The interior is so cute, so intimate. The decorations and posters make it a unique restaurant. I would say it's a good spot for a family dinner or a date night. The host was lovely, guided us to our table and the waiters and waitresses were nice as well. The food is okay. The focaccia bread is $5 and any butter or olive oil is an additional cost. Honestly, I would say that was the best dish out of everything we ate last night. My friend ordered the bone in beef steak tagliata and it unfortunately was cold and oily. An addition of adding more seasoning would've made a difference. I ordered the rigatoni alla chitarra and the pasta was cold like it had been sitting out for a while. I understand that pasta is al dente, but only the meat sauce was warm and the pasta was cold. The sausage was also dry, tasted somewhat like impossible meat. For sides we got the crispy potatoes and broccolini. The crispy potatoes were delicious, but they'd be better without the relish on top in my opinion. The broccoli was over cooked, some were dark green, some were bright green and one was brown. I thought the flavor was mild, but delicious. I would've thoroughly enjoyed it if it wasn't over cooked and stringy. Though, I do have to say the affogato for dessert was amazing. The focaccia bread and affogato made up for the rest of the meal :) read more

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Great new Italian option for SF! Read about this place in Eater and thought it would be interesting since I've had great experiences at Ju-Ni and Handroll Project. First I will say the food is excellent. The portion sizes are reasonable for the price and everything is fresh and delicious as expected. The service was satisfactory for a casual dining spot. They don't really go beyond the norm like Ju-Ni or Handroll, but I guess that's not the target audience. One feedback I have is that since we got seated at a small table, there wasn't any space to put our stuff and there was barely enough space to put all the plates. Ideally they could provide under chair baskets or hooks to store or hang coats/bags. Overall I'd probably keep Ofena as an option. It is a little far from us to go regularly, but at least there is a stop on the M line right next to the restaurant (20ish minutes from downtown). read more

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This place is very good. You can order food to share or for yourself. Matt, our server, was very nice and had good recommendations. There were at least 2 other couples there on date night, so it's a good place to take your girl on a date. I saw a few kids there too. Would eat here again. read more

Great food, smooth vibe, great service. Caitlin is the engine that makes it all go. It's nice to have a top notch Italian restaurant so close to the house!!!! read more

Ofena - My view at the bar - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I've been wanting to try this place for a while. We finally made it in for dinner. Staff was pleasant but not overly friendly. Hubby had a glass of Italian Chardonnay, it wasn't very strong. He ordered the duck confit gnocchi which was very good. The piece of duck I tried was flavorful and the gnocchi was tender and melty. I have never been a fan of gnocchi but this one was pretty good. Portions are smaller than what you get at other Italian restaurants where you end up taking leftovers home. You will finish the food here but it was adequate for me. My clams vongole was tasty and a tad too salty. The 9-10 clams were tiny. Barely a bite large enough to satisfy. The sauce with lots of garlic was good. We shared a decent size Caesar salad. Some of the lettuce was soggy but the rest was OK. I enjoyed the croutons and slivers of anchovies. I also tried a ginger beer, mostly ice and $4. Bill with 5% mandate came to $140. We liked the food so much that we're thinking of bringing friends at the end of the month to visit again. read more

I am going to miss this great restaurant. We went for our last rodeo on Weds night. Carbonara was on point as was the pork & eggplant parm. read more

Absolutely loved my dinner here. My family went on a Thursday and we had an amazing time. Our server was very friendly, and the service was great, but the food and drinks were standouts for us. We had a few more dishes that we forgot to take photos of. We had leftovers and were very happy to eat them the next day. Everything was phenomenal. Didn't get photo of gnocchi, but boy was it delicious. The other pastas were top notch as well. I will go back just for the fried Mozzarella and rigatoni vongole. Can't wait to try more dishes. The space is quaint and cozy. I believe 80 seats, including bar. Love it! So happy this place is in SF. read more

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Wow! This place is awesome! This place just opened recently and I can tell you that it is now my go to place for great Italian food and services. Our first time here and from the check in all the way to paying the bill the service was so good. They change your plates after every dish we ordered. This is a family share course meal so everyone can try a little of everything. Everything was so food. The side was the best with the focaccia bread. The crispy smash potato and polenta is a must get! Overall we all loved it and I recommend this place. Thank you Ofena for an awesome experience. We were too stuff to try the desserts but that's on my must try list when I come back. read more

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Ofena is such a wonderful new Italian restaurant in Lakeside! We sat at the bar (very comfortable and great service!), and had cocktails and dinner (highly recommend the 'Stemware at Dolores' and 'Lost Boy'). Ofena's menu has a wide range of small plates, pastas, and larger entrees, so you can really just drop in for a quick bite on your way downtown or have a full dinner. The yellowfin crudo and fried chicken dishes were delicious. Will definitely be coming back - what a great addition to the neighborhood! read more

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I looked on Yelp first for vegetarian friendly restaurants for my friend who I was going to have dinner with. For a popped up and the menu looked enticing. We took the 20 minute drive to get there and parking was easy on Sunday night, The food was great. We had the foccacia bread with roasted garlic dip, the Caesar salad, the potato flat bread (chiles on the side) and the beef steak. All were really good. Finished with a blood orange sorbet which tasted like a fruity bubble gum favor. It was a great cap to a fantastic dinner. The service was impeccable. I've never seen such attention to a table. Frankly, I wasn't used to it, but I appreciated it afterwards. I would come again for sure. Also, they have a rentable back room which I'm now interested in. read more

We were looking for a great Italian place that is kid-friendly (we have a picky 4yo with us). Went on Yelp and found Ofena. Reservations done online on a Sunday late afternoon at 5:30pm. Heard that this place gets busy and packed so we did our homework. Plenty of street parking. We were greeted by this very friendly and wonderful gentleman who led us to our table. The place was not busy given that they just opened for dinner service. The ambiance was great and you can feel the positive energy. Definitely passed the vibe check for our little one. Amy our server was very friendly, she was also very knowledgeable of the menu and on how the restaurant came about. The focaccia bread was simply divine. Melt in your mouth goodness paired with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and roast garlic. I would go back just for this! We ordered Yellowfin tuna, I had the pork bistecca, gnocchi carbonara. The sides included broccolini and polenta and our boy had the kids pasta with butter. Everything was so flavorful and delicious. We were so full, we had to skip dessert but this will make us come back soon. Great job to the chefs, the meal was simply awesome! It was a great experience over-all. All of the servers and employees are all very welcoming and friendly. You can tell they love what they do :) Just also fyi, they automatically add 20% service charge on the total tab. Total for 2 adults and 1 child was $200++, a bit on the pricey side but was totally worth it. If you haven't tried Ofena, you should! We will be back for more!!! read more

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Always a tasty meal served with care at Ofena. Pretty spot with a thoughtful menu and drinks.

Great service, our waitress was attentive and helpful. I'm going to start with dessert because that was my favorite the ice cream came with three scoops, one cherry flavor I wanted to take that homes and eat a pint of it all by myself, it's that good! The chocolate tiramisu, they use cake instead of lady fingers, seriously one of the best I've ever had! So much espresso flavor in every bite soaked in! I got the duck gnocchi, it was a small portion for the price, but tasty! I honestly thought I would leave there hungry, but I was full after. My friend got the pork chop which I had a few pieces of, it had so much flavor. For appetizer we shared the mushroom arancini balls, so freaking good it you love mushrooms and the tuna crudo was also delicious! It was the perfect pairing with the melon and prosciutto. This is a place I would go back to for sure, but be prepared to pay up! Haha read more

House Foccacia Fresh, spent $3 more for the garlic, olive oil, and balsamic dip. Completely worth it. December 2023 Special Pasta Agilo Olio Olive oil, pepper, and roe. Ingenious and delicious. Yellowfin Tuna Perfect flavors. Bite of citrus and capers, smoothness of butter. Grilled Broccolini Paired with a lemon and cooked beautifully. Crunchy and vibrant green. We were seated right away thanks to our dinner reservation. Our server Rachel was prompt, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. The food was absolutely terrific. Would definitely return! read more

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I love Ofena! It's a wonderful place. The waitstaff is kind and attentive, they have a great menu for adults and children alike. I love the foccacia, the portions are generous and everything tastes wonderful. The fried chicken with the pepper sauce was especially wonderful. Their menu changes pretty regularly with the season. We have eaten here for both lunch and dinner. I love that they have a children's menu and a fun coloring page for them! It's so great that this is a family spot in a neighborhood with so many kids. read more

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Everything is Delicious! Have to come back and try the rest of the menu. Service was great too. read more

Ofena - Yellow fin carpaccio. Boquerones, funghi misti arancini - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The best Italian fine dining in San Francisco! I took my mother in law and her wife and my mom out for Mother's Day and we had a fantastic meal that was decadent and delicious. My mother in law is a foodie who is obsessed with Delfina so I knew bringing her to Ofena would impress her. We ordered the squid and shrimp risotto, polenta, meatballs and sauce with pasta, clams with white wine sauce, the tuna and the duck gnocchi and everything was delicious. My mom said it was probably the best meal she ever had. The service was amazing the owner even brought out some of our food and asked how everything tasted. Ofena has amazing staff and food and the atmosphere is incredible! Perfect for a fancy dinner date or special occasion. read more

After my fourth time here, and ten plus years living SF all over the city, I'm now comfortable writing this very bold statement - this is the best lunch in the entire city. Let me repeat that. This is the best lunch in all of San Francisco. The sandwich, soup, salad combos are presented beautifully and are all great. We have tried three of them. But the standout, the reason for my high praise - the 3 pasta options for lunch. The quality is Michelin level. The portion size is perfect. Supremely high quality rather than medium quality + large portion. The meat quality of the duck, the sausage, and the shrimp is A+. And the price is so reasonable for the quality. I've paid double this for lesser quality at other beloved Italian places in the city. My goal is to now literally try the entire menu! read more

This place is phenomenal. Every dish I had was beautifully plated and full of flavor. Each bite honestly almost brought tears to my eyes.. I didn't have a reservation (as it was a last minute decision) but I was able to be sat at the bar pretty quickly and received full service. Both bartenders were so friendly & attentive and gave great recommendations! My favorites were the fried mozzarella, arancini, yellowin tuna, & the broccolini. (A.k.a. Everything I ordered haha) The drinks were also delicious. My favorite cocktail was the "c for cookie." I can't wait to come back during my next visit! :D read more

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Lunch: - corn bisque (soup of the day) - sweet and velvety, favorite thing we ordered - chicken parmesan sandwich - on rize up sesame roll, delicious - Gnocchi Carbonara - boyfriend said thumbs up - Focaccia with roasted garlic, olive oil, aged balsamic - warm and soft with delicious roasted garlic Also reasonable prices and good service. I will definitely be back! read more

The food and ambiance was great! Food was delicious and the staff was very friendly. I would definitely come back.

Enjoyed a tasty weeknight 3 course special here and can't wait to come back to try more! Loved the atmosphere here- feels a little fancy but in a relaxed way where you could come to celebrate something but also easily have a regular meal. Our waitress was very nice and patient with our indecision, too. read more

Ofena - Weeknight 3 course special! It was all tasty but especially the arancini and the (spare rib?) ravioli. - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food here was so good and service was excellent. Our server, Francesca was very nice. I would definitely come back and bring my friends and family. The place is clean and modern decor and spacious. Plenty of parking at night. read more

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Such a great find -- we were looking for a central spot for SF and South Bay friends for dinner and stumbled on Ofena. From the warm welcome and easy accommodation of an extra guest to the kind service and excellent food -- we loved it and may make it a regular. While all our food was great, the Lasagna and Seared Tuna were standout dishes... highly recommend!!! read more

Food was delicious and restaurant was clean and nice. Service was attentive. All dishes were tasty especially caprese salad, yellowfin tuna, fried mozzarella and tiramisu. Pork dish was a little bit dry side. Tiramisu dessert was light & refresh at the end. Highly recommend. read more

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Delicious Italian food in SF. The duck gnocchi was our favorite dish but everything was exceptional. Service was great, the staff was friendly and the ambiance of the restaurant was lively but intimate at the same time. Perfect for a date night or night out with friends. Will definitely be dining again. read more

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How did I just discovered Ofena? This restaurant serves amazing brunch/lunch. The ambiance is great with modern and intimate setting space. I also appreciate the friendly, attentive, and awesome staff here. I got to try their cocktails as well and everything was spot on. I requested the espresso martini, vodka sour, and their crafted drink on the menu. They were so kind to accommodate drinks request. I also got a few brunch items to share. I absolutely love the french toast and egg purgatory dishes. For lunch options, I tried their new tuna carpaccio and caprese salad. On top of that I also tried their pasta dish with clams. They were all Italian classics and absolutely gems. I cannot wait to come back here and try their dinner menu :). read more

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I stumbled on this place a few weeks ago and it's been such a winner been back a second time. The grilled pork, fried mozzarella, and polenta are stars of the show for me, but everything is so good and really good quality. Even the wine I keep going back to and got a bottle this time. This is definitely a neighborhood go to and I like it so much I'm hesitant to give it such a good review because I'm scared they will get even more crowded than it already is every time I come here. read more

saw this place on tik tok and had it booked mark decided to come on fri night the weekend of mother's day so made reservations for 6:45p came early and was seated in a small 2 person table since full party was not here yet so tried to switch to a bigger table but the gave some excuse that the other tables were booked for larger parties (fake news see photos for reference) pedro our waiter came to take drinks and appetizer orders, also gave some recommendations so we went along with it the service was good initially but then became weird when the waiter came back to take our entree orders but suddenly left without finishing everyone's dish we were confused as he went about to service other tables and finally came back to us and the original first order was never even placed food came out and was not hot all the way, pasta noodles were cold but the meat and sauce were somewhat warm, small portions and very over priced had tried better italian places for better service and better food so if this is on your must try i would skip read more

Ofena - a table of 3 when it was said to be reserved for 4 - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came here for a brunch with le familie. Handful of other people were there to enjoy a beautiful weekend. Place was nice, cozy, & inviting. Tried the egg purgatory and it was like moussaka ! Super delicious when paired with the foccacia. Their aglio e olio was tasty too. Also fried mozzarella was a perfect appetizer. Food came out quickly so they didn't leave us starving. Wanna come back for more next time ! read more

Amazing food and the restaurant is beautiful! We will definitely be back it is delicious!

Pork Bistecca, Yellowfin Tuna, Flatbread Margherita, Smashed Potatoes, Polenta Highlights: Pork Bistecca and Yellowfin Tuna. The pork was cooked perfectly. Normally when I order pork at other restaurants it is usually dry. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Pork Bistecca to be incredibly tender and flavorful with a perfect crust. Every bite was incredible. The Yellowfin Tuna was also cooked perfectly and was also extremely flavorful. As for the flatbread, it still tasted good but a little underwhelming. The bread was not light. I was expecting it to have more of a crunch. It was rather doughy. The bread fell flat. No pun intended. As for the smashed potatoes, they were divine! Would recommend as a starter. read more

I tried this location for dinner with my husband (I had already tried for lunch and was positively impressed!). Great service, great feel and ambiance, and the food was really good! We shared all of the dishes and that made things fun as we both got to experience various dishes. Appetizers were delicious, especially the delicata squash with stracchino and pomegranate, the cannelloni were also well done with hand made pasta and good tasty vegetarian filling, the tagliata was cooked just right (medium rare) and the delicata squash caponata was also delicious! We were both very positively impressed and will be coming back! read more

Not my cup of tea. Way overpriced and the food is not traditionally Italian. Service was good. But in this city there are way better options.... read more

Place was great! Great food and drinks, attentive service. We will definitely be back

Had a wonderful dining experience! The wine selection was excellent, and the ambiance was perfect for an intimate, quiet evening. The staff was welcoming and attentive. We particularly enjoyed the clams & pasta, broccolini, focaccia bread, and fried chicken. A great spot for a relaxed and elegant meal! read more

So lucky to have this new Italian place on Ocean! I came here with a friend during the holidays and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Hope to bring my family and try more dishes next time. Gnocchi Carbonara: A beautifully made carbonara with nice bites of meat and a creamy but not too heavy sauce. The portion is a bit small so I would definitely get a secondi to pair with your pastas. It is more appetizer size. Pork Bistecca Fiorentina with Polenta: One of the BEST porkchops I have ever had in my life. The meat was incredibly tender and was perfectly balanced by the lemon and herbs. It paired well with the cheesy creamy polenta with the acid from the pork. read more

I'm so happy to have this relatively new addition to our neighborhood. The service is excellent and every dish (we tried several) was flavorful and delicious, with tons of vegetarian options. If you're looking for a deal, there is a 3-course prix fixe menu some weekdays for $38. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was that they have a TV showing sports, which hurts the ambiance, but you can mostly only see it from the bar area. As a bonus, the restaurant is large enough that we were able to walk in without a reservation on a weeknight. Highly recommended! read more

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From the moment we walked through the door..it was first class service! Amy was our server, she was knowledgeable, fun and took great care of us! The food..in a word - YUM!!!! The persimmon and mushroom appetizer was incredible as was the burrata. Entrees had so many great flavors, polenta is a must and the broccolini and squash sides were perfection!! Thank you for such a wonderful evening, and for treating us like royalty...we will be back read more

Ofena - Chef Tim Humphrey travel of Ofena ‍ - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Better than Dinosaur Sandwiches. Called to order at Dinosaur and they warned me it would take 30-45mins. Ordered from Ofena instead and got mine right away while the line had hardly moved at dinosaur. The price is nominally more, but these sandwiches are incredible. read more