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Reviewer: Foodnut.com Coqueta Pier 5, The Embarcadero San Francisco, CA 94105 415-704-8866 |
Why did we dine here? – Coqueta (Spanish for flirt or infatuation) is a new restaurant from Michael Chiarello of Bottega, Napastyle fame.
This time he focuses on Spain’s signature ‘small plates’ from Madrid, Catalonia, the Basque Country and beyond. We loved Bottega so giving this
place a try was a no brainer. They are located a couple piers down from the Ferry Building. Take a walk after dinner and burn off the calories.
Insider Tip – Make reservation or hit the meat market bar area.
Cuisine – Spanish
Location – San Francisco Embarcadero Waterfront
Opened – 2013
Service – Coqueta had very good service, no worry about refills or requests. A nice change from other places. They did forget a dish.
Verdict – Coqueta fulfilled our high expectations. Excellent food and service in a beautiful room. Definitely one of the better Spanish restaurants in San Francisco.
Coqueta Signature Dishes – Paella, Pinxtos, Branzino
Coqueta’s Menu has lots of options. Tons of small plates, cocktails, and large plates. Lots of Vegetarian options. Beware of tapas inflation where you have to order a ton to get full. Extensive cocktail menu.
Coqueta Food Picks:
Sangría red wine, spanish brandy, sherry, orange, lemon, cinnamon ($9) was a beautiful grape colored large glass. Slightly fruit and nice and cold.
Pintxos $2.50 Each – Are brought to your table. Wow what a spread.
House Cured Boquerones white anchovies, olives, pearl onions, and guindilla peppers – A nice combination of flavors
Chorizo roasted artichokes, and piquillo peppers – Excellent Chorizo. Not spicy.
Jamón Serrano manchego, and apricot – Lots of cheese, wish there was more Jamon
White Gazpacho with marcona almonds, grapes, cabernet syrup and grapeseed oil ($6) is unique. A Smooth robust, dense cold soup.
Olive Oil-Poached Delta Asparagus with red sangría salsa holendesa, idiazabal cheese, and jamon serrano “bits” ($8) had 4 fresh ones cooked to a nice level of crunchiness.
“Tattas” Bravas crispy potato and jamón nuggets with bravas salsa and alioli ($8) are high end tater tots, half with nuggets of meat. Crispy hot good stuff. A bit salty.
Wood-Grilled Octopus with fingerling potatoes, pimentón, and olive oil ($12) had chopped up grilled octopus along with cut up potatoes. Done well.
Whole Grilled Branzino with green olive and preserved rangpur lime salsa ($30) is a beautiful dish. Cooked correctly, tender, nice skin, and really not that big. Lime salsa was really spicy and sour.
Paella – A classic, made with bomba rice, Jamon Serrano shellfish broth, asparagus, chorizo, prawns, clams, and lemon aoili ($40 serves 2) is a signature dish and must order. Lots of large prawns along with clams and flavorful rice. Not huge, but a good complement to all the tapas. Slightly burnt bottom.
Churro Fantasy ($8) crispy Spanish doughnuts with drinking chocolate and mixed Berry powder. Fresh out of the fryer along with some high quality dipping sauces.
Des Gazpacho ($11) strawberry rhubarb with liquid nitrogen, frozen blood peach neblina sounded a lot more interesting and Michael Bauer’s review. This mass of frozen dessert was extremely hard to crack part.
OK: (Order if you like this dish)
Cheesecake ($4) had a funky sweet crust.
Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
None
Coqueta Overall Rating: 
(Excellent
Come Back? 
| Food Rating: | (Excellent) |
| Service Rating: | (Good) |
| Atmosphere Rating: | (Excellent) |
| Value Rating: | (Good) |
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary
| Alcohol: | Beer, Wine |
| Attire: | Casual |
| Parking: | Street |
| Reservations: | Yes |
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