Tosca Cafe — Restaurant in San Francisco

I can't remember the last time I gave a place five stars, but Tosca is SO worth it.

I was anxious about coming here because I had heard such great things and I was worried it wouldn't live up to expectation. I came on a Thursday night with a girlfriend. We originally had a reservation for 3 at 7:45pm, but after a last minute change, we rebooked for 5:30pm for just the two of us.

We were seated right when we arrived. The place was super cute, almost like an upscale diner. There was soft music playing in the background (Tom Petty, classic), shelves of backlit bottles, and an open kitchen. The tables looked like diner tables but the ambiance was classier and more mature. Little details were appreciated, like the "Tosca" on all the plates. Our waiter started off awesome, making food suggestions and helping us make sure not to order too much (or at least not more than we really want to). He even suggested wine pairings and brought us two different wines to taste and compare. One weird thing though, he took the wine tastings away after we decided as opposed to letting us finish them, the way most places do. Also, after that, we never saw him again. Our servers and the people who took our dessert order, etc. were not him, and he wasn't anywhere to be seen after the wine tasting. But the show must go on! And go on it did. We ordered a TON of food:

Focaccia & Meatballs - Technically two different dishes, both off menu, but best eaten (and written about) together. The focaccia was a single fat piece, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, served warm. It had the perfect amount of garlic and rosemary without being overwhelming on either. The meatballs came three to an order and according to the waiter, were made from three kinds of pork. I believe they were sausage, pork shoulder, and something I can't remember. They were really delicious, tasting heavily of sausage, more so than expected, but in the best way possible. My only complaint was that there wasn't more sauce with the meatballs, as I wanted to dip all my bread and I ran out of sauce!

Melon & Speck Salad - The perfect dinner salad. Our waiter said it came with multiple kinds of melon, but ours was only cantaloupe. Either way, the melon was perfectly juicy, the speck was perfectly smoky, the arugula perfectly peppery, the ricotta perfectly creamy, the pistachio perfectly crunchy, the white balsamic perfectly sweet. Everything went so well together, and had we not ordered anything else, I could have just eaten plates of this salad. The only thing missing from it was a light sprinkle of black pepper.

Crispy Pig Tails - This was the star of the evening. By far the most outrageous, unique dish I've ever had. Oh gosh, I don't even know how to describe these. Fried fatty pieces of heaven that had a perfectly crisped crust but weren't overly oily nor did they make you feel gross as you ate them. Heavenly tender pieces of pork that melted in your mouth with an umami explosion. They were served with crispy basil leaves and just the right amount of balsamic reduction to cut through the fat. I had never had anything like this and I would definitely say that this is a MUST ORDER dish. You can't come here and not try it. It's literally the best pork I've ever had.

Roast Chicken for Two - In case that ridiculous amount of food and gluttony was not enough, we finished the evening with the roast chicken. It was SO worth the wait. The chicken melted right off the bone and we definitely didn't need the steak-style knives we were given for it. The marsala was super creamy but somehow still light and had nice undertones of sweetness.

By the end of this meal, we were SO full. LThat said, we didn't regret a single ordering decision, nor did we regret enjoying every last crumb. We even managed to share a house cappuccino before heading out (Irish Hot Chocolate, so delicious).

I loved every moment of my visit to Tosca. The bill came out SO reasonably at the end - for all the food, plus the cappuccino and a bottle of wine, we each paid $65. I can't wait to...

A friend and I enjoyed dinner in this beautiful restaurant in the middle of a San Francisco heat wave in October 2024. This facility does have some air conditioning but the unit was only barely working in the small back dining room and the oven and structure of the facility made dining conditions virtually untenable in the rest of the space. In spite of conditions that would melt mere mortals, the waitstaff was friendly, efficient, and generous. Even though they'd been working in the infernal heat for hours (even days), they bolstered our wilting resolves by creating a lively spirit of hospitality and inclusion. We made it through with smiles, together. Very grateful for these professionals. I can only imagine how extraordinary this rare type of hospitality would be under normal, cooler conditions. I hope the management takes good care of their remarkable staff, especially after excelling in these drastic working conditions.

Our dinner choices included a panzanella salad that was near perfection with ripe heirloom tomato chunks, mozzarella, red onion, homemade croutons and a perfectly balanced vinaigrette. I was so thrilled to find this rare treat on the menu. With the perfect amounts of tang, savoriness, creaminess, and crunch, this was an ideal way to begin our meal and was a generous amount for two diners. Entrees (Primi and Secondi) were lumache alla vodka and chicken parmesan. Both were very thoughtfully designed, providing balance and texture in both incarnations. The lumache's silken tomato sauce had the right touch of heat and was melded beautifully with a perfectly cooked al dente pasta. The chicken parm was one of the best I've enjoyed in ages as it found such a great balance of crispy textures with a very rich tomato sauce and, of course, the cheese. I think they sauced it perfectly for the plate but do recommend you ask for a little extra sauce on the side as the one they make has depth that'll leave you wanting more. Once again, one of each entree provided plenty of food for sharing for two diners. Kudos to the chef and back of house team for delivering such beauty through what must have been downright mercurial kitchen conditions.

I can't report regarding the noise level at Tosca as the restaurant was only about half full due to the heat in the city. It's a physically beautiful space and I'd love to come back to experience service, food, and hospitality again when cooler temperatures prevail. Always a pleasure to dine in a restaurant whose staff is clearly capable of delivering remarkable food and...

This restaurant is now an abomination of Tosca. The food came out in a non-sensical order, essentially all at once. The bar staff knew nothing about what was behind the bar, and the selection of classic Italian liquors (e.g. Amaro) was zero, in some cases. The staff failed to even bring water. The food was just terrible, compared to the Tosca of old. The pumpkin pasta was dry at the edges and soggy in the center of the plate. There was very little seasoning; barely a hint of sage/rosemary/anything. The focaccia was nothing like focaccia, more like pain perdu drenched in butter and toasted like brioche. The burrata was about two tablespoons of something creamed into oblivion and spiced with something such that it resembled nothing like burrata. The cauliflower dish tasted like frozen cauliflower was put in a pot of boiling water then drenched in cheap, South-East Asian chilli sauce. The broccoli had no seasoning and low-quality olive oil on top. For context, I ate at Tosca almost every week for many years. This is now essentially fast something for tourists wanting to spend cash, not a San Francisco institution with a skillful twist, splendid staff and a...