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"Trattoria Contadina salvaged what had been a horrible evening in North Beach. After spending over 45 minutes waiting at a different…" read more »
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after jardiniere, no duck is amazing. this duck though, held its own
calamari (grilled) was zesty and very satisfying.
My never-ending quest to find an Italian restaurant comparable to Delfina finally led me to the entrance of Perbacco (read: a very nice gentleman finally offered to take me there) - one of Bauer's 100 best of the bay, and generally known to have a reputation for delicious, sophisticated Italian in the City. Equipped with 7x7's "Big Eat SF" list (not to mention an appetite big enough to eat the world), and having researched their signature dishes, I was ready to tackle Perbacco head-on.
I'm not going to lie, I definitely went into the night with certain expectations of how everything should play out. And, in terms of atmosphere, those expectations were filled as soon as I walked in the door. The lively, modern, refined atmosphere instantly appealed to my "city chic" preferences. And, the open kitchen not only let me catch a glimpse of what was going on behind the scenes, but let me flirt with the chefs (with my eyes of course!) on my way down to the restrooms. Unfortunately, I don't think they noticed...
The service was on point as well - there when we needed it, helpful in answering our numerous questions, friendly, even complete with a sommelier to help us find our way through their extensive list. No complaints.
But, as I always say in these reviews, my bottom line is the food, and unfortunately the word that comes to mind when I think of Perbacco's menu is "inconsistent." I feel that one of the pitfalls of offering such an extensive menu is that some dishes are simply not going to be at the same level as others. Such was the case at Perbacco; while their specialties certainly deserved their rave reviews, the rest of our meal left me wanting more.
**Exception: the bread sticks were buttery, perfectly crispy, and downright dangerous. Be warned that they serve bread sticks AND bread, so it's easy to fill up before the main course has even arrived!
As for appetizers, the SALUMI MISTI offered a variety of meat selections in sizable portions, however, it wasn't mind-blowing. Let's not kid ourselves here - it's sliced meat on a plate. Sure it's delicious, but it doesn't take a premier restaurant to serve it (and, I'm a bit spoiled by having Lucca down the street from my house). And, while the VEAL TRIPE was perfectly cooked, the composition of the dish was a bit uninspired and lacked seasoning.
Since, as I said, I was ready to eat the world, we tackled 3 pastas - the AGNOLOTTI DAL PLIN, the TAJARIN, and the RABATON. There was nothing especially memorable about the latter 2 - both were executed well, but I wasn't impressed by the flavors. When I eat ricotta gnocchi, I want to think I'm eating a cloud, and the Rabaton fell short of cloudliness. However, the Agnolotti (a dish they are known for) was everything I could've wanted and more. As soon as we dove into that dish, our lively conversation came to a dead silence - there was no room for words in the face of that rich, complex flavor. This was one of the top 5 pasta dishes I've had in the City, and if I was ever to go back, would be the only thing I'd need to order to feel completely satisfied.
With so many choices on the menu, I'm sure everyone can find something that makes their heart sing. However, for me, I want any and every selection I make to inspire me to jump on a table and start declaring my enduring love (don't worry, it's only happened 2-3 times). While my overall experience was solid, my quest to find sensational Italian food in San Francisco must continue.
I left Perbacco quite unimpressed after some high expectations going in. While the wine here was quite good, I had a first time rabbit experience with devil's gulch rabitt in spiced red wine sauce that did not go quite too well. There seemed to be 3 different pieces of the rabbit with 3 different textures. One was a bit chewy with some substance, the other was like a dry chicken breast, and the other piece was a soft bland piece of meat either way undercooked or way overcooked. Either way, there was no flavor to the meat (maybe I just got a bad rabbit or they just got the most recent roadkill from Golden Gate Park) but it was flavorless even with being in the spicy red wine sauce.
The roasted pear salad was also a bit flavorless for my tastes and the apple/squash crostata dessert was just a fancy name for a circular shaped sized apple pie without the crust. We dropped over $65/person and hopefully the next time I make it back, I'll give the monkfish, duck, or quail a try as "wabbit" just doesn't do it for me here.
I had been to Perbacco a couple of years ago for lunch and wasn't terribly impressed. It wasn't that it was horrible, it just wasn't memorable enough at the time for me to really care enough to go again.
As time passed and all my friends and coworkers raved about Perbacco time and time again, I decided it was time to give it another go. I am SO glad that I went back again because my experience was simply lovely.
The brussel sprouts were fantastic; the beets were scrumptious and the butternut squash ravioli's were the probably the best I've had. They were drizzled with a butter sage sauce and the squash was so creamy. I would go back JUST for that dish.
Since it was my mother's birthday we decided it a dessert was definitely in order. The olive oil chocolate cake/mousse, even though I was slightly skeptical (olive oil?), was unbelievably good. We split one but quite honestly I wanted the whole damn thing to myself!
I'm so pleased that Perbacco is right around the corner from my work. This is definitely going to be my go-to spot for special occasion lunches in the future.
It was my birthday. Reservations made at another place fell through, so we were on a hunt for something in a pinch. Lucky us, we strolled through the doors of Perbacco.
It was 7 p.m. The host told us they were booked solid. Just as we were about to ask how long we'd wait, a man came over and looked at the host board. He clicked his tongue. "We can seat you right now," he said, and whisked us off.
Happy birthday to me!
As we walked to our cute table for two in the dining room, we walked past the slick and sexy bar and a GIANT flower arrangement near a veritable sea of cheese selections. Oh, yes.
The service was impeccable. The wine menu was intimidating.
Overall, a wonderful experience, though I have to say for such stellar service at the door, luminous ambiance and an attentive waitress, I expected the food to blow me away. Don't get me wrong it was terrific, but it didn't dazzle me the way the rest of the experience did.
All told, this was a fantastic birthday spot. Happy to have found it.
Came here in a huge rush with Patricia P solely to try #18 on the Big Eat SF List, which is the Salumi Plate.
We were initially going to try and hit up 3 items/places on the list that are all within close proximity to my office (Alfreds, Perbacco, and Tadich), but only made it to Perbacco and Tadich Grill. I love the literal meaning of Perbacco, which is an Italian word to accentuate positive comments :)
I enjoyed the ambiance of Perbacco. We found two seats at the bar right when we walked in and everything on everyone else's plates looked delightful, tasty, and delicious. I told the bartender we didn't even need to look at a menu since we were in a hurry and knew exactly what we were getting, but I definitely went straight home that evening and took a look at it. The salumi plate was pretty good. Lots of fatty looking meats that tasted wonderful. There was one item in a small ramekin in the middle, which I do not recommend; it looked like and reminded me of the food we used to feed my cat back in the day. It was even a special kind of cat food since she was always sick.
I would love to come back for dinner one night to try out all the amazing looking pasta dishes, pork rib, duck, or the meat plate. Oh, and I can't forget about the awesome, warm bread that was drenched in butter. Mmmm. I can't wait to come back for more of that!
Can't review the restaurant per se since I didn't eat there. I had a few bites and drinks at the bar instead. Now any bartender that can:
- Make a solo diner feel welcome
- Make excellent, lightweight small talk
- Crack jokes that are risque but not-at-all inappropriate
- Recommend dishes in great detail and their historical origins
- Describe the harvest methods about a particular wine
- Serve and clear dishes promptly
- Make the best damn old fashioned while describing how other bartenders tend to make mistakes when making theirs
Is a damn fine class act and proud professional in my book. They don't make them like this anymore.
Seriously - If you're a party of two or less skip the dining room and grab a stool.
Perbacco may be my favorite restaurant in SF, and it's lucky that I'm not around there often because I'd want to go back again and again and again.
I went back last weekend with a certain someone before the symphony. He has a fondness for cured meats and 7x7 said that the salumi plate is a must try. So we decided to split the salumi, a salad, a pasta entree, and 2 sides. This was the perfect amount of food.
Everything was, of course, delicious. The salumi was some of the best I've had. The salad was not remarkable, but quite good. The butternut squash ravioli was so good that I regret sharing. And the sides of braised romano beans and roasted fennel were fab.
Everything about Perbacco is lovely. I can't wait to go back
I've been 25 for 3 days and so far I liked it. I think it kinda helped that I rang in my next trip… Read more »
Like many other Yelpers, I was lured to Perbacco by the siren song of its salumi plate. I can now rest easy with the knowledge that, according to 7x7 magazine, I only need to try 94 more dishes before laying claims to a life fully lived.
The decor is modern and somewhat understated, although the tables are a little too close together, and I definitely felt like the diners either side of us were privy to a little too much information. The wait staff were very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu - which was absolutely ENORMOUS. Our waitress gave a great wine recommendation (Perbacco has a HUGE selection of Italian wines) and weighed in on their many popular entrees and appetizers.
I, however, ignored most of those recommendations and decided to go freestyle. We started with the salumi plate, obviously, which was pretty incredible. Perbacco hand-makes all of their cured meats, and I've honestly never tried anything like some of the pates and sausages that emerged with our plate. Top marks, and if I'd been smart about things, I would have left it at that.
My appetizer was a watermelon salad with basic and queso fresco - which was tasy, but by no means extraordinary. I was HUGELY disappointed by my appetizer of home-made gnocchi with Early Girl tomatoes and cheese - the potato was incredibly dense and the tomatoes seemed a little too sweet and lacking in flavor - enormous bummer, because simple gnocchi/tomato dishes are my absolute fave. I left all but a bite on my plate. Donny S. was similarly underwhelmed by his pork dish cooked in milk - a dish the waitress had recommended.
We finished by sharing the olive oil chocolate cake - which was tasy, but not as 'push-the-envelope' as it sounds. The cake was a gooey fudgy sponge-type thing, and the ice cream was basically vanilla flavored with a little hint of olive oil. I think had it just been "chocolate cake with ice cream" I wouldn't really have noticed the olive oil.
So three stars - for the decor, service, and salumi. I'd probably come back here for a drink and an appetizer, but save my dinner money and take myself somewhere a little tastier.
Thoroughly enjoyed this place. Loved the squash blossoms and the sage ravioli. We celebrated a special occasion, and service was attentive without being intrusive. Will definitely be back!
A friend of mine works right across the street and keeps recommending Perbacco, so we finally went. We sat at the bar on a Tuesday evening. I found the decor sleek and beautiful, and with most of the customers to match. The bartender was pleasant and knowledgeable. We shared several small plates including the ravioli with sweet peas, yum! I found the food to be very simple, high quality and well executed. On the way back from the bathroom I did start to drool over the gorgeous display of artisan cheeses. I think we'll make this a regular stop.
3 restaurants.
2 girls.
1 meal.
My partner in crime, Jenny W., and I decided to go on a marathon Big Eat SF lunch date, hitting up Perbacco, Tadich Grill, and Alfred's Steakhouse during her short lunch hour. We knew our plan was ambitious, but we are ravenous girls and we eat quickly.
We entered stop #1 and there was a line. Crap...the plan is already falling apart. But then, 2 seats at the bar opened up and we slid right in. The bartender started to hand us menus, but Jenny stopped him, stated that we did not need them, and ordered...
#18: Salumi misti plate at Perbacco. I have never so much as purchased salami in a deli or even prepackaged in a grocery store, so I've got no clue what makes a good salami. But I can report that for the most part, it was delicious. There was one little ramekin of some sort of meat pate that looked (and tasted) like cat food. Other than that, delicious. I have to say that the bread was my favorite part of the "meal". It was soaked in butter, and you really can't go wrong with that.
In the midst of our rush to eat as much salami as quickly as possible, we did take a moment to look around and appreciate the ambiance. Perbacco is much larger than it appears from the outside with an upstairs area. I glanced at a few people's lunches and all looked quite good.
The second I finished chewing my last bite, Jenny asked for the check. The bartender commented that we were fast, so we told him we were on a mission, to which he replied "what kind of mission? are you guys bloggers??". Not quite. Though if anyone would like to pay me to write about food, I shall gladly oblige.
First stop: complete. Onward we go!
Oh my, I'm so stuffed from lunch, it's not even funny. Took my friend here for a birthday celebration lunch. Yum, yum, yum! First of all, I love the decor of the place. Very relaxing and eye pleasing neutral colors. Friendly service. QUICK food to table. I had the short ribs (OMG) and my friend had the pork shoulder braised in milk. Though her dish was very good, I liked my short ribs better. So tender, so flavorful. I was very full at the end, but still wanted more.
A fabulous lunch and outing with a great friend, with a great meal. Definitely will be back to try the dinner menu.
I've been remiss in not writing a review of Perbacco despite the fact that it is my FIRST-choice FiDi restaurant for client lunches, networking lunches, and sneaking-away-from-my-desk-for-a-treat lunches HANDS DOWN. It cracks me up that so many well-suited biznessfolks are always milling around the entrance during the weekday lunch-hour, and the fact that many of them are turned away because, due to the quality of its service and food, tables at Perbacco are hard-won without a reservation beforehand. Which is why I ALWAYS remember to make a reservation, because it's not to be missed.
They've added a few new delicious menu items as of this week (10/28/09), and may I say that if you have ANY interest in risotto, you should try the new risotto with braised ox-tails entree! It was so flavorful, rich and creamy, and thankfully, my lunch companion and I split the dish because it was a huge portion. I also thoroughly enjoy the cool red and yellow beet salad appetizer, which they've just re-vamped with a new plating drizzled with (what I believe is) cilantro-infused oil, tossed with lovely pieces of fennel, and sprinkled with a creamy bits of goat cheese.
5-stars, and I go often, people. It's hard to have 5 stars on every occasion, but that's been my experience with Perbacco. Highly recommended!
Nice restaurant, good service and the food here is quite good as well. Overall I'd give this restaurant 3.5 stars.
We ordered the burrata cheese and crudo as the appetizers. For the main entree I ordered the duck breast and sampled some of the beef short rib stracotto and white sea bass. In my opinion the sea bass was probably the best of the three.
For dessert we collectively shared the sweet corn panacotta and the assortment of cheeses. The corn flavor of the panacotta was pretty overpowering and the dish lacked the kind of sweetness you'd normally look for in a dessert. The assortment of cheeses on the other hand were quite good.
I started with the endive salad, which had nice fat pieces of fuyu nested in the mizuna, with bitto cheese bits all up in the balsamic vinagrette. A lot bigger than you would expect a standard fancy pants place's salad to be. For the main course, I had some ridiculously flavorful "windpipe" (shaped) pasta stewing in Devil's Gulch rabbit sugo. I guess it doesn't matter what meat it actually is if slow-cooked correctly, but the rabbitness really shined through and the pasta's weird shape was nice for holding in the sauce. Only drawback was the table bread, which was a little oily and brittle tasting.
I can't believe I lived two blocks away from this gemstone and never really went here to eat! I'd only been for a glass of wine.
Anyway, my boss brought me here prior to my SF departure (sniff sniff) and I was totally blown away by the menu. First off our server recommended a fantastic glass of wine to accompany our meal. I ordered the strawberry salad for starters from the seasonal specials menu - I don't even like strawberries, so I'm not really sure why I ordered this, but I thank some lucky stars somewhere that I ordered this. It was amazing, perfect blend of sweet and savory (dressing and nuts); my boss also got this and was equally happy with his selection.
My entree was the ricotta gnocchi, I've only ordered this at one other place before (Zuni) and I didn't think it would compare, but it did, it was also really really tasty.
I ate so much at lunch, I had a major food coma, AND I was a little tipsy. =)
My husband and I went her recently for my birthday dinner, and I thought the food and service were both excellent.. The arugula and watermelon salad I had was one of the best salads I've had in years, and my short rib entree was was wonderful as well. It is a bit loud in the restaurant, but I've come to expect that from alot of San Francisco restaurants. We weren't rushed during our courses, but we weren't waiting around forever as well. Also, they brought out a nice cookie plate for me for my birthday!
The only reason I'm deducting one star is because of the wait we had for our table. We had a reservation, and still had to wait almost half an hour for our table. I might not have commented on this, but other Yelpers have mentioned it as well, so I think it might be an ongoing problem with this restaurant. They did give us a bit of a comp because of the wait, but I think they still need to work on the timing of their tables, especially on busy nights of the week when they are obviously fully booked.
Solid all-around experience. I'd normally post 3 stars, but everyone else enjoyed their dish so much that I have to up it to 4.
We had a group of 9 for two of our friends' bday celebration. Great menu selection, even a special menu for some truffle event.
Atmosphere/Location:
Excellent seating areas, great looking bar. Too many people standing around the entrance made it difficult to walk through.
Service:
Our server was good although missing at times. When we initially sat down we had some questions on the menu, but she as busy provided good service to other tables, so when itwas our turn, we got her undivided attention. Our food came out promptly.
Food:
Everyone gushed about how delicious their plates were, from the earthy delicious truffle ricotta gnocchi, the did i realy just eat tongue and feet massacrin plate, to the seasonally popularbutternut squash ravioli. I had th papperdelle with a short rib ragout and a side of the beans. I loved the beans... spicy kick, just enough bacon to give the dish an edge. I was not a fan of the paperdelle dish. It was missing something. There was a bit too much freshly grated horserdish, and not a sweet element to counterbalance. The flavor scale was sharply on the bitter side... perhaps some broccoli or another kind of vegetable would have calmed it down. The pasta and short ribs were delicious, it's just too bad that the horseradish overpowered the entire dish.
We all had dessert. Everyone loved what they ordered, but the olive oil chcolate cake and apple tart stood out.
Drinks:
Great wine list, but be ready to break the bank. The cheapest option for CabSauv was 49. They had some goodies ont he list too, such as an Opus One. I stayed in the mixed drinks section and enjoyed a cucmber lemon concoction as was overpowered by excessive mint use on the mojito.
All in all, 4 stars. I'm not sure if I would come back because the prices and selection of other restys in SF, but I would recommend it to anyone looking for some good vitlins.
Yum. This place has great food, great service, and a great atmosphere. I need to go back!
If you feel like being fabulous...Perbacco has a great atmosphere.
First, for price this place should go in the $$ 1/2, it's not quite in the $$$ range (at least not for lunch). Even though I was a schwein and got everything plus desert I think mine came out well south of $60, more towards $30 than 60. Compared to other rather fancy "status" restaurants in the area, value for money is quite good. I'm old school so if I'm paying over $30 for a meal it better be DAMN good...and I'm frugal and old school enough I don't even like to see expense account $$ wasted, although I'm certainly more likely to splurge and go out on a limb if it's someone elses' dime. If you're in downtown SF, see my reviews of several restaurants of this type ( Americano, VERY good, Osha Thai Embarcadero, Town Hall, not so good, but I hear the Osha Thai at Geary and Leavenworth is better)....but I digress.
Pretty much everything was perfect except my hanger steak was a bit on the too rare side (ordered med-rare) but rather have it that than overdone. Accompanying this was a very interesting heirloom tomato and toast side dish, slivers of green heirloom tomato underneath the steak. As appetizers our group of 4 ordered the misto fried rock shrimp, a concoction of deep fried shrimp, and fruits and veggies with a creamy sauce, and lemon. Very interesting. Ever had a deep fried lemon slice? Fried olive? Not bad! Also appetizer: seared squid with savory delicate greens, kalamata olives, cilantro, and other herbs. Quite tasty.
My companions ordered subrich (meatball type thing), pork shoulder, and short ribs. All were satisfied.
Oh yes! I almost forgot, the dessert was walnut stuffed figs with a wafer and goat cheese sorbet. Interesting, but not super sweet. ..there was too much else that looked good....something else next time!
The use of fruits in the cooking is quite interesting here, and you can tell that each component of the dish is important; the veggies are not an afterthought, as at too many other places. Overall, this is a very creative little Italian place that won't bust your wallet too badly.
Absolutely amazing restaurant. Very simple but well prepared food. We had reservations at 8, arrived at 8, and were seated in only a few minutes. Very efficient considering how busy they were.
We started with the salumi misto plate, it definitely didn't disappoint. I think my favorite was the blood sausage...excellent balance of flavors.
For my entree, I chose the hanger steak. I asked for it medium rare...more rare than medium and it came out absolutely perfect. The salad and potatoes were very simple but were delicious.
Our server was very attentive and knew the menu well. She even went as far to ask us if we wanted to wait to fire the entrees while we let the salumi plate settle. I love people who don't make assumptions.
Final price (including 2 bottles of wine) $160 for two people. Excellent value for the meal and atmosphere.
I can cross #18 off my list!
Oh, ask for the nduja. They have it. It's delicious.
Stepped in here after we were quoted a 30 minute wait at Tadich Grill and I'm glad we did. Our meal was fantastic. Great service, great food.
The nduja was AMAZING. Great pairing with the pickles. We also had their squid appetizer which was good but not mind blowing.
For our entrees we had gnocchi in a creamy cheese sauce and the short rib. Both were excellent. I have never had a gnocchi as soft and tender as this. Melt in your mouth. Maybe I've never really had gnocchi before... The bar has certainly been raised.
We were in a rush so we couldn't go for dessert, but I will definitely be back.
My second meal here followed many, many months of lusting to go back. The likelihood of disappointment was high, but Perbacco really pulled through. I think two aspects of their menu are really worth highlighting - the salumi and the pasta. The salumi might be cured on site, and if not, it's freshly sliced and there are several options every night. The pasta is freshly made and there are many, many unique options that don't involve words like Bolognese or manicotti. They have a (seemingly) new addition to the menu where you can do a pasta tasting for the table. It worked out wonderfully - we got 3 small pasta servings each which was basically the portion equivalent of an entree.
The wine list is great and my Barbera did not disappoint. There are probably 20 nice types of wine by the glass in addition to the numerous bottle choices. When I came here the first time, I had such outstanding cocktails that they could have been reason enough to come back. This time, my drink (the signature Perbacco) was good, but nothing to swoon over. I think it was a blip, so no poor marks on that account.
Go here! It's really, really great.
Perbacco is fantastic. I loved everything about this place. The vibe, the service and mainly the food. A friend who is a regular was able to get us a table at short notice which was nice.
We were a big party and tried a lot of dishes and they were all divine. The beef short rib stood out for me since it was so tender and flavorful.
I am not much of a seafood but my friends were raving about the selection of some pretty rare fish as well. Feels good to hand out a 5 star review after a while!
The food here was fantastic! We started with the salami appetizer and the squash blossom (I think thats what its called). The salami was good but the squash was excellent. Its deep fried in batter and stuffed with cheese.
I ordered the wide ribbon pasta which comes in a short ribs ragu (forget whats it called)..it was delicious but the sauce was less like a pasta sauce and more like a stew. My boyfriend ordered the steak and he loved it.
The dessert was to die for. We had the apple tart and a butterscotch creme caramel...the creme caramel was awesome!
Our waiter (blonde hair) was great. He was so nice and gave excellent service without the snooty attitude you get from some restaurants. Very attentive. We will definitely be back
I am a big fan and can't wait to get back. Have been there twice, most recently for a whisky seminar, and didn't get experience the actual restaurant all that much, but the food lived up to my past experience.
My first visit preceded a comedy show with a group of friends. I was impressed across the board. We all shared bite, the only way it should be done, and we all liked everything. I had veal tartar to start which was awesome, it was a large portion and seasoned perfectly which is common downfall among tartars. My friends got the ahi (I think) sashimi which was served on a giant salt block. It was excellent as well. I got the chicken which was served with an amazing crawfish and tomato sauce with crawfish tails. AMAZING. Two people got the short ribs and one got the steak. Everything was good.
Service was good. Our server was attentive and friendly. Nothing amazing but I believe she said she was relatively new, so I'm sure she'll become more familiar with the menu as she continues.
I will be back.
This place rocks!! The food is amazing! The service is wonderful too.
Like Dave K. I also had one of their "signature dishes, Tajarin -- Hand-cut Tagliatelle with Pork Sugo and Porcini Mushrooms. I really enjoyed it. I also had the Frito Misto of Rock Shrimp, Seasonal Beans, Olives, Fennel, and Lemon Aioli. All of it was very lightly breaded and batter fried. Yum! We shared a butterscotch cake for dessert that was out of this world! Check it out. You will love it.
Beth and I went to Perbacco with high expectations and were generally disappointed. Almost so that I didn't want to even write about it.
Like many SF restaurants in this mid-level space, Perbacco has all the requisite qualities to be an outstanding find:
* Striking design: 6K square-foot historic brick warehouse space with bold modern accents such as vaulted ceilings with blond wood beams, glass mirror wall panels that attempt to open the space up further, and marble-topped bar that extends the length of the main hall
* Robust menu: Several dozen regional Italian dishes that cause your mouth to water
* Equally impressive wine menu
But the food. Meh.
We tried several dishes, starting with the herb ricotta gnocchi with roasted wild mushrooms and the potato gnocchi with duck ragu (the former was weak, the latter was a'ight) and then the beef short ribs and duck sugo (again, former was poor, the latter was good). Service was so-so, friendly but nothing to write home about.
For the price and vibe, the food should be so much better and so I relegate Perbacco to the realm occupied by the many dozen SF restaurants that are long on style and short on substance. So don't worry Perbacco, you won't be lonely in exile.
This place is nice, cute! Great for an after work drink and dinner, since it's conveniently located in the financial district. Very nice hostess. Atmosphere is on the louder side though. And tables are all crammed together, not much privacy. More of a social place.
I would rate the service from our waiter as a 1 to 2 stars. For a fine dining establishment, the service we received was terrible. It took us a really long time to put in our order. He wasn't really friendly, pretty rude, and we had to flag him down quite a few times. Not very attentive to his tables. Gosh, I'm not sure how he even got a job here!
Anyhow... onto the food and drinks...
The drinks were tasty. The manhattan was strong, but good. The peach punch was also flavorful, with a taste of real peach.
The breadsticks they gave you were a nice treat as you waited for your order. The batsoa, which is a crisp pig trotter's cake had a hint of foie grad, which complimented it really well. You can taste how rich it was. For my entree, I had the semolina dusted skate. The fish was well prepared and tasted pretty fresh. The lobster mushroom and artichoke ragu was okay. I don't think I tasted much lobster at all though. The halibut was also decent. However, I noticed the portion size seemed inconsistent.
For desert, we tried the Peach & amaretto tart, which was a real treat! The peachy tart paired well with the almond. The gelato was a real treat. Super smooth and creamy. We couldn't tell whether it was gelato or cream! Yummy and a nice finish to our meal! ;)
The fiance and I went here for a nice little anniversary dinner on Saturday night. Although we had a reservation, we still had to wait a little bit (and it seems like they were trying to get us a particular table until we said we'd just take anything since there were like 5 other open tables).
We started off with the tuna tartare, which was average. But then we had the trotter and, OMG heaven! It was so amazing that the fiance ordered another one! Fried pig's feet topped with foie gras has to be one of God's gifts to mankind. We didn't think much could measure up to that, but we were floored with our duck breast and steak. The sizes were ample--we definitely could have shared an entree. The staff was very efficient and helpful and even brought us out some free ice cream to celebrate our anniversary dinner.
Overall a very delicious pick--perfect for a nice evening out.
I would consider Perbacco your typical FiDi business lunch or fancy dinner spot. I would not normally consider it as a place where you'd have a casual dinner date with your sisters and your new baby niece...
My sisters, one of whom had a baby very recently, and I wanted to get together for a nice dinner. We chose Perbacco because the menu was scrumptious! What we hadn't realized was that Perbacco is a really nice restaurant with fancy, well-heeled patrons, and beautiful decor. I felt a little embarassed trying to fit my 3.5-month old niece at our table, because the high chair wouldn't work with her car-seat, but the host and the servers were really accomodating and we managed to make the baby comfortable in a regular chair.
Not a single person stared at us in horror, which was really surprising, even when my sister started to breastfeed! I give Perbacco 5 stars because it serves delicious food without any pretension.
The food was beautifully plated, and just plain yummy. We had:
- salumi 'nduja platter (with soft, spreadable salumi, which was different but still delicious) - $8
- roasted beets and arugula salad - $10
- roasted octopus salad - $12
- burrata chese/heirloom tomato/arugula salad - $11
- tajarin (handcut tagliatelle and pork sugo) - $16
- pappardelle with short rib ragu - $17
- brown butter cake for dessert, and a complimentary Italian chocolate plate
*Total dinner tab plus a Chimay was just under $100 not including tip. How much more reasonable can you get?!?
Everything we had was simply delicious, and I would order it all again, though I'll likely venture to other items on the menu because there are so many! The burrata cheese app was especially noteworthy, as it just melts in your mouth. I also love how our server automatically separated the pasta onto three dishes so we didn't have to divvy up the portions ourselves. I really would consider this a fabulous value for your money, as we all left stuffed and incredibly happy.
I am absolutely returning to Perbacco when I'm feeling in the mood for a beautiful sit-down dinner with excellent service and delectable food.
Finally.....Perbacco! Been wanting to check out Perbacco for some time, and so so glad I did! Loved the bubbles and the appetizers! Comfortable well spirited atmosphere!
What an excellent dinning experience. Our server was AMAZING! She was so great. 6 stars for her.
We started with a salumi plate- you can't go wrong here- it was so freaking good.
Then we shared the anglotti- wow- what a treat. It came heavily recommended and passed the test with flying colors.
Then we shared/split the rabbit and quail.
I got the quail (luckily and it was very good!) Def a good choice. The rabbit was so-so .. a little too rough... perhaps over cooked.
We took a NICE bottle of FREEMARK ABBEY wine- omg- ridiculous. It was a 92 Cab Bosche. REDICK!
We then shared some tasty dessert.. forgot that it was.. hmm.. but remember it being delicious.
Will def go back.
Also, it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. It was totally worth it.. will def go back.
I took my friend to Perbacco for her birthday. She has dined here a few times, this was my first and it was fabulous. My friend and I shared the Fritto with Rock Shrimp appetizer with seasonal beans, olives, and fennel. I'm not a huge fennel fan but this dish was lightly battered and all the flavors came together. I enjoyed eating my entire share of it. My friend ordered the Market Salad - seasonal mix greens and I ordered the Heirloom tomato salad with basil; very tasty. For our entrees, my friend ordered the Petrale Sole and I had the Butternut Squash Ravioli with sage brown sugar. For desert we shared the Burnt Caramel and Tahitian sea salt gelato; very good if you like a salty and sweet combination. The atmosphere was nice, very busy with business lunch parties. Over all I was impressed with everything. I will recommend this restaurant to friends and collogues.
old world italian dining with a california twist . warm service offsets the industrial atmosphere. phenomenal wine list.
( must-try items: agnolotti and lamb ragu)
Cost per person to do it right: $40
Consistently good meals here are the expectation. The salumi is excellent, crudo is always worth it, pastas are fresh and the fish is thoughtful and well executed.
So, it's Italian food done by a Swedish chef with some serious classical know-how. Strangely enough, it's amazing. The staple truffle gnocchi with wild mushrooms and goat cheese/sweet pea ravioli are effing amazing for the price (and in general). In fact, I would describe the worst dish I've had here--vitello tonnato--as "good." With the changing menu and relaxed ambiance, this is a place that you should hit with some regularity. Also, it doesn't hurt to try the things that sound a little odd or are new to the menu; the kitchen staff will sometimes brush against genius on such dishes.
While the wait staff is very helpful and polite, I sometimes find their constant, formal service a little extensive when I just stop in for lunch on a weekday, but the effort is still appreciated. As for stopping in on any day, you probably won't want to drive. Fortunately, it's only a few blocks from the BART station.
Verdict: Dynamic menu that pleases on all fronts. Reasonable prices and semi-formal atmosphere make it good for anything from special occasions to weekday lunch runs.
Food: They seem to have a thing for watermelons - which appear in a number of their salads. We had the watermelon and bluefin tuna salad, which was unusual, but surprisingly good.
Service: In our OpenTable reservation we had put in a special request for a quiet table, as we had a romantic occasion to celebrate. They certainly didn't disappoint! Without any fuss they seated us at a cozy, semi-private table in the corner - perfectly done.
Extras: On their website they tell you that "Perbacco" is an Italian word to accentuate positive comments. Our experience there inspires nothing but!
A friend recommended this place to me for Mother's Day dinner for my wife. I have NO regrets. Okay, fellas, here's a recipe to put that smile on your woman's face:
1. Make reservation. Request a seat on the second level, in the back. the front near the bar area can get really loud.
2. Browse Rossi & Rovetti's website. They're a premium, highly regarded florist in San Francisco. Make your selection, and give instructions on where and when to deliver to Perbacco for your dinner evening.
3. Call Perbacco and make them note the florist delivery. Call back two more times later (a couple days before the dinner, and then again on the day of) to CONFIRM everything is scheduled as you want.
4. Take her to dinner. Forget street parking. Pay the money for valet and save yourself some stress. On the side confirm with the waiter/waitress that the flowers are in position BEFORE you are taken to the table.
5. Watch her reaction and rejoice your credit card was put to good use!
6. Order dinner and enjoy Perbacco's delicious menu items. Have a sentimental, romantic conversation. Have a card ready in which you've expressed your love, and possibly a gift to be served with dessert. The rest, gentlemen, I leave to your imagination.
Quality of Food: A+
Quality of Service: A+
General layout and setting: B+
Happy Hour and Football…
Neighborhood: Western…
3 courses Prix fixe $31.95
Neighborhood: Mission
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Seafood
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