Terzo — Restaurant in San Francisco

Terzo was a friend's choice and I'm glad to say we were pleasantly surprised with how good it turned out to be. I don't fancy $$$ places as the food usually is not up to the mark or price for that matter, but Terzo delivered, and it did that so well.

We had a booking for 4 at 8pm yesterday and the place was quite packed for a Monday night - not too shabby ;)

Place had dim lights (which I love) giving the ambience that romantic touch and was overall very neat and clean. Oh and they have gender neutral bathrooms - Super!

Food was spectacular really. Everything was nicely cooked, tasty and good quality. Between the 4 of us we shared small plates of:

Hummus with house made pita $8.5 Grilled Monterey Bay Calamari on a bed of lentils $14 Tomato Braised Pork Meatballs $13.5 Gnocchi Beef Bolognese on a bed of polenta $15 Chicken Spiedini $14 Flourless Chocolate cake $9.5 3 flavor ice cream scoops (vanilla, salted caramel and chocolate)

Allow me to start with the hummus - simply delicious. That pita was oh so good! Calamari lacked taste (but that's calamari though...) but the lentils were such a welcomed addition that I really enjoyed this dish. Meatballs were superb and what a smart combination with the polenta. Gnocchi were soft, reach and paired so well with the bolognese. Chicken spiedini was really nice too with chicken being soft and the green chutney had a nice kick to it :). Last but not least, the queen of the night had to be the flourless choco cake - so rich and yummy! I might just be back for this!

Service however wasn't the most pleasant. Nothing in particularly wrong with it, just not very friendly and warm so it definitely didn't add to our beautiful experience which is something I expect from a pricey place like this.

Definitely recommend for group dinners so that people can share different plates or a nice date night....

Really enjoyed my meal here, more so than expected.

Came as a group of four people on a Thursday night around 8:30. We were seated immediately, but that was where the good service ended. We waited quite some time before anyone came to take our order.

We ordered the pita and hummus, the mushrooms, the halloumi, the meatballs, the roasted fall veggies, and the chicken spiedini. The pita was warm and super soft, topped with za'atar. The hummus was creamy and rich and maintained a good chick pea flavor. The mushrooms were outrageous. Earthy and savory on top of creamy polenta. The halloumi was nicely grilled. The meatballs tasted strongly of cumin and paired perfectly with the thick tomato sauce they came with. The fall veggies were insane, perfectly roasted and the bits of cheese added some richness to the earthiness of the veggies. The crispy char on the pumpkin/squash type pieces were perfect. The only thing that fell a little flat for me was the chicken spiedini, it was good, but not as good as everything else.

Unfortunately the meal ended with mediocre service as well. Our waiter asked if we wanted to dessert, and then rudely demanded that we tell him immediately since he would need to alert the kitchen. With that, we promptly said no and left.

Good food, service leaves something...

Terzo continues to be, after years and scores of other contenders, my favorite restaurant in San Francisco. The simple, yet inventive menu changes daily, and features local ingredients that are always in season. Everything is perfectly prepared, with delicate flavors balanced exquisitely with fresh produce, local meats and exceptional seafood.

Don't let the small portion sizes fool you. The whole point is to try numerous different dishes. The wonderful staff, besides being gracious and knowledgable, will "course" your order so dishes arrive in the optimal progression. It like a mini feast of local awesomeness.

A few of my favorites...

Chicken Spiedini: Skewers of chicken and bread, marinated in house-made salsa verde and then grilled to perfection.

Roasted Beets with Labneh and Pomegranate Reduction: If you don't like beets, this will make you a believer. And if you do, then this will reset your expectation of what beets can be.

Hummus with fresh baked pita: This is hands-down, the best hummus I've ever had. I've had a...