great. Burrata was perfect, though the toastini it was served with made it hard to enjoy the delicate texture and near scraped my mouth. Normal bread would be fine. they also offered for dipping some of the best olive oil I've ever had.
Atmosphere: Some of the snazziest decor and one of the largest dining rooms in a nice SF restaurant, but the PEOPLE...the worst part of this experience was having to look at the Marina crowd. Older men, younger women, plastic surgery, pink ballcap worn indoors, concealer on men, fake tans, tight polos...if you've been to the Marina, you know the deal.
Service: Our waitress was nice, peppy and on it. As soon as I'd notice my water glass running low (the spicy pepper pizza topping is no joke!), she would already be refilling it. she made great suggestions and conversation and most of all, was always nearby, despite the restaurant being full of patrons.
Price: A16 is not cheap, but we made out pretty well. four of us ate, each had a single alcoholic drink, split 2 appetizers and 3 entrees and the total was $42 per person, including tax and tip.
I'll be back for a special occasion or to show off one of San Francisco's finer dining establishments to an out-of towner.
(make reservations or you won't get in) -
Review from Stephen S.
San Francisco, CA
4/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Stepping into A 16 this place was more than what was suggested from the slender front lining Chestnut street. The restaurant is a long narrow building that was moving and shaking at 7:30 on a Thursday night. I liked the energy of the restaurant at least until a group of 6 of the most stereotypical Marina girls I have ever seen in my life sat at the table next to mine at the end of the meal. A gentle reminder of where I was. Nevertheless, the dinner at A 16 was great. For two people, we split an appetizer (braised artichoke), a pizza (gotta go classic, gotta go margherita), a half pasta (paccheri), and a side (chard). Their treatment of the veggies were amazing. The braised artichoke was a great texture and a perfect savory dish. As the chard hit the table I noticed an absolutely amazing smell and the dish tasted to match. The pasta was the least exciting dish of the night, on the hard side of al dente, to the point that my dining companion found it a little too tough, I just thought that the gentle lemon and asparagus flavor paired in comparison to what else they were accomplishing at this place.
But I came for the pizza. I've tried many of the "best" pizza places in the city and find that A 16 beats out or holds up to any one I've been to. The crust is very thin, which tends to make the toppings a little harder to stay on, don't go crazy with overloading your pizza with the extra toppings, the menu is created with purpose and focus. The margherita pizza was lightly adorned with mozzarella, grana padano, olive oil, basil, and tomato sauce. And that sauce, the tomato sauce was absolutely fantastic at a just sweet enough spot that marks truly exceptional pizza. In my opinion, great sauce makes a pizza, an they definitely have a great tomato sauce here. The chili oil that accompanied the pizza was a nice touch as well, it brought heat (a lot of it if you wanted) in a more smooth way that topping it with chili flakes.
A place worth checking out. The amount of food (appetizer, half pasta, pizza, side) was absolutely sufficient for two people. No room for dessert so if you wanted to indulge in something sweet might want to pass on something. -
Review from Gloria H.
Sat at the bar and enjoyed a glass of wine and a couple appetizers. Really like the bartender there, very good at making recommendation.
What we had:
Victory Prima Pils - $6/bottle - for hubby
glass of Villa Raiano Taurasi - $16 - earthy with a nice herbal undertone - smooth, bold and delicious
Trippa Napoletana - $10 - tripe stewed with onions, tomato, white wine and bread crumbs - very tender and full of flavor, what a homey dish!
squid ink cavatelli with tomato, braised calamari and castelvetrano olives - $10 - first time trying cavatelli and liked the texture. too bad it was not piping hot as expected - just warm.Listed in: Pizza! from frozen to…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/19/2011
We are not big on making reservations...so if this means we don't get to try the newest places, be… Read more »
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Review from Eddie L.
3/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
What would bring a group of gym-going, health conscious gay men out of their natural habitat and into the heterosexual stronghold of the Marina? A16.
Food = 4.5: The burrata appetizer is a heavenly pillowy cloud of cheesy luvin'. The mushroom pizza is filled with all kinds of fungi that rivals the Whole Foods produce aisle. But the pork chop.....oh the bone-in hearty-cut pork chop with a stripe of fat along the top.....DROOOOOOL! If you like Italian wines, A16 will give you too many choices. So, I suggest you get the help of the of the three (yes, three) sommeliers!
Service = 4.5: Chic and charming waitstaff were on top of their game on this particular Saturday night. A16 was super packed but there was nothing off about service.
Atmosphere = 4.0: The place set in a long and somewhat narrow space, which was decorated with a modern aesthetic. Tables were spaced together a little too closely. Problematic for a bigger person but not us. (See gay man reference, above)Listed in: Italian (and Pizza) Joints
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Review from Rose A.
Wow. What a great experience. Unfortunately, my husband and I were stuck in traffic, thus almost 30 minutes late for our reservation. They only hold tables in the dining room for 15 minutes but were were seated at a cocktail table. We actually preferred sitting in this area as it had more of a casual feeling to it.
Every dish we had was de-li-cious. The Proscuitto Tasting was tasty, not at all salty. The Squid Ink Pasta was cooked perfectly. The Braised Short Rib was fork-tender, I practically didn't need the knife they gave me. My husband's Maccaronara was probably the best dish of the night. The Chocolate Budino Tart had the right amount of sweetness. The Guava Buttermilk Sorbetto was incredible - just the right amount of sweet & tangy.
Everyone who waited on was uber friendly - Maribel, Penelope, Nikko & Reuben.
Great service, great food. Nothing I could complain about. Except for maybe the serving size of the Guava Buttermilk Sorbetto wasn't big enough. ; ) -
Review from Brian N.
3/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Really swank place. Well decorated and great view of the open kitchen where the pizzas are being made. Supposed to be one of the most authentic places to get an italian pizza but maybe i'm just not that into authentic, which in some cases nowadays means less than exciting and sometimes even archaic.
On a more serious note, I hate that pizza here gets served on a ceramic plate. By doing that all the condensation collects beneath the pizza and renders the bottom soggy. You lose the crispness you tried to achieve by baking in a big wood-fired oven and that's just a shame. Crispness is something to be celebrated. Wish the desserts here took advantage of the oven somehow just to round out the experience.
Also had a ragu napoletano which is special for its extraction of meat flavor from various meats used to start the base of the sauce, after which the meats are discarded...but really didn't feel like the sauce reflected a full extraction. Tasted more like tomato than anything else. This could've just been a waste of meat that could've been purposed whole otherwise. -
Review from Heather H.
Arlington, VA
5/20/2012
The food is good, the service is good though the prices are a bit high. Fun atmosphere.
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Review from Casey T.
4/30/2012
Great italian with nice vibe. The pizza is a highlight here.
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Review from Dan N.
San Francisco, CA
5/11/2012
This place is tough for me. It gets a lot of hype, but compared to other hot SF spots, it's the pits. The gnocchi was watered down and was so bad that I didn't finish it and ended up eating somewhere else after we left.
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Review from larry r.
San Francisco, CA
3/17/2012
3rd time wasn't a charm. Been here a few times in the last month or so as I love thin crust pizza. And, who doesn't love a huge wine list by the glass list?
The two $17 a glass Gosset champagne seemed a bit lacking in portion. Looked like 4-5ounces but then our neighboring table ordered a rose brut and the glass was filled way more. The Sanhi Chardonnay was tasty and the carafe wasn't slighted like our champagne.
The service was lacking and cutting the pizza into only 4 pieces is a bit ridiculous. I would be more understanding if you could actually pick up the pizza and eat it but all the toppings slide right off the pizzas. Just too big of a slice for this type of pizza. The few other times I've been here they cut into 6 or 8 pieces and eating by hand wasn't a problem. I wanted to ask our server to cut our pizza some more but couldn't get her attention as it seemed that there was only two servers in the back including the patio. Didn't want to eat a cold pizza by the time someone came around.
The Squid ink cavatelli was a disappointment and was didn't really taste any bottarga . My wife asked the host/manager about the half portion size and he said only 4-5 bites so we ordered the full portion which was about 20 plus bites so seemed a bit like just trying to up-sell. I always spend at least $100 at lunch for two every time I've visited here so honesty is the best policy for my business and tip.
Overall, not as good as my last two trips here and the service was a bit weak even though the staff tried to help out our server. The food runner is always on his game. Busser a bit unpolished for A16.
Just a fair and honest review.
DO NOT FILTER YELP -
Review from Manfred M.
San Diego, CA
3/26/2012
Visited from San Diego for the weekend to catch up with a friend and waltzed in with no reservations nor expectations on a friend's recommendation. We shrugged at the 45 minute wait upon observation of wine bar to the immediate right upon entry...only to be whisked away 10 minutes later by the fantastic hostess who was able to grab my CC I had placed at the bar and take our drinks to the kitchen counter.
Seats at the kitchen counter were a bit different than typical table seating but it worked. It was fun to watch the pies get assembled and tossed into the brick oven. Wine selection was legit ranging from Napa Valley to Italy to Argentina. We went with the bruschetta (spicy garbanzo beans was a different twist but it worked) along the arugula salad before attacking the Salsiccia pizza. Everything placed before us was fantastic.
Waiter service was fantastic and he was kind enough to pretend I had a clue about the wine list.
Yes, the bill is a tad high but it is par for the course for the type of restaurant and neighborhood so no complaints here. -
Review from Laylee D.
Chico, CA
5/4/2012
Went to A 16 on the recommendation of the bartender at Nectar (also a fun place for wine tasting). A great find! It was a busy Wed. night and we were seated at the "bar" in front of the wood ovens where all the food is prepared. Very entertaining. We shared a pizza, margharita with fennel sausage, excellent pizza, thin crispy crust and the sausage was very tasty. Also had the fresh spring pea salad, very good, I could have eaten two, I love fresh peas! Nice wine selection; we would love to go back and try some of the other entrees; the rabbit and the chicken and the chickpea dish looked really good too. As for the "yuppie Marina" thing that other reviews speak of, that is what makes it fun. Great people watching.
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Review from Peter M.
San Francisco, CA
3/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
You can get discouraged by all of the douchey restaurants on Chestnut in the Marina, but A16 is a great alternative. We had an 8pm reservation on a Sunday and really enjoyed our meal.
Burrata - I don't think I've ever not enjoyed burrata with olive oil salt and bread, this was no exception.
Lentil soup - Very brothy, very delicious with some nice greens (kale?)
Short ribs - Extremely tender, soft pieces of fat holding it together with a nice sauce. With each entree you get to choose a side and we had the roasted potatoes with picked onion. Maybe a touch underdone, but still good.
Margherita Pizza - We added pancetta and an egg. I was once told "If you're in a restaurant with a wood burning pizza oven, order a pizza." This was great but I wish they hadn't cut my round pizza into square pieces. You always end up with that triangle slice that is just crust and that square cut from the middle that is floppy and impossible to eat with your hands.
Wine list - Great wine list. May be unmanageable for some, but the waitress was extremely knowledgeable and if you require extra help, a super nice sommelier is there to make the perfect recommendation.
Not crazy about how close the tables are, especially when you have someone annoying next to you, but at least you'll have the opportunity to easily eavesdrop on someone else's date. -
Review from Kym M.
San Francisco, CA
3/10/2012
Such a swanky li'l place! My friend is a photographer and she took pictures all around the restaurant because it was so hip and pretty!
So we came here because my friend had memories of a nice restaurant that was in the area but the name of which she couldn't remember. We finally came across it. There was a 45-minute wait but we got those pager thingies, so we walked around the neighborhood (OK, fine. We're pigs, so we ate some buffalo wings a block down) until our seats were ready. We were lucky (?) enough to sit right where the action was. The whole time we watched the cooks make pizzas and toast them in the wood fired ovens, something I think alone deserves the restaurant one star.
The menu was quite exotic, which I enjoy since I always like to try the weirdest dish. I chose the octopus ravioli with squid ink. It was kind of a hauty-tauty dish because the portion was so small, and I think the ravioli was more noodle than octopus. My friend's margarita pizza wasn't too bad though. The dessert menu looked quite tempting but we only had gelato.
Service was pretty good. The servers are all young and good-looking. Can't go wrong there. -
Review from Emma H.
San Francisco, CA
3/18/2012
Went here on a date and it was pretty fantastic. Everyone was super friendly, the waitstaff and hostess were extremely attentive, and there was a really nice atmosphere. The food there was fantastic - I'm allergic to wheat but I couldn't stop myself from trying the pasta sauces, it was all really yummy! The salad was delicious too.
PS - There is also this pastry chef there who is cute as hell... -
Review from Dana P.
Los Angeles, CA
A16 is one of my top 5 favorite restaurants in SF and has been since the first week it opened years ago. I've been back countless times since then with friends, family, dates... even for NYE.
Sommelier Shelley Lindgren is not only very talented with an eye towards interesting and unusual picks, but also very warm and personable. I rarely see her there these days but her influence is still easily seen on the vast wine menu.
In the 30+ times I've eaten at A16, I've never had anything I didn't really like and I don't say that lightly. Personal favorites include the Burrata, all pizzas (Neapolitan style, amazing wood-fired crust), gnocchi with lamb & porcini ragu. This week we also enjoyed the pork meatballs (a Monday night specialty) and grilled sirloin served over cavalo Nero. The meatballs were moist and light, melt-in-your-mouth delights. The sirloin was also mouthwatering but the real star of that dish was the cavalo Nero (Tuscan kale). Desserts are all good; hard to go wrong there.
Reservations are still hard to get unless you plan ahead and the bar area in front is tiny so don't assume you can hang out there until something opens up. Still, I find it difficult to say anything bad about A16. I've only had good experiences and it remains one of my favorite places in a city with countless great restaurants. -
Review from Jade N.
San Francisco, CA
4/30/2012
Do Not Plan An Event Here!! Rudest People EVER!
I used to love this place - the food was great, location convenient, fabulous wine. So, naturally, I wanted to plan a special event here. You would think that any restaurant would welcome the opportunity for a large party that plans to spend an exorbitant amount of money, right?
So not the case. First of all, they claim that they have a "long standing policy" of not taking reservations for parties larger than 6 on Friday and Saturday nights. Stupid policy for any popular dining place to have. So I decided to talk to the manager to see if any sort of exception could be made (a deposit, minimum order etc, I was willing to be as flexible as possible).
Instead of being put on hold forever by some receptionist, I decided to go in person. I walked in 15 minuted after they opened and was greeted by 5 girls who worked there, all standing around and chatting. There were no customers anywhere in sight. I asked very nicely to speak to the manager.
You might have thought by their reaction that I asked for a private audience with the Queen of England. They all started exchanging looks with each other, I was asked if I had an appointment, I said no and asked to make one. The snotty receptionists reply was that "it wasn't really her job." I even told them that it was nothing bad, I just wanted to speak to someone in charge! Their reply was that they were about to start serving (to who?? there was no one there!) and he was met possibly busy. I didn't know the manager was needed to start food service...
After several more awkward looks being exchanged and thrown at me, I was ushered out of there with the managers name (given with rolled eyes and a reluctant pen so I could write it down) and directions to call an automated phone tree that the management team may or may not check.
Even after all of this, I called and left a message for the manager.
I never got a reply.
I've worked in customer service. This is NEVER how a potential client should be treated. Shame on all of them for thinking that they can brush off a patron to their restaurant. Their food was good, but not good enough to excuse this kind of treatment.
There are plenty of other amazing places to eat and throw parties in San Francisco. I strongly encourage everyone out there reading this to take their money elsewhere. -
Review from Seth S.
Redondo Beach, CA
3/14/2012
Addictively excellent place -- delicious mostly Southern Italian fare, with a fantastic wine list with a particular emphasis on the wines of the Campania region near Naples.
Everything we had was excellent -- the arugula salad, the hallucinogenically great burrata, the prosciutto/speck sampler, and the salsiccia pizza. The pizza was fantastic, with an amazing array of flavors -- the only thing that kept my review from 5 stars was that the pizza might have been slightly underdone in the center -- a little soggy in the middle. (That might keep the pizza from being as good as, say, Pizzeria Mozza in LA.)
Then, of course, the wine -- had a glass of a crisp Falanghina to start, and then shared an outstanding bottle of Aglianico with the pizza. Intense wine that Aglianico -- so acidic when it was opened I felt like my teeth were going to melt. But the sommelier decanted it, and after a bit of time, it softened into a perfect wine with the salsiccia. Still a wine with muchos huevos grandes, but still somehow in balance. Great wine.
Anyway, great place -- go. If I weren't headed back home to LA, I'd go back there again tomorrow! -
Review from M D.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 4/10/2012
I used to love this restaurant, so it was at the top of my list for Easter/birthday dinner. Unfortunately, we waited 20 minutes for the waiter to take our order, and he was clearly uninterested in providing any service. My pasta was so salty that I could barely choke it down. We had to ask repeatedly for bread to go with the terrine and were charged extra. (Really? Charging for bread at an Italian restaurant?) Oh, and they could not have been less polite about the fact that it was a birthday dinner. Our espresso was cold (and brought over 10 minutes before dessert).
All around fail. Oh wait. The one positive was that the wine recommendation was great.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/2/2006
shelly (the sommelier) rocks. she recommends great wines and, best of all, is very down to earth… Read more »
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Review from Sydney L.
1/16/2012
I'm puzzled at A16's overall Yelp rating. This place should be a solid 4 (if not higher - I tend to be more harsh on my ratings than others)! Yes, you need a reservation. No, you can't just walk in. It's a popular spot. But the food is great.
Our group started with the burrata and a special - Monterrey sardines finished with raisins, pine nuts and a few other things I don't remember. I was a little wary of them at first but, let me tell you, they were out of this world! So amazingly flavorful.
For main courses, two folks at the table got pizzas, two got pastas, and I got the Mackerel and clams with sour Seville orange, fennel, and radicchio. The flavors were intense and so fantastic. The slightly bitter grilled radicchio, the sour orange, and the salty fish all balanced each other well.
My only complaint: my side of chard and the chocolate cake the table shared for dessert were both too salty! But, I tend to prefer very minimal salt.
Others seem to have commented about the service but we had no problem with it. Our server was extremely knowledgeable and had all kinds of food and wine suggestions (although I did have some beef with how many times she used "lovely' and "beautiful" to describe various food dishes...but that's a personal thing). We were in the back room and it seemed like someone was always popping their head in to see how we were doing. -
Review from Albert L.
1/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've been having a tough time lately with the more well-known restaurants in the city. Not sure what it is.
First, the wait. I had a reservation for 2 at 7 pm the other night. Because of rush hour traffic, I called ahead to let the restaurant staff know that we may be 5-10 minutes late. I called at 6:30 pm -- no answer. I called again at 6:40 -- still no answer. 6:45. 6:55. No answer. We ended up arriving about 5 minutes late, and next thing we knew we were told we'd have to wait until 7:45 for our table. And even then, we ended up with a seat at the counter.
As for the food, it was good -- definitely the best part of the evening -- although not mind-blowing. We had the beet salad, the entree portion of the maccaronara, and the margherita pizza. The pasta was unique, thick and al dente, almost like a stir-fried udon. As advertised, the pizza was terrific. I've been to Starbelly and Beretta both within the past couple months, and I thought the pizza here was still better. Saucier, if you like that sort of thing.
The ambiance is nice. Warm lighting, nice buzz to the place, friendly service. But not sure if I'd go back. -
Review from Alex P.
San Francisco, CA
3/31/2012
I've been to this restaurant several times. Loved the pasta. Especially Maccaronara and Squid ink Cavatelli. The menu is very authentic. Grate combination of flavors.
Vine pairing suggestion from the waiter was spot on. Would totally recommend it for those who like good Italian food. -
Review from Ying F.
1/25/2012
This is a really great semi casual date place! Very comfortable cool ambiance.
Came here cause I heard that their pizza and wine selection is great!
DInner:
-Bruschetta with butternut squash, ricotta and mint (yum! Cant go wrong with bruschetta!)
-Prosciutto tasting: la quercia berkshire and speck - Great variety of prosciutto! Nice display. A great starter.
- Funghi Pizza - mushrooms, smoked mozzarella, grana padano, garlic, oregano, dandelion greens, olive oil - OMG I love mushroom pizza. Simply the best! Thin crust with generous amount of cheese and mushrooms. Just the way I like it!
We wanted to ordered the Maccaronara with ragu napoletana and house-made ricotta salata (7x7 recommendation) but they were out! No more late night reservations here.
Need to come back to try this dish! I heard great things.
Warning: its in the Marina. Parking is an issue. So arrive early :)Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Sam C.
Chicago, IL
5/21/2012
great ambiance - classy, romantic, excellent service. great wine selection. food was a little too earthy for my taste.
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Review from Myra M.
San Francisco, CA
4/4/2012 1 photo
Definitely have been here many times, but what prompts me to write this review was my most recent experience this past wkend. My first choice for dining anywhere generally is sushi. Italian is delicious, but just try not to make a habit of it.
So in the past, I have always liked A16 conveniently for its location in my old hood. So the whole yuppie-Marina vibe is partly what gravitates me here. I know, this may sway others from coming here for that reason alone... maybe that's a good thing, the negative star is for a painfully long wait for a table.
Back to the gist of my review... I can not rave enough about the wine that Aiden, our bartender suggested to me that night. Gravello... OMG it was amazing!
Arrugala salad was delicious and exactly what I wanted.
We sat at the bar, and this guy sitting next to me (who i later found out is a corporate chef for several restaurants through out the country) ... He gave us some great tips on other phenomenal Italian restaurants to try. I have to keep reminding myself that I don't have to order just pasta or pizza to eat Italian food. I plan to be more open to trying Italian from now on. You can't live in the city and not be a foodie! -
Review from Michael G.
Brentwood, CA
1/4/2012
By far the best, most authentic, true to the original Napoli style Margherita Pizza in Northern California!!!
Forget the pedigree of the chef/owner, the trendiness of the place, the yuppieness of the neighborhood, and the crappiness of the parking, and any service or atmosphere issues you may experience, if I was a quadriplegic I would drag myself with my tongue across broken glass and excrement to get to this place to have what others may call a limp, soggy, or just slightly above average pizza.
The people that complain about the pizza here aren't wrong, as they are entitled to their opinions and preferences about their favorite pizza which are usually based on some New York style crispier thin crust memories with trying too hard foodie toppings and themes, their just ignorant, have never been to Naples, don't care what true Neapolitan is, or just stupid.
I love pizza and have spent the night in Naples just to experience the real deal from its birthplace. No museums or sight seeing that day, just the best damn pizza in the world! It's all about the Margherita and Marinara, and everything else is pretty much an over complicated away from center departure from what pizza is supposed to be.
Yes there are other things on the menu, and yes there are other aspects of eating out other than the food which tends to drop 5 star food to 3 & 4 star restaurant ratings, unless I get into a fist fight or get food poisoning, ratings should only be about the food. Taco trucks have some of the best food in the world but would only warrant a 2 or maybe 3 star rating if you figure everything else into the equation.
Pizza Margherita... A16... close your eyes, and your back in Naples sans air fair! -
Review from Jennifer M.
San Francisco, CA
3/16/2012
A16 just never disappoints! I've been coming here for years - date nights w/ the hubs, ladies nights, etc. Always good - always great service - fabulous wine - knowledgeable staff. I'm not much into writing Yelp reviews - but I felt after the millionth time dining here, I need to finally do it!
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Review from Andrew W.
New York, NY
3/2/2012
Just are here last night with a party of 4. The wait was ridiculous at 1 1/2 hours but it was worth it.
Got the margherita pizza, meatballs (meatball Monday), and a couple sides.
Food was fresh, well cooked and came out at the right time. Will definitely be going back next time I'll need to get there earlier to avoid the long line
