Insider Pages Reviews for Destino

4 Stars: Unique and Delicious ; EXPANDING BAR (by Jacob45)

Jacob45 — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:00:00 GMT

The food here is really delicious and they are expanding the BAR> Next to It's Tops Coffee Shop another really cute place I'm just dying to try. I just moved to the neighborhood and have heard great reviews on their Breakfasts And Burgers. Anyway Gotto go to do my laundry now Whew ANCHOR PINTS for $1.99 at TOPS WED--_SAT> 8PM> til 11PM> I'm THERE.

4 Stars: fantastic food (by wolvsp)

wolvsp — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 02:00:00 GMT

My wife and I were invited to dinner here and it was great. The food was wonderful and fairly reasonably priced. Good luck trying to have a conversation. The place was jam packed and extremely noisy. It was hard to hear and annoying to have to shout to make a point. The owner was very helpful and even custom made a dish for the other couple we were with who had been there several times before. The food was delicious and the place is always crowded. We had a reservation and weren't seated until 30 minutes past our scheduled time, so make your reservation a little earlier than when you want to actually eat.

5 Stars: Best Nuevo Latino (by tallsmith)

tallsmith — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:00:00 GMT

I have been a long time patron of this fantastic restuarant. James (owner) and his staff provide first-class service in a casual atmosphere. The food is thoughtful and always fresh. And, great drinks and a great wine list!

5 Stars: Great food, Great atmosphere, Great value (by jvandyk)

jvandyk — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:00:00 GMT

I've gone to Destino many times and I'm never disappointed. All their small plates are creative, distinct from on another in flavor profiles, and frankly, fantastic. Their civiches are also terrific ? not overdone or too vinegary, and I always have to get Salmon when I go?the glaze is to die for! All this, and the prices are still incredibly reasonable!

1 Stars: One of my worst restaurant experiences ever (by bluetiger54)

bluetiger54 — Wed, 02 May 2007 02:00:00 GMT

Seriously - how does this place stay in business? To begin with, the food is only so-so.
But my experience - after being forgotten about a couple of times, the night gets topped off with the bus-boy knocking a tall candle off the table next to us and get wax all over my pants and new my new shoes. He looks completely amazed and then scurries away. No one came back to the table for 10 minutes!! Being as nice as I could at this point, I have the waitress get the manager. His only comment is that he is sorry and that they would pay for dry-cleaning only. It's wax! Absolutely ridiculous.

3 Stars: Perfect on a Saturday night (by always_grubbin)

always_grubbin — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 01:00:00 GMT

Recently celebrated my bday here with some buddies. Totally accomodating for a party of 12 or larger. The food was delicious, i recommend the fixed price menu to get your samples in. Chile Relleno, Lomo Saltado and Churros with a Chocolate dipping sauce...um, yumm! They were so cool and the service was perfect! I want to go back today!

5 Stars: Worth visiting twice! (by ebayfoodie)

ebayfoodie — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 01:00:00 GMT

I rarely visit SF restaurants more than once simply because there's an abundance of new places to try, but this is one worth a repeat visit! Service was professional, efficient, and we never felt rushed even though my friend and I were there for more than 3 hours. Great selection of small and large plates - the empanadas were very satisfying as was the yellowtail ceviche! We also had the pork chops with mashed sweet potatoes, which were good, but nothing special. Many around us ordered the lomo saltado, and it smelled and looked delicious! Something to try next time. Ambience is great as is the rest of the experience.

4 Stars: Go for the ceviche (by crminsf)

crminsf — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 01:00:00 GMT

All of the dishes we ordered were delicious. For the 2 of us we got 3 small plates & 1 big plate & shared everything. The ?A La Mexicana? ceviche was one of the best I?ve ever had ? very fresh tasting! (Their ceviche is served with only 2 plantain chips so be sure to order a side of the chips if you want to eat the ceviche with something crunchy.) The cornmeal biscuits with melted cheese (Arepas de Queso) melted in my mouth & the Peruvian Chicken Empanadas were extremely flavorful. The Lomo Saltado was a great dish to share or order as an entree ? hearty & a great mix of flavors. The mini alfajores cookies they serve at the end of the meal are cute & tasty!!! Between the 2 of us we had 3 drinks which made the total: $40/person. A little pricey but worth the trip :)

3 Stars: Good Service and place (by dmezasf)

dmezasf — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 02:00:00 GMT

They are friendly. Good service and nice place. I went there with my girlfriend and she loved the place, really nice. We ate "ceviche a la peruana". It was not real peruvian ceviche because it needs more taste. We prefer others peruvians restaurants. "Anticucho", it was bad, don't try that. However, "Churrasco", it was really good and "Aji de Gallina", also. Finally, about the price, it is not expensive or inexpensive.

5 Stars: Best Peruvian food in the city! (by evilsandy)

evilsandy — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 02:00:00 GMT

"What can I say... This place rocks! I've been there a handful of times the last few months and EVERY time the meal and service was outstanding. All the plates that I've tried were amazing. It's best to go in a big group so you can sample as many of them as possible.

If you like Mojito's you're in for a treat. And the wine selection isn't anything to scoff at either. I was here for my birthday and the group I was with decided to go with the desert wine pairings with desert and they were delicious.

And to top it all off... it's reasonably priced. Where else can you go to dinner with a group of friends, order tons of food and drinks and walk out under $60? At Destino!"

3 Stars: Rude Matire'd, Slow Service, Mediocre Food- Overhyped (by f0odie)

f0odie — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:00:00 GMT

I always try to give a restaurant a second chance...and a third. And now, I'm going to have to review it. Let's start with the poor service- the matire'd was incredibly rude (i.e. we walked in, were told we could return in an hour for a table and as we turned to leave, a customer at the bar offered up his seat, at which point the maitre'd stepped in and said, "No, they can't have your seat," before we had a chance to say, "Thank you, but we were leaving."
**We've made reservations twice before and apparently a reservation at a certain time means you get to wait half an hour at the bar.
Then service is SLOOOW (although I complain about restaurants who bring out dishes 2 minutes after you order and they're cold, I also wonder about the ones who take 30-40 minutes for basic appetizers).
Mediocre food. It's so mediocre that I have nothing more to say about it. I guess their amazing drinks keep them in business....

5 Stars: Best Latin/Small Plates/Service (by travioso411)

travioso411 — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 02:00:00 GMT

This place is truly amazing. The menu is fresh and always changing. The Service is always friendly and they go above and beyond.
Food is simply amazing!

5 Stars: Stuffed for $50 bucks (by cclem)

cclem — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 02:00:00 GMT

2 couples had one cocktail each, shared a bottle of wine, lots of small plates and sides, one shared large plate, 3 desserts, and the total with tip came to $50/per person -- great deal! Good food and fun with a small group. Dishes came out slowly, but I would have minded more if they had been delivered all at once. So if you can be patient and enjoy the pacing, you'll have a nice meal. I've been here twice and enjoyed it both times. I would definitely go back. I might skip the desserts next time -- they were okay, but not spectacular.

5 Stars: Perfect place (by defrancesco1)

defrancesco1 — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 01:00:00 GMT

I suppose everyone is looking for something different. But for me, this place is perfect. It is nice and small with great ambience. The service is provided by a consistent crew of nice folks. The food is excellent. I have been there several times and don't have much on the negative side to say. Oh, and don't forget to try the Pisco or a Mohito - they're great.

5 Stars: Dreaming of Destino (by phistina)

phistina — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 01:00:00 GMT

I haven't been able to get this restaurant out of my mind since my recent date there. It is one of the most unique restaurants in the city and I'm a native. The food was so warm-comforting-decadent. The ambiance, though not quiet, fits perfectly into the room which reminds me of my cuban grandparents house, but in a good way. The details, the warm chatter of people loving being there, it's all wrapped up in this small yet a gem of a restaurant. My date and I stayed way longer than we should have despite the line forming at the entrance. I highly recommend Destino.

3 Stars: Everything tasted the same (by edandhow)

edandhow — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 01:00:00 GMT

The service was very spotty. One of the entrees for our party came 10 minutes after everybody else was served. All of the food tasted somewhat acidic and not very flavorful. Not a good value. We won't go back.

3 Stars: poor service (by tartini71)

tartini71 — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 02:00:00 GMT

overall the food was pretty good but not impressive enough to make up for pretty poor service. the room is cool and drinks were good but we waited forever to have our drink order taken and food actually came out pratically all at once and before the drinks had even arrived. the sea bass ceviche was delicious as were the two desserts (tres leches and apple turnovers we tried. The other dishes were good not great.

3 Stars: It's pretty decent, but not earth-shattering (by onepotatotwopotato)

onepotatotwopotato — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 02:00:00 GMT

Went in on a Thursday night (2 of us). Were seated immediately. I like the room - it's kind of fun with the religious artifacts on the walls. Service was attentive and pleasant. I thought the size of tapas was about right ... we ordered 5 or 6 for 2 of us and it was way more food than necessary. My other half said the cerviche was delicious, though most of the other tapas were just okay - they didn't blow me away. My favorite was the creamed/shredded chicken tapa. Would I go again? Probably yes, because I don't cook this kind of food at home.

5 Stars: madame Jo writes: (by madilabella)

madilabella — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 02:00:00 GMT

...after playing my concerts, or hanging out with costumers, or friend's, or before and after the Opera, or the concert, go and visite James and the staff of Destino, get a little table with my closes friend's, well...that's life!
thank you guys!

5 Stars: Possibly the best ceviche I've ever eaten (by vandana_nair)

vandana_nair — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 01:00:00 GMT

Both the seabass and ahi tuna ceviches are divine!
Also great is the shredded chicken entree, pork loins, lamb skewers, empanadas, and yuca chips.
The salmon entree was a bit boring.

4 Stars: Mi destino! (by megacurico)

megacurico — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 02:00:00 GMT

Went here for a birthday dinner. Had a fabulous time with a large group. Noisy and fun on a weekend night. Food was most excellent. Even my South American boyfriend approved the flavor and authenticity. Yummy drinks as well. Waitress was aloof and rude but didn't let it ruin our time. 7/3/2004.

4 Stars: where's the shrimp? (by cn0928)

cn0928 — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 02:00:00 GMT

We showed up at 7:30 with no reservation and was seated immediately. It's a nice space, though not entirely keen on the religious artifacts on the walls. Try the Motini (mojito and martini combo). Definitely have the Tuna Ceviche!! Yummy! Plantain Chips, nice and crispy. We ordered 5 small plates; 4 showed up...where o' where did the shrimp go? The citrus sponge cake soaked in 3 different milk was surprisingly refreshing and a good way to end the evening.

2 Stars: sub par food (by gbakhru)

gbakhru — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 02:00:00 GMT

We went on a fri night and were seated in about 10 mins.
It is a beautiful restaurant and has great ambience.
The service was pretty good too.
However, the food was surprisingly disappointing.
The tiger prawns were spicy, but the spices seemed raw and didn't mesh together.

The yucan fries were dry and chewy.
The only thing good was the ahi tuna ceviche.

Every other dish seemed to be missing something.

total bill = $70 (2 people, 1 drink each).

4 Stars: Exquisite food, poor service (by vanessadelacruz)

vanessadelacruz — Mon, 19 Jul 2004 02:00:00 GMT

I love the food, drinks and atmosphere- but don't ever go without a reservation! Host told us there would be a 40 min wait for our party of 4- we didn't sit down for over 2 hrs!!! (I guess we were stupid for sticking around). Host promised he would "take care of us." Although he gave us one free tapa during our wait, I don't think that quite made up for the gaffe. Then once we sat down, service was slow, the waitress was indifferent, wine came after our food, and the wrong dish came to our table. I chalk all this up to soppy service- it was not because the staff was snobby or too cool. So I think this place is worth going too, but not without a reservation- they just can't handle the walk-in crowd.

5 Stars: Perfection (by teampeters)

teampeters — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 02:00:00 GMT

Threw a small private party here and could not be happier. Our host was attentive, timely, funny, interesting, caring, catering. Food was scrumptious. Restaurant was comfortable, inviting, hip, warm. I wouldn't change a thing.

5 Stars: dimitri (by yat)

yat — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 02:00:00 GMT

I have eaten at DESTINO a number of times and am always impressed with the excellent quality of the food. The menu has changed a bit each time I go and only seems to get better! If you are looking for a Nuevo Latino restaurant with high quality food at reasonable prices this is a place to visit. DESTINO has great ambience and a warmth about it that makes one feel right at home.

2 Stars: Disappointing (by lil_undies)

lil_undies — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 02:00:00 GMT

After reading the rave reviews about this restaurant, I was really disappointed with the service as well as the food. The plates were extremely small (even for tapas) and the food was mediocre. The only thing that was pretty good was the scallop dish but even that was diminished by the arrival order of the food.

2 Stars: Whitewashed (by tommypickle)

tommypickle — Sat, 05 Jun 2004 02:00:00 GMT

The food here was too rich, cheesy and creamy and it ended up taking away from the flavor of the ingredients. Everything seemed to be soaked in butter or much too rich to fully enjoy. Someone must have had the idea to take a Latin cuisine and fuse it with KFC.

5 Stars: My FAVORITE!! (by chilllock)

chilllock — Mon, 17 May 2004 02:00:00 GMT

Destino, by far, makes THE BEST Ahi Tuna and Sea Bass Ceviches. The atmosphere, drinks, food and overall feel of the restaurant is upbeat yet cozy. It's a place for all occasions with the perfect cuisine to compliment. My favorite thing in the whole place is the Alfajore cookies that melt in your mouth. Whenever I'm in SF - I make it a point to have dinner at least once....you should too!

4 Stars: Great food, very small servings (by camo86xie)

camo86xie — Tue, 04 May 2004 02:00:00 GMT

Small place with pretty good food, more bistro style. The servings are really small for the price, but still the food is delicious-try the pato (duck) and pisco sour don't try the anticuchos!

4 Stars: Incredible food, average service (by shawnleslie)

shawnleslie — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 02:00:00 GMT

We tried out Destino's one (early) evening, as one person in our party had to catch a flight at 8:00. That said, we were the first dinner customers of the evening so I can't speak for the service during peak times. I can, however, say that we started to feel pressured to give up our table as large numbers of people started arriving after 6:00. They definitely were arriving in droves for a reason though. Beginning with warm rolls and an extremely flavorful dip, the dinner only got better as we went along. We tried 6 or 7 small plates between the 3 of us and every one of them were to die for. I would definitely recommend this place for the very innovative and tasty small plates!

4 Stars: Jeckell n Hyde (by smacbeth)

smacbeth — Mon, 03 Nov 2003 01:00:00 GMT

This resteraunt was Ying/Yang! I was mmming & awwing at the warm buns and dip
starter, cornmeal biscuits w/ cheese were alive with flavor, potato torte w/ avacados was a new experience, as well as the flavorful sauce on the sea bass. We had three milk almond sponge cake that was mouth watering due to the abundant bursts of milk. That night a sweet Latin girl was attentive.

The other night we went there was a complete opposite. First, we were asked to eat with in 45 minuites due to how many reservations they made on top of us. The chili reanos were odd, and tasted a bit like taco bell meat. The epanadas were greasy and boring, the king salmon had tons of bones left in. I'm suprised I didn't choke! We decided to go for the sponge cake again, and they somehow forgot to soak it in milk.

4 Stars: Excellent Restaurant (by banananutbread)

banananutbread — Mon, 29 Sep 2003 02:00:00 GMT

Where to begin? Everything about Destino was amazing. The service was attentive, the wine list is slightly limited but very reasonable with some great wineries listed. The food was amazing. The ahi tune cebiche and the day boat scallops are a must. Make a reservation ahead of time or go after 8:30-- as things get pretty crowded. Nad parking can be really hard-- so if you can take public transportation.

4 Stars: Aye Carumba! (by vijaysinghrules)

vijaysinghrules — Thu, 31 Jul 2003 02:00:00 GMT

Not bad...white sangria is quite smooth and the Yucca fries are fantastic. Wasn't too impressed with the arepas or empanadas. Certainly not as good as what i've had in Venezuela or other Latin American countries. But, overall the food is good and the atmosphere is fantastic!

5 Stars: Great Peruvian-Latin food! (by howudoinsf)

howudoinsf — Mon, 12 May 2003 02:00:00 GMT

Stopped by this beautiful restaurant tonight after some drinks at the Orbit Room. We started off with the plantain chips and yucca fries, a little greasy but tasty. There menu is split up between small plates and large plates, my friends tried the carmelized salmon while I had the steak with roma tomatoes, onions and fries. My meal was a bit of a surprise, steak morsels braised with tomatoes and onions in a sauce, still good. Dessert was great, we had a banana torte and dark chocolate mousse pie, both excellent. Service was very pleasant but what makes the restaurant is the great decor. Dark woods, rich colors throughout and large mirrors line the wall. Really a great looking dining room with good music. Overall a great spot for a date, good food, great decor and good service.