SFReview
Altovino
Included In
Going out for a special occasion doesn’t have to be a big event. You don’t need to be seen, bump into everyone you know, or order table-side, truffle-shaved, color-changing food that you’ll want to spend more time taking photos of than actually eating. Sometimes what you need is just a nice quiet meal where you can actually pay attention to the person across from you. When that’s the case, you’ll want to go to Altovino.
photo credit: Mary Lagier
Altovino is an Italian restaurant in a residential part of Nob Hill, where there’s not much else going on except for a cable car that passes by once in a while. The space is nice with a bright wine bar in the front and a dark back room if you want a little more privacy while you eat. If you walked in here on a whim—or rolled in after falling off that cable car—you’d be excited to tell your friends what you found.
With a long list of Italian bottles and a good by-the-glass selection, you could go to Altovino just for the wine. And while they do serve some bar snacks, like roasted almonds and deviled eggs, there are a ton of other wine bars around the city with just as good of options. It’s the full dinner menu here that’s worth sticking around for.
photo credit: Mary Lagier
The food at Altovino can be a little bit pricey, but it’s worth it—just make sure the person you bring here is too. Pretty much everything on the menu is good to split with someone else, and you’d be fine just ordering a starter and a few pastas, like the pappardelle bolognese. If you’re hungrier than that, the meatballs are a good, small entree and there’s also a 35-oz dry-aged porterhouse if that’s how the night is going.
You don’t go to Altovino for a wild experience. The food here is classic Italian, but not overly showy, and the restaurant itself is pretty low key. It’s a good place to bring someone you’ve been in a long-term relationship with, some clients staying up the hill at the Fairmont, or a friend you actually want to spend time catching up with.
The menu at Altovino changes often. Here’s what you can expect.