A16

2355 Chestnut St. (between Divisadero & Scott)
(415) 771-2216

Italian/Pizza in the Marina

This restaurant was the perfect place to go right before seeing Bookeaters at the Palace of Fine Arts (they're really close to each other). Even as a Monday evening, this place was pretty crowded, but we only had to wait about 15 min. without a reservation. Maybe I shouldn't hate on the Marina so much, but I was expecting pretty snotty service. To my surprise, the staff was actually really chill and accommodating. My friend and I were running late for the show and they took care of everything right away. =)

The atmosphere is pretty typical for the Marina, but what was cool was the bar seating in front of the chefs. Watching them oven-roast corn and plate other dishes made me want to eat those haha. However, we got the pizza salsiccia (sausage & green onions) since they're known for their pizzas, and the pasta with squid & zucchini. Maybe I was expecting too much, but the pizza was just so-so. It was pretty light for a pizza, which I appreciated, but if I ever go back, I'd get one with sauce (e.g. the marinara or romana). Despite having only had one bite of the pasta because we were running late, it was good! I had it later as leftovers and I really liked it - very light with subtle but good flavors.

If you were to go on a more popular night out (e.g. Friday or Saturday), I'd imagine the wait would be really long, and I don't think it would be worth it. However, the food is pretty good, so check it out on another day. =)