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Pazzia Restaurant & Pizzeria
Category: Restaurants Pizza Pizza [Edit]
337 3rd St(between Folsom St & Saint Francis Pl)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 512-1693
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Fri 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Sat 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
484 reviews for Pazzia Restaurant & Pizzeria
Review Highlights
"The pizza had a perfect thin crust and it was delish."
(in 65 reviews)
"Affordable prices, fantastic Italian food."
(in 54 reviews)
"Grazie Massimo, alla prossima volta."
(in 33 reviews)
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484 reviews in English
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Review from Haley S.
Fremont, CA
9/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
YUM! We came here on a thursday night around 8 pm and the place was packed! There was a 15 minute wait, but it was beyond worth it.
This place is tiny, loud and it's like 95 degrees inside, that is the only reason why I removed one star, their food is amazing!
The food is authentic italian, it reminded me so much of Italy! We shared the Cappricola (?) pizza and the Pennette Al Funghi.
The pizza had a perfect thin crust and it was delish! Same with the pasta dish, the sauce was so good I almost wanted to lick my plate after I was done.
Service was great, our waitress helped me find a wine sweet enough for my taste, which was great.
For two glasses of wine, soda, two main dishes, dessert and coffee, the total was $65. We were really surprised, by the quality of the meal we expected to pay a lot more.
We'll definitely be back next time we visit the city! -
Review from Minji W.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2012
First time coming with the family and it was an okay place. The setting of the place was like an ambiance and had an open kitchen. Only downside to seeing an open kitchen is catching the workers performing bad work ethics (ie on the phone then handling the food without washing his/her hands). So it was interesting to see the cooks "cook". The wait staff were pretty friendly even the busboy was helping out refilling our waters.
Onto the food now, I had order the Medici and Fettucini and it was pretty good. The presentation of the Medici was pleasing to the eye. The Fettucini was a little to peppery for my taste buds but overall it was pretty good.
My sister had order the pizza likes the thin crust but you would have to like Italian pizza to begin with. My dad had order the Linguini and Carpaccio. Overall he enjoyed it, the seafood wasn't overlooked or undercooked. Mom had ordered Veal Scallopini with Marsala but the sauce was too overpowering for her taste as well as mine.
For desert we had the Tiramisu and the Torte la Limone. The tiramisu was weak/lacked the right amount of rum when it was baked. The Torte la Limone was refrigerated too long causing the batter to loose it's elasticity and became to dense to eat. Almost like the texture of peanut butter. -
Review from Kat D.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2012
NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE
I've been frequenting Pazzia for years. Last night I was severely disappointed in the quality of food which is being offered. I can ignore many unpleasantries but if the food is amazing, who cares? The food was NOT amazing.
Bread was fresh and warm, but things went downhill from there. The wine was good, but for $11 (for the Cab Franc) the pour was insufficiently tiny! The glass was minuscule. Please, buy some nice big wine glasses!
I ordered lasagna and my husband had veal. Both dishes initially seemed ok, but mine seemed not fresh, mostly sauce, and it came to the table half-blackened. I just smothered it in Parmesan and soldiered on.
The veal's sauce had that corn-starchy look to it that looked awful to me. My husband admitted it was not great.
I initially thought it was just an 'off' sort of night, but based on other reviews I see, the attention to quality is definitely not happening. I'm sad to say I won't be going back. -
Review from Michael M.
San Francisco, CA
11/25/2011
This place was featured on "Check Please!" It received rave reviews. So naturally we were glad that we could finally stop by on a weekday (not open on the weekend) for lunch.
In a word, awful. The margarita pizza was chemical cardboard with tasteless cheese topped with old basil. The linguini was sparse on the clams and mussels, and boring on the limp pasta and sauce. My date had stomach problems afterwards.
Don't bother There are no redeeming qualities (i.e., atmosphere, service, quality, quantity or price) which were present to warrant a second trip.
I think it stays open by feeing the convention crowd at the Moscone Center who are not repeat customers. -
Review from Chelsea V.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2012
This place is delicious! Very authentic food, friendly waitstaff and a dynamic host/owner. I come frequently and plan to continue doing so.
You should call to make a reservation because you never know when this place will be packed.
Easy street parking...an added bonus. -
Review from Kyliie T.
San Jose, CA
1/9/2012
We went here for dinner one night last weekend. I had risotto with prawns and scallops. They were good but I guess I wasn't too hungry because I didn't finish my dish. It's more of a casual place and decent for groups.
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Review from Ken B.
San Francisco, CA
11/6/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Really delicious.
Seafood risotto was just creamy enough.
Pizzas were thin and the crust just a bit crispy.
The spicy sausage and mushroom was my favorite.
Daily specials for each menu section such as sandwiches, pizza, entree, etc.
It got hot inside because of the pizza oven. If weather permits, outside seating may be a good choice. -
Review from Jason M.
9/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Pazzia was a quick convenient stop for our group so we decided to try it out. The bread was really amazingly soft and delicious. I asked for balsamic vinaigrette however it was never brought.
The ravioli with meat sauce was very tasty, however a bit greasy. It was a great combo to dip the bread in the left over meat sauce. The staff was very polite, however my friends water glass stayed empty half way though the meal until the time we left. -
Review from Jen F.
Tracy, CA
12/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ordered the Pomodoro pasta- spaghetti with tomato and basil to go and came home with some seafood pasta! Bummer! Someone's not doing his/her job right.
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Review from Esther A.
7/27/2011
Nice, cozy little Italian eatery on 3rd with plenty of free street parking after 6pm on a Tuesday night. Complimentary bread with some olive oil for taste was served warm and that's always a big plus with me. My eggplant corkscrew pasta dish was great. With cubed mozzarella cheese melting on top of the hot plate I was loving every savory bite! A friend that I was dining with also finished up every last bite of her clam pasta and mind you I rarely ever see her finish up her food. I had no issues with the service. Upon entering we were greeted with smiling, friendly faces and our waters were constantly being refilled throughout our meal.
Although i didn't order the pizza we saw a few of the other diners order and I'll admit it looked rather good. Well, I guess that just means I have to drop by some other time to taste for myself.Listed in: Pizza
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Review from Amit M.
San Francisco, CA
12/11/2011
Wanted to have dinner with friends in the area and they took us over to pazzia. I had never been and they said it was super good, so I was into it. We made a reservation but my friends said the place is always packed, so your time is more of a guideline than when you will actually be seated. This turned out to be true. Luckily, they have some good wine options to drink while you wait (try the Cabernet Franc).
We had some prosciutto pizza, some lasagna, some prosciutto stuffed chicken, and risotto. All of them were great. And I didn't even get to try a pasta.
Pretty happy with it and excited to go back another time. -
Review from Kathleen M.
Atlanta, GA
7/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
On our last night in SF some lovely ladies and I were looking for a not-too-spendy spot to enjoy one another's company. Pazzia was a quick jaunt away and they were able to accomodate us, so it was perfect.
They've only got two beers available (Moretti and Menabrea) but a good number of wines. We scanned the menu and the non-pizza prices were a little higher than expected. Not astronomical, but given the relative lack of atmosphere and polish I would have expected it to be a bit cheaper. We decided to split some salads and pizza and that was definitely the way to go as our bill was quite reasonable and we got to try a bit of everything.
The beet salad was very good, but I don't typically meet a bad beet salad. For pizza we got both the margherita and the Diavola. I liked the thin crust and the overall flavor but I found both pizzas to be a lot greasier than I like, especially at a higher-end spot. This was like Pizza Hut greasy. Ew.
Service was okay but nothing to really speak of, making this all in all a 3star experience. With so many phenomenal spots in SF, I can't see returning, but if I lived here I could understand it being a solid neighborhood go-to.Listed in: The Land of "Full House"
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Review from TJ P.
San Diego, CA
9/15/2011
Solid authentic food (owners have another restaurant in Italy). Caprese salad was small (three pieces of mozzarella) but tasty. Excellent bread. Entrees are flavorful. Good service (though they seem to have staffing issues at times).
My one complaint is this place gets crazy loud when it's busy. I mean yes, the review summary says "Loud", but this is loud like a packed bar on a Friday night (even though there's no bar here) rather than loud like a restaurant. Everything else about the place would say "bring that special someone for a nice meal", but if you attempt that when the place is busy? You'll be lucky to hear each other, much less put the moves on your sweetie.
Highly recommended for the food and the service, but heavy caution on the atmosphere if it's not what you're expecting.
As a side note, they are in the process of expanding into the space next door. It's possible the tables will spread out and the place will quiet down. We will see. -
Review from Emma-louise H.
7/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Pizza. It's a food which can have you hankering for it even if you've consumed an entire industrial sized fridge's worth of Pret A Manger food as well as two plane meals - it somehow captures the non-hungry in a way other food cannot. There's always time for pizza, and we three girlies were a happy bunch when we spotted little pizzeria Pazzia right near our hotel.
What a welcome to San Francisco. Kind serving staff, amazing wine, water regularly poured and an outside seat on a late California evening... and the food. Oh the food! Even the complimentary bread was spectacular, then we picked at chargrilled vegetables, burrata and Jen and Row waxed lyrical about their carpaccio beef. We went for pizza mains - mine was a calzone filled with spinach, ricotta and egg, the innards of which resembled a souffle and the outer dough was delightfully light as opposed to heavy and sluggish. Meanwhile the other two ladies had the same thin and crispy pizza with capers, artichoke, mushrooms and ham... blissful. The prices were also overwhelmingly reasonable for San Francisco.
Our server Laura realised we were new in town and actually gave us her number as well as the addresses of some cool stuff that was happening. She was fantastically friendly and we wound up adoring her. We'll probably be back for some takeout during our holiday time here, so well done Pazzia for finding three brand new loyal customers from the other side of the Atlantic! -
Review from Ryan W.
8/27/2011
Wanted to go to a small local place for dinner and Yelp led me and a colleague to Pazzia. Excellent Italian bread to start was an indicator of good things to come. The beet salad was just average, a little under-dressed in my opinion. I ordered the gorgonzola pizza, which I was worried might be a little overwhelming in the gorgonzola department. Fortunately, it wasn't - excellent gorgonzola flavor without being overpowering. I ate the whole thing. Reasonably priced as well. Including salads, pizzas and non-alcoholic drinks, our check with a little over $50 for two. Service was casual and friendly - and really Italian. I'd certainly return.
PS - I note they're expanding into the space next door. Hopefully they can keep up the good quality with a bigger place. -
Review from Christina C.
Columbus, OH
7/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
For a pizza joint that's not your standard order-to-go kind of establishment, this place was pretty rad! At the end of our meal (between five girls who I think, all but one ordered a beer) we managed to only spend about $20 a person after family-styling two pizzas and two salads. Not bad for a downtown SFO restaurant.
The wine list had much more to offer than the list of two beers, which I can understand since wine arguably goes exceptionally well with authentic Italian pizza. (Although on this particular night, I just really wanted a beer. Le sigh.)
Service was a little spotty and the waitress looked like she'd had a rough evening, but otherwise our last meal in the city was pretty enjoyable! -
Review from Jaycee P.
Daly City, CA
11/28/2011
This is one of my favorite italian in the city. Everything is delicious and the tiramisu it to die for!! Authentic italian! Can't wait to go back.
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Review from Zach S.
San Francisco, CA
8/30/2011
They don't seem to know how to properly staff for busy times, and the pizzas are WOW expensive.
However, for thin, thin, thin crust pizza... this place is great. Yummy cheese, not too much sauce, fresh toppings.
Recommended if you want to spend $18 for one individual person's pizza after tax and tip. I, however, do not often wish to do so. -
Review from Adrian P.
El Sobrante, CA
The pasta was amazing! I am not normally a pasta fan, because a lot of it tastes "generic" to me. This Seafood pasta dish was a big stand out. Flavor, texture, quality, all top notch.
The pizza was great too. Very thin and flavorful. It was on the pricey side, but it did have an authentic taste/feel to it.
The Salumi platter was fairly basic. Nothing out of the ordinary, but still tasty. -
Review from SCOTT T.
5/7/2011
PAZZIA was my first taste of pizza sin.
there's been an awful lot of pepperoni (and, of course, significantly more exotic toppings) devoured between now and then, but you never forget your first time. i'd been traveling all day and wrestling with some short people (that would be my kids) and kinda stumbled on the place with a little help from the concierge desk at the hotel.
by that point in my life i'd already eaten several times my weight in conveyor belt pizza (a staple of my misspent youth) -- some of it pretty good and some from DOMINOS and LITTLE CAESARS. that PAZZIA moment was a proverbial thunderbolt, a transcendent moment of epiphany when the universe opened like a bright, beautiful flower and i glimpsed all that could be good and true and delicious in a pizza.
the wife raved about (and shared a little) of the BRESAOLA (beef cured in red wine, sliced paper-thin and served with arugula, lemon and extra virgin olive oil) and, on another visit, the CARPACCIO (with capers, lemon and parmigiano cheese).
i love the PENNETTE AI FUNGHI (pennette pasta with cream sauce and porcini mushrooms). oh, yeah -- and the pizza. i go every time i'm in that neighborhood and suggest you do too.Listed in: outta town PIZZA
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Review from Cindy W.
7/9/2011
This is a neighborhood spot - small, cozy, simple foods.
- the Beet Salad ($9.50): diced cubes of red and gold beets with arugula leaves. very light complement of goat cheese. simple, normal portion.
- the Endive Pear Salad ($9.50): chopped endive is tossed with arugula leaves, paired with 4 slices of pear, some raw walnuts, and very light dusting of gorgonzola cheese. not enough i say.
- Cappriciola Pizza (~$15): mushroom, proscuitto, artichoke and olive toppings on a hand tossed pizza dough. honestly, not a fan. the mushroom was the garden variety. the olives still had the PITS inside. they didn't even take out the seed! overall, seriously lacking flavor.
- Taglieri Pasta (~$17-$18): salmon, pancetta, olives, with spinach pasta. This was better. Interesting mix of ingredients but again, everything was done super lightly so flavor was not at the forefront.
Dessert was the only saving grace.
- Lemon Mascarpone Cake (~$6): pretty layered cake with mascarpone cream in between, coated with white chocolate shell.
-Tiramisu (~$6): Very nice and light, traditional italian style.
Oh and the basket of warm focaccia bread was tasty. If it weren't for dessert and bread, I don't think I'd have given 3 stars. -
Review from The T.
San Francisco, CA
8/3/2011
I had a small salad here today. The added chicken was so crispy, fresh and tasteful. The menu said Arugula and that's why I ordered it but they put spinach instead and some other strange things. Everyone else ordered Pizza and it looked great: Thin crust and seemed like they really enjoyed it.
Not a great salad place though. Although, I'd go back for that delicious chicken! -
Review from Lucy D.
San Francisco, CA
7/29/2011
Came in with friends without a reservation and luckily for us a table just cancelled so we were seated immediately. Free warm bread + olive oil is always a plus. I got the funghi pizza and it filled the entire dinner plate. For $13, I think it's pretty cheap considering the location. Everything on the menu is pretty much until $20, so it's very doable to spend about $20 per person on a nice meal.
As for the food, I think it's ok. It's good but it's not amazing; for my pizza that was true. The crust is thin but it's also a little too hard and it was rather soggy in the middle. The flavor was "eh", again nothing special. Delfina pizza is much better. My friend's risotto was tasty though.
The staffs were friendly but overall, I don't think this place was spectacular in any way except for the price. We had a decent meal but didn't think too much of it. Don't get me wrong, this is a great place to frequent if you're in the area often, but it's just not for me. -
Review from Julie S.
San Francisco, CA
5/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is more of a 3 1/2 star review than a 3. We enjoyed our meal at Pazzia, but it lacked that "wow" factor that I look for in restaurants in the city (since there are so many options!).
We called 15 minutes ahead and the hostess told us that we could be seated without a wait if we came right away. I really appreciated that and thought the service throughout our meal was pretty good overall.
For dinner, we ordered the margherita pizza and the gnocchi with the "pomodoro" sauce. We were a little surprised that the gnocchi came out dressed in a creamy white sauce rather than a red sauce, but we both agreed that the gnocchi was quite good. The sauce was very flavorful and I enjoyed it. The margherita pizza was decent as well, though it was far from my favorite of the pizzas I have had in the city.
Based on the other reviews, it appears that maybe Pazzia is better for pastas than pizza. I probably would not return, but only because there are so many other restaurants in the city that I want to try and, while we had a good meal at Pazzia, nothing about Pazzia is drawing me back. -
Review from kelly l.
San Francisco, CA
11/16/2011
This place is AMAZING!! Consistently exceeds expectations. The marriage of flavors is perfection! Best pizza in the city by far! Try everything! I can't say what my favorite dish is because they are all FABULOUS!! Homemade pasta, desserts, wine, yum!
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Review from Farrah F.
3/29/2011
Oh em eff gee you need to try this place out.
Our criteria was something like this: good reviews, lots of ratings, walkable distance from our hotel.
So this place fit it all and then some. But when we got there, it was packed full (the restaurant's pretty small, but you're in luck! they're expanding!). I went in to ask how long the wait might be and the nicest waitress in the world came over to tell me that it'd be around 40 minutes. She asked if I wanted to put my name down to wait, and I figured I'd go ask my friends first. We decided to try to find someplace else, but couldn't think of a place, so we backtracked and she put our name down. (She's seriously one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met. :D I don't know her name, but if you ever read this, you're awesome!)
They actually seated us much sooner than we thought they would. It was pretty hot in the restaurant, but I liked the ambiance.
Since we're big on getting different things so we can split them all and try everything, we ordered the gnocchi, the ravioli, and a pizza (it started with an 'f' but I don't remember what it really said...it was mushroom, basil, and mozzarella? something like that). They were freaking awesome. I was half in starvation mode, so I polished off almost the entire basket of bread (in my defense, the others said they were fine). Olive oil + pepper made it even more awesome.
The food we ordered was absolutely amazing. The ravioli had a nice zing to it and I really liked the meat sauce. I think this is my new favorite Italian restaurant, of all the ones I've ever been to, although the one in Walnut Creek still has a special place in my heart because of its tiramisu. It was pretty filling, and split between the four of us, I think it came to around $15 each.
They apparently have a sister(?) restaurant in Florence, Italy. (I thought that was kinda cool. :O ) -
Review from Amy K.
3/28/2011 3 photos
OVERALL:4.1 FOOD:4.5 SERVICE:4 AMBIANCE:4 VALUE:4
Wanted some Italian before hitting up an event @ the YBCA, and this place [or at least one person in this place] was pre-marinated, slow-cooked, infused, battered, and deep-fried in Italian. So OK, the food is pretty damn good (effing greasy pastas, but in that effing delicious kind of way): fresh, semi-crisp pizza napoletana, soft homemade bread, saffron white-wine risotto is to die for...but the REAL reason you'll want to come here is to experience [marvel at] the animated owner [free entertainment!]. I know stereotyping is bad, harmful, for small-minded people, yada*yada*yada...but this guy just oozes Italian-ness!
Ridiculous dark, lush, wavy mane: check
Fancy footwear [i.e., definitely animal-based]: check
Unassuming yet deliberate machismo swagger [you know the one]: check
Well-dressed (2 wardrobe changes, one of which included a fresh pressed mauve, French cuff shirt): check
Olympic-grade Hand Gestures: check, check, check....and check
Deep, golden tan: check
Full vocabulary of rolled Rrrrs & geminated syllables [swoon!]: check
No, but seriously.....I only come here for the food. -
Review from YUP K.
Oakland, CA
10/18/2011
Not bad food at ridiculous prices given the quality. Pizza is pretty good, despite being sloppy and soggy, other stuff is pretty eh. $15 for a plate of unseasoned veggies with grill marks. Similar prices for bland pasta that I could make at home blindfolded.
Definitely nice service, and cute enough, but the bar has been raised for Italian in the Bay Area in the last ten years. I mean, what's with the pre-washed arugula tossed on stuff straight out of a bag? Compares favorably to Olive Garden, but doesn't compare well to any place that I'd call good. -
Review from Trisha F.
San Leandro, CA
5/29/2011
OMG delicious food, tremendous service, I'll be back for sure.
We showed up later than we were aiming for, 9:05, with a hard deadline to be done by 10 to meet a friend around the corner. There were NO seats inside, but the hostess went above and beyond to get us drinks outside while we waited (luckily it was a nice night and not too cold) and the menus so we could order before actually being seated. As soon as a table was available, they cleared it right away, got us moved inside, and our food arrived within 5 minutes.
I had the Pollo alla Medici and it was divine. I felt a bit sacrilegious not getting pasta at an Italian restaurant, but the mushroom gravy was rich without being too thick or heavy, the asparagus was cooked to perfection, and the potatoes were excellent as well. I had a Florette or two of broccoli but it had garlic in it and I'm not the biggest fan of heavy garlic. Not that it mattered - I was stuffed after devouring everything else.
My one complaint was the noise level. There were a couple of larger birthday parties going on and the restaurant is currently not that big (they're in the process of expanding into the space next door) so it was rather loud and a bit hard to hear my friend's conversation.
I went with friends tonight, so I'll definitely be back with my husband. Conveniently there's a parking lot on the corner for just $10 if you plan to hit one of the many lounges or clubs in the area after dinner as we did. -
Review from Ben K.
4/13/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I've loved Pazzia for some time, and can't believe I haven't written a review.
This is truly a family Italian place in SoMa - perfect if you're in the area and don't want to trek to North Beach. The menu is small, but very well executed, and the wine list is similar. On Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights there can be a wait as there are only a few tables (unless they recently opened the extension) - but they do have take away.
Personally, I prefer the pizza at Zero Zero a few blocks away, but prefer Pazzia pasta's, apps, and very quaint atmosphere. Different places for different moods. -
Review from Troy W.
Phoenix, AZ
4/14/2011
Just got back from a business trip. My hotel said to try this restaurant and SO glad my business associates and I did.
The service was superb, the food was delicious and real italian. The atmosphere was great!
And most of all I would tell you that our waitress (Laura) made sure that every part of our experience was perfect. it was so good that we went a second night. -
Review from Rian L.
San Francisco, CA
9/13/2011
When i first moved to SF I lived round the corner for a while so this was really convenient. I now live miles away and still come back for really good authentic Italian food. Great pizzas and pasta even for fussy vegetarian. The service is personal and extremely friendly. Good wine too which is always a bonus :)
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Review from Sarah Marie D.
San Diego, CA
10/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ummm.... When an Italian restaurant has a sister restaurant in Florence, it's gotta be good righT?! Well Pazzia is definite good and YUMMY! What a treat to carb up at this wonderful Italian restaurant the night before the Nike women's marathon! Good thing my cousin made reservations for us - this place is super popular and gets packed super quick! I loved the pizza and pasta! I hope to visit Pazzia again the next time I'm in SF :)
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Review from Genevieve M.
San Francisco, CA
1/31/2011
I love Pazzia. I go there all the time for food on my dinner break at work because they're close by, but I also come here on my days off as well for dinner just because the food is so good!
Everything we've had on the menu is fabulous. Tonight I had the spicy angel hair pasta with sundried tomatoes and it was fantastic! The lasagna is divine as well, it comes out of the oven in a terra cotta dish bubbling and delicious, and the pizzas, calzones and main entrees are all great as well. It's probably one of my favorite restaurants in the city.
Lastly, the owner Massimo is such a gentleman and takes wonderful care of us every time.
Can't wait till my next trip! -
Review from Andrew S.
San Francisco, CA
10/22/2011
Great Itaiian. This place is always hoppin.
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Review from Joel K.
Oakland, CA
10/22/2011
Service was TERRIBLE. Perhaps they were just understaffed the night we went (a Saturday) but the wait staff was running around crazy. After getting our salads within a reasonable amount of time (Caesar was lackluster) we waited about 45 minutes for our entrees.
After my dinner companion was served I waited another 15 minutes for my entree and finally went up to the kitchen to find out what was happening with mine. Server charged us for three glasses of wine when we had only ordered 2. Wouldn't go back. -
Review from Ed U.
I have to admit I was expecting a lot more from Pazzia since I heard good things about the place recently. But alas, the menu is just not very interesting here, and the execution borders a bit on the lazy. As a matter of fact, I came on a particularly lazy day, the day after Thanksgiving, when nobody was in the FiDi. I took two colleagues for a leisurely lunch there, and no one else was in the place at noon.
We shared an order of the $6 Bruschetta, which is normally a can't-lose at a real Italian restaurant. While I has no complaints about the fresh chopped tomatoes and basil on top, the toast underneath looked to be just a slice of wheat toast rather than a crunchy baguette (see photo). That just seemed so wrong. Better was the $13.25 Fusilli Alle Melanzane, a rather unadorned pasta dish with a barely there tomato sauce, basil and chunks of eggplant and mozzarella, which oddly looked and almost tasted like bits of butter (see photo).
But frankly I think I could have made that at home. In fact, I think I did make that at home. One of my colleagues ordered the $9 Insalata Medici with Belgian endives, rucola, pears, walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese and balsamic vinaigrette dressing (see photo). Even with the addition of chicken strips, there was nothing too extraordinary about it. Listen, with the much superior La Briciola down on the next block of 3rd, I don't think there's much reason to venture here unless you really want to eat like you never left your kitchen.
FOOD - 3 stars...like you never left home...seriously!
AMBIANCE - 3 stars...quite bright and open, especially when it's empty
SERVICE - 3.5 stars...she was pretty...and efficient
TOTAL - 3 stars...not bad but kinda meh for Italiano -
Review from Emily Y.
San Jose, CA
9/17/2011
Order the Margherita Pizza. It was definitely the best of what WE ordered. The burrata salad (with prosciutto & arugula) was extremely tasty too, if you need an appetizer. We also had the bruschetta and the Capricciosa Pizza with prosciutto, olives, mushrooms, mozzarella and artichokes. Good, not great. Would not order them again. The crust gets a bit soggy on the pizzas, just a warning. But the flavor is excellent.
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Review from Carol L.
2/25/2011
I think I'm actually going to give this place 5 stars! Maybe it was cuz I was with my girlfriends and we just went cake tasting? Service was great - really friendly.
Appetizers:
burrata - YUM. creamy mozzarella, salty prosciutto, perfectly dressed arugula
carpaccio - a bit too meaty, but I still ate quite a bit.
Entrees:
mushroom penne - surprisingly good! deep mushroom flavor.
potato gnocchi - tender gnocchi, great sauce, great cheese!
Bottle of white was perfect, and tiramisu was delicate. -
Review from Tim M.
West Los Angeles, CA
4/19/2011
Fine italian food but nothing to write home about. I had the vegetable minestrone soup, which was uninteresting. Then I had a spinach pasta with salmon & pancetta which was tasty. The cheesecake was also good.
It's more like 3.5 stars, and I might have given it 4, but it was at least 85 degrees in the restaurant. Everyone seemed to be feeling it
