How wonderful these folks are, and the food very good!…read more We were walking by and hoping for annoutside table, we needed three sets and the ones available had reserved signs. When we asked about availability they immediatly made space for us knowing we were there now and ready to eat! They were pleananr, froendly and welcoming, never made us feel rushed. They took notes of our food preferences (eg no nuts) and thye made sure all meas were safe for everyone. And the meals, so tasty! Shrimp and pasta so good, lamb bolognese just what the person needed who was running the marathon thr next day and a perfectly cooked salmon. We have come to enjoy many of places to go on 24th street in Noe Valley, we will add Novy to our must "return to" list!

Everything about my recent experience here deserves 6 *'s…read more First I'd like to give a big shout out and Thank You to our main server Ivan Duarte. Ivan was so personable and frequently checked in as to how were we doing and was everything o.k., OK, it was FABULOUS. We were a chatty bunch and he also would sweep in so quietly removing plates, always keeping our water glasses and coffee cups full. Ambiance inside - wonderful reuse of materials such as the "grater light fixtures" over the kitchen to the "spoon clock" on the wall. All casting a warm and inviting glow. Every table well set and spotless. Oh and let me also mention all the behind the scenes work was quiet as a church mouse, something myself and my senior friends always appreciate. O.K., let's talk food, presentation and timing: For starters we had - Grilled Halloumi Cheese Date & artichoke tapenade served with grilled pita - $16.50 Now I know what the "sweet dip" was and it was delicious. 2 folks had the - Fried Calamari Salad Cherry tomato, Kalamata olive, feta, spicy aioli - $19 The presentation was executed so beautifully and the portion more than plentiful. Believe me, they did not skimp on the Calamari. Thankfully my guests let me have a forkful and it was also "Delicious". I had the - Cobb Salad, Grilled marinated Mary's chicken, Applewood smoked bacon, avocado, egg, gorgonzola, cherry tomato - $21.50 I usually prefer a Bleu Cheese dressing, but the dressing they provided which I'm not sure of the ingredients paired perfectly with the salad. I always order dressing on the side so I can control the portion of dressing to the salad. Last up - Spanakopita, Hand-rolled spinach and feta stuffed pastry- $16 This order was presented with 2 very large squares of Spanakopita, Light, airy, hot and so very flavorful. Once again, executed perfectly. With little chagrin on all our faces as our plates looked as if they had been licked clean, we all dove in for dessert. We shared the Brioche Pudding - $9 which was a light airy puffy cloud on a caramel drizzle with a wee bit of ice cream served warm. We were all speechless, it was soooo good. Not like any Brioche any of us have ever had before. And 2 of these delights - Galaktoboureko Phyllo Pastry - $9 with Semolina Custard Filling, Huckleberry Compote, Almonds served HOT therefore bringing out the flavor of all the ingredients. I mention the prices as it may seem pricey, yet it's not really, due to the presentation, execution, portions and quality. I guarantee you will Not be disappointed. Grateful for the experience. I will be back as everything we did not eat looked delicious.

Solid food, great drinks (and prices), what more could you ask for? Tucked away on Castro Street, a…read moregood amount of seating indoor (and outdoor when the weather is nice). We came with a large party on a Friday, called ahead, and it was easy to get a table. We ordered a few things to share based on our server's recommendations, the pasta and risottos were very good and filling. The garlic fries were delicious! The salmon was a bit of a miss though. Their drinks are all delicious and very well-priced, martinis are worth it! Space is casual, good for a solic dinner.

Really disappointing experience at Cafe Mystique which is insane because we come here somewhat…read morefrequently. We ordered the chicken parmesan and specifically asked for mild. What came out was noticeably spicy--that dish shouldn't be at all. It was bad enough that I couldn't eat it and had to let my partner finish it. What made it worse was the service. No one checked in on us while we were eating to see if the food was okay. Only after we brought it up at the end did they respond--and instead of taking responsibility, they offered to remake it but said we'd be charged for both dishes. So their solution to sending out the wrong, inedible meal was basically: pay another $30 for a replacement. That's not a fix, that's a cash grab. It feels like they targeted us because we split one meal. It was very petty. Between the incorrect order, lack of basic table check-ins, and refusal to make it right without charging extra, the whole experience felt like a rip-off. Would not recommend and will be boycotting this rip off restaurant from now on.

We arrived at The Rustic as a party of four, and we were all thoroughly impressed by the speed,…read morecare, and quality of not only the food, but the service. Before I continue, one thing you need to understand is that Owen was the only server on staff, covering all the tables that evening. Even with that workload, he never made us feel rushed. In fact, it was the opposite. We (annoyingly) took forever to order, and Owen was patient the entire time. He gave us a few recommendations that we ended up following (the orecchiette and the Italian sausage pizza), and both were absolutely delicious. Throughout the meal, he also checked up on us and brought us tastes of different wines that complemented our food perfectly. Despite handling the entire dining room on his own, Owen made us feel genuinely cared for and catered to in a way that far exceeded our expectations. We'll definitely be back to The Rustic. The food was fantastic and the decor was incredible, but the real reason we'll return is the standard of hospitality Owen delivered. It's rare to receive service that memorable.

It was a somewhat strange experience to go out to dinner in San Francisco on a Saturday night in an…read moreempty restaurant. There was no buzz. It wasn't very much fun . The Rustic is a very nice looking restaurant and easy to get to by public transit. I'd have to say the food is ok but very average. My husband got the risotto as a main course and it wasn't a good choice. It was tasty but definitely seemed like a side dish . I got the porcini ravioli which was ok but nothing special. The baby gem salad was very ordinary. Service was decent . The complimentary focaccia was good snd wine was $11 as glass. We were very disappointed because the place is attractive, reasonably priced snd very convenient for us to get to. It just wasn't much fun. Three stars is generous.

A couple of weeks a go we went to Canela for the first time. What a fun place! Fabulous ambiance,…read morevery friendly personnel, attentive to details and helpful. The food is very interesting, with a wide variety of ingredients, and loved the presentation of the different dishes. My favorite were the artichoke flowers. Meat very well cooked, and the sea food very fresh. Desserts were also fabulous, especially the decadent chocolate cake. I can't wait to go back again and try more of their dishes. Worth our trip from Palo Alto.

A friend and I came to Canela Bistro Bar for their $45 Happy Hour for Two deal at 5pm on a…read moreSaturday. There were a few other parties also waiting when they opened, and we were all seated relatively quickly. We chose to sit outside since it was a nice day in the Castro, and the parklet was nice and clean. The Happy Hour deal comes with 2 drinks and 5 small bites from their abbreviated happy hour menu. I got the white sangria, which was light and refreshing, while my friend got the Rosa wine - though it came out looking like a white wine so not sure if we received the right thing. Regardless both were tasty. We opted to get 2 orders of croquetas and 2 orders of the bacon wrapped dates - each order comes with 2 of each, as well as a trio of churros which came with chocolate dipping sauce. While everything was good, nothing stood out or was super memorable, and we were definitely still pretty hungry afterward. We ordered one beet and chorizo flatbread, which was pretty disappointing since it was cold, and the flatbread felt like it could be storebought and put together at home - we actually didn't end up finishing it. The mushroom skewers were a bit more unique and we enjoyed the pickled minced veggie topping that it came with, and the mushrooms had a good texture. After adding on the flat bread and skewers to the $45 Happy Hour deal, our bill came out to about $120 for two, and we weren't too full - since the food didn't really standout I can't say that I'd recommend coming here.

Food: * Bread - 5/5 soft bread I don't know if they make…read morethe bread in house but it was delicious! * Olive oil - 5/5 giving this its own item because the olive oil was that good. * Paccheri allo spades in puttanesca (swordfish pasta) - 3.5/5 there wasn't enough protein for me and the olives threw off my pallet while the sauce was spicy. * Salad - 5/5 recommend its crunchy and had oranges. * Lemon cake (there is a fancier name I just don't recall) - 5/5 a nice pallet cleanser at the end with the espresso martini chefs kiss. Drinks: * (Cadillac) Espresso martini - yummy portion size: well sized portions service: Staff is really sweet and attentive - our server matched our vibe too so really enjoyed that. Ambiance: great for any group. we had a party of 4 and sat near the bar in a corner space - tbh my fav spot in the restaurant. Parking: Street parking Payment: apple pay and card are both options. not sure about cash

I dined here on Wednesday prior to attending a concert at the historic Castro Theatre. The food was…read moreamazing including the scallops and pasta (all made here) We had the best waitress. She was attentive. This place is great for a fri de get together or a date. Highly recommended

What a great experience! We ordered the squid ink risotto and a lasagna, a few cocktails also…read more Cocktails we ordered: nice dreams, never ending story, Diablo, and scouts honor. A good refreshing cocktail was the Diablo, I really enjoyed never ending story, nice dreams was like an orange cream, and scouts honor was on the stronger side but also really delicious! The staff was also really kind and excellent, we appreciate the warm service and the great recommendations! Will definitely be back when we're in the area

We were looking for a nice Italian spot to try and were recommended Beretta! We made a reservation…read morebeforehand which said that seating was limited; however, when we arrived there was plenty of seating available. The restaurant was chic and modern. Their light sconces kind of looked like nipples though, which when you see it, you can't unsee it. Their menu was fancy. It was leather with an engraved "B" on the cover. We came to order pasta, but they had a good variety of dishes with unique ingredient pairings. Their drink menu also displayed great variety! I had a headache earlier in the day and didn't feel like drinking alcohol, but still wanted to try something fun, so I ordered off their zero proof menu. I got the Clockwork Orange, which had calamansi juice, kumquat syrup, and orange juice, but was unexpectedly creamy. I really enjoyed it, but if you're not into that, I might steer clear of it. We ended up splitting a pizza with hot honey, spicy salame, provolone, ricotta, parmesan, and calabrian oil. I ordered their lasagna ferrarese which had bolognese, ricotta, fontina, and parmesan. Everything came out nice & hot, and tasted fantastic! Sadly, although everything was delicious, the food didn't really stand out to me. It was still a great experience though. The drink was probably my favorite thing!

Cozy little spot with incredible home made NE Italian pasta. Great intimate service. For sure start…read morewith the Frico. You will not be disappointed. An Alamo sq park gem for sure.

Absolutely delicious food and fantastic hospitality! I visited on a Thursday evening for a date…read morenight. Every dish was great and we were treated with so much warmth and kindness. You can tell how much love and thoughtfulness they put into the food. It was clear that they prioritize high quality ingredients, and put so much care into each dish. The wine we were recommended was also fantastic! I am so excited to have this restaurant in the neighborhood, and can't wait to come back again!

Went here for brunch on a Sunday. Couldn't get a table, so got seats at the bar…read more Ordered a michelada, and a tamarind margarita - both were fire. The michelada had some Worcestershire sauce which was interesting. We got some pickled vegetables, and two orders of the savory french toast (with prosciutto). The porcini batter dipped bread had a nice bite to it. Poached eggs were great. Arugula salad was alright. Prosciutto wasn't as salty as I would've liked. Overall a solid plate. Servers were pleasant to talk to, and service was fast. 8/10 would go back!

Encore! My wife and…read moreI were working on the launch of her new series and needed lunch. We drove to Noe Valley were we use to live. She actually lived above Martha & Brothers (Great coffee!) 30 years ago so we know the neighborhood very well. Last time I share about experience at Grand Lake Kitchen was very good, but this mid July Summer was sunny & warm. Our server started out as Joe who was very hospitable, kind and made an excellent recommendations. He raved about the eggplant soup! He said he recently had a cup and couldn't put it down! Well, my wife who grew up with eggplant as every meal practically stated she had never heard of eggplant soup?!! Well, of course we had to order it. It was EXCEPTIONAL. Delicious flavors of eggplant, roasted peppers and many healthy vegetables. Served very hot with a bit of spicy heat! We loved it and next time I will order a keg of it. Nice call Joe! My wife ordered the Cali Mixed Bowl with fresh tuna. It look very good and she really enjoyed it. I decided to go for the "Oyako" which is a cold egg salad with crispy chicken skin, on a artisan sourdough bread with dill! Very amble serving I needed a go box along with prefect french fries. We loved the eggplant soup of the day so much we asked Joe if we could get the recipe since My wife said to me "I will make tomorrow night for dinner". Well we must have caught him on shift change since he checked back with us and then Maeve M. Took over over table service. Maeve was great! She even came running down 24th Street across Church Street when she realized I had left one of my favorite "Black Hats" from NO LOVE LOST winery. Thanks Maeve for being so attentive and considerate for your customers. Bravo! Cheers! ENCORE!!!! We will be back with the "new food" cusine as I describe our endless search for unique, creative and delicious cusine globally.