Corzetti — Restaurant in San Francisco

Ideally, I'd give this restaurant a 3.5/5.

Corzetti brings the vibrant coastal cuisine of Liguria to San Francisco's Union Square, blending traditional flavors with modern twists.

My friend and I started off 2024 SF Restaurant Week with Corzetti. The big bar and the dining area were bustling with diners when we went there on a Friday night, creating a lively and upbeat scene.

Our server was attentive and friendly, though there was a bit of a wait between courses when they forgot to put in our main dish order. However, they were very apologetic and overall provided great service.

Definitely get their focaccia. The bread was light, buttery, and flavorful, and the olive tapenade was the cherry on top. Please note that this isn't included in their restaurant week menu.

The real star of the show was the restaurant week menu. For $65, you get a whopping four-course meal with some seriously generous portion sizes. We were practically stuffed by the second course!

For starters, we had 2 options to pick from. Both my friend and I picked the Fritto Misto. The fried squid and cod fritters were light and crispy but very salty. The fennel offered a refreshing touch, and the chili aioli provided a nice kick, but it was a lot to finish for the first course.

There was only one option for the second course. The Fazzoletti al Pesto was a bit of a letdown. While the pesto itself was vibrant and flavorful, the pasta itself was a bit overcooked and mushy. I also wasn't a fan of the pine nuts in the pasta (but that's a personal preference).

The main course had 2 options to pick from. Since there were 2 of us, we tried both options. The Tocca, a braised beef shoulder, was melt-in-your-mouth tender. The polenta had a nice char, and the jus added a rich depth.

The Branzino alla Ligure was also good. The sea bass was cooked well, with a crispy skin and delicate flesh. The fish itself was lacking in flavors, but the olives, fennel, and rosemary complemented it beautifully.

For dessert, the Panna Cotta was a light and refreshing option. The amaretto cookie crumble added a welcome textural contrast, and the strawberries offered a burst of sweetness. However, the Gianduja Crostata was a bit too sweet for my taste. The chocolate hazelnut filling was rich and decadent, but the combination with the amarena cherries and whipped cream became cloying after a few bites. If you are looking for something light, go with the Panna Cotta. The Gianduja was very dense.

Overall, Corzetti is a good option for a lively dining experience, especially if you're looking to take advantage of their...

Uncomfortable seating and sullen service were not offset by mediocre and uninspired Italian. Pizza was fine pasta was fine. Meatball app were a standout.

But artichoke hearts pan fried to charred with lemon and a sprinkle of breadcrumb? A prosciutto plate with wacky celery bits? A 24 oz ribeye (for 2!) served pounded to a half inch thin and seared to medium well no matter how it's ordered? Not only were those dishes ill-conceived, they weren't even executed properly.

The chairs were better suited to poolside, and generally uncomfortable to eat in. Despite having a reservation, and the restaurant being half empty, we still had trouble being seated. A hard floor and no acoustic treatment made for a loud experience overall.

Servers made us feel like we were lucky to be served. They left multiple times without getting s complete order from the table. Many minutes went by between check ins. Finally we had to ask bussers for items - drink refills, napkins, etc. just generally not a good service from FoH staff at all.

Frankly, with the high level of culinary options available in the Union Square area, I'm surprised this place is still in business. Have a real slice of pizza around the corner, or seek our true upscale Italian. Corzetti achieves neither quality nor value....

My husband and I are HUGE fans of Italian food and have tried countless Italian restaurants in SF, but this place was a major disappointment. The food tasted okay, but it lacked the hospitality and warmth we’ve always experienced at authentic Italian restaurants.

The service was even worse. The servers kept checking on the table next to us (two white couples), asking multiple times how their food was and if they wanted more wine, but they didn’t stop by our table even once. My husband and I each ordered a glass of wine and our own pasta dish, and we both wanted to order more wine, but they ignored us completely, despite visiting the table next to us multiple times. It felt incredibly rude and definitely racist.

We also visited during happy hour and were seated in the main dining area, but the staff didn’t explain the seating policy. When the bill came, it didn’t reflect happy hour pricing. When we asked about it, they told us happy hour prices only applied to the lounge area. While we weren’t overly concerned about the price difference, we felt it was unfair not to clarify this upfront for transparency.

Overall, mediocre food, inattentive and biased service towards non-white customers, and poor communication made this a terrible experience. We definitely won’t...