A Mano

December 2023: Been meaning to try this restaurant for a long time. Fortunately, stopped by for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Tried the mushroom radiatori and the gemelli. Both were very tasty 😋. The radiatori was vegetarian and made with a creamy cheesy sauce. The gemelli was lighter and had a nice sausage. Service was attentive. Next time, I would try the pizza.

Came here when they first opened and so the wait was always long. You can now put your name on a waitlist on Yelp which helps a lot. Waited for my dinner companion at the bar as they don’t seat you until everyone is there. There is indoor and outdoor seating. There was band playing on the street and folks wandering around Patricia’s Green or the shops so not too bad of you have to wait. Food was delish as usual. Got the pasta this time. I don’t always recognize the name of the pasta so I have to look it up. They had a nice selection of wine and cocktails. We were going to watch a show at Bill Graham afterwards so we needed a coffee drink with a little extra. They didn’t have Amaretto so we got brandy instead.

The food is always delicious here! From salads to pastas, pizzas and their special fried chicken, it’s always spot on. For a while the service was spotty. We would come in and have excellent service and the next time it almost felt like they pulled someone in off the streets to serve us. Just not consistent, which can make or break a dining experience. I’m happy to say that the last 4 times I’ve been to A Mano the service was consistently great! A Mano is such a cool space. Please please please turn down the music though. This is not a club! Most people go out to eat to have conversations over the food and drinks. I find myself actually having to yell just so my companion can hear what I’m saying across the narrow table. Everyone else is shouting as well so you are hearing the person next to you loud and clear but not your actual dining companion across from you. It’s really unnecessary. Also I believe an outside chair update is due! They have gotten a lot of Milage out of those tiny, low, highly uncomfortable stools outside. Not everyone is 5’4” with a tiny behind and 25 years old! I do love coming on a Sunday afternoon and sitting outside in the outdoor space they created. Very lovely! I also wish they would put a Bloody Mary on the menu for the weekend brunch. We usually head over to Hazies for a pre brunch Mary. They are delicious over there but I be A Mano could do one even better!

Absolutely fantastic. Came at a very weird hour between lunch and dinner and the menu is smaller (about three pasta selections), but so much care was devoted to the dish. A lot of parm which I loveeee. Umami with citrus was so innovative and fun. Also perfect temperature - weird to note but you know when you get pasta that’s just toooo hot? No, they’ve mastered it. I just have to keep raving about subtle citrus taste with this braised lamb rigatoni dish and it was so unique and spectacular! Perfect sauce to pasta ratio. Adorable setting and space in SF too, in a really sweet area and the outdoor seating is really fun, one long train station-esque bench with cute yellow mini square tables. There’s paid parking on neighboring streets so it isn’t too hard on that front, which was nice. Such a gem!!

Wow I was so surprised since I thought that this place might have been overhyped but I was wrong! Good: - Awesome focaccia bread, I think it was some of the crispiest focaccia bread I’ve had 5/5 - I loved the bucatini pasta here and the flavor of the sauce 5/5 - The short rib pasta was great too 4/5 - Funghi pizza was 3/5 in my opinion since it wasn’t as flavorful and a bit oily - Nice ambiance - good catch-up vibes Bad: - Wait times were CRAZY long I felt like it was 30 min or 45 min till we got all our food Overall, loved the food and vibe here and would come back.

OVERALL: 5/5 Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Perfect late night place after a show at the neighbouring theatres. We found this as it was one on the few places open after we got out of the Opera House. Excellent Pizza and Pasta !!! We have - Mushroom Pizza - excellent flavors with the best crust. It did not get floppy or soggy. - Spaghetti with Early Girl Tomatoes - Simple flavors done well with the freshest produce. 9-29-2023 - Dinner - Table for 2

What a surprising place! Delighted that location and the patio and the food impressed ! The perfect blend of flavours in the pizza that were not over powering but also not boring either. The food was very well prepared, served hot and service was exceptional. We over heard one of the guests raving about the heirloom tomatoes in their salad and another table was also very complimentary of their meal. Over all exceptional and pleasant, patio was very nice balance of street activity and privacy.