La Connessa — Restaurant in San Francisco

Living in the neighborhood, it is always nice to have a new place to frequent. I absolutely love the space, the food, and the vibe. I come here by myself, with friends, or with my partner.

The cocktails are always delicious, never had a bad meal there. In fact, there are dishes that I dream about, like the bolognese.

The service is very attentive and on point, which is why I have mixed feelings in my review. I live close by and pop in regularly. Early on, I had come in for a 5pm reservation for myself. Sat at the bar, ordered a cocktail and wanted to enjoy it before looking at the menu. The bartender asked if I would be dining, and I said yes, but I wanted to have my cocktail before ordering. The bartender nodded in acknowledgment, and back I went to my drink. Five minutes pass, and I'm asked again by the same bartender. My response hadn't changed. We both laughed, and I carried on. Five more minutes pass, and the bartender asked again. At this point, I asked if there was a time limit on how long I could sit at the bar without ordering a meal, I was told no, a few minutes go by and the bartender offers me some olives while I decide what to eat. I accept, we laugh, and now I have finished my cocktail and am ready to order.

Everything was great, I had a lovely bottle of wine, an amazing dinner, and met some fun people. All in all, a great evening. When my bill arrived, I noticed that I was charged for olives that were offered to me, yet I had not ordered. It snot about the cost, because the price of the olives is negligible. It's about the principle.

A note to management, please ensure everything is explained to your customer. If your customer is being offered something while they decide what they want to order, let them know they will be charged. Normally, when a server or bartender says, "Let me bring you some olives while you decide." I would assume they would be complimentary, especially when my bill was over $300. I'm happy to pay, but it's the delivery. I should not have assumed, but it should have been made clear.

Out of all the great meals and experiences I have had here, this particular instance stays with me and makes me consider...

I love Spruce and this restaurant is another gem from the Bacchus group! Service, above all, is genuine. Our server, Igor, was clearly an old pro. He was able to guide us through several wine pairings and moved with the precision of a captain at Atelier Crem, but exuded the rare charm and attention that made me feel as if I was sitting down to dinner in his own home. The staff was at ease and made us laugh. I was floored to have that kind of service in an establishment so large.

I wasn't expecting anything spectacular from reading the menu at home, but the trattoria fare here is flawless. It's the little things that stand out. The broccoli with chili coated in anchovy and garlic-infused garlic oil defied expectations, the gremolata on the ribeye provided ample contrast to the fat and brought out the quality of the beef, but the star of the show was the foccacia de recco. Someone back there knows their pastry. The crust is extraordinary. Light like a croissant, chewy and yet crispy as a fried tortilla chip. I love Cotogna and thought their foccacia de recco was excellent, but the interplay of textures really set La Connessa's apart. Stunning!

The wine list here is commendable, with some esoteric italian options that were delicious. Don't sleep on the sparkling Carricante. Desserts were well-refined. As I mentioned, someone back their knows their pastry and how to manipulate textures. We had a strawberry crostata, which is like a flat galette, but, again, textures, textures, textures. Flaky, light, nicely cooked and scattered with bits of crunch coarse sugar. And it wasn't particularly sweet. There comes a point where sugar masks the flavor of fruit instead of accentuating it, and the pastry team knows how to toe that line. Don't skip desert or the vast selection of amaro at the bar.

Dinner was last night and I already have plans to return with friends. The bar is massive, though! Until then, I might just return and sit there solo for one of the well-blistered pizzas I saw at an...

Picture this; you go to a restaurant a month in advance to make a reservation for your anniversary. You go in person to avoid any miscommunication. You reserve a small booth that is private and romantic and confirm it for the special night. You tell your girlfriend (flying in from Mexico for the occasion) about this romantic little booth. For a month the two of you anticipate going out and look forward to being at this special table for your anniversary.

Finally you excitedly arrive at the restaurant. You walk into the restaurant 5' early only to find they have recently given the booth away. You remind the hostess that you reserved the booth and she says "sorry, we had to move some things around."  There's only two people in the booth so this makes no sense. She points to a table that is the opposite of what you reserved, located against the wall in between other diners.  "That's your table now."

You ask to see the manager.  He tells you they don't guarantee specific tables, a policy never mentioned when they did, in fact, take a reservation for a specific table. He says this while there are "reserved" signs sitting in front of chairs at the bar next to you. You voice your disbelief and he acts as if you are being unreasonable for expecting them to honor a reservation for a specific table made in person.  He is dismissive and has a take it or leave it attitude, makes no sincere apology or offer of anything to make up for giving away the table you reserved. He blames the hostess and says he will punish her (which is odd and not what you want).  30 minutes after entering the restaurant you leave in disbelief.

That was our visit to La Connessa. I have lived in the neighborhood and frequent all of the restaurants here and I've never been treated this way. Absolutely horrible customer service. (This visit was on...