Tosca Cafe

Went to Leo’s with a group of colleagues after seeing the write up in instyle magazine. We were seated in the back room, which was very cozy. The meatballs and focaccia special was amazing. As were the salads and pastas. My entire group loved all of the food that we were served. I will definitely be back!

Food is subpar, too much seasoning I had a shit ton of pepper corn in my pasta overall it was eh but we had a candle and fancy water so I guess it was good

I’ve been meaning to come here for a while, and I’m glad I finally did. I’ve heard so much about the revival/​transformation of this old North beach classic.
Drinks: they have a legit bar with some pretty reasonable prices ($ 15 for Yamazki 12).
— Golden Year: pineapple based, refreshing, light, served with crushed ice — a nice way to start
— Penny Toss: Calvados with honey, lemon, sour apple — slightly tart and definitely my kind of drink served in a coupe glass
Food: family style for sure
— Crispy pig tail: fried, very flavorful, but quite heavy
— Pig ears: pressed flat — sort of a cross between the Asian style and Italian style
— Baby octopus: slightly pickled, tender
— Conchiglie: very peppery. I love black pepper, but it was a bit much for even me. The texture was great, though
— Rigatoni: short rigatoni (I don’t like the regular length) with morels and an English pea pesto. I couldn’t taste the peas very much, but the creaminess, lemon, and morels made it an amazing dish
— Trompetti: sausage, charred broccoli, and ramps added a ton of flavor, and the pasta shape and texture were interesting and good
— Carrots: the carrot top pesto was really creative, and I liked the thyme since it’s not a common combination with carrots)
— Broccoli: very nicely caramelized with a super flavorful puttanesca and melted provolone
— Spanish octopus: less of a value compared to the appetizer, but I preferred this one. The salt crusted potatoes and confit tomatoes were nice as sides, but i could have done without the dollops of creamy stuff on the side
— Roasted chicken: order it right when you get there since it takes 2 hours! It was worth the wait. The marsala sauce was super flavorful, and I loved the thick cut bread topped with ricotta. The chicken itself (½ chicken) was moist and well seasoned with a crisped skin
The server was super nice and very knowledgeable, and he didn’t pressure us to get more dishes than we needed. They also have complimentary house sparkling water, which they refilled super regularly. I was really impressed with all the staff there from the bar to the host to the servers.
The décor and feel are kind of old school, and it has an interesting kind of historic vibe to it. I am definitely coming back for the chicken, broccoli, rigatoni, and trompetti (if they’re still on the menu!)

Came here on a Wednesday night around 7ish and every seat at the bar were taken. Fortunately we came at the right time when people were leaving. My friend called for a reservation earlier that day, but they were already booked so we just ate at the bar. The place is kind of fancy and the bartenders looked pretty dapper. Food was so scrumsh! The two of us shared octopus and a prosciutto sandwich for appetizers, meatballs and this one pasta off the menu that had prosciutto sauce with bread crumbs. It’s Friday and I’m still thinking of that pasta. I shall be back soon to fulfill my cravings! Cocktails were satisfying as well. :)

Last time I was here in the mid-​eighties the place was filled with cigarette smoke and they served no food. Things have changed.
I was so glad to be able to wander into Tosca Café and be able to easily get a seat at the bar. I wanted a small-​ish dinner and a couple of drinks.
My bartender was helpful in explaining how she made her Manhattans (which I ordered… it was excellent) as well in suggesting a couple of plates for my light-​ish dinner. I ended up having the cauliflower fritto (excellent!) and the market salad (good, though I’m not a big fan of pumpkin seeds).
Overall, I loved the old-​school feel to the place but the contemporary vibe. I’m looking forward to my next visit when I’m a bit hungrier so I can try out more of their food offerings (and to have another couple of Manhattans).

I loved my malfetti and pork shoulder and generous wine pours and the gorgeous murals on those walls! (And if those walls could talk…) Service was fantastic overall, but my server had the misfortune of being a spit-​talker, and I got the brunt of it. I try not to comment on service unless it’s outstanding because it’s so subjective, but two months after eating there, this is, unfortunately, a pretty memorable part of the experience.

Kept us waiting 45 minutes past our 8:45pm reservation time before we were seated.
Table set with obviously filthy glass (filthy as in having not been washed). 12 pieces of lettuce for ~$ 14 salad. Chicken hearts very undercooked. Took 30 minutes to get bread which was only slightly less than the gap between appetizers and main course — Is not slicing a big block of bread a new thing? Untrained wait staff — not a single dish was delivered to the proper person at the table. Food was very under flavored and poorly prepared. Octopus really dry. Pasta dish had four mushrooms. The two people who had the pork shoulder both got sick that night.
Waitresses and drinks in bar area were good so if you are going for that you should be happy.
We dine out ~6 nights a week in SF so I have realistic expectations and this place sucked for dinner.

Meh is all I can say. I know it’s a North Beach classic and staple, but everything is just okay. If you’re not sitting at the bar or trying to get a drink at the bar, service is excellent and prompt. You actually get your drink faster if you’re doing the former, and the waiters and waitresses are super attentive. Pig’s ears, meh. A little soggy and underseasoned. Crispy potatoes were as advertised, but underseasoned as well. And, their signature drink — the House Cappuccino — while taking over 20 minutes to make, was disappointing. The steamed milk lent no flavor, and the only thing you get in the first half is really strong cognac, and then you hit the second half, and it’s all hot chocolate. I could do without for $ 13. Beer selection? There’s Miller High Life for $ 3 in a 6/​7oz tiny bottle and a couple of draft beers, but it’s mainly wine and cocktails, so if you’re not into that, it might be wise to keep walking.

I’ve been back twice since my first review and I hate to say it but it is not as good as it was in October… not sure if the chef has changed hands or if the entire kitchen just had 2 horrible nights.
2^nd visit–
I ordered the octopus, it was horribly dry, completely overcooked. On top of that, my first potato that I cut into and then took a bite of was raw in the center. I couldn’t take it anymore. I wasn’t going to pay $ 32 for something that was mediocre. I sent it back and was apologetic (I hate sending things back, not my jam) and the server was extremely amazing about it. He came back and relayed that the kitchen said it would take another 20 minutes to get a new octopus dish. So I went with the cioppino. It came out and it was literally in a huge boat of a dish. It was ginormous. It was also very good. I was very happy with it. Everyone else was done with their meals by the time i got it but at least it was cooked properly and tasted good.
3^rd visit–
We went back this past Saturday and we ordered what we’ve ordered every time we have visited — the meatballs and the brussels sprouts. They are amazing and have remained consistent every time we have gone. I ordered the cioppino again, it was good last time. Apparently last time they gave me a boat because they were apologizing for the overcooked octopus and the undercooked potatoes. It was so much smaller than last time. But the size wasn’t the most disappointing part of the dish. There was a pool of oil sitting on top, about ¼″ deep. It was not appealing and didn’t make me want to eat this as a stew at all. Cioppino is usually an actual stew and there was so very little (edible) liquid in it.
I feel like if we come back I will get the brussels, meatballs and maybe try the polenta and for sure the house cappuccino.
I just feel that for the prices, this place should be consistent and it is far from that. I hope they pull through and get it together because it is a cute spot.

My dad and I dined here recently and we both wanted to love this place more than our experience. I really wanted to be blown away, which I was with the service & ambiance, but the food wasn’t on point — isn’t that the whole point?!
Here’s what we ordered:
–homemade focaccia with rosemary & sea salt ($ 5 for a hunk of it)
–crispy pig tails ($ 9)
–fried clams with butternut squash ($ 15)
–meatballs ($ 14)
–rigatoni ($ 17)
–octopus ($ 32)
–side of Brussel sprouts ($ 9)
We’re Italian — we like our food, and clearly ordered a lot — here’s what we thought:
–Focaccia was incredible — order it for sure (we ordered 2 servings!)
–Crispy pig tails — interesting & delicious, if you’re into weird fried pork items
–fried clams were really nice, the batter was really tasty and the butternut squash was a nice touch (something I’ve never tried before) but the fried, battered slices of lemon were strange and a bit odd to bite into.
–meatballs were pretty mediocre, delicious sauce, but to my dad’s point, «who messes up a meatball?!» I agree, they seemed a bit undercooked.
–rigatoni was too rich with the chicken livers, I think the sauce overdid it
–octopus was nice if you like that type of thing :)
–brussel sprouts were done well!
Tosca is a great bar and spot to meet for a date or catching up with a friend or colleague. Tips: you can order food at the bar and stand and eat, or if you’d like to sit down to dine, this now starts at 6pm, not 5pm.
Also, didn’t love that I could see the dishes being washed and at times felt like we were being watched as there were so many servers/​support staff.
Not saying I wouldn’t come back, but it didn’t blow my socks off. If Tosca is on your list, I’d still say go for it and 100% recommend the focaccia (was absolutely incredible)

Visiting San Fran from Las Vegas and was recommended this place out of all the restaurants in the North Beach area. Sad to say, we ended up leaving completely disappointed and finished our evening at another restaurant that was much more pleasant in terms of food and service.
Our Server came to the table once after taking the order. I’m a server in Las Vegas and have been in the hospitality business for 11 years, and I’ve never been so disappointed in the lack of care. I’m very understanding because I know what it’s like to be busy, but that wasn’t the case here– It was completely evident he was uninterested in our table from the start. The busser (or server assistant) was a lady and very present. She did pretty much everything.
We were celebrating a friends anniversary and had plans to have wine, dessert, and an enjoyable dinner. After we felt so uncomfortable none of that happened. Thankfully there are numerous other options for great Italian with welcoming service in the same area.
Only giving it 3 stars because the food was good (although expensive and very small portions– tapas style). Highlights were the roasted chicken for 2 that takes an hour to cook ($ 42), the small focaccia bread ($ 5), and Bucatini pasta. Definitely skip on the meatballs.

Dinner review.
Pressed pig ears — ⁴⁄₅
Foccacia — ⁵⁄₅
Crispy pig tails — ³⁄₅
Meatballs — ⁴⁄₅
Polenta — ⁴⁄₅
Crispy potatoes — ⁴⁄₅
Roasted chicken for two — ⁵⁄₅ — 7×7
Tiramisu — ⁵⁄₅
Overall, roast chicken was great. Tiramisu was probably the best I’ve had yet in SF. «As good as it gets.»

New favorite restaurant. Food=excellent. Drinks=excellent. Ambiance=excellent. There was a guy playing the piano and a celloist (person who plays the cello… unsure how to spell) and it all made for a fun atmosphere. They had a spiked cappuccino drink we had for dessert I’d recommend to anybody.
Highly Recommend!

Grim for Greys
Yep they stuck us in the back room, despite our confirmed reservation, with others with our hair color, and it’s pretty grim back there. (Ambiance there sucks.) Front room had booths, tables for two and views of the happenin kitchen, and all the young people. Ageism… maybe? But I bet they know what Michael Bauer looks like.
Food appears faster by glacier, huge time gaps between courses, I suspect our second course was sent elsewhere, like to the front room or Levi’s Stadium, so they had to fix it again. So we got to stare at the grimness even longer.
However the food, when it arrived, was quite good, most courses were warm. Some hot but none as hot as the average Paris restaurant. My mussels were as good as on the dock in Oban, Scotland, which is to say as good as any I have ever had. (The clams on the other hand tasted like they were dug up from under the Moscone center; why did they put those in the stew.) Eggs Tornado were intriguing fishy flavorful and interesting and very satisfying. I could eat pounds of them. The polenta was really a wild mushroom dish with flavorful meaty and succulent ’ shrooms and a teeny, tiny piece of polenta (not sure what it was doing there).The cannoli were to die for.
Note, they do seem to like salt here.
But food is only part of the dining experience. We were using a gift card, so we tried this place, but if spending our own money we would not return. All the dinner and meal experiences we’ve had at Boulevard and Perbacco and Delfina and A16 Rockridge and Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa and Dona Tomas in Temescal, were as tasty or better and much more fun and enjoyable.
This place was grim.
What you might want to try is to sit at the bar, get a mixed drink, order a few interesting appetizers and a side, and if they do not show up, just walk out. If your food does arrive, ha ha fat chance, take more risk and order the cannoli and a coffee.
Signed
A Grim Grey.

MINUS 2 stars for Tosca’s Maître D’
PLUS 1 star for Chef Joyce’s comped apps
Arrived 6 PM on Tuesday, DEC 5 with no reservations, party of 3.
Maître D’ says they’re all booked until 8:30 or 8:45, but the bar serves the full menu. He says he might be able to seat us a bit earlier if someone cancels, but he won’t know for another 30 mins or so.
I tell him that we’d like to wait because:
1. because we usually order a ton of food, including the chicken which means we need maximum counter/​table space and the bar area didn’t seem like it would cut it
2. my little sister is in town and i wanted her to have a good experience at what was one of my favorite restaurants
— 6:00 PM the Maître D’ tells me he’ll come find me in 30 minutes to let me know if anyone has cancelled.
— 6:30 PM, 30 minutes passes and he doesn’t come find me to provide the update (that he volunteered to do)
— 6:40 PM, 10 more minutes passes, I go to the restroom. On my way back to the bar from the restroom, I stop by and ask if anyone cancelled. He says no, it’s still looking like 8:30 — 8:45. He tells me that maybe I should order appetizers and then finish our mains at the table.
~ 7:00 PM, we order our first round of apps
~ 7:05 PM, apps arrive, compliments of Chef Joyce
~ 7:10 PM, the apps we ordered arrive
~ 8:15 PM, my husband went back to the Maître D’ to check on the status our table and to order the chicken (since we know it takes approx an hour to cook), which would make the chicken available around 9:15 — plenty of time for our 8:30 — 8:45 table, right? NOPE. The Maître D’ states unfortunately no one cancelled so it looks like the earliest we could have a table would be 9:30−10!!! So he suggests to just eat at the bar.
How can your time quote be off by 1 – 1.5 hrs? Shouldn’t you have tables available for walk ins? And if you don’t, then that’s fine… but then don’t quote an estimated time frame! It’s all about setting expectations, which he did NOT. At that point, we had to stay since it was almost 8:30 and we had just ordered a bottle of wine, in anticipation of our table being ready.
…4 HOURS later, we leave. Bellies were happy, but we were not.
The food and service is still really good, so that makes me so sad. This used to be one of my favorite places in SF. When anyone asked ‘where should we go for dinner?’ Tosca was one of a handful of places I’d list. But now, I’m not sure it’s making that list.

Everyone loves the Bar and Drinks at Tosca but the food is worth talking about.
This is a celebrity Chef owned restaurant but the kitchen staff that works here deserves all the credit. It’s kinda trattoria food meaning causal, prepared to order a dish at a time.
They are famous for their chicken for 2 that takes an hour. Pigs ears, olives, cured meats,
Frito misto, grilled polenta, different pastas with prosciutto cream or chicken livers or just black pepper, perfectly cooked Salmon or grilled pork liver sausage.
As you can see its aggressive flavored but everything is delicious and prepared very very well. It’s in an historic old SF bar as well open kitchen too.
I would go back no problem good food, great drinks and good wines what more could you want. Oh yeah Alice Water ate there the night before we did.

Not really a huge complaint, but Tosca could ease up on the salt just a tad. The cocktails were just okay but the wine list is very good so I would stick to that. The crispy pig tails were not exactly what we expected but were still good in a rib sort of way. We found the Lumaconi to be on point and enjoyed its prosciutto-​y goodness. The Beef Tongue was the absolute star of the show and I would highly recommend it. The Lamb Shoulder was a special and although it was okay it didn’t hit the same high mark of the beef.
The restaurant is kind of dark and has a certain ambiance, no complaints about the service either.

This used to be my go to spot for a good cocktail, but my last three visits the bar service has been slow and inattentive. Doesn’t seem like the bartenders are enjoying their work and act as if the patrons are a burden. Definitely not good signs. Cocktails are still decent, though my martini last night was drowning in vermouth.
By comparison, the bartenders I used to see here were quick to welcome me with a smile, provide a menu, and even chat about liquors and cocktails. It used to be fun, but I think it’s time to find a new regular spot.

The drinks are decent but may be a bit overpriced.
The Lumaconi on the other hand, was horrible. I could have done better, and I’m not a cook… at all. It was if the cook at Tosca Café went to the store, bought a box of cheap pasta, poured it into a boiling pan of water and let it sit for only half as long as it needed to. He then strained it, and opened a jar of cheap alfredo sauce, poured it on top of the pasta and drowned it in pepper. And this was $ 18.
If this is any indication as to how the rest of their food menu dishes are, then run away from this place and never look back. Also, the drinks were actually decent, but definitely not worth $ 13 a pop. Total bill for two cocktails and the pasta: $ 50.
To sum up, you’re paying for the atmosphere here, not the quality, and even that is way overpriced!

Again, more first dates for me. This guy seems to enjoy food and know what he’s talking about so when we met up I really thought it would go a lot better than it did. He didn’t look like his pictures (WHY DOES NO ONE LOOK LIKE THEIR PICTURES???) and he smoked. I hate smokers. With a passion. Anyways, we had a great meal and will probably never see each other again — fine by me.
We ordered a few things — definitely thought it was a bit much, but sitting at the bar, it was a bit more difficult to eat everything, but we shared all the food (which was a lot). The meatball and foccacia is not on the menu, but suggested by other Unilocalers so I definitely loved those. A definite get. The bucatini was good, but not needed in our meal. The roasted chicken — on point. Definitely is a recommendation especially if you have a few hours to eat. It takes an hour to make so expect to wait!
Overall delicious place, a definite recommend for people in the area. As long as you have a decently small groups so you can sit at the bar. The people who went into the restaurant right before me wanted seats for like 10 people and left since they didn’t have enough space in the restaurant. Popular for actual booths — so get a reservation!
Protip: Roasted chicken.

Just finished watching The Mind of a Chef and was inspired by April Bloomfields spirit, creativity and sensibility as a chef. Living in SF I had no idea about the history surrounding Tosca Café and I had to check it out the night after watching season two of TMOAC.
We ordered:
The meatballs. They were the best meatballs I have had, ever. My boyfriend agreed. The best.
The halibut. It was great. Nicely seasoned. The polenta was subtly sweet.
The pork chop. Great tasting and textural breading on the chop.
I finished up my meal with the house cappuccino. Holy crap. It is a dessert in itself.
To top it off the service was great. The server was just ok but the manager on duty took care of us most of the night and she was more than accommodating and attentive.
We will return!

Cocktails: STRONG
Food: Okay
Price: A little much
Service: A little slow
Overall: Not a bad stop. It has the kind of vibe that makes me love being inside the city of San Francisco.

Food quality has gone down a bit.
Reasons:
— Rigatoni was undercooked (BIG no no)
— Parmesan Crusted Pork Chop was severely underwhelming and borderline undercooked
However, Pig Tails and Meatballs are still legit. Also, their service has drastically improved.
After my second visit it’s safe to say their menu is front heavy. Meaning their Antipasti are the strongest with their mains (or «Thirds») being the weakest. Our meal started SO strong but it was downhill from there. It appeared, at least through my observation, the tables around us had a very similar experience. Everyone appeared to eat less and less of each course as their meal progressed.
My suggestion is to order a ton of Antipasti and skip the rest.

How to cool off when it’s 80+ degrees in SF? I tried the Arrow in the Ives as another Unilocaler suggested. Very refreshing! But the Negroni is the winner here! So good! I could’ve drank that all night.
Came for the cocktails but was pleasantly surprised that the food was also good. I recommend the halibut, which was light and flaky. Perfect for a hot summer evening!

Whoa. Dinner and drinks here = nothing short of amazing. It’s true, loyal Unilocalers really should take the 3.5 star ratings with a grain of salt. IMOH, Tosca is undoubtedly 4 – 5 star worthy. Came in on a Thursday early evening w/​o reservation, and the gracious host kindly arranged for us to be seated a few minutes later. I was happy sitting at the bar, but a table was even better.
— Arrow in the Ives cocktail = super fresh strawberry and ginger flavors. So refreshing!
— Meatballs = can’t put my finger on it, but these were amazing. Easily some of the best meatballs I’ve had. Do yourself a favor and get the house-​made focaccia. It come out piping hot, and the textural contrast between the crispy crust and interior cannot be beat. Plenty of meatball sauce for dipping, too!
— Lumaconi — creamy, velvety, all things divine. 5 stars.
— Rigatoni — unique flavor profile paring copious amounts of octopus & chickpeas. Spot on.
Yes, my +1 and I made a concerted decision to enjoy an all-​out carb-​fest. And I don’t regret it in the least. A generous slice of tiramisu rounded out the meal. Needless to say, we both left fat and happy. So worth it!

Passing by, I had no idea we had arrived at our destination. This cute little place doesn’t have much window area and is dimly lit inside. Walking in, Boyfriend and I really liked the classed up diner vibe of the restaurant. There is a bar in the front of the restaurant/​walkway, with the dining area in the back. We were seated in a booth that lined the walls of the small dining room surrounding the individual tables in the center. Our table was directly in front of the beautiful kitchen arch-​way/​opening, which I thought was tastefully designed.
We had a LARGE dinner. We started with cocktails as we decided on what to order, I got the Old Grampian and I don’t remember the cocktail Boyfriend ordered, but they were both excellent. We decided to each get appetizers, minestrone for me and salad for him. For our seconds, we shared the octopus pasta and finally as our main entrée we ordered the chicken for two (takes 1 hour to prepare) with pork fat potatoes and garlic broccoli to go with them. Everything came out in great timing. After our cocktails, we decided to each get a glass of red wine to go with the rest of our meal.
Now for the critique: Boyfriends salad was super fresh and vibrant, but he did get tired of the bright taste after awhile (though it was good — just not for him). My soup was divine and just the right amount, but it was a tad salty (it has a pesto flavor to it with cheese and garlic). The octopus pasta was Boyfriends fave of the night. Octopus is usually pretty chewy and tough, but the octopus in this dish was very soft and completely drenched in rich red sauce. HIGH RECOMMEND. The chicken came last with the vegetables. The chicken was much smaller than we anticipated but that wasn’t a huge deal because we had ordered quite a lot. The chicken was actually a bit dry in some areas, and juicy in others so it was a bit disappointing since I’ve read so many rave reviews about it. It also comes with a toast that went very well with the sauce. The vegetables were amazing — nothing healthy about it when slathered in oil, garlic and sauce, but they were so tasty. I think because we had ordered so much, the kitchen threw in a plate of carrots on the house that were perfectly soft and firm with just the right seasoning.
Had an amazing dinner that we ended with tiramisu and coffee. The tiramisu lived up to expectations and was juicy and tender. There was also a hint of orange tang that really gave the dessert some edge. Loved the entire meal (I think we spent almost 3 hours there) and if the place wasn’t so expensive and oddly located, I would come back and recommend to others.
Ambiance: 4.5÷5
Food and drink: 4.5÷5
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Overall Experience: ⁵⁄₅

We had heard that the roasted chicken here was amazing so we had to go especially since my husband LOVES chicken. We had already eaten at Fog City and also Zuni (that’s his fave) so the bar was already set high. The chicken takes 1 hr from ordering so we started with the Market Salad which we both thought was excellent! The greens were so fresh and the oregano vinaigrette married the Parmesan cheese and the toasted pumpkin seeds perfectly! Next, we had the fried anchovies. That was a bit of a disappointment because they had a slight bitter taste to them. I ordered a cocktail called Himalayan Rescue. I loved it!!! It had a lovely aftertaste of Absinthe which is my favorite spirit.
So after 1 hour, the roasted chicken (½ chicken with bread spread with marscapone cheese and pine nuts) arrives (foot still on the leg). They also bring potatoes that we learned were cooked in pork fat. Now my husband and I don’t eat pork so they kindly took the potatoes away and replaced it with broccoli rabe sautéed in anchovy sauce with garlic. That was very good. Then they came back as we are about to cut into the chicken and they say that the sauce on the chicken is made from pork fat. We were quite irritated but at that point we had waited for an hour for the chicken and did not want to wait any longer so we just sucked it up and ate it. It was very rich and almost one-​note flavor. Hands up it didn’t even come close to the chicken and bread salad at Zuni’s.
Next time we come here, we’ll just sit at the bar and have drinks because that was the best part of the meal.

I’m shocked the overall rating is only 3.5 stars!
The food was FANTASTIC. F
STANDOUTS: pig tail (wow! this could easily be their dish on 7×7 next year), bucatini, meatballs and foccacia, burrata special and the roast chicken for two.
NEGATIVES: The service can be a bit slow and the space is quite loud — there is no where the sound to go and everyone just starts talking louder and louder. We ate at 6pm and the place was packed (dining space surrounding kitchen, there are tables behind the wall. May be quieter back there?). If I were to come again I’d do a late late dinner or super early to avoid the noise level. It’s a bit uncomfortable but doesn’t ruin the experience — was close to knocking a star but kept it about the food.
We did 3 appetizers, 1 salad, 2 pastas and the roasted chicken and 2 cappuccinos with tax and tip was $ 200. The chicken easily feeds 3 or more if do apps. What a gem!
TIP: get the chicken lightly salted.

Tosca has an upstairs private room called «The Chef’s Lounge» that you can book with a food + beverage minimum of $ 1000. The space fits 8 seated or 12 standing. I dined here a couple weekends ago and enjoyed a leisurely three hour dinner. Tosca’s menu is moderately priced, so the minimum was hard to hit for our group of 8 — come hungry and thirsty for sure.
FOOD:
ANTIPASTI — We had a selection of cured meats and pressed pig ear. Nothing particularly stood out, but a good starter.
CRISPY PIG TAILS — Wow, extra crunchy, fatty pig tails that went perfectly with the tangy balsamic reduction. A must try.
HOUSE-​BAKED FOCCACIA — Just the right amount of crisp along the edges, fluffy inside, and dangerously filling because you can’t stop eating it.
SPRING SALAD w/​Cucumber, Asparagus, Radishes, Mustard Vinaigrette, Bottarga — This salad edged out the other. The tang of the mustard vinaigrette with the bottarga (salted fish roe) was a great combination.
MARKET SALAD w/​Wild Oregano Vinaigrette, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Parmesan — Very good salad as well, I just preferred the spring salad more.
GEMELLI w/​Kale Pesto, Ricotta Salata, Crispy Quinoa — My favorite pasta dish because I’m sucker for pesto. Simple and delicious.
BUCATINI w/​Tomato, Guanciale, Chili — Loved the salty bits of guanciale.
RIGATONI w/​Braised Octopus, Chickpeas, Crème Fraiche — I love octopus, but this was probably my least favorite of the pasta courses. The flavors didn’t wow me as much.
MEATBALLS (off menu) — Lived up to the hype. We got a generous portion of seven large, juicy, and flavorful meatballs.
GRILLED POLENTA w/​Roasted Mushrooms — I love polenta, I love mushrooms. The end.
ROASTED CHICKEN — This dish, while impressively presented, was a bit of a letdown (Zuni is my gold standard). The chicken was on the dry side, though the bed of ricotta covered bread was ridiculously good.
CRISPY POTATOES — Extra crispy and garlic-​y, definitely a winner!
ASPARAGUS w/​Toasted Almonds — Enjoyable.
SERVICE:
Good service, although we were left alone for long periods of time. This was understandable, as we were in a private room closed off to the wait staff to observe. The kitchen was flexible and able to tailor the timing to our needs. We were running behind for an event, and they kindly brought out the remaining entrees all at once.
AMBIANCE:
The main dining room and private room are kept fairly dim. The private room has a small bar where diners can help themselves and are charged by volume. The room is cozy, with no windows, but it does have one small vent to the kitchen. Décor is old-​school with lots of paintings and a large cow head mounted on the back wall. The space is intimate and quiet, great for a small dinner party.

Tosca Café was something.
The sole reason for our visit is the interesting pig parts featured on the menu. After Animal in LA and Commonwealth in SF, I had not seen anything exciting that was executed well in restaurant that is not heavily Asian influenced. My philosophy for food is that nothing should go to waste. If you are going to kill the pig, why let the ears and tail and all the inner organs end up in the dumpster?
At the end it wasn’t only these ‘adventurous’ dishes that really impressed. (Granted their Pressed Pig Ear was enjoyable and the Pig Tail was absolutely sinful.) It was that one simple meatball that completely captivated us. It didn’t hurt that everything else from service to their creative cocktails were also throughoutly delightful.

Chef April Bloomfield is an awesome culinary bad ass. Only 1% of all Michelin chefs worldwide are female; she has two Michelin starred restaurants. Two! She was named Best Chef, NYC in 2014 by the prestigious James Beard Foundation. She’s the highest scoring Iron Chef competitor who beat Iron Chef Vin Diesel (aka Chef Symon). AND, her newest restaurant, the revamped Tosca Café was named #4 in The Best New Restaurants in 2014 in America by Bön Appetit!
It was only fitting to end the year with a bang and have our last meal of 2014 at Tosca Café before KO at 9:30 pm and waking up 10 minutes before the countdown… only because I thought it was an earthquake. Come to find out it was just our puppy, Tater Tot furiously humping Mr. NSS’ shoulder. I guess we know who’s boss!
Anyhow, the stars were aligned when we able to snag last minute reservations at Tosca Café and were seated in a cozy booth with front row seats to the kitchen. Reservations are a must on the weekends unless you have 2+ hours to kill.
Tosca Café serves Italian food with a twist. The prices are really expensive for the small portions (hello, $ 4 for a chunk of bread!) but worth it. Prepare to spend about $ 80-​$ 100 pp for food and drinks.
~ * ~ C O C K T A I L S ~ * ~
All cocktails are $ 12.
*Polo Cup:
*Choke Hold:
*Suffering Bastard:
My fav was the Polo Cup because it’s super refreshing. Choke Hold was super stiff. The Suffering Bastard was a bit too sour for my liking.
~ * ~ F O O D ~ * ~
Reading all the reviews complaining of the food being overly salty, we requested «lightly salted» for our order which was just right.
*Pressed Pig Ear ($ 5): 3 STARS
Nothing special; reminded me of thinly sliced headcheese.
*Crispy Pig Tails ($ 9): 5 STARS
These were phenomenal. Think super crunchy and juicy chicharrones. The drizzle of balsamic reduction perfectly cut through the richness. It was SO good that we ordered another round.
*Meatballs w/​house baked focaccia ($ 12 + $ 4): 5 STARS
These were disappointingly tiny but the flavorful meatiness and airy texture made up for it. The crunchy yet cloudy focaccia dipped in the marinara sauce was deliciously satisfying.
*Lucamoni w/​prosciutto, treviso, lemon breadcrumbs ($ 17): 4 STARS
All their pastas are made in-​house, and you must order one. The lucamoni had a great toothsome bite and I loved the light saltiness from the prosciutto and the crunchy texture contrast from the breadcrumbs but it was way too lemony.
*Roasted Half Chicken For Two w/​ricotta, pine nuts, marsala ($ 42): 4.5 STARS
For the price of 8.4 whole rotisserie chickens at Costco, you get a whopping half a chicken at Tosca Café…BUT, this roast chicken beats Zuni Café’s hands down (their chicken is so boring and overrated)! The skin was lightly crisp and the meat was succulently moist; even the breast meat. The marsala sauce added a great complex savory sweetness. Loved the crusty bread topped with creamy ricotta and pine nuts. Best roast chicken ever but the price tag is just too ridonkulous to warrant 5 stars.
*Crispy Potatoes w/​pork fat, garlic, rosemary ($ 7): 2 STARS
People raved about this but our order oddly tasted like bitter, burnt garlic.
*Tiramisu ($ 9): 4 STARS
This tiramisu will rock your taste buds. The espresso flavor is super strong; way too strong for me but it was well-​executed and nicely fluffy.
~ * ~ S E R V I C E ~ * ~
This would be a 5 star review except the staff is cold and the service very slow (we had 5 pm reservations).
The only friendly people in the army of staff are the hostess and the American Indian waitstaff (super nice guy). Hopefully one day their kindness will rub off on the rest of the other staff. Obviously, it’s their job to get sh*t done and they do but a little kind reciprocation would be appreciated. They wouldn’t even acknowledge our «thank you“s. Don’t expect them to ask you how your meal is either.
Our meal was coursed out so there was an unbearably long lag between courses. Dinner took over 2.5 hours for 4 courses so liquor up!
Only knocking off a star for service because we expected this given all the other reviews.
~ * ~ A M B I A N C E /​D E C O R ~ * ~
Dark, old skool, and insanely loud. There’s 6 tight booths, 3 four tops, 4 two tops, and a private room in back for large groups. Not recommended for an intimate date.
~ * ~ P A R K I N G ~ * ~
Insanely difficult street parking which is why I normally avoid the area. They need to offer valet parking.

Dined here in the private room on Christmas Eve and our group of 9 had a pre-​fixe 4-​course menu.
To start– Crispy Pig Tails– really delicious and oh so fatty! «Point Reyes Blue» Salad– there was a lottt of blue cheese! House-​baked foccacia– we asked for refills like 3 times. Fresh and addicting.
2^nd course– Bucatini. Wow, the pasta was amazing! The perfect bite and just enough sauce. Highly recommend getting this dish.
3^rd course– Whole Roasted Chicken. (Broccoli and Crispy Potatoes as sides) The chicken was so moist! Their marsala sauce was perfect atop the chicken and sides. The crispy potatoes were fried in pork fat– reminded me of my favorite potatoes at Plow except more fatty and fried!
4^th course– Tiramisu with orange zest. A perfect end to the meal! There was definitely a lot of rum which we all loved.
As in other reviews of the restaurant, the service was spotty but not entirely horrible. It was tolerable but there were some long pauses in between courses and getting refills of anything.
Overall, a solid 4 stars and definitely want to try their famous «Cappacuino» next time.

What is the best way to describe the Tosca Café? It’s a legendary stop in San Francisco’s North Beach that any native and quite frankly any tourist has to hit the next time they are walking the famous Columbus Avenue.
My friend and I arrived at 5:30pm on a Friday evening and the place was already packed. (And they only opened at 5pm!) It was loud and the crowd was a we bit tipsy already. By the time we left by 7pm the place was hot, suffocating, extremely loud and absolutely overflowing with people. A place with the narrow bar all the way in front and the main dining room in the back does not provide for great aesthetics (or great breathable air for that matter), but then again this place is well, shall we say, «vintage» so like a fine wine we should celebrate the fact that it’s still alive and kicking with providing great drinks and delectable dishes.
We managed to weasel ourselves two barstools to drinks and food. As for drinks since we were at the bar, my friend and I had try Tosca’s world famous «House Cappuccino» a hot totty if I’ve ever had one before. It was rich and strong, just like I thought it would be. For the bar bites, we decided to try the roasted beets with pesto, the Frito Misto with clams and prawns, and the grilled polenta with heirloom radicchio. My friend said it best when she declared it was «one of the best meals» she’s ever had in her life. Quite the high praise Tosca’s. I too found Tosca Café’s menu delightful and rich with flavor and meaning. Star chef April Bloomfield’s menu has clearly has a purpose and it’s not just geared towards the casual tourist or barfly.
So that’s a very good thing. Since the place is so popular now it tends to fill up very fast and gets loud even faster. The place is popular now with locals and tourists alike. In this case, the place is no longer the romantic gem of North Beach. But still I plan on returning in the future, so I can sample their pasta dishes and more of their flavorful bar bites.