The Rustic is a California Italian restaurant in the Castro. They also have a location in Larkspur. We were looking for a restaurant on New Years Eve that did not have a set menu, so this unassuming place fit the bill. Very high 4.6 on Yelp. Food was better than expected, but not amazing. Prices are much more reasonable than other spots. Clearly a very good neighborhood Italian spot. Service was good but started to fall apart when the place filled up. Safety Pluses - Online menu, Delivery services available, online ordering. Food Review: BEET SALAD ($13) baby spinach, roasted beet, gorgonzola dolce, candied walnut, & sherry vinaigrette - A bit heavy on the vinaigrette, otherwise just fine. 8/10 MOULES FRITES ($16) mussels, shoestring fries, white wine, garlic, & shallot were just $6 more than the fries, so why not. Solid rendition of the classic. 8.5/10 BRANZINO ($32) whole mediterranean seabass, wild arugula & fennel salad was very fresh and cooked fine. Dim lighting made it hard to see bones! 8.5/10 BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO ($25) mascarpone, parmigiano reggiano, fried sage was rich and satisfying. Smooth texture and flavors. 8.5/10 LINGUINI & CLAMS ($23) with gluten free penne - roasted red pepper, charred corn was as expected. Nothing amazing. 8/10 read more

The patio in the back was a lovely oasis away from the hustle and bustle of market street. The host greeted us as friends and his friendly welcome was the sign that this would be a special meal. The special soup was delicious. All the pasta and fried chicken were amazing. The service was friendly and knowledgeable. A really wonderful evening with a lovely bottle of wine and dessert. read more

Convenient location at Church and Market next to the Pilsner Inn. I've dined in this space many times over the years and I think The Rustic is its best incarnation to date. Food quality and service are excellent. I've been here several times since they opened, and have liked everything I've had so far. It's a tad pricey, but not out of line for fine dining establishments in San Francisco. I think you get what you pay for. There is a patio in the back, but I've always dined in the front dining room. It's nice but not overly fancy. I am rapidly becoming a fan. read more

The ambience is perfect for me, wine glasses on every table but now white cloth. An French-American bistro with an Italian vibe. The food is good, not pretentious and the portions are decently sized and priced. We also got great service by the owner. Looks like a gem that will be harder to get as it gets more popular read more

The Rustic - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

I ordered takeout from the Rustic, so that may have been something the restaurant is still working on. Dining in might have been a better experience! We ordered the mushroom pizza and the clam linguine pasta. The mushroom pizza tasted good, but for the price point I did expect a little more when it came to the flavor. I think adding truffle to it somehow would really elevate the flavor and take it to the next level. The linguine was unfortunately very dry when we received it and didn't have much flavor at all. It seemed that they put a little bit of olive oil on it and forgot the rest of the ingredients. At home we added white wine, cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper to improve the flavor--which helped it drastically. They were kind to put in some table bread with our order, however it just didn't really taste fresh and was a bit hard. It could have just been an off night, but that was my experience with takeout. For the price they are charging, I was expecting the quality to be a lot better, and for some reason it just wasn't there for my order. read more

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This review is for the delivery option. Delivery was fast and easy. The mushroom pizza was okay. I expected something unique for the price versus the size such as unique mushrooms (they appeared fairly standard), perhaps a fun cheese. The clam linguine was bland though I really needed to add a lot of seasoning and even some other ingredients like lemon and wine to make it more tasty. Neither were worth the price we paid. Perhaps dining in would be a great experience and other dishes may be good. I don't want to write this place off for that alone as they have a really interesting menu and I like the central location. read more

Wow the Raviolio & pesto was split for us in half and was packed with flavor that made you want more. The burrara di bufala was also perfect with both savory, creamy, sweet, and a bit of vinegar. The candied walnuts added the sweetness and the burrata was amazingly soft and creamy. The wild mushroom pizza was also packed with mushrooms and they each individually had flavor. You can ask for focaccia which was also crispy and soft. The gavi white wine was a great pairing. The service was quick on a Sunday and we'd come back again! read more

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Having read the reviews, my expectations were tempered. Which made the meal I had even more enjoyable. Nice setting, nice greeting by the owner. Very interesting menu, so many wonderful things to eat. The steak blew my mind, excellent cut of beef excellently prepared. Very good service. Well worth a visit, or more. Enjoy! read more

The Rustic - 14oz Ribeye with the most delicious chimichurri - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Amazing great customer/ guest experience I highly recommend this place I seriously recommend this restaurant

Amazing authentic Italian that you can't get everywhere. Loved the carpaccio, fried olives, bartender, and branzino. Amazing meal with fantastic atmosphere. read more

I was hoping to rate this place higher but it's been hit or miss. Been three times. This is how it unfolded: Oxtail ragu papardelle: 4 stars Noodles were good and the ragu was really tasty. Would have been 5 stars but the noodles were just a touch al dente for me. Vegetable tagine: 2 stars Technically all of the vegetables were well cooked however this dish suffered more from poor conceptualization. The dish was texturally one note. The veg and the fregola and the chickpeas were all soft and it desperately needed some crunch to make the dish interesting. Would have been better if the chickpeas were fried or crisped up some way. It also needed some acid. The dill yogurt failed to liven things up or unite the ingredients. Fried chicken: 3 stars The fried chicken and delicata squash were fine on their own (fine, not great) but they seemed like disparate elements. There was an opportunity to bring the two together with some sort of dipping sauce that was complimentary to both, but the ranch sauce that was served with it was not it. Service is friendly and attentive. The space is nice and there is a back patio. The focaccia they serve with every meal is also tasty. Overall, this place has a lot going for it. Hopefully they can tighten up their food offerings a bit. read more

Love this neighborhood gem with such a beautiful interior and back patio area! I could probably eat baskets and baskets of their fluffy house focaccia. Our server was so lovely and gladly brought us balsamic upon request to pair with the bread and olive oil. The menus include reasonable wine by the glass prices and tasty pasta options. I ordered the Pappardelle & Oxtail Ragu, which was satisfying both flavor and texture-wise. I found that I enjoyed the ambiance and service over the food though, since I thought my pasta was mostly just average. Would still definitely recommend this spot for catching up with friends or a date night, and it's super convenient to get to using public transit! read more

The Rustic - Inside - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The food was stellar on our Christmas Eve visit; the service was a real disaster. We had a reservation for our party of 6. We were seated promptly under a blaring music speaker and problems began. Staff were constantly rushing around, but we often could not get anyone's attention. A drink order was forgotten. Our appetizers arrived, but there was often something missing (burrata with no bread?). After two salads, the wait began. About every twenty minutes, someone rushing by ensured us our meal was coming, and then we were ignored again. Our dirty salad dishes sat there for easily 45 minutes until we stacked them up ourselves and somebody got the hint. We waited a full hour before the first entrees began to trickle out, and it was a good ten minutes between the arrival of the first pasta dish and the last. The broccolini side was forgotten; we had to remind them. Pepper was offered for the salads, but no pepper or cheese for the pastas. A manager came by to apologize and offered drinks on the house. We said, we don't want drinks on you; we want dessert. He offered to bring out one of each for us to share, which was a very nice attempt to make it right. (Then we had to ask for dishes and spoons to share them out.) They did not charge us for the broccolini, a glass of wine, two sodas, or the desserts. Now, the food. I'm going to ignore the temperature problems because I think that was related to the service issues. Lots of highlights: tender octopus, hearty and generously portioned oxtail ragu with melting pappardelle, rich burrata, the special pappardelle with creamy sausage sauce. The agrodolce drizzle enhanced the delicata squash. Among the desserts, the robust chocolate budino and perfectly sweet and tart limoncello cake stood out. I hope they get the kinks worked out, because the food was pretty amazing. I'm sure staffing on Christmas Eve was no easy task, but...let's just say that luckily we had nowhere else to be. read more

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Came here because my friend had a great experience and wanted to try it once more. The rustic vibe was not too loud, not too romantic, and not too over the top. It was great to go with a friend to just catch up. We ordered the mushroom pizza, pasta with oxtail, and delicata squash side dish. The pizza was ok. Nothing to write home about. The crust was Flacid and the cheese was meh. (I know: loaded words but this is what came to mind at first). Sadly it also had hints of burnt flour at the bottom and no real crunch. Wasn't seasoned well so just cheese and mushrooms. The mushrooms looked canned. Kinda forgetful. The whole meal was just kinda ok. Since my friend was here and had a great experience before, there's some inconsistency to note. Hopefully next visit is great, because off days happen. Will re-review if/when I come back. read more

The Rustic - Mushroom pizza, pasta and oxtails - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Amazing food and cozy atmosphere! The pasta was fresh, the service was warm, and the overall vibe made me feel right at home. Will definitely come back! read more

Wood-fired pizzas. Creative pastas. Refreshing salads. Delicious mains. Wow--the fried chicken was the best we have had in SF--not kidding. My campanelle with a bolognese sauce had an added dollop of horseradish sauce on top that upped it to the next level. Our Margherita pizza was perfect as well. The service was fantastic, friendly, and accommodating. The wine list is impressive and there are also a handful of beers to try. Each category of food on the menu offers about 5 choices which makes ordering very easy and honestly I don't think you can go wrong with any item. For example, the main dishes offered last night were: VEGETABLE TAGINE chickpea, local vegetables, fregola, & dill yogurt 25 BRANZINO whole mediterranean seabass, wild arugula & fennel salad 32 CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN brussels sprout, grape, ranch aïoli 27 LAMB SHANK potato purée, rainbow chard, white wine jus, gremolata 32 12 oz. SPICED RIBEYE grilled broccolini, roasted potato, herb butter 39 The only thing that I think could use some attention is the sound level. It's loud inside the restaurant. The walls IMO could use some soundproofing panels. read more

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The food was great, especially the focaccia (which you have to ask for, even though it's free, which is odd), and the strawberry spritz. My group of all ages enjoyed the options, including the oxtail ragu, butternut squash risotto, Spanish octopus, and more. However, even though it was not crowded, the music was very loud and since we had some older folks at our table, we had to ask them a couple times to turn it down. Additionally, our server spoke very fast and was not clear on what was in certain cocktails and just promoted the most expensive wines, which is not what those drinking wine were going for. The decor inside and the seating is very comfortable and welcoming and the prices aren't absurd for main dishes, so I would recommend for a different sort of restaurant and sharing some of the dishes would be fun. read more

I thought that they prepared the best bolognese ever. The little gem salad was fab. They added horse radish to both! We'll return, for sure. read more

From start the finish the restaurant was accommodating. Our reservation was at 8pm, but we were 20 minutes late and they were super cool about it. We were seated at a table on the patio and it was absolutely a vibe! I wish I would have gotten a video. It was cold, the aesthetic was so nice. From music, to decor, to lighting. The food was delicious as well. We started out with two drinks that the server put together for us because we're both super picky and they were SO GOOD. We followed up with the sourdough toast with burrata cheese, peaches, and basil. Of course I couldn't get a photo because we devoured it. Literally gone in seconds. Finally, we ordered two pasta dishes and the lamb shank entree and all of it was overwhelmingly sensational. I loved my experience here. So bummed I couldn't get pics of the drinks, toast, and lamb shank. read more

The Rustic - Pappardelle Oxtail - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The food was average in that for the ambience they were trying to obtain I wasn't very impressed. I am by no means a food snob however I do know what I like. My wife had asked the waitress for some Parmesan cheese for her pasta and seafood dish the waitress seemed to scold her as if parmesan should not be allowed on seafood. Now me personally I'm big on customer service. Even if the waitress didn't agree with her.... Get the damn cheese. read more

Went on a Friday night but it wasn't too busy; we were seated immediately. The burrata was good but it could have used more cheese since the cheese to arugula ratio was a bit off. After we finished the appetizer, we waited over 40 minutes for our mains. My cousin and I were debating on leaving! Thankfully we didn't since the warm risotto was perfectly cheesy and went well with the focaccia. They apologized for the delay by giving us fried olives! Shoestring fries was nicely crispy. I didn't try the oxtail since I am vegetarian but my cousin said it's pretty good. The place was warmly lit and our seat was in front of the window, giving us a cute European style view. Overall recommend for the food but the waiting time was absurd... read more

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Very disappointed. The few 5 star ratings has to be employees? Tried this place as brand new on Door Dash. I can honestly say some of the worst food ive had in San Fransisco..Could not eat the 3 dishes or the 2 deserts we tried. Margherita Pizza was burnt and soggy... I had no idea you could have burn the crust black while the pizza body was soggy. Gross. Pappardelle Oxtail- eh noodles not cooked fully with a very very small spoon full of meat on top. Flavor was blan. Ive had canned goods that had more flavor. Orecchiette Bolognese- was ok. The only semi edible item on the menu. Tasted like canned chef Boyardee. Pannna Cotta- 3 stars Limoncello Cake- not impressed. Was this store bought? read more

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This restaurant was a wonderful surprise, great menu, and very attentive service. The food was delicious, very nice atmosphere, and an overall enjoyable evening for three of us. We will be back. read more

Craved some pasta for lunch and glad we gave this spot a shot. Top notch service. The Campanelle Bolognese was amazing- noodles were cooked perfect and the sauce was perfect, no grease and the meat was so flavorful. Definitely want to make it back for dinner and try the Pappardelle and Oxtail Ragu! read more

Been here twice now and both have been such great experiences. Welcoming and helpful staff. Took their time to recommend a bottle of wine. Food is delicious! We love their pasta especially the oxtail ragu, lamb shank just fell off the bone. Be sure to ask for the complimentary focaccia! Cute courtyard and beautiful setting inside too. Highly recommend! read more

The Rustic - Hamachi crudo - zesty and yum! - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Tried this spot for the first time after work recently, it's pretty nice! Love the pops of color they have inside, and the place was super clean and well kept. Host, server and busser were all incredibly nice and friendly, also accommodated us when a 3rd person unexpectedly joined our table. Thanks again for simply pulling up another chair and setting a plate! I don't think they have a liquor license, cause all the drinks were wine or aperitif based, but our spritzes were delicious! Complementary focaccia was a lovely touch, and our pizza was delicious. More of a thin crust type, if you like that you'd love this. This spot is right next to Church station and had several bus lines right outside, super convenient to get to. Great for a date night, friendly catch up, or drink after work. Will be back! read more

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We just dient our last night of family holidays there and it was just perfect. The Pizza is amazing, the wine was really nice and the atmosphere and kindness of all the people amazing. Special Clue: try the rosé cider! read more

Had been meaning to stop by and have dinner since they opened We were pleasantly surprised, food was super delicious and the wine was excellent Great Staff and vibe ! Also dog friendly on the patio read more

Absolutely amazing experience! The service? Outstanding! The food? Delicious! The vibes? Impeccable! 10/10 Would highly recommend this restaurant to anybody coming to SF! read more

Drawn by the thoughtful interior decoration, my date and I came here after our initial plans fell through and I'm so glad they did! I'm hesitant to post this review bc I selfishly don't want lines haha, but I love supporting new local businesses :) The staff were lovely. Attentive, but not overbearing. Gave great recommendations. The food was amazing. We started with some house Focaccia which was fluffy, nice crispy edges, not *too* oily. They had high quality olive oil on the tables for dipping. Then we had the Kampachi Crudo. The fish was fresh and tender (none of that chewy ness you get with poor quality fish). The flavors came together so nicely: a little nutty, a little avo, and a house made sauce that brought it all home. Then we shared a Chicories salad and the Pappardelle & Oxtail Ragu. The pasta noodles were _so good_. It's all handmade, was cooked to perfection, and the flavor of the plain noodle was to a level I've only had in Italy. Not to mention, the meat was incredibly tender. Literally been thinking about this dish since I was there. It was the perfect amount of food. Highly recommend and will be back soon for sure :) read more

This place is really great. The service was super attentive and polished. The food was really high quality. Excellent quality ingredients and execution. We had a bouillabaisse and a (special) butternut squash risotto as our entrees which were great. We shared hamachi crudo, a tomato-burrata salad and a green salad as appetizers which were also great. The space itself is nice with a heated back patio and largish dining room. I noticed some large groups of friends and also some couples on dates. It was pretty empty when we got there at 6:45 PM on Friday without reservation but by the time we left it was nearly packed. read more

Our first time visiting The Rustic was based on proximity to Ampersand on Market St. where we would later attend a wedding pre-party. We were welcomed warmly and seated in the atrium patio area towards the back of the restaurant. Very nice ambiance. I don't have a photo, unfortunately. Our native Italian waiter was one of the best and very knowledgeable in wine and Italian regional cooking. Very entertaining. Food. Just want to say that everything our server recommended was amazingly delicious. Since this review is being written weeks after our visit, i don't remember all the dishes. So sorry about that. Still, I highly recommend The Rustic. Zoti, the GM, was nice enough to greet us in the front and at our table! read more

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I was anticipating the opening of this restaurant, and a friend and I had time to drop in. What I found was a beautifully redecorated space that was re-envisioned that had mid century vibes, with a bit of a resort, feel well spaced tables, which give ample space and it's perfect for large groups, the waiter was fun and entertaining, and was very informative on picking out selections of wine, other meal items. A particular note they have carry a Lurisia Chinatta - a citrus carbonated beverage made from a myrtle leaves orange tree. The citrus salad was fresh and the arugula was tender and blended well with an incredible dressing. My friend ordered a red wine to go with his order of lamb shank and te every bit of it , including the bone marrow. That was some impressive skills. I had the ravioli with pesto which was Al dente and I think they added roasted pine nuts and I tasted roasted pistachios I think they add that extra bust of flavor in every bite . We the ordered a lemon finger cake and I order les the chocolate bandino which was extraordinary. I will be back for sure! read more

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We live in the area and noticed a new restaurant had opened! We came for dinner and really enjoyed the food and the vibes. There's a nice outdoor patio which is perfect for warmer weather. I got the oxtail papardelle and it was delicious! We will definitely be back. read more

The Rustic - Outdoor patio! - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

We've lived a block from this space for many years and we're sad when Chow closed. Then there was the Cook Shoppe fiasco. When we heard that finally a new restaurant was coming we were so excited. Went to the soft opening last night and had a lovely experience. Chatted with the new owner Zoti a bit. He and the entire staff were friendly and welcoming. We started with the crudo which was so flavorful. I had the ravioli which was reminiscent of my favorite veggie lasagna at Chow and my husband had the clam linguini which was very different than what you usually see. The corn gives it a nice flavor. It being a heat wave day in SF we opted for the gelato for dessert. The blood orange is a standout. We definitely recommend The Rustic and will be back to try many of the other menu items. Welcome to the neighborhood!! read more

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I was intrigued by this restaurant when walking around the neighborhood because of the beautiful ambiance and decor. My husband and I looked at the menu and thought it sounded solid and the wine list looked good as well (natural wines, orange wines, vermouth). We ordered the fried olive, chicories, pappardelle with oxtail ragu, bouillabaisse and the apple cider cake. Everything was very delicious and a solid 5 stars, except the apple cider cake was a bit dry (thought the flavor was good and not too sweet, nice caramelized icing). I appreciate how the kitchen separated out the salad and pasta for us since we were sharing. Jonny our server was very friendly and provided excellent service. I am looking forward to more date nights here since we live in the area! read more

The Rustic - Bouillabaisse - seafood stew with rockfish, scallop, clam and saffron - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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TLDR: lovely staff, interesting decor, serviceable pasta, loud patio with strong heaters. My husband and I came here for "date night" (ew!) because we live nearby and were curious about the newcomer. We got the mussels and fries to start. This was a bit of a risk. Somehow I've had bad mussels in San Francisco, which seems ludicrous considering there is a thousand miles of coastline coated with them just minutes away... but I digress. The mussels were small but every one of them was good. The fries reminded me of the time my Montréal friends made the same dish and served it with McDonalds fries in the dead of winter. The oxtail pappardelle arrived thoughtfully portioned into two bowls, perhaps to head off strife. This was the star of the show. Solid house-made pasta and a potent sauce. Contrary to many reviews here, the pizza, like all the other dishes followed swiftly. The crust was a bit soft for my taste, but it was fully cooked. The burrata on top was rather cold but overall I was into the combo with mortadella, which seems to be popular right now. They also brought out a side of what the menu described as fregola pasta, but the treatment was more like couscous or succotash. It actually had corn* in it! But not much flavor and TBH rather soggy. This was a bit sad since fregola is lovely with just oil with cooked garlic, maybe some chile for heat, and a bit of grated bottarga on top. But we had to order it because my husband is from Sardinia. We abandoned it, took half the pizza to go, and fled. No joke about the patio--my phone app registered 90dB!!! *Note: for those unfamiliar with European culture, corn is not human food... read more

Love this place. Orecchiette is amazing! Clams and linguine delicious. Lamb shank is the best I have ever had! read more

The Rustic - Orecchiette!!! - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I brought a friend visiting from Canada for an early dinner and we were immediately seated. The space is beautiful and relaxing, with a great back patio that is dog-friendly! Our server was polite and knowledgeable, the food was amazing (I ordered the special with mussels as an appetizer) and we also had dessert. I've never tasted a raspberry gelato as fresh, crisp, and refreshing. I am looking forward to my next visit! read more

I got the linguine with clams and it was really good. And the staff and owner were so welcoming! Great to have a new restaurant in the neighborhood! read more

The Rustic - Cheesecake - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California