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Mon-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
"Excellent pizza and really friendly delivery guy - pizza comes fast and warm with a yummy crispy crust! I had the turkey ham and pineapple -…" read more »
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Worth the hype. There's not much to say that hasn't already been covered given the number of reviews. Quick overview...
Got there at 6:30 on a Tuesday. The two of us were actually seated almost right away, a pleasant surprise. Everything was very, very good. We had a lambs tongue and potato salad that was our favorite dish. A pizza with prosciutto, chilies and egg that was delicious, and a pappardelle with sausage. The pasta was the only thing that fell a bit short. Wines by the glass were well chosen. Also shared a pumpkin cake with burnt butter ice cream. Total was approx. $60/person I want to say for 3 shared dishes, 2 glasses of wine each and a shared dessert. I felt like it was a fair cost for the quality and would definitely go back.
Why review a restaurant that already has 300 reviews? Because the chocolate pudding was worth a full review!
We stood in line at about 5pm since we heard they open at 5:30. We were seated with the first group of people in, and since we had no reservations, were seated at the community table. That was great and casual, just don't expect any privacy.
We shared the pizza, some appetizer, the ravioli, and the pudding. Everything was really well prepared and delicious. The pudding rocked my socks off. If you've had Tartine's pudding - this was similar, but BETTER!
Amazing - will be back for more pudding.
Repeat after me: riding the TAIL END of the recent wave of Nuevo Italiano. I love Italian food and have been gratified to see the resurgence of great new Italian places in recent years, but my visit to F+W the other night left me with the very clear impression that the reason this place exists at the moment is to serve handmade pizza and pasta to everyone who has sort of heard the buzz about Delfina, Bar Bambino, Beretta, Perbacco, Farina (uff) etc but wants something new, a little bigger and a little cheaper. A little. It's like the outlet mall version of Cal-Ital.
Why is this place so popular? The used-to-be-edgy location -- but now across the street from oh-so-Burner, delicious, expensive Cafe Gratitude? The merger of Cal-Ital kitchen tricks + tattooed & face-pierced servers? The wine list that pulls out the latest and yet already tired "heirloom" varietals (Alglianico, et al)? Just enough fixie kids to make the Mercedes-driving visitors from across town _really_ feel like they're somewhere else, and vice versa?
The food sounded OK but tasted boring. Flavoring handmade pasta with added ingredients is unnecessary if the pasta itself is done right. We didn't try the pizza. I remember Chocolate Budino dessert, that was tasty.
Service worked fairly well, although we felt like we were being pressured into buying wine while we waited well past our seating time... That could have been handled more smoothly.
I usually only rate a restaurant that I have eaten. But I felt compelled to write something about Flour + Water. I have tried very hard to get and there seems to be distant future reservation. But each time I have called and this is certainly a restaurant that does need to be on Open Table---something BORGian about getting a reservation 'obtaining a reservation is futile' The host team is not terribly friendly and even off putting. I have been told that 50% of the restaurant is walk-ins but I find that hard to believe. There simply is no getting in to Flour + Water.
After a while the allure of not getting in is not something that makes me more interesting in dining here---it becomes tiresome and after a long track record of successfully getting in restaurants in major cities from London, New York, Chicago, Madrid and here. There are plenty of options for outstanding restaurants that are welcoming here in San Francisco. This is the only restaurant that I have ever said that I bow out.
I really don't get it. I had to wait 30 days for a reservation at a reasonable time. In that time, I had MUCH BETTER food at many other places in the city on no notice, like the pizza at Gialina (go there instead).
Anyway, my reservation was for 7:30pm, and we were seated at 8:10pm. Some dude apologized to us, twice, and said that we were the most patient people he had ever met. I appreciate that, but he should have comped something to make up the delay to us, and for our good attitude.
If that wasn't annoying enough, the food, for the most part, is not good. My piece of hamachi crudo was stringy. The pizza crust is really salty, is that why everyone else likes it? The sauce on the pizza was good, and you generally can't go wrong with a margherita. But the scarola tasted like a bad, airport pizza. Loaded with an assortment of toppings that just did not work together in those quantities. The turnips and greens side was tasty, cooked pretty well.
The saving grace was the pasta dish and desserts we ordered. The pappardelle with game bird was fantastic. The noodles were cooked perfectly. The taste of the game bird got me really excited for Thanksgiving. But, this was the SMALLEST pasta dish I have seen served at a SF restaurant. F&W, does it have to be that small?
We had a chocolate mousse type dessert with caramel cream and sea salt. Yum. And a stewed fruit with burnt sugar ice cream from Humphrey Slocumbe. The cake and fruit were good.
I feel about the same about Humphrey Slocumbe and F&W. They both have a saving grace, but I don't know why people stand in line to eat at either place, when they can stand in a line to eat at Gialina or Bi-Rite. Coincidentally, Gialina serves Bi-Rite. It's a better place.
We had two nights for dinner in SFO and chose F&W for night #1. We wanted something unpretentious and casual and this place looked perfect on the surface. What followed after we sat was mediocre food, lackluster service, and dust bunnies.
We arrived for our reservation and were sat at the very back of the restaurant. It was nudged up against some old windowsills which served as a wall between dining room and bathroom/serving runway. Old windowsills are OK, old windowsills that have dust bunnies and look like they've never been cleaned are not. We were given a bottle of water with no glasses. We ordered wine, aps and mains, and water glasses. We received water glasses along with wine glasses and wine which was already open. We were told the bartender opens the wine to check if it's good, no need for our opinion. We were also told we were free to pour the wine ourselves which ended up being the same for the water. According to my fiancee I did a fine job which accorded more than a 15% tip.
I ordered chestnut tagliatelle to start which came out part warm, part room temp. I try not to send back pasta since 9 times out of 10 I get the same plate with a microwave treatment, so I kept on with this plate. It was decent, light, but temp was just off. Forgot what my fiancee ordered, it was that forgetable.
My main was flounder on gigande beans which was over-peppered fish on some half-cooked, others fully-cooked beans and a limp broth. My fiancee ordered veal tortellini of which there were about 8 tiny pieces in what seemed like the same limp broth. Dessert was the budino which was way too thick for budino. We got the check from the overly contrite waitress and made a b-line outta there.
Next night we went to SPQR which was my first choice but was conned into F&W by favorable reviews and had an absolutely stellar meal in comparison. I'm not sure what the fuss is about this place. But if you want mediocre service with plain food check this place out. And if you want dust bunnies with your meal, make sure you ask for a back table.
We had a confirmed reservation at 9:30pm on a Thursday. Nobody said anything about the 15 minute late policy, and we got there exactly 17 minutes late and they gave the table away. NO call, nothing, As I said, we were CONFIRMED.
They told us 10 minutes for a table for the 3 of us.
30 minutes later, told us 10 minutes and we left.
The food is a wanna be Delfina's pizzeria. We went there because one of my friends in the group said the food was good. Not impressed with the menu at all, or the attitude.
We went to Zuni and we sat right away and had amazing food.
One bite of that melt in your mouth fresh cannelloni wrapped around veal sausage and bechamel and sauteed greens, or that perfect salty crust with just the right elements of gooey/crunchy/chewy topped with, of all things, cabbage (which I dislike, and now love) and my mom and I didn't care anymore that we had waited for an hour (nearly twice what was quoted) in a cramped little side area.
Seriously, if the food is this good, I just don't care and don't understand why other people (particularly reviewing Flour + Water) do! Maybe thats why I love Mission Street Food so much?
Anyway, my mom and I usually don't agree on food (apparently I'm a "food snob" because I have a subscription to gourmet, wait an hour for dinner, and hate when she uses her thumb as a knife to scoop food onto her fork...I love you mom!) but we were both in gustatory heaven. Best day-after-thanksgiving meal ever. Turkey soup, eat your heart out!
You are telling me that there is actually good pizza in the Mission and you aren't talking about Pizzeria Delfina?
Apparently there is and just a couple of weeks ago I was sent on a mission to the Mission to see (and taste) for myself.
The crust is thin and there is a hint of salt in the background. This is a good thing. I love salt and I can go on forever just how much salt and I get along. It's ok, I have low blood pressure and low cholesterol. It runs in the family. The toppings? fresh and plentiful. But again, not overly plentiful where everything just gets lost. The pizza can get a little watery in the center but I can deal with that. It is pizza after all.
Reservations are very limited with only a few tables available. Arriving at 6, we waited for about an hour before a table was open.
Better than Delfina? not in my opinion but an excellent alternative that offers not only pizza but great service and a nice vibe.
Fabulous. Perfect. Amazing. All of it. Start to finish.
Homemade, rich, flavorful pasta: pappardelle with pork shoulder.
Light, crisp and chewy, perfectly-executed pizza: prosciutto and some sort of fancy delicious cheese (can't remember the name - amazing food clouds the brain, apparently).
Absolutely, wonderfully decadent desserts: chocolate budino with cream and sea salt, and chestnut cake with Humphry Slocombe brown butter ice cream.
Aptly-matched glasses of wine, chosen with aid from our friendly and hard-working waitress.
Snag a reservation, bear the long wait, do a dance, sell your soul to the pizza gods - do whatever it takes to get in and enjoy Flour + Water. Yum yum yum. It's a yum party. Party full of yum. Yum.
So, my entire group and I decide to give this restaurant a second chance. Again, the voicemail kicks in as soon as you call for a reservation. There isn't any hope. As soon as we get in, the hostess has the worst look in her face as if she just found out Menudo just broke up. We weren't planning on leaving this joint until we got a table!!! So, once again we asked for the exact same wine they were out the first time we got there....35 minutes later, the owner once again shows up to tell us they ran out!!! WTF! Takes the bartender to tell the owner 35 minutes to tell us they are out of the Malbec. We reminded the guy the last time we were in and gave us the excuse they bought x many cases and ran out in 12 days. Might as well get rid of it from your wine list!!
We got a table after an hour and 25 minutes, asked the waitress to recommend some dishes. She clearly was trying to upsell the most expensive items on the menu. So my group and I decided to venture on our own. We did have several interesting pasta dishes and the pizza was good. Second, the waitress had no idea what she was doing. I had to ask for new stems as we were trying out a new wine. The first one recommended by the so called sommelier had no rhyme or reason to the dishes. The pairing was awful. The waitress really thought we would use the same stems for the second bottle of wine..POOR THING!!!!
Alas, Flour + Water is trying really hard to be the next A16 on that side of town. I will give them credit for creative pasta dishes and a good pizza. But they need to figure out that damn answering machine they use for reservations. Oh...and get the fuckin' Malbec in stock if you're planning on having it on your wine list!! 2 out of 2.........
I was very disappointed on how the restaurant was taking care of people waiting to get in. Yes, I… Read more »
The ongoing buzz about Flour + Water was what lured me to walk through its doors. Not to mention it's within walking distance from my apartment so no excuses there! My roomie and I endured a painless 30 min wait on a Sun night around 6:30pm a few weeks ago. Best idea to go in pairs or else the wait might take well over 2 hrs. We couldn't make reservations either since it was booked for several weeks out on Open Table. Talk about a popular joint!
It had a cute, romantic ambiance set by the candle light but also a rustic quality with all the natural wooden furniture. We ended up sitting at the bar area where I got an awesome view of the action in the kitchen! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) It just made the whole experience that much better. Our waitress/bartender wasn't the most attentive but was sweet and our food came out really quickly to my delight and surprise. A $6 glass of rose wine was a great choice for the meal...light with a hint of sweetness. The affordable price helped too!
While waiting for our food, we munched on some slices of fresh-baked country style bread with a firm/crispy exterior and a soft middle. It was paired perfectly with some olive oil. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) This is the way I like to eat bread! Yum! Luckily our entrees came out shortly after we finished off the bread and we didn't have to ask for more. =P
What we indulged in:
sarda pizza ($15) - Padrone & gypsy peppers with tomato, capers & pecorino (we requested no cheese since my roomie is lactose intolerant and they were accommodating). It was mouth-wateringly delicious!! The dough was slightly salty with a thin crust but was still sturdy enough to be held up without falling apart. The peppers had a bit of heat to them which was great but they could have used less capers. Let's just say it was gone in no time and we wanted more! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
pappardelle with braised pork shoulder and rabe leaves ($17) - I've never had this type of wide, flat pasta before but it was really light so I enjoyed it thoroughly. The pork was so tender that it just fell apart in my mouth and was full of wonderful flavors. It wasn't too saucy but didn't feel dry either which made for a perfect combo! The sauce was so tasty that we couldn't help but dip our pizza crusts in it. haha (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
It didn't seem like a ton of food but we were both happily stuffed after that meal. Unfortunately, that left no room for dessert but I have my eye on the chocolate budino next time! Flour + Water lived up to the hype and I can't wait to come back for another mind-blowing meal!
After my second visit in as many weeks, I can definitely say the pastas are amazing. I especially loved the celery root tortelloni with extra vecchio balsamic. The pasta has a delicate texture and the combination of balsamic, butter and celery root is creamy and divine. I've had it twice now and it keeps getting better. Last week, I had a pheasant pasta in broth which was almost as amazing. Again, wonderful texture and a great balance of flavors. I also really loved the pork terrina with beets & arugula. It was served crispy and hot. With a melt in your mouth texture and a nix of interesting flavors and textures, it was a real winner.
I really wish I felt the sane way about the pizza. I'm all about good basics. The margherita-with tomato, basil, fior di latte, and extra virgin olive oil-was just so so. The verzada-prosciutto braised savoy cabbage, taleggio & red onions with the addition of a farm egg- was absolutely delicious. I especially loved the cheese. But in both cases (making allowances for the egg) the pizza was soggy in the middle and lacking in the crispiness I associate with thin crust pies. My second visit didn't change that impression. I hoped the pizza thing was a fluke (see why below).
They get an entire star because of the hostess. I missed my own birthday dinner by almost and hour (after leaving 1/2 early) because of amazingly horrific traffic. Some of my guests were equally delayed. After calling to let them know we'd be late and calling again to beg to keep my table, they assured me they would hold it. As hot as this place seems to be (and it was PACKED), that in itself was a miracle deserving of a star.
Unfortunately I had to take that star back, because our service on my birthday was really rushed. We were definitely late, but ordered in a timely fashion and were moving along fairly well on our own. We actually finished almost 30 minutes ahead of when they said we would need to. We definitely had time for dessert, but didn't feel like having it there when it was obvious they wanted us out. Kind of a mixed message considering they could have just opted not to save the table.
A small quibble (for me, the omnivore, not so for some of my friends), this place isn't that vegetarian friendly. with all the wonderful things available to us in this state, one would hope that will change. An additional choice in each category would make a drastic difference.
I'm not sure it's worth all the hype, but the pasta truly is transcendent. My advice? wait til some of the frenzy wears off.
I've been back here two more times, once with a group and once with one person only. Both times it's been just as fabulous as the first time!
Only caveat: try really hard to get a reservation, or be prepared for a wait.
Went with a group. Our table was ready more or less right on time. There were five of us, so we got… Read more »
wowsers, that was lame. Complete inverse of the mission DB hype-machine.
mushroom appetizer with a hair in it? c'mon!
soggy, chewy pizza crust? embarrassing.
chewy tough pasta. no, i'm afraid that is NOT al dente.
oh, and this is after getting some reservations maybe 3 weeks out. First time there we got turned away like the great unwashed.
score: F as in epic fuckin' failure.
This place is impossible to get a reservation, but if you walk in and wait it will be under an hour wait. The bar area is very inviting and they are very good at bringing you drinks. The wait list however is all the same no matter where you sit, bar, table, community table, not a huge fan of that practice since my BF and I came for date night.
As we sat down, they told us they ran out of 2 of the 4 of the pasta dishes, that was very poor planning since the menu is not huge and this is their specialty.
The food, was good but not amazing, the lamb tongue salad was well balanced but a very small portion, although beautifully plated. The pizza was good, but the cheese was a bit rubbery, not the high quality mozzarella I would expect, but the dough was superbly baked. The pheasant entree was good, but the portion was small as well and unless you took a bite with everything on the plate it lacked flavor.
One thing that was absolutely annoying to us, we sat at the bar and the bartender's friend stopped by and they talked very loudly for about 10 minutes, I mean we couldn't hear ourselves think let alone talk. The manager should have been paying attention and the employees should be better trained.
All and all, the prices for what you get are good, the food is tasty and the atmosphere is fun and a mix of Mission and SOMA, parking is quite easy too.
After a lecture last, night a friend and I decided to head over to Flour + Water to see what the buzz was about.
The restaurant was packed when we arrived, the only seating options were the last two seats at the bar or the communal table near the entrance of the restaurant. After deciding on the communal table, we sat next to each other and reviewed their simple yet beautiful menu. We decided on a nice full bodied bottle of Italian wine, we had the chef prepare an arugula salad (not on the menu. I think we started a trend because our table companions ended up ordering one as well) the margarita pizza and the pheasant tortellini. The dinner was excellent. Our server was attentive, bringing out our order in stages giving us the opportunity to relax and enjoy the bottle of wine. At the end of our dinner we to took a look at the desert menu and decided on the chocolate budino with espresso-caramel cream and sea salt....amazing.
If you have not been to Flour + Water I recommend heading over with a reservation, order a bottle of wine, relax and enjoy the items on the menu. Don't forget to end your meal with the chocolate budino with espresso-caramel cream and sea salt.
Went there last night for dinner..and immediately loved the warm atmosphere...We were told the wait was 45 minutes but got seated in more like 20.
The service was very friendly...the food was absolutely delicious...
While my company was the highlight of the evening..the the duck and mushroom pasta was right up there...
Flavorless and pretentious. Not a place I care to eat at twice.
The flavor that flour + water features in their dishes is definitely to my liking, over the traditional Italian-American red-sauce joints. For someone who doesn't like the wider sized pastas, the pappardelle was very well textured and flavorful. Pork shoulder that was in the mix wasn't over salty and was fine. The yams were well toasted and were well done with butter. The pear soup served as a nice antipasto that complemented the complimentary bread well. Overall, it was much to the liking of my palate with lighter flavors that didn't make me feel like I'd been making out with tomatoes, cheese and garlic.
I had the chestnut cake with ice cream and that was very good. A nice flavor for the cold evening with the warm apples, pomegranate to complement brown butter ice cream and cake. I'm not a fan of chocolate, and had a tea spoon sized portion of the chocolate budino. It was a chocolate over-sensation and I definitely did not like it...I'm guessing if you like chocolate, it'd taste good.
Service was very nice here and everyone was very attentive to make sure everything was taken care of. The wait was a little excessive at around 90 minutes, but if I'm with friends that really doesn't matter too much for me. I definitely wouldn't recommend being on a set schedule for the evening if you're dining here on the weekend. Also, not that it's a huge knock, but I felt f+w would have home-brewed iced tea...not tejava :p
Was talking to a work colleague and he asked me why I was so happy, I said I've been trying to get a dinner reservation at this new restaurant and I finally got one at 9:30PM.
My friend said wow, that's late must be a great restaurant, what type of food do they serve.
I said its a new pizza joint.
"Pizza? And you need a reservation -- its only pizza."
Well I kinda felt foolish since its true, its only pizza.
So it was with this trepidation that I went for my 9:30pm reservation and guess what I waited for 30 min more before we were seated. We ordered 2 appetizers, 2 pasta dishes and 2 pies (yes there were only two of us but we wanted to try it all).
The pasta was good -- the apps we fine and the pizza, I was so ready to feel vindicated for having to wait so long to get a reservation and I was so ready to go to work the next day to let my colleague know how amazing the pizza was -- well it was OK.
Plus I had to pour my own wine.
A place this great hardly needs another rave review, but here we go. Flour + Water is like the new hip cousin of Delfina, sure it's a little bit harder to get to, and sure, you can't be "seen" eating at one of the sidewalk tables, but in my opinion, flour + water is by far the winner of the two. ( but who said it was a contest?)
The restaurant itself is cute, clean and modern looking, and despite what the S.O. claims, I do not believe it has a nautical feel to it. There is a large communal table up front with mostly two person tables in the rear. The tables are pretty much reserved for those with reservations, which you need to make far FAR in advance. I've eaten at both the communal table and reserved tables and have enjoyed both. The only possible down side to the communal table is that all the good smelling food right next to you is actually off limits (unless you're willing to steal a strangers food). I really liked the earthy feel to the place, the tables are all solid wood with few embellishments to distract from their beauty, and who couldn't notice those iconic kitchen napkins with their green stripe (as I embarrassingly looks in my kitchen drawers to see a pile of them stained and dirty).
As for the food, it is simply divine. When we go here we generally will order one pizza and one pasta and share. The pizza has a distinctly salty crust which is complimented by a delicious creamy sauce. I couldn't get enough of the crust. Of the pastas, I have had ravioli both times, pumpkin and the most delicious mushroom ever. friends have ordered the meat and claim it is delicious as well, but I'll let them be the judge of that. The S.O. and I love any restaurant where there are enough vegetarian options where we are not stuck ordering the same thing, and this place definitely fits that bill. On top of a cozy atmosphere and knock out food, the wait staff has always been courteous and helpful in pairing wines and recommending desserts.
Overall, if you have not tried Flour + Water yet march yourself down there and experience what can only be called one of SF's best new restaurants. (I here as a walk in it's best to come early when they open, otherwise you could be waiting for quite some time.)
Enjoyed my trip, but wasn't wowed in a way that made it worth the 2-month wait for a table. Dinner was good, nice ambiance, and the hostess was very, very polite (and *thrilled* we actually had a reservation). It was packed, even on a Wednesday night. The marrow soup was great. The pizza was a little over-cheesy/soggy. The pasta was very yummy. I was impressed by the amount our waitress knew about the wine. A solid 4, but didn't merit a 5.
Arrived to a line-up at 5:20 on a Sunday night and barely got in. They have enough business to have an attitude about opening on time - only 5 minutes but they have all day to be ready!
Sat at the community table which is always fun - the waitress was wonderful. The food is OK, it's good but not great. Not really good enough to wait in line for. There are much better places in SF to get a dynamite Pizza. I may give it a second try - for the pasta - but so far the place is over rated.
I actually didn't eat here because the hostess was such a little B; completely snappy, rude, and unhelpful. We dropped in to put our name on the list and brave the +1 hour wait. I have no problem waiting, but when the staff is rude and inhospitable its just not worth it.
In my opinion, if a restaurant doesn't have a place to wait (ie; bar, lobby, etc) they should call you when your table is ready. I don't see why you should be forced to wait on the sidewalk.
Case in point....Bar Tartine. Yes, we ended up eating there, and yes we waited in the Elbow Room until they called us. Its not that hard people.
So why review a place with 256 reviews, because its in my neighborhood, and that's the kinda place Flour and Water is, a neighborhood restaurant. My wife and I were planning on going to SPQR and were on our way. We passed Flour and Water and the wait didn't seem to bad. We rolled up on a close parking spot and decided it was fate.
The interior is something more aligned with the Marina than the mission, but it is warm with lots of wood and good lighting. i loved the big community tables and wine bar.
We had a lamb tongue salad, a pizza with panchetta, and a chessnut pappardelle pasta with braised pork shoulder. All of it perfectly good, although not very interesting. Maybe that's their strength or maybe its a weakness, but either way, Flour and Water is not somewhere I would travel a long way or stand in line a long time to to eat at.
That said, the Mission is clearly picking up its game and the restaurants are clearly getting better.
Luckily I don't live in SF so I don't have to torture myself with the following decision any time soon: to go back to Flour + Water or not to go back to Flour + Water?
The service is atrocious. We had a 9pm reservation on a Sunday night, had to wait 15? 20? minutes for a table, and proceeded to wait...and wait...and wait some more for our courses, going through at least 2 servers in the meantime. My BFF and I, both New Yorkers, could not believe this was acceptable to the rest of the room, but -- frustrating and wonderful all at the same time -- the food was pretty awesome. Aarg! Why couldn't it be awful?
It was mid-September, so I started with some sort of light watermelon salad, followed by the pasta bigoli. Our first waitress picked out the perfect light red wine for me, but then she disappeared and we had a succession of other servers, which was kind of confusing. It was so late by the time we finished that we almost didn't have dessert. Thank god we did, because yup, just like they say -- the chocolate budino is heavenly.
So I am completely torn. Atmosphere and service, not really something I'd want to subject myself to again. Take out, please?
Went here last night for the first time. Super Impressed!
We sat at the bar and the bartender Emily was AWESOME. She made great suggestions and took really good care of us.
The food was delicious! We had pizza with a fried egg on top, yams, bigoli pasta and an outrageous dessert, the chestnut cake with brown butter ice cream. Yumm.
Can't wait to go back!
Soooooo....
Tonight I waited ALMOST TWO HOURS for the privilege of eating pasta and pizza at Flour and Water.
Was it worth the wait? Methinks not.
Is anything worth a two hour wait?!
Truth be told it was delicious food, great service and a fun ambiance (hence the 4 stars) but the pasta portions were a bit on the petite side (I know, food snobs, in Italy pasta is a first course and the portions are supposed to be small...EAT ME!) and they never offered us any treats to compensate for the heinous wait time.
I ended up chatting with the other suckers in line outside and one group had been waiting over two hours and this was their FIFTH attempt to eat at the joint. Another trio of women had a 7:30pm reservation and were not seated until 8:00pm. WHAT ARE WE ALL SMOKING!?
Restaurant people, listen to my advice: If people are willing to wait TWO HOURS in the cold on the corner of Harrison and 20th to eat at your restaurant (which will no longer be crazed after the Michael Bauer review is forgotten in a few months) offer them a few nibbles or a complementary glass of shitty house wine so they will feel loved and not be starving cranky whores by the time they are seated. This golden nugget will get you far!
Anyhoo..once the hype settles and the wait time is no longer INSANE this will be a great place for a yummy meal and great service.
I went to Flour+Water on a Sunday evening for dinner without a reservation. We had four people in our party and had to wait about an hour or so, which we had expected. We ordered a bottle of bubbles to keep us preoccupied while we waited in a small (and a bit cramped) area close to the bar. The owner came out with our bottle of wine which he poured for us. Apparently they have someone at the bar taste each bottle before it is served so as to ensure none of them are bad. One of my friends was trying to start up a conversation with the owner but he wasn't very interested in talking. (The owner also said he doesn't "Yelp" - minus brownie points!!)
When we were finally seated towards the back of the restaurant near the mural, we had an idea of what we wanted to order but also wanted some suggestions from our server. We decided to go with the verzada pizza (recommended), agnolotti pasta (recommended), paparrdelle pasta, roasted pork leg & belly, and a side of sauteed turnips and spigarello. I thought the food was very delicious. My favorite dishes had to be the paparrdelle and pork leg/belly. The paparrdelle were tiny dumplings filled with pork shoulder in a very flavorful tasty sauce. I thought it was absolutely delicious. The pork leg and belly was also impeccable topped with glazed yams. I loved the texture of the crunchiness against the softness of the pork belly. This dish is very rich and fatty (super thick piece of pork belly) it is definitely a dish you should share. I thought the sauteed turnips was also very good; a nice light side to compliment the heavy dishes we ordered. The agnolotti pasta was very good though it wasn't my favorite. Lastly the pizza was also good, yet again not my favorite dish (felt I can get a similar type of pizza at Pizzeria Delphia and other such places).
For dessert we ordered two orders of their chocolate budino with espresso caramel cream and sea salt. My friend was insistent that we order more than one which was a good call. It was heavy but good. The sea salt was a nice contrast and they were much more aggressive in the amount of salt they put into the dessert. I've tried my handful of sweet/salty desserts but I thought this one was a bit edgy in the amount of salt it had. Again, good dessert but not my favorite. A couple of us also ordered some dessert wine.
Overall I thought the food was very good, the ambiance very warm and rustic, the wait staff was friendly...the only drawback was the not so friendly owner. Maybe that's just the way he is? Oh well, the food is good so I'm sure I'll be back again.
The hostess was more than accommodating to our party of seven (no reservation and we showed up at 11:30 pm).
We ran into a friend at the door who was raving about the roasted game hen. I was tempted, but ordered the Pumpkin Tortellini with sage and hazelnuts- simply delicious. Two other friends ordered the Tagliatelle pasta, ate it quickly and considered ordering another because it was so good (you can tell they make their own pasta here!). Our friend ordered the skate and raved how well it was cooked.
The only disappointment of the evening was a side of brussel sprouts. Diners at the table felt it was too salty (unsure if it was the salt or capers). Our waitress quickly apologized and whisked it away. Unfortunately it was the last portion of the evening so she couldn't replace it, but she handled the situation well.
The dessert menu was so original we couldn't say no. We had an amazing rosemary panna cotta with fig compote, a unique blend of savory and sweet. The chocolate budino with espresso caramel ice cream and sea salt was super rich with an unusual texture (similar to Nutella). The desserts were amply portioned and perfect to share. We were all blown away by the flavors.
A visit to flour + water also deserves a trip to the restroom to check out the surprising decorations: a menagerie of scientific specimens that reference the California Academy of Sciences or the curiosities at Paxton Gate.
Definitely a new favorite in San Francisco!
Flour and Water has been given the thumbs up by the professional reviewers but roundly panned by many foodies for attitude and hard to get tables and for food that doesn't transport. Being a genius, I get there at 5 PM for the 5:30 opening so that I can walk in and not wait. Doing this also got me a nice welcome at the door and smiles throughout my meal from an attentive but very busy wait-staff.
The room is fairly small, nothing in particular to grab your attention save the food, so it had best be good. A younger set having made reservations get the tables. An older set grabs up seats at the common table and the bar. A mix of locals and people from further afield; everyone having a good time and comparing notes on the food.
I start with thinly sliced lavender smoked duck breast that comes with currants and pomegranate, for sweetness, pine nuts, for texture, and greens, for the sake of greens. At first, I was a bit disappointed with the plate. You see my eyes didn't roll back in my head, I wasn't transported. The duck was still duck. On reflection, I decided that this was a very nice way to begin a meal. A well-composed plate of food.
Al dente chestnut pappardelle was accompanied by nicely braised pork and a porcini mushroom. Very nicely done, and the mushroom was remarkable. This plate is a tease. You see there is only one of those incredible mushrooms in the mix and you desperately want more. That's the point, however, and it was a point well taken..
A mixed roast of goat was transformative. Three perfectly prepared cuts of the beast were tender, tasty, lusty, sensual, the whole deal. This plate of food held my attention and did not tease. Rather it gave its all and came through.
I had a lovely time at Flour and Water.
We (2) arrived at opening, which is 5:30, without a reservation -- our mistakenly reading of the website which indicates that there are no reservations for more than 6, rather than fewer than 6 or some number that is more the norm in places that don't accept reservations. It's a counter-intuitive reservation policy compared to most places. We were offered a spot at the communal table or at the bar, and chose the corner of the bar. Seats are not especially comfortable, and eventually the then empty bar filled. Owner or someone in authority brought his laptop over after we were seated to show us the reservation policy; I was rather over it by that point.
Ordered a mid-range bottle of wine and when it was arrived were told that it was "casual service," which turned my head: what does that mean after they have opened it and placed it in front of you with two glasses? Struck me as odd in that it is so little added effort to pour the wine. Sure, I can pour my own glass of wine, but why? Give me the corkscrew and let me have at it if you are going to call it casual. Pour they did not, until the very end of the meal when they were all to eager to start pouring out that last glass. I waived them off at that point, in that that the whole policy seemed transparent and self-serving at that point. It wasn't a suble hint, and it wasn't well rec'd. Geez, we'd arrived at 5:30 on a Weds evening, nose pressed to the door; I hardly felt pressure to vacate the BAR before 7:00.
Food was fine, but nothing special compared to what's available in the general vicinity. The pasta (tagliolini with 'shrooms) by far outshone the pizza, which was limp in the middle and a far cry from Delfina or other local pizza haunts (e.g.,Piccino). I ordered the roasted turnips, and now realize that I actually rec'd the brussel sprouts, both of which I will eat any day. They were good but a bit too salty with the capers, which were an unncessary addition. I like them both, and hence didn't pay attention to the misdelivery, but Delfina does a better job of each. I think that the roasted veggies and the pizza suffer from an oven that is not hot enough. Perhaps the oven is not hot enough at opening time?
While the bar waiter seemed to imply that the salad would come first, then the pasta, then the pizza and the roasted veggies, everything came as we were still working on our salad, which itself had arrived rather quickly after ordering. It all felt rushed and as if I was lucky to be there, which I didn't feel that the place deserved given the alternatives. Yes, it's a diverse and showy crowd, but, frankly, that's secondary to the food as far as I am concerned.
I really wanted to like it, had driven by and lusted for it, and it was a birthday treat from a friend for me. Felt kind of bad that she had spent so much on something so mediocre. If I went back and was seated at the bar or communal table, both of which I would consider inferior to a table, I would slow down the service by insisting that the food be brought in courses or ordering by the course. In my book, I'd much prefer to take my chances at snagging a table or counter seat at either Delfina Pizzeria (18th) or Delfina, La Ciccia or Piccino. And if that fails, pick up something at BiRite, either to-go or to cook at home; you can't beat Bi-Rite for all-around friendliness, quality or shopping vibe.
I was hoping with the famous names behind the scene for something great. The place was packed on a Sunday night. The scene was quiet and inviting with the candles everywhere and natural wood. It took awhile for the hostess to appear, she was either setting tables or getting people's drinks because it was several minutes before she appeared.
We started by sharing the warm potato and lamb's tongue salad with poached egg. I thought the taste was good but a little overwhelmed by the amount of mustard. My husband didn't like the textures.
It was tough to decide between the pizzas, pastas, and meat dishes. The pasta servings appeared to be reasonable size from what I caught of glimpse of at other tables. I ordered the pork leg and belly while my husband requested the pasta with duck and mushrooms. While I'd say the taste was decent, I had a tough time with the pork legs because of the tendons or whatever unchewable strings were woven within my slices of meat. It didn't taste bad, it was just frustrating for me to have to deal with the chewiness. It could have been just my teeth as my husband didn't have as much of an issue with it. His pasta was simple with a clean mushroom flavor.
For dessert we shared the chocolate budino (similar to pot au creme). It was a surprisingly big portion. It was very chocolately and the sea salt and espresso creme were a very good complement. Personally, it was so rich, we couldn't quite finish. Very tasty, but I would only order this to share.
This was an anniversary dinner for us, so I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. It's fine, but I'd rather be at Delfina.
I love this restaurant and have been back a few times for the great , fresh pasta and reasonable prices.
Servers are a bit overworked, but everyone is helpful, kind, and often charming. Pastas have all been not just good, but superb, and the pizzas very good. Love all the appetizers, but the side dishes -- simple green beans, seasonal mildly spicy peppers, Brussels sprouts have been consistently excellent.
Not too much experience with the desserts, but the rosemary panna cotta is beautiful. They're knowledgeable and helpful with wine pairings, plus the selection is very good. The atmosphere is not blow-you-away but pleasant.
The place is crowded, of course, but the only thing that keeps me from five stars is the noise. Bad acoustics engendering a vocal-chord arms' race, only superseded by the place's often terrible music. I love good music, of all kinds, stripes, eras, nationalities. But if an alien descended from the heavens and listened to the soundtrack in that place, it would pronounce the Earthly experience, in alien language of course, as "bad" and "loud." Somebody convince them to not complement the food with poorly recorded, deafening, wildly untalented 90s grunge garage bands. Oh, the horror.
That all said, I cannot imagine a more delightful meal at which to not have a conversation.
Flour and Water.
It's not that simple.
Goat Tongue - I would recommend ordering this.
Skate aka type of Ray entree - Very different and I'd try it if you are adventurous. It's a stringy fish that is a cross between crab. Very flavorful and great texture, but if you don' t like fishy this might not be for you.
Pomodoro Pizza - Ehh.. the crust needs to be crispier.
Pumpkin Tortellini - Very good and a favorite of the night.
Beer and wine available, but even with a limited selection the wine was good.
The wait was brutal. This place is popular, but man... something needs to be done when you say a specific time. Luckily I am a patient person and can chat with the crew. The service was mixed. If you can get a reservation good for you, otherwise, be patient.
Finally went to this place. Because this place is very popular, we got there before 6pm, and were able to sit immediately.
The food is simple and tasty, with an emphasis on local produce and being homemade. We ordered the following:
1) Turnip appetizer - they were delicious, cooked with lots of garlic
2) Pizza, with kale and potatoes, topped with wild arugula (we had the proscutto put on the side) - the arugula, which is extra, added a nice zest to the pizza, I'd definitely recommend it
3) Chantarelle and lobster mushroom pasta - good, but not special
4) Celery stuffed tortelloni - this was our favorite, it was so good and yummy, very strong celery taste, if you like celery
For dessert:
5) Chocolate budino - this was the best thing of the night in my opinion, so rich and lucious, I could eat it all by myself
6) Chestnut cake - this was OK, but the brown butter ice cream was to die for
The decor is simple and tasteful, nice dark wood tables and chairs. Very interesting mural painting in the back (fish with lines attached to moth wings).
The place is medium sized, but fills up very quickly. It can be a bit loud too. Go early to avoid the wait and crowds.
It's a bit pricey, but worth it. For 3 people, the total came out to $24/person, which is pretty good. But we didn't get any wine because we don't really drink. If we had, that of course would've made it quite a bit more expensive.
I'm definitely planning on going a few more times.
I have heard so many people rave about this place, I had to try it. I tried 3 or 4 times at different time of the night and each time there was a 30-40 minute wait and I could not wait that long. Finally I made it there right before they opened last Wednesday and it was a horrible experience!! Why are San Franciscans so eager to suffer rude, snobby staff just for a trendy eating experience? A few of my complaints:
-We arrived before they opened their doors at 5:30pm on a wednesday. There were 5 other people waiting with us and because we did not have a reservation, we were asked to sit at the community table right by the door. I knew it would be too cold for us and considering the place was practically empty, asked if we could please sit at a table. The woman refused until a man came out to ask what the problem was and we were given a table.
-I asked for suggestions for a "regular white wine", she told us about a great Pinot Grigio they have and I almost ordered it until it occurred to me to ask how much it was. $52!!! No thanks. Then when our cheaper wine arrived, she made a big speech about their special practice of the bartender first opening the wine for us, graciously sniffing it to be sure it is not corked and then letting us pour it ourselves. Great, put it in your stupid manifesto and just give me the darn wine please.
- We ordered a salad, a pizza and a dessert, all mediocre. Then I ordered a pasta dish to-go to bring to my husband who has also been curious about this place. I ordered the pappardelle which luckily is a slightly fatter pasta because there were only 5 pieces of pasta in the dish! That comes to $4 per string of pasta.
-They also rushed us at every stage of the experience. They came 5 times to see if were ready to order, brought the check while we were still eating and then came 5 more times to see if we had paid it yet.
So, please, if you love to wait, to eat at a table with strangers, to be spoken to condescendingly by 20 year-old waitresses, and will swallow anything the SF hipster mob tells you to, Flour + Water is for you.
I won't be going back.
I really don't enjoy being a hater but there is only one way for me to put this: your wait staff sucked! - big time.
I've only been once but that one time really ticked me off. If you've read a few of my reviews you know how important good service is to me. And by good service I don't mean to be pampered.. let's be real we aren't at Dankos or Michael Mina but I think a decent service is expected if I end up paying $30 or more. Actually decent and friendly service should be a given even if my bill came out to $5.
It doesn't matter to me if your restaurant is packed and if ppl would like to be seated. If I pay money I would like to feel welcomed and not like a burden, not like just another customer that is taking somebody else's seat in the house.
The entire time we felt rushed: first through the menu & drinks and once the appetizers were served it was just like an assembly line.
Appetizers came 10 min after we were seated, after 10 min the main dishes were served although we weren't even done yet with the appetizers.
The bill was placed on our table 15 min later while we were still finishing one of the dishes and without any word of desserts they might offer.
By then I was already pretty ticked off but the kicker was that the staff kept coming back to check if we had paid. Mind you, we were still eating.. the main dish... still eating.. I was furious.
So now you might ask why 2 stars and to be fair I thought the food was alright. Nothing special, not worth the hype that has been created around flour + water recently but still good enough.
Ok. I only gave a three stars because I was told it was going to be a two hour wait for tables even though nobody was seated in the dining area. We ended up sitting at the bar which wasn't bad. The food was great actually. I had the margherita pizza and the rosemary papperdelle pasta which was awesome. I really had no complaints about the place except for the two hour wait thing. When we were done there were a few people sitting down in the dinning area. Should have made a bet with the hostess.
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