Che Fico — Restaurant in San Francisco

They've absolutely nailed the Cal-talian theme here. Traditional Italian dishes with seasonal California ingredients like white peaches and Arctic white nectarines from Modesto farms, local halibut, and fragrant California olive oil. All woven into beautifully crafted pastas, wood-fired pizzas, crudo and focaccia.

We started with the stone fruit salad - juicy seasonal peaches and nectarines at their peakness, tossed with peppery arugula, fresh herbs, edible flowers, orange zest, toasted pistachios and a magnificent lemon infused California olive oil . Oh Em Gee it knocked our socks off. So simple but SO DELICIOUS!! White peaches were sweet with floral undertones and a delicate, almost honey suckle like finish. Arctic white nectarines were firmer, with a crisp bite and bright finish . This dish is a classic study in restraint with a judicial use of ingredients while letting nature speak for itself.

The Halibut Crudo is also a great starter to get your tastebuds warmed up. Local halibut, lime, preserved lemon, cucumber acqua pazza, and paper thin skices of jalapeño that adds just enough heat to wake up the palate. Fresh, refreshing and the preserved lemon is a stroke of genius. It adds a dark citrusy flavor to the halibut.

The Pizza: The moment I walked in and saw two massive pizza ovens at full blaze, I had a feeling these folks knew what they were doing, and yep, they absolutely did.

I then found out from our waiter that the pizza had sourdough crust. Holy Moly I can never eat regular pizzas ever again!! They use a naturally leavened sourdough flour that they ferment in-house for days. It gives the crust a slight tang, an airy yet chewy bite, and perfect little blistered edges. Topped with a sprinkling of pecorino cheese and awe man I'm sooo hooked!!

We ordered the Fiori di Zucca and loved it. Light, flavorful, and I'm still dreaming about that crust. But honestly , I don't think you can go wrong with any of the pizzas on the menu. I watched them constantly come out of the oven and quietly wished I had 3 more stomachs.

Don't sleep on the focaccia. It's pillowy, golden, and comes with whipped mascarpone + olive oil that you'll want to slurp.

The Pastas: The Agnolotti del Plin reminded me of ravioli but smaller and filled with a tender flavorful short rib stuffings. The short rib stuffings were delicious but I found the pasta a bit doughy. The dish overall leaned on the rich side. It could've used a hit of acidity to cut through the richness. Something like pickled vegetables or a citrusy element would've helped.

The Gemelli al Pesto came with the twisty pasta that's ideal for grabbing onto the bright, lemony pesto made with Lou Boy Basil. Simple and comforting.

The Cured Salumi: They cure their own salumi here which sets them apart from the crowd. They start with high-quality cuts of pork and rub them down with a blend of salt, spices, and herbs. From there, the meat is tied, hung, and aged in their climate-controlled curing room, which you can actually see behind glass as you enter the dining room. Designed to live rent free in your head as you study the menu.

We got all three selections on the menu. Sweet Water Ranch Lonza Sweet Water Ranch Coppa Calabrese Salami

My fave was the Sweet Water Ranch Lonza. From the photo, it's the fatty bacon like strips on top. It leaned fatty, but since it was sliced paper-thin, the fat just melted the second it hit my tongue. That delicate, nutty flavor? Totally addictive.

The Desserts: Amazingly they also do desserts well.

The Peach Crostata came in as the perfect clean-up hitter and knocked it out of the park. The warm, flaky crust was warm and delicate. The vanilla gelato was pure velvety creamy , and those peak-season peaches drizzled with honey? Let's just say there were some serious eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head moments.

The service was excellent! Warm, professional and...

This chic and modern California influenced Italian restaurant offers something for every palate. Whether you’re looking for a rich and savory meal or light and refreshing bites, Che Fico will make sure everyone is taken care of.

We started our meal off with the Supplì, a fried tomato risotto, and the fresh, hand-pulled mozzarella that was plated on a pool of Sicilian olive oil. The acidity of the Supplì was gently complemented by the creamy mozzarella. The servers will warn you, and I can attest, that the Supplì is extremely hot when it comes out. We found that the optimal way to cool the center was by letting our phones eat first and carefully executing a cheese pull.

Our next course was the Lasagna Verde– an incredible 10-layer homemade spinach pasta alternating with an almost decadent lamb ragu. The corner and edges of the pasta were light and crispy and resembled artichoke leaves when it was first served to us. This dish definitely left us wanting more and we made sure not to waste any of the bechamel that the lasagna was resting on.

Choosing the next two dishes was a bit tough and we wanted more variety to really see if Che Fico could continue to hit the nail on the head. The Animelle Di Vitello, a veal sweetbread served with butter beans and shishito peppers, was the pick-me-up we didn’t know our meal needed. The tender butter beans, and melt in your mouth shisito peppers with the saucy, yet still crispy, veal sweetbread was my favorite bite of the night. This dish somehow unified so many of my favorite ingredients into one and it was executed so well.

One dish that wasn’t on the menu, our last savory dish of the night– roasted eggplant topped with fried shallots, fresh basil, and lightly pickled peppers. We dug in with the spoon we were given to see just how soft the eggplant would be, but were surprised when the spoon came to a halt at the uncooked center. Our server, Elizabeth, was so kind and urged us to allow them to refire the dish as they had just added it to the menu that morning and wanted to ensure that we were able to enjoy the dish at its full potential. The refire of the roasted eggplant was lovely and was actually a great way to end a heavy meal. Each spoonful of eggplant was packed with umami that was a perfect contrast to the tartness that the pickled peppers brought.

We somehow saved room for dessert and had to have Elizabeth choose for us. We were pleased to see a classic tiramisu with a healthy serving of mascarpone on top. After taking my first bite, I quickly learned that tiramisu had more texture than I thought. I don’t think I will be able to enjoy any old tiramisu as much after this one. Each layer was prominent yet balanced and we weren’t overwhelmed with sugar. The ladyfingers still had structure while still bringing a punch of coffee that was immediately toned down by the mascarpone.

Che Fico, I can’t wait to visit again. My first experience was actually a few years back when their downstairs bar was open for small plates and drinks and I had been waiting for the right moment to come back. (Hint: anytime is the right moment...

Excited a new restaurant coming to Divisadero and got all the rave reviews and even named as one of the best new restaurants in the US. We went to wait in the line at 4 because it is impossible to fetch a table through the reservation unless you want to dine at 11pm. After we waited for 1-1/2hrs, we asked for a table for 4. The host told us that they could sit us at the bench facing the window, next to the bar. Remember, we were the first in the waiting line. We reluctantly accepted the only choice. Unfortunately, the noise around the bar was so loud. People around were screaming at each other. This restaurant is converted from the auto garage so it has a lot hard surface. The situation is even more worst when all the glass windows reflect noise back to us. The bench arrangement is impossible for 4 people to keep a conversation. I eventually put the bluetooth earplugs to attenuate the sound. We asked the host whether they can turn down the music volume twice and relocated us. After we got our starter, the host relocated us to a booth table. YEAH!! One thumb up!! The sound is ONE thumb down! We started the dinner with cocktails. The cocktails are very good but very light in spirit. Even they are not boozy drinks but they are delicious, one thumb up!! We started with the Octopus salad, squash blossom and Salumeria board. All three are good but they are not the best I have ever had. After the appetizers, there was a huge 35 minutes waiting gap before getting the pasta and 2 pizza. There were more than 10 people in the kitchen and some re-construction needs to be done in the kitchen. The disorganization also reflects on the quality of the food. Paccheri Carbonara is a good dish but I think the pasta at Flour+Water is way much better. The pizza is the biggest disappointment. We ordered two pizza, the mushroom and mortadella(bologna). Both pizza are way too salty. The top is charred but not crisp and the bottom as well. They have the Loretta pizza oven, which is the best you can get. The problem is the dough. The base did not spread thin enough so the moisture steams the crust. At the end, the top is not crisp and interior is chewy and the chewiness amplifies the salty favor but nothing else lingering in my mouth, which is a turn off. I think Regazza on Divisadero makes better pizza than Che Fico. I can only give one star to the food based on this experience. The service is good but very uneven. It is very common for any new restaurant. The major problem of this restaurant is to fix...