A16

(Marina)
2355 Chestnut St.  
415-771-2216 Map it
www.a16sf.com

E + D Award Winner
$$$
Italian
business lunch, dine at the bar, lunch, notable wine list, open kitchen, romantic

2008 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best First Date
2007 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best Sommelier (Shelley Lindgren)

SCENE: Ever-packed, this Chestnut Street Neapolitan restaurant is one of the city’s most beloved. Reservations aren’t easy to come by, but they’re essential. Some of the best seats in the house are at the marble bar in back, where red-cheeked patrons toast themselves by the heat of the wood–fired pizza oven and get a great view of the action.

EATS: Chef Nate Appleman is one of the darlings of the SF food scene, and fans of his rustic Italian fare crowd the restaurant nightly. Bianca pizza emerges with a thin, crackery crust, topped with mozzarella and grana padano cheeses, chilies, olives and basil, all doused with a generous pour of olive oil, another pie comes topped with greens and house-made sausage. Pair a pizza with any of the rustic entrées, such as thick, handrolled pasta napped in tomato sauce or pork shoulder braised with red peppers, onions and rosemary. Ask the staff for help selecting a bottle of wine from the all–Italian wine list, filled with unusual varietals, hand–selected by sommelier Shelley Lindgren.