Gold Mirror Italian Restaurant

I grew up in the Sunset and have been to the Gold Mirror a number of times with friends and Family. Celebrating my Mother’s B-​Day w a group of 20 and found that the service was not use to handling a party this size. We went to the bar to get our own drinks and everyone’s meals came out in a 20 minute window. Some were done before others got their meals. The topper was we had a full glass of wine spilt head to toe on my sister-​in-​law! I figured that they would do the right thing and computer something or give us a discount of some sort… Nope, had to make a verbal request and then they said they’d comp desert and coffee. Got the bill and everything was on it. Finally had the owner come up and tell us they’d pay for dry cleaning. $ 15 maybe for cleaning. Poor sister-​in-​law just wanted to go home so her night was done as well as there family. Left paying the bill and the came out to say we shorted the bill by $ 11… The service was bad. We gave over 15% for a dinner that went very bad. I’ll be spreading the word that this is not the place you’d want to spend $$‘s when you have so many better restaurants in the area. I suggest Marcello’s if you are in the mood for Italian in the Sunset. Professional, great service and great food. Never again Gold Mirror!

We made a reservation, and shoved our way in to a mob scene where no one seemed to be monitoring the huge crowd waiting to be seated. Finally we snagged an employee who said «just a minute». Ten minutes later, we managed to make it to the bar, only to be told by the bartender, «I’m too busy to make a drink». Period. Needless to say, we left. To paraphrase Seinfeld, «Anyone can TAKE a reservation…». Too bad. I live in the neighborhood and have good memories of this place from years ago.

First impressions are huge for any business– unfortunately being a neighbor to Gold Mirror, I’ve seen that for almost a year, their exterior fluorescent sign has been missing multiple letters and their sneeze guard has graffiti etchings which doesn’t exactly lure you in.
But like I said, as a neighbor, this is a place I have always wanted to try–
Service was good.
Food was good too– I had the eggplant Parmesan and cup of mushroom soup (both vegetarian) and my boyfriend had the lasagna and minestrone.
Overall: ambiance + taste + service + price = B–

Very old school — you won’t find a lot of greens here. But the meat quality is fantastic. The pasta is homemade and delicious. And what few know is that they have gorgeous aged steaks, best I’ve had in this city and reminds me of steaks i’d buy at Citronella in NYC.
The only downside are their wines, but its the kind of place a martini or a scotch on the rocks makes more sense anyway.

Every time we’ve come here, we’ve had wonderful service — the sweetest, kindest people — and the tastiest food. The menu is a teeny bit pricey but I’d gladly pay that for the experience!

This place is a classic old school Italian restaurant. It has all of the classic pasta, seafood, veal, and appetizers you would expect. Nothing cutting edge here but everything is well prepared and delicious. Service can be a little slow– especially if you are in a large party.

I’ve been working as a Realtor in SF and mostly in the Sunset/​Parkside for years. A good friend of mine who I met in 2007 is a regular there and I’ve been coming here for dinner and drinks on a regular basis ever since. I’ve NEVER been disappointed as the food is perfect and most of all, so are the martinis!

When you first walk into Gold Mirror, you see the fake door painted on one side, a small, sequestered bar area on the other, and a small dining room in between. I hope you remember the old adage of not judging a book by its cover at that point, because looks are very deceiving in this case. Drinks at the bar are made promptly and courteously by a very sociable bartender, and the food is fantastic. Trust the reviews, start with the calamari, and you’re golden from that point forward. Breaded, but not fried, you get both the calamari steak portion and the legs, and they’re both seasoned perfectly and very tender.
If you’re not feeling the drive all the way out to North Beach, I’d say Gold Mirror would be the place to go. It’s a little on the pricey side, but you’re good solid quality food and great service.

We came here for a date night and I have to say, the décor definitely takes me back. But that’s not what matters, it’s the food that matters and I think that everything was on point. My fiancé and I had the caprese salad and opted to have some specials of the day. From the squid ink pasta to the stuffed calamari, everything was superb.

Old school, San Francisco and Italian. This isn’t some new or hot chef but the type of Italian food that San Francisco used to be known for… it will make you cry it’s that good. Truth is, I live close, but only go for special in-​the-​neighborhood events like back to school nite.
We always say we should go more often.
Started with calamari — breaded and grilled with lots of garlic. Not the ubiquitous deep fried version. Magical. Also had the veal scaloppine and cannelloni. Finished with tiramisu. All fantastic.
The bonus part is that all the food is branded and the origin clearly labeled. Still, after 2 martinis, a bottle of Italian red, a bourbon, tax and 20% tip, I was out less than $ 200.
Probably best to watch a Nick and Nora, Bogart or Sinatra movie before going.

Gold mirror, what a named place. You find street parking, then come into the restaurant threw heavy velvet curtains to the bar area.
You see the hostess at the end of the bar, ask for a table. Get seated in a super tight table. Within arms reach of the next table. There wasn’t even enough room to walk in between so I had to navigate around several tables to sit across of my wife.
Service was kinda a miss but I am not a big deal if the food is on point. Get the standard fair in any New Italian restaurant we try. Spaghetti Bolognese, and clams pasta. Both are on point and very rich and tasty cell service, wasn’t the main point. Price is below average $ 17 for pasta plate up to $ 30 for steak. Noise level at this restaurant is very high. Oh a party came in and it smelled like college all over again. I guess it was for the glaucoma. That party was seated in the upstairs banquet area.

This place is great if you are craving an old school american italian food.
A group of 4 of us walked in without reservations — we started off at the bar. I ordered a manhattan that was delicious so I had two!
The food was also very good. We ordered calamari for the table. It was very lightly battered and everyone loved it!
The main course menu itself was fancier than I was expecting, but unfortunately also more expensive than I was expecting. I had the veal sweetbreads, which was delicious. My fellow diners dishes, the spaghetti and clams bordelaise, veal milanese, etc looked equally appetizing.
However, when it came to desserts, we were all underwhelmed. So I would recommend skipping desserts and just ordering more drinks from the bar :)

After a long Sunday playing tourist in San Francisco with a native San Franciscan, we were looking forward to a nice meal, and the Gold Mirror certainly delivered.
We came to dine here for my mother’s birthday, and it was a marvelous experience! We were greeted by a friendly host, and our service throughout was very good. The food was excellent, and the warm bread and cool butter was very much needed prior to our meal being served (I was starting to get HANGRY!).
I started with the minestrone soup; which was probably one of the best that I have had anywhere! My entrée was a fettuccine pasta with cream sauce, and I added prawns to the dish. This was also quite excellent — freshly made in-​house pasta blanketed with a thin layer of the perfect combination of butter/​garlic/​cream sauce, and the prawns were perfectly seasoned with garlic. My parents also equally enjoyed both of their dishes. The presentation of the meals was also quite lovely.
This is a delightful Italian restaurant. If you want quintessential San Francisco Italian dining at its best, there is no need to venture off (fight traffic and parking) to North Beach. You should instead visit the Gold Mirror. I know I will definitely be back to this restaurant, and I will certainly recommended this establishment to others.

This restaurant represents that real old school old bay love. And I don’t mean old bay seasoning. I mean old San Franciscan class, elegance, ambience, sophistication and cuisine.
Been coming here since I was a kid. I remember the old days when they had the huge «dinners». If you’re old school you know what I’m talking about.
Came back here tonight and had the most satisfying experience.
Service was excellent. Food was on point. Wasn’t rushed and treated like royalty.
Started with the hearts of Palm salad. Could have eaten three of those and called it a night. Fiancé ordered the broiled petrale sole. It was seasoned and cooked to perfection. I ordered the tortellini. It was delicate and fresh. Desserts are authentic and house made. Sooo decadent. Though we didn’t order the fried calamari, every table in the joint was eating it. It looked and smelled delish.
Also, it should be noted that there was a hot bartender and a smoking hot waiter working tonight. All the waiters are dressed in tuxedos which can’t hurt. Got nothing but love for The Gold Mirror. Xoxo.

I was a little unsure about Gold Mirror when I first walked in with my dad and grandpa…
The setting: part medieval castle background, part Italian village feeling, part modern bar with fully stocked liquor, and part young hostesses mixed with servers that looked like they’ve been there since the beginning.
But when my grandpa told me that this place had been around since he was a kid, I was convinced that the food would have to be something special.
I ordered the veal piccata and it was one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. It was cooked perfectly and the sauce was delicious. Not too runny, not too thick. just right. And although the wait time was a little long, the server was extremely polite and attentive to our needs. Places that may not look the best on the inside, but can wow you with their service and dishes. Gold Mirror is one of those places. We all left satisfied and tipped the server very well.
In the end, looks aren’t everything and I would definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area that wants some old school Italian food

I don’t think I’ll be eating here again, and with the treatment I both received and witnessed, I advise no one else does either.
I’m 31 but I look pretty young, so I occasionally receive poor service bc some servers assume I’m not going to tip well (big mistake). I got the feeling my server made this assumption right when he saw me, bc he was very cold from the get go. He remained very cold for the duration of my time there, and after seeing other reviews I’m thinking this is very standard for this place. I was dining alone, so I didn’t have to wait extremely long for my food like many others had issue with. However, my server would only drop off what he had for me and then quickly and curtly leave. He never came back to check on anything, I had to flag him down to get refills on my drinks (they charge for soda refills btw, I rarely see that) and he just seemed very apathetic concerning my meal.
As far as the food, it was fine. I got a very simple plate of spaghetti and a meatball, so it would be hard to mess that up. My issue was the price. I don’t remember exactly how much my main dish was, but it was over $ 20. Considering everything was a la carte, over $ 20 for a standard spaghetti and meatball plate is pretty high. This place wasn’t fine dining or anything that would justify such a high price. Overall, the food itself wasn’t really a problem. It was the awful service combined with unjustified high prices.
Lastly, the most egregious thing that happened didn’t even involve myself. I witnessed a server thoroughly berate an older lady. He was so rude to her that I pretty much decided then that I would not be returning. I eat out constantly, and I have had many bad experiences, but I’ve never witnessed something as despicable as this. No matter the circumstance, a server should never raise his voice to a customer.
I have heard about this place for a long time, it’s supposed to be a real throwback as well as a treasured restaurant in the sunset. I talked to a friend after this (she had recommended it to me) and she said that the ownership had changed somewhat recently. Maybe that is the problem. Anyway, all I can say is I wouldn’t visit the Gold Mirror if I were you

I would come back again and again and again– for their Calamari. It has completely raised the bar for all Calamari out there now. (It was the only thing my husband and I craved while we were away on a trip.) Our table of 4 also shared the Dungeness crab salad and the fresh Burrata. No complaints.
I also had the Chicken Cacciatore. It was so full of flavor and cooked perfectly, it’s hard to fault! The portion is slightly too big for me, so I ditched the veg to finish the chicken. My husband’s lamb loin was seasoned and cooked perfectly, he didn’t stop until the plate was clean.
The service is ok, sometimes the staff may seem a little stretched. But they get points for trying at least. We were there on a Fri night in Dec, so they were really busy– but trust me, the food is worth the wait!

Gold Mirror is an old school Italian restaurant with an updated menu. I grew up near this restaurant but only recently paid my first visit. I’ve been here a few times with my family and it the perfect place for those both young and old and is most definitely a neighborhood spot.
When you first enter the restaurant be prepared to take some time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they are adjusted, look around at the décor and be prepared to step back in time. The tables are situated fairly close to one another and the noise level is high. The conversation is lively, the martinis are flowing and
everyone seems to be having a good time. The waitstaff is dressed in tuxedos, which is a nice touch.
Although the décor is of the past, the menu is not. Some dishes have been updated with a modern twist and all dishes I’ve tried here have been quite good. The pasta dishes are not heavy and overly cheesed (is that a word?). One dish that stands out is the lasagna, which consists of thin sheets of handmade pasta with ricotta and sauce. It’s not the brick that is served at many Italian restaurants. The chicken and veal dishes are also quite good. The pasta dishes I’ve tried have all been cooked well and are well seasoned.
While the service has been spotty at times, perhaps because the restaurant has always been full on my visit, I’ve never experienced anything that would prevent me from returning. On my visits we have had at least five people people in the party and we have always left satisfied. We have never had to wait to be seated upon arrival. Reservations are a must.
Parking is generally available nearby.

Over 4 years since my last meal here… and I’m ok with that.
I was part of a group of 50 or so and we had the upstairs «loft» room. It was a birthday for a family member.
On my way in, I run into an old friend who is leaving. We say hi and goes out of the way to tell me, «Don’t get the calamari, it was horrible». Advice appreciated, I avoided the calamari.
We got there at 6PM and we had an hour or so of socializing. I thought it was a nice touch to have a big rat trap in the rafters directly above the dinner tables. Kind of gross… We sat down and at 7, they took our order.
A salad shows up 45 minutes later and a pasta dish a bit after that…
Then we wait… and wait. and wait… for the main course. The main course made it to the table, one by one over a 40 minute period. I was one of the last to get mine exactly 2 hours and 13 minutes after ordering and most people were done eating by the time I got mine. It was so bad, one couple had to leave (child care issues) before the food came because they didn’t think it would take over 3 hours to get your food for an event that started at 6PM.
The food itself was average at best… Nothing I would go out of my way for. The service was friendly but sooooo slow.
I would avoid this place and definitely not throw a big party here… They can’t get the food out quick enough.
I won’t be going back unless dragged here for another family event.

This trip to Gold Mirror was not as good as the first time…
The restaurant was almost painfully dark — it was difficult to read the menu… we had to utilize the tiny candle fixture at the table/​cell phones. It might have seemed darker because we were sat in the corner this time as opposed to closer to the door/​windows last time.
My family ordered a variety of appetizers to start our meal. The calamari was very good… I liked that it wasn’t overly breaded and fried like most. It was also generously tossed in olive oil and garlic, a welcomed spread to the toasted bread. The roasted artichokes were also excellent. The hearts were tender and there were definitely enough pieces such that everyone got to try some. Likewise, we also utilized the tapenade that came with the roasted artichokes as a spread. The most disappointing appetizer was the crab salad… while the pieces of fresh crab were very large (most likely the claws)…the «salad» was more coleslaw like and tossed in this very heavy dressing. You couldn’t even taste the crab because the dressing was so heavy!
For my main, I ordered the lamb loin stuffed with mushrooms and spinach with a side of polenta. The lamb was amazingly tender, cooked perfectly! A nice seared edge with a juicy interior. The polenta though, was not as creamy and smooth as I would have liked, instead it was allowed to firm (to serve as a «stage» for the lamb). Meh. For the most part, my family thoroughly enjoyed their meals though… with a couple exceptions. My grandmother also had to trade dishes with my dad, her veal was just way too salty. My dad initially felt like his salmon was also overcooked.
For dessert, I wanted to try the italian sponge cake — but they were out. Doesn’t matter how early you are here — something always runs out… they need to assess their inventory better.
Instead, we had the chilled zabaglione and the tiramisu. The tiramisu was presented differently than most. Instead of as a dusted cake, it had the cream in the center with the lady fingers as a fortress. It wasn’t heavy on the alcohol either — which was nice for a dessert. The chilled zabaglione was pretty good too. The custard was nice and there wasn’t a lot of wine flavor either — just enough to hit the spot.
Our waiter Paulo (or Paolo?) was great though. His service was on point and he was funny. He comped the tiramisu for my birthday too!