Taverna Aventine

I was bored of the lunch options near my job so I came here at noon. Only one couple seated in empty bar. A few minutes later a kind lady, the bartender, came upstairs.
FOOD = First of all, the presentation was absolutely beautiful (like plating you see on TV). I ordered beef meatballs which came with crostini. Very flavorful! The food tasted like it was lovingly prepared, which surprised me. And because of the homeade vibe I will say paying a buck fifty for each small meatball is ok.
SERVICE = Bartender handled everything while I sat at the bar. Good convo.
AMBIANCE = I’m unsure of the style. There’s stack of books to look like a library and lots of exposed wood. Couches near front windows. However the food was on the upscale side so I dunno what they’re trying to convey.
Overall this is a party &/​or happy hour driven establishment. They tend to block the alley during drinking themed holidays so expect a line around the block.

Great place to get a pricey drink after work. Nice low key atmosphere, wish there were more couches and few stools. Staff is friendly and efficient. Unfortunately closes a bit early when the downtown crowd filters out.

Came here with couple friends for the first time.
Decent wine selection (and happy hour pricing), and while I did not pay too much attention to the food menu, the flatbreads/​pizzas were gorgeous. The tuna tartare was one of the few memorable tartares I’ve had, thanks to this well-​balanced and unusual mustard-​y vinaigrette.
Took a star off because their HVAC system was blowing cold air directly onto us, and was only temporarily remedied at our request before starting back up again. Why would it need to be on at full blast on a cold summer San Francisco day?

Met up my friend who works in FiDi for Happy Hour here. I arrived just in time to snatch the last 2 seats at the bar. While waiting for my friend, I looked at the Happy Hour menu and decided on a $ 9 Moscow Mule. It was ice cold and served in a copper mug so bonus points for that. Unfortunately, the second Moscow Mule was in a funky copper mug that looked like it should be retired from serving drinks.
My friend pointed out the interesting observation that the regular menu lists many drinks for $ 11, with a note that they are $ 9 during Happy Hour but the Happy Hour menu omits most of those drink options. Hmm… odd?

One word: Fun
Two words– Truffle Popcorn
Three words– Bomb ass parties (cinco de mayo; st Patrick’s day)

Killer food, great service.
Their bartenders are knowledgeable about their liquors and can make one hell of a cocktail. It’s great for happy hour but gets really busy (for good reason). Food is incredible every single time. They offer small bites which are great for sharing or when you just want to eat everything in sight. I’ve rented out their downstairs room for private events a few times– highly recommended. Reasonable minimums (especially for FiDi), full bar, comfortable/​sexy lounge furniture, great ambiance. The layout works well whether you have a small happy hour or something larger

I love this place! It’s got a cool vibe during Happy Hour and even at lunch. The manager at night and during the day are both really friendly and attentive as is the rest of the staff. When I come for drinks, I always get a big bowl of Truffle Popcorn and I eat the entire bowl by myself because after a small handful, I can’t stop. On this most recent lunch visit, two of us got the Yellow and Red Beet Salad made with frisse. I added steak and it was delish. My friend liked her Fontina Pizza a lot. It looked small since it was about 6 inches but she felt fulfilled after that and some beer. It tasted good and only cost $ 5 or $ 6 too!

Nice decent place for early happy hour. My group was here at 4pm on a weekday so it was literally dead. We did get to sit at the tables outside which was nice since the weather lately has been great. The Happy Hour drinks were actually pretty decent. They mixed a good drink and the beer/​wine specials were solid. We didn’t get any food but from the looks of this place, it’s not that big so I can’t imagine how busy this place will be during the traditional Happy Hour times.
They did make a good margarita and the Acai Lemonade was decent. If I’m ever back here, then I may likely come back.

Oh how I HATE being served an adult beverage in a jelly jar. I ordered a beer and these mason jars they use (meant for preserves) are awkward to drink out of. Also, the evening I went my «beer jar» smelled like dirty dishwater which ruined my beer. The atmosphere is very good, but otherwise it was an unpleasant drinking experience this time. Other people’s cocktail drinks looked great, but my beer stunk (literally.)

Went here only for drinks so no view on the food. Overall, this is a nice place to drink that balances being hipster enough by serving interesting cocktails with premium ingredients without the huge prices that might be associated. Cocktails are $ 9 during happy hour and, I think, $ 11 the rest of the time. Service is good and the noise level is high. Not a huge find but, for a hip-​enough bar in downtown SF with pretty good drinks, Taverna Aventine is a good choice.

Came here at around 6:30pm on a weeknight for happy hour and it was extremely busy. Filled with lots of young professionals as you would expect. They have a downstairs as well which was slightly less crowded. We were only able to order drinks once before happy hour prices ended at 7pm. The bartender was too busy to be flagged down and I didn’t see any servers so I couldn’t order the truffle popcorn.
I ordered a glass of their $ 8 wine and one of their happy hour cocktails, acai lemonade. The acai lemonade was very sweet… perhaps too much because I could not taste any alcohol at all!
The bar is dimly lit and pretty noisy so it’s good for one on ones or going with a few friends. I probably wouldn’t return because it was too crowded for a small space.

Love this place! Used to come for happy hours when lived in the city, always a good spot.
Drinks and food = bomb.
I also hosted my birthday here and the management (Rodrigo) was the best host ever. Made sure to accommodate request and gave a sweet deal as well. Definitely recommend if looking to host a bday or holiday party for work or whatever.

I guess this place is too busy to call a customer back. I have a going away party im trying to plan for about 20 people… and I guess this establishment has better things to do than call me back… oh did i also mention that I tried emailing them as well.
Ok…so my party of 20 will go elsewhere
Thanks for nothing

I love this place, really, I do. It’s a real bar with questionable decorum and cheap beers that somehow doesn’t feel seedy.
But, it always seems closed for a private event. In fact, the only two times I’ve intentionally gone here it’s been closed.
Still, it’s awesome. And I recommend you go here. And the view and ambiance standing outside isn’t so bad. Win win.

This has become my go-​to spot in the area. The perfect place for a drink after work. I’ve been to a couple of their events in the alleyway next door and they are always fun, and the bartenders are nice. Every time I would come here I would notice ppl with popcorn. I thought it was just regular popcorn ppl were having with their drinks randomly, but nope. It is truffle popcorn and it is awesome! Way better than I expected. Definitely get it. You will easily notice all other tables around you have popcorn as well. Also, there is a cool downstairs area for when it gets too crowded.

I’m going to be completely candid here and say I’m a tad bit biased because I work in the FiDi and it’s close by.
But, I absolutely love this place. I can’t speak for the food, but booze? Yup, gotcha covered.
I typically come for Happy Hour (5pm can’t ever come soon enough). Pros are as follows:
1. Great Happy Hour prices and selection. Wine me, please.
2. The bartenders are kinda awesome.
3. Layout. There’s an upstairs (‘yeah, sure I’ll mingle and pretend to like people’) or downstairs (‘Whoa, where are you taking me? Is this some secret dungeon?’).
4. The chairs downstairs are so comfy (is that weird?)
5. Good for smaller groups
If you like wine and happy hour and comfy chairs you won’t be disappointed.

Quite possibly the coziest spot I’ve been to in SF… Great happy hour menu, music and staff. The location is absolutely perfect. Looking forward to coming back very soon!

Cool neighborhood bar. Came in for happy hour after walking around the city all afternoon. I grabbed a Guiness while my wife only wants hot water. Bartender was super sweet and nice and patient.
5 stars for service and chill ambience.

I only come here for happy hour and I always get the acai lemonade, Moscow mule and the truffle popcorn!
Servers here are ultra nice and cute!

Standing in the shadow of the Transamerica pyramid, this Roman-​inspired taverna has surprised me yet again with their appetizing lunch menu. I was here well over five years ago for a Unilocal Elite event when it first opened and remembered the bar bites to be quite tasty. Actually I don’t have to remember since I reviewed that event in my usual painstaking detail (review:
). I returned because I was having one of those days at work where I just had to leave the office for a bit to avoid a moment of career-​threatening drama. As I meandered on the edge of the FiDi talking to myself like Cate Blanchett throughout «Blue Jasmine», I came upon Taverna Aventine and secured a high-​top table to myself.
Among the several choices on the menu, I settled on the $ 14 Tuscan Steak Tramezzino, a buttery steak sandwich on a pretzel hoagie slathered with Gorgonzola aioli and truffle honey (photo:
). With the addition of arugula, it made for a peppery-​savory-​sweet confection that was quite a treat for lunch. Instead of fries on the side, they provided a small mixed green salad and some vegetable chips which would have been my preference anyway (photo:
). The rest of the lunch menu sounds like solid selections for office drones like myself who are willing to spend a few more dollars to avoid a Lee’s Deli run (literally) — small pizzas, salumi, antipasti, even sliders. Perhaps I should meander over to these parts more often and not just as an escape route.
FOOD — 4 stars… one of the better steak sandwiches to be had in the FiDi
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… an unusually low-​key bar setting during the lunch hour (photo:
)
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… serviceable enough
TOTAL — 4 stars… Rome wasn’t built in a day but I think that steak sandwich would have given hope to the empire