Ideale — Restaurant in San Francisco

We booked this place for 5 people and it didn't disappoint. I knew this would be a typical authentic Italian place since the moment an Italian answered the phone. We arrived the two of us and was waiting for few minutes for our friends and even when they arrived we took some time to decide on the menu and the staff didn't push us which was nice. The place is cozy and lovely and waiters are Italian so it gives the place a nice warm, family feel.

The menu was lovely - few antipasti (we had the burrata and loved it, it was soft and creamy), few pizza items, very few selections of meats (chicken, veal, fish) and pastas!!! I liked that the menu wasn't too big but it wasn't 1 page either - I think it was just about right if you are an Italian food lover and you don't mind trying new dishes. they brought us 2 bread baskets (how generous of them) and we asked for some olive oil and balsamic to deep our breads into and o My God - the olive oil was soooo good, just like the one we had in Rome.

They had the typical Roman favorites such as carbonara and amatriciana but we didn't try them since we cook plenty italian at home and wanted something different. Between the 5 of us we had the tortelloni stuffed with veal, pancheta, mushrooms in a creamy sauce (which I must say this was the winner, the taste of this combination was just out of this world), lasagna serafina (named after the grandmother) which was really good, pappardelle with meat ragu sauce which was lovely and my dish which was gnocchi with meat ragu sauce - gnocchi was soft and delicious. The waiter suggested the wine within our budget ($50) and it was truly lovely - smooth and light with no headaches the next morning. Although we were stuffed after dinner we had to order the chocolate ice cream truffle which was superb.

Amazing experience and dinner. We had a few jokes with the waiters and it made the evening even more pleasant. All in all, I don't think any of the dishes on the menu will disappoint so don't hesitate to try any of their freshly made pastas! With 1 appetiser, $50 wine bottle, 5 main courses of pasta and 1 dessert the bill came to 180$ split between the 5 of us before tip so a bit on the higher side but good enough considering we had the bottle of wine. Will definitely be back and highly recommend this...

I met Maurizio and some of his staff while cycling down the Pacific coast. They were out on a day ride, and Maurizio, along with another server, would be returning in the evening to work that night. Kindly and graciously, they invited me to come in that evening for dinner.

I'd never been to San Francisco and when I crossed the Golden gate bridge after some confusion about how to get on the pedestrian lane, I rode to Ideale, excited about eating some of San Francisco's infamous Italian food.

NEVER have I been treated so kindly and warmly in a restaurant. I felt like an old friend, arriving back in town after a year away. The service was genuinely good-natured and relentlessly accommodating.

I had the ravioli de zucca to begin - a perfect balance between sage and pumpkin. The pasta had such a wonderful texture.

Second I had the lasagna. For a cyclist traveling 50 plus miles everyday, this is great for energy and sustenance. It was layered in such a way to give appreciation to all ingredients and the cheese on top was cooked to a perfect crisp. I enjoyed every bite and ate slowly to savor the experience.

Maurizio came out from the kitchen and spoke with me about my cycling experiences and I asked him about his restaurant. I felt so welcome. So at home.

When off offered a dessert, I didn't resist. What I had was the best tiramisu I've ever eaten. So light, and still so full of flavor and body.

Here is a restaurant experience I will really cherish. I will hold it up against others as a model for great hospitality. So genuine and forthcoming.

After this experience I stayed in Oakland for the evening and didn't get the chance to return to San Francisco during my time in the Bay area. This was the perfect taste of San Francisco charm. I would recommend Ideale to my mother and...

This appears like it would be a good spot. The menu screams authentic. The waitstaff is generally Italian (albeit generally inattentive and surly.)

But no. After picking our third choice off the wine list, we were offered something else.

The appetizers were acutely meh. Flavorless and tepid tuna tartare and a fennel salad I could have tossed together at home.

Main dishes were roundly poorly done. Orecchiette alla pugliese was terribly oily and flat. Saltimbocca was completely overcooked and tough. Maiale ripieno, by some miracle, was dry and dressed with a runny sauce that wanted to be creamy, but failed by a long shot. (Also, this dish served a solid 10-minutes before the other three mains.) Zuppa di pesce? The calamari in it were decent, but the broth was phoned in from the land of Campbell's soup.

We had hopes of desert, but after a roundly disappointing group of appetizers and mains, we didn't bother. Paid for our overpriced impression of Italian food, and left, burned.

Avoid. I have no idea how this place obtains 5-star reviews. Likely folks justifying their...