Our experience at SPQR was amazing. They really went above and beyond on our first visit and the food, ambiance, and especially service was spectacular. I want to specifically point out our server Joe who made our night. He was detailed, kind, and knowledgeable about the menu. Some background on the night: it's my best friend's birthday and I had sent her some options for Italian restaurants in the area. She picked this one specifically for the pig ears. We've had them before at other restaurants, so she was excited to try them again. Upon arrival and looking at the menu, we did not see any pig ears there. We asked Joe about them and were disappointed to learn that it was no longer on the menu. He said he would see what he could do, but no guarantees. Lo and behold, the first dish to arrive was the pig ears! He didn't have to, but he made it happen. Thank you to Joe and the rest of the restaurant team for doing something so special for my best friend and for making us feel so welcome. Regarding the food, the pig ears were excellent. Focaccia with the butter was great. We tried a couple of pastas and my personal favorite was the mafaldine. We didn't order dessert, but they brought out some mini cookies and beignets to celebrate my friends birthday which was really kind of them. Service as mentioned before was excellent. They checked on us multiple times throughout the night and Joe was especially knowledgeable about everything. They really went above and beyond and I appreciate their attention to detail and making my friends birthday extra special. Ambiance was intimate. It was pretty dark in there and it was perfect for a girl's night out or have a romantic evening. Overall, this restaurant really impressed me with everything. Shout-out to our server Joe! read more

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For $65, this tasting menu was an absolute 10/10. Some of the most comforting and memorable pasta dishes I've ever had--honestly, it even tops what I've had in Italy. We stumbled across this spot while walking around, and everything about it exceeded expectations. The service was warm and attentive, the food was incredible, and the value for the price is hard to beat. If you can, go on a Thursday--they offer a 5-course pasta tasting for $65, and it's 100% worth it. read more

SPQR - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

I really had high expectations about this place. Expect small portions. The focaccia was great. I had the carbonara pasta. It was well cooked. Not the best carbonara I ever had. I was still hungry so had the basil ice cream. Nope. Tasted like cream with just a liiiiiiitle bit of basil. A friend had the chocolate feuilletine. It was weird. Too much gelatin in the pastry cream. Where was the feuilletine? The beignet were the only dessert I liked. Everybody is super nice but the food wasn't good enough for me to comeback. read more

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I am glad we walk into this restaurant, we dont have reservations, so we seat at the bar , The menu is nice food was great homemade pasta, interesting dishes pig ear it was good, great wine menu, waiter staff was excellent ! read more

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I have heard good things of SPQR for some time now and decided to give it a try. The restaurant has earned Michelin status in the past (not sure if it still is). Unfortunately, I came away somewhat disappointed. The food was good not great, and especially not for the prices they charge, I had expected better. While they do offer a multi-course tasty menu, we elected to order a la carte today. We started with the housemade focaccia al pomodoro with her butter. This appetizer was outstanding. The bread is slightly charred on the outside providing a nice crunch and mildly smoky flavor while the inside was still soft. The herb butter was soft and creamy, perfect compliment to the bread. A good start. In addition, we also ordered the fiori di zucca fritti with crispy melt. The appetizer came with about 3-4 pieces of tempura style fried squash. The batter was light and crispy and the vegetables were tender. I didn't care much for the crispy melt. The dish was solid but wasn't spectacular and for $26, I don't think it was worth it. For entrees, we decided on Angnolotii del plin (braised short ribs) and Mezze Rigatoni all Carbonnara. The Angnolotti consists of small pasta dumplings filled with short ribs. The pasta was good but it came with very few pieces of small morsels of short ribs which were OK but not memorable. The Carbonnara was also good and came with 3 pieces of crispy bacon on top. At more than $30 each per dish, I was expected more of a wow factor. OK maybe I'm paying for the presentation and service but to be honest, service was efficient but again wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Overall, my take was above average food at exceptionally high prices. read more

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Came here for a date night! The amabiance of the restaurant is very nice and the menu offers multiple types of tasting courses, but we decided to go a la carte. Halibut Carapccio (5/5): This was by far the best carpaccio I've ever had. The mango was not too sweet as it was drizzled over the fish. It felt like I went to a whole new world. Crispy Pig ear (4/5): It's not like chicharron, but more subtle. I thought it was great dish to nibble on as you want to your food. However I thought more seasoning would be great or a dipping sauce. Squid ink spaghetti (5/5): I really like the portions of this dish. It comes with mussels and octopus. The sauce will remind you of a cioppino. Carbonara (3/5):Didn't really like how small the portion was. The bacon was too salty. It honestly tasted like a slightly fancier Mac n cheese. Overall I really enjoyed this place. read more

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We have been here twice now - the food is good, although not amazing. The service when we came the second time wasn't great as we spent a lot of time waiting at the start of the meal, both for our orders to be taken and for the first course to be served. However, after that point the service improved but maybe that is down the restaurant getting quieter as the night went on. Food-wise - I don't love the chicken liver toast, but other people on the table enjoyed it, so maybe that's a me problem. The portion sizes aren't massive, and I did come away still hungry - which isn't atypical for higher end restaurants but still slightly disappointing. The pasta dish I ordered wasn't huge and I had finished it only a few bites. read more

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Disappointed... food not that tasty and restaurant seemed short of staff. Favorites are the wagyu steak and short rib pasta. The amount of jam on chicken liver toast made the whole piece taste weird/too sweet. The other pasta (forgot its name) tastes salty and spicy in an unpleasant way. Restaurant also seemed short of staff - there seemed to be only 2 servers covering the 10+ tables, and while our server was helpful and did his best, it just seemed very chaotic and we had to wait some time for the food to be served and order to be added. ~$100 pp post tax and tip read more

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We had a great dinner at SPQR--the vibe is modern and relaxed, perfect for a nice night out. We ordered a bottle of wine and the A5 wagyu which was a highlight--rich and perfectly cooked. The pasta dishes were fresh and flavorful, and the service was friendly and attentive. read more

SPQR - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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A well-known Italian restaurant. The staff were kind and friendly, and the food was delicious. The atmosphere felt like a stylish bar. read more

SPQR - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

We tried the 5-course pasta tasting, which is served only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Each portion may seem small, but trust me--you'll definitely feel full from all the carbs, lol. We really enjoyed our dining experience. We also added focaccia and chicken liver toast, both of which were lovely. read more

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I've had the SPQR cookbook for years and probably made half of the recipes in it, but I have never eaten there, mainly because we aren't in that area of SF very often, but we finally had the opportunity to have an early dinner there recently. Overall, the food was a bit hit or miss, however, the pastas were exceptional. We began with two starters - the crispy pig ears and the sweetbreads. The pig ears were good - nice and crispy - but super salty to the point we couldn't fathom eating all of them. The sweetbreads were off the hook - perfectly seared without being over done and a nice herby sauce to cut through the richness. I highly recommend this if you're into sweetbreads. For the pastas, I tried the carbonara and my wife had the agnolotti. Both were fantastic. I really love the al dente texture of all the pasta and the sauces were all on point. The carbonara was rich and cheesy, while the agnolotti were filled with tender, rich short rib and served in a light sauce/broth that was beefy, but with an acidic component to bring balance to the dish. We were just at the wine shop up the street and had purchased a couple of bottles. I inquired about corkage, which is $40 per 750ml bottle, so we opted for BTG instead. The service was friendly, but a little slow and it felt a little pushy on upselling things like the prix fixe menu or ordering more dishes, which really didn't leave a great impression. We opted to skip dessert and grab ice cream up the street. I've also read a lot of reviews about their pasta tasting menu but that was nowhere to be seen. So if you're going to have this, you should call first to make sure they're offering it. The restaurant charges a 6% service fee on all checks. read more

A gastronomically orgasmic experience beyond our expectations!!! A must visit place while in SF. It blows away many of the so called high end Italian establishments we frequent in LA. Brava & bellissimo!! read more

This will be my 10+ time dining just at the Chef's Counter at SPQR. I pay for all my meals and tell it like it is: The pasta tasting menu at **SPQR** is nothing short of remarkable -- the sort of experience that quietly reminds you why San Francisco's dining scene is still world-class. Each course arrives with flavours so clean, precise, and confidently balanced that you catch yourself slowing down just to make the moment last. The pastas themselves are the star: beautifully textured, deeply savoury, and presented with the kind of care and finesse that feels genuinely **Michelin-worthy**. Service is another clear strength. The team moves with an easy professionalism -- warm, attentive, and knowledgeable without hovering. You never wait, you never wonder, and somehow your table always feels looked after at exactly the right moments. It's that rare mix of friendliness and polish that makes a long tasting menu feel effortless. The atmosphere ties it all together. SPQR has a lively, intimate vibe -- energetic but not loud, refined without ever feeling stuffy. It's the sort of place where you can settle in, relax, and let the courses tell the story. All in all, the pasta tasting menu at SPQR delivers an exceptional evening from start to finish: standout flavours, elegant presentation, top-tier service, and a vibe that makes the whole thing shine. A truly brilliant dining experience. Time for #11. read more

SPQR - Amazing Pasta - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Tried SPQR's summer corn tasting menu (3-courses, 1 dessert), but wasn't blown away by anything. Dish 1 - corn pannacotta: a savory, intensely umami dish to start the meal. It was way too rich and creamy to be an appetizer. The corn essence was infused well into the pannacotta, but the overall flavor profile and textures just didn't work. Dish 2 - bay shrimp and corn farfelle: the pasta was cooked al dente, and was clearly hand made with beautifully cut edges. However, they only gave us 3 pieces and there was absolutely no shrimp or corn inside each of the pieces. It feels misleading to label shrimp and corn as the first two ingredients in this dish with so little of these ingredients. Very disappointed by this item. Dish 3 - short ribs with polenta: not bad, there was real meat and the polenta was cooked well. Dish 4 - corn gelato and honeycomb cake and white chocolate mousse: highlight of the meal. It was a strong dessert with well-executed ingredients. The bill was $100 pp after tax and tip. I am ambivalent about my experience: there were some highlights like the dessert at the end, but I was not impressed by the SPQR's small portions and vision of the flavor and ingredient profiles. At this price range, there are several restaurants in SF that can compete and deliver more value, so next time I am in the mood for fine-dining, I'd probably go elsewhere. read more

We visited last night and it was the 4 course meal option only. We both thought that the presentation was beautiful and high class but the flavor and taste did not match. The cooked fish dish was sadly under cooked & had a weird flavored lentils under ( wanted to send back and did not finish it). There was 1 of 4 dishes that weas absolutely delicious, the pasta course! It was so yummy and perfect. Service was decent, the ambiance was ok, the tables were pretty close together which we always dislike. Had high hopes but was underwhelmed. Cannot confidently recommend but I would return for their pasta flight they have during the week nights. read more

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cute christmasy vibes (the higher rating is more so for the interior hehe), nice presentation, pig ear appetizer was my favorite/ different! nice little crunch. the pastas were fine but it just wasn't anything crazy. they gave us free holiday themed dessert and those were the best- warm and felt like home! read more

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Their FOCACCIA bread is so good! Comes out very fresh. Pastas were also great, rotates seasonally.

Food (1 of 2 stars): Came on a Saturday morning for the donuts. Got one order of Apple Cider and one of the Cinnamon Sugar. The Apple Cider donuts were really good, especially fresh; they had apple cider pie-like filling. The cinnamon sugar was good too but had a wine-taste to it, maybe something in the batter? The texture of both donuts, though, was really good overall. Service (1 of 2 stars): Workers were really kind but since it was only outdoor seating and ordering, didn't interact much with them. Ambiance (1 of 1 star): Only outdoor seating but it's on Fillmore so good ambiance overall, especially on a nice Saturday morning. Overall, would get the donuts again. It's more so a grab and go situation so don't expect to be blown away, especially from a restaurant that is also a fancy sit-down later in the day. read more

SPQR - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came for my birthday on a Thursday and was super excited to do the pasta tasting menu, originally thinking it would be a full meal. Be warned - each plate is just a few pieces of pasta at best. I left full because of how slow we were eating (took about 20 minutes per plate), but overall not a ton of food for $59/person. All of the dishes were very innovative, seasonal, and well plated so it felt like an incredibly elevated dining experience, but overall fell short just because there needed to be more pasta on each plate to get a full idea of the flavors. Loved the Stonefruit Gnocchi, was my favorite dish out of the tasting. I would highly recommend ordering this a la carte. Corn Cappelletti was my second favorite, would also recommend this a la carte! Both had a perfect balance of sweet and savory, and very unique dishes you wouldn't be able to find somewhere else. The other 3 items on the pasta tasting menu don't seem to be available on the dinner menu - perhaps for good reason. I would pass on all of these a la carte - Rabbit Farfalle (not enough meat in the filling, pasta was undercooked and hard), Buckwheat Fusili (sauce was too loose, basically a soup), Spinach Casarecce (good, not great. Needed more salt or parm). Restaurant was extremely quiet and dimly lit. Maybe needed some music or something to elevate the vibe. If you're coming to celebrate a birthday, this is maybe not the place. It was my birthday and I paid the bill, so I saw the charge for the birthday dessert before it even came. Strange. read more

SPQR - Stone Fruit Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Went to SPQR for a birthday dinner on a Thursday night. We did the pasta tasting menu (which everyone at the table has to participate in, $59 per person). To start we also ordered focaccia with butter which was very delicious but not complementary. Overall the pasta was pretty good, although I only really enjoyed 2 of the 5 tasting dishes. 1st was 1 small ravioli type pasta with corn and mushrooms. This one was really delicious though quite small. 2nd was 2 farfalle noodles with rabbit and shishito peppers. The orange sauce that came with this one was quite good but the pasta was so al dente it was almost crunchy, and there wasn't much meat on this one. 3rd was fusilli with pork, this one tasted pretty okay but wasn't very exciting, and it seemed like the plates our table got weren't consistent, some of us getting 1 piece of spinach and no other vegetables, others getting multiple vegetable pieces. 4th was the stuffed gnocchi with 3 gnocchi. This was definitely my favorite and the apricot inside the gnocchi combined with the sauce was delicious. 5th was spinach pasta with crispy leaves on top. This one seemed like an unexciting note to end on, especially after the gnocchi tasting which had been a little sweet. The crunchy leaves added some nice texture but overall the flavor of this dish was too bitter and one note for me. We were here for a birthday and additionally were charged $7 for gelato which we didn't order. We saw this on the bill before they even brought the gelato out so it spoiled the surprise for our birthday guest. This was a little disappointing and I think the order of bill and dessert should probably be switched and dessert not added as a charge if it wasn't selected by us. Overall pretty good food but a little pricy for the amount received with the tasting menu and the underwhelming flavors of some of the dishes. read more

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I had a great time at SPQR, and some of the dishes were wonderful. The staff took great care of us at the bar, and it was a memorable evening as we closed the place. However, we came in to enjoy the five course pasta tasting menu and ended with a bill of $281. Some of the dishes we ordered. Yet, dessert arrived unannounced, and we ended up paying for that. My glass of wine cost $58. I should have been warned ahead of time. San Francisco is an outrageously expensive city. I know that, and SPQR has very good food. Was it $281 good? Maybe, but I like to know what I'm paying for ahead of the expenditure. read more

SPQR - Pasta menu - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I was hesitant to make a reso, given recent bad reviews but decided to go bc I had a good memory of it from many many years ago. We went there on Saturday night dinner hours, but the place was pretty empty. Both of us did 4 course meal. Idk about the a la carte experience, but the course meal was VERY disappointing. Overall the service and the flavor was on point but the portion size was ridiculously small for main entrees. Braised rib pasta was literally served in a bowl for a baby. And my salmon was a size of 2 fingers. Strangely, they gave us a ton of carbs -- focaccia bread was huge as well as the sizes of the desserts. If we knew the portion sizes were gonna be that small we would have ordered the a la carte (though I am unsure if a la carte sizes are bigger). With $100 per person for the course and 1 glass of wine ($20), tax / SF mandate fee / tip = it was $300 meal with tinies entrees for protein part of the meal. read more

I've heard a lot of buzz about this place over the years and finally got a chance to try it. Kinda feels like they're walking a fine line between tasting menu and prix fixe. The portions are kinda small, like a tasting menu, though you only get 4 courses in the prix fixe. I found the pasta course very innovative, definitely the highlight. Focaccia alle Erbe: Super fluffy with a nice salted herbal top. Way fluffier than I'm used to for focaccia; I'm here for it. A nice way to start the meal. Octopus with Panissa: A single tentacle, charred just right so every little suction cup is crispy. A lot of other little things on the plate that pair nicely with the main attraction. The pasty panissa was memorable; not sure if I've had that before. Plum Stuffed Potato Gnocchi with Duck Agrodolce: My favorite dish here. The gnocchi was cylindrical with the plum in the center. It kinda looked like candy. Lots of personality with the sweet and sour plum. The duck existed in a few mounts of shredded meat, so you get a taste of duck with the gnocchi. Wagyu Beef Due Modi: One bit of rare wagyu steak and one bit of well-done short rib. I definitely liked the steak more. Lots of nice veggies in the mix to pair with the meat. Toasted Panettone: Pretty substantial dessert. The panettone isn't made in-house, but rather ordered from Italy. The waiter really pumped up the panettone when I asked about it; it was ok but not earth shattering compared to other panettone I've had. Kinda felt like something I might put together at home after Christmas with leftovers. I had a bit of buyer's remorse since the other desserts people ordered looked more intricate. read more

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This is a review for their weekend donuts. I've walked by here a bunch of times and noticed a line of folks ordering their fresh made donuts/beignets and we finally gave it a try. They have multiple flavors: powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, mushroom, apple cider, and maybe another one that I can't remember. Each order is $7 and comes with 3-4 in an order. We went with the powdered sugar and mushroom. The powdered was delicious, especially hot n fresh. Would order again. The mushroom one was supposed to be savory, but the filling inside was just too sweet for my liking. I ate one, and ended up giving away the rest. . I do wish they offered a sampler option, so I can try em all without having to make individual orders. $16 for two orders, While good, it's not something I'm gonna crave all that often read more

SPQR - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very disappointed they stopped doing the freshly made to order donuts and coffee on Saturday and Sunday. They were among the best if not the best in the city read more

Place is great for date nights, but the food was a huge disappointment. Though the presentation was good, the flavors were not meshing well and felt like each dish was doing too much. My highlights were the desserts ( I would come back just for that). The waiters were not responsive at all and tasting menu took 3 hours for a four course meal which is unacceptable! read more

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The service here is top-notch; the staff went out of their way to make us feel special. I highly recommend sitting at the chef's table! It was fun to see all the different dishes being prepared. I unfortunately got motion sick on the ride up so I couldn't enjoy the meal as much as I normally would but even still I loved everything I tried. The standout items were the summer fruit with burrata, focaccia, squash blossom salad, and pasta with chicharrones. Next time I would want to try their pasta tasting menu! read more

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Went to SPQR with my wife and we both got the prix fixe menu and wine. I remember this place was great over a decade ago but sadly this time the food ranged from good to bad which is not acceptable for the amount of money we spent. The best dish was the dandelion salad followed by the lobster ravioli. Otherwise it was downhill. Rabbit and pork trotter terrine was oddly bland with a weird cornmeal like-crust on top. Carbonara was inedible with burned and acrid tasting prosciutto? Should have been bits of guanciale which was not detectable. Mains were ok, her pork loin tasted of an odd marinade, my short rib risotto was average. Desserts were inedible. Her panna cotta had a weird jelly layer that tasted of cheap boba jelly, my chocolate pastry didn't taste good and paired terribly with what seemed to be a pear sorbet. They added a bomboli donut which wasn't good either the dough was odd. Go somewhere else for Italian food in SF. read more

Dinner at SPQR is an incredibly special experience. My family doesn't live in SF, but we travel there often for good food and good times. We try to plan scheduled events around someone's restaurant pick and with a concert at the Fillmore, my dad chose the perfect spot a block or so away. We made reservations around 3 months out (FYI) and chose the $88 4-course menu, which seemed like the more valued option than a la carte ~ plus, we were able to try more menu options from everyone's plate! This spot is small and cozy, but made for an equally intimate tasting evening. Every item on the menu was so unique, full of flavor & if I could sum it up in two words: Innovative Italian. Like a foodie dream straight from pillow to plate, to highlight a few of our tasting offerings: warm focaccia the size of your fist to start with creamy whipped butter, salad with a mulled red wine vinaigrette perfect for anyone's Fall/Winter fix, grilled octopus over a bed of pistachio cream with brussels sprouts, bucatini pasta served with crispy kale, sage brown butter, walnuts and blue cheese, larger than life raviolis served with delicate pieces of squash & topped with seed-nut crumbles, and buttery sea scallops that swam in a chili-yuzu foam! (Say what!?) Highly recommend chatting with the well~trained servers to describe the dishes and flavors you're tasting. Also, ask recommendation wise of what to wash each course down with! SPQR is beer/wine only, but the wine list is extensive. And for dessert, the hot chocolate torta was something alone I would go back for. But quite honestly, this menu was nothing short of liquid (or chocolate) gold! It's no surprise they have a long list of awards and accolades, Michelin stars and even a pretty sweet cookbook you can find online. Outside of their tasting menu, they also offer coffee & donuts on weekends and fried chicken on Sundays. Either would be fun for the next stroll in the city! Bravo, SPQR! read more

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This review is specifically for just their weekend donuts & coffee offering! I love that on weekend mornings, I can just pop by and order freshly made donut/beignet-lookalikes at the door and enjoy the outside. The donuts are reasonably priced for the neighborhood and being in Pac Heights, and come in a couple different flavor offerings. Recently tried their mushroom one, and it was interesting! Very balsamic vinegar reduction-y. The donuts come in a set of 3. Workers are always super friendly when taking your order and calling it out. There's limited seating outside, and you might have to wait a bit for a table to clear before claiming the seat as your own, so you might have to take your donuts and coffee on a walk. read more

SPQR - Mushroom beignets - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Summary: Tasty donuts at their weekend popup Details: This review is specifically for their weekend-only Accarrino's coffee and donuts popup in the morning, as I haven't been to SPQR itself. Having sugar overdosed just the day before at Magic Donuts, I was a little hesitant to swing by when my friend suggested we add this stop, but I'm glad we did! Having not looked into it at all, I was really expecting what we ended up getting here: smaller, freshly made-to-order donuts with some fancier and unexpected flavors. Even more unexpectedly, the savory mushroom donuts ended up actually being sweeter than their spiced apple sugar ones, with the former having a mushroom jam-like quality to it, and the latter having a wonderfully savory one to it. While I wouldn't get the former again (and would absolutely get the latter), it was an interesting experience to try at least once, and is something I imagine many a mushroom fanatic would enjoy. Accessibility: No comment on the interior, but there were plenty of accessible outdoor seating options. read more

SPQR - a tray of pastries and a cup of coffee - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Wow looks like the reviews are super divided between the breakfast grab-and-go option and the dinner service, this review was for the dinner service! Honestly when my partner and I came here and I saw the reviews I was SCARED!! like are we about to drop $100 each on a meal that sucks?? I was pretty stinky to my partner about it hehe and he was STRESSING for sure but let me say the meal pleasantly surprised me!!!! Like it was yummy!!! It's definitely pricey so keep that in mind but honestly I ate deliciously and overall had a positive experience. We both did the prix fixe menu but it was a tad confusing because it was hard to distinguish how to choose prix fixe courses from the printed menu because I figured there would be a separate selection for the prix fixe courses but turns out we were able to pick a selection per section on the menu as our prix fixe courses. We had a lot of free rein and I feel like that option for like ~$100 is much better value than ordering a la carte. Each dish was delicious and yummy, small as everyone notes, I ended with a cheese plate which ROCKs as a dessert y'all don't knock it until you try it. The service was slow, like dude it took us 20 min to get a menu and then like another 20 min before the focaccia came out ... But it's okay, once the food came out it came out in a good pace. Okay the highlights were the arancini and the whitefish! The menu rotates pretty frequently so you probably won't see the same options I did though rip. We did not do the wine pairing bc neither of us are wine people but honestly judging from the other reviews it might not be worth it heh read more

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Hands down one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. I celebrated my brother's 30th birthday here and the staff went above and beyond We had the tasting menu and I would highly recommend it! Thank you to the SPQR for a lovely evening! read more

I've only ever come here for the coffee + beignets and they are DELICIOUS- light and airy and fluffy. Coffee is great too - get the classic powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. The ones with a filling are ok ok read more

SPQR - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Overall, my experience at this restaurant for a birthday dinner was interesting and seems to reflect what others have shared about this place. One notable issue was the handling of wine pairings with the truffle pasta we had just ordered. The waiter initially suggested pairing the white truffles with red wine, which I found unusual. When I specifically asked for recommendations for white wines, he mentioned he had one in mind and could pour me a sip to try. However, he returned with a full glass already poured, offering no explanation about the wine or what I had just committed to. To make matters worse, the wine was intended to accompany the truffle dish, but the timing was completely off--the truffle dish didn't arrive until an hour later, by which time we had long finished the wine. Missing the pairing entirely was disappointing, as it was supposed to be a key part of the experience. The appetizers were the highlight of the meal, featuring unique and well-balanced flavors. The white truffle pasta was okay, and I appreciated that they were able to prepare it off-menu. However, despite explicitly asking for three portions, we were served only one (small) portion to share, which felt inadequate. The risotto was decent, though not particularly memorable, and the spinach-based pasta was a surprise. It featured an interesting combination of freeze-dried spinach and seaweed, which was tasty, though the pasta itself was somewhat unusual, and I'm not sure I'd order it again. Dessert service was another misstep. After finishing our meal and already ordering and eating dessert (with a request for candles), we were finally presented with the birthday dessert just as we were about to leave, forcing us to take it to go. While I appreciated the gesture, it felt poorly timed and more like an afterthought than a thoughtful part of the celebration. On a positive note, the water service was excellent, with staff frequently refilling glasses. I don't think I've ever had so much water at an Italian restaurant before. Truthfully, that was the main redeeming quality of the restaurant. The ambiance was also a highlight, with dim lighting and a stylish, moody vibe that elevated the setting. While there were enjoyable aspects of the meal and ambiance, the poor timing of the wine and truffle dish, combined with other service inconsistencies, left me feeling that the experience fell short--especially for the price point of the restaurant. read more

SPQR - Hamachi "Crudo" - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Review for the Saturday doughnuts (starts at 9am I believe) Been wanting to try these doughnuts for a while. I was going to get the cinnamon ones, but at the last minute I switched to the Peach verbena (3 in an order, and fried-to-order) When is freshly fried dough not delicious? (hint: never!) I was left wanting MORE peach, but I did get the hint of verbena. (Verbena always reminds me of an episode of Little House on the Prairie where Laura was obsessed with a verbena perfume at Olsen's Mercantile, did she shoplift it, surely Pa & Ma weren't gonna shell out for it.) read more

SPQR - 3 to an order peach verbena doughnuts. $7. 8.13.22 - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

A very good (but somewhat underwhelming given the hype) Italian-influenced farm-to-table Michelin-starred tasting menu in San Francisco. There's clear creativity in the kitchen - particular standouts were the gnocchi and prime beef coated with a delicious bone marrrow sauce). But other dishes missed the mark, most notably the overly-crispy pork belly and an uninspired bread service (the bread was a little dry and there was too little of it to soak up the sauces in the dishes). The price is quite fair - it's among the cheapest Michelin-started spots in the city - and service was impeccable. But overall it was just a good meal more than an event. read more

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I went here on a Thursday and did the $60 5 course pasta tasting menu. The waiter warned us that portions were small and he was not wrong! However, we really enjoyed each dish and had multiple favorites by the end of the night. But definitely be prepared for small portions and maybe to order a side or two if you do the tasting menu. read more

SPQR - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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4.5 stars. SPQR dinner tonight! It was delicious! been years since I've been here. They blended a wine for me on the spot to my taste (Italian varietal of Cab Franc + 2 other wines to get a complexity, low tannins, dry with a little sweetness... no tobacco or char)! Thank you SpQR Sommelier! Had 2 antipasti: octopus Brussels and Broccoli Hen of Woods Panchetta. Both absolutely delicious! Not a crumb left on plates. Broccoli leaves as well as the Brussels were airy, savory, and crispy! Squid ink spaghetti with octopus puttanesca and bottarga was rave worthy as well! Nothing left on that plate either. The bacon wrapped pork was juicy and tender and full of flavor for not being brined. Need to go back more often now that tables are easier to get when you show up at 5:30. Almost forgot about the compliments of chef ‍dessert bites... mini chocolate chip cookies from those sister bake shop around the corner (soft and delicious), and these little cinnamon sugar beignets!!!!! Hot off the fryer!!!! SPQR it if you're in SF. They are super friendly and chat with you if you are chatty like me. And they take your coat as you walk in. The special mushroom mushroom mushroom pasta fell flat because the pasta when it's pinched up and sealed as a sail/ fin was undercooked. Everything else was devoured. Seating is tight squeeze. Lighting could do with a revamp to enhance food colors to tantalize better (the bite before the bite). Perhaps usb bronze table lamps so lighting is above the food and below the eyes? read more

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