Panta Rei Cafe Restaurant

Panta Rei has the best representation, presentation, and quality that I have ever experienced. Hands down the best Itallian food and service. I recommend this restuarant to anyone who enjoys high quality food, wine, good music, and over the top service. The Tiramisu is the BEST!!

I can't say enough great things about this restaurant! Very crowded for Saturday dinner, and very lively. I noticed that some people gave negative reviews for that sort of atmosphere, I on the other hand, enjoyed it. Many of the service members are actually Italian, including the cute hostess. It was a little difficult to get in on Saturday night, but definitely worth the wait. Atmosphere was very much like a trendy Italian restaurant on Ostiense or near Ponte Milvio in Rome.

The food was delicious and amazing! Haven't had such authentic Italian cuisine since I've been back. Even though they were bursting at the seams busy, the restaurant still allowed me a custom order for my favourite dish - Penne al arrabiata. It tasted just like a homespun trattoria in Rome! They have a good mix of "Americanized Italian" food, as well as some very surprising authentic choices like the Fettuccine Cinghiale (boar).

I read a few of the negative reviews: Don't pay attention to them! The food and experience of this restaurant is fabulous and exactly like the newer hip restaurants in Italy! So many of the other places in No. Beach just staff their restaurants with Hispanic people and call themselves authentic Italian. So disappointing! The pasta is fresh al dente, that does NOT mean undercooked like soggy-melts-in-your-mouth-American pasta. The waiters will not dote on you and interrupt your meal every freaking five minutes to ask if you need another inch of water, if you'll absolutely die cause you don't have a lemon wedge perfectly perched on your glass, or give you cheesy grins and ask you (for the umpteenth time) if everything is alright. Uninterrupted meals are more valued in Italy than in the States, I suppose.

Yes, that is olive oil drizzled on your bruschetta and pasta... Italians pour it on everything, deal with it. It's not grease, and your health will probably struggle more with margarine than olive oil.

If your looking for a good ladies night out location, this is one for you. I have been there a few times now, and every time, we are always seated promptly even though it may seemed packed from the outside. Once seated, the bruscetta is amazing, try it! All their pasta is homemade and you can definitely taste the difference. Try the salmon ravioli, it seems like a different mixture of flavors, but they end up being incredible! (that's my favorite dish) They have a good wine selection of moderately priced wines, which is nice, so you can enjoy the wine and not worry about breaking the bank. And lastly, the main reason why this is a great destination restaurant for ladies night out, the male servers are pretty nice to look at!

My friend and I discovered this restaurant about 2 years ago when we were parousing through San Francisco's North Beach area. The gnocci is to die for, the calzones are the size of your head, and just about anything will please even the pickiest eaters appetite.This restaurant has a great ambiance, and the food is outstanding. If you are looking for a romantic, delicious place to eat, I would deffinatley reccomend this restaurant.

I'm a Panta Rei regular, addicted to the Calzone. It seriously is the best I've ever had and I travel to New York on a regular basis. I've had a few other dishes on the menu, they were good but for me it's all about the Calzone. Great wine selection, great atmosphere and people watching. Outside seating with heater available (but it is on a busy street, right by the bus stop). Service can be great or lacking depending on who's servicing you. Seems like the waitresses have their act together while the waiters are too busy dancing, singing and goofing off to take their jobs seriously.