A16 Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Opened in 2004, A16 has since been present on many top Italian restaurant lists. It is a very popular restaurant in the Marina district, with prime time reservations needing to be booked a week or two in advance. Reviews on several sites included a fair amount of 1 or 2 star reviews from disappointed people. This restaurant is serious about wine and pairing.

Wine prices by the glass are reasonable but are tiny. A better bet is a carafe that can serve almost 3 glasses. C Luli Chardonnay was $23.

Decor, Vibe – This is a loud place with lots of ‘pretty people’ in their 30’s and 40’s. The decor is a little understated.

Menu pics

Wine Board

Menu

Cocktails, Beer

Wine by the glass

Dessert Menu

Picks:

Mozzarella burrata with olive oil, sea salt and crostini ($11) – Awesome dip for the toasted bread. The Mozzarella did not even taste cheesy.  Great appetizer.

Tuna conserva and artichokes with grilled bread, basil and chiles  ($11) – Put some tuna (Almost canned tuna style) on top of grilled bread and chow down. Also a very good appetizer.

Margherita pizza – tomato, mozzarella, grana padano, basil, olive oil ($14) – Fairly thin pizza without a soggy middle.  Good but light balance of tomato sauce and cheese.  Little burns on edges. Edge crust is good, not buttery. Good but we preferred the Salsiccia instead. You could polish off one of these easily. Leftovers the next day were still good.

Salsiccia pizza – fennel sausage, spring onions, mozzarella, grana padano, garlic, chiles ($15.50) – Zesty but tasty sausage. Nice thin crust that was not burned. Very balanced, not overly cheesy. A little better than Delfina Pizzaria’s version.

Ricotta gnocchi in brodo with leeks, mint, pancetta and black pepper ($9 or $16 Large) – Delicious with little meatballs.

Gramigna Pasta ($18 Large) – Unusual pasta that uses the black ink from an Octopus. We were shocked to find it was a very Good dish.

Beef Tri Tip ($24) – Several pre-sliced pieces of good Tri Tip with cherry tomatoes on top, wild arugula, and grana padano cheese.  Good quality and most pieces are cooked medium rare.

Panna Cotta ($8) – Great dessert with pistachios on top. Very smooth and good accent from the fruit.

Real Coffee

OK:

Salumi La Quercia acorn edition tasting: coppa, lonza and lardo ($16) – The Duck part was tasty, as was prosciutto. Some of the others were pretty bland.

Roasted potatoes and cauliflower with marinated onions, capers, and chilies ($6) was a pretty standard vegetable dish.  Nothing special.

Fuzzy Naples ($9) – A funky little drink with Lillet Blanc, orange juice, and peach juice.  Try the extensive wine selection instead.

Pans:

None

We’ve been here several times and the food remains very good at A16.  The service could have been better to match the fine food, server was just fair. It is still a very popular place that anyone interested in high quality Italian food should visit.

Be sure to check out the A16 Food and Wine Book

Book Reservation

Overall Rating: (Very Good)

Come Back?

Food Rating:	(Excellent)
Service Rating:	(Above Average)
Atmosphere Rating:	(Good)
Value Rating:	(Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:	Full Bar
Attire:	Dressy
Hours:	W-F 11:30am-2:30pm. Su-Th 5pm-10pm. F-Sa 5pm-11pm
Parking:	Street
Reservations:	Yes
Prices:	$11 - $24

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