Trattoria Volare Caffe

i called the restaurant and the owner told me that im a telemarketer..which is not...! i just wanna make some reservations for dinner together with my my family..onset of the call the owner yelled @ me..he dont just say who is this and what the call is all about..\r \r what a kind of rude owner or even if he was just a waiter or manager..\r \r i dont want to go with that place..NEVER NEVER NEVER more

Ciao Amico; Hello Friends. I've been dining at Volare Trattoria for years and have never been disappointed. Maurizio and crew have always been friendly, focused and frequently entertaining. The cuisine is world class, unique and excites the palate. Assolutamente Sopredente! if you had what you thought was bad service, go back, relax, have some wine and enjoy the atmosphere. i guarantee you won't regret it. I recommend this beautiful cafe to new friends all over the world. Grazie Mille to Maurizio and my Volare Trattoria family. Hope to see you all there soon, Ci Vediamo more

Wanted to try a new Italian restaurant (typically dine at Trattoria Contadina) while in town. Walked all around North Beach perusing menus and chose Trattoria Volare because of the cauliflower soup with white truffle oil that was posted on the specials chalkboard and the charming doorman. Although the decor is a bit ""cheesy"", the ambience is fun with all the Italian being spoken by the restaurant staff. The waitstaff was attentive, but not overbearing, the menu offerings were interesting & the complimentary olives are TO DIE FOR. We ordered the cauliflower soup...it came out a bit room temp, but was heating to our liking when we mentioned it to our waiter. It was velvet in texture, and the cauliflower flavor was wonderful and the truffle oil was a wonderful enhancement. My partner had the pasta with the salmon and ""rosy"" cream sauce and I ordered the veal ravioli with porcini cream sauce. Both were rich, but delicate and the pasta and the salmon were cooked perfectly. My porcini could have been hydrated a bit more as most were a little on the chewy side. We finished off our meal with the lightest tiramisu we have ever had. Overall we were very pleased with the entire dining experience, would highly recommend it to others and will definitely return. An added plus is the cast of characters both working and dining at the trattoria! Pros: menu offerings, attentive waitstaff, food quality and value Cons: no full bar, decor more

Of all the places in Little Italy this restaurant looks a little cheesy with it's neon sign, but the food here is wonderful and better than most. It is fairly reasonable and the potato gnocchi is the best I have had in Little Italy. There are two gnocchi dishes on the menu. I recommend getting the potato gnocchi with the gorgonzola cream sauce (on the menu that sauce is paired with the spinach gnocchi). My wife and I love this place and highly recommend it. Pros: best gnocchi in the city Cons: no cons more

We had no clue where to eat in Little Italy, so we parked and we walked. There was a woman standing outside of Volare giving out free Bruschetta Appetizers, so we took one. The woman was quite pushy about us coming in for dinner (in a nice way of course) and we thought what the heck. It wasn't busy like other restaurants that we saw in the area, so we worried about the quality of the food. But let me tell you, this place rocks!! I had the spinach gnocchi and my boyfriend had the chicken piccata. The food was out of this world, and so was the Tiramisu we shared for dessert. The service was friendly and the total experience was awesome!! We would definitely go again. Pros: 2 Thumbs up!! Cons: Not anything we can think of! more

I agree wholeheartedly with the other Scotsman who was discriminated against because of his accent.\r Our waiter gave us lousy service but had the cheek to add on a 17% tip to my bill. When the bill arrived I questioned him about that practice and he said it was ""company policy"". There were 2 American guests sitting at a table next to us. I asked the waiter if he would treat them in the same way. He again said it was company policy and they would have the mandatory tip added to their bill. I asked him if was stated on the menu and this kind of floored him. I asked him to bring me my bill without the mandatory tip added. This he did and I added a tip worthy of the service he gave to our table. After settling the bill I decided to drink water until the American couple were presented with their bill. Surprise surprise they did not have any mandatory tip added. I called the waiter and branded him a liar. He went scuttling off to find the manager. The manager was full of apologies and denied it was company policy to add mandatory tips to thebill. No apology was received from the rude waiter. I did however have my tip refunded. Also the toilets are not very clean and are located too close to the kitchen for my liking. For this reason this place should be shut down. The experience was a real downer on our last night in SF. Cons: Service more

This would be a nice place if it wasn´t for the rude owner. Some previous review said he sings at the costumers sometimes... No. He raises the volume of the CD player until it`s heard in Los Angeles and then he ""sings"" along... When he`s not singing, he`s yelling at the employees. That made me and other costumers feel very uncomfortable.\r The food is very good (he doesn`t cook, although he pretends to), but overpriced. The cooks are actually the nicest part of the place. The service is lousy and rude, just like the owner.\r Be aware of the ""tip"" issue. If you are a foreinger, they will add percentage of "" gratuity"" to your bill. My friends from Scotland went there for dinner and that percentage was 17%!! My friend didn`t realize it until later and left 15% tip over the whole bill. Nice tourist trap!! When he went back to complain, the waiter told him that is the ""policy of the restaurant"", and never gave my friend back his money.\r The wine list is poor and again, overpriced. The bus boy is far better than any of tha waiters.\r If the place was managed by the cooks, it woulsd sure be the best one in North Beach, instead of just another tourist trap! Pros: cooks, food, busboy Cons: owner, rude and fake waiters more

With too many choices in N. Beach, we flipped a coin and then gave Volare a try. Our experience was somewhat disappointing. One of our dishes (spinach raviloli) was really not that appetizing. And the restaurant itself was actually pretty cold. This seems like a great place for families or large parties over ten, but a romantic dining destination it is not. more

We found it by mistake, and keep coming back. The food is always great, the service excellent, and the value can't be beat. We've eaten at many places around North Beach, but this is the only one we consistently bring company to. Love the olives and the half carafe. Pros: service, food, price more

I was on my first trip to San Francisco a few weeks ago, and because my boyfriend and I are lovers of Italian food, we decided to go to North Beach for dinner. We chose Volare based on its charming decor, and an employee outside who persuaded us to give them a try. Boy, am I sorry we did. We both ordered soda (over $2 for a can, no refills), both of which were expired and flat. They replaced the bad soda with other, equally bad cans, and never offered an apology. Our food was mediocre at best, and definitely not worth the $15/entree they were charging. I think that when I return to San Francisco, I'll skip over North Beach completely and get my Italian elsewhere. Pros: Decor Cons: Slow service, Rude waitstaff, Overpriced more

Just ate there again last night - the gnoche was heaven, the ambience was Italy, everything was incredible, as usual. I've been coming here for 5 years, and I grew up in New York. It's always great. And those olives! And very affordable. Pros: great food, good portions, ambience more

Everything about ""Trattoria Volare"" is memorable. The Gnocchi (made from scratch) with pesto sauce is the best. The atmosphere will make you fell like you've found the best Italian Caffe in the world. Make a trip to the north shore to enjoy the experience of this great Italian eatery for yourself. Pros: Ambience, Food, singing italian owner more

I came on a Saturday night and had to wait 45 minutes for a table, but it was well worth it! Great food, attentive service, and the owner himself serenaded our table. I would reccommend Volare to anyone! Pros: Great food, Great Ambience, Great Service more

All those Italian restaurants in N. Beach . . . so many choices, so little time. Stumbled into this one wiht my girlfriend for lunch during N. Beach Festival. Terrific. Great food all around. Great service. Great ambience. Secret -- for wine-by-the-glass, the table wine was much better than your average table wine. Get the half carafe. more

Trattoria Volare Caffe keeps us coming back week after week. The food, service, ambience, and value is outstanding! The servers are courteous and have the great Italian accent. If you are lucky, the owner might be there to serenade you with an Italian song. more

Everything from the food to the ambiance was great! It is a place for everyone, kids, couples, teens, and adults. The food is not only the best in town, but an awesome price to go along with it! Don't forget to check this place out, you won't regret a thing about it! more

We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm. We were seated within five minutes of arriving, but it took another 20 minutes for anyone to bring us water; while those who had come in around the same time as us had already ordered. Once we did manage to catch someone's eye and placed our order, it was nearly impossible to get our water glasses refilled. Thankfully the food was decent; because the waitstaff was amongst the worst I have encountered. more