Lupa Trattoria — Restaurant in San Francisco

Could have been better and not up to the standards of other Italian restaurants nearby. Service can be described as old school (not in a good way) and inattentive. Food was good but not excellent, maybe would have been with different seasoning, however portions were generous. All dishes came plated in the center with no garnish or side. The salad, seriously underwhelming... Just a few pieces of greens and 3 olives does not make a mixed salad ok, what Lupa put on a plate and charged $10 for is often put on the side of an entree for decoration. Just save you money and skip the salads. Bread was served to the table with olive oil but no vinegar. The bread was burnt on bottom and hard on outside - crunchy perhaps by design. Table had salt but not pepper. The place was pretty full (though we had no trouble getting a table without a reservation) and from what it looked like some regulars who I can only imagine live nearby otherwise they would go to one of the other places where they might get better service and food. I would not make a special trip to this place. Prices were not out of line for SF necessarily. It was very noisy inside and the older people in my party had a hard time with...

For starters, we ordered the prosciutto and carpaccio. Prosciutto had a well balanced flavor combo of sweet and salty. The carpaccio was ok. We ordered the rack of lamb and grilled hen, both were pretty mediocre. The hen was dry while the lamb didn't have enough meat to it. A little disappointment considering all the reviews I read about this place. What i liked the most were the pastas. We ordered the fettuccine tratufate and penne all arrabbiata. The arrabbiata was one of the best I've had. It had a perfect spicy chilli zing to it without overpowering tamato flavor. The fettuccine was subtle with a nice rich truffle flavor. The ambiance in Lupa gives a nice cozy feeling, however, our server didn't give us the same friendly vibes, maybe coz it was a busy Saturday night? The tables are extremely small, especially for 4 people, at least inside the restaurant. We saw some couples struggling with their plates on a table of 2 as well. We did not check out the outdoor seating area as it was cold. Parking can be an issue, especially on weekends. They do not have designated parking spots or valet service. I would recommend this place for their pastas instead of their secondi...

Lupe Trattoria feels as if it were lifted outside of a small town in Italy and dropped in the middle of Noe. There's a bustle to the modest dining room, and you feel the brisk tempo as you sit down. It is decorated sparingly, just lots of warm brown wood and mustard walls with very few pieces of art. It's intimate and cozy without being dull.

The menu is equally simple but quite good, two pages filled with about two dozen creations. I had the tortellini alla cardinale, filled with ground beef and pork and smothered in a pink cream sauce littered with chanterelles, peas, and prosciutto. It was excellent. The other standout was the penne alla rugantino, drizzled with warm olive oil, caramel isles onion, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives and Romano cheese. It was slightly better than mine; buyers remorse. The others were very good if not superb.

Prices were affordable and great for the quality. Service was pretty good as well, very family-style.

Highly...