Da Flora-A Venetian Osteria

The best italian food in all of San Francisco! Incredible service and presentation and it also feels like you’re in a romantic European brasserie. Get the gnocci as an appetizer, you will come back again and again to taste this perfection!

This was our second time to Da Flora, the first being a few years ago while we were planning our wedding in North Beach. The experience was so memorable, we decided to head there rather than checking out a new place (I know, this is not standard behavior while traveling).
While our memory of Da Flora was epic and I would have sung it’s praises until the Venetian cows came home, this time fell just a bit flatter than we expected.
I had the mushroom manicotti, which was actually more of a crêpe than ravioli. It wasn’t bad, just a completely different texture than I was expecting. However, really amazing mushroom flavor and the cheese was creamy and delicious. While the flavor was good, the portion was tiny. The carpaccio and the caesar we ordered were super tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary for a high-​class Italian restaurant.
One thing we noticed was that there weren’t very many meat options on the menu at this time. I understand that this happens when a restaurant changes around their menu regularly, but I felt the balance was a bit off in this experience. Everyone raves about the gnocchi (what my husband had last time), but it wasn’t on the menu this time and he was a bit disappointed.
Finally, because it was late August and the restaurant doesn’t have air conditioning, the wine was a bit warm. It’s stored in the restaurant, not in a fridge, so it was definitely a reflection of the temperature in the room. For the price of the food and drink, a wine fridge is definitely something they might want to invest in.
I’m not sure I’d be in such a hurry to come back after this experience, but it’ll definitely still be on my radar if I’m in the area.

Delicious food; highly recommend the gnocchi if it’s on the daily menu. Everything about Da Flora was like a home cooked meal. Waiter’s wife was the chef, he talked us through each dish as if he’d made it himself. Very small place, welcoming setting. Great food, great people, great time.

I just ate one of the most delicious meals ever!!! Seriously, phenomenal food. I had the speck to start (thin sliced prosciutto with artichoke hearts). It was delicately delicious!!! I had a salad too (butter lettuce with apples and nuts and addicting dressing). We also tried the gnocchi appetizer with gnocchi and bacon, and gnocchi and sage for the vegetarians at the table. I don’t even have words for how delicious this was. Last but not least, I had the spaghetti with mushrooms. Pasta cooked perfectly, light cream with extremely palatable and pleasing oyster mushrooms. I cannot wait to come back here. It was a work dinner but felt like a good old time. The owners of the restaurant are very friendly and the vibe here is very welcoming. You come here to eat well. This place is no joke. Tonight, this became one of my favorite restaurants — period. Can’t wait to come back.

This is a fantastic, intimate restaurant with delicious food. From the hand-​written menus to the cool décor to the great staff, da Flora proves to be a neighborhood gem you need to check out.
We lucked out and got a table without a reservation, but it’s probably best to book ahead. Home made focaccia bread is delicious and we enjoyed it with the Caesar salad. I had the halibut and my husband had the spaghetti with mushrooms — both were perfectly cooked. The portion sizes are reasonable — not over sized — and we both finished our meals. Save room for the homemade desserts — the chocolate cake was heavenly.
When the whole restaurant (maybe 12 tables) joins in to sing «happy birthday» to patrons on two separate occasions you know it’s a friendly, yet intimate environment. We’ll be back.

It’s small.
It’s intimate.
It’s Venetian.
I honestly don’t think you can possibly go wrong w anything on the menu here. From salad to dessert, the dishes here are poetry. The gnocchi are tender morsels of heaven, & the sauces are true studies into what Venetian dining is all about.
It’s obvious that this restaurant is a labor of love for the 2 owners. These ladies have successfully brought their dream of carving out an authentic replication of Venetian dining to life.
Every aspect of the space, from the warm & rich red walls & the dim lighting, to the fresh flowers & other personal touches, accentuates the experience of a superb dinner. It’s unique & simple.
There’s elegance in simplicity.
Da Flora is the epitome of a neighborhood gem. Reserve a table, & revel in the experience.
5 stars.

Of course, the gnocchi is a must. The wine list here is a lot of fun and you can get great advice/​tips on the selection. This is a cute place with great food, the menu is hand written. Cards are accepted but the menu specifically notes that cash is preferred.

Perfect. Casual surroundings in a small space filled with great wines and warm souls. And the food is incredible: I send others to Da Flora as the gnocchi is the best I’ve ever had along with tasty, imaginative salads, yummy focaccia, fabulous pastas and delish desserts. Last night’s pear crisp and raspberry brown butter cake were heaven.
Yes, service may be relaxed, but both Mary Beth and the young gentleman waiter were so warm and caring (Mary Beth found aspirin and specific tea for a pal). And, yes, we had to ask for our check, but I love being able to sit and relax and enjoy our great meal with great friends. How lucky can you get?!

I was here with a friend. The food was really good, but the host was really rude and gave me the feeling that I didn’t belong there with my friend.
When I asked her questions about the food, she was really short. Really kind of dampened the mood for the amount of money I paid.
I hope she reads this and improves on customer service.

Excellent food and great service. I had the crepes with veal in a Bolognese sauce. I thought I died and went to heaven. My friend is a vegetarian and had the gnocchi. She said it was the best! Also shared pear tart for dessert. The crust was nicely toasted and the pear was delicious. Highly recommend this place

Friday night, party of 4, 8pm. Da Flora ha a beautiful room, very very good food, and the service was attentive enough for us. We were mostly left alone to catch up among ourselves, but someone always appeared to pour wine, clear away dishes, check in. Loved the watermelon salad, the heirloom tomato starter, the gnocchi and the little gems with figs. The manicotti was amazing and I loved my heirloom tomato and corn risotto. I hope to return soon, to leave room for dessert!

My husband and I went to Da Flora for a date night. We were travelling around SF and just stopped in the city to go to this place due to the innumerous good reviews. We had booked in advance (2 weeks before) and when we got there the lady/​owner told us we did not have a reservation due to her calling the wrong number the night before to confirm. Even though she called the right number the night after we made the initial reservation. So, we were left standing in the front door with no explanation about what was going on. Worst than that, she made it seem that it was our fault that she called the wrong number in the second time.
Finally, we got our table and because we were driving to another city that night we didn’t order a bottle of wine. It was the worst mistake! After that we were treated even worse than the beginning.
The food was ok but nothing special except the sweet potato gnocchi. Summarizing, we don’t recommend this place and we won’t ever come back! For this price, the service must be way better and friendlier.

I have been daydreaming about this pasta since I had it last weekend. We ordered the sweet potato gnocchi (dinner portion) and the pappardelle. Both were so fantastic! The gnocchi had a great ratio of filling to dumpling dough and great flavor. The pappardelle tasted incredibly fresh, had a nice bite to it and had a really good sauce too. The bread they brought with our meal was good, even better when used to sop up remaining sauce.
We had great service. I’m not really sure what to make of all the mixed reviews here but we thought the service was friendly and efficient. We didn’t order much and we were still treated with respect and friendliness.

Wow, best meal I’ve had in a long time. Bread alone is worth the trip and breaking of my gluten free diet! Nothing is GF but so delish! Had the house gnocchi and pork chop! Loved every bite!

I am giving only two stars because the food and atmosphere were truly unique and enjoyable. Very well-​priced wines representing different styles, delicious main courses and desserts.
Too bad the service was very inattentive. It almost seemed like we were in the middle of a nightmare where everyone thought we were invisible. Yet, we were still clearly there. Nobody bothered to refill our wine, dishes were sitting at the table for another 20 minutes after we were done, dessert was finally served after another 15 minutes of wait, credit card took only 10 minutes to get run. I almost thought I would see some additional charges from eBay on it the next day…
Needless to say, service should be something that makes you feel welcomed and interested to come back again and again. This will probably not be the case for us…

Food 4.5÷5 stars
Service 2.5÷5 stars
Ambiance 3.5÷5 stars
Value ³⁄₅ stars
Here’s the ugly, I think this place only has good service for the regulars. Hubby and I came here for date night, we asked for water, water didn’t come. ²⁄₃ way through the dinner, we were able to make eye contact with a waiter and got our water. And our water was not refilled. It just sat there empty and sad. The place was around half empty so there’s no excuse for that. Also, we still had ¹⁄₃ bottle of wine left when the bill came and the waiter told us to «take our time». In around a minute, another waiter came and took our bill away to the register when we didn’t even have the chance to put our card in. From what I read in other reviews, that’s around what I expect from the service.
Now onto the good part, the food. We shared the sweet potato gnocchis with bacon, the squid ink pasta with baby squid and the pork chops. The gnocchis were lovely, the cream sauce was divine and I wish I could lick the plate. The weird thing about the dumplings is that some were a lot lighter than others, maybe they were from different batches. Regardless, with the sauce, I could dip cotton balls in there and it would still be fabulous.
The pasta dish is probably one of the top three pasta dishes that I’ve ever had. It’s so simple, with freshly made squid ink pasta, impossibly tender baby squid and a simple tomato sauce. All the flavors just pop and the texture of the fresh pasta (perfectly el dente) and the squid, wow, just wow.
The pork was very tender and juicy, surprisingly so, in fact, because just looking at the coloring of the meat, I thought it might be slightly overcooked, but it was oozing with juice and flavor. The meat was perfectly caramelized and just so good. The celery cake tasted a bit funny. It was slightly gummy. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not because I love celery root but the texture of the other starches in the cake made it unpleasant.
I’m always a food over service kind of person. Considering the prices here, with around $ 15 apps and $ 22 pastas and $ 26 secondi dishes, I would think the service should be better, but the food overcomes the shortcomings. The atmosphere in the restaurant is what I saw in mom-​pop places in Italy, very homey and it was actually pretty quite. I think it’s a great date spot because the lighting is good and the bottles of wine are fairly priced, too (average around $ 50 a bottle). Overall, I enjoyed my experience and would come back, however, if you value server as the most important factor in your dining experience, I would avoid this place at all cost.

Gosh, what a great place! Ambiance, food, wine, etc. all top notch. Casual dining, low noise level. Lucky to have found this place!

My girlfriend and I went to Da Flora for the first time tonight to celebrate our 6 month anniversary!
The ambiance is unlike any other italian restaurant in San Francisco– it feels genuinely locally Italian. It is romantic and has a lovely charm.
The food is fantastic, we shared the gnocchi to start and had the risotto and tagliatelle after. Both we tasty and presented well.
The service from Darren was first class– Darren was attentive, knowledgable and so friendly. He even ran our after us when we forgot something! We will be back very soon!

the food is super delicious, so there are the two stars.
The owner, Flora, was rude to us and mocked me, to my face, for ordering water with my meal.
not nice.

Da Flora is the best Italian food I’ve ever had (outside of being in Italy) and some of the best food I’ve had in SF period. My Dad discovered this gem a while ago and we’ve been going here as often as we can ever since.
Flora and Mary Beth (the women who run the restaurant) are there almost every night and are a wealth of knowledge on all things food and wine. Flora does all the wine selections and most of the dinner menu. Mary Beth makes all the desserts and the focaccia. The focaccia is literally out of this world, it’s hand made daily and beyond delicious, I could eat pounds of it. Their gnocchi is also the best I’ve ever had, it’s so light and fluffy. All of their pastas are phenomenal as well. Every single item that comes out of that kitchen is made in house and truly delicious.
The menus are hand written weekly, as they are always updating the menu depending on what is in season. Flora and Mary Beth both take so much care in this restaurant and it’s one of the better dining experiences you will have in San Francisco. That being said, Flora take a bit to warm up :) she’s pretty no nonsense but knows more about food and wine than you can imagine.
I would suggest going here with a small group (no more than four) the restaurant itself is small and intimate. The tables are always full so make a reservation ahead of time. If you are looking to have an incredible dining experience with the most amazing food this is your place.