Petrino Mediterranean Cuisine

2.5 stars
The restaurant is much fancier than I expect which is cool because you can actually have a complete dining experience for lunch but the service is too slow for a lunch hour while the food and the restaurant doesn’t deserve more time than that.
You get fresh warm baked bread when you sit down with a olive oil garlic dipping bowl. Yum!
For appies — we had the carpaccio and lentil soup to start. It was my first time having carpaccio. I was underwhelmed. It looked like roast beef (kinda rare in the center) but tasted like steak tartare. Hubs said that it wasn’t cold enough; it was room temperature to warm. I stopped eating it after a few bites because I was afraid of getting sick. It was also heavily dressed with lots of mustard. Ok but I expected more. The lentil soup wasn’t very flavorful. I added some lemon juice, salt and pepper and was happy with the end result.
Hubs has the gyro wrap. Ok size but I thought that it was underseasoned. Hubs thought that it was one of the best that he’s had in the US. I disagree. I had the falafel plate. The falafel was warm, crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. Not outstanding in flavor but I was satisifed. It comes with a side salad that’s a little sad and clunky; about 2 tablespoons of hummus (good), 2 tablespoons of tzatziki (good), and some pita bread (soft and warm and good).
Overall, I was happy with my meal. I wasn’t blown away. I probably won’t come back. I prefer Ayola. Sowwie.
$ 41 with tax and tip/

I met a colleague *here* for a 7:30 dinner because the Greek place I wanted to go to across the street closed at 8. And as far as second choices go, Petrino did OK.
Making the choice on what to eat was a bit tricky — we were a bit undecided. However, our server seemed unwilling to help. When asked for a recommendation between A and B, his answer «Well, what would you like to have?» Er… uh…OK…an answer on what you think is better would be a good start…
Yet, on other things, he was more definitive — you don’t want that lousy Greek beer, have the delicious Turkish pilsner! (Efes Pilsner — which *is* very very good, by the way)
All that said, once we ordered, we ate! The hummus was very good, the swordfish souvlaki pretty unexciting (yet satisfying), and the moussaka got the thumbs up from my fellow diner.
Seating along Belden Pl is nice to have — adds a bit of ambience, but it still feels a bit like you’re the outsiders/​leftovers of the people who are actually dining *on* Belden Pl. Especially when they have nice rooms in which to sit and Petrino’s is… well, fairly ho-​hum.

You almost got away with it. It was almost the perfect grime, I mean, crime. But, not even the blood-​pact my table made to never tell me of the horror that happened during my trip to the restroom could have been upheld in the light of the morning sun.*
A recap.
My intrepid group came here for lunch. I am always up for some Mediterranean cuisine and the menu sounded appetizing. We scored an inside table next to the open air outside wall and I thought to myself, «What a charming slice of SF; feels almost European.» At that point, I noticed the flies buzzing over our heads. I did my best to ignore them. Of course, when you have food + outsid… ish, you’re going to have flies. As long as they don’t alight, it’s fine.
I went into my mental happy place, decided to wash my hands in the restroom and came back to the table. I sort of felt like I was Hercule Poirot in ‘Murder On The Orient Express.’ Everyone looked slightly guilty, but I had no idea who did what. A mystery. Well, when I am hungry, my Encyclopedia Brown powers are much lessened, so I made my way destroying the super-​delicious bread, sopping it up with olive oil, munching on the hummus and screaming, «Oprah!» at the flaming cheese. Tasty. Even better was my meal of prawns with olives, capers and risotto. Extremely tasty. In fact the meal and conversation was so good, I’d forgotten all about the telltale flies who had greeted me at the table.
It wasn’t until later the next day, that I discovered the tragic truth: my lunch was a lie.
*A roach. A $%&T* roach. Just chillin’ on the table and, of course, hanging out ON MY BREAD PLATE! I appreciate my friends not telling me this for fear that I would have lost my d@mn mind but… no. If my restaurant enjoyment has to come with a CIA-​level cover-​up, then it’s not true enjoyment. I can handle an off-​day of service or even food quality. But, roaches? Yeah, that’s sort of a non-​negotiable.

Great lunch takeout specials for under $ 9!
I’ve been twice, walking away with a chicken wrap, a side salad and a can of soda for under $ 9.
The salad has crisp mixed greens, a ton of tomatoes and cucumbers and a few red bell peppers. Dressing is light. Happy girl!
The wrap is yummy — thicker than a tortilla, softer/​breadier than a pita. Diced fire-​grilled chicken, greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and nice amount of tzatziki (I love dill!)
Good quality, fresh ingredients, well-​rounded lunchtime meal to go.
The rest of their menu is more pricey, but I will be giving more things a try. The pastas look promising…
Update: tried their spaghetti with meatballs and meat sauce.
Good: plenty of meat for meat-​lovers! Good flavor.
Not-​so-​good: small portion at a hefty price. There’s really no «sauce»! It’s more like a meat paste — move your bread around the dish and it comes up dry. Eh. I’ll stick with the wraps!

I’ve always thought I could eat falafel anywhere and be pretty satisfied… until last year when I had to survive on them in Berlin and oh dear lord were they disgusting there (they put mayo on their falafels in the donner stands. A travesty, IMO).
I tend to let my guard down in the states, but I really need to just avoid falafel on the menu unless a place is known for it to be good. I’ve had the best (Mamoun’s in New York City, holla!) and not many others can measure up to that. Now, if it’s the only thing veg on a menu, I’ll order it.
Of course it’s *not* the only thing veg on the menu at Petrino, but yeah, my guard was down. After all, it’s a Mediterranean restaurant. It was ok. Just that. Not terribly dry, so that’s cool, but not especially tasty either. The hummus wasn’t bad, but it didn’t measure up to the hummus I’ve had in Mediterranean restaurants. It’s more on par with what you’d get in any kind of restaurant.
Another thing: my hot sauce addiction is out of control, I’ll admit it, but Sri Racha offered to spice up falafel and hummus?! There should be harissa available instead. Sri Racha does not mix well with the flavors. Another thing, tahini, not tzatziki on falafel, please. I realize Petrino is more Greek than Middle Eastern, so this is just a personal preference.
We also had the flaming cheese dish I can never remember the name of. Glad that we shared it, because it’s pretty fucking decadent, to be eating a plate of melted cheese. Hells yeah. But it was the best tasting thing.
The main reason I’m giving Petrino 3 stars is the service. Top notch. Loved the environs (we sat by the windows that open onto a tiny charming restaurant courtyard, which reminded me of this street in Parlermo that I adore).
One very icky thing: there a roach made a cameo on our table. I’m trying not to think about it, but that was a pretty horrid thing to see as you’re dipping into the bread basket (by the way, that bread? AMAZING!)

When my husband and I came here for dinner they sat us towards the Belden Pl. side, which is a small alley with a whole bunch of little restaurants/​bistros. It made us feel like we were having dinner in Europe. There was a band playing French music outside which I thought was cute and it wasn’t too loud since we were inside.
The service was wonderful. our waiter was very friendly and took very good care of us. He made sure we had an enjoyable time.
The food was delicious. we had the stuffed eggplant, Saganaki opa, and the falafel plate. One of my favorite parts of dinner was when the waiter brought us our order of Saganaki Opa. The waiter lights the cheese on fire and says OPA! Very cute!
Try the Turkish coffee!

We came here for lunch. The first thing the gal up front told us to do was to leave our umbrellas at the door. Now, it wasn’t raining hard but girly, I hope you are watching said umbrellas while I’m inside because I don’t want someone to take it!
She led us to the back of the restaurant. The whole restaurant was surprisingly empty for a FiDi weekday, at the lunch rush. Not a good sign.
I had the meat tortellini. My friend had the falafel. The tortellini was pretty good. My friend liked her dish as well.
Dessert was kind of sparse pickings. I had a chocolate cheesecake. My friend had this huge ice cream ball. It looked like a big chocolate ball with sorbet inside. That sucker was big.
Considering we were the only ones there, service was excellent.

At least one of these stars is for putting — at the bottom of the reciept — «please review us on Unilocal.» and there’s few things that i appreciate more than a business taking a proactive approach in learning how to improve itself.
So a coworker and i were looking for a lunch spot, and settled on Petrino.
Greek salad was ok not great.
The eggplant appetizers were really good, but with only 3 of them for like 5 $ it felt like a ripoff. That dish should be made into a full on entrée because the vegetarian offering could be better.
My coworker wasnt a huge fan of his lamb, and considered sending the wine back, he said — it tasted kinda bitter, made him think it was open the previous day which didn’t seem like a good sign to me. All in all id consider giving this place another shot. But I may try to ask for a veggie suggestion or maybe order 2 of those eggplant appetizers.

good mediterranean food for decent prices. Super slow service, and no heat in the winter, so dress warmly and plan for a long lunch.
they use flour tortillas instead of levash bread for wraps – which is kinda odd given the prevalence of levash and kronos soft pitas in this city. you get a bunch of choices of meat for your wrap: salmon, swordfish, lamb, souvlaki, gyro, chicken gyro. The gyro and the souvlaki’s are all ok. and the gyro was real meat slices, not ground meat.
saganaki with asiago, flaming, tasty as usual. this is one of my favorite greek preparations.
stuffed eggplant in tomato cream sauce. tasty.
the stuffed mussels were good but a little disappointing. they were basically just mussels topped with rice and pine nuts. nothing special, but the rice was good at soaking up some of the mussel juices.
the classic greek chicken egg lemon soup was ok. I’d order it again.
Overall, it’s ok, but the service is just WAY too slow, and it was way too cold in the winter. In the summer, they open up their windows that open up onto Belden Ln, and it’s quite nice.

Intimate place with mediocre food. Appropriate for takeout to the office when working late night. Pretty expensive for what you get though.
Tonight I had hummus (which was the best thing I ordered), greek salad which was okay, and stuffed eggplant which was below par. Bread was mediocre.
In summary, I think you can get more for your money elsewhere.

Hubby and I just returned from having an absolutely wonderful dinner at Petrino. Thanks to the Omni hotel’s doorman for suggesting Belden Alley and to Unilocalers for directing us to this great place!
Given that we got to the restaurant at 9:30pm on Valentine’s Day and didn’t have a reservation, things could’ve gone badly, but they didn’t. They had run out of some of the desserts, but that was the only negative impact of our poor planning. Here’s the breakdown:
Bread & dipping oil: Just ok. Bread was fine, but nothing special and the dipping oil was the same. I’ve had much better.
Clam & Mussel Appetizer: Delicious (and I don’t even like clams and mussels!). The shellfish was cooked perfectly and the sauce was very flavorful and rich There were large pieces of garlic in the sauce which could’ve been cooked a little longer, but it didn’t take away from the flavor of the dish at all, and most people probably wouldn’t be eating the pieces of garlic anyway. I wanted some bread to soak up all the juicy goodness, but we were trying to avoid getting full on the bread before everything else came.
Fried Calamari: This could have been great, but the dish was overcooked and consequently had the texture of little rubber erasers. This was sad because the squid was seasoned very well and the aoli was delicious. When we told the waiter that the squid was overdone, he immediately took the dish back and removed it from our bill without our asking him to do so.
Combination Souvlaki Platter: This was Hubby’s entrée, and he devoured it all. I got one bite :-) The Adana Kebab was the show stopper, but all the meat was flavorful and juicy.
Lamb Shank: The waiter persuaded me to choose this. I was skeptical because I have rarely enjoyed lamb in restaurants and I figured the waiter was just directing me to one of the most expensive items on the menu, but this dish really impressed me. The lamb was tender, flavorful and not the least bit gamey, and when combined with the sauce had a depth of flavor that is rare. The mashed potatoes and vegetables were a great compliment, although next time I might ask for rice to keep the dish a little lighter. The portion is large (one big shank); I ended up giving ½ to Hubby, which he didn’t mind at all.
Baklava: Great way to finish the meal. A nice ratio of nuts to phyllo; very sweet without being too sweet; moist. It’s the best I’ve ever had at a restaurant, but that may not be saying much since I don’t order it very often.
Service & Value: I can’t believe that we had such an enjoyable 3 course meal on Valentine’s Day in the Financial District for about $ 60 before tip! Our waiter was attentive without being intrusive, and we appreciated not having to ask for the calamari to be removed from our bill. They run a restaurant they way it should be run – produce good food and do right by your customer.
We will be back!

Came here for lunch on a Thursday on a recommendation. I was pleasantly surprised to enter and then be seated at the window facing Belden Place. Had no idea that Petrino’s existed on the same little lane.
We started with Tzatziki ($ 5.95) which is a yogurty dip, good on the flat bread they serve. I think I prefer hummus but it was good to try. For my lunch I had the Chicken Gyro ($ 7.95). Wrapped in foil, then sliced in half, the gyro was much bigger than I expected. And it was quite tasty too. Fresh tomato chunks with creamy tahini sauce on the tender seasoned grilled chicken pieces… delicious.
The meal didn’t end there. We all shared some baklava ($ 6.50), 4 little pieces with a baby scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center. It was good, especially when paired with a dainty cup of Turkish coffee ($ 3.50). As I learned, Turkish coffee refers to the style of boiling finely ground coffee, with a bit of sugar. Great flavor as you would expect, but you have to be careful of the dregs that settle at the bottom of the cup.
So while the food was great, I had to dock a star for the not completely clean water glass (which was replaced), and the cold draft that left me shivering through most of the meal. It was only as we were ordering dessert did the waiter notice I was freezing in my jacket and offer to close an open door. I guess better late than never.

Wow, great hidden gem considering the price point: white table cloths and a nice space, but plenty of items around $ 10. I’m not sure I would go ga-​ga over the food, but it was certainly tasty enough for a work lunch. Bookmark it!

Does it ever weird you out when you’re one of the only people in a restaurant?
We came here around 8:30 on a Monday night, so I’m hoping that this place gets more business right after work hours. The people were nice, and we were seated immediately in the back dining area.
We ordered the hummus appetizer, which, in my opinion, should’ve come with a lot more warm pita bread (mmm) because it was just so darn delicious. We also got a basket of bread and olive oil, and although the oil looked like it had other stuff in it (in terms of seasonings), I couldn’t taste anything but. olive oil.
I ordered the falafel plate ($ 11.95), and it came with 4 balls of falafel, plus some hummus and tzatziki sauce, and a spinace, tomato, onion and cucumber salad on the side (read: I’m saving the calories for Christmas). A-​m-​a-​z-​i-​n-​g. I didn’t start eating falafel until earlier this year, and now I’m officially in love.
I wish I could’ve saved room for dessert (baklava!) but I just couldn’t. After Christmas. Just you wait.

Just a few points I’d like to cover:
They gyro wrap isn’t exactly a gyro; it comes in thin lavash-​like bread and I don’t recall it having the tzatziki I was hoping for, but here’s the real kicker — they appear to have used actual grilled lamb instead of that mysterious spongy meat product that was in the gyros that the cafeteria served on thursdays and that you even see in many greek places today, the stuff that was kind of like the particle board of meats. Worth getting for that alone.
They also have avgolemono, a chicken soup with egg and yogurt and lemon; Why doesn’t soup company sell this?
See if you can get them to go a little lighter on the dressing on the side salad too, or ask for dressing on the side.
They also don’t have little blue coffee cups that say ‘WE ARE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU’ in angular block letters, even though they are happy to serve you even if the service itself has a few kinks that I’m sure will be worked out once they’ve been open a little longer.
I don’t know how to tie this up. real grilled lamb and a rarely seen chicken soup are both good.

Five star odds increase exponentially with great service, inventive offerings, reasonable prices, unexpected bonuses, delicious food and/​or exceptional ambiance. Petrino delivered on everything.
We were met at the entrance by a friendly hostess who escorted us into the back of this former Lee’s to a table right by the window overlooking Belden Place. It was windy but sunny, and every table was packed with happy eaters. I had looked at the menu online and already knew what I wanted — the swordfish wrap. I asked our waiter if he knew the how swordfish compared to salmon on the nutritional spectrum, and he assured me it was just as lean and just as delicious. I appreciated the tip.
Apparently my dad was as intrigued, as he ordered the same thing. Of course, my version was without yogurt, dry on the greens, a spot of hummus on the side (bonus #1) and dry on the side salad (bonus #2). My dad went all in. We’re both still ticking, so perhaps our strategies are one in the same. Considering the wrap was packed and the side salad was well sized, the $ 8 price seemed very reasonable.
Swordfish verdict? Outstanding.
While mentally debating four or five stars at this point, bonus #3 arrived. The waiter insisted we try their baklava. I loved my small bite. My dad loved finishing the rest. Again, we’re both still ticking, so perhaps he wins by getting more dessert. We definitely both won having lunch at Petrino, and I’m looking forward to coming back for dinner.

Picked up lunch today for the first time from Petrino.
Wow, was I amazed when I was handed my to-​go bag order of swordfish wrap… it felt heavy =)
This meal totally coincided with my low fat diet… the wrap consisted of cubes of moist swordfish and grilled veggies (mushroom, tomato, greens, onion in a thin grilled lavash. It came with a side salad that was a really good amount as well… comprised of mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, green bell peppers in a light vinaigrette dressing.
They weren’t at all skimpy with the portion and the wrap/​salad were tasty.
I will gladly return.

Seeing a customer wrangler outside flashing a menu at passersbys worried me a bit since that tactic is often used by sub par tourist traps in Fisherman’s Wharf. Pushing that worry aside, I was pleased to see two big towers of meat rotating inside: an instant sign that you’re not getting reheated gyro from a plastic bag as found at some lower end joints. Unfortunately, the gyro failed on the ever important aspect of crunchiness. Maybe they didn’t start cooking the meat early enough? Maybe there was a huge lunch rush before me so other customers stole the crunchy outside pieces? Excuses don’t really matter though because I’m not a fan of hit or miss food.
Gyro Wrap: The lavash bread was thin and tasted so fresh, much nicer than store bought or Farmer’s Market bought alternatives. The beef and lamb meat wasn’t crispy at all, which is usually a primary motivation behind getting a gyro. Instead the meat was the consistency of a well done hamburger, except oozing with grease. I assume the usual crispness comes from these juices being seared on the outside. The lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley were all fresh… but that’s a no brainer in San Francisco! There was a huge misrepresentation on the menu: tahini yogurt sauce promised, but not delivered. I really wish the restaurant industry would treat menus like legal documents because consumers often make choices based on certain ingredients promised. Without a sauce, it was quite bland and there was nothing to offset the greasiness.
Garden Salad: Very fresh combination of mesclun lettuce, tomatoes, white onions and cucumbers in a light vinaigrette. Nothing exceptional except for the simplicity, but I was pleased that their side salad was actually a legitimate salad and not just leaves.

I’ve dined at Petrino and I’ve had lunches to go. I like ‘em. I’ve seen lots of improvement since they opened, which is what I hoped would happen. They have a nice, sort of eclectic Mediterranean menu and a few decent, medium-​priced wines. Ambience is pleasant. To-​go menu works well for my lunches. My current favorite: swordfish wrap. Delicious, not heavy, comes with a small Greek salad. About $ 8. I love having alternatives like that in the FiDi.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Petrino! Glad you’re here.

Yay! A new Mediterranean place in the financial district and it’s super close to my office. We split an entire plate of hummus and warm, delicious pita bread, the lamb/​beef gyro, and a pear salad for $ 10 each. This is so cheap, considering it’s sit down, you don’t order at the counter, the staff is friendly, and the food is beyond decent.
They have tons of tables on two levels, and you can even sit outside on Beldan Lane if you please (weather permitting of course).
The hummus was just ok; it was definitely missing some spices and I personally do not think they put enough lemon in it. The pita bread was fantastic and warm. Gyro was great! Better than ones I’ve had at Baladie. The pear salad was also delightful and had candied walnuts mixed in. Mmmm! I will definitely be coming back for another gyro, but I’ll stick to Baladie for my spicy hummus. They also have a huge menu, with plenty of options, both mediterranean and non-​med.