It was.... okay. When one thinks of Hayes Valley and its trendiness, Il Borgo unfortunately would not come to mind. Il Borgo is dated much like its decor and interior. Don't get me wrong, I tried to like this place and having just moved down the street, I was excited to try the Italian spot as it gave the vibe of a rustic date night. Plus, their prices were reasonable. It was a Wednesday night and we were the only ones at the place start to end with the ocassional take out service. They served bread to start which was great and then we got the Bruschetta, Funghi Sausage (excuse my lack of italian) pizza and a Salmon entree. The bruschetta was delicious and I liked my pizza, although a little underseasoned for me. The toppings on the pizza were unfortunately sparse. I only looked at the images of other customers a few minutes ago and was surprised at how little i got. The salmon was half decent but giving them the benefit of the doubt, we should have tried the pasta, which looks like what they are famous for. The lady was friendly and spoke broken English. Enough to get along, have a few laughs and have our food on the way. If you're expecting something new, hip and full of flavor, I don't think Il Borgo is the place for you. One thing I notice about food in America, regardless of cuisine, is that it is all flavorful. Il Borgo reminds me of a nice homecooked meal that hits the spot jusssst right.... but also on a verge of completely missing it. read more

Best Italian in SF! Cute and cozy environment, amazing service and the food is perfect. Give them your business!!

This place is AMAZING!! Authentic Italian cuisine! Sergio is very nice and we love hearing about his stories. My family and group of friends come here every time we are in the city (it's been an ongoing 5 year tradition). It's a must stop place. The pasta is delicious!! Our favorite plates, which is hard to decide, is the lasagna and gnocchi. Coffee and Tiramisu are the perfect way to end your meal here! 10 stars out of 5!!! Please stop here and get some amazing Italian food. read more

Il Borgo - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I LOVE this place! Me and my friends have been coming here for over 5 years now and every time we are in San Fran we have to stop here. The gnocchi is amazing. Perfectly cooked and very tasty. The lasagna is one of my favorites on the menu. I will forever come to this place as long as it is here. read more

Il Borgo - 4. Gnocchi a Piacere tomato - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is an old friend, rough on the edges but a heart of gold. Sometimes you fight or don't talk for a while, but you come back together. Bear in mind everything if $5 less than most restaurants in SF. This ain't delfina or perbacco. You aren't impressing a date or friends from Marin. This place is a throw back. Where the customer isn't King, but a partner on a journey. They don't bow to dollars. Service can have drama, but what families don't. That said: Carbonara is very good. Toothy, eggy, parmy Raviolis is house made and some how spectacular. Pizza is good, not like the new kids in town but solid... This place is a throw back. Where the customer isn't King, but a partner in a journey. They don't bow to dollars If you don't like this place, there are other Italian restaurants and the others are fine with that. read more

Authentic Italian food. The owners are wonderful Í had a great time practicing Italian language. They were also dog friendly since I have a service dog. I recommended to many friends I will be back ! read more

Let's me first start by saying is you looking for service this is not the place. If you are looking for good food at a decent pride and don't mind crappy service this is the place. Came here with a big group today. Service was slow even at 8:30 pm. Took forever to get our servers attention to order wine and she did not advise on portions so after the first round of appetizers came out we had to reorder for a starving group of people. Caprese salad is meant for 4 and we had 7 people. Pizza we were short one slice since it came with only 6. Really??? Dinner was great. Portions were good and quality of the pasta dishes we all ordered you good. In fact 4/7 of us needed a doggie bag so we could eat some dessert. Now why two stars? Service sucks. No refills or how is everything. No help on what to order or portion sizes. We constantly had to ask for things from chili flakes and Parmesan that should come standard with pizza. Bread only came when we ordered two bottles of wine. So when our bill came we divided it by 7 with 18% tip and we forgot to include one person so our bill was a bit short. I get it we made a mistake but for the server to come and tell us in front of the whole table that we stiffed her was tacky. She could have said, hey the tip doesn't look correct do you mind rechecking instead of embarrassing the person who calculated it in the group. Tacky. No apologies and we left her extra tip in cash no less and then she was all flowers and sunshine trying to be nice. I don't like service that is crappy and then having the server ask for more tip shamelessly in front of a large group. If we made a mistake there are more graceful ways to ask. Would I come here again? Probably not. Food wasn't that good and the service def killed my appetite. I only came for a friends going away party and this was not how I expect my friends last meal in US before moving overseas would be. Thanks for killing our joyful mood and wonderful evening. read more

Il Borgo - Lasagneta it's ok. Needs more sauce - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

We've eat there twice and had two deliveries from there. Every time the food has been very good quality and the service was wonderful. The decor is old-school and nice. There might be better Italian restaurants out there, but this is a great neighborhood Italian with traditional Italian food well done. read more

I love a good italian restaurant - sadly this is NOT it. We went here on a Thursday night - about 7pm and waited about 25 minutes for the gal to take our order, or even fill our water glasses despite being one of only two active table in the restaurant. The bruschetta was a little burnt, the tomatoes, very far from ripe and the rest of the food was a fairly bland. The fettucini waqs especially buttery and the marina too runny for my taste. Medicore food at best. What really got my goat about this place was the experience we had while paying our bill. We did not realize that the place only took cash. Another nuisance but one you can deal with as there is an ATM in the place. My friend left his credit card in the bill when presented. About 20 minutes passed, we finished our wine and he must have not realized that he never signed for the bill because we left the restaurant and he left his credit card in the bill jacket. The busboy (whom I believe is the son of the owner) comes rushing out and jumps in front of our car yelling about how we didnt pay. My friend realizes he has left his card inside and goes back in to handle the situation. At this point we have a bus boy standing in front of my car on Laguna with a lot of traffic behind us. I tried to pull over to the side of the road to let traffc pass and the bus boy pulls a knife out and motions to slash my tires if I move further - As though we were going to drive off without my friend inside. Meanwhile - my budy has since retrieved his credit card and paid in cash. I was just in shock and in awe that we would be treated like criminals for making an honest mistake. I cannot believe that this little pipsqueak had the nerve to pull a knife on us. I had half a mind to call the cops. Food C - Service F The one thing I will say is that the inside is decoraed very tastefully but if you want good italian there are a myriad of better alternatives in SF read more

I wanted to like it - I really did. I love those old style Dago restaurants that I grew up on. They have all of the classics like Scaloppini, Fettuccini Alfredo, Carbonara, Saltimbocca, Lasagna etc. I ordered the Chicken Piccata which should be pounded chicken with some cheese and a lemon butter sauce with capers. It was a big flattened piece of Chicken with cheese that had basil inside of it - kind of overwhelming unless you love basil that much. But more importantly it had this light brownish gelled or is it jello'd sauce on it - kind of like cold gravy but it wasn't cold. It was thick and tasted like they didn't wait for the sauce to get thicker but thickened it up with flour or cornstarch - but used too much. My friend had the Lasagneta which is Lasagna - they roll a big piece then get slices and lay them on the plate - it's a good idea but the sauce is more like a cream sauce with a little bit of tomato sauce added in not the other way around. I personally thought both of them sucked. Can't be anymore descriptive than that - sure it was inexpensive if the dishes were decent but they weren't. The prices are mostly $14 thru $26. Good wine prices - I needed the wine to get through the meal. We also split a Carpaccio which was good and the bread was good too. And don't ask the lady for wine advice - not a clue. read more

What a sweet Italian Restaurant ...I had the grilled Salmon and it was EXCELLENT! The owner was one of the Sweetest Ladies I have ever met, so kind and so Sweet!!! Thank you for such an awesone Italian dinner XOXO read more

Il Borgo - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Love this cute old school Italian restaurant. This is the real deal. Great food. Homemade pasta. No pretense. Just a relaxed neighborhood spot well worth visiting. read more

Next time you pour off 101 onto Octavia, slow down when you turn into Fell Street and stick to the right side so you can peek at Il Borgo (at Laguna). For seven years, I've whisked past on Fell and wondered about Il Borgo. I mentioned this to my boyfriend, and he called me on Friday to suggest that we do some investigating. Ever miss a place so much that you forced yourself to bury your feelings because you knew you'd just be an ugly mess of smudgey eyeliner and boogers if you let it out? No? Not that you're aware of? Me neither ... until I came to Il Borgo and felt myself thawing and was flooded with memories of incredible times with friends in New York, amazingly romantic restaurants hidden away in dark alleys and the most delicious food I've ever had. We started with bread so crusty on the outside and fleshy and soft on the inside that we tore into the basket and devoured the entire loaf before our entrees made it to the table. For a starter, we ordered the rustic bruschetta which was fabulously garlicky, piled with chunks of tomato and torn basil, and sprinkled with fragrant herbs. Both of us ordered fresh, perfectly cooked fettucini: he = primavera (peas, cream sauce & proscuitto), me = puttanesca (anchovy, tomato, olives, capers). It was a serious "Like Water For Chocolate" sort of meal ... someone's emotions were transferred into the food that we ate, so much so that I wanted simultaneously to weep and to burst with love all over the place. Ready for an emotional breakthrough? Trying to get in someone's pants? Both are on the menu at Il Borgo. P.S. Don't mind the creepy teddy bear in the bathroom. read more

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At first glance, this place looks very quaint and charming, a nice vacation from the hipster spots on Hayes, but the service and food were very disappointing. 1. They got my salad order wrong 2 times and got upset when I said I couldn't eat the cheese on the second incorrect salad. When I got the right salad, it was the bitter leftover parts of romaine lettuce and there were no fresh herbs on it. 2.While te waitress angrily handed someone at my table my salad, the she cleaned the table next to us so intensely that she threw trash and food at our feet. 3. I ordered the gnocchi with pesto but they brought me gnocchi with tomato sauce. I was terrified to say something but can't really eat tomato sauce. The waitress looked at me with daggers and then took it back. 4. The pesto was awful and tasted like it was just thick salad dressing. 5. They got our check wrong twice and kept adding food that we did not order. read more

The food was delicious, and our server (the older Italian lady) was so nice and friendly and always made sure I had everything I need. I can't wait to come here again with family and friends. read more

Haven't had Italian food in a hot minute and popped into this one since we were in the neighborhood on a Saturday night with no wait!! Free bread at Italian restaurants is a must and their bread was pretty solid - crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. We asked for seconds (lol, but who wouldn't) and the second batch was cold! Um? We ordered: Caprese: Incredibly underwhelming taste...and they definitely skimped on the basil! Lobster Ravioli: I really enjoyed this! and the sauce didn't overpower the taste of the lobster. Only thing was the portion size was tinyyyyy I was still a bit hungry after :( Fettuccine Bolognese: Carby, greasy, heavy, but delicious! I've never really had a bad experience with Italian food (how can you go wrong with carbs, cheese, and greasy meat) and we definitely enjoyed our time here BUT I didn't think anything really stood out for me. The price point was quite reasonable but portion size could be a bit bigger. read more

Il Borgo - Lobster ravioli - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Il Borgo is by no means an overpriced Italian eatery with expensive cocktails, or a place to go to be seen. It is a great, small and family run Italian restaurant with no frills and delicious food at a great value. You may have driven by a few times and not even known that it is there because it is in a fairly unassuming location on a busy SF street. A great neighborhood restaurant that satisfies every time. I live nearby so I have been multiple times and have never been disappointed. It is not the type of place that you go to and cross off your list as "tried it". It is the type of place that you go to when you want welcoming service and a good warm meal. The last time I went I had the Lasagnetta, and it was so good that it made me remember that I had to review this place. The wine list is short and adequately priced and the interior is welcoming and decorated just how a family run Italian restaurant should be. Overall, I don't think that you will be blown away but I dare you to come here and not leave satisfied. read more

Very cozy and quiet spot. This is a great place to come on a date, for comfort food or perhaps with family. The service was good and the food was alright. Came around 8:30pm on a Friday and there were only two other tables taken at the restaurant - like I said, cozy. Decently priced for what you order. read more

Fresh homemade pasta... I love visiting when I'm in SF. The tiramisu issssss bliss.. I've tried bolognese, lasagna and the penne. I've never been disappointed. I look forward to my next visit :) read more

Big fan of Italian food and il Bargo does not disappoint. My biggest concern is usually going to an Italian place that claims they are Italian and the food is not authentic to what I had when I vacationed in Italy. Thank you so much. read more

One of the highlights of my week was dinner at Il Borgo tonight. The waitress couldn't have been kinder or had better timing. The interior is charming and very cozy for this frosty weather. I had Lobster ravioli. They were delicious and perfectly al dente ("to the bite," as Giada would say!) The bread and olive oil / balsamic was also lovely. The house Chianti made me perfectly buzzy and fuzzy wuzzy too. Warm, full of food, and fuzzy wuzzy, I went off to sing in my chorus. I'll try to stop by again when I have time before rehearsal. I will say it wasn't a cheap place, so be careful. They also only take cash. But that did not stop the place from being fully crowded (but still cozy and peaceful) by the time I was finished dining! Thank you for making my week, Il Borgo! BACI !!! read more

I stumbled upon Borgo in the midst of a, "Ahhhh I don't know what i want to eat, craze!" I couldn't stomach sushi, just ate pizza, wasn't feeling burgers and there we were, on the crossroads of a no-man's land of food establishments. I think my friend was getting nervous because when we looked up saw Italian he seemed relieved in his, yeah I can find something. We walked in and it had a very tuscan feel to the decor. I couldn't believe I had never seen or heard of this place before. The rustic decor was welcoming and the staff extremely friendly. Oddly enough in the bathroom there is a large teddy bear sitting on a chair and a medieval style lock on the door. I felt like I was bolting the gate from Romans potentially storming my castle. I ordered off the menu, which I tend to do in Italian restaurants. The waiter said no problem! Chicken Picatta, you got it. My friend ordered the sausage mushroom pizza. His pizza was huge and had plenty of toppings. My chicken picatta was just right. It came with potatoes, veggies and artichoke. I've been searching for good classic chicken picatta in the city and I think I found it. The sauce was on the thicker side, the chicken was thin and cooked in flour before serving. Delightful! We couldn't stomach dessert but the waiter gave us a free small after dinner port! It was a great ending to a very yummy dinner. Home cooked Italian all the way! If you ware in Hayes Valley and don't feel like anything on the main strip come over to Il Borgo, it was worth it, not just the food but the whole package experience. read more

A Co worker of my wife told her about this restuarant. We had a little trouble finding a parking spot but once we did everything else was great. We ordered Pizza, gnocchi, Artichoke raviolis. My duaghters boy friend said it was the best Pizza he had every eaten. I had Pizza and I really liked it but would ask for the crust to be cooked just a little bit crisper. My daughter loved her gnocchi. The italian Beer was very good. We loved this place. read more

After making reservations based on reviews here, my wife and I anticipated a good meal. I should have taken more seriously the warnings about how bad the outside of the restaurant looks. Inside was no better. We arrived at our designated reservation time and with hardly a notice the waitress waived to a table. The second warning I should have noticed was the dish on the table was stuck to the table. The table was sticky and dirty. But, we persevered because we had theatre tickets and I didn't want to look for another restaurant. We ordered a pizza and salad, with a glass of wine. The wine came in a filthy glass. The few other patrons were served bread as soon as they were seated, we were sole exception. I asked for bread, and it came, including ants! Yes, the day old bread came in a paper napkin that clearly had been used many times...and included ants crawling on the bread and the paper. we then noticed ants on the table as well. Soon after the bread came, the pizza and salad arrived. The pizza was not cooked through, and the pork sausage was not cooked. When I told the waitress about the situation, she agreed with my observations but didn't seem inclined to improve the situation, so I told her we were leaving....whereupon she gave me a bill for the entire amount. We didn't take a bite, yet she charged us full price! This place is dirty, terrible service, and although I didn't taste the food, there was no disagreement with the waitress that the food was not cooked properly. Stay away. read more

Maybe 5 stars is a little on the high side. But, nobody should ever rate this pace any less than 3 stars. The menu isn't super big, it's on the small side. But, it's a good menu. The food is good and the atmosphere is great! It's very romantic. It's pretty affordable for SF. Not too expensive. It's walking distance from my house, so I have been here three times now. And I have to say I've enjoyed it very much every time. The caprese salad is one of my favorite appetizers. And the quatro pizza was quite good, as well. My boyfriend loves the carbonara. read more

Il Borgo - Quatro Pizza (Proscriutto, mushroom, olive, & artichoke) with pasta carbonara in the background. Yumma - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was raised in working in an Italian restaurant. and IL borgo reminds me of what I missed with my uncle Joe. The food and the entire place was just Great. And the food was just like the way we used too make it. Fresh, not like prepared hours before. And not to mention the host, Giorgi, you will be my gumba forever. I will return soon. And hope you will go and have A great time as I and my friends did. Mr. S read more

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Listening to Eurotrash music with the random John Denver song tossed in wondering how I've never been here before...great friendly service and good food! read more

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This place is a trattoria that's too humble to call itself a "trattoria." It's a small corner joint with vinyl red-checked tablecloths, real drippy-wax candles on the tables, and unpretentious service. Not cozy, exactly, but authentic. The pizza has a very light and thin (though not really crisp) crust. The wines (decent Pinot Grigio; delicious, smooth, cherry-heavy DOGC chianti) are poured at your table. The fettuccine bolognese featured fresh pasta and the sort of really home-style sauce that's more meat (beef and a little pork, according to the waiter) than tomato, long-cooked, with a distinct note of allspice. The "gelato" was just ok -- much more like ice cream than true gelato, but the chocolate scoop had shavings of chocolate that gave it a gritty texture but intensified the flavor. read more

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Incredible bread, incredible fresh pasta, quick service, piping hot. We loved our take out date night from Il Borgo!

Go to place for Italian in SF. I order from here most weekends and it's always fabulous.

We have been here before in non-Covid times and it is pretty good. Nice, simple Italian. I just picked up take out and there was just the one person working the whole place. That's fine. But he had his mask hanging from his ear the entire time while cooking everyone's meal and then handing me my meal directly. I was there a while too because my meal wasn't ready. He didn't put his mask on once. There is a really basic set of procedures to keep in place during these times. Mask wearing is the most basic. This behavior does not instill confidence and unfortunately I can't order from them again. UPDATE: also got home to find that none of the requests were followed. Ordered two of the pastas without red sauce because the kids don't eat red sauce and both came with sauce. read more

Love their pesto gnocchi, fettuccini bolognese and their bottle of Chianti. Awesome family restaurant with crazy fast pick up. Their prices are also awesome especially for Hayes valley. I will be coming back! read more

Wandered by here after striking out at Stelline and Cafe delle Stelle -- both booked because of the symphony that night (usually no trouble at all getting a table). Cute, with laundry hanging and trompe d'oeil plaster walls. Reasonably priced, fresh, and tasty. I had the penne with pancetta and white wine sauce, my friend had the chicken tortellini and another had the chicken in balsamic vinegar. Not the hippest place but very homey. Had a $27 bottle of chianti with dinner. Cash only. read more

The hostess was absolutely delightful, and began our wonderful evening at Il Borgo. She not only provided a beautiful ambiance, but was able to capture the essence of a family dining experience, which I believe every Italian establishment should have. They even had clothing strung up on a line above the kitchen to make it feel like home (not my home, but I'm sure that was what they were going for). We walked in and were immediately transported to Italy. Pavarotti serenaded us with Nessun Dorma as we sipped our Nero D'avola (that's wine in case you were wondering). I digress. Unfortunately, the food was average (eh' slightly above). I should have begun by saying that I really didn't tag along to eat, I was more interested in the wine list (which was extremely limited). I am also not a huge fan of pasta. I recommend the Insalata del Borgo, and the Funghi e Salsice pizza. I was not as impressed with the Pasta Carbonara as the party I was with. I felt that their pancetta was beautifully sliced, but seemed to overpower the sauce. I would have used more garlic. I would definitely return for wine and appetizers. The ambiance made it comfortable for us to converse, and the service was superb. read more

Rustic italian food in a very likeable rustic old world setting. Had the Fettucine Del Borgo which came in a huge plate. I didn't really fancy the canned tomato flavor of the sauce but overall the dish tasted ok and the homemade pasta good with plenty of chicken and sundried tomato. The Penne E Funghi Salsiccie was excellent. Great value for the portion and waitress was kind and friendly. Unpretentious. Food: *** Service: ***** Value: ***** Overall: ***.5 read more

Il Borgo... Il is right! My girlfriend and I went for a late dinner, shared the caprese salad and the lobster ravioli. Caprese salad was horrible, I could have went to safeway, cut up tomatoes and mozzarella myself and it would've tasted better. The cheese was sliced so thick, had no flavor, and the weirdest texture ever. The tomatoes tasted unripe. The lobster ravioli was nothing to rave about either, presentation dull, not anything special. It's a nice atmosphere, great staff, but the food just isn't that great. I wish it had been better. read more

A party of four dinned prior to the SF Ballet. The restaurant was poorly lit making it difficult to read the menu. The menu did not list a single glass of wine or prosecco and therefore we had to ask. The restaurant did not supply a detailed bill or second customer receipt, so I did not know how much we paid. The food was ok, but not special. My veal piccata was not tender. The table was not large enough to place dinnerware opposite our guests, so we had to stagger the settings. The "owner/manager" must have been having a hard day because he never smiled. It was not worth the nearly one hundred dollar tab per couple. We will not go back again. read more

This place is a wreck. The main waitress/host was an annoyed Italian woman who was angry with our table the entire night: mad that we wanted a window table in her empty restaurant, poured wine for just two of the four of us, gave us dirty forks, wouldn't recommend anything off of the menu, and was just generally not helpful. The pasta was plentiful, but bland and mushy. I'm giving it two stars because we laughed a lot at the absurdity of this place. Life is too short to eat out this way. read more

I love this place. It's cozy and comfortable and their their gnocchi is to die for! Fluffy pillows of goodness. The owner (?)/waiter calls me "broccoli girl" because I always order steamed broccoli as a side, and they make pretty much a whole head for me and steam it just right with some garlic and olive oil. Friendly people and the food is delicious. I don't mind that it's not a "trendy" place or that they aren't changing the menu all the time because what they have is classic and delicious, and authentic home-made Italian. read more

Swinging little gem, Simple, traditional dishes, Went twice in two weeks. read more

Il Borgo - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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