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Giving a 2 star review for pompous attitude and service.
Food is pretty decent but their wines aren't great. They add 10% to the bill for their employees which is outrageous given dishes on the menu are over $60. Neither of us in the group, all San Franciscans, will ever return back to this restaurant unless they get over themselves and start remembering to put their customers first.
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My husband and I made a reservation about a month in
My husband and I made a reservation about a month in advance to come here on a Friday night for a date night. The decor inside is amazing - it's probably the most well decorated restaurant I've been to in SF. We were thoroughly impressed by the food. Here's what we got:Focaccia - some of the best I've had. I loved how crispy it was on the outside and the cheese + olive oil was delicious with it.Salmon Crudo w Horseradish - not the best crudo I've ever had but solidly good. The horseradish was tasty but not overpowering.Grilled octopus - the BEST octopus I've ever had. It was so tender that I was doubtful I was eating octopus. Salsiccia pizza - I am a pizza fiend, and this pizza was the best I've ever had hands down. I was skeptical because it came out with tons of raw mushrooms on top, but they were delicious. The crispy crust covered in parmesan cheese was amazing.Agnolotti del plin - I have had this dish at many other pasta restaurants in SF, and Che Fico's wasn't my favorite. The flavors were great, but I thought the pieces were too big and meaty. I prefer smaller pieces of pasta in this dish. It felt like a meat dish not a pasta dish.The service was wonderful, the wine was great, the food was great. I did think the food was slightly overpriced, but I still think the overall experience was worth it.
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This is, in my opinion, some of the best pizza in SF.
The service is good as well. Having said that, I think the pricing at this restaurant is over the top, even when we factor in current inflation.To start, the food is very expensive. A 12" Margherita pizza is $30. Pasta bolognese, $38. (The bolognese, while a staple, was unremarkable with the pasta being soggy and overcooked). Steak tartar? $36, but also not very interesting with the beef tasting less fresh than it should be.This is very expensive for what it is. But when you get the bill, they add in a 10% "dine in fee" before tax to justify the "true cost" of running the restaurant. This seems kind of absurd when it feels like this cost is already priced into the food, but it also feels like a bait and switch when they only mention this fee in very fine print on the menu. If the cost of running the restaurant is so high where they need both high prices and this fee, they need to change the format to something less casual.On top of that, they are very coy about whether this is a gratuity or not. Are we to assume that 10% is an automatic gratuity like other restaurants do? Apparently not. In fact, in adding a gratuity, you are paying this as a percentage of this fee as well. So now you are being double charged for service.If you go to Flour+Water, which has comparable format, food, and service, but with a greater reputation, the prices are far more reasonable. So it's not like Che Fico can claim they are doing something totally unique here.It all feels very backwards and while I enjoyed my meal, I left feeling ripped off. Although I've enjoyed this restaurant in the past, my opinion has soured based on this experience.
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A friend of mine invited me out to dinner and chose Che
A friend of mine invited me out to dinner and chose Che Fico. I had never been before and was excited to check it out!It seems like there are two floors that take two separate reservations. The bottom floor is more contemporary while the upper floor is more traditional. We had our meal upstairs. The upper floor is quite lovely with grand, rustic, yet eclectic design. The people on staff were all lovely and hospitable.We ordered a few plates and shared family-style, which is encouraged. Here's what we ordered:Old Fashioned - This was delicious and well-crafted. Nothing particularly stands out. Focaccia - Never in my life have I ever seen focaccia that wasn't shaped like focaccia. It was round and had a crust. Regardless, I thought it was tasty, especially with the whipped mascarpone. Che Fico Finocchiona salami - I was excited to try this since it's house-made. You can even see the dried meats hanging on display as you walk into the dining room! We both enjoyed this, but we also agreed that this was nothing particularly different from other salamis. Tagliatelle al Ragu - This was a delicious, hearty pasta. It was a pleasure to enjoy, it didn't leave the orange, oily residue that most meaty sauces tend to leave behind. Branzino - This was a beautifully prepared fish. Totally succulent, full of flavor. The only thing I can complain about is the bones, but what can you do?Chocolate Budino - Sharing this is necessary since it's incredibly rich! Absolutely delicious, thick yet silky. It was almost like a thick pudding crossed with the texture of flan. Perfect with the candied hazelnut pieces.Overall, great experience! I'd love to go back to try other items or to try their bottom floor.
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Amazing ambiance in the upper floor, with lots of plants
Amazing ambiance in the upper floor, with lots of plants and dried flowers, and probably a lot of natural light in the day time. Waitress was very prompt and attentive, and also left us with a complimentary local kiwi and cookies. The bigoli nero was high quality though a bit al dente for me. The lasagna and celery root ravioli were amazing, as well as the margherita pizza, desserts and drinks. Overall some of the best food I've had in a while.
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I've been to Che Fico twice, once with a large group which
I've been to Che Fico twice, once with a large group which was clearly going to be spending $$$ and once for my birthday with a smaller group where it was clearly a bit of a splurge. I loved the food and the service when I went with the first group: we ordered heavily and tried basically everything. The waiters and somm were fun and I had one of my best nights in SF. Just good vibes all around. I was super excited to come back for my birthday a few years later. However the service was so different and it really soured my opinion of Che Fico. Our waiter seemed to have decided we weren't going to be buying bottles or spending heavily and wrote us off/treated us quite poorly. I asked what was good or what we shouldn't miss and she said "well everything's great so..." To add to that we didn't order enough food so I had to order another pasta dish towards the end of the meal. When I asked for another pasta she said "which one!" Shamefully, I cannot name every pasta at Che Fico off the top of my head so she exasperatedly went to get a menu for me. To top it all off, she brought out candle on a tray with oranges which I thought was a little tacky for such an expensive restaurant. I genuinely enjoyed the food, but I really felt so shocked by the difference in service that I wouldn't recommend it to people anymore!
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Beautiful space, attentive service, and high quality
Beautiful space, attentive service, and high quality Italian food make it easy to see why Che Fico is so popular. We came for an early dinner on a Friday and got the octopus with pork belly appetizer, three pastas (note: they serve half portions of a few of the pastas), and the salsiccia pizza. Wasn't expecting to love the pizza as much as I did. Crust is charred and flavorful. Pastas and app were all very tasty, though none of them life changing. Fairly expensive for what you get but still a great meal all around.
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I really can't understand the 10% fee.
1/5 by
J K. on 03/03/2022
If there is a large group, I can understand but for everyone? That is just not right. Yes, the fees are for employees, but customers tip! YOU are the employers, you figure out how to pay your employees. Customers will tip employees to help out but putting responsibility of paying employees on us is just ridiculous!
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I was SO excited to try Che Fico, although apprehensive if
I was SO excited to try Che Fico, although apprehensive if they would have gluten-free options. Che Fico's atmosphere is excellent, fun music playing (I'm talking throwbacks like American Boy by Estelle, and lovely decor). The staff was amicable and attentive.The only area I found lacking was the price tag associated with the items I got. I shared a few plates with my vegetarian friend, and I have a gluten allergy. There were only about ~3 dishes we could share that fit this category (carrots, cheese, and polenta). After we had ordered, our waiter asked if we were hungry. Luckily, we had a big brunch that day, but it always makes me nervous whenever a waiter asks!The food was delicious, and the plating was lovely. I also loved my cocktail, the Satsuma. Unfortunately, though, I can't recommend this restaurant to someone who has a gluten allergy because the items were quite limiting. Most of the appetizers and small dishes can be made gluten-free, but if you're hoping to share with someone (as they recommend you do), it might be difficult if they also have some limiting factors in their diet. Recommend this spot if you're GF and just looking for a few small bites and a cocktail, though!
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One of the best Italian restaurants in the city! Love the
One of the best Italian restaurants in the city! Love the food and the staff! Frequent visitors of both Che Fico upstairs and downstairs!!!
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