Perbacco and Barbacco Restaurants Review

Great Italian restaurant in San Francisco. Pasta is delicious every single time. The salads are inventive and the ambience is beautiful. Especially great at Christmas!

The food was very good and they brought it very quickly. The bar staff was very attentive and the price was reasonable all things considered. Would eat here again.

really enjoyed. prefix course and gelato was very nice

Expensive, but just plain delicious. My old manager who is Italian said it was the best Italian food she's had since moving to the States. Perfectly cooked fish, delicious homemade pasta, very friendly staff, great wine list. I ate here on an expense account, so I can't complain, but I it was pricier than I would normally go for. Still, the food was special. The atmosphere is an older financial district crowd. We were the rowdiest crew there, but no one seemed to mind.

definitely one of the finest modern northern italians in the city. love the fresh pastas, great italian wine list (with some reasonable bottles), creative appetizers ( i always have such a hard time choosing), and professional wait staff. just hope you can make your way through the 4 and 5 deep after work/singles crowd at the bar on your way to your table!

Excellent. Reasonable prices - great wine selection!

A consistent favorite of mine for food, cocktails, and service.

Service was outstanding and excellent for a business lunch. Pastas are always freshly made and great

A great place for lunch in the heart of San Francisco financial district. A great variation of tasteful Italian dishes on the menu and they were just as good as the menu indicated. Service was professional and agreeable. A place to visit!

Outstanding food. Service was a bit slow due to Covid but the food was excellent.

Really some of the best pasta in San Francisco. The cocktails are outstanding and the wine list is nothing to be sniffed at.
It can get crowded, so book a table.

I have been frequenting Perbacco quite regularly for the past 3 years both for business and personal meals. This week I dined there two times. I found the food to have taken a rapid decline in it s quality. There has always been numerous complaints of excessive acoustical issues but the restaurant fails to make any modifications. The sommeliers I found to be stagisti (interns) as I was not given adequate information about wine selections. My meal of yesterday evening was a special occasion which I had chosen to specifically dine at Perbacco only to have it become unpleasant by a rude primary server.

Grazie e arrivederci

To follow up on my prior review above, I had a few conversations with the proprietor of Perbacco in which the proprietor had graciously invited us back to dine at his restaurant to remedy the previous dining experience. We accepted his offer and dined there just a few days before Christmas. The atmosphere of the restaurant was giovial and lively. We had replicated our meal from our previous dinner and I am pleased to say from the flavors to the presentation the food exceeded our expectations. Along with this we had an exceptional server in Heather who was knowledgable and attentive. With this note I would like to say we have re-found our 'go to' Italian restaurant that offers us hints of the 'old country'
Thank you Perbacco and see you soon. Buon Anno!!!!

Loved it, very busy but service and food were amazing.

One of the best restaurants in San Francisco. Italian cuisine and especially excellent seafood. Personally I'm a huge fan of their squid ink pastas. Service is always quick and good. The prices are pretty reasonable too. They have valet parking as well.

Pretty solid tapas-ish place - small plates, good Spanish/Italian flavors.

delicious food. very professional and warm staff. excellent wine list. clean. a bit noisy.

We made an amazing tasting menu out of appetizers and pasta dishes. With flavor profiles that go far beyond regional Italian, they are kicking out some complex and wonderful dishes that bring in elements of umami and Asian notes. Every dish from the veal tartare to the semifreddo had at least one unexpected and delightful element.

Not the type of place I normally go to. Then again I'm not some executive who meets with other execs. This is just another really fancy cafeteria for rich business people.

I was taken to this restaurant for lunch by my new employer. So it wasnt my choice. But the group seemed to enjoy it.

The menu is very limited. I imagined Chef Gordon Ramsey twisting the restaurant's owner's arm to scale the menu down to a few specialties.

If you're like me, a vegan who has gluten intolerance issues this is probably not where you'd want to find yourself.

Could i have gotten a salad? Sure! If i didnt get the dressing and cheese and the meat protein it would come with it.

So I went for the vegan pasta with a simple tomato sauce. Why not the Gluten free pasta you might wonder?? Because the server was nice enough to share that it contained egg. Whew!
They also offered roasted potatoes but I didn't order that because I noticed in someone else's order that they were too oily.

The rest of the table ordered the risotto, the stake, (which came sliced and with a few roasted potatoes scattered on the plate), calamari, some poor animal's shank... don't know lamb or pork.

The decor is nothing extraordinary. To me what stood out more was the vibe that the managers are trying to create: just another high end restaurant where business people can go and talk whilst not paying any attention to the food.

I should say that people seem to enjoy their food. But this is definitely not my kind of place to go ever, unless they dedicated some time to create at least one awesome vegan and gluten free friendly dish that would be worth the average $25 per dish.

Upscale place that feels more like a steakhouse. Very appropriate for a business lunch or dinners. Pleasantly surprised and will return!!

great place for shared plates and great staff who are friendly and knowledgeable.

Went there for lunch. I am in love with their pesto saurce and their desserts. We tried 5 dishes, all were very nicely prepared and with great flavors. 2 were a bit salty for my taste, but who cares when you're in love :) oh and the service was excellent.

WOW. Hands down the best meal I've had in this town since I've been here. The food is superb and the service even better. I'll be back here next time for sure!!

Great service and delicious seafood. Get the scallops!

Pretty good good. Eye for detail regarding dietary restrictions could be better.

Great Italian restaurant for a nice date night! The ambiance and service are both phenomenal. We made reservations about a week in advance, which I would recommend doing as nicer restaurants in San Francisco have a tendency to get booked up quick.

We got the following:

CARNE CRUDA - Delicious tartare that's a great appetizer before the pastas. It's a decent portion, so I'd suggest sharing if you get it.

PAPPARDELLE - this is probably one of the most delicious pastas I've had. HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting this one. There's a reason this is their most popular dish. The texture is the perfect amount of chewiness, and the slow cooked short rib ragu really adds a lot of flavor to the thin pappardelle pasta.

TAJARIN - This one was good too, but just not my taste. It's a lighter pasta that has less meat than the pappardelle. If you don't want anything too heavy, then go with the Tajarin.

Overall, a great place that is worth checking out for a nice date or a special occasion! Oh and just a heads up, the squid ink pasta that we saw on yelp (and part of the reason we wanted to eat here) isn't on their menu.

Classy. Terrific food. The duck dish was awesome. Excellent service.

My friend and I recently stumbled upon Perbacco. RIght away, we were greeted with lovely service and a beautiful decor. I am still dreaming about the risotto I had!

I love Perbacco! The thin crust and deep dish pizzas are equally delicious, and they're very accommodating about customizing the toppings or doing half and half. Pro tip: go after work on Monday or Tuesday to enjoy happy hour ( $4-5 beers and wines) all the way up to 9:30 PM.

The duck is amazing, served two different styles on the same dish.

Went here for a dinner date on a Friday night. I was glad I made reservations in advance, because there was a 30-45 minute wait otherwise.

The service and the ambience were nice but my guest and I found the place slightly overpriced for the main dishes (quail and rabaton respectively). Overall, we were glad we came here but probably won't be back.

One caveat: the burrata appetizer was the best burrata dish I've ever had! I really love cheese, so I might consider coming back just for that.

Good food. Service was slow and ambience boring old school.

Ok spot for tasty Italian food. staff is always nice even when they have a full house. the place has a great atmosphere. menu is similar to a restaurant in jacksonville i loved.

The great Italian powerhouse of San Francisco. Pasta dishes can be amazing. The most interesting Italian wine list by the glass in town.

I was in San Francisco with a friend visiting and found this restaurant in a online search. The food was incredible and the service was superb. The prices were fair and the atmosphere was extremely pleasant. I have already told several friends about this restaurant and I will definitely go back.

It is white truffle season! Had two dishes with freshly shaved white truffle, the Carne Cruda and Risotto, mmmmm...... smelled really good! Perbacco specializes in flavors from the Italian regions of Piemonte and Liguria. Everything was delicious! Too dark in there to take good pictures!

Once a year they do an Italian inspired Passover Seder using Joyce Goldsteins recipies. Joyce is there. In general, excellent food and service.

Some of the best bar dining of you are in Financial District. Easy to grab a solo seat. Great bar staff.

Fancy place. Food was pretty filling and great. I loved the basil flavor. The bread was rather cold and they gave us breadsticks for starters.

Always a reliable place for fabulous food, fun cocktails and really good wine. Service is impeccable. And I m confident everything will go well with Umberto making his way around the floor.

Took our reservation for 6 persons but told us our table is not available. Very bad and irresponsible reservation staff. No service and no apologies from restaurant staff.

Great service. Good selection of alcoho. Food is good but wouldn't call it great. Would definitely go back though.

I love this place. All the food was amazing!! I had the octopus and salad for appetizer. The Octopus was very tender. I had black and white pasta. It was very yummy. The price is reasonable. Everybody was friendly and smiling except server. Maybe he had something going on with him. For sure I will back for next time because of their food

Had the Garganelli and easily had the most loved dish at the table. Perfectly savory which a touch of sweetness. Delicious duck pasta.

very elegant and good service but the kitchen is not very Italian - I did not like the pasta a bit overcooked and the sauce not the best but certainly the American public will be fine ..

This is that fu fu Italian food. You'll find no Chicken Carbonara here. Ravioli? Nope. They call it Raviora. Also they only tease you by giving an aoili paste and breadsticks until you order before they dish out the delicious delicious bread rolls. Whatever the case may be. The food for that kind of high end Italian was still enjoyable. I got the Papperdelle. It's a stroganoff kind of noodle simmered in a sweet short rib ragu. Very delicious. My sister's had the halibut (not bad), the beef cheek and veggies (it was alright), and the gnocchi (pretty good).

Definitely loses points on the desert. Ever order a cake and get crumbs thrown on the plate? Well that happens here. I guess it's avant garde but they throw pieces of cake on a plate (and the cake is dry) and then give you a yummy mouse with a chocolate frozen web. Points for creativity but come on. Give me a slice of moist cake. Loss of points for execution. It isn't a cheap place by the way but still pretty good! Give it a shot!

Great food and service! Although, so crowded & noisy at lunch hour, it was difficult to hear our conversation. No free or easy parking, but worth it for the delicious, beautiful meals.

Love their pasta! Service is spot on, bartender is great! But on the pricey side but I keep coming back

Generous portion with excellent service. Price is reasonable too!

I was surprised by how large the restaurant was, with a bunch of different seating options. Two stories, open and airy, with some booths, round tables, and several private rooms. The crowd was mostly older, nicely dressed.

Service was good. Water glasses refilled, share plates and utensils replenished between courses, good level of detail provided when we asked about dishes, wine recommendations given and a small taste provided before committing.

The pastas arrived crazy fast. They were clearly all made with fresh, handmade pasta, but across the board I felt that they were overcooked. None could have been described as al dente. Perhaps that was the intended style? The sauces also weren't particularly great. And they arrived rather lukewarm. They weren't bad exactly, certainly edible, but were disappointing, and I wouldn't order any of them again. The dessert however was delicious. Value was good, the serving sizes generous for very moderate prices.

Open Mondays, always a plus.

This place is great! Affordable pricing, large dishes and the employees are regularly very kind.

Deeply delightful pastas, fantastic main dishes, great bar too.

Friendly staff, food was presented quickly and was very tasty!

Consistently good food and service. I've been going there for 20 plus years.

Just "wow!"

Really, just go. Prix fixe with wine pairing. Delicious. Best service I've had in years.

Such a memorable night.

Diverse mix of classic and inventive Italian.

Good service at the bar.

I had the gnocchi and they were delicious. The service was excellent as well. The place and service are on the fancy side. I loved it. Not giving 5 stars because they didn't have reasonable priced wines.

Incredibly slow and inadequate service. The food was good.

As noted by other reviewers, the service here is poor. The tables are too close together. The menu is limited. It took almost an hour to get our entrees. I ordered a pizza and my wife ordered the pork chop. The pizza had very little sauce and a few pieces of pepperoni. My mom's pork chop had little flavor. To top it off they charge you $3.00 for bread.

Good Italian food with very large wine selection. It was not packed for lunch the Friday we went which was great for a last minute meeting/lunch.

Outstanding scene for quality Italian food. I love snacking here. Looking forward to a return visit.

Great food and amazing service. The place can get a little loud.

The food was amazing, everything was perfectly prepared. We we're in the upstairs dining room and it was a very nice and relaxing environment.

Great food, excellent service. Unique decor even for San Francisco.

Food is good, ambiance is nice but food is a little expensive for what you're getting.

Notes: Great location, great service and good for large groups, delicious food

I would say the 4 stars is pretty accurate! I came here with part of a professional group and they gave us a private room.

The service was great! We got a set dinner for the event, and we got Market Greens, a choice of a main course (I got filet mignon) and also apple crostata for dessert.

I absolutely loved the main, though the steak was a bit more cooked than requested (medium rare) but the spatzel was really good, lots of flavour in the sauce. The dessert was also delicious, the crostata came with a scoop of ice cream which blended in well with the pastry since it was crispy and flaky.

The service was really good and everything came on time. I would recommend other large groups to host their dinner here!

italian food at this spot - great. You won't be disappointed in the menu and service. There was quick, helpful, and friendly service.

An amazing northern Italian restaurant. One of my favorites. Wonderful good, great service and extensive wine selection. My go to place for special occasions.

Good service and food was nice. Would visit again when visit SFO downtown next time.

Everything was delightful here, from the wonderfully attentive and prompt service, to the delicious breads and pesto, to the main meal. The varied menu meant that our meat-eaters weren t limited to pastas for their main course, and the pasta eaters enjoyed the novel combinations and delicious flavors of their creative offerings. The desserts were fabulous as well- very clever combinations of wonderful flavors. This is a warm, inviting place to enjoy marvelous food in a comfortable, unpretentious but gracious environment. LOVED IT!!!

Went here for my company Christmas party, I was a bit underwhelmed. The food was overpriced and not particularly interesting or flavorful. I think there were a lot of better restaurants in the area for the price.

Great place to spoil yourself and your special one with a nice wine from Piedmont and some really tasty treats. On the pricier side and a bit loud, but good value overall.

My favorite San Francisco Italian restaurant, by far. This is not a red-checked tablecloth spot, but rather a sleek, modern space that (unfortunately) is usually VERY noisy. Worth it for the food. Favorite dish: agnolotti dal plin, which sounds sort of plain, but is absolutely delicious. All the pastas are excellent.

Everything was very tasty. The panna cotta dessert was one of the best desserts I've ever had.

italian food, mmm, excellent. Super savory. The staff was very kind and attentive.

Had dinner with my daughters on 12/14. Overall experience was fine. On the fence on whether or not I d go back, mostly because of the good to not so good ratio.

What was good:
- Fritto misto (nice sized serving, too).
- Baby beets
- Beef cheek
- Desserts (chocolate sorbetto, creme fraiche gelato, lime torta)

What was fine:
- Raviora (wasn t great, wasn t bad, was fine)
- The service. Was a little slow at times. Waited a while for order to be taken, then took a while longer to get water. Staff was very pleasant and attentive when they were around. Not a dealbreaker by any means. There is probably someone else who would say they enjoyed the leisurely pace.

What wasn t so good
Agnolotti Dal Plin (pinched pasta filled with roasted meats and vegetables), oh my gosh was it salty. It s been over 4 hours and I m still thirsty. Many years ago my daughter was helping make the mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. She went to shake some salt into the potatoes, someone hadn t attached the lid of the salt shaker very well, the lid came off and the entire shaker of salt got poured into the mashed potatoes. It tasted like the same thing happened to the pasta. All three of us tried it and agreed, so it s not just me.

The beef cheek came with polenta. The polenta was just meh. It was kind of lumpy and doughy, rather than creamy. And the portion was tiny. Like about a tablespoon. No joke. Polenta is not a high cost item, should have had a larger portion relative to what else was on the plate.

Pasta was excellent - with duck ragu. Short ribs were delicious! Citrus fennel salad was so good. We had a wonderful meal - four of us here for business. This place has a lovely dining room. Service was top-notch - everyone was attentive, engaging, professional. Just a great place all around.

Good appetizers , Very nice salads , Excelent pastas , Good service . ! Always great . Thanks

Went there once and it was fabulous. The setting and food was great! Lunch or dinner...great place to go! Went there for a lunch meeting and will recommend this place to any one who enjoys Italian food

I had a wonderful time in this place. We loved the amazing vibes and the menu. The staff members are super attentive. I m glad we finally managed to try this restaurant.