Emmy's Spaghetti Shack

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3230 Mission St (at at Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94110

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(415) 206-2086
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Reviews
( 12 )
( 17 )
( 1 )
( 5 )
( 4 )

Best

Any place with laundry hanging from a clothesline, a dj and raisin bread blue cheese warm pear brushcetta deseves 5 stars! And, of course, this little pasta shack has f**ing fa...

Worst

Used to LOVE this place!! USED TO...Don't ever be so bold as to send something back though! The cook will make you feel like scum and try to punish you by refusing to fix your ord...

An honest review: Great for what it is 5/8/2003

Listen, if you want class and sophistication, there are hundreds of restaurants - go to one of them. If you go to Emmy's, expect a funky, unpolished, jeans-n-hoodies, cash-only scene with hit-and-miss service. But damn, it's GOOD and CHEAP! The first time I went, I was very unimpressed. But the spaghetti ($6, or $8.5 with meatballs) gets under your skin, and the second time I went it was a revelation. Emmy's is great for a cheap, tasty, and different place to eat. Perfect for a weeknight when you wanna eat out but don't want to break the bank. Pros: Good food for cheap, Sizeable portions, No Marina types Cons: Iffy service more
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so bad, so bad 3/13/2003

the experience: hostess - rude, heavily tatooed, long wait for what? spaghetti and meatballs? service - rudimentary; ambience - full of people who shouldn't be eating carbs; food - some of the worst i've had; value - good, but considering the food, not worth it. save yourself the trip, even though i walked there. terrible. more
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terrible service with worse food 2/7/2003

This grossly overrated food joint boasts ridiculously unprofessional and silly service with food that is ill conceived and badly prepared. The reviewers of this junk joint must have dead taste buds, endless hours of time and be hopelessly ignorant of how a professional restaurants operate. more
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Not for Stuffed Shirts (Thanks Be) 1/29/2003

to the guy who saod it punched his credit card - where did he eat? they don't take plastic! emmy's is great, the servers are hot punk rawk chicks with a friendly smile, the food is a totally fair deal - delicious and priced to move, and the olives kick butt. plus - who doesn't love a good pabst blue ribbon? Pros: delish, value, service Cons: crowded more
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AWESOME! 1/10/2003

We LOVE LOVE LOVE Emmy's. They have kickin music playin all the time (sometimes DJ's), INCREDIBLE wine & cute waitresses too! The Spaghetti & Meatballs is a classic you can never go wrong with... their apps & salads are great and the service is wonderful. The best part is just the atmosphere - it's soo comfortable and hip - but edgy... if I had to put words to it. We go there more for the atmosphere than anything, it's really chill and so fun! Pros: great music, cute waitresses, yummy wine Cons: usually a wait more
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Truly San Fran 1/2/2003

This little (and I emphasize little) restaurant is perfect for those who want an intimate meal. The staff is great and the decorations very warm and full of expression. The wait is horrific at times, though. Come early, there's no reservations. Pros: pasta, food, atmosphere Cons: wait, small, crowded more
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YUM YUM YUM 12/12/2002

Emmy's ROCKS!! The ambiance is charmingly shabby-chic, the DJs always play a wide variety of fantasic music that everyone will love, the waitstaff wonderfully jolly, efficeint, helpful and fun, the food is mostly great AND THEY SERVE 40's in WINE BUCKETS!!! The bowl of marniated olives is a STEAL at 3.50, but the BEST reason to go to Emmy's is the huge bowl of spicey DELICIOUS spaghetti for $6.00!!! It's a small, intimate place with a ton of character. GO, there is usually a wait, but well worth it! The mexican bar next door is friendly and they have a pool table to pass the time. more
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The best in the SFC 10/29/2002

Emmy's is my favorite restaurant in the city. I think I spend more time at Emmy's than in my own kitchen. Sara's food is killer, all the servers are hot, the music is great, and the crowd is always hip. I've eaten and worked in many restaurants in the city, but there's something about Emmy's that sets it apart from the rest. I just wish that it was closer to my apartment. Maybe they will open another restaurant so that I won't have to go all the way across town. Pros: inexpensive, hot servers, good music more
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Great food at the Shack 10/28/2002

The spaghetti and meatballs were out of this world. The wine was fantastic. The service was excellent. And yes, it is reasonably priced. $70 with tip for two which included 2 glasses of wine, 1 app and 2 entrees. I would definitely go back! Pros: Food, Atmosphere more
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You call that cheap?!? 10/4/2002

Once again it's better at home. Or maybe I'm just not cool. And it's not what I call chaep or that good. I know of a much better place at 19th & Valencia. Called Valencia Pizza & Pasta. It's cheaper and much better! Pros: blah, blah, blah more
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Great Food & Service, Good Price 9/15/2002

We eat at Emmy's regularly. The food is great and varied, thoughtful, well-balanced flavors, sometimes adventuresome, never pretentious. There are always at least a couple good vegetarian options (ovo-lacto). The wine list is short, but every choice is a good value. Our experience with the staff has always been great. Perhaps the other reviewer who finds the staff ""snotty"" has yet to learn that a little patience and friendliness go a long way at most restaurants. Drawbacks are parking, seats that are too funky for folks with back problems, and not a place for quiet conversation. Pros: Great, varied food, GREAT value, Good wines Cons: Parking, Seats need repair, Music a bit too loud. more
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Worth the visit! 9/12/2002

Been here many times, and was there again the other night. But after seeing some bad reviews, I felt I had to put in my 2 cent! The waitstaff was super friendly and actually had a personality compare to other waitstaffs around town. The food was great, the service was prompt, and that zin... very tasty! You also can't beat the ""entertainment"" at the bar next door. more
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charm has turned sour 8/23/2002

i went to emmy's spaghetti shack several times when it first opened and found it to be quite quaint. the staff was friendly and the spaghetti was fabulous for the price. i hadn't gone in awhile, and now i've been back twice in the past month, and was really disappointed both times. the staff was snotty at best, and downright rude very often. we waited about 20 minutes for a table, were seated (by a hostess), and then a server yelled at us that the table was reserved. the next time i went there a random $10 was charged to our bill, and when i asked about it the server laughed and crossed it off without saying anything... unfortunately i am no longer rooting for the success of emmy's spaghetti shack more
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Disappointment 8/22/2002

I went to Emmy's when it first opened. I had read a review in the Bay Guardian raving about the food. I was quite disappointed. This place is nothing special. I ordered pasta with prawns. I got 4 prawns and about 1/8 lb of Pasta for 14.95. I mean 15 buks for pasta. Why are the prices so high, it can't be the location. The only thing i enjoyed was the wine from Australia, it was excellent. Save your money and go to a real Italian Restuarant in North Beach! more
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NOT a cheap eat 8/19/2002

Although I had a pretty good service experience (waitresses were prompt but not overly talkative), I have to agree with some of the other food ratings. I ordered the spaghetti with meatballs. The spaghetti was overcooked but the meatballs were pretty tasty. I thought that $8 for the dish was a little much (I could have paid $6 at Pasta Pomodoro for a large dish and al dente pasta). My husband ordered the shrimp linguine. The noodles were OK in this dish but they added way too much pepper. They charge $14 for this dish and we got about 3-4 prawns. Again, I would not categorize this place as a ""cheap eat."" more
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Not that good 8/12/2002

Seated quickly, but the waitress was rude and seemed annoyed that we asked questions about the extremely limited menu. Overall, the food was fine, but certainly not worth the hype. I would have much preferred a quick (we waited for food for a while) $3 burrito across the street. Pros: hip, good music Cons: very dark, not near much more
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awful host! 7/30/2002

the host was terrible during last two visits. i mean blatantly rude. service is not great - meaning not quick, but at least it was reasonably friendly, which is much more than i can say for the host. i was embarrassed to have brought someone there and will not be back. more
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cheap and funky 7/25/2002

one of three restaurants in the city open till midnight on mondays that also has alcohol. fabulous food that takes a loooong time to come, but for prices that low, it's ok. waitstaff is also slow, but friendly and accomodating. my large party arrived pretty late, and they still sat and served all of us. i'd definetely go back. Pros: value, atmosphere, food Cons: slow kitchen more
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""I'm Too Cool To Wait On You"" 6/16/2002

What a total, utter disappointment. Categorically unimpressive. Music blared so loudly that we had to scream at each other. It was turned down briefly, only to be turned back up moments later. The surly servers treated us with an ""I'm way to cool to wait on you"" attitude. Food is insanely overpriced for what you get -- $8.00 for 2 bites of ceviche?! $14.00 for gummy penne pasta that tasted essentially like Safeway store brand white cheddar macaroni? You have got to be kidding! Was the chef absent? Hungover? This was a truly awful experience, almost comical in its awfulness. Pros: "Cool" Cons: Overpriced, Poor quality food, Loud more
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delicious and cheap 6/11/2002

My friend and I had dinner here on a Monday. Believe it or not, there aren't many restaurants open on Mondays in the Mission. The food was great, the service prompt. I'm definitely going back. more
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Menu for Emmy's Spaghetti Shack


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Editorial

  • The Scene
    Emmy's oozes funkiness. Patrons sit at the bar, sipping Chianti or fine malt liquor, waiting to score a seat among the ramshackle booths lining the walls. A communal table suits...

  • 6/7/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Sun-Thu: 5:30pm-11pm Fri-Sat: 5:30pm-12am
  • Payments: Master Card, Cash, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Bernal Heights, Central East
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