Excellent food for a pretty good price. The chicken, eggplant, peppers and onions were all fantastic - really hits the spot if you're hungry and need a good quantity and quality of food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
American Angler
I'm on Columbus street because my old Army pal Joe Schlong needed some help installing a Crystatillian Retarder on a Beachfrat Balifoon he picked up from the Philharmonic, so I offered my help. It required the precision of a surgeon with skinny fingers and the ability to work between heartbeats, and that left me out so I enlisted the help of Mary-Joe Chipinski the retired Bomb Deactivater for the NYPD Bomb Squad who just happened to be in town for this weekend's Large Munitions Trade Show at the Cow Palace.. What luck! The Schlong was so happy he walked the half block over to Il Pillaio Restaurant and brought back some pretty amazing chicken dinners! 5 ☆☆☆☆☆
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gleb Radchenko
Cozy and warm place with simple yet perfectly executed food. The chicken and lamb were amazing—I’m not sure how they achieved that level of crispiness while keeping the meat so juicy, but they nailed it. Be sure to try the grilled onions and squash—they elevate the main dish to the next level. The owner often serves customers herself and is a very friendly and pleasant person. :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alina Medvedeva
Little spot for a quick lunch or dinner. The food is decent - simple, fresh, and reasonably priced. It’s a good place to grab a sandwich or salad if you’re in the area and need something fast.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Manish Kumar Bera
Food is simple and tasteful. Unlike other Italian restaurants which fill their food with cheese and refined flour, this restaurant is a breath of fresh air.
My order included the soup of the day (minestrone soup), a green salad, and some grilled chicken. All of the dishes were excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Half Chicken with Choice of Salad
Rogelio Carrasco
A little shrink inflation from the last time I ate there it's still good the The chimichurri is insane it's really fresh all the food is good really tender meat
Do you like cold canned beans and dried out Safeway rotisserie chicken at 300% the cost? This was a disappointment, please treat your pallet to something else.
I first walked into Il Pollaio 27 years ago, shortly after moving to San Francisco. Since that day, I have enjoyed their food, and my fondness for it has never waned. The standout dish here is the grilled chicken. They truly know how to do chicken right! I always recommend ordering the half-grilled chicken and salad special. It remains a fantastic deal. If grilled chicken isn't your favorite, you can't go wrong with their lamb chops or burgers, either.
Their salads are simple but satisfying. My top pick is the Combination Salad, which comes with beans. When it comes to soups, my favorite is the split pea soup, though their minestrone is also excellent!
The staff at Il Pollaio is wonderful. Over the years, I've seen many great people work there, but a few have been around for a long time, and they are exceptional. Il Pollaio has been a constant in my life in the North Beach food scene for over two decades, and I can't recommend it highly enough for anyone seeking delicious and reliable meals in North Beach, San Francisco.
Vegetarian options: Limited vegetarian options are available.
Parking: It is not easy to find parking in North Beach, but there are paid public parking options near by.
Wheelchair accessibility: Wheelchair accessibility is not a problem here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bean Salad, Grilled Italian Sausage, Whole Chicken Large Salad, Combination, Classic Charcoal Grilled Chicken, Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Choice of Salad, Mozzarella Caprese, Lamb Chops
Leftover Treasures
It's such an amazing restaurant. The food is always delicious and fresh. The prices are very reasonable. Every dish is a winner.
Vegetarian options: Great salads and homemade soups.
Parking: It is very difficult to find parking. I would recommend ride share to the area. Washington park is next door.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alethea D
I’ve been here a few times with my family and every time the service and atmosphere is great, but the food doesn’t match. We usually do family style with pork chops and chicken, eggplant and peppers, but I’m continually disappointed by these dishes, so I decided to get the burger instead. The patty, though I asked for medium rare, was well done, I had to pay extra for a thin slice of cheddar cheese, and the fillings left something to be desired. I kept thinking that I could have gotten a better burger at a backyard bbq, rather than this $17 one. The fries were pretty tasteless and thick. The eggplant and peppers had a lot of garlic and oil, and not much else. I’m left wanting more with this food. That said, the waitstaff are incredible at their jobs. Very nice people.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Jose De La Lastra
The chicken was great, they are very friendly at the place, a somewhat small but ideal and traditional place, excellent✨
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joyce Husband
We are visiting from New Mexico and our SF cousins Greg and Amy ( long time patrons) chose this amazing restaurant above all others for us! The food was so delicious and we highly recommend it! Tom and
The best chicken in the world
Excellent food for a pretty good price. The chicken, eggplant, peppers and onions were all fantastic - really hits the spot if you're hungry and need a good quantity and quality of food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I'm on Columbus street because my old Army pal Joe Schlong needed some help installing a Crystatillian Retarder on a Beachfrat Balifoon he picked up from the Philharmonic, so I offered my help. It required the precision of a surgeon with skinny fingers and the ability to work between heartbeats, and that left me out so I enlisted the help of Mary-Joe Chipinski the retired Bomb Deactivater for the NYPD Bomb Squad who just happened to be in town for this weekend's Large Munitions Trade Show at the Cow Palace.. What luck! The Schlong was so happy he walked the half block over to Il Pillaio Restaurant and brought back some pretty amazing chicken dinners! 5 ☆☆☆☆☆
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cozy and warm place with simple yet perfectly executed food.
The chicken and lamb were amazing—I’m not sure how they achieved that level of crispiness while keeping the meat so juicy, but they nailed it. Be sure to try the grilled onions and squash—they elevate the main dish to the next level. The owner often serves customers herself and is a very friendly and pleasant person. :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Little spot for a quick lunch or dinner. The food is decent - simple, fresh, and reasonably priced. It’s a good place to grab a sandwich or salad if you’re in the area and need something fast.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Food is simple and tasteful. Unlike other Italian restaurants which fill their food with cheese and refined flour, this restaurant is a breath of fresh air.
My order included the soup of the day (minestrone soup), a green salad, and some grilled chicken. All of the dishes were excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Half Chicken with Choice of Salad
A little shrink inflation from the last time I ate there it's still good the The chimichurri is insane it's really fresh all the food is good really tender meat
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Combination, Bean Salad, Half Rabbit
Great food and service.
Do you like cold canned beans and dried out Safeway rotisserie chicken at 300% the cost? This was a disappointment, please treat your pallet to something else.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
A favorite restaurant in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Il Pollaio: 27 Years and Going Strong!
I first walked into Il Pollaio 27 years ago, shortly after moving to San Francisco. Since that day, I have enjoyed their food, and my fondness for it has never waned. The standout dish here is the grilled chicken. They truly know how to do chicken right! I always recommend ordering the half-grilled chicken and salad special. It remains a fantastic deal. If grilled chicken isn't your favorite, you can't go wrong with their lamb chops or burgers, either.
Their salads are simple but satisfying. My top pick is the Combination Salad, which comes with beans. When it comes to soups, my favorite is the split pea soup, though their minestrone is also excellent!
The staff at Il Pollaio is wonderful. Over the years, I've seen many great people work there, but a few have been around for a long time, and they are exceptional.
Il Pollaio has been a constant in my life in the North Beach food scene for over two decades, and I can't recommend it highly enough for anyone seeking delicious and reliable meals in North Beach, San Francisco.
Vegetarian options: Limited vegetarian options are available.
Parking: It is not easy to find parking in North Beach, but there are paid public parking options near by.
Wheelchair accessibility: Wheelchair accessibility is not a problem here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bean Salad, Grilled Italian Sausage, Whole Chicken Large Salad, Combination, Classic Charcoal Grilled Chicken, Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Choice of Salad, Mozzarella Caprese, Lamb Chops
It's such an amazing restaurant. The food is always delicious and fresh. The prices are very reasonable. Every dish is a winner.
Vegetarian options: Great salads and homemade soups.
Parking: It is very difficult to find parking. I would recommend ride share to the area. Washington park is next door.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve been here a few times with my family and every time the service and atmosphere is great, but the food doesn’t match. We usually do family style with pork chops and chicken, eggplant and peppers, but I’m continually disappointed by these dishes, so I decided to get the burger instead. The patty, though I asked for medium rare, was well done, I had to pay extra for a thin slice of cheddar cheese, and the fillings left something to be desired. I kept thinking that I could have gotten a better burger at a backyard bbq, rather than this $17 one. The fries were pretty tasteless and thick. The eggplant and peppers had a lot of garlic and oil, and not much else. I’m left wanting more with this food. That said, the waitstaff are incredible at their jobs. Very nice people.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
The chicken was great, they are very friendly at the place, a somewhat small but ideal and traditional place, excellent✨
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We are visiting from New Mexico and our SF cousins Greg and Amy ( long time patrons) chose this amazing restaurant above all others for us! The food was so delicious and we highly recommend it! Tom and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Combination
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