Flour + Water

We had a great experience here last week. We tried the February 6^th pasta menu tasting and loved it. There were a few misses but overall the pasta was absolutely delicious.
salsify tortelli with black garlic — absolutely amazing with the brown butter sauce.
chitara with spot prawn, romanesco, calabrian chili & meyer lemon — i thought this was really tasty in a butter lemon sauce. a bit on the spicy side.
hen cannelloni with parsnip & charred leek relish — may have been the best one we have tried. reminded me of a chicken enchilada :)
suckling pig tortellini in brodo — this was quite nice on a cold evening, surprisingly light as the pork servicing is quite small in the tiny tortellini.
kale & short rib agnolotti with blue foot mushroom — this was also delicious but by the time we got to this dish, i was absolutely stuffed.
Overall food was excellent, service was as good as it gets and atmoshphere was relaxed but lively at the same time. Will definitely be back.

I absolutely loved this place so much, that I bought the cookbook!
This place was really great, with al dente pasta and pizza. I definitely liked the atmosphere of this Mission joint. I would recommend if going with a group, to order an entrée each with a pizza to share.

Flour + Water is an upscale Italian restaurant in the Mission. If you walk in without a reservation, you’ll be waiting a while, as they are ALWAYS busy, so it’s best to make a reservation.
Their pastas is what makes this place great. They are all very complex and unique. With quality ingredients and creative combinations. This place is Northern Italian… so you won’t find any lasagna or spaghetti with meatballs.
Their sourdough bread is also incredible. And they have a great drink menu. I wouldn’t go for their pizza’s though. While I appreciate their pizza menu because everything looked delicious… the pizza’s were very soggy. It was hard to pick up a slice without it flopping down and all the toppings sliding off. So I had to cut it with my fork and eat it that way. I wouldn’t get their pizza’s again. You’re better off going to Tony’s if you want great pizza.

Flour + Water was a excellent meal. We went with a group of 4 and had 4 different pastas. All of them were unique and beautifully cooked in their own way. I don’t even like squid ink pasta usually, but the one from Flour + Water had be grabbing seconds. The portions weren’t the biggest, so we also got a margarita pizza to share. That was thin as a pancake and pretty uneventful. It had all of us reaching for the chili flakes, and even then it lacked any flavor. We also got the beets on the side, along with the pork as as app, both just ok.
The dessert was fantastic. We had the panna cotta and chocolate mouse. The panna cotta was more of a flan, but regardless it was delicious.
One complaint, they only have one shared bathroom, which is extremely dimly lit and always has a line. Also since it’s shared and with a line, its quite messy and so dark you can barely see around.

Flour + Water is a great upscale, if a little pretentious, Italian restaurant. Dishes like their ravioli stuffed with pork and their cauliflower bake are excellent, and are uniquely their own. Their pizza is just alright though — its thin crust and artisinal ingredients work well enough, but restaurants like Pizzaiolo and Una PIzza Napoletana do more with their pizza.
Go for their specialties.

Had my wife’s birthday dinner here the other night (Saturday). I made reservations via OpenTable. We did not even have to wait for a minute to be seated. We had: beet mezzaluna with pistachio & green garlic, fennel frond garganelli with braised pork shoulder,
blood orange & chard and the margherita pizza. The pastas were amazing– flavor combo, texture & presentation. We found the margherita pizza, although made thin crusted, to be too doughy and not enough flavor from the tomato sauce. Overall, Flour + Water is so worthy going to.

We’ve been here twice and it’s a fun little place, feels very «San Francisco.» I love the squid pasta– not something that you see on many menus and it is made very well here. I also love the roasted beets– if you know me then you know that roasted beets are a staple in my everyday life. The staff was friendly and helpful, bringing everything pretty quickly. I would love to come back and try the pasta tasting! What a fun idea! Pricy, but that’s just SF.

Flour and Water had been on our list of «must-​try» pizza/​pasta places for what seems like ages.
Service was super friendly and on-​point, but the food just didn’t live up to the hype and rave reviews.
Patata pizza came recommended by our server but was way too salty and barely edible (choked down one slice while guzzling water), whereas the cauliflower gratin was disappointingly flavorless and bland. The saving grace was the $ 20 cresta di gallo pasta with smoked hen, escarole, and duck confit — that was absolutely delicious and one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had anywhere (that dish and the service earned the 3 stars)
In summary — remember to request the complimentary bread and olive oil (served warm and very yummy), skip the pizza, and order the pasta.
Dessert (chocolate budino) was nothing to write home about, but hey, it’s chocolate — it was rich and creamy and did the job :)

This place is so popular, we tried to book a reservation for 2 people a month in advance and we could only get a reservation for 10:30pm. I can now see why this place is so popular — the food is incredible. We ordered the Margherita pizza to share, and I ordered the ravioli. The portion was a little small, but the pasta was delicious. You could really taste the beef, the lemon zest, and the mushroom. For dessert, we had a polenta cake with strawberry sorbet. I’ve never had polenta in a dessert but the texture was very pleasant and the cake had the perfect amount of sweetness. I would come back to Flour + Water and try to book an earlier reservation next time.

Flour + Water was once a hip restaurant, but it’s located in an isolated part of the city and their pizza is just ok. There are too many good pizza places in S.F. Pasta dish are quite good here.
Server named Kim (with short light brown hair) was rude, maybe she was having a bad day.
She asked my husband if he wants anything to drink. She didn’t even look at me once and walked away. I wanted to get a glass of wine, but I didn’t feel like beg for her attention. We thought it was odd that she didn’t ask me.
When she was taking an order, again, she only communicated with my husband.
She took my plate away while I was eating. She didn’t ask if it’s ok to take it away. I was holding a fork and still chewing. Her act was so fast that I couldn’t stop her.
She occasionally asked my husband if food is good, again didn’t look at me once.
When I handed her my credit card, suddenly she could see me and started to talking to me (thank you blah blah.).

High-​quality Italian experience all around. We started with a delicious salsiccia pizza, which packed lots of pork sausage, Calabrian chili, capers, lamb quarters, and fontina cheese onto a thin crust. Entrees were absolutely yummy too, whether a mixed roast of pork with corn and king trumpet mushrooms, or a tajarin pasta dish with brown butter braised giblets and sunflower crumble. A sinful chocolate budino with espresso cream and sea salt helped round things out.
Service was professional and obliging too. I can’t imagine why anyone would frequent old-​school Italian restaurants in North Beach when there are so many modern Italian places like this throughout the city that are more in tune with the times.

It took forever for my friend and I to get a reservation here. We settled for a 9:30 reservation on a Monday a month in the future because it was not working out to keep checking for open tables every week.
I was initially disappointed because they didn’t have their gnocchi that I’d been dying to try. Be fore warned, the menu is ever changing. What is online is merely a sampling. They may or may not have those items. I got a totally forgettable pasta served by a rude bartender. At this point I was less than impressed. THEN the game changed. She brought out a tasting plate of a pasta with lobster mushrooms. It was amazing! I was literally mopping the buttery sauce off of the plate with no shame. So yummy!
Flour + Water is in the Mission, but its off of the main streets so it is still a possibility to get parking (amazing, I know!) The restaurant is small, but they are aware of the demand. The host was absolutely wonderful. I picked up a couple of the signed cookbooks to give to friends as gifts and enjoyed a glass of wine while waiting for our table. We ended up being seated at the bar, which was fine for us since it meant we got to watch the chefs tossing the pizzas. The pizzas looked so good as we were watching that I ordered one to go so that I could take it home to the husband. I’ll be honest, I inhaled half of it in the car. It was just like the pizza we had in Naples. I love Delfina, but this one was more authentic.
Overall, the experience was pretty incredible. My husband is jealous that I went so we are reserving our table now to go together!

*Let me begin with this: the company was amazing. My friends get Sensative about my Unilocal reviews when we eat out. Don’t worry, I love every moment in your company.
I’ve been wanting to eat here for a while. These are the rumors I heard.
1. In 2011, Flour + Water was said to have the most attractive staff in SF.
Rebuttal: perhaps? Our wait staff was friendly and helpful, I cannot recall if I was frothing at the mouth.
2. They have the best pasta in SF.
Rebuttal: the name is Flour + Water. If you can’t do pasta, bread or a biscuit, then you have bigger problems than a Unilocal review.
I think it’s fair that I gave them 3 stars. The four of us had a reservation, you get a plus for keeping a table open for a reservation (mind you, we made it a month ago).
I’ll complain a bit that I had to make the reservation a month ago, but only because I would have ended up giving you 3 stars. Chicken or the egg situation.
The wine was great. Superb server who allowed us to try the bottle we chose and offered an alternative to try.
Pizza, only get it as an appetizer. We got the salumi. It was good but not great. I had forgotten about it the moment I finished the last bite.
Four people are four different pastas. The veal carpa-​somthing: it was ok. I’d say it was second best in the list. The portion was somewhat small. The veal was over cooked in the pasta. The sauce was slight flavorless.
The hen pasta: totally off putting. The combo of shredded poultry and macaroni-​ish pasta. It just wasn’t a textural match.
Meat balls and olive pasta: quite good. The meat balls were phenomenal. Pasta was mediocre, olives were… well, olives. Love them or hate them, they’re overpowering.
Mustard seed parpadelle: wow. I totally spelled that wrong. You get the gist. This was a rockstar dish. The portion was perfect. It was strange but delicious. Such a combo with the beef, pasta and pickled mustard seed. Hands down, a 5-​star dish on a 3-​star menu.
Prices were reasonable despite the hype. Would eat there again, but only to order the mustard seed pasta. Otherwise, opt for 3.5-star pasta at home.

I can’t believe it doesn’t have at least 4 stars! I’ve always wanted to try this place cause of the great things I’ve heard and it’s definitely not a disappointment. I came here on a Monday and it wasn’t too crowded but the only open seats were the bar, so we ended up sitting there.
The bar server was awesome. The wine was perfectly temperated and the suggestions of meals was on point, especially the pastas. Their pizza is pretty good and tasteful. They are also known for their pastas and definitely recommend the ones that I listed below. BOMBDOTCOM.
— margherita — san marzano, fior di latte, basil & extra virgin olive oil
— gargati with smoked hen, cardoon & meyer lemon
— pappardelle with braised pork shoulder, savory, pear & pickled mustard seed
— cappellacci dei briganti with beef polpettini, romanesco & castelvetrano olive

Consider this Margherita pizza:
You see how all the ingredients are pooled in the center like a used menstrual pad? I can’t imagine that it would be so difficult to spread out the toppings. With each slice I felt like I only had a tiny splatter of cheese and sauce followed by ten bites of crust. The dough also tasted a little too yeasty for my liking. I’ve definitely had better.
The pasta was amazing though. The excellent agnolotti made up for the shortcomings of the pizza. Next time I’ll skip the pizza and go straight for the pasta tasting.
3.5 stars.

I came here for the pasta tasting menu and it was quite an experience. One will be very full after this meal so come hungry.
Even though this is one of my favorite places in SF, the pastas are still not at the level of restaurants like Babbo or Del Posto in NYC. Some of the pasta are a bit too al Dente. I would probably recommend not doing the pasta tasting menu instead just order one or two a la carte.
Out of the five pastas, the rabbit raviolini with heirloom tomato and shishito pepper and the orechiette with duck Ragu (which is usually on the regular menu) are the best. Bursting with favors. Super tender meat. The ricotta tortelletti was not great, fell flat on the taste — would not recommend.
Still a treat. And worth going once a lifetime.

I had bookmarked Flour + Water for a long time and finally had the chance to go last night with 3 other people. Reservations are ridiculously hard to get, so be prepared to either wait for a long time or try and snag one at least a month in advance!
The environment is fairly spacious and in a cool location adjacent to its sister restaurant Central Kitchen, Salumeria, Sightglass, and other SF eateries. It was a tad dark (I only complain because I wanted better IG pics!) but the atmosphere was pleasant and not too loud.
Between the 4 of us we opted for four different pastas, a salad, seasonal duck dish, and the chocolate budino. I was quite impressed by all of the pasta, which had interesting seasonal flavors and good al dente texture. It’s hard to recommend dishes here as they literally change on almost a daily basis. I would definitely recommend going with several people so you can try different pastas.
My go-​to for pasta in SF will always be SPQR, but I don’t regret going to Flour + Water at all. I may even go back and try the pasta tasting which is $ 70/​person.

An absolutely thrilling meal.
First of all, it was pretty awesome we were able to get a reservation at 9pm (!!) on a Wednesday. It’s on a lonely corner, but already from the outside, you can tell this is going to be a great meal. The stylish wooden sign with the simple name of the place gives it away.
The inside has your standard modern wooden beams with inset lighting and a faux-​rustic look. It is in the Mission, after all.
We really really really wanted to try the Prix Fixe menu, which had a delicious and interesting concoction of delicious pastas, seafood, and meats. However, we just weren’t up for it tonight. Instead, we tried…
1. Padron pepper rigatoni with braised pork shoulder and spring onion: Wow. The pasta was done to perfection. The pork was melt in our mouth soft and flavorful. Not too salty. Beautiful dish.
2. Mixed roast of pork with douglas fir, chanterelle mushroom, and brussel sprouts: Is there anything in the name of this dish that you wouldn’t have in a heartbeat? 5-​star dish. The pork was done to perfection. The central slices were medium-​well done, and the sides had fatty slices that were just amazing. This was over perfectly cooked mini-​brussel sprouts and a smattering of the cute little mushrooms.
3. Baked shelling beans with kale pesto, fior di latte, pancetta, and breadcrumb: This was a small side. It’s a good and very creative dish. I would not have expected these ingredients to go well together, but they did. The pesto gave it a nice flavor and the breadcrumb a crunchy texture, which was a great contrast to the softer consistency of the baked beans.
4. Chocolate budino with espresso cream and sea salt: We actually had to order two desserts because the main courses were so phenomenal. MUST TRY! Best chocolate budino I’ve ever had. The consistency and richness of the dark chocolate is mind-​boggling. The light cream on top and a sprinkling of sea salt made this a sinful treat.
5. Sweet corn bonet with caramel corn and blackberries: We weren’t sure what to expect with this, but we were glad we ordered it. Such a creative combination, presented beautifully. The flan tasted like a regular amazing flan at first bit, but toward the end of the taste experience, the creamed corn came through. The crunch of the caramel corn was a great addition.
Overall, the ambience and quality of the food was second to none. Prices were reasonable. Make sure you get a reservation. Try their pasta tasting menu! My biggest regret of the night.

I was not expecting much based on its 3.5 star Unilocal average, but these other reviewers are crazy because flour + water is RIDICULOUSLY good. In just one meal, it has easily earned its place on my list of San Francisco favorites.
I arrived around 6 PM and was told it would be a 1.5 hour wait for 2. We ended up walking around the Mission until 7, when we got a text letting us know that a spot was available at the communal table, and they would hold the table for us for 10 minutes.
We ordered two pastas and a pizza to share among the two of us. I was not super hungry even when the meal started, and by the end, I was ridiculously full – we probably would’ve been better off ordering one pasta and one pizza given how much we had already eaten earlier in the day, but #noregrets because then I would have had to give up one of the pastas, and I would have seriously missed out.
We had the 1) tonnarelli cacio e pepe, 2) strozzapreti with braised pork, spring onion &
gypsy pepper, and 3) uovo pizza (mangalitsa tessa, stracciatella, padroncini
& farm egg). Those were copied and pasted from the menu. Honestly, I have no idea what half of these words mean. But in this next paragraph, I will describe them to the best of my ability.
1) This cacio e pepe was amazingly simple and sophisticated at the same time. The cheeses they chose for this dish complemented each other beautifully. Our server described it as an elegant mac and cheese. GET THIS.
2) This was delicious as well. The noodles had an incredible texture – they were perfectly al dente.
3) OH MY GOD. THIS PIZZA WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD. The dough was so soft, airy, and just perfectly undercooked. The flavors on this pizza were insane. I could write love songs about that runny egg yolk.
Ignore the 3.5 average. flour + water is a must!

Dear god I was underwhelmed with this place. I really wanted to like it but bloop. Put our names down at 5:45 on a Tuesday and it was popping so we had to wait a good half hour or so. We could not be seated until everyone was there. If you do communal table and your last friend comes later, there is a chance that they wont get seated. They are pretty strict about this stuff. I wanted to try the pasta tasting for $ 70 but Im sorta glad I didnt anymore bloop
1) Squid ink pasta shell– the pasta was tough and was quite bloopy. I cant describe it but I wouldnt get it again. I always search for squid ink even though it doesnt taste like anything but man it does not do it justice.
2) Stradette with yellow corn, huitlacoche &perigord truffle– this is just a no. No. I do not like. This had a weird sauce and the sweet corn with it was just weird. I really cannot describe how I disliked this dish so much.
3) Salsiccia pizza+add egg– The egg was really drippy and doesnt really add flavor to a pizza but the idea is nice. This dish was ok but again nothing special.
4) margherita pizza– this barely had any cheese… nothing special about this
5) baked summer squash with spring onion, burrata & squash blossom salsa verde– this was a filler dish just cuz we wanted some veggies. This is also a no…