Brindisi Cucina di Mare

We went to Brindisi last night, making up a table of four well-travelled, notoriously fussy eaters. At the end of the meal, the general concensus was that Brindisi had given each of us one of the best meals we had ever eaten. Simply excellent. I have long been a seeker of the perfect Calamari; I think I may have found it at Brindisi. The caesar salad was also the best any of us have had in a long time. Three of us chose puttanesca (with prawns) and all three of us were delighted with the portion and the flavour. The third member of our party chose a simple roasted chicken dish and said it was perfect (roasted chicken in restaurants can be dry and boring -- this was not). We were all full after our starters and entrees, but the lure of the desert was too strong. Their pistachio ice cream will redefine ice cream for you forever. We had it with profiteroles and chocolate caramel sauce. Double yums from everyone. The prices were very good, the waiters were attentive, charming, and informed without being overly obtrusive. An evening to remember and one we intend to repeat while we're in town.

Pros: Absolutely everything.

Cons: None.

Posted 03/06/09

the staff is welcoming and the owner is lovevely. I started with gnocchi al pomodoro,homemade delicate gnocchi sank in a fresh tomatoes puree. I shares a delicious fish sicilian cous cous...TO DIE FOR. We order the sicilian cannoli a variation to the traditional recipe but so fresh and crispy tha we wanted more. Overall the food is highly reccomended, such as the service. We asked twice to change our wine glasses because they were dirty and came back with other dirty wine glasses,preatty common in San Francisco

Posted 04/06/07

We dined here for a low-key Valentine's Day dinner. We were seated quickly (almost rushed by the hostess) into our seats which was snug(!) in between another table of two and the table with five middle aged men... Needless to say, it wasn't very romantic.

Next came the appetizers. We ordered oysters which didn't come to the table chilled and half of them didn't even look like full oysters. The sauce that came with them were pretty good though. We also ordered bruschetta that never came. They looked pretty yummy on the table next to us, but I guess we'll never know...

For the entree, I had spaghetti with crab which was pretty good, but a little oily. My boyfriend had the linguine with 1/2 lobster that I thought was delicious. Getting the meat out of the lobster might be messy, but if you're with someone you're comfortable with, it's not too bad.

Overall, the experience and service, especially, could have been better. We might try Brindisi again on a weekday when there's not a crowd and a hostess that's harrassing everyone that walks by to come, sit and eat.

Pros: Outdoor seating

Cons: Service

Posted 02/21/07

Traveling through Europe i've had many experiences that were memorable. Brindisi Cucina di Mare moved me to write this review the very day after the magnificent time my wife and I experienced. We were given the choice to sit inside or on the patio. We choose the patio and asked our waiter for his wine choice. He choose a smooth full bodied barolo. He also recommended the oysters on the half shell. They were from Washington and extremely fresh. (if you have a chance and enjoy oysters they are mild and the lemon caper sauce has a nice flair from the norm.) We then moved on to the main courses. My wife choose the tuna and I choose the prosciuttio wrapped sole on risotto. Both dishes melted in our mouth. By far the best meal we've experienced in years. We ended the meal with creme brulee' and the profitoroloes. Their expresso is smooth and a bit nutty and was a great finish to our night. It may be a bit difficult to find but the reward is a meal that you'll remember for a lifetime!

Posted 01/06/07

My husband and I visited Bridisi about a month ago for dinner. My husband had the snapper with risotto; I had the lobster and linguine. My husband went on about his entree for weeks afterward--so much so I tried to duplicate the recipe at home. :) (It was good, but not as good as the original.) My lobster was perfectly cooked, though a little spicy. The best thing about the place, however, is its ambiance and the service. The wait staff speak to each other in Italian, making you feel like you're actually in some little restaurant in Italy. And in addition to our very attentive and funny waiter, the maitre d checked in on us a few times too, wiping off our water glasses when they had too much condensation and bringing me a fresh napkin before we even had to ask. Check it out--you won't regret it.

Posted 09/21/06

This is a very authentic italian restaurant with italian hosts, waiters and cooks. The food was amazing. I had ordered the seafood skewers on a bed of couscous. It was the best dish I have had for a long time. The waiter was very friendly and accomodating. I am chlostrophobic and so the hostess and the waiters set a special table for me and my boyfriend, away from the people so I can be confortable, and I didnt even have an RSVP. Try their cannoli or the pear tart for dessert. They also have a great wine selection.

Pros: Food, Service

Cons: none

Posted 08/05/06

We went here based on Citysearch reviews and were not disappointed. The person who seated us was somewhat brusque (seemed to be her personality, not anything to take personally) but our server was lovely - very informative about the dishes, wine, etc. Service was prompt and professional. We had the mussels for an appetizer, I had lobster with linguine in a spicy sauce. My husband had the Dungeness crab spaghetti. The food was definitely not underseasoned! If anything it was a slight bit salty to me, but then we try not to put much salt in our food. Very flavorful.

I would recommend arriving early or making reservations as it gets very busy as the evening progresses.

Pros: Flavorful food, great service from our waitress

Cons: Potentially very crowded

Posted 07/10/06

While during the majority of 2005 this restaurant went through a terrible time of pleasing anyone, they have finally gotten things in order. With new management and the help from the Tiramisu chef, this restaurant has really changed to become one of the best on the alley. Not only is the food delicious, but service has been revamped, and you are not asked to pay outrageous prices. The bartender makes great drinks and the wine list is extensive so while prices are lower, quality and selection are not.

Pros: great food low price large wine selection

Cons: small, a bit noisy

Posted 06/12/06

Tried making reservations for Belden Place through Opentable.com and I was only able to get Brindisi. Looking at the reviews here, I figured I'd give it a shot. When I got there, almost every table was empty at each of the restaurants I wanted (6:30pm on a Saturday). It's like a street-fair with scantily clad women hocking their menus, but it's a fun setting. If you're looking for something but can't get reservations, just show up. Brinidisi's service was excellent, but the food was average. I ordered the seafood skewers which were perfectly cooked but needed more seasoning. Overall, it was worth the money we paid since the food is extremely well priced! Word to the wise, since it's outdoor seating, people smoke.

Pros: Excellent Value, Service, Atmosphere

Cons: Food under seasoned, Smokers all around

Posted 06/03/06

Brindisi is so wonderfully Italian, the food, the servers, the ambiance. I just loved it. My friends & I enjoyed every thing & just had a good time.

Posted 04/10/06

Woman at the door not so friendly but everyone else there was nice. Owner (or manager?) did come to see if we needed anything else at the end of our meal. Large portions for sharing - so food/value was equal. Actually was a little cheaper than other restaurants in row. Would go back again. Tight seating and moving of tables duing dinner.

Pros: food, wine, Close to Hilton FD

Posted 04/06/06

The Bartender made amazing drinks for us and and a host, named Antonio, couldn't do more to make us feel welcome and at ease.
I've been here a few times but this place has DEFINITELY improved in service and food quality from just six months ago. I hear the Chef is formerly of Tiramisu-- same food without all of the pomposity!
Food is no longer a seafood only restaurant-- better variety of dishes now. Service is much crisper, better than before as I believe they have new management (maybe a new Chef helps too?). The prices are no longer skyscraping the four star restaurants, but still could be tweaked to be made more affordable. The heated lamps outside and the cozy dining room on the inside make this a good romantic place to take a date on a non-weekend night.

Pros: Friendly, Romantic, Wine List (Huge)

Cons: Cramped tables, Need reservation, Very Small

Posted 03/10/06

The food at Brindisi is good, particularly the fried calamari appetizer, the baked seafood canneloni, and the meat tortellini. The atmosphere, with exposed brick, is also quite nice.

However, the service is terrible. We asked a waiter what the delicious-looking dish was one table over and he gave us the hand. Literally. Palm out, towards our faces. It was so ridiculous that we thought no one could be that rude and that we'd misunderstood. We gave him the benefit of the doubt and decided that his hand meant "wait" but he never circled back with us. It was him really giving us the hand! It took about 30 minutes before someone else took our order after that.

Even though the food and atmosphere were good, I don't recommend this place. They act like they're doing you a favor by serving you and taking your money.

Pros: brick atmosphere, food

Cons: service, prices

Posted 02/25/06

Great place for cocktails,very good wines and really flavorful food to share. Tapas style dining allows you try more items on the menu. The seafood is really fresh, the oysters are melt in your mouth good, the pizzas are fun too. The seabass is always excellent, Try the taglioni pasta it's got a spicy kick, and the mixed grilled seafood with cous cous. Antonio is always a wonderful host They have heat lamps for their outdoor seating.

Pros: fresh seafood, hip atmosphere, wine list

Cons: tables are tight, noisy

Posted 12/31/05

Ordered the "pasta of the day" for lunch, which was gnocchetti with tuna, tomatoes, and green beans, but was served the squid ink pasta. They insisted twice that they had 2 pasta specials, but the printed menu only listed the one and the blackboard also only listed one. Since it took quite a while to get the food (they were at most only 1/2 full), I decided to just keep the squid ink pasta (my second choice, anyways); however, 10 minutes later, they whisk away my partially eaten pasta and present me with the gnochetti telling me that they wanted me to be "happy". No wonder they were the only restaurant on Belden that had a lot of empty tables!

Cons: highly disorganized

Posted 10/11/05

Hostess took her sweet time bringing menus, though we made a point to come after lunch rush. Then she told us we had the wrong menus, and we waited longer to get new, abridged menus. When we ordered, we found out what we wanted was sold out!

Meanwhile, they only brought water. Bread was not brought out until AFTER we ordered. Olive oil for dipping did not arrive until much later. Cheese plates were brought instead of salads. What's unacceptable is the lack of training and disorganization which results in the awful service.

I'd forgive all this if the host or hostess would take responsibility for this, but the hostess ran around like a hyperkinetic chicken and the host was more interested in flirting with some Italian model-looking chick who was on her lunch break from a different restaurant.

This place should just shut down.

Pros: Location

Cons: Service, Food, Value

Posted 09/30/05

On a warm night it was the only restaurant on Belden Lane that I had a table available outside. Now I know why - I should have read the other reviews before!
The plates are expensive for what they are (small). The gnocchi with prawns were particularly disappointing, lacking flavor and prawns!

Posted 03/14/05

We had an awful experience at this restaurant. The prices are outrageous. We paid (without knowing beforehand) $50 for a dozen of the smallest oysters I have ever seen. Even the shells were small with hardly anything in them. Thats $50 (fifty dollars) for 12 (twelve) "half" oysters!

The entrees were dissapointing to say the least. Very plain food with tiny portions. Even the side dishes, the fillers were 1-2 bites worth of food. This place is a phony tourist trap and I (we) will never go back.

Cons: , portions, flavor

Posted 01/11/05

I can't understand how entrepanuers can spend the money and time to open a restaurant and then alienate groups of people at a time with lousy service, terrible food, insulting portions, leaving diners hungry and wishing they had stayed home. How long can they do this, how long will it last?

This restaurant serves miniscule portions (entrees) of uninspired very plain food of the likes you could get in a diner (or I should say not as good as most diners) The prices are atrocious for what you get. Its one of those places that wants to be in the "nice restaurant" category but doesn't have a clue. STAY AWAY

Pros: decor

Cons: , portions, service

Posted 01/09/05

My wife and I recently made the mistake of eating at Brindisi. She order a seafood salad for $13 and received 2 pieces of cold shrimp, some diced calamari and a few pieces of octopus tentacles. She asked the waiter if she could have a few pieces of lettuce or vegetables to go with the disgusting seafood concoction she had just received. He cheerfully obliged yet never returned to our table all night, even though the place was 1/4 full.

We then asked the hostess if she could help out, and then another waiter, who both did nothing. Even though my wife didn't even touch her plate they still charged us for it, despite the fact we said this was not at all what we thought it was.

I had the Risotto for $17 and it pretty much sucked as well. Very salty and practically no seafood.

Cons: , Over priced, Small portions

Posted 11/08/04

We tried this spot out as it had really good reviews on Citysearch but were disappointed. The menu is generic at best, uninspired and nothing really jumps out. Services was nothing to write home about either. We had a hard time deciding on any food, and when it finally came, it was overpriced for the quality and portion size. If you go to Belden, choose any of the other places, they are all better.

Cons: , Boring food, Inattentive service

Posted 09/25/04

Ate there last night... really the food is just average, the portions very small (they don't make it clear that these are small plates), which makes the dishes overpriced. The service was awful - very unattentive. The silver lining to this was that they left a few glasses of wine off our bill. Still, not a great way to run a restaurant... it seemed poorly managed. The owner/manager seemed more interested in socializing with his buddies than running the place. I enjoyed the fried calamari, but you can get calamari just as good at literally dozens of restaurants in SF. The atmosphere was ok. Overall, this restaurant needs to offer more if it is to survive.

Pros: calamari

Posted 09/16/04

I like the concept of sharing small plates with a group, even with a date. the problem here is small tables and large sized smallplates with tiny portions of food. very crowded seating makes the oversize serving platter even more awkward than usual. for 5 plates with three people, the food had to be separated into two courses, that were in our case separated by at least 45 minutes. Very strange

Pros: ambiance, Attractive crowd

Cons: , Large, awkward plates

Posted 08/29/04

Finally, Antonio has his own restaurant, and it's not half bad, to say the least. I think most of the user complaints aren't earth-shattering -- Belden Place is known for cramped space and soliciting waiters. And give Brindisi time to get smarter waitstaff. Plus, any place using tapas format -- especially in Italian cuisine -- is taking an understandable risk. But don't let that overshadow the food -- great appetizers (especially the octopus proscuitto and bruschetta), ambitious wines (try the whites) and solid entrees (lamb!). Plus Antonio's charm and friendliness -- even when we were patrons of his over at Tiramisu -- are hard not to compliment. Brindisi is off to a good start, and with time, will get better.

Pros: Ambitious menu, great appetizers, wonderful owner

Cons: , so-so waitstaff

Posted 06/07/04

I recently tried a dinner at Brindisi and was less then satisfied. I thought the food was average and the dining area congested. The service was good, but their wine list was limited. Don't plan to do any repeat business.

Pros: Good Parking, Service was good

Cons: , Food was average

Posted 06/02/04

This Italian dining spot has captured the best of Italy. Best food in the city! The calamari is superb and served many ways. We loved everything on the menu. The owners are friendly and take care of their patrons creating a warm ambiance. It is like taking a trip to Rome for dinner. A MUST DO dining experience.

Pros: best food, friendly service, great port

Posted 06/01/04

I've eaten here several times with each experience being different. I've love eating outside on a hot summer day or inside where there is more atmosphere. I love the lamb stew, and the selection of wine they offer. The portions may look small, but fills you up quick! I would highly recommend that you try this restraurant.

Pros: Fun Atmoshpere, Great cook

Cons: , n/a, n/a

Posted 05/27/04

I have never been to a place that felt like I was home,Antonio ,the owner and Fabrizo the Head Chef are your host,I have gone in for lunch,not for dinner but the wait staff is considerate and friendly.
The menu is not what you see anywhere else,truly unique. The plates are over sized but the portions are perfect,so that you enjoy a meal not just an entree.The wine list is what you would expect from a place like this,only the best at a good price.The seafood is as fresh at you get and for me I would rather taste the food not the breading. enjoy

Pros: warm, friendly, home

Posted 05/26/04

Their menu is very interesting, but all dishes disappointed. The fried calamari was abysmal, the "seared" scallops were overcooked, stringy and flavorless. The pasta was overcooked and mushy, the octupus terrine had zero flavor and was drenched in oil. Desserts were generous and the best part of the meal. The service was fine, although we got the wrong scallop dish (they seem to have two versions of everything, so it doesn't surprise me the kitchen can mix up). The most annoying thing was that they encourage tapas-style sharing, but their tables are tiny and their plates are oversized...it's awkward, it's annoying, and exacerbates the feeling of being crammed into this tiny space. Won't be going back. It's an admirable effort, but this place just doesn't deliver.

Pros: Service is friendly

Cons: , Bland food, Flavorless food

Posted 05/23/04

When we turned the corner into Belden Pl, the hostess ran up to us waving menus and pleaded with us to dine there. What type of establishment does this? I almost walked away because of that. The space is actually very small and the tables are too close together. There were tables filled with execs talking business, so it wasn't so romantic. Our waiter was horrible too. When asked to elaborate on one of the dishes, he replied 'It's artichokes, potatoes and salt.' The dish ended up being artichokes, sliced potatoes over salted fish with an olive oil puree sauce!! He then forgot a dish we ordered and came back with the wrong dish. This was on a Tuesday night, it's wasn't that busy. Two of the dishes were great but that wasn't enough to make me come back here.

Pros: parking easy after 7

Cons: , bad service

Posted 05/18/04

I was given a gift certificate to Brindisi and went there with a friend for lunch. The food was great and so was the service. I used my certificate as payment for the meal knowing that there was about $17 remaining, assuming it would go towards the tip (well over 20%). I was told it could not be used towards the tip and that they also would not give me another certificate for the remainder. The manager said that I did not have to tip the waiter (which I thought was unfair to the waiter so I did with cash) and was told that unless I used the entire certificate on food/beverages only, the remaining would be lost. So not only are they making a profit on their markup, they are making additional money on cash! Kind of ruins the whole purpose of a "gift", wouldn't you say??

Pros: good food

Posted 05/05/04

The best, real Italian food in San Francisco. Finally someone is doing it right.
Thank you. I will tell all my friend about this new secret.

Posted 04/29/04

Had so much fun dining here - ambiance was great, the feel is intimate, the food is fantastic, the service is professional and fun! I'm recommending this restaurant to all my friends and will definately be back for the stuffed calamari

Posted 04/20/04

I've never had such fantastic calamari. Service was fantastic. Wine was neverending!! You can't go wrong with this place!

Pros: Atmosphere, Outdoor dining

Posted 04/14/04