Colombini Italian Cafe & Bistro

Walked by this a hundred times and finally tried it! Cozy ambience, reminiscent of a family restaurant in Italy. Great service as well, very friendly. Loved the food, bread was warm and crusty, tried a vegetarian pizza that was delicious and filling. Plus, a very reasonable $18 corkage fee. I'll be coming back!

The food is incredible. I stopped in one night recently and tried the carbonara with a fresh house made pasta and it opened up my tastebuds to what carbonara should actually taste like. I’ve been back a few times since to try other items and every time the food is amazing. Small menu but very reasonable prices. Updating my review after stopping in again July’23. Added some new pics of polenta & a beef ragu amatriciana with house made fettuccini. I’ve never had polenta anywhere else that made me think about it as a particularly tasteful dish, but there’s something about it here that is just amazing I love it.

Stopped in to Colombini's recently while visiting SF, two teens in tow. This is a tiny, very inviting space with a small but well curated menu. It's attached to the small hotel next door. The service was warm and attentive; the owner actually took our orders. We had a great grilled romaine starter, wonderful firm polenta with a sausage ragu (I think it was actually the bolognese, my husband thinks it was sausage). We all had pasta dishes; the standout to me was the spaghetti carbonara, but the bolognese and my gorgonzola (very mild) with mushrooms were also very good and perfectly cooked. Portions were also perfect. We had a nice Chianti DOCG at a reasonable price, and the owner suggested a very nice apertif. Dessert was Key Lime pie ( they were out of tiramisu), which is a bit unusual for an italian restaurant, but it was lovely, housemade. The room has a great vibe, small wooden bar, small, intimate tables, nice lighting. Would be a great place for a date dinner or anniversary.