The Fly Trap — Restaurant in San Francisco

This adorable place is about 10 blocks from Oracle Park. The food is a bit better than good. The service from our server tonight was lackluster. She was sweet, but everything took incredibly long. The server said it was because the Giants game had just let out. However, if you've been in business for 140 years and 25 of them have been down the street from the ballpark AND across the street from a hotel, the restaurant is not planning well. 30 mins to get a glass of wine (my husband's cocktail arrived sooner than the wine). 45 mins for appetizers, though entrees arrived in a reasonable amount of time after the apps (significantly longer than after ordered, though). I know that food delivery times are not the server's fault, but our server was confused and misrang several items, none of which were modified. At the end, someone else came and asked if we needed anything (it was just after close, but 1.5 hours after we arrived). We asked for a box and our check. When the check arrived, my husband immediately put his card down. Box never arrived. Our server came over and said we could flag anybody down to get the bill. We said we were all ready to pay and pointed out the card and added that we would still like a box. She said "Oh! Awesome! I'll find someone to bring you that box" (why not just grab it herself???) and walked away from the payment. We were definitely confused. We watched her do sidework around the dining room for a bit before heading to the bar to pay the bill and ask for a box for the third time. Food as pictured. The "jalapeno Avocado mousse" on the arancini tasted like bagged guacamole, though the arancini by itself was awesome. The baked goat cheese was incredible!!! Wings were spicy as expected and well executed. Fries, the last appetizer to arrive at our table, were very fresh. We added bacon to the gnocchi which we really enjoyed (a play on a carbonara) and we love the rigatoni every time we come here. Summary: visit this place! Atmosphere is cute, the history is cool, food is worth trying (price isn't bad), but leave yourself plenty of time...

I arrived at around 3:15 p.m., which turned out to be the early part of their happy hour. While the exterior decor was inviting, as soon as I chose my spot (a table outside that seated 3, all the way in the back of this exterior area), I was told that if another party showed up, and wanted my spot, I'd be asked to move so I went ahead and chose another table before I sat. That was the first disappointment. Second, I wanted a non alcoholic beverage. I originally asked for iced tea & that was not available. As there were only a few non alcoholic drinks on the menu to choose from, I picked the spritz. It tasted like Sprite had been poured into Hawaiian Punch with a rosemary sprig added for ?? appearance, maybe. I was served maybe 6 oz of beverage, with a $12 price tag. At this time of day, they only had bar snacks available, as the "regular menu" isn't available til 7pm. I chose from what was available (no food prices were listed on the menu), but I was hungry and had to stay close by so, I chose the Brussel sprouts (a vegetable I love) which the waitress informed me it would have bacon pieces in the dish. The dish looked lovely. However, there was an odd sweetness to the brussels. It was as though they were cooked with a very sweet wine. I was hungry and short on time, so I ate as much as I could tolerate while washing it down with water and my overpriced fruit punch. After finishing what I was willing to consume, I used the restroom inside. The inside of the restaurant was very upscale and a polar opposite from the exterior seating area. Also, the women's restroom had framed photos hanging in the bathroom stalls. Very interesting experience. My total bill, after tip, was $29. The food and drink offered definitely fell very short of my expectations. I doubt...

The Fly Trap is a hidden gem in SOMA. It’s small, quiet, with nice décor, good service and flavorful food. We came knowing we want lamb (since Mediterranean lamb dishes are usually wonderful)…we ordered:

Pistachio Meatballs: one of their signature appetizers. Couldn’t really taste the pistachio in the meatballs, but loved the sweet/tart flavor pairing with the pomegranate sauce

Grilled Lamb Sirloin: a simple grilled lamb dish, meat was nice and tender

Braised Lamb “Abgoosht”: highly recommended by the waiter (think it was his favorite dish!) It’s a lamb stew with chickpeas & potatoes; came with flat bread on the side….eat DIY burrito style. The meat was very tender and filled with flavors

Goat Cheesecake: it was soft and fluffy with a very strong goat milk flavor. Wasn’t overly rich or sweet Cucumber Yogurt Pudding: a very unique dessert dish! If you like yogurt, like cucumber, you’ll enjoy this combination. It’s clean, refreshing, and not overly sweet. And supposedly, yogurt helps with digestion after a heart meal (such as 2 lamb entrées!)

Our server was very knowledgeable, friendly, attentive (our water was constantly being filled, plates were cleared timely), and since the restaurant wasn’t crowded on a Monday, we were able linger after paying the check. It was overall a nice...