Spiazzo Ristorante

I’m really really surprised about some of the bad reviews. REALLY surprised. I used to come here all the time with my parents over a decade ago. The food was delicious then, and it’s even better now! The service was top notch and the little place is so cute! Love love love it. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

Near closing time on a Sunday night before Memorial day, I choose to come here for dinner because I wanted to reminisce my childhood and adolescence as I used to live couple blocks away from this restaurant.
Even nearing closing time, the service was not cut short. Waiter was well mannered and allowed us the time we needed to select what we wanted. Our water glasses were constantly filled, and we were checked on frequently to ensure that we were taken care of. I’d like to also mention that I was completely under dressed although there are no dress codes in this place, I just happened to be in sweat pants and a sweatshirt with a pair of flip flops. I was still treated with equality.
We ordered one polenta appetizer to share, two al dante pasta entrees cooked just right and a wonderful tiramisu to finish the night. Although the pesto pasta did not really stand out to me, the salmon pasta was nice and creamy. If you’re on a diet, by all means avoid this dish haha. I will definitely return for the tiramisu. So far, this has been my favorite place Tiramisu of all the attempts! Decent price for a good taste. Love it!
All in all I had a great experience so far with this restaurant. Will venture back for more when I have the time and if parking allows.

We went to the restaurant today after my daughter’s show. We invited a family friend with us. Although we live quite near to this restaurant and we read on Unilocal about it for many times, this is our first time to walk by and eat hear. The service is Ok. But unfortunately, the prawns in Shrimp Scampi were not fresh — at least two of them are not. We were felt so sorry that our friend felt sick on her way back home. I tried one of them myself. I am so lucky I did not have the symptoms of diarrhea, but I also felt the taste was not that fresh.
I ‘d like to believe this is an accident. And I’d like to try this restaurant later. Because other dishes we ordered tasted good. But we will sure ask for fresh shrimps in Scampi before we place the order.

This is a charming, clean and welcoming restaurant in West Portal. Service was genuine and very, very good. I so wanted to love the food because I pictured myself coming back regularly as soon as we were seated. We were immediately brought the most delicious breads (two kinds) and tomato/​red pepper sauce for dipping.
Starters:
1. Brodetto Di Vongole, sauteed clams with garlic, white wine and a touch of red pepper flakes served with garlic crostini $ 11.95
The broth was not good. It completely filled the bowl and was tasteless – sorry to write this.
2. Eggplant Parmigiana (Special that night) $ 11.95
This was ok. The eggplant was thinly sliced and covered in a nice tomato sauce. I was expecting it to be breaded and fried first but, — it wasn’t. I prefer the fried version.
Mains:
1. Pollo Imperatore, Free range/​no antibiotic chicken breast stuffed with mozzarella, prosciutto and spinach in a marsala sauce with mushrooms $ 20.95
Not good at all. The chicken was so dry that it fell apart with just a fork. It was confusingly tasteless too. How could this be with prosciutto, mozzarella, spinach, mushrooms etc?
2. Peperoni Ripieno (Stuffed Pepper-​Special that night)$ 22.95
This large red pepper was densely stuffed with ground sausage and chicken and covered in a spicy sauce. I asked for Angel Hair pasta instead of the risotto that it usually comes with. It presented well but, again the flavors were off – you could only really taste the spiciness.
We didn’t finish any of the dishes. I am hoping that we just ordered the wrong things. Their menu is extensive and there are also quite a few wood-​fired pizza options.
I will definitely give this restaurant another try.

The staff was great and kind.
As for the food, I wasn’t impressed. Having tested Italian food in Italy and Europe lots of time, I do not know but this did not taste as authentic Italian food. It was too bland, generic and without life.
My friend ordered salmon, and it came just on itself on a plate with some beans separately without any additional side sauce, vegetables… I am sure you know how Italians do it. Italian food is an art in terms of both appearance and richness of flavours.
I had a chicken with mushrooms cream, it was really bland. I had to add salt in order to add some flavour to it. (as far as I remember this was the very first time I had to add salt in expensive restaurant dishes).
It did not impress me. You know the feeling when you do not desire to go there again and pay for that food. Maybe our choices were not that good, no idea. But our food was really below average.
In general, the atmosphere and the ambience is great but food was below average and I was not impressed (especially for that level of prices = we paid 102 $ for three person’s main dishes, two salads, one soft drink and one dessert).

What a cool little restaurant in West Portal. You’d think the location alone would be enough to draw regular customers, but then they make great food with excellent service… you’ve got a packed restaurant with people standing around in the small lobby waiting for a table. Our server was really nice and attentive. I ordered the spaghetti portofino, but substituted spaghetti with capellini ($ 17.95). There was a dinner special with jumbo prawns and scallop, but the price jumps up to $ 24.95. Got my dish piping hot, and the Angel hair was cooked perfectly al dente. Nice firm bite. Generous amount of shrimps and scallops too. The ambiance is nice, a little dark, but cozy. A good date place. I’d definitely come back. Oh, make reservations!

Their bread is warm with an amazing spicy red sauce for the table. Their Malbec is very reasonably priced and very smooth. My favorite entrée is the tortellini salsa rosa! So delicious! The staff always makes us feel like we are family. Very well run restaurant… I’ve been here several times and as a SF food critic I give two thumbs up all around!

The first italian restaurant I like! Very good experience there!

You can taste the care and effort they put into their food. Super fresh ingredients and great service! Will come back again for sure.

The food was so good. We came a few times during lunch and each time I came, I always ordered different things. The last time we came, I ordered the penne pasta with smoke salmon and the dish was delicious. My coworker had the seafood linguini (?) and he told me to order that next time. Will definitely go back and try different items on the menu.

This place doesn’t do it for me, frankly. The portions are large, but I’d rather substitute half that food for quality. We were a large group, so we ordered a variety of dishes and desserts. The finesse is just not there, and I’m talking beyond presentation, which clearly isn’t a focus. Not a single dish brought out flavors for me. The risotto, where I substituted clams for scallops, was perhaps the most disappointing, as the rice was mushy and the scallops rubbery. For near $ 30 a plate, while I don’t expect my mouth to sing, I at least want, say, a hum.
Our attendant was okay, but he really didn’t do anything besides take the orders and pop and pour the wine. Like the food, he lacked life. Just blah.
The wine display in the center is awkward. And, actually, the overall ambiance is bleak and gloomy.

We had a very wonderful experience at Spiazzo. We made reservations for a Saturday evening, and showed up about half an hour early. They were still very accommodating despite having a large birthday to attend to.
Our waitress was fabulous and exemplified great customer service. I wish I remembered her name to give her a shout out. We ordered two fish dishes, the salmon and the sole. The salmon wasn’t to my liking, but my bf liked it (a little fishy). The sole was great; it wasn’t grilled though, it was made in a batter.
I had a glass of the sauv blanc and my bf had a glass of the pinot noir. The sauv blanc was on point, but the pinot noir was served really warm. I think it should have been chilled just a bit more.
The dessert was the chocolate pot (forgot the actual name) and it was AMAZING. It was a mix between fudge and a pudding. I like chocolate, not chocolate-​flavored things, but this was very delicious.
Also to note — they serve Zanze’s cheesecake here! Would have gotten that, but they were fresh out.

The delicious, fresh bread and roasted pepper spread that greets you shortly after being seated was lovely. The subsequent mushy lasagne bolognese was, however, very disappointing. But perhaps worse was there wasn’t an apology nor an offer to bring me something else. Insulting. My tone was polite in letting the waiter know that the pasta sheets were really mushy and it was inedible. No apology. Clearly this colored our opinion of this restaurant. Dining isn’t only about the food.
The petrale sole was pan-​fried and done to perfection although the ice cream scoop potatoes on the side were not.
We also ordered the tortellini in a cream tomato sauce that was very good; the pasta was al dente and the filling creamy and well-​seasoned.
I and my family however won’t be back nor will we recommend this restaurant to anyone. We are locals living in this neighborhood for over 50 years. I expected more, but when a restaurant can’t be humble enough to apologize for a dish not executed well and offer something, anything, it’s not a place that appreciates our business.

Came here to try an Italian restaurant, and the reviews are on Unilocal were stellar. Wasn’t very crowded on a Monday night, and we were excited to see the menu.
Our first waitress wasn’t the most excited person in the world, so I was a little leery about the great customer service, but the second one was really great in helping us out. Her recommendations were the Chicken Parmesan (on the specials), the Mushroom Chicken (on the menu), and later the Tiramisu. We decided to get everything she recommended, and everything was pretty good!
They brought out starter bread which was alright, but the red cream tomato dipping sauce was very tasty! We also got a Portobello Mushroom Salad which was pretty good.
The Chicken Parmesan came with really crispy potatoes, and the chicken itself was cooked well. The cheese was really good on top, and overall a solid choice.
For dessert, we got the Tiramisu and the Chocolate Pot de Crème (something like that) — the tiramisu was light and delicate, though our table thought there was a bit too much cream. Probably more personal preference though. The Pot de Crème was really tasty — a chocolate ganache and a must for chocolate-​lovers :)
Overall, a great meal and a great experience!

I hardly ever take the time to review places, but Spiazzo has become my go-​to restaurant for when my grandparents are in the City. It’s incredibly tasty, the service is great (the older Italian gentleman is the best!), and while it’s usually busy on weekends we’ve never had trouble getting a table w/​more than a 10 – 15 minute wait.
I especially like the Chicken Parmesan and Chicken Marsala, and while I’m not a wine connoisseur of any kind, the house red wine is usually pretty solid.

My mom and I grabbed wine and an appetizer here one friday night and it was great. We were seated at a small table in a corner so it gave us a chance to catch up. I had a glass of moscato and my mom probably had a chardonnay. I think each glass was $ 6 – 8, which is reasonable. We shared a plate of calamari and given a basket of fresh bread with some vinegar dip. Everything was very tasty and the service was attentive.
I can’t speak for their entrees but it looked like a place for a fancy date or a birthday.

We walked in at 9:30pm with only half an hour til the kitchen closed but were welcomed very warmly by our excellent server Oscar. They brought out bread with individual butters and their house made dipping sauce which I believe is roasted veggies with a definite hint of bell pepper.
Off top, I knew I wanted the polenta with Italian sausage (u can order with or without meat). This is the dish that keeps bringing me back to this place. You haven’t tasted polenta until you’ve had it here with the generous portion of sausage and meaty mushrooms. It’s also served with a whole head of roasted garlic on top that literally «falls off the bone» for lack of better words. Each clove comes out with ease and compliments the dish well. We ordered it as an appetizer but it can very well serve as a small meal.
For the main dish, I ordered the prawns with angel hair pasta (cappelini). To my surprise it also came with scallops! I didn’t read that far into the description on the menu, I just stopped at jumbo prawns and ordered. Ooh wee, lemme tell you, the dish was so delicious, as we say in Hawaii, «it broke my mouth»! Both the scallops and the prawns were huge! No skimpin on the scrimp here! I usually like to squeeze a lil lemon on my seafood, but didn’t even have to here. The lemon, garlic, wine sauce was balanced to perfection.
The Mister ordered chicken marsala. You know it’s good when the table is quiet. He didn’t say a word except to offer me a bite. I kindly declined as my dish was all I needed and it was delectible.
The champagne comes in an individual small bottle and was cold and bubbly. Got my fix.
Though there was limited time left, Oscar never rushed us, and made sure we received superior customer service regardless of the fact that they would be there cleaning up after us after closing time. This restaurant is cozy and comfortable, yet lightweight elegant and is definitely authentic Italian cuisine– Oscar relayed our order to the chefs speaking full blown Italian. They executed the order promptly and they perfectly pleased our palettes. Left a $ 20 tip for a $ 77 check. With the food, service, and ambiance, it was worth every penny.

Great customer service and an overall solid Italian restaurant in the West Portal area. We initially picked the place because it was one of the few restaurants in the area with an acceptable health score rating (seriously, outside of this place and calibur, it’s pretty grim in West Portal). The dishes are ample in portion and tasty. It’s not La Ciccia, but it’s not the Olive Garden either.
It’s not particularly hip or trendy and I suspect the reason the score isn’t higher is that the regular clientele here are sort of the older-​non-​yelping crowd. That being said, If you’re in the area, looking for food, it’s one of your best options.

The customer service here is the
The waitress was extremely busy but super attentive. Also, the hostess was über nice as well and very accommodating.
We came during a pretty busy time on a Friday night at 7pm but there were only two of us so we were seated in only 10 min!
I ordered the jumbo prawns. They came with veggies, and these orange mashed potatoes that were very yummy. Not sure why they were orange though. heh. The sauce on the prawns was sooooo flavorful and buttery. The prawns themselves were juicy and amazing as well, but the sauce definitely made the dish.
Bf ordered the seafood spaghetti dish, it left much to be desired in terms of flavor. The sauce was super underwhelming, although the seafood was cooked fine, the dish did nothing for either of us. Would not reccomend.
I enjoyed my time here, would totes come back.

A long standing local restaurant with a menu full of options.
The beets in the salad are substantial in size. Standard menu items are reasonable with the dinner special menu on the high end.
Service was friendly and efficient.
The appetizer courtesy bread is a sizable portion so don’t eat too much.
Dinner portions are hearty and generous.
Prawns and scallops cooked perfectly. Clams are not the tiny variety but medium and full bodied.
Sauces are light and Pasta of good texture and substance.
Love the bits of sliced garlic throughout the dishes to give a nice zing to the meal.
Definitely a place to eat. Buon Appetito!