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Pesce
Category: Restaurants Seafood Seafood [Edit]
2227 Polk St(between Bonita St & Green St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Neighborhoods: Nob Hill, Russian Hill
(415) 928-8025
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Classy, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
548 reviews for Pesce
Review Highlights
-
"Squid Ink Risotto ($11) -- Highly recommended." In 58 reviews -
"Crab Tower - would highly recommend." In 89 reviews -
"Had these 4 small plates and loved each of them." In 83 reviews
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548 reviews in English
-
Review from Leslie H.
5/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
What can I say that hasn't already been said about Pesce? This is a tiny neighborhood place that has seating for maybe 35 people total. The tables are usually reserved, but the bar is first-come, first served, so it's best to try the counter when your group is only a few people.
We started out with a wine recommendation from the bar server. The Alicat syrah that he suggested was REALLY tasty and made for good sipping with the complimentary bread. My favorite dish was definitely the scallops, but I was SO disappointed that we only got 3 measly quarter-sized scallops for $13. We got some extra bread to sop up the absolutely scrumptious truffle, cream, mushroom sauce. We also go the pappardelle with braised duck and porcini sauce. My sister LOVED this, saying that it was exactly what she craves when she wants pasta. The size wasn't huge, but it was definitely filling. I got in a few bites, but she mostly devoured it. That's okay though, because I got my own deliciousness in the form of the risotto di mare. There was definitely much more seafood than I expected. I though it would be a bowl of creamy rice with a couple pieces of seafood. Instead, it looked more like a dry cioppino, there were so many mussels, clams, pieces of fish, and head and shell-on shrimp. The rice was also cooked to perfection. The portion size of the risotto was quite large. I think that the dishes at Pesce are deceptively large. They call them small plates, so you expect only a few bites, but we were stuffed full with three dishes and two glasses of wine.
Service was friendly and efficient without being intrusive.
I would definitely return to Pesce. I want to try the crab linguine and maybe the entree-sized lobster spaghetti. I'll be back!Listed in: My favorite places to eat!
-
Review from Yuk L.
Brooklyn, NY
5/21/2012
Visited a friend in San Fran that wanted to try this place for the longest time. Told her I wanted seafood and she recommended this place because of great reviews. I wasn't dissappointed.
This a tapas restaurants so the dishes are meant to be small and shared. My friends and I probably ordered too many dishes - six for 3 people but we didn't regret it. My favorite was the squid ink risotto, but I always like anything with squid ink. Their favorite was the pan seared scallops with wild mushrooms. It was pretty good with 4 perfectly seared pieces of scallops. We were almost tempted to order a second dish. These two dishes stood out the most to me but I remember liking everything else we ordered. Great food! One of my favorite meals in San Fran.
If you want a good non alcoholic drink, I suggest getting the Sweet Georgia. It was a sparkling soda with peach puree and mint. Refreshing! -
Review from Claudine V.
San Francisco, CA
5/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
I am giving this place 1 star for the great service and good drink and that is it. The food- pricey and small servings. I ordered the Dungeness Crab with Linguine and I literally got 2 small itsy bitsy piece of the Crab and the rest were all noodles. Really??? Might as well change the name of this dish in the menu and just say - Linguini with a TOUCH of DUNGENESS CRAB.
So dissappointed.. Left that place still hungry and wanting more food.
I definitely would not come back to this place . There are so many other good places like this in North Beach and Mission. Beretta is still my first love..... -
Review from Suz L.
San Francisco, CA
5/21/2012
It's a great neighborhood restaurant.
-
Review from Ziyan C.
5/4/2012 9 photos
What a lovely dinner we had here! Just about everything was delicious. I can't believe I've lived a block and a half away for a year and have never tried Pesce. They were also really patient with us as we were waiting for our whole group to arrive and then took our time catching up before looking at the menu (and then being really indecisive). Will definitely be coming back.
The most disappointing dishes were the ones my vegetarian friend ordered =(. I felt bad, but well.. I'm not a vegetarian so I walked away happy ;).
MUST-HAVES: Pappardelle, gnocchi, scallops!! And Crostatina for dessert.
~~DRINKS~~
*PIMM'S CUP - 3 stars
(pimm's no 1, gingerbeer, cucumber)
A little on the strong side (in terms of the alcohol), but I am a lightweight. The ginger flavor didn't come through as much as I wished.
* ANTICA - 4 stars
(spiced rum, amaretto, orange)
Also strong, but balanced better by a nice tart refreshing flavor.
~~COLD DISHES~~
* Sardine - 3.5 stars
(Grilled sardines, mixed greens and pickled vegetables. $8)
Surprisingly nice - I've never thought much of sardines before but these were grilled lightly and had a good crisp when you bit into them. It's offset well by the simple salad.
~~HOT DISHES~~
* Pappardelle - 5 stars
(Wide noodles with braised duck and porcini sauce. $12)
OMG this was fantastic! We all loved this. The noodles had the perfect soft texture and the duck cooked to be perfectly tender. It was a really salty dish but it worked incredibly well - no complaints at all!
* Maiale Al Latte - 5 stars
(Milk braised pork, gnocchi, pancetta and sage. $15)
Another fantastic one! Salty once again yet still delicious, and the gnocchi was cooked perfectly through, soft and chewy. The sauce was creamy and just thick enough to coat the gnocchi without being overly oily/fatty.
* Cioppino - 4 stars
(Mixed seafood and spicy saffron-tomato stew. $17)
A nice stew with a big mix of flavors and seafoods. We split this into several bowls and there was so much variety that just about everyone got a slightly different (but good!) experience. There were also chunks of cornbread-like material that were somewhat of a mystery (I was the only one who had any in my bowl).
* Capesante - 4 stars
(Pan seared scallops with wild mushrooms, green onions, cream and truffle essence. $13)
Perfectly seared scallops in a really delicious cream sauce!
* Arrabbiata - 3 stars
(Penne pasta, garlic, basil and spicy tomato sauce. $8)
Really simple, nothing very special about this dish.
* Risotto Asparagi - 2.5 stars
(Asparagus risotto with crescenza cheese. $13)
Very, very bland flavor-wise! Big disappointment.
* Tiramisu - 3 stars
(espresso, ladyfingers, vanilla and a touch of rum. $7)
I'm biased because I don't usually like tiramisu that much, but my friends enjoyed this! We liked the that they added powdered cocoa on top in the design of their fish logo =).
* Crostatina - 4.5 stars
(Raspberry tart, vanilla custard, lemon-honey. $7)
Loooved this. Love love. A wonderfully tart/sweet dessert, the sweet coming from the custard and the tart from the raspberry, plus a big of crunch from the crust! (which was a little too firm - the only reason this doesn't get 5 stars) -
Review from Bhavnak K.
San Francisco, CA
5/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love this place and keep coming back - must be the crazy vodka oyster shots - the hot sauce adds a crazy kick to them!
Seafood is fresh here and cooked with the right flavors...I've tried a few dishes and they were all pretty delicious...squid ink rissotto, crab tower, lobster spaghetti....
Service is always great! Dining area is fairly small so prob recommend this for date nights or smaller groups... -
Review from Salina T.
San Francisco, CA
4/22/2012
Classy locale, perfect for a dinner on Polk St--Don't forget to make reservations!
Highly recommend:
(+) Scallops in mushroom sauce - rich, succulent, meaty.. perfect!
(+) Lobster spaghetti - absolutely divine! this dish is more entre-sized than others on the menu, replete with half a hunka lobster and a good portion of pasta to go with it.
Everything was fresh and perfectly cooked. Very satisfying for those seafood-kinda nights! -
Review from Jennifer T.
San Francisco, CA
3/28/2012
Made reservations for a group of 6 on a weekday for dinner, but realized we probably didnt have to since it was fairly empty.
food was above average but not great. prices were worse.
our group left hungry but still paid about $50 each. probably wont come again. but if i did get lured in, id probably skip the cocktail and spend it on another entree instead. probably the milk pork one.
+1 star for nice service. -
Review from Jessica A.
San Francisco, CA
4/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Little romantic joint. Two small dinning areas separated by the long bar, where you can also dine. This is pretty much fish/pasta tapas. Great service, fresh food.
Must have:
SALMONE AFFUMICATO -- Huge highlight for me. The horseradish cream really delighted me. Smoked salmon was so fresh.
ARRABBIATA - al dente prepared, simple & spicy sauce, good portion for price
ZUCCA - great side veggie dish (Kabocha squash) when needing a change from all the pasta/fish.
Really should have:
CRAB TOWER - all fresh crab meat tightly together in a "tower shape". light tasting (avocado, cucumber, mint). It was a bit pricy for the portion (2 people comfortably) but definitely really good. I'll end up getting it again im sure.
RISOTTO AL CALAMARI - black squid ink buttery risotto. yes please.
Overall; great neighborhood feel with excellent fresh food. We came hungry, ordered 4 small plates + 1 veggie side, left very full. -
Review from Dina H.
San Francisco, CA
3/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
Seafood tapas! Tasty but also pricey.
Crab tower - Very sour and salty (which I don't mind, but it was too much for Mike)
Crab Linguine - DROOL. Very good ... the white wine butter sauce has a nice little kick to it.
Squid ink risotto - good but not amazing
Scallops - STOLE THE SHOW! Too bad there were only four :( It's served with this amazing mushroom cream sauce ... my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
This really teeters between 3 and 4 stars for me. I really enjoyed the food, but thought it was a little overpriced. -
Review from SF A.
Roseville, CA
5/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
So yummy! The scallops and Brussel sprouts were awesome. And the crab tower, oh the crab tower! Make reservations and try here!
-
Review from Therese F.
San Francisco, CA
I'm usually a fan of small plates because I love ordering a variety of food to pick on, but after eating here, I'd prefer otherwise for seafood dishes. Even though the quality of the food was fresh, the portions were pretty dinky and I felt gypped by the end of the meal.
My friends and I shared the dishes below:
1. Scallops - Delicious! The sweet and savory creamy sauce made this dish the biggest hit of the night.
2. Pappardelle - I loved the soft, bouncy texture of the flat noodles along with the porcini sauce. (second favorite)
Lobster Spaghetti - The sweet tomato sauce was too light for me. It was good, but it did not wow me.
3. Crab Tower - Loved the presentation, loved the fresh crab meat, but for $16?!? Not worth it!
4. Cioppino - I've had better.
5. Calamari - They certainly did not place this dish in the wrong category of small plates because this seriously was the smallest plate for $10. Not worth ordering! -
Review from Danielle R.
San Francisco, CA
3/15/2012
I love pesce! it's a small plate place, so go hungry with an open mind!
The scallops are my all-time favorite thing they have on the menu. SO good SO tasty SO decadent. Everything has so much flavor and is very rich, so even though the plates are small, you feel very satisfied.
Not a lot in terms of non-seafood items so don't bring someone who doesnt like fish or is allergic to shellfish, they will not enjoy as much as you!
The service is also great, the bartenders and servers have great recommendations. Always good specials, especially for drinks! The blood orange martini = YUM!
Make sure you make reservations because it's a tiny place and fills up fast. -
Review from Michael S.
San Francisco, CA
1/28/2012
I was really impressed by this meal. The plates are smaller than a normal single serve portion, so think tapas. I recommend looking at the photos of this biz, it will make your mouth water :).
I'll review each dish individually:
Wide noodles with duck -- I still dream about them!
Lamb shank -- it looks amazing and is fab.
Fish w/ olives and spicy tomato sauce -- I love olives, what can I say.
Overall outstanding. I don't usually give 5 stars, but this meal won the coveted 5 stars from me.
One recommendation to Pesce, heat up the bread! -
Review from Jess K.
2/21/2012
Great neighborhood spot. Quaint, somewhat small seafood restaurant that boasts a long bar with plenty of seating, which is where we opted to sit for dinner. Reservations are recommended, we walked in on a Friday and the wait was a little over an hour... my only comment was that the seating wasn't maximized, two-tops were sitting at four-top tables. I was so hungry at one point I wouldn't have minded sharing the table with two strangers!
Will, the bartender, was welcoming and greeted us with a huge smile and recommendations when asked. We started and ended our meal with the oyster shooters, very fresh with a bit of spicy cocktail sauce.
We ordered the grill octopus appetizer, which was served with potatoes- I enjoyed the pairing and the octopus was cooked perfectly, all the ingredients were so fresh. We also ordered the crab tower, which was stalked high resting on a nice pesto sauce. The appetizer portions were well-sized, not too small and perfect to share.
For our entree we shared the tuna bolognese, it was delicious! My favorite meal of the evening. The bolognese was seasoned perfectly and the pasta grabbed the sauce perfectly. I don't typically indulge in pasta, but this was well worth it!
Would definitely come back, I'm glad we ended up sitting at the bar, Will was a great host and served us some great recommendations. -
Review from Natalie G.
San Francisco, CA
1/16/2012
Pesce was one of the best meals I have had in a while. Simply amazing food! The cocktails aren't too shabby either :)
I arrived at 6:30 on a Friday night and was told the next table wouldn't open up till 9pm. No problem, we don't mind sitting at the long bar! THey told us to grab a drink next door and they would let us know when it opened up. Smart move! 15 minutes later we were seated.
Normally I don't sit at the bar unless it's a sushi restaurant, but honestly this was the best experience. We ordered about 6 appetizers. Some of my favorites were including the white anchovy bruschetta and the crab tower. They were both so tasty! The crab tower was nice cause it was more filling, and the bruschetta was smaller, just one piece each. Just enough to leave you wanting more! The oysters on special were also so fresh. I recommend the beet carpaccio too if you want salad. It had pecorino ricotta too, which i love.
The service was great too. The bartender that served us was knowledgeable on all the dishes and gave great recommendations. We will be back. -
Review from Rafael Y.
San Francisco, CA
4/9/2012
Came here with the gf on an impromptu date night since it's two blocks from my apartment. It was not my first time here, but enough time had passed that all I remembered about the place was the great crab tower and an overall sense of satisfaction from the meal.
Both memories were reinforced.
We started off with a dozen malpeques and two oyster shots with the chipotle vodka, both very good. The mignonette was nice and the oyster shot had a kick!
As a pre-dinner cocktail, I had the bellini stregato, which had a nice touch of spice but was not too spicy.
This was followed by the crab tower, capesante (scallops), squid ink risotto. They were out of the scalloped potatoes so we went with the asparagus. All of the food was delicious, though my favorite was the crab tower with the risotto being a close second.
For dessert, we had the valentino, which was delicious as well, if just a fancier version of a brownie bowl. The accompanying coffee was nice and strong.
Definitely a must visit in Russian Hill. -
Review from Jason M.
12/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Find a partner, be in the mood for vino, sharing is caring. Follow those three things and you'll have a similar experience to what I'm about to describe.
Pesce has an amazing selection of appetizers that pair nicely with a solid wine list. I recommend getting the calamari, it's incredibly fresh and not the traditional breading you might expect.
You MUST get the scallops and here's why. Pesce has really fresh bread, you will like it, trust me. The scallops come on a plate of delicious sauce that I'm unable to explain. When you're done housing your scallops, take the bread, AND DIP IT IN THE FREAKING SAUCE. Repeat this step until you run out of bread. I ate at the bar with a friend so they kept the bread a'flowin.
There's a handful of delicious pinots, get a bottle and enjoy. The pinot's pair nicely with almost every item. If it's ever too busy to eat at Pesce, you can always go to Street or La Folie, both within a stones-throw. -
Review from Krystyn C.
San Francisco, CA
4/8/2012
super yummy drinks, crab tower and scallops were awesome but the seating was shitty with a bit of an uppity vibe. Will def. go back tho. ;)
-
Review from Giu G.
San Francisco, CA
4/13/2012
We started out with octopus salad and calamari(not fried), and we finished with risotto in squid ink and pappardelle.............and i have to say that everything was tasty.
this is a unique italian rest that serves a few main courses dishes in their 20$, and a variety of tapas size pastas and appetizer, it gets crowded on weekends. -
Review from Shirin E.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2012
4.5 really! The food was fresh and tasty. We got the tuna and a jon dori both cooked to perfection and tastefully seasoned. Service was specifically good, and ambiance was romantic yet causal. It also has a small bar area. I'll definitely go again.
Second attempt: got a few pasta dishes. This place continues to be one of my favs on Polk! -
Review from Anna B.
San Francisco, CA
3/7/2012
Really love this place! Tried ink risotto, pork with gnocchi, lamb, octopus, duck with pasta- all pretty damn good! And they are super nice!
-
Review from Stephanie M.
San Francisco, CA
11/23/2011
Pesce is fantastico! Great for a date or max 4-6 people. It's small, dark, and affordable. Our waitress Mayra was very sweet and I thought it was cute she had the hiccups. She seemed to cure it with bitters and lime, interesting, who would have thought..
I really enjoyed the bellini to start off with the salmon bruschetta, oysters, and oyster shots. The entrees are really small and its better to share. If you are 2 people, i'd recommend:
Have these two first (they combine quite nicely):
*Calamari
Grilled Monterey squid with grilled fennel & spicy heirloom "pappa al pomodoro"
*Risotto al Funghi
Porcini mushroom risotto, fontina chesse and truffle-panna
*Rucola
*Crab Tower
Then have these (not combined):
*Linguine al Granchio
Dungeness crab meat linguine with garlic and white wine
*Pappardelle
Wide noodles with braised duck and porcini sauce
*Roasted Snapper
Finish it with Tiramisu or the chocolate cake sundae with gelato, cena perfetta! -
Review from Matt Z.
Chicago, IL
3/13/2012
Amazing Manhattan cocktail! Scallops were awesome perfectly cooked in a lemon saffron sauce and the John Dory fish could be the best dish I've ever eaten!
-
Review from Sung C.
San Francisco, CA
11/19/2011
For the price, I would expect better food.
Recommendations: milk braised pork, crab linguini, and squid ink risotto.
I wouldn't go back for the crab tower as it was blend and disappointing. -
Review from Seth G.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2012
Simply put, we ordered several small plates and every single one was fantastic! 5 Stars!
We had:
Beet Salad - Cool and flavorful
Warm Anchovies - Salty and just the right combo of flaky and crispy
Crab Linguine - The delicate crab melted into the garlic and butter sauce
Tuna Spaghetti - Superb! Just a touch spicy.. the tuna sauce was rich and the pasta was the perfect al dente.
Garlic Squash with Almonds - Perfect texture and just a touch sweet
Vanilla Gelato with Apricot Bread Pudding - Mmm
Very affordable for fine dining! The bill was only $75 including two drinks and tax. -
Review from Jeff C.
San Francisco, CA
10/8/2011
Great place to get your small plates on!
Pesce is a seafood bar and they have a good section of cold plates, hot plates, and entree size dishes.
My girlfriend and I started off with fresh oysters and yes.. it was very very fresh and good. We got three different ones and they each came with their own dipping sauce. A must try here are the scallops. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the sauce that came with the scallops were equally as god. We cleaned the plate with our bread. We also got a few other dishes including the Pappardelle and they were all good.
Good food combined with good service = a good dinner.
Our stomachs couldn't fit anymore food, but we'll definitely be back to try to squid ink risotto! -
Review from Corey B.
San Francisco, CA
12/29/2011
Although I seldom give five stars, this night was the perfect storm of great service, good food and wine and a comfy atmosphere. The oyster recommendation was spot on. The server allowed us to try a few wines before purchasing a bottle. The Capesante (scallops) was brilliant, and its sauce so exquisite. We mopped up every last drop with bread. For an entree, we enjoyed the lobster spaghetti, flavorful and fresh from Maine. While I've never been keen on bread pudding, the Budino Dell'Antica - vanilla gelato resting on cinnamon-apricot bread pudding - was a marvelous finish to the evening.
On busy nights, it can be very noisy (like most SF dining spots). But if you can tolerate a little noise, you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Geoff F.
Carmichael, CA
3/14/2012
Just had a really nice meal. Service was outstanding. Our server, Myra was wonderful and knew her menu. Crab tower was a bit salty but still delicious. The scallops were amazing and the cream sauce worth every piece of bread to sop it up. The tuna bolognese and calabrese chiliis was spicy, delicious, al dente and really, really good. The wine list is short but well thought out. All in all, a nice, small, neighborhood place well worth diving into. .
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Review from Romeo and Lola C.
San Francisco, CA
10/1/2011
We just loved our dinner at Pesce.
We tried the following:
Alici bruschetta-love those white anchovies
Tortino-the risotto cake had some really crunchy spots that were tough to eat but it was still delicious
Pappardelle-AMAZING
Capesante-very good
We will definitely be back to try more (next time via cab though b/c parking is a b*tch).
If I had a complaint it would be the cushion on the bench seating in back could be firmer but I forgot all about it when the food arrived :) -
Review from Stephen A.
Santa Rosa, CA
12/27/2011
Pesce goes to the top of our list of favorite SF restaurants. Cocktails were fabulous. Service excellent. We sat at the bar which was fun with the personable bartender. And the food. Ah, the food. Heavenly. Get the scallops. And get the bread to savor all the amazing sauce. Then the risotto made with squid ink. Then the fresh crab linguine with garlic. These are small plates, but very large in memory. And the dessert, an apricot bread pudding with vanilla gelato, that may have been the best dessert since the Big Bang.
Go to Pesce....immediately. -
Review from Marina S.
San Francisco, CA
11/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
I fell in love with this little restaurant. Granted, we had some drama earlier that evening with a reservation at a different place, so we found ourselves trying to find a place for dinner, without reservations, on a busy Saturday night. All three restaurants we walked to on Polk had 2-3 hour wait, and we were beginning to despair. Walking past Pesce, we looked in, and it seemed like a really cute place to have dinner at. Luckily for us, some spaces were opening up at the bar, so we were able to sit down within 10 minutes of walking in.
The atmosphere in the place is very intimate and the restaurant has a family owned feel to it. Everything my friend and I tried was fantastic. We started off with a 1/2 dozen of fresh oysters. Per bartender's suggestion, we first ordered a couple of each kind of oysters that they carry to determine our favorite. Good call. By far, Fanny Bay were our favorites, so we ordered another 1/2 dozen of those only. Yummers. They came with a couple of different sauces and some horseradish.
Next, we had Capesante and Agnello. The scallops were extremely tender and the cream sauce with truffle essence was fantastic. Too bad I only got one!!! The lamb was super tender as well and practically melted in my mounth (not in my hands). I loved the sause on the lamb as well. Between those two dishes and oysters, we were full, which was quite surprising, considering they were supposed to be small plates.
The only downside, I would say, as others have mentioned before, is the boring bread. I wasn't even tempted enough to try a piece, which, in retrospect, my waist will thank me for :-)
I will definitely be back for more. -
Review from Shannon E.
San Francisco, CA
10/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've only been here once but I was a huge fan of this spot! My boyfriend and I headed in for dinner while we were out and about in the city and I immediately fell in love with Pesce's menu. I'm always a fan of small plates and this place does it right. They have a good selection of hot and cold tapas perfect for anyone that loves seafood. The atmosphere is nice -- on the quiet side with an intimate vibe.
We ended up ordering the salmone affumicato, the crab tower, polpo and the capesante and were beyond happy with our order. We weren't overly hungry, so the four plates sufficed, but I would wager than 2 -3 plates per person is a good estimate for food. The salmon bruschetta was great and the crab tower was fresh and bright. The scallops and octopus were both INCREDIBLE. The octopus was cooked perfectly and the scallops were arguably the best I've ever had. Awesome all around. I can imagine that this place will be on our radar again when we make our official move to the city. Delish! -
Review from Paul G.
Berkeley, CA
9/5/2011
We stumbled on this on a one night stay-cation in the City and having no tables available, we ate at the bar....The waiter was really engaging and helpful, offered lots of good suggestions and the result was a tremendous experience.
Started with delicious, very simple arugula salad....there wasn't a great selection of greens/veggies to balance out the great selection of small plates dominated by pasta and seafood, so we just had a simple salad. It was fine. Reminded us that we don't need to pile on 10 ingredients in our salads every day: feta, red onion, nectarine, avocado, kalamata olives, etc. Nice.
But then it went from nice to delicious.....scallops with porcini cream sauce were perfectly seared and absolutely delicious. We needed extra bread to soak up the wonderful sauce. Two suggestions, a tad less heavy on the salt....we mentioned this to the bartender/waiter and he said that he would mention it....it being a Sunday it was not the regular chef and that he had heard the salt complaint before. It wasn't as if it ruined anything,...obviously, but less salt would have been better. second suggestion, a more interesting bread....see below
The bartender also recommended a delicious Banshee Sauvignon Blanc that was the wine of the night.... Then we had the papardelle with a ragu of tomato, porcini cream and duck breast. Amazing.... My wife had the spaghetti with crab, olive oil and garlic which was also awesome.
Quibbles preventing a 5 star: bread was boring. With so many great bakeries in the area, it is too easy to get excellent bread. But Pesce served a simple french sweet airy bread with no chew or flavor....it still worked soaking up the sauce to the scallop dish. A tad too much salt in most dishes (even the salad).... again, not ruinous at all, but less is more. More options in the veggie, salad world. But overall, tremendous service (thank you Mr. bartender/waiter), excellent food, nice selection of wines and a very nice neighborhood haunt feel. Great stuff -
Review from Jen B.
Laguna Niguel, CA
2/27/2012
We had the: crab appetizer, w/avocado (delicious), then split the squid risotto--slightly over cooked and didn't have a lot of taste. The one at Capinnina was WORLDS better, we than shared their fish special with olives capers tomatoes (puttanesca style), it was a whole fish. They de-boned it in the kitchen for us. With the exception of finding lots of bones throughout our meal it was absolutely divine. The sauce and fish were cooked to perfection. and it was only 24$ for a whole fish (small). Drinks were fantastic. I had some citrusy one with egg-whites and my boyfriend had the cucumber gimlet (I think). Overall it was a great meal, but i have had better risotto. I would be excited to go back and try other choices on their menu though. They had a special the lobster linguine, I would definitely try that in the future.
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Review from Shirleyanne Z.
San Francisco, CA
1/20/2012
Loverboy and I had dinner with his father at this restaurant because they were craving seafood. The lighting was dim and it would be a romantic spot for a date. We had reservations so seating was not a problem. The service was great and our food arrived pretty quickly. The portion sizes were extremely small for the price that we paid. Even their drinks were small. I ordered three bellinis and didn't feel anything. I didn't want to order more because I didn't want Loverboy's dad to think I'm a lush.
For starters, we ordered the oysters which I wasn't a big fan of. Loverboy and his dad really liked them but I got one that wasn't too fresh and had a funky taste to it. We also ordered the scallops which was amazing! They were so tender and fresh and I wanted to lick the sauce off the plate because it was so delicious. The sauce was so savory and I think that's because of the truffle essence. I really would have picked up the plate and licked it if Loverboy's dad wasn't sitting in front of me. He's a prim and proper British bloke and I didn't want him to think that his son is dating a crazy animal. Loverboy ordered the crab linguine that was light and flavorful. They cooked the noodles just the way I like it (al dente) but Loverboy wasn't as big of a fan of it. He thought it was just ok. I also liked the Papardelle noodles with the duck. The sauce was pretty rich and I think it went well with the thick noodles. Loverboy's dad had the lobster spaghetti. That too had a delicious sauce and I think they put enough lobster in it. The lobster was cooked properly and was so fresh. The sauce didn't overpower the sweet delicate taste of the lobster.
I would definitely go back and try their other plates. I was pretty happy with my meal. -
Review from Mel G.
1/15/2012
Delicious. I came here with a good friend this evening, and everything was delectable. The oyster selection is wonderful, and I ordered the pappadelle, which had a lot of flavor, the duck was really tender, and overall -- just delicious. 4 stars = yes, it is a bit pricy for the portion size, otherwise I would have given it a 5. Wonderful ambiance, too -- nice 'n cozy.
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Review from Guillaume R.
San Francisco, CA
9/6/2011
Small plates make the dining experience very playful. Italian+ Seafood is a huge winner. The staff is very nice even when they tell you it's packed and you have to wait 2 hours to sit at the bar :)
Yes, this place is small, yes they take reservations so my first advice is to go there and my second advice is to make a reservation. -
Review from Dave C.
San Francisco, CA
7/27/2011
This was our second time at Pesce, and we have enjoyed both visits. Prices are a bit high, and the synthesized club music was gratingly monotonous, but we could find little else to detract from a wonderful meal.
The pork with gnocchi was perfect with the Barbera, and the scallops were done perfectly. The grilled squid is always a winner, and the short wine list is at least well chosen and, given the food prices, rather reasonable. A selection of three or four types of fresh oysters were available both times, with prices at $2.50 - $3 ea.
The bar features a nice selection of contemporary cocktails, for those who prefer to drink such things with their meals. Though with food this good, why you'd ever opt for "Mad Men" over "Sideways", I can't imagine. Let's face it, liquor is for before dinner, wine is better with food. Opt for the wine list and you won't regret it.
Total, $120 after tip and tax and four glasses of wine. Food for three people. -
Review from Tim W.
Fullerton, CA
2/25/2012
Made a reservation for 8pm on a Saturday night with my girlfriend. The place was busy, but we were seated right away. Really cool little place. After reading the yelp reviews, we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted. We shared the following things:
1)CAPESANTE(seared scallops) Don't mess around, you have to get the scallops. Seared on both sides and perfect in the middle. Some pictures on yelp show three, but our order only had two. Our's were large, so maybe the size dictates how many you get. So good.
2)Crab Tower- Very good, but it's more like a crab scoop. It's crab, avocado and cucumber. Good but a little pricey at $16.
3)AGNELLO(Lamb shank)-This plate provided the most food. A good size, slow cooked lamb shank. I'm not a huge lamb fan, but this was awesome.
4)Green beans with garlic and red bell pepper. Very good veggie side dish.
Everything was great, but I wish I ordered one more item. Don't forget their specialty cocktails. We had a Pimm's cup and a 2$Bill, both were great.
