I will wager a bet that Stu has not been to any of these restaurants, at least lately!

Why?

Anyone?

I cancelled Postrio, because of its prices and bad reviews. And cancelled Kuleto's in favor of the small restaurant.

But I'd love to hear a firsthand critique of Fino.

Just curious why it has to be within walking distance of Union Sq. The public transit system in SF is great and you can get to other areas easily. With so many really good restaurants, why limit yourself to Union Sq. area.

I can suggest a few that are a short ride away via the F Market streetcar to the Castro area or the light rail to Dolores/Mission/Noe Valley area.

And in the Union Square area - we like One Market; Campton Place and Fifth Floor and there's always Tadich Grill.

Nope, I haven't been to any of these in the past 25 years. Never heard of Fino - it is not even in the '13 Zagat guide. Kuleto was a favorite of ours in the 70s - but we kinda "outgrew" it.

I like Perbacco in the Financial district, but it is probably too late to get reservations. I also like Gitane - but probably not for 6 people and they are undergoing "format" changes about now. I had lunch at Tadich after the Giant's parade on Wednesday - but I don't think they take reservation (call to make sure). "Old style" seafood and ambience - and they have pasta. A booth would be great for 6.

My wife & I had dinner at Plaj in the Civic Center area last night (no pasta). But unless you take a taxi, I would not recommend visiting it if you have to take Muni - unless you want to see lots of vagrants. One of my favorite restaurants is Contigo in the Noe Valley - where we had dinner 2 Saturdays ago. You can take the J-Church to 24th St & then walk down 24th St (interesting shops - the "heart" of the Noe Valley) to Castro where Contigo is located.

Stu Dudley

Thanks, Deb. Just our personal preference to walk. We have been to SF many, many times and my sisters live in the area. This is a short 3-night visit with a conference for DH.

Yesterday, I checked out all the others you mentioned, but reservations were hard to come by, and for one reason or other they weren't what we want.

Fino's is the best fit for our small gathering. And they have a 6-top table that is somewhat private.

All the reviews are glowing, with few exceptions.

Anyone been there?

Stu, we were posting at the same time! Are you still traveling? Thanks for weighing in.

We also checked the restaurants you mention, except Plaj. So I feel we have done our due-diligence. haha

Fino's reviews from Yelp, Urbanspoon, TripAdvisor, etc. are great. Not sure why it wouldn't be Zagat-rated. I didn't look into that.

Well, I will report back on it after next weekend.

Am doing a girls' lunch with my sisters at Buckeye Roadhouse. One of their favorites.

it's not really in Union Sq, more like Upper T/Loin but it's decent. Prices are definitely reasonable.
If you are looking for Italian I can also recommend L'Ottavo or Puccini and Pinetti in the Same area. P and P more bistro/hip/pre-theatre; L'Ottavo more old school.If you don't care about italian per se, Grand Cafe is also quite nice - French/mediterranean.
Scala's is my personal fave in that area for italian =- large, bustling but excellent food and wonderful service.

Thanks, mztery.

We are thinking that Fino ticks all the boxes for us. I am looking forward to a caesar salad and calamari steak with lfresh linguine. Or veal picatta. Or prawns. Mmmmmm. Can't wait.

I am surprised no Fodorites have been there. It isn't new.

PeaceOut, there are so many good restaurants in San Francisco, it doesn't surprise me at all. On a trip nearly two years ago, we really fell in love with Cafe Claude, but it never really makes the list here. I found it on a combination of the yelp, chowhound, etc., type of sites.

Fino is inside a hotel and generally (sadtot say, as one of my fave restos, Saha, is in the Carlton Hotel) locals don't eat in hotel restos.

>>locals don't eat in hotel restos<<

Plaj (where we dined on Sat) is in a hotel - Inn at the Opera. The restaurant was packed - but don't know how many locals were there. Ame (where we've dined and is a Michelin 1 star) is in the St Regis Hotel. Before they recently changed to a "loud and hip" format, we dined several times at the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton. We've dined at Scala's sereral times, which is in the Sir Francis Drake hotel. In fact, that's mztery's "fave in that area for Italian".

Stu Dudley

I agree. There are so many great restaurants in hotels.

Sorry didn't see this post... we had a Fodor's GTG in Fino once. While the food was fine, and at 6 pm or so we could hear each other, a little later that place got too noisy.

But they serve the best Tiramisu cake in town

My first choice would be E&O on Sutter and... Stockton?

Thanks, Dayenu.

My review of Fino: EXCELLENT!

Fabulous semi-private table for 6, amazing service, prices are unbelievably low, food is perfection. the waiter could not have been more attentive and considerate. He assured us we had the table for the night, and there was no rush.

Everyone raved about their food. We had a mini-pizza appetizer that was delicious.

I had an excellent caesar salad. Good-sized, too.

The menu is so extensive, it is really hard to choose. But I decided on the calamari steak out of curiosity mostly. It was very good. Three BIG slices of calamari, each about 5" across, done piccata style, with fresh pasta and fresh green veggies. So much food I couldn't eat it all-- but others at the table were happy to sample it.

We had two bottles of a California fume blanc that were only $27 each. There were several choices of reds and whites in that price range. Some of us also had a cocktail to start.

We were too full for dessert, but most of us had coffee.

The bill included 18% gratuity, but we increased that for the excellent service. The entire tab came to $375.

I highly recommend!

They do not take on-line reservations, but are very responsive to calls.

Bon appetit!