Montesacro SoMa — Restaurant in San Francisco

Super tasty Roman-style pizza (with a great selection of antipasti too) served in a cozy, gorgeous space. I stopped by Montesacro SoMa with a friend for a weekend dinner after receiving multiple recommendations for this spot from several coworkers / friends. I got there a few minutes early, so I was immediately struck by how cozy and intimate the store felt; the staff seemed relaxed but on top of their game, and I loved that you could somewhat (but not quite...to preserve the mystery of it all) see the kitchen work their magic with a partially visible container of prepared dough, slightly exposed assembly counter. I love the walls of wine bottles, random chandeliers, and deli counter -- it genuinely felt like I was back in Rome.

For food, we started with the Sottoli, a plate of beautifully EVOO-marinated vegetables (red bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and eggplant), topped with a bit of chili and parsley. I loved the simplicity of this antipasti; the veggies were super flavorful and delicious. It's a great vegetarian or gluten-free choice, but you can also get an order of their bread if you'd like to bulk up this appetizer. The veggies were delicious on their own, but also went wonderfully with the main star of the show, the pizza. We got their margherita just so we could compare this classic vs. other pizza joints, and they certainly did not disappoint. The tomato sauce was flavorful, with just the right mix of herbaceous, savory, acidic, and sweet, and the pizza was topped with a generous portion of melty mozzarella and basil. I love that they fully lean into the Roman-ness of their restaurant by serving the more ovular pinsa, with a slightly thicker, chewier crust and highlighting local Roman ingredients. Now that I've confirmed their margherita pizza (or, rather, pinsa) is 10/10, I can't wait to go back and try their...

I came here on a Saturday night with a reservation. I showed up 30 mins early at 6pm and we were able to be sat right away. Eventually it got pretty busy. The server was great, he made good suggestions and was very helpful with the menu when we had questions. The interior is beautiful, very rustic and romantic. The area of the restaurant is definitely sketchy so I would suggest getting dropped off and maybe not driving your car like I did. Luckily, I found a really good parking and the sun was still out but yeah...sketchy part of the city and it's in an alleyway.

We ordered the basket of bread, a bottle of Tufaliccino wine, Montesacro pizza and the L Torta del Ghetto dessert. The bread basket came with three different types of bread, olive oil, with salt and pepper. I thought all of the bread was really tasty, and I liked the different textures and consistencies of all of them. The wine may have been mine and my friend's favorite thing from the evening. I would definitely suggest a bottle of this wine. We also got the Montesacaro pizza which was suggested by our server. The pizza was OK, I don't think I would order it again, but I thought the lamb sausages were really good and the dough was amazing. I learned I'm not big on artichokes. The dessert was also good but unfortunately I wasn't amazed. It was a little dry, but still tasty. If I ever come back I would wanna try a different dessert. Overall, I would still come back and try a few other things on the menu and maybe with more than just one other person so we can try more than just a...

I am sorry to say that, but going to this restaurant has been - by far - the most disappointing experience in the US for me so far (I am German). The place has an undeniably beautiful flair, but this first expression is completely shattered by their price-benefit ratio. I had a black truffle Pinsa and I regrettably have to say that it was the worst one I ever had. First of all, I ordered that Pinsa with added ham topping and was promptly told that this is not possible as the cook did not want it that way. Fair, if you serve some 3-star-michelin dish (which they don't). After some negotiations, I got three slices of ham on a extra plate for no less than $10. Welp, there's that. But coming to the main dish: The dough-to-topping ratio was off the chart in a sense that there was essentially no topping at all and the so-called truffle was non-existant (taste-wise, I got some black crumps on my Pinsa which MIGHT have been truffle....). So far, so good, if you charge $7 for that. But no, they cost $30! This is in my opinion (and I have been to Italy several times and KNOW!) not worth your money in any way, if you want to burn your money while eating bland food served by stubborn waiters by any means be their guest, otherwise avoid this place at all costs! We ended paying $130 for two Pinsa (one with ham) and four glasses of (bland) wine. I do not know what we paid for but it certainly wasn't cooking skill, flavor, a wine connoisseur...