Porcellino

Incanto was something special. Run by Chris Cosentino (pioneer in the field of offal, winner of Top Chef Masters, and comic book character) and partner Mark Pastore, they did things with meat that I’ve never experienced elsewhere.
Sadly, Incanto closed on 3÷24÷14 after a 12 year run:
It was briefly replaced by a new more casual offering run by the same 2 guys, Porcellino, but that shuttered after 6 months:
You can still find Mark and Chris’ salted pig parts at Boccalone. They sell the most fabulous salumi at their shop in the Embarcadero Ferry Building, as well as the Grand Lake, San Rafael, and Temescal farmers’ markets.
You can also dine at Chris Cosentino’s new restaurant in SoMa, Cosckcomb:

Very sad to see this restaurant close (11÷26÷14). We supported it many times and introduced it to several friends who also liked it and came back on their own. Tried our best to support it. Good luck to the Incanto/​Porcellino team. We will miss you!

The eight of us had the Porchetta party group dining experience. $ 39 p/​p for three courses served family style.
The salumi platter was ok. The huge salad platter was good. It wasn’t until the porchetta course arrived that I was very pleased. Cut into sixteen slices served in a huge roasting pan. Accompanied with grilled bread. Make a sandwich. After the first porchetta slice, your stomach might tell you it’s getting full. But have the second slice anyway.
We also ordered the chicharrones as a side. The best pig skin I’ve had.
For dessert we got two cookies each. Chocolate chip and sugar.
By this point we were stuffed.
Most of us ordered the Americano coffee for beverage.
$ 70 p/​p inc tax & tip. Included two bottles of red wine.
The two group tables behind the wine cellar were already reserved. We got a table that sat eight in the main dining room which we felt was more suitable anyway.
I highly recommend the Porchetta group dining experience. You’ll feel like a pig on the way out.

Cannot say enough good things about Porcellino’s lunch service! We’ve had weekday and weekend lunches here at least 5 times in the past 3 – 4 months. I have no personal/​professional affiliation with them but grew up in the local area and have seen this stretch of Noe change and reinvent itself since the early 1990s.
We’ve been big fans of Incanto, but over the years, it became a special occasion destination. I was excited when it reopened as Porcellino and love the casual atmosphere. They’re open all day (except Tues.) and menu items are easily available as take-​out. For dine-​in: Order at the counter, grab a number, and settle into a table. Carafes and glasses are in the back for both still and sparkling water. Daily specials on the board.
Our favorites:
1) Italian Dip — delicious sandwich filled with meatballs/​cheese and served upright in a pan of marinara sauce. If you don’t like messy, this might not be the sandwich for you. Soak up the sauce with every bit of that bread. It’s that good.
2) Rigatoni and ragu (a carryover from Incanto!) — sprinkle the cheese on when it arrives piping hot at your table. This is my favorite!
3) A close second favorite is the seasonal kale pesto, beans, pine nuts and pecorino pasta — healthy, light, and vegetarian. The 5-​year old (not a vegetarian but a pesto lover) probably ate ½ of this dish.
Service: Every time we’ve eaten here, service has been friendly, professional, and timely. (And I’m dining with a 5-​year old!)
Today, she had her pick of lunch places and asked for «the piggy place.» I thought it would be a quick lunch. But she requested counter seats and didn’t want to leave — the local neighborhood vibe is another reason I love this place. 4.5 hours later, we finally did. (Would have left sooner if our seats were needed and I enjoyed the unstructured and unplanned hang-​out time.) Staff were engaging and amused she wanted to stay so long.
Added bonus — Boccalone salumi available, no need to go to the Ferry Building!

I had really wanted to try the restaurant back when it was still Incanto. However, the restaurant changed and I figured that it was still by the same guy (Top Chef Master Chris Cosentino) and I would try it still regardless.
I ended up ordering an arugula salad (with strawberries and cheese) and the pork ragu. The waiter suggested a glass of the Chianti to go with it so it was definitely good.
The ragu came out before the salad — which was weird to me, but I didn’t really care all that much. It was kind of nice to be able to have the salad to cleanse my palate and take a break from all the richness that was the pasta. There are sandwiches and his cured meats (which are amazing and delicious), but I can get those at another one of his restaurants (Boccalone).
Overall, the atmosphere is great. i sat at the bar and had a conversation with some individuals who live in the area and love coming to the restaurants. They even shared their chicharrones with me! Definitely a place that I wish I lived closer to and had more food. Casual and great food!

Act 1:
Party of 4 walks into restaurant standing near the host podium waiting for some direction. A disinterested attendant standing 10′ away does his best to ignore the group. The group realizes its counter service during lunch so they saddle up to place their orders. The disinterested attendant takes the «guests» order, collects their $ 115.00, and then points them to the direction of the water carafe’s and tells them to find a table (its lunch service after all, don’t get crazy).
Act 2:
Group of 4 seats themselves at a table and awaits beverages and appetizer. A server/​busboy brings a pre-​opened bottle of wine, plops it in the middle of the table for guests to serve themselves (again, this is lunch service, having someone pour your wine is simply too indulgent).
Act 3:
Position 1 received their entrée first (nearly 5 minutes before the appetizer arrives). A few minutes later, position 4 received their entrée. And a full 8 minutes after the first entrée was served, positions 2 & 3 received their dishes. Everyone dives in.
Act 4:
Group agrees the the food and «service» was meh at best and agrees they are likely not going to come back.
fin…

This place is hit or miss for me. Have dined here a couple times. The small plates are tasty, but also pricey for the amount of food provided. The Roasted eggplant, marinated peppers, ricotta & basil sandwich I ordered had some odd flavors happening and I wouldn’t recommend. The toasted faro salad and the mozzarella with lemon were both incredible. I think this place needs a bit of work as a couple aspects are inconsistent.
Love the market idea, and 40% off wines when you take them away? Yes, please.

I really loved this place when it was Incanto, where the menu challenged my senses and taste buds.
I came by for lunch to taste the new concept. It was still very good, but just not as good.
The blood sausage sandwich was delish and messy. It comes with an egg and some greens. I wish it had more greens to balance some of the saltiness, and lacked acidity. I added some of my Giardiniera I had ordered earlier to get that sweet acid kick the sandwich lacked and to add more texture.
I also ordered the chicharrones. Pork rinds, cheese, chili flakes, and rosemary, what could go wrong? They were well cooked and crispy, and went well with the cheese and chili flake. But the chicharrones themselves were tasteless and the rosemary didn’t add much flavor. It would have been better to smoke the chicharrones in rosemary to bring out the flavor and toss in the pecorino and chili flakes. I mentioned it to the staff; I hope I will get to try the dish the next time I visit.
Overall, a good experience, but underwhelming. I am hoping to try more items on the menu to provide a better picture of the restaurant.

Those who stayed away when it used to be Incanto because of the innards, gizzards, and critter dishes may feel more inclined to try the food here. The offerings are much more salumi and other-​cured-​meats oriented, but it’s still a Cosentino restaurant.
I personally like this spot better than it’s predecessor, Incanto. Not because of the lack of offal dishes (pun intended) but because of the more laid back approach, more flavorful food, and definitely because of the quicker and better service.
Everything we ordered I enjoyed; and our little double-​date group ordered quite a bit: the large Boccalone salumi platter, toasted farro salad with herb pesto (a fav), the porchetta (excellent – savory and tender), spaghettini all’Amatriciana (always delicious), rigatoni with Incanto’s pork ragu, strozzapreti with basil pesto, and pasta with sausage.
Yeah, feast-​mode was on that evening.

I was considering Porcellino as a 3.5, but I’m rounding up because they let us dine in 6 minutes before closing and they weren’t resentful or rude about it whatsoever.
The Food:
Lard Fried Potatoes: these were decent, but the grated andouille sausage on top was a bit much for me and I could have used about half the amount of the sausage. The flavors were overall pretty solid, but it was my least favorite thing I ate.
Porchetta sandwich: This was filled with delicious pickled veggies, nicely dressed arugula, and crispy, but juicy bits of pork. However, I didn’t like the bread. My boyfriend loved it, so maybe it’s just me.
Amatriciana Pasta: who doesn’t enjoy a steaming hot plate of pasta? This pasta was tasty: nicely spicy, albeit a bit salty. Also, I was a little surprised by the $ 15 price tag on this dish.
I live in the neighborhood and I think I’d give Porcellino another visit, but if I didn’t live in the area I don’t know if I’d make the journey. Also, lunch and dinner menus are the same.

Update…
It’s my go to spot to drink and buy a bottle of Italy’s red wines. Especially, for my favorite Sangiovese!!!
I must highlight how spectacular the Prosciutto Crudo tastes aka «fancy Crudo bacon» lol. Anything Prosciutto on their menu is a must! They finely shave slices of the prosciutto before serving. Cured pig is a hit and miss for me, quality is a big thing and I’ve found a quality product. Best prosciutto I’ve had is from here. The saltiness was just enough. The meat texture wasn’t too chewy or too dry. Even the fat was good, yikes! We had wished they had some other element such as crackers or bread to offer with this item without purchase. Still good without. Pairs very well with a glass of red.
Will I be back? ALWAYS!
Until the next review…

This place used to be were Incanto was located. I guess Chris Consentino decided to change it up a bit. My friends and I came for dinner and we ordered a few dishes:
Small salumi platter: Lardo and 2 Salumi types. Pretty good and not too pricey. I wish it came with more than 4 slices of bread!
Chicharrones, pecorino, rosemary & chilli: Not what I expected. I thought the chicharrones would have more meat and fat, but it was like the kind you get in bags are the grocery store. Sigh…
Lard-​fried potatoes & hot nduja: This was pretty good. The potatoes were full of flavor and really crispy. The sausage was salty and gave it a nice flavor. I would get this again.
Porchetta, fennel, arugula, salsa verde: The porchetta was really fatty and flavorful. This is what my friend ordered and I wish I would’ve ordered this too! :’(
Tuna conserva, Little Gems, soft egg, cucumber, radish & pole beans: Do NOT get this unless you like canned tuna. The tuna seemed like it was straight from a can. at least the salad it came on top of was flavorful. I would never get this dish again in my life I was pretty mad lol.
Overall, an expensive dinner that was not worth it. Only a few items were to my liking.

«You are Entitled. Everyone who walks in our door is equally entitled to hospitality and good food in a timely fashion. We will do our best to accommodate you. Your cooperation makes everything go smoothly.»
If you haven’t noticed, that first line of their mission statement applies to a lot of people in San Francisco. Entitlement runs amok. It makes sense. Most of us are empowered to do so. Cars pick us up in minutes. Food is handed to us wherever we are. The best offerings of life are here and arrive to your face on a whippet’s whim. Then, while cost of living is increasing… it does mean though that more are moving toward the upper class dividing classes even further and a place like Porcellino becomes more accessible to more people. The entire concept around this place is accessibility.
Access. If you have it, or even if you feel like you have it, you feel on top of the world. Private pop up dinners. Backstage. Chefs meet and greet. Industry nights. Bars with passwords. Access means a lot to culture. Hereinlies Chris Cosentino turning it all on its head and giving access to anyone who walks in. No rebuffs at the door because of reservations. If you’re willing to pay, aka all the people who show up at the door, you’re going to be treated equally.
I did just the opposite of a table cloth dinner. I stopped by on their first day for take out. The porchetta sandwich. Every damn sandwich in this city is priced between about $ 7.50 & $ 10.50. There are some bunk experiences between bread at the same price as Ike’s and this place. Choose wisely. You’re allowed to. You have access to some of the best food on the coast.
You may question the idea of going to a counter to order, but guess what… the chef might be right there around you taking your order. There’s not many other places like that. Access. Whatever you order, order pork.

I live about 2 minutes away from Porcellino. During a recent walk, I stopped in to see how things had adjusted post Incanto – and was impressed at the casual italian fare. Especially the gourmet sandwiches!
I finally tried the meatball sandwich. I will say it was a more than fair value for the price. The meat was flavored with herbs, the bread was solid (not awesome, but not detracting), and the marinara sauce was impressive. There’s a healthy dose of cheese – this is how a meatball sandwich SHOULD taste.
The take out packaging was thoughtful – a sign of great care. They kept the marinara sauce separate from the sandwich.
The service was outstanding. And next time I’m looking forward to tasting their carbonara (which I make a mean version of at home).
If you’re in the neighborhood, this is definitely a new hidden gem.

Came here on a sat night around 8pm. Set up is kind if weird but there was no fuss to getting seated so that’s a plus. You order at the counter then you get your number and find a seat.
The interior of this place seems very fancy for this kind of setup. Almost feel like I’m in napa or something with the big wooden tables and stone walls.
We had a group of 4 and we order led the buffalo mozzarella, the seasonal fruits which were cherries and the chefs selection salumi platter to share. We also ordered a bottle of wine to share.
The appetizers we ended up sharing were all very good! I really enjoyed the arugula salad that came with the buffalo mozzarella soo yum! The cherries were very fresh and in season! And the bottle of wine had just enough to pour out 4 glasses so that worked out well.
For entrees, the boys got sandwiches. One was the Italian dip which looked like a really good meatball type sandwich swimming in delicious marinara sauce served in a little stainless steel serving tray. And my friend got the porch era sandwich which had a lot of meat in it. They sandwiches looked good. I had a bite of the Italian dip and it was delish! Warm and meaty and so good with the tangy marinara sauce. My bf cleaned his plate literally he used all the bread to soaked up all the marinara sauce!
My gf and I got large plates as entrees. She got the spaghetti carbonara and I got the porchetta entrée. I enjoyed my entrée a lot as there were 4 good sized slices of perfectly cooked porchetta on my plate along with a refreshing arugula and fennel salad. It was a pretty large portion so my bf did have to help me finish a couple slices.
All in all the goal came out to be $ 160 and that includes tip. Not bad at all! I wasn’t super stuffed but was full enough and enjoyed all the flavors they had to offer. It was nice to know that once we were done with our meal we didn’t have to deal with the check since we paid for everything in the beginning!
A great date spot or come by for a great sandwich for lunch for sure!

Por — Cheh — Leeno, the correct way.
But I think it is also acceptable to mispronounce it PORK-​AH-​LEEENO
Praise The Lard!
(\_​_​_​_​/​)
/​o_​_​o \
(((o o)))
‘-. o. — ‘
Four legs gooooooooood… two legs baaaaaaaaaad, but fat, herbs, and salt in those four legs? Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad asssssss! George Orwell’s Animal Farm could have been a cured meat fairy tale (or parody) for all I know. Napolean, Snowball, and Squealer could also have been made into Mortadella, Porchetta, Lardo, Salumi, and when the Sith don’t rule the galaxy, the world shall have peace? Or something like that. Sith pigs taste gooooood!
Anyhow, clouded by two visits to Boccalone had me BURNING and YEARNING for more cured meat. Basically got hooked after taking two hits (aka, custom salumi cones). It was not possible to get to the Ferry Building on a weeknight, so Porcellino was the next best choice.
Fortunately located street parking on a Monday night, and about half a block away. Headed towards the former Incanto location and walked in to see a mildly familiar interior, though I cannot remember what it was like prior since my first and only visit was a long time ago.
Couldn’t help staring at the deli section (essentially the marketplace of the shop). A greeter and Mark himself came to ask us, and after we replied «dine in» we were told to head towards the back (by the bar area closest to the kitchen) where we would order first then take a placard with a # to a table of our choosing. Chris was there and also said hi to us.
Pay attention to the blackboard, where they listed a few specials. :-)
Let’s get down to porking porky business:
Custom salumi platter. Go big oink or go home!
5 kinds that night custom order:
Lardo Iberico — crème de la crème! Unlike at Boccalone, there is a drizzle of what appeared to be olive oil and some salt, which was really not needed. Nonetheless still pleasurable. I am personally not a fan of eating pure fat (like eating a giant chunk of fat off a prime rib), but somehow after curing it, it becomes lighter silkier and more breathtaking. The Chinese (and Cantonese included) have a parallel but different approach to this called 冰肉, which is basically curing fatty pork in sugar and some alcohol for a few days, then storing it in minus 4 to 8 deg C conditions (under wraps), resulting in a cleaner flavor (less filling tastes great).
Thank you Mark, for recommending the Lambrussco sparkling red wine. $ 8 for a small glass, but it was sufficient and paired excellently with the salumi.
Porchetta Di Testa — all I can say is that, it is heavenly and smooth
Coppa Di Testa — Head cheese, yet remotely familiar to Shanghainese style pork knuckle gelee meatloaf (or Shanghainese head cheese). Hey I’m king of FOB, there’s a reason why I find familiarity in this good shit!
Mortadella with Pistachios — as a kid I grew up on Oscar Meyer bologna. And I never knew this magic existed in gourmet form. So glad I learned the error of my way$.
Ciccioli — It’s supposed to be pork skin but it’s ridiculously awesome gelatinous. Again this is super familiar territory akin to that of marinated cold head cheese/​pork knuckle gelee stuff in NE Chinese cuisine (cold plate appetizers), pork ears. For those who have had real ass Xiao long bao, will relate that the «soup» should be made with boiled pork skin (fat removed), chilled then used as part of the filling. Deja Pork indeed. I would find it ridiculous if a hardcore Chinese person did not like salumi and cured pork eats.
Cured Sardinian tuna heart with spaghettini — apparently a leftover from the Incanto days. The concept is great and you can smell the savory almost umami-​esque element when it arrives at the table. You have to mix it in with the egg yolk for a better texture. The spaghettini was a touch too hard/​firm of a bite, and could have been cooked a bit longer, but otherwise not bad at all.
Pickled Monterey sardines with upland cress, radish — one of the best things of the entire night! A perfectly controlled pickling that brought out the great taste of the sardine. Entirely deboned. It’s nowhere near the same as a pristine piece of kohada (gizzard shad) where technically that is also pickled (salt and vinegar) but if I could have this more often I would. Must order!
Porchetta Sandwich — Very enjoyable, although I disagree that this is better than Roli Roti’s, which is a matter of pure preference. RR’s one is a thicker more robust piping hot rollade (bigger thicker tender cuts) with a simple yet complex marination of salt and some herbs/​spices, vs the one here that is diced up a bit more. This one is also enjoyable, and even though there was Porchetta di Testa.
Ended the meal with a really good Espresso. One brown sugar cube did the rest of the job.
Laid back atmosphere, relaxation, quality! King of FOB approved.

Perfectly cooked Rigatoni with pork ragu, topped with a beautiful sunny side up duck egg. Delicious!
Next time I’ll try the Italian Dip. The young man at the table next to ours really liked it. The sandwich looked great.
This is a great neighborhood restaurant. All the bottled wine is 40% off for takeaway.

Love it!
The interior décor is the same as Incanto, what has changed is the menu, the atmosphere and the prices :) Don’t get me wrong, Incanto was delicious, but it was pretty expensive. Porcellino is reasonably priced and the quality is just as good as Incanto. I think it’s amazing that I can get delicious porchetta sandwiches, and salami sandwiches, a few pastas and salads without breaking the bank. The food is fresh and made with love.
You order at the counter, they give you a number and the food comes out to you. Get your own utensils and water. Oh water! They still have sparkling water for gratis!
The porchetta sandwich was phenomenal, and I think it might be on par with roli roti — minus the long lines. The potatoes with ndjua (sp) was seriously addictive, and by the end I wanted more.
I would definitely come again. It was a great place to grab a meal, and hangout and talk with friends.

If you’ve been to this locations prior restaurant, Incanto, you can expect similar but more approachable food. Instead of serving kidneys, stewed intestines and blood soup you can expect carbonara, porchetta and nduja potatoes. I’m thinking they’re going for something in which people can hop on in everyday rather than only for certain occasions, which personally I like. You really have to prep yourself for a meal of guts but great pastas, entrée dishes and Cosentino’s always excellent charcuterie are an easier lunch/​dinner to swallow on a whim. That said, the food is great… just as I knew it would be. Shared were the small charcuterie plate, porchetta plate, rigatoni with ragu and duck egg, and the nduja potatoes. All yums.
What I don’t like is the numbered café system (sort of like crepevine or squat & gobble). It’s pretty confusing. You walk in and see a host stand, which for their service concept doesn’t make sense. You then walk to the back of the bar to order your food and pay before sitting down at any open table with a number associated with your order. Also, you are given your drinks at the ordering area and pick up carafes of water on your own. They bring the food out to your table and that’s that. For a place with a half wall of wine bottles and a host stand, the café concept seems a little disjointed. I personally think that food is far too good to be served that way. It doesn’t mean I won’t be back… it just means I feel like I’m ‘eating’ instead of ‘dining’ but the food presents itself as a dining situation. disjointed but delicious!

Chris Cosentino may be the Offal God but this is girl is the Offal Queen. She loves her some good head. Head cheese that is! Mmmm…
While I was sad to see Incanto close its doors, it was comforting to know that Cosentino was keeping the space and transitioning into a more casual spot. Casual usually translate to more affordable so I was down with that.
Grand opening today, Porcellino is part restaurant, part market deli and part wine market. The Incanto space hasn’t changed except their casual spot is now self-​service (order at the counter and grab a number). Left counter is for to-​go and right counter is for dine-​in.
M E N U
*Salumi: Chef’s Choice (Small — $ 10, Large — $ 20 or Custom (3 choices — $ 12, 5 choices — $ 24)
–Salumi menu:
*Small plates ($ 4-​$ 11): olives, chicharonnes, salads, buffalo mozzarella, etc
*7 Sandwiches ($ 7-​$ 11)
*4 Pastas ($ 6-​$ 14)
*3 Large plates ($ 15-​$ 16); e.g. sausage, porchetta
*Dessert ($ 4.50-$ 7): ice cream, cookies & panna cotta
*Beer ($ 5.50-$ 6.50) & wine by the glass ($ 7.50-$ 11); all bottles available for takeaway for 40% off.
Being the carniwhores that we are, we started with a Custom Salumi Platter ($ 24), large of course:
.
Our favorite were the Lardo Iberico de Bellota and the Porchetta di Testa (head cheese). The Lardo Iberico was luxuriously silky while the Porchetta was smooth with a gelatinous bite. If you like offal, you will love the latter.
I was bummed that salumi platter doesn’t come with any carbs. To help cut through some of the richness, we ordered a side of bread for $ 2.50 which IMO should be complimentary with the platter.
I’m not a pasta person but decided to go with Cosentino’s famed pork sugo since I indulged in the leg of beast meal the last time I was at Incanto.
The Rigatoni & Pork Sugo ($ 14) is what every pasta dish should encompass: perfectly al-​dente pasta married with a robust meaty sauce and a hit of herbs (not the ⁴⁄₂₀ kind):
. To take it to another level, I opted to add a duck egg for $ 4 ($ 2 is more appropriate) which added a deliciously creamy blanket over the pasta. Highly recommend.
Mr. NSS had the Sausage w/​Garlicky Rapini & Polenta ($ 16) which wasn’t as successful:
. The sausage had a nice snap and was very flavorful but the accompanying sides were not very appetizing. The polenta was clumpy and wasn’t smooth throughout, while the garlic was still raw so it was incredibly astringent.
I also had a glass of their Chianti for $ 10 which was ok. Considering the bottle is $ 27 plus 40% off for takeaway, it’s not the best value.
I love Straus anything and everything so we ended dinner with the Straus Vanilla Soft Serve w/​Strawberries & Walnuts ($ 5 + .75 per topping):
. So simple yet so creamy and satisfying. Perfect dessert to clean our palate of all that salty meaty goodness.
Overall, a solid meal but for a $ 80 dinner for two, I’m not feeling the whole self-​service concept (we still tipped). While I appreciate that they’re going the casual route, it just doesn’t fit well with the $$ price point especially during dinner time. OR maybe this is my mom’s Chinesey genes talking…