a Mano
Restaurant · Hayes Valley
450 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Highlights
Housemade pasta, pizza, and Italian wine in a lively spot
Housemade pasta, pizza, and Italian wine in a lively spot
"There are plenty of things about A Mano to draw people in. The Italian restaurant in Hayes Valley is a pretty space with a lot of indoor and sidewalk seating and floor-to-ceiling glass panels overlooking Hayes Street. Everything on their menu is under $20, which is pretty great considering SF standards. They don’t take reservations, which could be annoying, but you can go next door to Anina for a cocktail until they text you that your table is ready. A Mano checks a lot of boxes on the list of things that you could want in a restaurant. The problem is that the food isn’t one of them. The pasta, which is A Mano’s main draw, is particularly disappointing. The sauce in the bucatini all’ amatriciana tastes like something you could get on a grocery store shelf, and the freshness of the peas in the fusilli verdi gets lost in the pool of butter underneath that you can see your sad reflection in. It’s like buying a pair of custom shoes in Italy and thinking you got a steal, only for the soles to fall off the first time you wear them. But there are some other things on the menu that are good, but nothing is earth-shattering. The cauliflower has a nice bite from the chilis and brightness from the lemon, but this is just an appetizer - and it will set you up for disappointment when the rest of your food comes. If a pretty space and getting a table last-minute without a giant hassle are more important boxes for you to check than having memorable food, A Mano is a passable restaurant. You’ll get your negroni and some Italian food after a day in Hayes Valley. But if you’re looking for excellent pasta, we suggest you try somewhere else. RESERVE A TABLE WITH RESERVE A TABLE Food Rundown Cauliflower This cauliflower is one of the other better things here. It‘s topped with lemon, chili, and bagna cauda and kind of tastes like tater tots - but in a good way. Bucatini All’ Amatriciana The sauce is basic and the pancetta tastes like what you’d find in $2.50 chunked hash browns from Waffle House. It doesn’t need to be on your table. Salsiccia Pizza This pizza with sausage, olives, and provolone piccante could be good, but there is a lot of cheese covering up what’s going on underneath. Stop somewhere else for a slice after dinner instead if you really need a pizza fix." - Will Kamensky
"Instantly-trendy a Mano — yet another venture from prolific San Francisco restaurateur Adriano Paganini — is the spot for affordably priced but carefully prepared pasta and pizza from chef Freedom Rains, dishes like bucatini all’Amatriciana and agnolotti dal plin, or small, buttery ravioli filled with roast pork, chicken, and chard." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff
"This Hayes Valley pasta spot has a long list of ever-changing pastas, like a seafood-laden paccheri or bucatini all’Amatriciana with guanciale, chiles, and pecorino. Shore up that carb feast with excellent small plates like duck liver mousse, or a margherita pizza." - Dianne de Guzman
"Hayes Valley’s pasta hotspot has a long list of ever-changing pastas, like campanelle with broccoli di cicco pesto, lemon and pine nuts, and tagliatelle with hedgehog mushrooms and cipollini onion. Shore up that carb-feast with excellent small plates like duck liver mousse, or a margherita pizza (and definitely an Aperol spritz), and watch the foot traffic go by." - Ellen Fort
"The bartenders at A Mano are hip and knowledgeable and will talk about their favorite David Bowie songs while pouring glasses of Hibiki whiskey and red wine. The focaccia with tapenade is a lovely companion for an solo feast of pizza and pasta with a glass of good Italian wine." - Lauren Saria, Paolo Bicchieri
