L'Ottavo - San Francisco

Great service! Our server was very sweet and attentive.The food was excellent! Came back after 6 years of being away from San Francisco and it still lives up to its reputation. Highly recommended!

Came in as a single diner and was treated like a vip! The wait staff is personable and attentive without hovering, and this place is quiet enough to enjoy an intimate conversation! The food was great, with a delicious savory leaning, no overwhelming spices but very fresh ingredients! The fettuccini alone is worth the trip:. Chewy, tender and see-through thin!! The Alfredo sauce was rich and delicious without even a hint of goopiness or heaviness!

The bread served at the beginning was fresh and warm, and the rest of the food followed, everything was delicious and the homestyle serving of the vegetables gave a nice mix. Prompt service and attentiveness to a solo diner, and reasonable prices.

I just finished a fantastic meal with my wife and daughter. The food was simply delicious and my only problem was that I ate way too much. However, it wasn’t simply the delicious dance of flavors — the staff made us feel totally at home — if home was some villa in Tuscany. Highly recommended!

Great food, great people. Went there for pre theater dinner. The service was warm and friendly. The food exceeded expectations - the calamari was the most tender I've had in years and the red sauce was complex. Entrees were great and had more nuanced flavors that you normally get. On top of that, we asked if we could get leftovers to go and pick them up after the show. The restaurant closed a bit early, but the owner stuck around to make sure we could pick up out togo containers, which seems like a superhero level of customer care. All in all very happy to recommend this place and looking forward to returning.

Tonight was their last night open and my first time here. It was an absolute pleasure to celebrate my sister’s birthday here with our parents. The service was so welcoming, and the atmosphere was wonderful. I’m truly sad to be seeing this restaurant go, but I’ll never forget this place. Good luck to the owner on her future endeavors, and thank you for having us on your last night.

To start, I have to say, the service was phenomenal. The waitress (also owner) was so wonderful to chat with. The atmosphere was amazing and led to a wonderful dinner with my even more gorgeous wife. The food started off wonderful. After the appetizers, we had the most wonderful meals including the veal (yes its light and the portion is less, but with how good the flavor is and the price of veal it's well worth it!) We also had fettuccine carbonara which outshines any restaurant nearby. If you're deciding between this place and any other nearby, this place would take it for me anytime!

Wonderful dinner and atmosphere. The server was so courteous and helpful which added to our dining experience. And the food was wonderful. I had the lasagna and my husband and I both agreed it was the best lasagna we have ever had in our life.

Nice family atmosphere. The service was great and the food was delicious. We had the seafood risotto and was full of seafood and not much of risotto but extremely good. For dessert the tiramisu was the best one I have ever had.

Seafood and pasta cooked to perfection, small but excellent wine selection, and great service. Came here for my birthday and loved it, highly recommend and reasonably priced. Linguine pescatore was fabulous. That said a little dark inside, some would call it romantic, and the bathrooms need an update.

Shoutout to our server Joseph. The interior is bigger than it looks from the outside. Probably the best Italian spot in Lower Nobhill for me. The food was delicious and the serving portions were very filling for us. I will definitely be back

Loved this restaurant. Our first time trying it out. At first we thought it was not impressive because of the way it looks. We came in ordered food, and when it came out it was delicious!!! Nice atmosphere- we talked to a couple sitting next to us. They were from Germany on tour in the US. Overall, it was a very nice experience and for sure we will come again when we are in the vicinity. (The only downside to our outing was that we stayed at the Huntington Hotel. It's a trek downhill and a trek UPHILL when you are full and a bit tipsy :) )

My wife and I had the pleasure of eating here three times during our recent trip to San Francisco. The food was consistently outstanding, and flavorful without being overpowering. Service was prompt and courteous and the ambience hit the spot.

I first dined at L'Ottavo about 30 years ago while on a work trip to San Francisco. Wonderful atmosphere, great service and authentic Italian food. A hop skip and a jump from the center of Dan Francisco. Looking forward to going back again.

Wow, the service and the food is great. This is one of the most underrated restaurants in SF. I’ve been here a few times for the linguine carbonara and the gnocchi special. I am very picky for Italian food. I tried to go back to Fino after they opened… not as good as L’Ottavo. The servers are much more polite. The food is yummy :)

The food was AMAZING, the best fresh pastas you can get in San Francisco. It was definitely a gem with great service. Alphonso was our waiter and he was very attentive. I’m looking forward to visiting again!

Snug, family-run Italian place with a good selection of pastas, seafood entrees, and meats. Enjoyed their calamari and veal parm. Would have loved for the pasta to be a bit more al dente. Caring service made us feel right at home - they apologized that our entrees came out slow (we didn't even notice) and gave us a complimentary blue cheese and sundried tomato salad.

I hadn't been here in a while so I forgot how amazing the food is. Many wonderful authentic Italian favorites at reasonable prices. They'll see me again soon!

Lovely meal with family. Great ambiance and wonderful and attentive staff. Saved room for dessert and were glad we did. Would absolutely recommend!

This seemed like a nice restaurant but it made you think twice. When calling to make the reservation and to confirm it, they answered ‘hello’ and with no business name. 🤔 The location is just a few blocks away from Union Square, a short walk but one that you need to keep your head on a swivel for. I liked how the restaurant was decorated and it certainly had a nice ambiance with all of the dim lights and wine bottles. We were sat to our tables and the wait staff was super attentive and able to keep everything and everyone going. We ordered a veal parmigiana and then another dish that had a half breast of chicken, an Italian sausage and (2) small shrimp. The food was just meh but the service was great. These people work really, really hard and it shows. That alone, will bring me back again. They had a nice selection of wines and a few beers, I think a full bar too. Only four stars for me, because I only got (2) shrimp with my dinner. I’ll be back though!

Great pizza place. Very tasty pizza indeed. Highly pricy though.

This is probably one of the finest Italian restaurants we have been so far. We went there for a dinner and had a great time, of course at the cost of a big hole in our pocket. Food: We had Bruschetta, Ravioli Di Spinachi, a classic Tiramisu and the Dessert of the day (Cannoli) and none of them disappointed. Bruschetta were good - nothing too facy or overdone but just right. Ravioli Di Spinachi was amazing. Filling was good and the parmesan sauce was brilliant. What blew away our mind was Tiramisu which was absolutely delicious. It is a must try and a disappointment if you're planning Italian desserts and not ordering Tiramisu. Cannoli was good but not so much that it goes into the list of Dessert of the Day. Overall, the food was quite above the benchmark but it is quite heavily priced too, so be ready to sign a big check at the end. Ambiance: The place is a little dark. Perhaps a little more bright light will give it a better feeling. Not much cramped and very comfortable seating - more like restaurants which are meant for fine dining. Given that we went on a weekday night, it wasn't much crowded. Service: The service was good and quick. The food took reasonable time to come. But if you're in a rush, this restaurant is not for you. The staff is good overall - no bad experience as such. Overall, if you're in San Francisco, this restaurant is a must try if you want to taste some real good Italian.

I'll start by saying that the pasta was delicious. The service was fantastic. The lighting was nice. It was wheelchair accessible. The only thing I will say is that the bruchetta didn't have enough basil and it should never be heated or warm tomato on it. It also had too much cheese on top. The free bread comes with oil and balsamic... though there was not enough vinegar i could barely taste. I will not be back. However im Italian so im picky with these things. It was nice otherwise.

Food was delicious and servings are generous without being over the top. Service was on point. Location spot on. Beer and wine list is good too. Really good way to start a few days in San Francisco.

Nice little Italian place a few blocks away from our hotel. The food was really good and the service was decent even though they were pretty busy that night. It wasn’t badly priced for being downtown SF and best of all it wasn’t a regular chain restaurant. It’s a little small so there might be a wait but it’s worth it.

The bruschetta we had as an appetizer was warm, which I didn't expect, but it wasn't bad, just unusual and very delicious. As the main course I had the Carbonara, which was slightly overcooked but nicely flavored. It also had peas in it which I didn't mind but also did not expect. Definitely recommend trying the place!

Food was outstanding. Portions just right. Best Tiramisu I have ever had. Both the pastas and Tiramisu are homemade. Only one server for entire restaurant brought this review down 1star. However our server could not have been better and worked hard and efficient. Definitely recommended!

Went here with a group of 20 and received friendly and prompt service. Standout dishes were the lasagna and linguini carbonara, though the veal parmigiana was disappointing (the manager kindly removed that from the bill for us). Overall a great experience for everyone.

L’Ottavo seems to be trying, but the attention is not on details. They serve bread and packaged butter to start; it reminded me of a grocer bread and was not warm, but it was soft. It was served with the gold package individual butters so nothing exciting. The seafood risotto is delish if you in the mood. The shellfish needed to be rinsed better though- to many bites into grit, but flavor was otherwise really amazing and rice perfectly cooked. I did ask for food on the wall to be cleaned because it was bothersome in the corner of my eye. My daughter had fettuccine Alfredo; neither of us were offered any fresh cheese gratings. When we left, they had 13 parties seated at tables. The whole time, they had only two front of house people! One busser and one host/server. This meant waiting for refills, ordering new drinks or even being asked how things are. There’s potential here if they take care of details and share wealth with sufficient staffing. I learned an Open sign in the window is a measure of a place still trying to make it in the big city. For a few bucks more, I’ll be trying the Italian down the street next time.

Classic Italian fare. The lobster ravioli is unbelievably good and worth every penny. With that being said, the veal was good but almost non existent. Two and a half of very thin slices, a half? Not worth the high price. The bolognese was good but could’ve used a bit more meat.

Food was average at best. Group of 5. Service was good, waitress was nice and attentive but pasta was soft, lasagna was not very good and bread from a grocery store. Expected more based on rating.

Seafood served cold. Up until then, everything was great. The cold food was quickly replaced by terrific cannaloni. I could happily go back, but not for seafood. Breschetta, lobster bisque, lasagna Bolognese, house wines, ambience, service ... all terrific.

Visiting SF for the first time and we came here for our first night out. Felt very comfy and quaint. All of the staff were nice and attentive. However, when we were nearing the end of our visit, they weren’t very accommodating to our split payment needs. We are traveling as a group friends for spring break but they didn’t seem to understand that we needed to pay separately. Felt rushed & they were slightly rude but the food was good! Slightly overpriced as well.

This was about average. Went with a group and they could not find our reservation made through yelp. They then told us they don't accept those reservations, so not sure what they need to do to correct that, but they need to. The restaurant is small and feels crowded, food was ok. I had scallops. I happened to have scallops earlier in the week at 2 other nearby restaurants and these ranked last on my list.

Dinner was disappointing. Was expecting a lot better. They got 1 extra star for presentation, quantity and service. Had 2 dishes neither custom both fish shellfish based. On further thought never did find the fish in that one dish nor flavor for that matter. Once we see canned mushrooms you can expect the quality to go down hill quickly. Not a place I plan on going back to. Shoulda gone with the sushi place up the block.

This place is in my Opinion very overpriced for the food they serve. I ordered a Bolognese and my girlfriend ordered a Carbonara. These were not very good, I would not consider this real Italian food. The carbonara had Creme, bacon, and sweet peace in it, clearly a fake carbonara. The staff was however really nice!

Try somewhere else. The pasta was over cooked and swimming in creamy pesto. I like to support family run businesses, and the restaurant appeared several regulars tonight, but not my style. Maybe a recent change in ownership since prior positive reviews? Décor and ambience nice but food comparable to Olive Garden. We visit San Francisco in the fall each year, will not return.

Very attentive staff and service was good. Price was reasonable, however, food was average - the bruschetta was served with hot cooked tomatoes, which makes it non-authentic! Some of the shell seafoods (mussels and pipis) in the Risotto were cold, the entire dish was as if it was just mixed together and heated up in the microwave.

The worst food I have ever had at a restaurant! I ordered the pasta carbonara and it tasted like cigarettes and the bacon was uncooked. The staff never checked in and they charged me for the uneaten pasta. There is no way that this place is a legitimate restaurant. My 5 yr old could cook better food, especially since he doesn't smoke.

The bay area is known for great food, but this was the most disappointing meal I've had in eight years of living here. Some of the food seemed to be reheated and not made onsite (the bread seemed ultra processed like something from the freezer aisle at Safeway). Our server was not very attentive in general, and our order of aperitifs never arrived. But the showstopper was the layer of plastic film in my friend's slice of lasagna, a bite of which he actually swallowed! They comped the lasagna as well as the makeup order of carbonara, which was reportedly mediocre. The wine was good and reasonably priced.