La Ciccia — Restaurant in San Francisco

The worst thing about this restaurant is that it's so close to my house. The temptation to eat here every night may land me in the poor house, morbidly obese, or with my ruptured organs showered all over the shocked and unsuspecting patrons of this fine establishment. Not that I wouldn't crawl on bloody stumps through the desert just to get a taste of that braised octopus, because I would. I had a warm, fuzzy feeling from the first moment I walked in to make a reservation. I gave the stout Sardinan matriarch my first name, and as soon as she heard it, the rest of the conversation took place in Italian, hers heavily Sardinified and mine just plain rusty. They were (deservedly) booked solid the whole weekend, despite this, she managed to conjure up a spot for two out of thin air. Thank God. We powered through multiple dishes involving two of my very favorite things to eat: tentacles and squid ink. We had planned a variety of post dinner activities, but our meal lasted no less than three hours. We didn't even notice the passage of time, and neither did they. The lack of salt on the table seems to be a contentious issue, but after a while I gratefully ceded my urge to micromanage the chef's affairs, and gladly capitulated, trusting that I was in good hands. And yes, we were so stuffed that we refused the dessert menu, but they, undoubtedly having noticed my ecstatic raving throughout the evening, were not about to let us get away without trying the semifreddo, which they comped. Guess what? It was to die for. In fact, had I burst like the Infamous Mr. Creosote, it would have been just fine, because I would have died happy, and not...

I have waited a couple of weeks to write this review. First of all, I would like to compliment the hostess/owner for her graciousness on the evening of our visit. The food was excellent, every dish we ordered was well executed and delicious. The seafood pasta with squid ink and the lamb were the stars of the evening. I can't review the dessert because although a couple of dessert menus were tossed at us in passing our "server" never returned for our order. After noticing us motioning and not being acknowledged by our server the owner came over and asked how our meal was. This was the first time anyone inquired about how we were enjoying our meal; after appetizers, salad, a couple of mains and wine! I had water which was never refilled. We responded that the meal was fantastic but that the service was HORRIBLE. She apologized and she explained that our server had been there for 9 years. La Ciccia is just down the hill from were we live and we have consistently recommended them to neighbors and guests even after the ownership change. Service in the past has been fine and I really feel for the owner, cooks and other servers whose hard work is besmirched by someone so completely oblivious to guests. So in closing the worst review I have ever written for a "fine dinning establishment", I hope if you choose to dine here you don't have to endure the "service" and the unpleasantness of having your evening ruined by an uncaring "server". Sad to say but a simple "How was the salad?" or "Can I refill your water?" might have made the difference. Good luck, your...

I have been to Ciccia many times before the pandemic. This was the first time since the beginning of lockdowns. I was expecting the same quality of food, and was sadly disappointed.

We started with the calamari. This had always been a favorite dish, because in past experiences each calamari exploded with flavor. This time, all you could taste was salt and olive oil. It was not bad, but the taste of freshness in this dish was no longer there.

The pasta was slightly overcooked and the taste of sea urchin and tuna heart had become a hint in the overwhelming sea of tomato sauce that flooded the dish to turn it into a soup rather than a pasta 1st course.

Then the main course: Ciccia had run out of fish. I found that incredible, especially given that the restaurant was not full. It may be that, like with everything else these days, we can blame it on “supply chain” rather than poor restaurant planning.

Instead, we had the grilled shrimp as a main course. Unfortunately, the shrimp were flooded in olive oil and stood zero chance of tasting like anything else. Sadly it felt like the shrimp had been grilled several hours before and the preparation consisted in just drowning them in olive oil right before bringing them to the table. It was the kind of dish that one excuses on a long beach day at a mediocre sea side restaurant because the ocean makes one ravenous, but that we know would be unacceptable at the nonna’s table.

All in, a very mediocre meal priced at top dollars. It was very sad to see this once great restaurant come...