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

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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I was so looking forward to trying out the risotto and pastas after looking on yelp and came here for lunch. So imagine my disappointment, when I discovered they only serve sandwiches for lunch!!! Not a single pasta dish was on the lunch menu but nonetheless since we were there, we ordered the sandwiches. Sandwiches were priced at $16 each and came with some pickled relish to compliment the sandwich. The sandwiches were good but much preferred pasta and risotto. Our bill included 5% mandate and 20% service charge. Seems we were the only table during lunch on Saturday, probably due the rain but the service was good. Easy parking today. Will have to return again for dinner. read more

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I drive by here every day on my way to work and I never noticed there was a little gem of an Italian restaurant. I came here on a weekend night and was informed that they were fully booked out but they had seating at the bar. Sat down at the bar and we were promptly greeted and serviced. I got the limoncello cocktail (I forgot what it was called and their menu online hasn't been updated) and the rigatoni pasta. The pasta was probably one of the best pasta I have had in the city. It was super flavorful, not overwhelming, and good amount of clams. My only complaint is that the portion is on the smaller side because I finished the whole plate...which is very uncommon for me. The cocktail was delicious and strong. The service here was great. Very attentive and quick. No complaints. I almost hate that I love this place because it's a little on the pricey side but I highly recommend Ofena and will be back! read more

Ofena - Rigatoni - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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

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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Holy cannoli! Came here twice in a week because it's that good. First time we dined in and had table service for three of us. The staff immediately greeted us with recommendations of the menu for food and drink. We started off with some cocktails- the Stemware at Dolores Martini, and a new addition which was basically a white Negroni. They were delish. For starters we ordered the focaccia bread and the fried mozzarella Carozza with a house made marinara. Both were an amazing way to start a meal. We shared the Bolognese and Gnocchi Carbonara with duck. Both packed with flavor. The Bologense tasted like I was at someone's house in Italy. We ended with the pistachio cannolis. The mascarpone was so soft and it wasn't too sweet. A perfect balance. It was so good I didn't even have time to take a picture. The second time we came we sat at the bar. It was a cool vibe to chat with the bartenders and watch the warriors game. The.l bar program should not be overlooked. We ordered the Lost Boy and the C is for Cookie. Both were delicious. I've never had a Manhattan with anise and Prosecco, but it worked. We again got the focaccia, this time with whipped ricotta and mortadella. It was amazing. We also used the bread to dip in the leftover sauce of the chilled artichoke. We shared the fried chicken and polenta as our entree. The polenta might be the best I ever had. The chicken was awesome, too. Perfectly crispy and juicy, and smothered with Calabrian chilis. Great flavor, not too spicy. We ended with that tiramisu, and once again might be the best I've had. The cake was moist and had the perfect balance of sweetness. I'll be back until I go through the whole menu. I'm looking forward to seeing this place evolves a great addition to the neighborhood! read more

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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

3.5 Stars, I want to give it 4 stars and will return to check it out and hopefully will update my review. I recommend this place as it is a fantastic addition to this area that was lacking a nice Italian restaurant option. It's really the only "nice" restaurant in the neighborhood, so glad we have an option nearby. The decor was nice, and it's a very large space in the former Lakeside Cafe space. The bar area separates the two dining areas and the large windows let in natural light though the lighting could be improved (either add lighting for each table or something similar). Service was OK. Not bad but felt odd. Our server explained the "shared plates" concept and answered our questions about some of the offerings. It felt awkward and didn't help me get a sense of what was on the menu. The whole interaction felt a little smug and weird. Another server brought us a lunch menu after he heard me asking if the same dishes from dinner were offered at lunch. I thought this was spot on attentiveness. The food: Antipasti- the chilled artichokes-disappointing. More appropriate as part of a antipasti dish but not stand alone. It was cachectic and flavors were ok. I was anxious about how the rest of our meal would be after trying this. We shared the Chitarra alle Vongole- clams with Meyer lemon, butter, chile and parsley. Seasoned well- almost too salty but I thought it was delicious . But this is not something you could share. Portion was too small and for $32 I expect more. Delfina's pricey pasta portions are larger and have a similar price point-and shareable. Reconsider the portion size, and/or reduce the price especially if you are promoting a shared concept. Fried Chicken Cotoletta: I'm not vegan but eat mostly plant based foods. This was a quarter sized chicken (not sure what kind of bird this is but it was smallish) It was juicy and crispy and well seasoned. The pepporonata that accompanied it was ok. A bit bitter and didn't enhance the flavor-but the chicken was cooked perfectly and definitely made up for the size of the pasta and the sad antipasti dish. The secondi comes with a side of your choice and we picked the grilled broccolini- it was a great pairing and generously portioned. The tiramisu and affogato nothing to write home about. Tiramisu too sweet and overpowered any other flavor that may have been in it. Affogato : the ice cream was a frozen ball and the espresso had no crema on top and when poured over the cold Ice cream, it became instantly cold. At the end of the meal, my husband and I both decided we would come back and try other items for dinner and also try the lunch. The food was good and despite some of the hiccups, I could tell by looking around a to the tables that people were enjoying themselves and their dishes looked tasty. Lastly the drinks were great. A whisky sour type cocktail was delicious and the Prosecco was poured with love. read more

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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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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.

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 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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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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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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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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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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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

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

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

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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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

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

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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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

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

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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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

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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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

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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We were there as a party of 8. We loved the food and especially the Family Style serving - just for groups... might be a little loud but we'll go again. read more

Came in last night and restaurant is supposed to "allow dogs" but when we went with our dogs we were turned away. For management, do better. Don't put any misleading info on your yelp page and making it a hassle for your customers. Wish i can give this place ZERO stars. read more

It's a very pleasant restaurant with really great food. It's priced reasonably for the high quality food that's served. Easy to get to via Muni and plenty of parking nearby. I have never had anything there that I don't like. It has many good options that will satisfy those who want good food outside of downtown. read more

A great option for Italian food on Ocean. This is a lovely place. A bit noisy in the larger room when we were there but the food and wine were great. A good place to bring family when they're visiting. 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