Delfina is a charming Italian spot in San Francisco, renowned for its fresh seasonal dishes, inviting ambiance, and attentive service that guarantees a delightful dining experience.
"After taking a years-long break spurred by the pandemic, Delfina reopened on 18th Street with a fresh new look in October 2022. Co-owners Annie and Craig Stoll are proud to show off a new bar and a new private dining room, where fans old and new can get a taste of the restaurant’s pioneering Cal-Italian cuisine. The spaghetti pomodoro returned to the menu, but as ever, the selection changes just about every day so the kitchen can incorporate whatever’s freshest from the Stoll’s farm in Sonoma." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff
"The Cal-Italian icon famously hosts a big Passover seder feast in the Mission every year. This year that tradition will have to be broken, as the restaurant is temporarily closed during the COVID-19 crisis, but fans of owners Craig and Annie Stoll’s legendary matzo ball soup can take heart: They’re selling quart and half-gallon containers of the soup as a to-go item on April 7 and 8, available for pickup and delivery. The deadline to pre-order is April 6." - Luke Tsai
"As of October 2022, Delfina is back from its multi-year, COVID-19-induced hiatus. The restaurant underwent a significant renovation and menu overhaul but fans need not fear, favorite dishes including the spaghetti pomodoro haven’t gone away. The Cal-Italian staple continues its tradition of serving seasonal pasta, pizzas, and appetizers but now there’s also a full bar where diners can find cocktails featuring Italian spirits, bitters, and amari." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff
"As of October 2022, Delfina is back from its multi-year, COVID-19-induced hiatus. The restaurant underwent a significant renovation and menu overhaul but fans need not fear, favorite dishes including the spaghetti pomodoro haven’t gone away. The Cal-Italian staple continues its tradition of serving seasonal pasta, pizzas, and appetizers but now there’s also a full bar where diners can find cocktails featuring Italian spirits, bitters, and amari." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff
"In fall 2022, Delfina—the local Cal-Italian legend in the Mission—reopened with a glam refresh. The dining room is now decked out with a shiny new bar, leather booths, and a gorgeous archway that makes part of the space feel like a swanky train station. But despite the chic redesign, the seasonal Italian dishes are a little snoozy. photo credit: Erin Ng We’ll start with the highlights. The menu covers standard seasonal small plates, pastas, a couple of pizzas, and mains. One standout is the iconic spaghetti—it’s one of the best things you’ll eat here, with tangy-sweet sauce and perfectly al dente pasta. Another is the housemade coppa di testa that melts in your mouth. And the pizzas arrive with crusts that are puffy and crackly. You’ll be compelled to head to their takeout-only sister spot next door, Pizzeria Delfina, to order a few more pies (they have more topping options) for later. The rest of the food ranges from solid to good. Nothing overtly egregious is happening—although roasted duck and polenta arrive too salty, and some of the pastas, like the “hay and straw” with guanciale and an egg yolk, lack flavor. The price of your meal will also add up quickly. Pastas hover around $28, there’s a $150 steak on the menu, and a shallow dish or dispenser of olive oil you’ll want for your bread is an extra $4. Delfina might make you feel twinges of disappointment, considering there are so many other Cal-Ital places in town pumping out high-caliber seasonal pastas and pizzas. photo credit: Erin Ng photo credit: Erin Ng Look past the glamor of the new space, and it’s easy to see why Delfina is one of those perfectly fine restaurants with a healthy amount of hits and misses. Twenty-something years after opening, Delfina isn’t the most exciting Cal-Italian option in SF. But it’s possible to come here for dinners with the parents or a cocktail-and-spaghetti meal alone at the bar, and have a pleasant time—just don’t expect to be wowed. When we want to have our lives changed by a bowl of pasta, there are spots like Cotogna, Penny Roma, or Itria that we’d hit up first. Food Rundown Pane a Pala The focaccia-like bread is good, but nothing special. It’s also served plain, unless you ask for a side of olive oil. Sometimes staff will tell you that the oil is an added charge, and other times they won’t. Mentally prepare—that’ll be $4, please. photo credit: Erin Ng Coppa di Testa Thinly sliced so it melts in your mouth, this housemade head cheese is a great way to start. photo credit: Erin Ng Spaghetti Pomodoro A lovely bowl of spaghetti, and one with a cult following for a reason. Order this with a glass of wine, and you’ll leave happy. photo credit: Erin Ng Hay and Straw Half of the tonnarelli is tinted green from spinach, and this tangle of pasta comes with a perfect egg yolk on top. Presentation points aside, it lacks flavor. At $29, feel free to skip. photo credit: Erin Ng Mortadella Pie There’s mortadella draped across the top of this white pie, but the meat feels a little disjointed from the pickled peppers underneath. The crust, though, strikes a balance between charred and chewy." - Julia Chen
