Nova Bar & Restaurant

Nova understands its position in the SF food chain.....equal parts local bar and restaurant, the friendly staff serve up drinks & food with a welcoming smile. As a City dweller eating out 6 nights a week, I have Nova in my rotation when comfort food is in order. Their mac 'n cheese is the best in the League.....interesting choice of rotelli pasta with multiple cheeses and choice of ham and/or broccoli to boot. Outstanding! Equally good is the spinach salad and of course, their popular burger and fries combo. Tap beer choices are solid if not comprehensive and numerous wines by the glass are generously poured for extremely fair prices.

Pros: mac 'n cheese, spinach salad, burger 'n fries, friendly staff (Cheers-like)

Cons: can be a tight fit when packed

Posted 09/15/08

Nova may not look it from the outside, as it presents iself as a slighlty divey, homey, comfortable after-work (and anytime before or in between) bar, but the food is really good- my favorite is the huge steak salad. Lean, freshly grilled pieces of steak on top of baby greens, with some fresh salsa...yumm! You can share this among two people, it's really a good amount of foof for $12. Also, don't miss out on the macaroni and cheeses (off the hook) and grilled asapargus, topped with parmesan cheeses and roasted tomatoes.

Posted 09/15/08

Great food! The lobster quesadilla is excellent. Great happy hour crowd. Hot waitresses to boot!!!!

Posted 06/25/08

I just returned from lunch at one of my favorite SOMA lunch spots. As usual, the food & service were strong and the atmosphere full of happiness. We split the Mac & Cheese and as usual it was outstanding. In addtion, we ordered salads- the Wedge & the Chopped Cobb. The Wedge was tasty and generous. The Chopped Cobb was huge and looked great. We made a reservation so were seated promptly as Nova can get busy at lunch time on a Friday. I suggest making one.

Posted 11/15/07

In from Phila. Found Nova thru City Search. Food delicious - order everything and share. Must order Lobster & mushroom Quesadilla, Crab Cakes, Chicken PotPie. All salads great. Don't miss Sunday Brunch. Fritatta's excellent. My personal favorite Apple Cinnamon French Toast -to die for. Bartenders & waiters/waitresses friendly and colorful. Forgot the calamari - excellent. Quaint restaurant - a real treat.

Posted 07/30/07

I've been here a few times & each time the female bartender is great, ambience is cozy & good for conversation, but the waitress is rude and hostile. I was there last night with co-workers during happy hour and not only were we not given happy hour pricing, but when we asked about it after seeing the bill our waitress was incredibly snotty (not the first time she's been) & only removed $5 from the bill. I only recommend this place if they get rid of the waitress.

Pros: Ambience, Bartender

Cons: Waitress

Posted 03/14/07

Had been here several times at night and had a great time. The clincher for me was their help with incredible hangover on Sunday afternoon. The Bloody Mary's there will bring anyone back to life. Was about to pass on some giants tix but two Bloody's got me right back into the swing of things. The staff is extremely friendly, especially when it's a little less crowded and they have time to chat. Fun place with the sun up or down

Posted 10/04/06

NOVA is an exciting little place in SOMA. The food is absolutely fabulous and the flavored vodka is hard to beat. You must try the lobster quesidilla... Simply the best!

Posted 09/24/06

The bartenders on a Sat. night were really cool; they went the extra mile. For example, when I asked them about a local bar with a pool table, they surveyed various patrons and wrote out the address on a napkin for me. They even listed a few other options if that spot didn't work out. The scene was an older 20s, lower 30s crowd, and this spot had wine-and-cheese undertones.
The drinks were good, but I thought they were trying to make the buffalo wings into something they're not with the strange herbs: classy. They just tasted a little weird.

Pros: Bartenders

Cons: Chicken wings

Posted 09/04/06

I had my b-day celebration there this past weekend & it was great! It was a group of 19 & the restaurant did a fabulous job w/ the drinks & the food! All my friends really enjoyed what they ordered & the service was great. I chose this place b/c of the reviews it got on CitySearch, but the great help & service over the phone won me over! They were very accomodating & it was totally no hassle. I HIGHLY recoommend Nova.

Pros: Reasonably Priced, Good Parking, Great food & service

Posted 02/05/06

My friend and I decided to try some place new to eat and have a cocktail. I checked out some of the reviews on citysearch and found Nova. That same evening, we decided to try it, instead of our usual spots. I'm so glad we did! The drinks were amazing - I had a berry cosmopolitan with cucumber vodka (recommended by the bartender with the pony tail - he was very friendly and nice and so right about the drink). It was so refreshing and yummy. The food was wonderful - calmari and ahi tuna apps. And I love the fact that Nova serves food until later hours, compared to most of the SF restaurants and bars. Very friendly service at the bar. Definitely a great find.

Pros: Bar, Friendly service, Great drinks/food

Posted 12/03/05

We took a group of over twenty people to Nova after a noon Giants game. We had reserved three tables, but easily sat everyone after grabbing a few extra chairs. The wait-service was a little slow, but only relatively to how quickly it was possible to get drinks directly from the bar.
The infused vodkas were very interesting. The Honey Lavender was clearly the best of the varieties, although the Blackberry and Watermelon are worth trying. The Peach was okay, but not great; I'd recommend asking to taste the chocolate and espresso before ordering anything involving those drinks, they seem to be quite an acquired taste.

Pros: Not Crowded, (Even Post-Game), Honey-Lavender Vodka

Cons: No Outside Area

Posted 08/04/05

I love this place especially when the Giant's are not playing or it is well past the end of the game. Place can get very crowed on game days. The food is good the drinks are good the staff is awesome. The scene (sans game night) is chill and relaxed. Even went with some friends that brought a baby one early evening and the place and staff were ultra cool about doing whatever was needed for the kid and parents.

Pros: Atmosphere, Staff, Food

Cons: Games Nights

Posted 07/21/05

I was more than pleasantly surprised on my first visit to Nova (was Infusion). Different decor- more loungy-feels more like a bar- so my expectations were low food-wise- After a rather "loose" seating(no host) by a server with pink/purple hair dressed kind of like a clown- we ordered up and these were the results-
apps- lobster quesadilla (sounds pretentious but was great) calamari (best I've had) shared a spinach sald(tasty) Chicken entree (manager's recommendation- and excellent) and Rib-Eye (huge cut,cooked perfectly and price was only 16 bucks

The bar did not dissappoint either- grape infused cosmos and (?) forgot other one but it was good.

The capper- the manager brought us a free round of fernet shots when he found out we were fellow Phillies' fans.
My one criticism- service was a bit disjointed (maybe they were short-staffed that night.) But-forgivable when the food is that good!

Pros: friendly, affordable, great food

Posted 06/08/04

Nova is a wonderful place in the SOMA district. Its relaxed atmosphere is perfect for any occasion. From its good sized booths and its long bar, plenty of room. They play an eclectic array of music on different nights, from live jazz and other bands, to just some lounge house music to fill the air.

I would recommend this bar for any occasion, its perfect for private parties and on any evening or weekend. There is always a good crowd and always a few regulars on hand. This is a perfect place to also start the evening off.

This little eatery has some of the best food in the area. (Chicken Skewers, Quesadillas, pizza and burgers are great.)

The staff at Nova is one of the best; they are always friendly and always prompt and attentive. Just ask for a Fernet when you belly up to the bar!

Pros: Always Great Food, Great Staff, Great Music

Posted 05/18/04

Nova is definitely worth checking out as long as you're not in a hurry on a busy night. Going for dinner on a weekday (not during a baseball game) is fun. Not too crowded. We've been there on a busy night. Food was still great, AS ALWAYS. YUMMY chicken dish. It was just too loud and more of a happy hour place. Everything we have ever ordered has been terrific! Keep up the good work guys!

Pros: Great food, Knowledgable staff, Eager 2 please mangmt

Posted 04/25/04

When I learned Infusion was going away to be replaced, I was worried. However, as the replacement, Nova is a worthy successor. They have a nice friendly staff, great appetizers and they kept the vodka infusions! It can get crowded during games, but otherwise is a perfect happy hour bar after a long day in the office.

Pros: Nice staff, Good atmosphere, Great drinks & food

Posted 04/25/04

I went to Nova recently after the ballgame and really enjoyed it. Good location near Pacbell, tasty food and apps, and great atmosphere. The comfy booths make it a great place for a date or group. One of the few bars in SF that strikes the size balance to be a fun going out destination without being a too big or crowded.

Posted 04/20/04

This is a great place to just hang and nibble while you drink your VODKA. There's a few infused vodka spots around town, but these are the best. Open and comfy, lush boothes decor that looks all stylish and lush, but atmosphere has none of the pretentiousness that you usually get in martini bars in the city. Very friendly staff. Although I use it as a bar, the food is excellent and the prices unbeatable. Great date place, after work, etc. We'll get back to you on how it is with games, Go giants!

Pros: great drinks, good food, easy parking

Posted 04/04/04

I had a party at Nova for about 50 people, and everything went well. On the day of the party, the servers were super friendly and Matt, one of the managers, is really great. Dave prepared some delicious appetizers for our party, and I'm very happy with how everything turned out.

Posted 03/30/04

nova was very welcoming to me and more than 50 of my friends. the staff was great and made excellent drinks that just kept the crowd going. there was no abrupt last call for alcohol to kick us to the curb but friendly goodbyes surely won't be our last. the comfort food was simple yet delightful and the amidst the ambient lighting...you'll be glad to have stumbled into it.

Posted 02/26/04