What a loss to San Francisco. Before its new owners mired it in mediocrity, this was once among the most magical dining experiences I’ve ever had. It may as well be an airport concession—uninspired, careless, pointless. Who would turn this cave of wonder into a dim tourist trap? Its new owners, with an infallible reverse Midas touch, who have a gift for squeezing margins out of a menu and little else. It wouldn’t matter so much if Tosca itself didn’t mean as much as it does. We can only hope the next owners—and judging by the thin crowds, that day will come—have more to offer.
rosemary
The manager Anna was so attentive and the staff was amazing. The food was top notch as well as the service. Thank you again for another fantastic return to your restaurant!
Joseph Payne
What happened to this beautiful restaurant? Empty seats, empty bar, empty liquor bottles (the only gin they had was Bombay Sapphire?), and slow food service.
Having dinner at Tosca was like watching an old man dying; this once venerable and world-renowned institution seems sadly to be on its last gasp.
Someone please save this wonderful place.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
Joe
It's not what it once was. There is a very obvious reason why it's so easy to make a reservation at Tosca now: it's bad.
Jane
Great place. But be prepared to wait. The staff were lovely, let us know they were short staffed, and gave us complimentary appetizers while we waited. If you are under a time constraint, just be aware that you will have a delicious meal, served at a “relaxed“ pace.
Michelle
I had a reservation for 6 at 5:00 pm on a Saturday. When we arrived it looked like they were still preparing to open. We were seated right away. There was only 1 other table of 2 in the restaurant. The person who was working the bar took our drink orders. After our drinks came, we were waiting an unusually long time before getting our order taken. Come to find, they were waiting for our waitress to arrive for her shift - she was running late. I thought it was odd that they were waiting for this one person to take our order when there was a person working the bar who wasn't serving anyone, a handful of cooks in the kitchen and 1 other person who refilled our waters. None offered to take our orders while we waited for the waitress to come in. Once the waitress arrived though, she was super apologetic and kind and our food came out fairly quickly. We had a 7 pm show at the palace theater which made it even more stressful but we were able to make it to our show in time. They did comp a portion of our meal to apologize which I thought was nice. Overall food was great and I'm sure the service would've been great too if our waitress wasn't late but things happen.
Krishin Asnani
I was enticed and drawn in by the interiors and arrived last night with a couple, hoping to enjoy Tosca’s art, drinks, and hospitality. It wasn’t crowded, and we asked for a table—easier for four to talk than at the bar—but were denied, even though many tables were empty at 10 pm. Our hearts sank. All we wanted were drinks, yet we were read the rules. It felt like a Seinfeld episode: no tables for just drinks.
We went to Comstock which maybe the best place for craft cocktails ; its interiors are sophisticated with hushed lighting. Loved its charred Brussels sprouts.
Alicia
We were celebrating a friend's birthday, and the six of us thought it would be fun to revisit Tosca, which none of us had been to for at least 2 years. The staff was actually lovely, and you could tell they were doing their best. BUT, it was grossly understaffed. From what I could tell, there was 1 serve for the entire restaurant. 3 bartenders. I think some of th ekitchen staff came out to help run. It took forever for our server to make it to the table inititally, it tok a very long time to get our first 2 rounds of drinks. One glass of white wine was perfectly chilled. A different glass of white wine was kind of warm. The espresso martini was great. Foccacia was yummy, really liked the addition of pesto. The meatballs were also good. All the food was quite good, as expected. Once the first tables turned, the service was a little better. All in all, the food was great, we made the best time of it. The staff was really nice, and clearly doing their best- but they just needed more people! Or, reallocated staff so that there was at least one more server. I know staffing is challenging in restaurants, and I hope they are able to reach some staffing stability soon!
Andres Ramirez Fierro
Please check your receipt! We were over charged $27 dollars on an order of drinks. The menu prices are not reflected on the final bill and the staff doesn’t say anything despite being aware of the discrepancy. While we enjoyed what we had I don’t appreciate being taken advantage of.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 2
Tracy
Service was not good on the night we were there; they seemed extremely understaffed. It was almost an hour before someone came to the table to take our order, and it seemed as if there was only one true server on staff, even though the dining room was full. The server was really nice once she was able to get to us but there was no way she could handle the dining room by herself. There was one other person helping out but she seemed stressed and left my friend to deal with the credit card machine on her own and my friend had zero idea how to use it. When she asked for help the woman was so rude to her. I have been to Tosca many times and always had excellent service so it was quite a surprise. The food is still excellent though.
We loved this place the last time we were in town, so we wanted to try it again. It's a bit loud, so it was difficult to hear our server, as well as her having a heavy accent (which I love but was hard to hear/understand with the noise). She was helpful when I asked questions about some dishes on the menu. The food was delicious. I ordered the eggplant. I was told it would take 18 to 20 minutes. So we ordered focaccia with pesto. A good choice. It was yummy. Before we knew it, the eggplant was being served. I was amazed at the size. We had enough for leftovers for the next day. My husband ordered pesto pasta and was delighted with the dish. We both ordered wine. I had an Italian rosé that was nice, but it could have been colder. My husband was happy with his Sangiovese pinto noir. There is a person who brings a bottle of cold water, picks up the empty dishes, cleans off the crumbs, and packages up your takeaway food. He was great. All in all, it's a delightful experience being in the neighborhood with City Lights bookstore and heading down the alley to Specs, a bar that you don't want to miss for a dessert cocktail.
Vincent Versher
The best Italian cuisine in all of San Francisco Bay! Homemade pasta.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer
Loved our dinner here! Staff very attentive, pasta and Cesar delicious. The ambiance feels very old school—impressive bar. Great lively crowd.
What a loss to San Francisco. Before its new owners mired it in mediocrity, this was once among the most magical dining experiences I’ve ever had. It may as well be an airport concession—uninspired, careless, pointless. Who would turn this cave of wonder into a dim tourist trap? Its new owners, with an infallible reverse Midas touch, who have a gift for squeezing margins out of a menu and little else. It wouldn’t matter so much if Tosca itself didn’t mean as much as it does. We can only hope the next owners—and judging by the thin crowds, that day will come—have more to offer.
The manager Anna was so attentive and the staff was amazing. The food was top notch as well as the service. Thank you again for another fantastic return to your restaurant!
What happened to this beautiful restaurant? Empty seats, empty bar, empty liquor bottles (the only gin they had was Bombay Sapphire?), and slow food service.
Having dinner at Tosca was like watching an old man dying; this once venerable and world-renowned institution seems sadly to be on its last gasp.
Someone please save this wonderful place.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
It's not what it once was. There is a very obvious reason why it's so easy to make a reservation at Tosca now: it's bad.
Great place. But be prepared to wait. The staff were lovely, let us know they were short staffed, and gave us complimentary appetizers while we waited. If you are under a time constraint, just be aware that you will have a delicious meal, served at a “relaxed“ pace.
I had a reservation for 6 at 5:00 pm on a Saturday. When we arrived it looked like they were still preparing to open. We were seated right away. There was only 1 other table of 2 in the restaurant. The person who was working the bar took our drink orders. After our drinks came, we were waiting an unusually long time before getting our order taken. Come to find, they were waiting for our waitress to arrive for her shift - she was running late. I thought it was odd that they were waiting for this one person to take our order when there was a person working the bar who wasn't serving anyone, a handful of cooks in the kitchen and 1 other person who refilled our waters. None offered to take our orders while we waited for the waitress to come in. Once the waitress arrived though, she was super apologetic and kind and our food came out fairly quickly. We had a 7 pm show at the palace theater which made it even more stressful but we were able to make it to our show in time. They did comp a portion of our meal to apologize which I thought was nice. Overall food was great and I'm sure the service would've been great too if our waitress wasn't late but things happen.
I was enticed and drawn in by the interiors and arrived last night with a couple, hoping to enjoy Tosca’s art, drinks, and hospitality. It wasn’t crowded, and we asked for a table—easier for four to talk than at the bar—but were denied, even though many tables were empty at 10 pm. Our hearts sank. All we wanted were drinks, yet we were read the rules. It felt like a Seinfeld episode: no tables for just drinks.
We went to Comstock which maybe the best place for craft cocktails ; its interiors are sophisticated with hushed lighting. Loved its charred Brussels sprouts.
We were celebrating a friend's birthday, and the six of us thought it would be fun to revisit Tosca, which none of us had been to for at least 2 years. The staff was actually lovely, and you could tell they were doing their best. BUT, it was grossly understaffed. From what I could tell, there was 1 serve for the entire restaurant. 3 bartenders. I think some of th ekitchen staff came out to help run. It took forever for our server to make it to the table inititally, it tok a very long time to get our first 2 rounds of drinks. One glass of white wine was perfectly chilled. A different glass of white wine was kind of warm. The espresso martini was great. Foccacia was yummy, really liked the addition of pesto. The meatballs were also good. All the food was quite good, as expected. Once the first tables turned, the service was a little better. All in all, the food was great, we made the best time of it. The staff was really nice, and clearly doing their best- but they just needed more people! Or, reallocated staff so that there was at least one more server. I know staffing is challenging in restaurants, and I hope they are able to reach some staffing stability soon!
Please check your receipt! We were over charged $27 dollars on an order of drinks. The menu prices are not reflected on the final bill and the staff doesn’t say anything despite being aware of the discrepancy. While we enjoyed what we had I don’t appreciate being taken advantage of.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 2
Service was not good on the night we were there; they seemed extremely understaffed. It was almost an hour before someone came to the table to take our order, and it seemed as if there was only one true server on staff, even though the dining room was full. The server was really nice once she was able to get to us but there was no way she could handle the dining room by herself. There was one other person helping out but she seemed stressed and left my friend to deal with the credit card machine on her own and my friend had zero idea how to use it. When she asked for help the woman was so rude to her. I have been to Tosca many times and always had excellent service so it was quite a surprise. The food is still excellent though.
Restaurantji Recommends
We loved this place the last time we were in town, so we wanted to try it again. It's a bit loud, so it was difficult to hear our server, as well as her having a heavy accent (which I love but was hard to hear/understand with the noise). She was helpful when I asked questions about some dishes on the menu. The food was delicious. I ordered the eggplant. I was told it would take 18 to 20 minutes. So we ordered focaccia with pesto. A good choice. It was yummy. Before we knew it, the eggplant was being served. I was amazed at the size. We had enough for leftovers for the next day. My husband ordered pesto pasta and was delighted with the dish. We both ordered wine. I had an Italian rosé that was nice, but it could have been colder. My husband was happy with his Sangiovese pinto noir. There is a person who brings a bottle of cold water, picks up the empty dishes, cleans off the crumbs, and packages up your takeaway food. He was great. All in all, it's a delightful experience being in the neighborhood with City Lights bookstore and heading down the alley to Specs, a bar that you don't want to miss for a dessert cocktail.
The best Italian cuisine in all of San Francisco Bay! Homemade pasta.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loved our dinner here! Staff very attentive, pasta and Cesar delicious. The ambiance feels very old school—impressive bar. Great lively crowd.
Focaccia and meatball combo was perfect
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was terrible.
Food: 1
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