Il Cantuccio

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3228 16th St
San Francisco, CA 94103

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(415) 861-3899
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Reviews
( 44 )
( 13 )
( 1 )
( 5 )
( 2 )

Best

After dining at Il Cantuccio many times, I have to admit it's one of my favorites in the city. It has the rare mix of delicious food, very reasonable prices, nice service and a co...

Worst

I dined here recently and was disappointed. Nothing about the meal was particularly memorable save for one detail - the salt. The pesto that comes with the bread is very salty. ...

One of the best Italian tables in town! 10/2/2010

Simply one of the best Italian tables in town! I was treated to dinner here on Friday and I can just tell you that everything was near perfect! more
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Not good enough. 7/2/2008

I dined here recently and was disappointed. Nothing about the meal was particularly memorable save for one detail - the salt. The pesto that comes with the bread is very salty. My soup was very salty. My gnocchi was very salty. I was glad I had ordered a large bottle of Pellegrino. There is nothing remarkable about this restaurant except the adorable Italian waiter with his curled locks - he is worth coming back for. Everything else was mediocre. more
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great italian food - cozy atmosphere - one of my favorites in SF 6/19/2008

After dining at Il Cantuccio many times, I have to admit it's one of my favorites in the city. It has the rare mix of delicious food, very reasonable prices, nice service and a cozy, friendly environment. The specials are always a home run but on the regular menu I've had the pumpkin ravioli, rigatoni with sausage & mushrooms and the gnochi and I've never been dissapointed! I've been there on dates and with girl friends and it's been great every time. The service is always friendly even if not perfect (some really cute italian boys in the past). If you want unpretentious, wonderful Italian food, go to Il Cantuccio! I'm hungry thinking about it... Pros: delicious, reasonable prices, friendly service Cons: sometimes parking but there is a garage ab 2 blocks away more
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everything good for a leisurely meal, from antipasti through coffee and dessert wines 8/23/2007

We went to Il Cantuccio on a Tuesday night to celebrate my brother-in-law's wedding. We were given a long table (for 7) at the back. The atmosphere was intimate and the mood was unhurried, perfect for such an occasion. The antipasti were fresh, light and tasty. I had the squid ink pasta with lobster and found it delicious. Dessert was a made-from-scratch gelato; coffee and after-dinner wines were superb. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone who wants a relaxed, delicious meal in a romantic atmosphere. The table at the back was just close enough to the kitchen for me to sense that time and care were given to preparing our dishes while we talked, laughed, and generally enjoyed ourselves. It was a perfect choice for our small group to help launch a couple on a life together and left all of us with pleasant memories of the night. Cons: the wine we chose was just average more
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Not top notch 6/19/2007

Went last night and I found it below average, even for SF standards (which is not very high for pizza in general). Il Cantuccio is a bit soggy for my taste. Service is fine. more
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Uninspired italian compared to the myriad of good & great italian restaurants in this city 5/13/2007

Yes - the service was good, attentive & polite. Yes - the restaurant was cute, cozy & comfortable. No - the food was not terrible. But the food was a waste of time. Pros: cute, cozy & comfortable Cons: eating the food here is like listening to the chorus waiting for a prima donna who never shows up more
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Exquisite 11/20/2006

There is a reason Il Cantuccio's rating is so high- and that is only because they deserve it! Michael & his staff are highly attentive and serve consistently flavorful and well cooked meals. You can risk going without a reservation, but good luck. This place is notorious for being packed wall to wall from the moment they open their doors. And after a taste of the food and service you will understand why. Mangia! more
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Fantastic service; prompt and respectful 10/11/2006

I had a group of out of town businessmen dine at Il Cantuccio and we were treated very well with prompt service. The food was very trattoria-like and everything was exceptional. I would definitely go back anytime. I had the veal and it was very nice. The spinach was great. The calamari was good; needed more spice. We had a good meal. No complaints. Everyone enjoyed. Pros: service, selection, wines Cons: transient neighborhood more
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Great italian! 9/30/2006

The homemade pasta was superb! We tried the spinach and ricotta filled ravioli and that was delicious! However, I thought that the TAGLIERINI ALLARAGOSTA, blackened pasta with lobster, was a little too seafood-y. Pros: nice atmosphere, homemade pastas, nice and casual Cons: parking more
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Una bella esperienza 9/21/2006

I couldn't recommend this restaurant more highly. It's Italian -- with Italian staff. Even the dip for the bread is extraordinary. It is warm, hospitable, and very enjoyable to the palette. The ravioli is tremendous, and the wine pairing menus are splendid. Grazie mille for your wonderful restaurant. more
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NOT recommended 8/31/2006

this restaurant is a huge let down. It all started with the bread which was mediocre and unfortunately, the blah factor continued throught the whole meal. The food is flavorless at best, didn't seem fresh and definitely not worth what we paid. The service was okay. Our waitress was friendly, although she never checked in after our food was served, and then gave us an awkward sales pitch to book a spot for one of their fixed price events. In a city with so many options, there is no reason to eat here, ever. Pros: quick Cons: bad food, not worth price more
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Good service 8/2/2006

We dined early on a work night & the service was friendly & attentive. The complimentary, delicious foccocia bread was fresh & accompanied by a very garlicky pesto spread. We ordered from the selection of house made pastas. The pumpkin ravioli was tasty & sweet, however the butter sauce was not browned just melted butter so lacked flavor. The melted butter was better used with the foccocia bread & pesto spread. The blackened lobster pasta dish was good albeit a bit salty great if you like strong briny flavors. The dessert (chocolate cake with raspberry puree) looked great on paper but the taste didnt live up to the description it was quite a disappointment. This is a good spot if you live in the area, however dont know if worthwhile on a Fri/Sat nite when parking is a challenge. Pros: service, foccocia bread Cons: parking, dessert more
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Great food, great service, and great prices 7/22/2006

My boyfriend took me here on my birthday and it couldn't have been more perfect. The food was excellent, everything from the bread, the caprese salad, the wine, and both of our entrees (ravioli and a black pasta w/ lobster). Very reasonable for how great the quality of food is. Very intimate and charming ambiance. Pros: food, ambiance, service more
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nice italian spot in the mission 6/14/2006

i don't know if i'd describe the setting as romantic, but the food here is definitely top notch. i had the salmon risotto and my gf had some sort of baked, stuffed pasta, and both were quite tasty. this is definitely one of the better italian restaurants in the city. Pros: authentic italian food, nice wait-staff, good wine list Cons: parking, not much else... more
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Quite good. 6/5/2006

The food here is a more honest interpretation of ""classic"" Italian fair than you'll find elsewhere. Very fresh ingredients and a nice wine menu make for a great meal. My only issue is that many of the dishes are served with heavy cream sauces, however they were able to basically make any dish with the sauce of your choice, which was nice. Service and ambiance was great. From the street I had initially thought this was some sort of corporate chain, but once inside it feels like a real trattoria. Pros: great food, service more
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Feel like you are in Italy while in San Francisco 5/8/2006

We had such a great experience with the food, wine, service and quaint ambience of Il Cantuccio. The owner Michael was wonderful and we will go back again the next time we visit San Francisco. more
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Great find! 4/9/2006

I definitely enjoyed the food and they had a great selection of wine. The atmosphere was great, but unfortunately the service was a little disappointing because the waitress was being overworked. However, the waitress was very friendly and apologetic so I didn't mind at all. I would definitely go back. Pros: Great food, nice atmosphere Cons: Disappointing service more
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POSITIVELY THE BEST!!! 3/10/2006

I cant say enough good things about this restuarant. It is like eating home cooked italian food with your family. The staff is so friendly, there is always a table open, and the food is to die for...and super cheap! Try the fritto misto, the sausage pizza, and the stinco (lamb). I moved here from NYC and never ate like this! Pros: everything! more
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User review by efisch 3/5/2006

We have been regular customers for a number of months. The other night we made a reservation for 3 people. When we arrived we were told that they would take a small table for 2 people and set it for 3. This was totally unacceptable as it would have required us to eat in shifts as there was absolutely no room at the table for 3 people. The management couldn't have cared less. I like the food very much and have normally found the staff friendly and charming but the attitude last night was in excusable. There are way too many good restaurants in S.F. to go back to this one. more
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Won't Go Back 11/22/2005

After reading all the positive reviews, my boyfriend and I were excited to try this place. The place was busy and we were promptly seated. The wait staff is friendly and served us a basket of bread immediately (which was excellent). Things were off to a good start. We ordered an appetizer (polenta with gorgonzola) and two main courses (salmon risotto and lasagna). The appetizer took almost 20 minutes to arrive, and the main course another 30. By the time the food came, we were starved. My boyfriend's risotto looked like a mess, and he said it tasted like rice with Campbells tomato soup. My lasagna looked good, but the taste was bad-- imagine eating a can of Chef Boyardee with a soapy taste. Disgusting, but I was so hungry I ate it. Won't go back again. Pros: Friendly wait staff, good atmosphere Cons: aweful food, long wait more
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Menu for Il Cantuccio


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Editorial

  • In Short
    The warm dining room, decorated with hand-painted pottery, comfortably holds a dozen tables. Neighborhood couples, friends and families enjoy the casual service as they dive into...

  • 9/8/2004 Provided by Citysearch
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