Zingari Ristorante

Very good food, the pizza with lots of olives and the variety of 1950 wines. Recommend it! My favorite was the thick crust pizza with pepperonis, tomatoes, pineapples and of course the quick melt cheese.. Pros: Nice environment and nice food Cons: No bads here more

Zingari Ristorante is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, not only the food is great, the customer service is excellent. You get to be treated special by the owner himself. The menu selection is awesome. The restaurant itself is located in the heart of the city, close to tourist spots and walking distance to beautiful hotels and shopping stores. It is a must to visit, when you are in the ""city by the bay"". more

While visiting the city we were anticipating a wonderful dining experience at Zingari's. Lo and behold it was a disaster. Times like this you wish you could refuse to pay the bill. In short, the food was marginal in flavor and taste but I ordered an expensive chicken pasta dinner and after digging around I found 3 tiny pieces of chicken. After asking the server if this was a reasonable portion (ha!) she said no but made no effort to get more chicken or take the dish back and prepare it again. After asking for more chicken it wasn't until the end of my meal that a small dish of a few more chicken pieces showed up. Incredible! SAve yourself a big disappointment and skip this place. Pros: nice view of the streets and easy location Cons: food, service and attitude more

always using Cutysearch for finding restaurants, i was intrigued by this restaurant. i am always looking for upscale places that offer a prix-fixe menu. well after a long day of siteseeing we called to see if it would possible to get a table on saturday night for 4. we were told it was no problem and that we could just come in. luckily i did leave my name and was told we were a go for 8pm. upon arriving the hostess, who quite frankly did not seem to have a clue, could not seat us. we were then told it would be 8:30 but probably sooner. needless to say that wasnt the case as we werent seated until 8:45. then right from the start the server was VERY unfriendly and was even worse when i asked about the Prix Fixe menu (they dont offer it unless you ask). then we had to send one entree back as it was not cooked anywhere near where it was asked to be and my dish was, to me, inedible where i then proceed to send it back. the server then grilled me as to why and i told him it was irrelevent why, the fact was it was gross! he brought me the menu to try something else but at that point i was so irritated that i had lost my appetite. after the server was not at all concerned about our experience (after i told him i didnt want anything else) i then asked to speak to the manager. i informed him of our experience and that i felt he should know. i will say that the manager was very accomidating and proceeded to comp the majority of our meal and asked to please give them another chance. i will say that after observing the other server in the room, had we had him, we probably would have had a much better experience. i will add that the Bartendar was great and the manager was very friendly. unfortunately the rest of the experience was much less desirable and i would not recommnd it as you might get a very unhappy and unpleasant server or a hostess who is quite clueless. Pros: great bartendar and jazz band Cons: horrible service/server and less than average food more

Just a couple of weeks ago i took my wife to Zingari on Valanatines day. A friend of mine had recommended this restaurant. We both had the most memorable dining experience. Even though we were 20 minutes late for our reservation, we were greeted warmly and promptly guided to our table. Our server was most knowledgeable and seemed experienced. He paced our meal very nicely and the manager often checked on us to ensure our satisfaction. I tried the Lamb chops that was special that evening and our waiter had recommended that. My wife tried the Fish Special - Tilapia. They were both out of this world - beautifully presented and boy did they taste good. We were served a complementary glass of Champage with our Dessert and my wife was presented with a beautiful long stem rose. Two nice touches on this beautiful day. After dinner we were invited to the Lounge where they were playing Live Jazz - a pianist and a sax player combo. We lisned to few songs and thenheaded home - completely satisfied. We will certainly go back Pros: Warm and Friendly Service, Knowledgeable staff, Beautifully presented and sumptous food more

- I had made a reservation for dinner with my wife over 3-4 weeks ago for new years eve. We were seated 45minutes late (as were many other couples in the restaurant). In general I felt that the reception staff didn't seem very courteous when I asked about our table every 15minutes. Pros: Courteous and helpful waiter Cons: Ridiculous holiday prices and inability to keep their reservations more

I live in Palo alto and very rarely go into city. Last Friday we were going to see Jersy boys so a friend of mine who lives in San Francisco recommended Zingari for dinner. We reached there at 6 PM and were warmly greeted and shown to our table. The restaurant is very tastefully done and gives a very cozy and confortable feeling. Soon the waiter came and explained the specials and asked if were going to Theatre so he could time the service accordingly. What followed was a extremely delightful dining experience. The food was beautifully presented and it tasted wonderful. We had Tuna Carpaccio and Crab cakes for appetizers and they were just perfect. One of our main course was a Ravioli dish that was stuffed with Proscuitto, Salami, mushroom & Ricotta with cream sauce. I have not tasted a better Ravioli dish before. My husband tried the Scallop Risotto that they were doing as a special that evening. it was a pretty good sized portion and he cleaned that up in a hurry. They also have a great wine list that is priced moderately. Needless to say we were both very happy with our dining experience and would recommend this restaurant to every one. This one is a keeper. Pros: Two minuteswalk to all theatre, Valet Parking, Great food, Friendly service and live music Cons: None what so ever more

My girlfriend and I were deeply disappointed with our dining experience at Zingari. On Thanksgiving we had a price fix dinner at One Market for 59. per each. For Christmas day Zingari charged 55. each. They are far from being in the same class as One Market. One of our appetizers was sent back twice for not being warm enough. They claimed they were real busy. Great restaurants don't use that excuse becauese they don't need to. The food was unremarkable. This was one of the most unsatisfying meals in my 18+ years in San Francisco. No wonder they are not listed in Zagat. The decor is like an Olive Garden, maybe worse. We would never return. There are too many other better restaurants. Pros: They were open Christmas day....big deal ! Cons: Nothing notable. more

We were four couples celebrating a birthday and had a wonderful dining experience at Zingari. Not only the food was presented beautifully, it tasted great and our server made great recommendations for sharing appetizers and helping us choose wines that were not too expansive and yet went great with the food we had. The service was totally non obstrusive, food was well paced and the ambiance was great. After dinner out waiter invited us to their Jazz lounge and that was an icing on the cake. A jazz trio was playing there and they were extremely engaging. soon we were all dancing and having a great time. I would highly recommend this place to every one. Pros: Great location close to bart, two hour free validated parking, excellent service and food Cons: small dance area in the lounge more

We ate at Zingari only once, in May of 2005, so it's been awhile. To be fair, it may have gotten better since then. However, we were rather disappointed. The food was pretty good and the service just fine. Actually, our waitress was very nice and brought me a different entree when the first one, though prepared properly, just had too much saffron for my personal taste. I didn't ask her to take it back, but when she realized I didn't really care for it she insisted. So that was a nice gesture. However, the meal took FOREVER, which we didn't understand since the place was practically empty. And the food is way overpriced for what you get. Bottom line is, if you're in the City and want Italian, choose from one of the many GREAT restaurants and skip this one. Pros: good service Cons: food just "ok", too expensive more

so I arrived pre-theater with my date and walked up to the host stand where I was greeted by I'm guessing either the manager or sommelier (I neglected to ask) and after asking which reservation I was he inquired as to whether we wanted the obnoxious Italian as our waiter. Just as he asked, the waiter (I later found out his name is Stefano) said to us ""Ah its been a long time glad you're back"" even though he obviously knew we'd never been there. We got to our table which was a nice little window table and as soon as I picked up the wine list the aforementioned host said ""wine, my favorite part of the meal"" He was amazingly knowledgeable and took alot of pride in ""his"" wine list. We ended up with a bottle of Hendry zinfandel AMAZING which he had paired with my polenta w/ mushrooms and my date's avocado, corn & heirloom tomato salad. For entree I went with a classic filet and she had the salmon. All in all it was a very good meal made great by the host and Stefano. Pros: Quick service, Knowledgeable staff, close to theater Cons: valet was full more

My comments are a ""mixed bag""; our waitress seemed indifferent to being of service to customers. She brought the wrong wine to me; indicated that the kitchen was out of anchovies for my husband's Caesar salad; seemed annoyed that we asked for salt and pepper--none was on the table and she seemed to need reminding that parmesan cheese would be a nice accompaniment to the pasta. Pros: My pasta dish was good and portion was not skimpy. Cons: Wait service not up to par. more

My brother and I both live in the City and both eat out a fair amount. We thought it would be nice to take our parents to dinner prior to going to a play. ZIngari was our 3rd choice after the previous two restaurants we called had no reservations. This should have been a sign to stay away. We arrived and we're seated promptly. We informed the host that we were attending a play at 8:00 PM. It was 6:00 PM when we arrived. It took 20 minutes for the waiter to return after we ordered drinks. After we ordered the entrees, it was 45 minutes before the first 2 entrees arrived. Then another 15 minutes for the next entree which was the wrong one. The waiter seemed confused as to what we had ordered. Unbelievable, as he had written it down. 10 minutes later and my parents' dinners arrived. The food was good but not near as good as a few North Beach restaurants I frequent. We asked for the check as soon as we were finished with the dinner and ended up waiting 10 minutes for the check and another 10 after I had placed a credit card in the holder. I sent everyone to the theater while I waited for the receipt to sign. Good thing. By the time I had signed the receipt, I was running 2 blocks to make the curtain. While waiting for dinner, the waiter kept saying that the kitchen was experiencing problems and had been slow all night. While waiting for the check, 2 of busboys said that the check would be back soon and the kitchen was backed up. Not sure how that effects the check and credeit card coming back to the table? Excuses like this have no place in any restaurant above that of a Denny's or IHOP. The restaurant was crowded at the time either. The couple behind our table were very upset at the service as was the family that was seated, waited over 15 minutes for menus or a waiter to appear before storming out of the restaurant. I really don't understand how a restaurant like this can stay in business in a city with such high standards and a lot of competition. Just terrible. Pros: Not sure. Proximity to theaters maybe? Cons: Attrocious service, not much ambience, quiet for a good reason more

I live in the Bay Area, and have walked past this restaurant lots of times, and it looks pretty from the outside - so last night we gave it a try. What a mistake! Food was mediocre, service was poor, and worst of all the ""crowd"" was a handful of rude tourists staying in the hotel upstairs. Needless to say, I'll never be back. more

The hostess was pleasant, but when we were seated the waiter treated us like an inconvenience. He was too busy doting the older group that was on their way to the theatre. I guess we didn't look like we would be good tippers and as the minutes ticked by and his condescending attitude wore on his tip got smaller. The food was very average and not very flavorful. When I asked for water with lemons he brought me two little wedges and got an attitude with me on whether or not I wanted sparkling or still water. He treated us like we were trash. No we were not dressed up but neither was anyone else there. Quite honestly I've gotten better treatment from fast food servers. Pros: close to hotel, quiet, quick seating Cons: attitude, expensive, average food more

I eat out atleast 365 days a year at all kinds of restaurant. I have the kind of job where I have to travel and entertain a lot. My last visit to Zingari was not on a expense account. I was visiting my brother in San Francisco and he suggested Zingari. He said that they Live jazz their every single day of the year. We went theit to listen to some music and have few drinks. our dinner reservation was at another restaurant. We sat at the bar ordered two drinks, The entertainment was good that we decided to stay their and have dinner in the bar. What followed was some the best Italian food I have ever had. The service was superb, food beautifully presented and every thing tasted so good. Its a small restaurant but it has a great vibe. Go try iy you will be happy. Pros: music, ambiance, great food Cons: crowded more

I found this restaurant on open table and made a reservation. I was going to see a show at 8 PM just a block away from the restaurant. Due to some traffic problems I arrived at 6.30 Pm for 6.00 PM reservation. The manager/host greeted me graciously and showed me our table. We told them that we had only one hour and 15 minutes to eat. Our server Steffano was wonderful. He served us a our three course prix fixed meal in that time frame and also invited us back to their Jazz lounge after the show. The food was excellent and beautifully presented. Their wild Boar Ossobuco is to die for. We did go back to the restaurant for their nightly Live jazz performance and that was extremely entertaining. I can't wait to go back to Zingari. I think you all should try it too. Pros: Jazz, close to Theatres, great wine list Cons: Inexpansive parking, noise level more

You walk in, you are greeted graciosly, ambiance of the dining room is exquisite, food and service that follows is very good. Good size portions and they are beautifully presented. No wonder they were so busy. Better make reservations. We started with a Chilled Seafood Platter and Beked Mozzarella wrapped with Prosciutto. They were divine. We had Seafood Risotto and Wild Boar Ossobuco for main course, they so tasty that i can't wait to go back. This is a winner all the way. And they do have live music every single day of the year. Pros: Ambiance, value, Service Cons: none what so ever more

I read reviews about a place and I kind of still gave them a chance. Well I brought my date out for Valentines day, and the food was horrible...am I chef?...no, but I eat out 365 days a year, and I know a good restaraunt. Half way through we left the table for usual things (bathroom, cigaretts), when we came back our table was cleared and our $150.00 bottle of wine and all of our food were gone. On top of that, they seated someone else at our table. They appologized but they wrote in a 20% tip when we finished. I take reviews with a grain of salt, but do you want this experience? Listen, if u dont want to throw away ur money away, I'll cook u a dinner in my mc that still has the instruction manual in it and I will make u a better dinner. Pros: ambiance Cons: food, service, wait more

PRICE: A ""special"" menu on this day and there is absolutely nothing ""special"" about it except the exorbitant cost of the prix fixe dinner ($65/person_normally $33/person). Who do they think they are, the French Laundry??? AMBIANCE: This place is seriously all about swindling customers money. Our tiny table was literally 1 foot from the next table. The whole night we were either eavesdropping on the next table's conversation or they were eavesdropping into ours. Website advertises jazz entertainment; can only hear it if by the bar. SERVICE: Waiter was very slow in servicing our table. GRATUITY: Can you believe they charged us an AUTOMATIC 18% on our tab (2 people)?!? When I inquired about this, the waiter said that is today's special rate. I was outraged and in disbelief! NO REASON TO PATRONIZE THIS RESTURANT WHEN THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER GREAT PLACES OUT THERE. Pros: location, nothing else Cons: crowed, service, prix fixe more