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Firenze by Night Ristorante
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
1429 Stockton St(between Columbus Ave & Vallejo St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
(415) 392-8585
- Hours:
Mon, Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
Tue-Sat 5 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Casual, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
473 reviews for Firenze by Night Ristorante
Review Highlights
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"The gnocchi is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST EVERRR." In 188 reviews -
"The rabbit sauce is uniquely delicious." In 28 reviews -
"Favorites: Cannelloni biagio and Ravioli della mamma." In 8 reviews
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472 reviews in English
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Review from Ralph T.
Stateline, NV
4/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Dined here last night-Simply the best Italian we have had in a long time.
I'm full Italian, been to Italy many times and love Italian food-But this is still some of the best food we have had.
We ate early on a Monday because we had our granddaughter with us. Our hotel concierge recommend this place because he hadn't heard of the top two restaurants on Yelp. So we decided to try this place, what the hell.
We were seated promptly-it was a rainy Monday and the restaurant was about 1/4 full.
We were served by Giuseppe. He was wonderful. He took great care of us. Since our GD was very hungry he rushed an order of ravioli for her which was very nice.
They served us foccacia and sourdough bread with olive oil. Have not had foccacia in a long time. Very soft and flavorful.
I started with the tortellini soup. The tortellini were very good and the chicken brodo was flavorful
I tried my wife's insalata Estiva which was basil, cheese, tomatoes, oil and onion. It was ok but not for me.
Lately I've been rating restaurants by the quality of the risotto. I tried their risotto with porcini mushrooms. Very well prepared, the right texture just below al dente. GREAT flavors and such a simple dish they did a wonderful job.
I tried my GD's raviolis which were good. Spinach and cheese in a meat sauce. The sauce was slightly bland but good. I just like a spicier meat sauce. But still good just the same.
I got to try my the tortellini alla Romana which is a white cream sauce. I didn't try the torts again since I had them with my soup. The cream sauce was excellent I would order that again.
For desert we had the chocolate mousse and the tiramisu. The mousse was great good flavors. The tiramisu was too sweet for my taste.
Overall, this was an excellent experience. The server was great. The majority of food I tried was wonderful and we will be back to this place when in SF again. -
Review from Brian L.
San Francisco, CA
5/6/2012
Came here for the little bites of heaven formally known as gnocchi. The gnocchi deserves 5 stars. Other than that, the rest of the food was average. We had the Buffalo Mozzarella with Tomato and Basil as well as another Pappardelle Toscana for the second entree. For the Pappardelle being an "award winner", it was disappointing. There was a lack of sauce, which I kept on compensating with more parmesean.
As most Italian restaurants are in North Beach, Firenze caters to tourists and the staff puts on the Italian facade with their accents. Still a quaint, romantic, intimate venue. -
Review from Ziyan C.
5/4/2012 2 photos
Do not go here if you live in SF and appreciate quality food and peers who enjoy the same thing in a nice, sophisticated setting. I shouldn't have been fooled by the pretty picture on the Bloomspot deal.
If you are a tourist, loud & rowdy, and/or a 30 or 40-something who thinks (and dresses, and think you can drink like) you're a 20-something, this is the place for you.
The food was fine - 3 stars, nothing outstanding, but just the whole experience
1) Should I even made a reservation at all? I showed up and they barely acknowledged I was written in the book. It seemed to all just be about what was available at the moment. I had to flag down waiters but I guess once I did ask, they were pretty sweet to me (before rushing off to do their thing and ignore me once again).
2) The owner (I think - dude with silvering hair pulled back in a ponytail) - what a guy. Very Italian. Says bye to every group leaving like he knows them. Each time I asked him about my reservation or the menu he got closer to me and more physically intimate. First he held my hand and rubbed the inside of my wrist. Next time he put his hand on the small of my back. Next time he got a little too close for comfort.
3) The decor! Ugh! Tacky tacky all the way. Reminds me of those Carnival cruise ships that haven't been redecorated since the 70's. There's a painted blue sky, a fake Michelangelo statue, a fake skyline of Pisa or some Italian town, and fake vines running along the ceiling. My eyes were in pain.
I guess I'll talk about the food, though they really didn't make up for the ambiance at all. We got the 2 dishes that everyone seems to rave about:
* Gnocchi firenze - 3 stars
(Potato dumplings in a light tomato cream sauce $11.50)
This was fine.. I really can't say much else about it.
* Pappardelle toscana - 3 stars
(Large noodles in rabbit sauce $10.95)
Once again fine, though I thought the meat was too pulled apart - ie you never got a good chunk of protein, it was tiny bits all mixed up in the sauce. -
Review from Rina L.
San Jose, CA
4/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Yum yum to that gnocchi
Canneloni was aight
customer service: good -
Review from Don D.
Charlotte, NC
5/24/2012
Great food. We told our waiter, Michael, that we wanted a true Italian coursed meal.
He graciously attended to our needs. We had our great tasting food presented in our 6 course evening. Great wine, food and company. Michael did not push us to eat. It was a truly great experience. In fact, we left Firenze to visit another stop for after dinner drinks only to end up walking out because it did not offer the great service as that of Firenze.
We packed up and went back up to Firenze to sit at the bar and chatted with several other patrons of Firenze. Stayed until closing.
Great evening! -
Review from Lexie J.
Dublin, CA
5/24/2012
Definitely one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever been to. I know Italian food fairly well (having Italian descent) so I know what's good and what's bad for the most part. I'll admit, I'm a very picky eater, so after coming to Firenze, I left in total bliss, which is definitely a beyond 5 star rating in my opinion. The service was amazing, very friendly and attentive. I came here with several friends and we ended up ordering a couple bottles of wine - reasonably priced and really good quality. I think we went through 3 bottles ;). It was a fun night. So saving the best for last, the food was outstanding. I'm a sucker for tortellini so I ordered the tortellini with cream sauce. It was delicious. My friends ordered the risotto, which she said was perfect. Very simple and light - had the perfect texture. Another dish that was chosen was the chicken brodo and my other friend had the isalata evista. All of them had no complaints. It was all very good. We then treated ourselves to of course, tiramisu (Italian restaurant) and the chocolate mousse cake (who can resist the temptation of chocolate?). The tiramisu was another dish to rave about. Very close to authentic Italian. The mousse cake was also very good. Not too sweet or heavy.
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Review from John K.
Charlotte, NC
5/23/2012
A great time was had by all. Welcoming staff, very good food. Made us feel good in being there. Highly reccomend.
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Review from Nancy S.
Probably one of the freshest and most authentic Italian food I've tried in North Beach.
Got seated right away even when we arrived early for our reservation. Greeted by our server upon being seated and was very helpful in explaining each of their special dishes of the night.
Ordered the mussels and clams for appetizer, with Lamb Shank and Papardelle in rabbit sauce (don't expect chunks of rabbit meat). Mussels and clams tasted so fresh, it smelled and tasted like the sea itself. Lamb shank was to die for! It was literally falling off the bones! Papardelle came out a lot more bland than I expected. I felt like all I was eating with pasta. I told my server and he was more than happy to switch it out to another dish to my preference. Great service! He saw that I like seafood and went ahead and ordered me their seafood linguini dish. EXCELLENT!! You must try their seafood dishes, because they just taste so fresh!
Tried something new and ordered an Italian dessert of a chocolate cake with ice cream and gelato in the middle topped with hazelnut - delicious! (Sorry, forgot the name since it was in Italian.) By the way, their focaccia bread in their bread basket is sooooooo soft and yummy, tasted homemade ! -
Review from Nathan G.
Nashville, TN
5/11/2012
My girlfriend and I have been considering moving to the Bay Area, and went out to SF for a week to assess. The first day there we went to a little dive bar for happy hour, and met a few friendly and gracious locals who actually wrote out a list of their favorite tourist-free bars and restaurants.
I am so glad we walked into that bar, because Firenze by Night was on that list--and damn, that was the best Italian food I have ever had in my life. The gnocchi was absolutely perfect--freshly made with a delicately balanced homemade tomato sauce. Diverse and reasonably priced wine list. We finished with a tiramisu that I thought was going to make me cry. The price was so reasonable for the quality of the food, and it was so nice to not be flanked by tourists in fanny packs.
We tried another Italian restaurant later in the week closer to Union Square because they offered live jazz music, but we were so disappointed and realized that we should have followed our taste buds back to Firenze by Night. -
Review from Kimberly M.
San Francisco, CA
2/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Giving this place 3 stars... but not for the food! BEST GNOCCHI IN SAN FRANCISCO! LOVED IT! However... when I want to have a dinner on a date with my boyfriend I would like it to last longer than 30 minutes. We split a caprese salad for the first course. My boyfriend ate it so quickly and I lingered knowing that our main course would arrive as soon as I ate that last bite. Our waiter kept looking over my shoulder to see if I was done. When I want to go out to a nice dinner, I don't want to feel like I am being hustled so that they can turn tables. I know that this is a tourist place in North Beach but as a resident of San Francisco for 4.5 years now I would like to be able to find an Italian place in North Beach that did not try and have you out in 30 minutes or less.
I am pretty sure restaurants make money on alcohol... it would have been nice to finish the first glass of wine before dinner ended so we could order a second for our main course. Instead we got that second glass at a local bar! -
Review from Jaclyn O.
Chicago, IL
3/15/2012
Looking for authentic Italian and great service? Then stop here! We are in our mid twenties and were recommended by the locals to go here for great italian. It certainly surpassed our expectations! Amazing food, service, and ambiance. We had the spinach salad, gnocchi, and ravioli. The gnocchi and ravioli were handmade that day! It was such a great dining experience that we went back 2 days later and the was just how we remembered it.
The staff here are so accommodating, friendly, and awesome. -
Review from Rebecca H.
Dublin, CA
2/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
Call me bella again. Hot Italian waiter, you made our girls night out so much fun! Just the right amount of flirty and helpful.
So, obviously, no problems with service. My food, ooooh, such good food. We each ordered a different dish and passed plates, and had the gnocchi as an appetizer. The gnocchi was so good, little pillows of creamy soft goodness. DELICIOUS! But I couldn't eat a plate of them, too rich, so a few as an appetizer was a better choice.
I ordered osso bucco, it was so tender and the sauce was beautiful, flavorful and well balanced. The marrow popped right out and onto bread for me to enjoy. The polenta was ok, creamy but a bit bland for me. I also tried pork chop with gorgonzola and artichoke, clam linguini, and sword fish. I skipped the chicken ravioli. The sword fish was AMAZING. It was a thinner steak than I'm used to seeing, but had a beautiful smokey flavor while remaining tender and moist.
We got good advice about wine, my martini was well made, the staff were welcoming. I'd definitely go back. -
Review from Maile N.
1/8/2012
Authentic, solid, tasty Italian food - I was so excited to see a Bloomspot special $40 credit for $20 as a friend highly recommended this place, and I've been waiting to try it! A friend of mine is moving away soon, so this was a perfect place for us to catch up before her departure (sad...).
I had:
* Mussels and clams in marinara sauce appetizer (Yum! This was a sizable appetizer, a full bowl of marinara, steamed mussels and clams - but I sure ate it up, mmm!)
* Gnocchi (award-winning, fluffy, hot, tasty and oh so yummmm! I would highly recommend this dish!!)
* Spumoni (good classic, loved it)
* Glass of Chianti (always a classic, went well with my dinner)
The service was a-ok (yes, loved the Italian accent), and it's a charming place on the border of Chinatown/North Beach, easy access by Muni 30 or 45. We had a lovely window table - aw, loved this dining experience!
Grazie - yum! I WILL be back!! -
Review from Mariano A.
Burlingame, CA
4/13/2012
Amazing Gnocchi, I also enjoyed starting off with their prosciutto and melon appetizer. Haven't tried much else on the menu, but have been back many times for their Gnocchi. Firenze by Night is not on Colombus Ave, the main street, so it doesn't have the luxury of being able to serve mediocre food like some of the many mediocre restaurants in this tourist-trap-area. Overall I've always had a great experience here.
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Review from Rohit N.
San Francisco, CA
2/25/2012
Amazing authentic food
Authentic people
Knowledgeable staff
Personable chefs
Fairly priced
I love this place -
Review from Michael L.
San Francisco, CA
When some friends suggested we go to Firenze by Night, I thought of Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo. Not the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but the sculptors/artists that were from Florence/Tuscany area. I was expecting to see a Statue of David or something. But instead when I walked into Firenze by Night Ristorante I saw a photo of Ted Lange from the Love Boat along with photos of a bunch of celebrities. I thought, "ooooh, nothing says authentic Italian food like Ted Lange in his white tuxedo.."
Looking at the menu, I really liked the unusual entree options they had. Rabbit and boar, along with normal stuff like veal, chicken, fish, etc. So we settled on:
Cozze e vongole marinara: a simple dish of Mussels and Clams with marinara. I liked this appetizer and would order it again if I came back.
Vitella con porcini: veal sautéed with porcini mushrooms in white wine. This was ok. The veal was tender and the flavor was nice. The baby cow didn't die in vain... I wasn't feeling the polenta. But the veal itself was fine.
Pappardelle al Cinghiale: this is a thick pasta with wild boar. I heard this is a native dish of Tuscany. It had a very light sauce, simple and good.
I thought the service was friendly and efficient, no complaints. I liked the ambience and feel of Firenze by Night. The noise level was low so it was easy to converse with my friends. Me personally, I'd lose the old celebrity photos, it kind of takes away from how nice this restaurant looks. The map of Italy in the front of the place is a nice touch though. All in all a decent spot for Italian food. And maybe a little taste of what food in Florence would be like, By Night of course. -
Review from Rebecca H.
San Francisco, CA
12/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
You know what totally makes my day? Guys with dreamy accents.
At Firenze by Night, these waiters are all over that. They got that dreamboat Italian accent and the charm.
Roberto was amazing. A member of my party was over an hour late. He never even flinched and continued to treat us with terrific service, checking in with us to make sure we were ok, trading jokes left and right. When my friend arrived super late, he immediately started joking around with her. Best part was that we had ordered in advance and he made sure that her plate was kept warm the entire time, so that she had a warm hot meal.
Food ain't bad, but with waiters like Roberto, you get a magical experience and excellent service. -
Review from Linh V.
12/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came here for my birthday dinner a month ago. It took me this long to finally write a review because I simply did not have as grand a time as I had expected.
It was a rainy night and we were afraid that parking would be a doozy but the owner/manager of Firenze was so nice that he signaled to my friend to park at their loading zone. V.I.P. bitches!
We had a party of 12 and we were seated in the back along with 2 other big parties with only one server. So understandably, the server was having a hell of a time taking orders, bringing water, etc. We got snapped at a couple times for asking for balsamic vinegar for our bread. I'm sure he didn't mean it - he was probably just overwhelmed.
I was really looking forward to trying their food based on the great reviews. We started off with appetizers: carpaccio, 2 orders of bruschetta, mushroom something, and calamari. The servings were decent though not as big as I had anticipated. But they were good enough to get us looking forward to our entrees.
I ventured off Yelp recommendations and ordered the veal since I'm a big red meat eater (there's a joke that I must've been a T-Rex in my last life because I have a big head, short arms, and only eat meat). I should've know I'd chosen the wrong dish for me when the waiter didn't ask me how I wanted my meat cooked. When the dish came out, I realized my veal was not a thick cut slab of meat but rather thin slices of meat that only had taste because of the sauce. At least it was a big serving. :/
There's a reason why they're known for their gnocchi though. It was deeelicious! Soft, big, delicate, and fresh. I would totally go back for a plate of that on a cold day. The other pasta in rabbit sauce that they're known for is pretty good too though my friend didn't like it. I think it's because she was plagued with the thought of bunnies being slaughtered. They were nice enough to take back the dish and whip her up something else though.
The dinner turned out to be quite pricey. I mean I didn't have to pay, being the birthday girl and all but still. I don't think I'll be coming back unless it's for the gnocchi. -
Review from Narinka A.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 12/4/2011
I never thought I'd write such a low review for this place b/c this used to be my favorite restaurant in North Beach, and I'm sorry to say I'll never return.
The food is good, yet it doesn't mean you should treat your customers like they are a burden to you.
My guests and I still had a lovely time because we overlooked the following challenges for the sake of enjoying our evening. :)
***CONS***
1) I don't know how they expect a party of more than 10 people to finish appetizers, dinner, and desert within two hours. No one told me about the time constraint when I made the reservation in the first place, so they were RUSHING to get us out of here. And when I say rushing, I mean, throwing plates of desert on the table (this was the manager actually) and busboys were spilling water and ice on our meals because they were pouring water for us very quickly.
Did they think we didn't notice? I expected an apology along the lines of "We're sorry we're rushing to clear your table, yet this is the situation..."
2) We had a large group and spent close to $900 on the dinner, so you'd think they would have been more attentive and appreciative. Apparently not.
3) I got up to use the restroom and I could have sworn some waiter or busboy whistled at me. Pardon me, but am I at a construction site or an Italian restaurant?
4) Soon after we left, I realized they didn't serve one of the preordered appetizers, but they DID charge us for it. I guess they forgot to put it on the table.
5) Looking around, I could tell the waiters were rushing with other customers too. It wasn't as noticeable because most tables had a party of 2-6 people.
6) When we ordered tea, they brought 'warm' water and tea bags (I almost thought I was at a diner). They also forgot to bring tea for several guests until I pointed it out.
It saddens me to write this review because I loved this place. I really did. =/
***PROS***
- Good food
- AMAZING waiter, he really tried to make it a nice evening for us, yet I guess he was pressured by the manager and the staff to hurry up and get us the heck outta there.
- Pretty restaurant1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/30/2008
I love the mural they have in the main dining area, it's very cute (romantic too!) and really feels… Read more »
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Review from Jean Y.
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
* Pappardelle toscana (pappardelle with rabbit sauce): Extremely delicious. I recommend this!
* Marinated zucchini and eggplant: Also good.
* Peach sorbet in a frozen peach: A bit difficult to eat since the peach was rock hard, but I don't see how you can go wrong with peach sorbet.
The exterior is unassuming, and the decor is not exactly swanky. In fact, I found it reminiscent of Bucca di Beppo. However, the waiters are friendly, and the food is satisfying. -
Review from Stella L.
San Francisco, CA
12/23/2011
I decided to try this place due to its popularity on Yelp and was not disappointed.
Food - I've been here two times, and each time I've had their award-winning Pappardelle Toscana. It is EXCELLENT!! I'm not a pasta connoisseur but even I could tell that the noodles were hand-made and superbly fresh. This is the best pappardelle I've ever had, even in Italy if you can believe it.
Ambiance - Walls decorated with a hilltop scene overlooking Florence (I have that same shot on camera), friendly waitstaff, and prompt service. Is it an ultra-romantic place? No. But it's got good food, much better than those touristy places on Columbus.
Overall, I would definitely come back! -
Review from Jarrod R.
San Francisco, CA
3/23/2012
It's quite funny how there is ONE bad review...I experienced nothing bad, horrible, nasty, un Godly. Everything from the bread and wine to the pasta was fab. Ok, one annoying thing...The waiter did have a bit of ADD...didn't make eye contact and wasn't listening...But that's nothing to bitch about...Try it out, you won't be dissapointed.
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Review from Di H.
San Francisco, CA
3/19/2012 2 Check-ins Here
reminds me of when I studied abroad in Italy. Simple, authentic dishes, reasonably priced. One of my favorite Italian spots in the city
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Review from De S.
San Jose, CA
11/20/2011
PROS:
- Beautiful and cozy restaurant setting
- Good olive oil
CONS:
- SANITATION: There was either a BUG or small COCKROACH in the water. The waiter didn't even apologize, he took the glass away and quietly came back to sneak the new glass of water on our table. Who knows what else is in our water this time?
Note that he used the same jar where the cockroach came from to serve other patrons before our tables ...
- ATTENTIVENESS:
- No water refill so I had to ask for water every time.
- Waiter did not clean up our appetizer plates when the main entrees came so I had to stack up my plates in the table corner.
- He forgot my order and even joked about it. It really wasn't funny after all.
- FOOD: The bread they brought out was cold and hard. The tube pasta with prawns and chickens was salty though it was more decent than other dishes that we ordered. My gf didn't finish her gnocchi for a reason. The "award winning" pasta with rabbit sauce did not live up to all the hypes on Yelp.
The whole dining experience was very disappointing. I felt mistreated and will never come back. -
Review from leah n.
San Francisco, CA
11/16/2011
I have a hard time giving such a poor rating because the food really was good, much more deserving of 4 or even 5 stars. I will stick to my rating because of our wait experience. We found that making a reservation means nothing. We waited for 45 minutes for a 9pm while a gentleman ran around, no reservation book in sight, taking other groups who had later "reservation" times and friends of his. It was apparent that he takes a lot of pride in taking care of the guests he recognizes, which just meant that we, unknown guests, were cast aside. Finally, I informed the gentleman that we were leaving, and we were given a table.
The rest of the experience would have been wonderful, our waiter was very kind, the food was quick and very delicious, but we were still just couldn't over our waiting experience.
I would still recommend trying it, hopefully your experience will be better! -
Review from Margaret R.
San Francisco, CA
11/23/2011
+ yummy cannelloni biagio, which is a crepe stuffed with chicken
+ good bread
+ nice atmosphere
+ decent prices
- waiter was kind of rude -
Review from Brenda C.
11/7/2011 1 photo
I don't understand .. how can I live in SF for my entire life and not given this place a try?! I've been deprived of the finer things in life.
Our Italian waiter was extremely friendly, attentive, and funny. Constantly kept our wine glass and water glass filled while cracking corny jokes at the same time!
The Calamari Vinagrette was perfectly sauteed. The gnocchi is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST EVERRR !! It melts in your mouth. The Risotto was perfectly cooked and spiced. The rabbit sauce pasta didn't awe me that much, but overall, I was extremely satisfied !
Plus, decent price for amazing Italian food.. where can you go wrong?! -
Review from Laura P.
San Francisco, CA
12/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
The gnocchi were delicate pillows of savory deliciousness. My date had the wild boar rigatoni. He raves about it to this day.
For an appetizer we had the mussels and fresh mozzarella, both were delicious, but the mussels were the star, because the sauce they were put in was fantastic.
This is by far my favorite italian restaurant in the city. I even came here on my birthday.
Service has been top notch both times I've been here. The first time I went, I didn't have a reservation but we only had a 10 minute wait, and we sat at the bar and had a glass of wine while we waited. The second time, we did have a reservation and they sat us right away. -
Review from alan c.
Menlo Park, CA
2/26/2012
THE GOD FATHER SHOULD TAKE OUT THE OWNERS OF THIS HORRIBLE PLACE. YOU ARE WORSE FOR ITALIAN PEOPLE THAN JERSEY SHORE!
Yelp failed us on this one. Even with a discount voucher from Bloomspot, dinner at this place (we've walked passed it hundreds of times and will resume RUNNING PAST IT in the future after the fiasco of a dinner they served us last night !) couldn't muster up enough of a real meal with any flavor whatsoever for the two of us last night.
We knew we were in trouble when the $12 stuffed mushrooms caps arrived - 5 tiny (and I mean tiny mushrooms - the kind you'd cut up for a salad) not actually stuffed but with an even smaller lump of tasteless meat (I think ground pork?) balled up on top - in a thick and tastless sauce. In most real restaurants 3-4 of these would count as a single properly prepared and stuffed mushroom cap ! Is it possible that they don't use garlic, oregano, grated parma cheese or pancetta? How else could these little turds on a plate taste sooooo bland and icky !? Yuck.
As we tried to figure out what these were I was left to face a wall with spackle all over cracks and uneven plaster that appears to have been a half-assed repair - yet it remains unpainted and ignored - so as to "blend in" to this tacky, and truely awful clip joint. The unpainted and plastered wall, right where the waiter kept placing a serving dish of grated cheese (apparently used to mask the poor quailty and lack of flavor of the food they will serve you here) was sign number two we were in DEEP Trouble. The entrees sealed the deal - making this the CRAPPIEST MEAL we've eatten in a Long Time. Quite the award.
Entrees included a "special" (anything but) of what we were told would be "assorted seafood on linguini ($18)" and then there was my "veal and mushrooms" ($21). The mussels on the seafood pasta dish (all 6 of them) were LONG PAST THIER SAD "PRIME" and NOT APPROPRIATE TO SERVE (read that as gummy / smelly / chalky and tastless except for the off flavor and texture they imparted to the whole dish) sitting atop the pasta and except for a few itty bitty bites of unknow seafood floating in the off-tasting, thin and TASTELESS red sauce - the rest of the shellfish (3 clams) were also off and spoiled tasting. My sad looking veal dish consisted of three of the thinnest portions of meat (they claim it was veal - it was hard to tell given the wierd texture due to pounding it so thin these lacked any firmness and flavor, absent mushrooms (there were stems only !?) and a smear of hard crusted over polenta - lacking any flavor whatsoever.
Once again - no seasoning whatsoever ?! HAVE YOU GUYS HEARD OF GARLIC, OREGANO, SALT ?
The good news - we didn't have to head to the ER this AM and except for the idiotic tourists that seem to fill this place - it is a SAD EXCUSE for italian food. SAVE YOUR MONEY, AVOID FOOD POISONING and RUN, DO NOT WALK - AS FAR AWAY from this dreadful place as you can. -
Review from Maggie L.
Milpitas, CA
12/2/2011
I would give this place 4.5 stars based on the food I ordered, but my friend who dinned together with me would have to disagree (you can read about her experience elsewhere). We shared a calamari appetizer, which was superb. The calamari was soft and juicy, the white vignette was a perfect addition, and the veggie in there made it super healthy. Then I ordered the "award-winning" gnocchi, which was truly amazing. Each individual gnocchi was huge (the gnocchi I've had before are usually a little bigger than soy beans), but theirs are probably 3 times as big. However, the gnocchi was so soft, creamy and savory. The tomato cream sauce is a perfect combination!!
The environment was not as romantic as I expected (you know, Italian restaurant = super romantic??). The service was fast and thoughtful (they let me charge my IPhone, which I must say, was indeed life-savingly important!!)
The only drawback, in my opinion, is the fact that it is quite pricey. If I didn't get a Bloomingspot deal, I would have regretted spending that much money on the food. Each main dish is usually from $15 to $25, plus appetizer and dessert, you do the math. So if you are on a tight budget, you may want to reconsider.
P.S., the David statue was awesome XP, minus the covering :( (why cover it up, totally defeat the purpose of having it there) -
Review from Evelyn C.
Manhattan, NY
12/27/2011
I ordered the linguini con vongole and my friend had the much-lauded gnocchi. The linguini was perfectly al dente with a light and delicate flavor that didn't overpower the clams. My friend enjoyed her gnocchi, but while I agree that they were light and fluffy I thought the sauce needed flavor.
Servers are attentive and friendly with delightful Italian accents, and the bartender is smoking hot. Just sayin', is all. -
Review from ELINOR H.
San Francisco, CA
10/20/2011
FIRENZE BY NIGHT is STILL GOING STRONG! DELIZIOSO SABORS
Years ago I found FIRENZE BY NIGHT and was impressed then.
FAST FORWARD....... The food is still delicious and very pleasing.
It has been a longtime since I ate a really full meal in any restaurant, let alone an Italian Ristorante. I started with a cocktail that was properly and well made,, Johnny Walker Red, shaken and served up with a twist and lemon! Excellente!
I started with the Spinaci Salad, it was sublime with real pancetta and perfectly and lightly dressed . The portion size was perfect, not overwhelming, just the right size with really fresh spinach, very crunchy pancetta and pine nuts.
The evening's pasta specialty was linguini with seafood a white wine sauce. I had a half portion (I am thrilled they do splits). It truly was well balanced with the flavors of wine, lemon and garlic. It was a pleasure to eat, I only wish that they had put in some prawns or lobster. If I had had the full portion,I probably would have eaten it all!
Swordfish, Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum, Swordfish is my favorite entree fish. I was skeptical about how good it could be as it was the size of the oval plate and thinly cut. It was simple seasoned with olive oil, S&P and ALMOST PERFECTLY COOKED (i would have enjoyed it less cooked). With fresh lemon squeezes it was subtly elegant. The only thing is that the broccoli was terribly over cooked..... rather a let down.
THE FINISH LINE................... WOW, YES, A DESSERT
Seldom do I eat a dessert, when I do, it is normally one that is shared.
There before me was their rendition of a chocolate tartufo. I was expecting one like Tres Scalini in Roma ~ Nope. It was their version,
it was really good, very light in texture, creamy, with a scattering of hazel nuts and drizzles of chocolate. If no one were near me, I might have LICKED THE PLATE CLEAN.
All in allit was a STELLAR DINNER. I met some people who poured me a glass of their wine and another group of women. One was a woman of a Very Certain Age with her two, very adult daughters. They were very interesting and nice Texans.
ONE THORN IN MY SIDE:
R O B E R T..........THE WAITER. HE WAS VERY DISCRIMINATORY
He served the the Wine Sharers comp Limoncello and a Tiramisu. Another table he comped apperitivos also. I was a woman alone, on a Wednesday night and his service was hardly ingratiating and it was insulting to watch him comp other guests. The Wine Wine Sharers
each had A DISH.........
I dine out on my own because I am a food professional. Plus. a lot of friends don't eat out because of the economy. I like restaurants that
TREAT WOMEN ALONE WELL.
ALL THE R O B E R T W A I T E R S of THE WORLD
CAN TAKE A NON-STOP TRIP TO HADES
I'd go back, but NOT for ROBERT -
Review from Payal B.
San Francisco, CA
11/9/2011
I had a Bloomspot coupon- $40 of food for $20, so gave this place a try. Loved the beautiful mural on the wall! The service was great, the waiter very friendly. The interior was decent, but there are a few other places in North Beach whose ambiance i find more romantic.
We ordered:
Chardonnay
Tortellini alla romana - creamy and flavorful
Linguine with mussels and scallops in wine sauce - too dry for my taste.
Inspite of great service I would rate this place as average, I couldn't fancy this place as much as i had hoped i would. Just a one time try for me. -
Review from Sara M.
11/18/2011
Looking for Italian food after typical dinner hours, we discovered Firenze and couldn't have been happier! I'll admit, I'm a sucker for a waiter who calls me "bella" (as long as I convince myself that he's not making a Twilight reference). We got very attentive service throughout the meal from the waiter as well as two other employees who brought out meals, refilled water, dispensed pepper and cheese, etc.
The food was superb. The table bread came with two varieties - a softer bread and a harder one, both excellent. Stracciatella soup was perfection - very rich chicken broth, not too salty, with creamy egg and fresh cheese. My tortellini was some of the best I've ever had, with a nice cream sauce, peas, and prosciutto. And though I really shouldn't have indulged... the spumoni was a great ending to a great meal.
I'd love to make this my regular Italian place - but sadly, I'm 2500 miles away. -
Review from Denise C.
Campbell, CA
12/12/2011
After rave reviews we had to finally check the place out. We arrived at 7:00pm on a friday night and were seated promptly. We started with the stuffed mushrooms and the carpaccio. The mushrooms were actually tender little meatballs stuffed into a mushroom cap in a dark sauce. Not bad, but not that memorable either. I regret to say that our order of carpaccio was the worst carpaccio was the worst ever tasted. No flavor, completely tasteless. I had the prosciutto melon, which was quite good. the three others ordered the spinach and bacon and dressing salad that was simply that, a handful of spinach on a plate and drenched with warm bacon grease. The kitchen must have forgotten all of the other components that should have been in the dressing (no pinenuts or brandy) seriously it was just warm bacon grease. YUCK YUCK YUCK!
Moving on to entrees, my friend had the gnocchis with pesto. I have to agree with everyone else that they are the best gnocchis I have ever had. I had the pappardelle and rabbit sauce which was good however the pasta was overdone. Another friend had the cappellini pomodoro which he seemed to enjoy (he never shares). My bf unfortunately ordered the pasta special which was a salmon bow tie pasta in a champagne sauce. He did not enjoy it at all, it reminded us both of tuna noodle casserole with salmon instead. Ho Hum...
Our server was very attentive and theatrical to say the least!
Of my view point, if you go, just order the gnocchi and the rosemary focaccia bread, the rest is just A-OK. -
Review from Jeev S.
Sunnyvale, CA
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Solid place and a must visit for everyone. We live in the south bay and discovered this place using the yelp app. I love the fact that this place is open late during the weekday nights.
The food combined with the humor of the owner/Chef made me a fan. They made us feel really special and we will definitely go back to try more stuff. -
Review from Jeff F.
Updated - 11/13/2011
Have recommended this place to a few people and have never received a complaint. They pull off the "cool, small Italian joint you love to go to" vibe really well. Service was perfectly Italian - attentive, dramatic and flirting with every woman like it was his job.
I still love the gnocchi (mandatory and recommended as a app, never an entree since it's a gut bomb), bruschetta is simple but good, buffalo mozzarella app is terrible, angel hair w/ tomato basil sauce was simply incredible and the veal porcino was average.
Get here.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/30/2009
second time and I'll come back a few more - incredible atmosphere - preference is to sit at the bar… Read more »
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Review from Miguel V.
9/1/2011
It was date night with the wifey. We were going to see a show down the street and I needed to find a good place for a delicious, but still romantic dinner. I read all the review exclaiming the authenticity here and decided to give it a try. I have refrained from eating West Coast Italian because I am very loyal to my East Coast pseudo-Italian-American roots. If you want authentic, they got it. But all in all, it really doesn't matter because the food is fantastic regardless. We had a reservation on a Friday night, so we just had to wait 5 minutes or so for the host to notice us. We were seated promptly by an extremely friendly and helpful American waiter (I point that out to say that we did not have an Italian speaking waiter as others have mentioned, but that did not detract from experience nonetheless).
I immediately trusted our waiter for some odd reason. Maybe he just looked like he ate well, but I felt that I could take his opinion with confidence. He recommended the Italian sausage stuffed mushrooms over the mussels to start, which was an excellent pick. He recommended the Syrah, which was another hit. My wife couldn't decide between the gnocchi and the tortellini alla romana, so he suggested doing a split plate of both (still for $16!). I was trying to decide between the saltimbocca alla romana or the braised lamb special and he recommended the special for the hungry patron. Honestly, he was right on all counts.
The stuffed mushrooms were actually not greasy and came in the amazing savory and flavorful jus. The sausage was great. I am by no means a gnocchi connoisseur, but they were very soft and I believe I saw them aptly described as pillowy elsewhere. The tortellini were of course delicious and the sauce, to die for! However, the ginormous braised lamb shank was clearly the star of the show (even at $26). It was, as described, falling off the bone and so flavorful with a sort of mushroomy gravy. the polenta that came with it was very good also, although I did not get to eat much of it.
What really set this place apart for me other than the food was the ambiance. It felts very homey from the moment we walked in. I felt like I was in a family-owned Italian restaurant, not some tourist trap with white table clothes and blue glasses. It felt very sincere. We did not have any complaints about the noise and carried on a casual conversation without any problems. All in all, this is a great place for a nice night out. Won't be back too regularly for financial reasons, but hey, gotta go out on dates sometimes. -
Review from Allegra G.
Houston, TX
12/21/2011
After reading the good reviews on Yelp and then getting two recommendations from some local industry people, I decided I wanted to dine at Firenze.
First - let me say - make a reservation. I didn't know I needed to do this and we went in on a Friday night for dinner for my birthday. Luckily we got there a little early and they were able to squeeze us in (went to another local place for drinks - their bar was packed) a little later. Which was fine, as we were in no rush and the owner(?) at the door was very sweet and accommodating.
So when we finally sat down, we were not disappointed. We started with the carpaccio, which was really good. My friend and boyfriend hadn't tried it before and both liked it. We also liked the mustard it was served with - I haven't tried it this way before and it was nice.
For dinner I had the veal saltimbocca - delicious! Also loved the creamy polenta served with it. My friend had the gnocci that they are famous for (never tried gnocci before) and loved it. His plate looked clean after dinner!
Dessert was the chocolate tartufo (I think that is the spelling!) - and it's ice creamy and really tasty!
The ambiance is nice - low lighting - a good place for a romantic evening and the service was really excellent. Next time I am in town, I will be back. -
Review from Annalise F.
San Francisco, CA
11/2/2011
Favorite Italian restaurant in San Francisco? WITHOUT QUESTION!
I've wanted to try Firenze by Night since some girls mentioned it on the Dirty 30 bus ride back to the Marina. I logged it on my "places to try list" and hadn't given it much thought since....BUT
a) I spent 12 days in Italy over the summer and have really been missing the entire experience- especially the cuisine AND
b) Bloomspot had a coupon- $40 of food for $20 SO
Naturally, the boyfriend and I decided to give it a shot on Friday night!
Upon entering Firenze, I immediately felt like I was back in Florence..Well ok, not entirely. Firenze is on the brinks of China town, so it's more like eating Italian food in China...but the mural on the wall of Florence certainly added to the ambiance, as did the twinkling lights and the wait-staff saying "Prego" "Bueno Serra" etc... I loved it! Our server was friendly and attentive, and the ambiance is "nice" without being stuffy. Environmentally speaking, there's nothing about this place I don't like.
We ordered:
Peju Sauv Blanc (Love, love, love Peju!)
Ceasar Salad (Good, but pretty standard as far as Ceasar's go)
Ribolitta (sp? Vegetable soup- this was delicious! I liked it more than the order I got in Florence. Apparently, this soup is a Florentine special.)
Penne Pasta with Shrimp and Chicken- (this was delicious! the right amount of sauce, shrimp, chicken, and oh so flavorful!)
Linguine with seafood special (I didn't have this but the boyfriend insures me it's his favorite pasta dish- EVER to date)
We will absolutely be back to Firenze! I'd like to take my mom and sister so we can all be nostalgic about our trip.
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