Starbelly — Restaurant in San Francisco

I found this place for lunch when I needed to kill a little bit of time because my dad was having his knee replaced at the nearby hospital. I was hungry and in no hurry. It's somewhat difficult to find if you have not dined there before, but ask anyone walking in the area, they all seem to be familiar with it and, in my experience, were friendly and helpful when I asked where it was. We (my mom and I) were seated in this cool outdoor area in the back. Kind of felt like we were dining in a gazebo. Our waiter was beyond awesome. I wish I could remember his name to give him a proper shout-out because he really deserves it. He was attentive and super friendly and even though he had other tables, he made us feel like it was just us. That would have been enough to get a favorable review out of me, but the food was also fantastic. My mom and I shared a margaritas pizza, truffle fries, and fried chicken and French toast (their version of fried chicken and waffles). I realize that's a super weird order, but we just kinda went with what sounded good on an individual basis and then combined it if that makes sense. The pizza had a very crispy crust. It literally crunched when I bit into it. The fried chicken was juicy and well breaded, and the truffle fries were out of this world. My least favorite thing was the French toast. It just didn't really appeal to me for some reason, although I'm a pretty rough critic when it comes to French toast. If it's made well I love it but if it falls shirt it's very disappointing. My only regret (besides ordering the French toast) was that my stomach couldn't fit anymore food while dining in. We boxed up what we didn't eat, but it was tough to reheat and the quality suffered greatly when compared to how great it was fresh at the restaurant. San Francisco can be a little weird about serving plastic straws, and you often have to deal with these horrendous paper straws that get soggy and clogged after a few sips, which is not a very pleasing sensation in your mouth. However, their solution was these really cool compostable green friendly straws, which were amazing. It may seem like a small detail, but small details make all the difference, and this small detail left a really positive impression with me. I wish I lived closer. I would eat here all the time. You can just tell the staff really cared about their jobs and wanted to do right by their dining guests. 5+ stars! Fantastic dining experience!! Highly...

I had heard rumors of a new offering last August from the creators of Beretta, and one that featured spectacular brunches and a burger that rivaled that of Zuni and Spruce. And considering that this new restaurant, Starbelly, was just a few blocks away in the Castro, it's a shame that it took me until December to check it out.

I've gone there for brunch a few times and have been really impressed, nothing I've had has been short of very, very good. A simple one page menu features a ton of rich new American comfort food offerings. The chilaquiles with house-made chorizo, corn chips, chile sauce and cilantro is mouth-wateringly good, and will crush any hangover you bring in there. The open-faced sunny-side up egg sandwich with cheddar and Starbelly's delicious thick-cut bacon is a solid favorite, too. The sourdough flapjack or the sour Levain french toast are great too if you're in the mood for those. And the burger: it's legit; Prather Ranch beef on a grilled brioche bun with choice of aged white cheddar or Pt. Reyes blue cheese, bacon, and roasted onions. I go with the cheddar and bacon, and the onions on the side. It's a stand-out burger and up there in the Zuni and Spruce echelon fo sho. Both the dinner and brunch menus feature a variety of thin crust pizzas, as well a surprisingly diverse beer selection.

Service has always been friendly, warm, and attentive and the decor also parallels that of Beretta: a long communal table is the middle of the dining room, and the rest is a blend of bright varnished wood and brushed silver metal. It's clean and spare but not boring, filled with rich accents that capture your upon each visit. One edge Starbelly has over Beretta is a full back patio with open sunlight. Nice.

Highly recommended, check it...

Sarbelly was just OK for us. Da Wahini and I were in the area and decide to pay a visit to Starbelly based on the reviews and the fact we had Starbelly bookmarked for a while.

Good size venue with a small amount of outdoor seating in the front and additional outside seating in the back covered by a large tent. The inside is more of a bar. Parking...good luck with that. Located next to a popular neighborhood, only street parking is available. The menu here is seasonal, so it changes on a regular basis. I forgot the name of our server, but nice guy. The service was very good. The staff were on top of everything.

#StarbellyGrindz: COCKTAILS: ~ SALTY DOG - 4/5 Strong and solid cocktail. All the flavors worked well. I could taste the Elderflower and Grapefruit

~ BEARS, BEARS, BEARS! - 3.5/5 Our server said this was the best drink on the menu, I can't say I agree with that statement. To each their own. Brilliant presentation, possibly just not a fond flavor profile of mine... even though I'm a big Earl Grey fan. This just didn't work for me

PLATES: ~ rigatoni - 3.5/5 I thought the rigatoni was OK, slightly better than average, but nothing to rave about. I had a hard time identifying the protein as Lamb. Portion was on the smaller size, not all that filling.

~ ground chuck beef burger - 3.5/5 w/ starbelly salad - 4.5/5 While the Burger was decent, it wasn't all that special. Nothing stood out about it and it was tiny! almost like a bigger slider... The salad was very good.

Once is enough for me. I don't need to return; I wasn't a fan of the portion sizes and didn't think the food was...