Palio d’Asti

Always good. Food consistent. Specials, esp risotto dishes great. Wine by the glass — good choices. Thanks Martino. Prese keep it up.

Palio d’Asti has been one of the top San Francisco Italian restaurants for over a quarter century. It’s the place to go in the Financial District for lunch or dinner. Their seasonal menu is always stunning, much to the chagrin of people like me who look to order the same thing over and over. The service is spectacular if you are able to look past the cheesy Adidas sweatshirts worn by the busboys. I have gone to this restaurant so many time over the years that my Über drivers know the way by heart. If you are someone who has difficulty selecting wines, just ask the owner, Martino DiGrande, for assistance. Once you describe what you like in a wine, he will deliver the perfect bottle.

I’m surprised that I haven’t written a review much earlier, particularly since we dine here so often (which, in this case, means every month or two for the past twelve years or so).
Palio is excellent and dependable. The service is attentive and the servers are knowledgeable and understated. Martino, the owner, cares for his restaurant like a favorite child, and it shows. The dining room is large and comfortable. There’s a front section as well with windows that look out onto Sacramento Street. (I prefer a big, comfy booth, myself.)
The menu varies according to the season, but there are staples as well. The soup and risotto vary daily, and both are delicious. Both my sweetheart and I are permanently on the wagon for health reasons, but when we were drinkers we really enjoyed the mostly-​Italian wines on their extensive wine list. As others have noted, Palio offers a happy hour special: a pizza for $ 3 with any two cocktails. You can’t beat it. I’ve sold friends on Palio on that basis alone. Sweetheart and I used to meet after work for a happy hour light dinner – a bottle of wine counts as four cocktails, which entitled us to two (free, back then, but inflation happens) pizzas.
Every year during truffle season (late fall, thereabouts) Palio receives a goodly supply of white truffles. During that time they offer what may be the most expensive bowl of pasta in town, and by far (by far!!!) the best: house-​made egg tagliatelle covered in shavings of white truffle, shaved at your table. It averages $ 45, and for a truffle lover, it’s a small price to pay. In recent years they have offered a complete menu for dinner centered around truffles. It is to die.
If you’ve surmised that I love Palio and that I recommend it highly, you surmised correctly.

We’ve been several times. Each time is a really pleasant experience. Food and ambiance are great, and in the dinner hours, one of the few great restaurants where noise levels are absolutely not an issue — a quiet, intimate place fit for friends, family or business meals.

Service, atmosphere, staff, food… you name it, it was excellent. Was there with a group of about 12 (on a Friday night), everyone enjoyed everything. Staff was attentive without hovering. The food was delicious!!! Felt the prices were reasonable. Lots of options on the menu as well as a great assortment of specials. I’d recommend this restaurant to anyone. Our group will plan to go back. Loved everything!!!

Excellent service! The place is very nice. good food. large selections of wine. the tiramisu is to die for!!! Highly recommend. we will be back!

One of the best happy hour deals in town! Their wood oven pizza’s are so yummy. It’s also a great location if you’re planing a corporate event or private party. I’ve used them multiple times and they are all about the customer service… not to mention the yummy food!

I chose this restaurant for a sit-​down dinner for a group of 50+ people. Everything went off without a hitch. The restaurant was closed to the public that night because there were at least two other private dinner groups there as well. We had great food and great, attentive service. It was a nice, relaxing atmosphere. For the size of our group, food came out quickly, no delays, and our wine glasses were always full. I’d definitely recommend to anyone.

$ 3 for a full pizza with two drink orders per table!
I’ve tried their asparagus pizza and it’s basically a thin crust pizza. It’s alright, and it’s not my favorite pizza. I think it needs more fixings it in!
The Hemingway daiquiri $ 12, is strong but very good.
They have two TVs for sport games.
I think the restaurant is meant to serve large parties cuz lots of large tables.
Everyone is super nice!

I used Palio for our 2016 annual company party. Everyone LOVED the food and had a wonderful time. The service was great, the private room lovely, and the wine and drinks were excellent. To make matters even better, I came in under budget, henceforth, I looked really good in all respects by throwing a successful party within my budget.

**REVIEW IS FOR THE HAPPY HOUR ONLY**
One of the lesser known happy hours in the FIDI as it borderlines Chinatown. the deal used to be sweeter at one free pizza with two alcoholic drinks, but now it’s $ 3 pizza with two alcoholic drinks. Still a pretty sweet deal and the fact that there’s always seating and no wait is awesome. It does get busy though but never overwhelming.
Beers start at $ 8 or so and cocktails start at $ 11. The cocktails were a bit middle-​weight, not extremely watered down but definitely not stiff. I’m not gonna complain for HH though because the pizzas are great!
If you get two beers and a pizza, it averages about $ 10 per person. Not bad at all.
It’s a full size pizza, about 10−12″, thin crust and there are usually 4 options. They have a brick oven and the pizzas are fresh out of there. Yum! I usually eat about 3 slices (a third of the pizza) and that keeps me satisfied.
It’s extremely oily (which means, delicious.) The crust is thin, but it doesn’t get soggy and they put the perfect amount of cheese and toppings.
The only thing they could improve on is the service. They’re usually busy at happy hour and sometimes service may be slow (the workers are nice though). The last two or three times I was there, I was seated immediately but wasn’t provided a menu right away and it probably took 10 – 15 minutes to place an order. :(

Came back here with fellow immigration attorneys and a night with immigration judges. 10 years ago, this was our spot for happy hour because of its great $ 1 pizza. I learned today that their $ 1 pizza is now $ 3 but man! Still great! Missing the gold old days with great friends who are no longer in the Bay Area.

I love going to Palio. the food, service and environment. I always request to sit in Luis section… he’s wonderful and makes you fall in love with your food:)!
Yesterday we had the crab pasta. melted in your mouth! Save room for dessert the Tiramisu is heavenly worth every calorie.

The hostess was nice to let me plug in my cell after my battery went down to 10%. However, the moment I saw the meet cutter sawing pork without wearing gloves turned me off instantly so I changed my mind dining there. In addition, I was not allowed to sit by the Window seats which were saved for regular customers.
What about a first timer like me?

I came to Palio d’Asti for their famous happy hour and it was definitely a good experience. We came in on a Thursday evening around 6pm and it was not too crowded at all. We were seated at one of their happy hour tables right away and the entire time we were there, the service was pretty fast!
Their happy hour deal is you get a pizza for $ 3 if you order two drinks. We decided to go for this deal and ordered two cocktails and a margherita pizza. We were not stuffed after this meal, so it was a good snack in the early evening. If this is your dinner, I’d suggest getting 2 pizzas for 2 people! The pizza was a little too bready for me, but it was worth the $ 3 we paid for it! The cocktails were also just ok; I don’t even remember which ones we got because they didn’t stand out in my mind.
Overall, I really enjoyed the concept of this happy hour — getting a good deal on both food and drinks, but the quality of the stuff we got wasn’t amazing. I will probably be back again, just because it’s so close to where I work and who doesn’t want to eat loads of pizza while drinking?! Haha!

Pizza and wine specialty here!
They have a great side section for event venues to take place. That was why I was here for.
Dimly lit ambiance and a great place for a socializer to occur. Their HH is happening when that time rolls around.
Thinly crusted pizza is nice and light enough to grab and finish while not being overloaded in chit chatters.
Service was on point. They tipped my glass with more wine because I mentioned so. Generous, indeed.

Check your bill. I did not appreciate the waiter trying to overcharge my family. Food was okay.

One of the best Itslian Ristorantes in The City! Martino is a consummate host, watching over every aspect of your dinner! I’ve been a client for over 15 years! His Veal chops are the Best!

Palio has a lovely, diverse Italian menu with big, beautiful wines and over-​the-​top friendly service.
Don’t be surprised if the owner comes to chat at your table and treat you like an old friend. He quickly learned all of our names and told my table the story about why the restaurant is called Palio.
I have had the pumpkin ravioli which are in a brown butter sage sauce with a tiny bit of Amaretti cookie crumbs on top. Amaretti cookies are often used in both sweet and savory dishes in Italian cuisine — the crunch and almond flavor is a natural pairing with the pillowy, smooth pumpkin ravs. The butter sage sauce and fresh grated parm on top cut the sweetness of the dish perfectly, I find pumpkin ravioli to be too sweet most of the time, but that is not the case here. Watch out for that table bread though, it’s so good that it’s almost impossible to resist. Their fish dishes are also wonderful, and please order the Brussels sprouts, they are delish!

My SO treated me to Palio d’Asti for an early birthday dinner. They offer more contemporary than traditional Italian cuisine, with white linen tables that are ideal for dates, business lunches or special occasions.
There seemed to be an unusally rowdy crowd (joyous howling and yelling) in the main room that we could hear from our table in the front room for this type of venue… tis the season.
The service was professional and attentive, and food was presented nicely.
As for the food, I wasn’t as impressed for the ambiance and price. The bread was okay, not served warm which is my preference. We started off with a frito misto which was a mix of calamari, shrimp an veggies. It was tasty, but a bit on the oily side. Well it is a deep fried dish.
My SO ordered the sausage pizza with fennel and bell peppers. The pizza had great flavor and was better than my dish. I was looking forward to trying the in house made pasta in one of my all time favorite Italian dishes. My carbonara with pancetta turned out to be mediocre. The pasta was not al dente and seemed to be overcooked with same texture that reminded me of ramen noodles. Still, it was edible as I liked the flavor and ate the majority of it. It just doesn’t make my top ten for Italian pastas in SF.
Besides my glass of Barbera wine, the best thing I consumed was my birthday dessert, a delicious tiramisu. Not too strong of a presence of rum and not soggy. Overall we had a pleasant experience, but I’m not coming back for lunch or dinner anytime soon.
The best deal would be the $ 3 Pizza for happy hour during the weekdays. That may be worth another trip back.

A-​OK but probably will not be returning…
The good:
Pancetta wrapped prawns
Sicilian pizza
The decent:
House made fettuccini with wild boar ragu (great flavor a by pasta overcooked for my taste)
The ugly:
Deviled eggs – avoid! Weird texture and lacking in any sort of flavor

Not sure how they achieve this, but this is a soulless Italian restaurant.

This was my first visit to Palio d’Asti and what a lovely experience it was. It was a great ambiance with perfect lighting, cleanliness, décor and service. Great for a date night or a special occasion.
Our server, Alex was very attentive and when he was not sure about one of the wines we inquired about he brought over the bar manager, Edgar, who was thoroughly able to describe all of the wines. We ordered a bottle of his recommendation and absolutely loved it!
For our entrées we ordered the daily risotto and a pizza. Both of our choices were delicious and were served in no time at all.
I will definitely visit again and encourage you to do the same!

I have been coming here on and off for 15 years, and I’m never tired of it. Great place for a business lunch that will not break the bank, solid food and good service. Today I had spaghetti with vongole. Not a traditional recipe, but with a pesto based sauce and zucchini. The clams were super fresh, and it was darn good, even if not authentic. Had to dip the bread in the sauce at the end. If you’re coming here for a shee shee dining experience, not your place. The décor has not changed in 15 years I think. Solid.

Excellent atmosphere.
Clean.
Relaxing colors.
Amazing food with quality ingredients.
Friendly and attentive service.
Fair price.
No need to over complicate this one. This is a great restaurant in a great location with people who really understand how important it is to treat customers good and make them feel welcome. And the food is pretty amazing also. :)

Where do seven hungry, questionable-​looking fellas with a big appetite go to get their grub on in the Financial District? Palio d’Asti, that’s where. Big props to my work buddies for turning me on to the best deal on pizza pies and drinks in the big city.
It’s all about their Happy Hour. For a pittance, we bellied up to the bar and ordered so much pizza and so many Fernet shots that even the world’s biggest glutton would blush. For a good hour, they brought us pizza after pizza and top-​shelf Fernet. We consumed it all and made plenty of noise doing so, as if we’d just stepped out of a scene from Goodfellas. The special requires (I believe, my night was hazy) three drink purchases per person and then unlimited $ 3 pizza. We chose Fernet, but their bar is well stocked with anything and everything your liver will never thank you for.
This wasn’t your average pizza. All the combinations were creative and bursting with flavor, from the Rucola (sweet corn, asiago, arugula, balsamic) to the Genovese (pesto, potato, ricotta). The thin crust meant I could devour as much as I wanted and seemingly never get full.
Even better, the service was always on point. We engaged the friendly staff at every opportunity and they were always down for a little banter with our rag-​tag group. A special thanks to the bartender who recommended our drink of choice for the evening in the first place.

Consistently excellent food and service! I have been eating at Palio D’Asti infrequently for no apparent reason in recent years but then I decided to go there again. Absolutely amazing that they still serve food with the same high standards as I recall. We had our office summer lunch party there. The server was an experienced one, who gave us just the right amount of attention and made sure that we all got our drinks, appetizers and entrees in a timely manner. He recommended the little grilled peppers as an appetizer. It was delicious and like nothing else we have ever tried before! The peppers weren’t spicy and they had a nice smoky flavor with just a dash of salt. The mozzarella we had as another appetizer was fresh, creamy and yet not heavy at all. I had the white bass which was one of the daily specials. It was cooked nicely, with crispy skin and topped with a thick pesto that was tasty and not greasy. There was puréed squash that complimented the dish. I tried my co-worker’s rotisserie chicken which was also very good. Another co-​worker shared her gnocchi which was perfectly made and delicious. Oh yes, we all shared an appetizer of the fried calamari and veggies that was served with squid ink that was infused with lemon. I am usually not a great fan of squid ink in any other restaurant but was delicious here. For dessert, I had a cannoli. I was so full but I kept eating because everything was so good. There is an extensive wine list. Most of the wines are very affordable. Overall, we got our money’s worth for a memorable dining experience in an elegant and classy setting. I will be sure to return soon and eat there more often again.

We just enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Palio d’Asti, celebrating my husband’s birthday. The service was excellent and the food was delicious. I think one of the reasons this restaurant is getting so many good reviews, is because of the Manager/​Owner. I don’t remember his name, but he was friendly and attentive… walking around the restaurant, ensuring that everything was going smoothly. We noticed a large group of men sitting nearby who were enjoying a wine tasting dinner. I will definitely consider that for a potential corporate or client-​related event, as it looked like they were having fun.
What to order? I had the seafood special, which was grilled salmon with a truffle sauce, potatoes and mushrooms. Cooked to perfection. I’d also recommend the grilled octopus appetizer and sauteed spinach, as these two dishes were a big hit at our table as well.
We’ll be back!

Seven dudes walk into an Italian bar in San Francisco… No punch line, just a real life situation that resulted in nine pizzas being demolished and a few shots of coffee Fernet. Why, because we’re classy as fugg.
This was not a fine dining experience for us, for us, it was all business. The happy hour at Palio d’ Asti is pure magic. You buy two happy hour cocktails and get any pizza for three dollars… Any pizza for three dollars! At the most you’re out fifteen dollars.
We ordered every single pie at least once then doubled up on the favorites. For the sake of time and characters restrictions, I’m focusing on those chosen ones…
First off the Siciliana; with pork fennel sausage, peppers, red onions, tomato sauce, and caciocavallo a masterpiece of pizza making ingenuity, classic flavors with a little kick at the end of each bite.
Next up the Rucola: Sweet corn, asiago, arugula, balsamic. This is truly one of those San Francisco weirdo pies, but all of us were surprised by it’s mildly sweet flavor and the crunch of the corn.
Finally, The Pepperoni. I mean it’s a classic. Spicy meat, with marinara, cheese and bread. FTW! — From four-​year-​olds to grampy this one spans generations.
Honorable mention goes to the Genovese; pesto. potato, ricotta. Potato and pesto is like a marriage made in food coma heaven.
This place also offers a full dining room menu and a view of the pizza oven, so you can see where the magic happens. We sat at the bar, but there’s plenty of space for you and the crew in the main room.
Drink, eat, repeat.

Update! The pies are now $ 3 during happy hour with the purchase of 2 drinks… Still a deal! We came in with a big crew on a Wed eve and had plenty of room to hang at the bar. For about $ 40/​pp, we scaled back 4 drinks each and 9 pies total lol. We were owed a few more $ 3 pies but had no room left to put them (no to-​go on those HH pies). The manager remembered our gluttonous faces from previous visits and made sure our group was taken care of. Gotta love it. One of my favorite HH’s! Feel like carbo loading? This might be the most fun place to do it.

Such a great place! I love the funky modern interior, the service is great and the food is all about flavor. Started with the grilled octopus which was perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned, and had the right components to still let the protein shine. For my main I had the New York strip and grilled corn with mint, balsamic and parmesan. The steak was cooked PERFECT. The fresh horseradish sauce was delightful and corn was unique– charred to perfection with the balsamic shinning through. It was a really nice paring and offered just the right contrast with the steak. This is hands down one of the best Italian places I have discovered in SF and that my friends is saying a lot.

I’ve never felt like such a second-​class citizen.
Last night I met an old work chum for a beer, and with three people behind the bar and maybe eight guests in the whole restaurant, it took almost ten minutes for anyone to even acknowledge that we were sitting there.
The worst part is that we were watching the Warriors finish off Houston in the playoffs and the manager insisted on changing the channel to an Anaheim-​Chicago hockey game for people who weren’t even at the bar yet. So much for hospitality.
There’s only a second star because our bartender was great once he realized we were there.

2^nd visit was as awesome as the 1^st. The menu changes with the season and enjoyed new selections.

I was visiting San Fransisco with my beautiful girlfriend and we came across this amazing Italian joint!
Their happy hour is incredible! $ 1 pizzas!!!
And the best part of my experience was our server, Magen. She went above and beyond to serve us! Even to the point by giving us some good bar recommendations to check out after dinner!
And to management, this girl needs a raise!
They also have the coolest oil and vinegar bottles, and the paper towels in the bathrooms are nothing short of amazing.
You’ll understand when you see them.

I’ve been here a few times all for work related dinners with different companies, so this definitely seems to be a popular dining location for the corporate type in FiDi. Most recently, I came on a Wednesday night and we were literally the only party in the entire place all night… pretty surprising.
Anyways, the servers here are great – friendly and professional. They get you what you want quickly and efficiently and are definitely familiar with business-​type dinners.
We ordered a ton of dishes. The only dish I liked but wasn’t actually that good was the calamari – nice and crispy with good flavor. Tuna tartare was alright but nothing stand out. Caesar salad was actually really mediocre but they put anchovies into it which really surprised me but actually ended up being the only redeeming aspect of the salad. We also tried a number of the pizzas, but I didn’t find them to be particularly stand out either.
Honestly at the end of the day, it was a filling meal but nothing tasted particularly amazing. Service is fine but just seems like a place I would never go to on my own money.
tldr; meh Italian food. friendly service though

So many years later and Palio is still easily one of the best happy hour deals in the city… or at the very least in the FiDi.
While no longer free, a $ 1 pizza with two adult beverages ordered is still an absolute steal considering it’s a pretty decent pie. Safe bets as always are the Siciliana with the pork fennel sausage and roasted peppers and the Rucola with the corn, arugula, and Asiago cheese. They used to have other pizzas that I liked quite a bit but have since been taken off the HH menu namely: An asparagus pizza and a carbonara pizza. Yes! A carbonara pizza.
The restaurant still feels a little dated but the happy hour is tough to beat. Monday-​Friday, 4−7pm, pull up to the bar with the friendly bartenders and grab some drinks and pizza pies.

Oh mon dieu cette pizza est FOLLE !! Mais vraiment ! L’endroit n’est pas folichon: très grand, pas très personnel, pas une déco qui envoie du rêve. Donc passez votre chemin si vous cherchez une ambiance romantique ou un peu unique. Il y a aussi un bar avec des télés. Le service est carrément top: très gentil, un peu à l’ancienne (le manager), et pas envahissant.
Maintenant, les pizzas !! Déjà, elles sont à 1 dollar pour 2 boissons achetées avant 19h (si j’ai bien compris), et ça c’est un deal d’enfer comme j’aurais dit dans les années 90! Sérieusement? 1dollar? Bön elles doivent pas être terribles alors…
Et là les dites pizzas arrivent, et elles sont… sublimes. Originales, une pâte absolument merveilleuse que j’aurais pu manger avec un petit trait d’huile d’olive seulement: légère, fraîche, pas grasse… Les garnitures sont pleines de saveurs, de la garniture au potiron-​roquette à celle aux champignons. Pas trop de fromage, juste ce qu’il faut pour que le reste des ingrédients ait la place de dévoiler toutes leurs saveurs.
Même avec une grippe et de la fièvre, j’ai mangé tout ce qui était sur la table…
Immanquable.