Dolce & Salato

Favorite Italian brunch spot, 11 – 2 Saturday and Sundays… Also a great place for lunch any day of the week. Smoked salmon, bagels, and sandwiches are all excellent, very nice coffees as well.

Great coffee spot off the beaten track… meaning there are a lot fewer people nursing a single cup of coffee while hogging a table and bandwidth all day. Friendly staff. Two tables out front where you can eat with your dogs. We like coming here for wine with our pups. Usually an appetizer special.

I was forced to come to this part of the city once a week for seven months. I had very few options for good lunch or coffee spots. So, for the first month I was relegated to Dolce (until I discovered that just down the street there was a Peet’s and Noah’s Bagels). I made the poor decision of eating lunch here, which consisted of a very dull sandwich and what seemed like canned soup for close to $ 11. To top it off, the service was horrible.
Some D&S reviewers are wondering why this place has so many stars considering how terrible their experience was. I think I’ve discovered why. This little café is frequented by locals who are friendly with the owner (who I might add has a rather moody personality as well). The owner does a good job of remembering their orders and being particularly interested in them because they are regular customers. Unfortunately, he doesn’t extend that courtesy to everyone who enters his café. The food is also mediocre at best, with the exception of his homemade pastries.
I would recommend walking down to California St. and getting your coffee at Peet’s and your lunch at one of the other restaurants in that area. There’s also a much better italian café and cheese shop on the corner of California and Laurel St. Your stomach and wallet will thank you.

My new favorite bfast place. Dolce is local spot that is sweet and cute.
The menu is not that expansive, but what they did, they did well.
— Red Wine Poached Egg: A colorful dish with fresh arugula, proscuitto, and toast points. A nice and light bfast that is not the typical eggs and bacon deal.
— French Toast: Indulgent and sweet. While the first couple bites are good, this is not for someone who is into sweets.
— Coffee: They do a good french press coffee, so delish.
— Chocolate Chip Cookie: I couldn’t resist. The cookies were soft, but I believe were made with olive oil as they had that distinct taste to it.
Overall. This place is charming and good for a quiet low-​key breakfast. It’s not a rager mimosa place, and if you do plan on doing that, sit outside in the front. The indoor seating is strictly for those with quiet conversation or enjoying the Sunday paper.

My friend and I came here with a Groupon for brunch, and we had a really positive experience. Although the inside is rather unassuming and not what we expected for a brunch place (the seating area in the back is quite small and cramped), I loved how much prosciutto I saw on the menu! And for such reasonable prices! I am all about the prosciutto, and so I ordered their red wine poached eggs over prosciutto and arugula, with an heirloom tomato salad on the side.
I’ve never had red wine poached eggs, and while the purple color was a little off-​putting, they were extremely delicious! They did not skimp on the prosciutto, which won me over completely. The heirloom tomatoes were extremely fresh, and came with a lovely lemony/​olive oil dressing that let the wonderful heirloom flavor shine. My friend ordered the same thing and we were both so happy with the dish. It was filling but not heavy, which we appreciated because we’re both trying to be healthier. I also thought the mimosa was really refreshing and well-​balanced, and didn’t have a nasty champagne bite.
Even without the Groupon, I feel like their dishes are reasonably priced and feature very fresh, quality ingredients (and I know my prosciutto, so finding a place that incorporates quality prosciutto into their dishes is a big win for me). I’d definitely come back!

Literally nothing good about this place.
Service is slow/​kind of rude and the food is just weird.
When I came here I got the red wine poached eggs, which was supposed to come on focaccia bread, but instead came on a thick piece of french bread, which made my food really hard to eat. Also, the eggs were overcooked and it took a REALLY long time to get my food.
I also tried their latte which consisted of over-​steamed milk and burnt espresso.
My wife got a frittata, which was basically an overcooked puff of flavorless eggs.
I have no idea why this place has a decent rating. It is not good at all and it was a waste of my $ 30.

I came to Dolce and Salato today for lunch as past reviewers said the food was fantastic. Considering this restaurant has 4 stars on Unilocal I had high expectations that this small brunch café would be a knockout! Well, right when I walked in I was incredibly underwhelmed by the tiny and boring menu. Every lunch item was so mundane (chicken wrap, turkey sandwich etc.) and vague (is there anything else in a chicken wrap besides chicken?). Regardless, I ordered a chicken wrap with soup, took my number, and found a spot in the back.
The water was free and by the time a grabbed a glass and sat back down my food was brought out to me. The wrap was just alright (nothing standout) and my soup was luke warm. It seemed as though the soup was poured 10 minutes before I ordered. The food server/​cashier seemed incredibly uninterested in working today which created an awkward tension between us (in my honest opinion).
Despite the total being approximately $ 10.50, which is average for this part of the city, the portions were large. I wouldn’t come back to this restaurant and definitely don’t think people should go out of their way to come here either.

What a find — surprisingly good brunch food! Drink specials, plus cucumber water. I find cucumber water to be sooo refreshing.
The pancetta frittata was great, as were the red wine poached eggs.

I had a cup of coffee. Nice black coffee. It had a good chemistry with chocolate.
Small, homey, and cozy place. I asked my destination to a staff and she kindly helped me.

We tried Dolce & Salato because there was a LivingSocial deal offered. I’m pretty impulsive when it comes to discounted deals from LivingSocial, Groupon, etc. And with the 4-​star average for D&S on Unilocal,we gave this place a try for a weekend brunch.
We ordered two mimosas, one frittata, and one pizzetta. For the frittata, we opted for the one with pancetta, fontina cheese, caramelized onions, and rosemary. And for the pizzaetta, we chose the one with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, scrambled eggs.
The frittata was very salty, mainly from the pancetta. The deliciously cured pork wasn’t distributed evenly throughout the dish, so some bites were too salty and others too bland. I felt like there wasn’t enough cheese, but the eggs were nice and fluffy. Although the frittata looked huge when it arrived at the table, it wasn’t nearly as filling as I had hoped. The pizzetta was small, but the crust was nice and crispy. However, it got soggy quickly from the scrambled eggs. I thought they weren’t very generous with the cheese or tomatoes. Overall, I thought the food was just A-​OK and nothing special. Neither were very filling and definitely not worth the full price.
The staff is friendly, however food took at least 15 minutes to arrive at our table. This café is quiet and small, but it has a homey feel to it. There’s outdoor seating in the front of the café, and there’s a nice patio at the back (but you’re not allowed to sit out there, which is strange).

I frequented Dolce and Salato for lunch for 3 – 4 months this past summer. It’s got so much going for it: convenient, reasonably priced, and with great product as well as customer service.
Andrea, the owner is very friendly and even addresses you by name if you visit his shop often enough. He even remembers exactly what you order — a plus, especially when you’re in a rush. The shop itself is serene, quiet, and has a great view of the lush, sunlit garden out back. Very relaxing, especially during my lunch hour.
I usually order the ½ sandwich w/​soup or salad combo ($ 7.25). My sandwich of choice is always the Tacchino, a turkey sandwich with swiss and pesto on foccacia bread. It. Is. Divine. The Tacchino is light, and not to mention, healthy. It’s also perfect for avoiding the post-​lunch food coma. The caesar salad here is also tasty, made with a house special dressing. I’ve had their tomato and chicken soups — both of which were just as delightful.
Dolce and Salato is the best place to go if you’re looking for something quick and easy in the Laurel Heights area. Thanks to Andrea and his team for always being welcoming and serving awesome dishes!

Had a couple panini that were average. Ordered the tacchino and tuna salad on olive bread. The portions were about right; not huge, but not too small.
Both sandwiches came with either soup or salad, so I tried one of each. I enjoyed the spicy broccoli soup well enough. The Greca salad was OK: nicely dressed but didn’t have enough tomato, cheese, cucumber or olive for my taste. I observed the prep guy wailing away with a spoon in a mixing bowl before my order came up, so that can explain why the greens were kind of mangled.
I wasn’t in a rush, but I thought it took a little too long for my food to be ready, too. Also disappointing: The sandwiches were not hot, but flaccid, as if they’d not been pressed at all. That was a huge letdown.
Overall, while the ingredients seemed fresh, the flavors were a bit lacking. Skip, unless you’re starving and happen to be on that side of Sacramento St.

More like a «Fast Food» Brunch.
Saw a living social deal that said $ 17 (worth $ 34) for 2 Brunch Entrees and 2 Mimosas! I saw it and thought, «wow, what a deal!» and it was also in Presidio area which I wanted to check out. So my friend and I went, and found out our 2 brunch entrees and 2 mimosas turned out to be $ 42, so we had to pay the difference of $ 8 on top of my living social deal (since it said worth $ 34). $ 25 brunch for 2 is still good, but if you’re going to advertise, please put the CORRECT amount that brunch is worth! I felt scammed.
Anyway, I drank that tiny glass of mimosa (worth $ 7) to ease away my annoyance. Then the waiter comes up to us and says that they ran out of potatoes –_​_​– in my head I just kept thinking «your Unilocal stars are going lower and lower.» but good thing my friend was able to handle it more professionally.
The food was not bad.
Terra Cotta Poached Eggs $ 12: (3 stars) Bruschetta style bread with proscuitto, tomato, arugula, and poached egg. Poached egg was cooked nicely with the yolk yolky after breaking it. Proscuitto was a bit difficult to eat since it was hard to chew. It was an ok dish.

Baked Frittata $ 13: (3.5 stars) I tasted some of this and it was actually quite good, definitely better than my terra cotta. Cheesy, soft, good balance with meat (pancetta) and onion. But I only had bites of it, where my friend had the whole bowl and said after a while it got salty.
Menu:
OVERALL:
Not one I would recommend in the city since there are tons of restaurants to try in SF, but it’s a good for locals and those who want to visit Presidio area. Plus, this isn’t quite a «restaurant» to me. More like a fancy deli or café.

I am happy to report that my last visit to Dolce & Salato was a success! I came for brunch this time around (it starts at 11:00 a.m. on weekends); the place wasn’t super busy, but there were a few other people there.
My boyfriend and I ordered:
–Proscuitto, mozzarella, and egg croissant sandwich ($ 7.50): tasty and quite filling. My boyfriend was really full after eating this and we weren’t the least bit hungry until about 7 hours later. There is a nice fluffy, thick layer of egg and a generous amount of mozzarella too. They press the croissant in a panini press so that it has some grill marks, and it’s just tasty.
–Bacon, provolone, tomato, and egg croissant sandwich ($ 5.50): between the two sandwiches, I actually preferred this one. I just love the crispy bacon. Also very filling and tasty. Their croissants (from Il Fornaio, I believe, are perfectly flakey, and buttery). You get your choice of cheese too. The sandwich comes out hot and they slice it into two pieces so it’s easier to manage.
–Large coffee (about $ 2.50): it’s too bad that they don’t serve in in an actual mug (it came in a large paper cup), but that’s okay. They serve delicious french-​pressed Ritual coffee and bring you a side of cream or milk. They offer refills too! Which was a surprising plus.
The pricing is pretty fair, the place is cute, and the service is friendly. I think I’ll be back again.
Notes:
–Self serve water near the back.

We came here on google offer to try the brunch menu: namely mimosa Gloria Ferrier champagne from Sonoma, frittatas fresh out of oven eggs and terra cotta poached eggs with prociutto. First walk into the café/​bakery with back house nice seating bar, our impression is already great: beautiful colorful selection of salads and pastries, wine bottles and glasses, full selection of beer and even sake. This is already a neighborhood jewel bakery café with good brunch food.
And indeed the food is rich and good, and the champagne — very generous full glass pour. The poached egg was perfectly smooth and soft and well cooked (i personally worry about raw eggs a lot), and the frittata bold and interesting, served in a heavy duty brown pot/​plate that is hot and fresh out of the oven.
A minor mixed up, we never got the two coffees we ordered. And the bill after discount was still 17 dollars. Definitely on the more expensive side. I will probably still come back for the good food. If you want a substantial healthy brunch, this place is perfect.

A tiny café in quiet Laurel Heights that is perfect for catching up with a girlfriend or two. It’s definitely not the place for a group, since the tiny size of this place is an understatement.
I ordered the oven-​baked french toast with red wine caramel sauce, fresh berries, and mascarpone. What a treat! Although the portion since was massive and a sugar-​overload (I suggest splitting the dish and ordering something else on the side), it was very well made. With a crispy texture on the exterior, the inside was perfectly moist. Thumbs up for french toast that isn’t dried out!

They accepted my ScoutMob coupon. I tried the brunch menu. I tried the pizzetta and terracotta poached eggs. The pizzetta was the prosciutto Cotto, marinated artichoke hearts and steamed scrambled eggs. It was good, filling, and not greasy. It is three slices of thin crust pizza.
The terra-​cotta poached eggs came on a bruschetta style bread brushed with herb olive oil and topped with prosciutto and arugula served with a side of heirloom tomatoes. I really enjoyed this entrée. It was filling, and arugula and heirloom tomatoes tasted fresh. The poached eggs were cooked perfectly. The bruschetta style bread was crunchy and flavorful due the herb olive oil. I will definitely come to this place again. This a breakfast and lunch place. It does close early.

While visiting SF for business I met up with a friend who lives right across the street from this place in Presidio Heights. We strolled on over a little after 2 on a Saturday and unfortunately they had just closed. However, the server was super nice and said as long as we only wanted coffee drinks and the prepared pastries, she could serve us. Bonus points for excellent service right there!
The coffees (mocha, latte) were both what we expected, but I also had a delicious and large florentine cookie.
Normally I’d say this is a 4-​star coffee/​pastry joint but for being so excellent in the service department I’ll bump it to 5!

My friend and I came here with a Scoutmob discount which gave us 50% our meal. This was a real deal considering we only paid about $ 9 – 10 for two side salads and 2 full size panini sandwich.
My friend got the Cesar side salad which he thought was nothing special. My arugula salad was tasty but also fairly plain with some parm shaved on top. We also got the eggplant and pepper panini on foccacia which my friend said was good but the bread was a little dry. I got the Soprressata & Mozzarella panini on ciabatta. For a panini that would have been originally almost $ 10 I would have liked a less skimpy sandwich. Mine was just dotted with mozzarella and the bread was a little overwhelming compared to its contents.
Overall, it was a pleasant lunch and the guy behind the counter (the owner?) was very nice. I would come back with another Scoutmob discount.

Located in the midst of mommy and me central — this cute little coffee/​sandwich shop HAS be good to please this set. From outside, it looks tiny, but the narrow ordering area actually extends back to a decent sized seating area that is not readily seen. There’s even an outdoor back area that looks very inviting on a sunny day.
I ordered the spice chai latte and egg salad sandwich. I had my choice of soup or salad with my sandwich and opted for the arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette. My sandwich was extremely good — I especially liked that they put a nice gourmet mustard in the egg salad mix that enhanced the flavor. Overall, very pleased with lunch at Dolce & Salato.