A16

I'd been wanting to try A16 for the longest time based on all the great feedback, and when I finally did, I came away with mixed feelings. A16 is situated in the center of the Marina district, and as soon as we walked in, we could feel the air of pretentiousness and immediately felt uncomfortable. The feeling didn't leave us all night. The tables were much too close to one another to my liking, and I always felt like I was in on my neighbors' conversation and they into ours. Anyway, on to the food! I l absolutely loved their pizza, which is in classic Italian style of a thin but not cracker-like crust and the freshest ingredients. This is surprisingly hard to find in SF. The pizza Romana was delicious and the anchovies didn't overpower everything. My boyfriend deemed his lamb entrée as nothing special, and the side dish of veggies was entirely bland. Ending with a high note, we had the cheese plate for dessert, which came with a little piece of almond cake and a pot of honey. Delicious. Great wine list and very accommodating and friendly sommelier. more

This Italian restaurant is very much like a French restaurant, in terms of the food, prices, and portions. The waitresses are really helpful. This restaurant is usually pretty full, so be sure to make reservations a day or so in advance. The food is delicious and fresh. You can even sit by the pizza ovens to watch how the cooks make the food right in front of you. I would recommend getting pasta, but make sure to get the "large," not the "small" unless you have a small stomach. more

A16 might just have the best southern Italian food in San Francisco - certainly the best I've had since leaving Europe. For a place smack in the heart of the Marina that's filled with striped-shirt wearers, it's remarkably without pretension and attitude, the service is efficient and the staff is personable and witty. The challenge is getting seated... Tonight was our second trip to A16, and the food just gets better. We started with perfect meatballs - light and almost fluffy made with pork, proscuitto and ricotta cheese which was quickly followed by the mozzarella burata (handmade partially formed mozzarella) with crostini and a fried cheese dish - amazingly crispy and chewy with a radiccio and arugula salad on top. We all had pizza next - and my rapini (broccoli rabe) pizza with pancetta and chili oil was amazing. I've always been a fan of broccoli rabe, and the preparation was spot-on: garlicy and spicy with a little fat and salt lent to it by the melt-in-your-mouth pancetta. The crust was perfectly charred and had a fresh dough flavor. The point doesn't come off for the food, which is a clear five stars. A half point is lost due to the physical layout of the entrance/bar area - it's way too crowded, making it almost impossible to physically get up to the bar to actually order a drink. Because the restaurant is so popular (read: prone to crowds) and they offer food service at the bar, the turnover up front is very slow making it an uncomfortable place to park yourself while waiting for your table. Still, once you make it to the restaurant area, it's quite relaxed, with enough space around each table so that you don't feel like you're listening in on your neighbor's conversation. The second half point is due to the 45 minute delay we incurred waiting for our table. Even though we had to wait, the maitre 'd did a very good job keeping us informed about the delay (a table wasn't clearing out fast enough) and arranged with the owner, who stopped in to check on us, to comp us a significant amount off of the bill for the delay. For the record, I do expect that a restaurant open for more than 3 months should know their turnover rates and arrange for their seatings appropriately. I know we were not the only table waiting to be seated this night. Still, when we had our first bite of the food, the four of us unanimously agreed that it's practically impossible to be angry, because the food completely lived up to our expectation. Highly recommended if you miss the bold flavors of Southern Italian food. more

I went with my dad - we had a reservation at 6pm. We arrived at 6:10 and the place was packed. We were seated immediately (they held our table although called right at 6:10 to check on us). Our waiter was cool - a nice guy who seemed to be enjoying his job. The menu was relatively short but complex and intriguing. I had the beet salad, chard, and we shared a magherita pizza with olives (awesome) and a side of cannelini beans. We finished it off with a chocolate cake that we shared. The meal was great, the scene was fun, yet we still enjoyed a nice relaxing meal in the back corner of the restaurant. Definitely worth checking out. more

Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food Movement, recently described A16 as "the first Italian restaurant I like -- outside Italy." and I would have been dubious of this very broad statement until I had dinner there last Friday. I like A16 better than any restaurant I visited IN Italy too... One Suggestion: Unless you have an encyclopedic knowledge of esoteric Italian vineyards, let Shelly pick your wines. Don't be afraid to mention a price range. You will get amazing bottles at any price point. more

This might be the best restaurant in my world. Go, eat a pizza drink yummy wine and feel better. Evey time I go I love love love it. The food is so great. The wine is so great. I should go work there but then I wouldn't love it so mcuh. It is a lttlw loud but then so am I when I have pizza that I live so very much. Man I love this place more

A16 has gotten rave reviews. I went there on a Saturday night and was not prepared for what a scene it was. We had reservations but still had to wait. The bar was mobbed and the tables are pretty close together. The food was good but not great. We will probably stick with the pizza next time. We had the broccoli rabe pizza which sounded great but the toppings made the crust soggy. Stick with the margarita pizza. more