NOPA Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Reviewer: Foodnut.com

NOPA

560 Divisadero Street (at Hayes)

San Francisco, CA 94117

415-864-8643

415-358-9434 (Fax)

NOPA Website

NOPA Restaurant Review, San Francisco

NOPA is a “neighborhood based restaurant designed to attract and comfort those from all over the Bay Area.” They serve “simple, rustic food created with seasonal ingredients sourced from local purveyors.” The restaurant has redefined the north of panhandle (NOPA) area since 2006 and has been packing them in. We did not have reservations, so we can in early and put our name on the list, otherwise you can eat at the bar or communal table.

Our last meal was in Summer 2023 in their nice parket.

Nopa San Francisco Interior

Decor, Vibe – A converted bank, it has high ceilings, a massive bar, communal table, and a small dining area on the 2nd floor. Energetic atmosphere with mostly folks in their 30’s to 40’s, many casually dressed nearby local foodies.

Nopa’s Menu

It is ever changing but seems to always have their pork chop and burger. Lots of starters including several for vegetarians. Only 1 entree out of 6 for vegetarians.

Website Menu

Nopa Food Review

Wood Grilled Peach, Stracciatella, Walnuts And Nopa Farm Honey ($21) is a nice summer cheese dish.  Mild and not overly rich Stracciatella. 8.5/10

Wood Baked Gigante Beans, Breadcrumbs, Oregano Pesto And Feta ($17) was okay but should be ordered by vegetarians. 7.5/10

Country Pork Chop, Roasted Summer Beans And Stonefruit Mostarda ($42) is their signature dish.  Very tender and thick pork chop that is very juicy and probably brined. 9/10

House Smoked Brisket, Potatoes, Sweet Peppers And Broccolini ($48) was recommended by our server.  Large portion that doesn’t look like a traditional bbq brisket. Accompanying vegetables were a bit odd. 8/10

Chocolate Mint Semifreddo ($15) devil’s food cake and blackberry nectarine compote is not as good as the Choclate ice cream but still a good bet. 8.5/10

Malted Milk Chocolate Ice Cream ($12) is house made, comes with 3 scoops and a hit of olive oil and salt. This eggless ice cream is well done. 9.5/10

Pre-Pandemic Food review

Picks:

Nopa San Francisco Amuse Bouche

Amuse Bouche

 

Pear Salad ($15) Tomatero Organic Lettuce, K&J Shinko Asian Pear, Toasted Pecans, Valbreso Sheep’s Milk Feta, Pomegranate, and Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette (on the side) was a slightly fruity salad done just right. The pears did not overwhelm but helped with the banace. 8/10

Nopa San Francisco Calamari

Roasted Calamari, Garlic Croutons, and Meyer Lemon ($4) was an awesome snack. The Calamari was fresh and marinated with the lemon emulsion. Crunchy croutons were delicious.

Nopa San Francisco Cocktails

Sherry Shrub Cocktail ($6) Fino Sherry, Housemade Huckleberry shurb was small little lite cocktail. A nice start before dinner.

Old Cuban ($9) Flor de cana rum, mint, sugar, lime juice, cava. A green colored mojito with sparkling wine instead of soda water. Strong and good.

Nopa San Francisco Wood Roasted Lima Beans

Wood baked Giant Lima Beans ($9) with tomato, feta, oregano and breadcrumbs was a delicious casserole. The beans were fresh and tender. The combination had just enough tomato accent.

Nopa San Francisco Flat Bread

Flatbread ($14) of spicy fennel sausage, ramps, and sweet cream was almost like a pizza, albeit a very good one. Thin and crispy crust and very garlicky toppings made for a wonderful signature appetizer.

Nopa San Francisco Pasta

House made Tagliatelle pasta ($18) english peas, nepitella mint and goat cheese was a distinguished fresh hand made egg fettuccine shaped pasta. Very good cheese. Clearly this dish was geared towards vegetearians but should be satisfying to all.

Nopa San Francisco Pork Chop

Wood Grilled pork chop ($32) Roasted Butternut Squash, Rainbow Orchard Pink Lady Apples, and Toasted Walnuts is their signature dish. One or Two Thick Chops. The pork is brined in a brown sugar dip for hours and gained a carmelized crust after cooking and a hint of apple.  Cooked to a medium rare with lots of red. It was a healthy bone in portion that proved to be excellent. Could have used more starch. 8.5/10

Nopa San Francisco Osso Buco

Cider Braised pork Osso Buco ($25) Toasted Barley, Garlic confit and chard was very tender and fell off the bone. The barley was more like risotto, with a robust meat flavor.

Nopa San Francisco Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower and Artichokes ($6) were fresh, crunchy, and cooked in a healthy manner. Nice quantities for this price.

Nopa San Francisco Sorbet Ice Cream Dessert

Trio of sorbets and ice cream ($8) with an almond cookie had strawberry cava sorbet, white wine sorbet, and a rose flavored ice cream. All had subtle flavors, just enough sweetness, and were a nice palate cleansing dessert.

OK:

Nopa San Francisco Chickpeas

Crispy Spiced Chickpeas ($3) are crunchy and a little spicy. Healthier than most snacks.

Nopa San Francisco Vahrona Hot Chocolate

Vahrona Hot Chocolate ($3.50) was fairly thick and creamy.

Pans:
None

NOPA had very good service, with a fairly knowledgable waitress. She pushed our meal along a bit faster than we wanted. Water was filled, tables cleaned, they asked if we wanted bread during wait, etc.

This place is popular because the comfort food, drinks, and service are all solid. While not as fancy as places like Zuni Cafe, NOPA fills the bill for delicious high end everyday American cuisine.

Previous to this we ate at Liholiho, which has a much more electric atmosphere and exciting food.

$20 corkage, Glasses from $7, bottles from $28.

Their sister restaurant Nopalito is 3 blocks away and serves informal Mexican cuisine. They also have one on 18th street.

Restaurant Map:


NOPA Overall Rating: (Very Good 2.5)

Come Back?

Food Rating: (Very Good)
Service Rating: (Very Good)
Atmosphere Rating: (Very Good)
Value Rating: (Good)

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

Alcohol:Full Bar
Attire:Casual
Hours:Daily 6pm - 1am
Parking:Street (Hard)
Reservations:Yes
Prices:$13 - $25

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