3228 16th Street @ Guerrero
San Francisco, CA 94110
phone: 415.861.3899
hours: Sun-Thurs, 5-10pm; Fri- Sat, 5-10:30 pm
Italian
Beer and Wine only
[Some negative additions have been as a result of a more recent visit]
On a Monday night, most restaurants are either empty or closed.
Luckily, Il Cantuccio was just empty. This tiny 12 table restaurant
had a few Monday patrons, and by the time we left at 9:30, the
joint was full. Usually, this is a good sign.
The Ambience:
This cozy Italian restaurant offers unique table settings, individual
water pitchers for each table (with matching salt and pepper
shakers, oooh!) and appropriate opera in the background. Even
when full, it didn't seem too crowded. Unfortunately, it was
very lit; if they dimmed it a little, I'd call it a decent place
for romance.
The Menu:
Classic Italian fare, $12-$16 a plate. The wine-list-for-dummies waxes poetic, but offers a small, decent selection.
The Food:
Eh. Our prosciutto appetizer left much to be desired, being rather tasteless, thick and served on, gasp, iceberg lettuce. Their pasta dishes weren't bad at all. The crab ravioli was pretty awesome and the linguini with clams is a safe bet. Portions are medium-large.
Note from a more recent visit: The regular
and decaf coffees both taste like assy dishwater. They're hands
down the worst I've ever had. The food was kind of weird and
tasteless.
The Service:
The highlight of an outing to Il Cantuccio is the service. One
waiter works all the tables with ease. I was naturally concerned
when our bottle of wine was taken from the table, knowing full
well you can rarely trust a waiter to fill you glasses; however,
our friendly Italian didn't miss a beat.
Reservations: Not usually
necessary.
Overall: Downgraded to a C-, originally a B
Cheap but not so good food. Cozy and friendly.
Reviewed : Oct 2003, July 2004
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