Ristorante Parma

Came back to a favorite spot last night after many years of suburban life … so unbelievably good!
That garlic/​balsamic/​olive oil dip was incredible and brought back great memories. Then ordered penne rosso with sausage and asked them to spice it up … Delicious doesn’t even do it justice!
Wife had the spaghetti carbonara and was grinning from ear to ear.
Only reason they lost a star was I had my two kids with me and it took an hour for our food to arrive. Kids were climbing the walls …
Server was great and tried to keep bread coming … just a backed up kitchen.
Will be back much sooner than the years I let go by … this place is a gem for Italian fanatics!

Went to dinner with a couple of friends based on a recommendation. It’s a small little place but cozy and cute. The food was fantastic, the wine was great, and the service was very good. Our waiter was very friendly and made great suggestions. An older gentleman (believe he’s the owner?) was just having a great time drinking and chatting up tables :) Def recommend it.

Everything about this place is wonderful! The atmosphere is so charming. The entire staff is so welcoming; helpful and efficient. Eggplant «phenomenal»; prawns were fresh, large and cooked perfectly; Cabernet by the glass, very tasty and don’t forget the Spumoni ice cream. Thank you for a great night out!

I loved this place! We wandered in after attempting to have some pizza at Patxi’s, where the line was insanely long. The ambiance is intimate and romantic, and the staff was friendly. I ordered the pasta carbonara and it hit the spot. We will be back again!

Lasagna was excellent, and just a great attentative staff. House chianti on point, good experience!

Spoiler alert: this place is really good! To start… the apps are great; I had the portobello app, followed by a Caesar salad, and then lasagna (lots of meat, cheese, and sauce goodness in the lasagna). Even the dipping sauce for the bread was good; a mixture of olive oil, vinegar, and garlic. I almost ate too much of it before my food started arriving. I had been there before and the owner was always there greeting people in his stern but welcoming way, but I have not seen him there the past few times I’ve walked by. I think his daughter might be running the place, but she does a really good job of shuffling folks in and out and taking care of everyone. Great place… not amazing, but really really good!

Very rude hostess! Walked away and couldn’t believe we were willing to wait an hour to try this restaurant.

Small hole in the wall Italian restaurant and the wait wasn’t bad! 10 minutes! Our server was super sweet and had really good recommendations. We got two orders of beef carpaccio because it’s absolutely great here. Pasta selection is amazing and we went with our servers recommendation of the Riffolo pasta (however it’s spelled). Everything was delicious.

Best carbonara ever! (I recommended coca cola to it. Thank me later) The service is great. The waiter we had was super nice and they let me and my friend stay to talk after most people where gone as we had a late reservation. I´m definitely going back. Warning: the ambiance is super romance and cosy. Perfect for friends/​date and family but business dinners might be too romantic so to speak here.

We were visiting SF, staying across the street and were drawn in by our noses and the chatty owner standing out front. Authentic Italian, and very reasonable prices. Long, narrow space with tight tables, which added to the authentic feel. Service wasn’t fantastic, but we were in no hurry and the wine was good, so it didn’t really impact how we felt about our meal.

Great pastas, but absolutely RUDE server. I couldn’t believe how condescending she was. She was impatient, irritated, and unhelpful to any of our questions. It was odd because she was attentive to everyone around us, but lost her smile and friendly vibe when she greeted us, even when we JUST SAT DOWN!
1. We wanted to order a bottle of wine, so we asked for a recommendation on something sweet and light. She named the sweetest one on the menu, followed by the snarky remark, «You’re basically drinking ALL sugar. If you want to drink all sugar, then I’d suggest that bottle.» Then rolled her eyes impatiently. Uh… rude…why would you talk about the bottles on your menu like that or even throw attitude at a PAYING GUEST.
2. She then let us sample it. I took a small sip, then waited a little for the taste buds to kick in. She impatiently waited for my response. After saying it was good (without giving her the go that I actually wanted it), she poured (impatiently dumped) a whole cup worth into my glass. Her letting us ‘sample it’ made us feel like we were already obligated to stick with that wine bottle. We didn’t want to start a fuss, so we just kept that bottle.
3. I wanted to order a creamy fettuccine pasta type, but wasn’t familiar with the menu. I asked for another recommendation on something similar to that, and she responded, «Okay, anything with the words CREAMY will have that sauce.» Clearly I know that, but I was asking for a recommendation! Why assume I would know what’s good on the menu? I quickly showed her a picture I saw on Unilocal then went with that because she was clearly getting more irritated out of no where.
All in all, the pastas were good, but it wasn’t worth the lack of respect or unbelievably rude service we received. Not only are you paying for the food, it’s the ambiance, service, and overall environment as well. It wasn’t as if we were indecisive, we just asked for recommendation for two things. The most basic question any server would be asked, yet we received dirt treatment. I would never come back for that sole reason. What’s worst is that the server was clearly the owner’s family or one of the daughter’s of the owner. And after reading other reviews, it seems as though I’m not the only one who’s had a terrible dining experience here based off that same server.

This came to us as a recommendation from «Eagle «at Izzys, and he was so right. We loved everything! This was the best Italian food we have had in awhile anywhere.

Terrible service from the jump. Read several good reviews and we are new to the area so decided to give it a try, what a mistake that was. The manager or I least I think she may be the manager but was also doing some serving. She would not smile if you would’ve paid her. It’s like lady, if you are that unhappy to be there then find something that better suits you. The food itself as as mediocre at best. Double wammy, bad service and food not good. We will definitely not be returning and I hope those of you take time to read this do the same, do yourself a favor and don’t waste your time, not to mention the wait time on the food seemed extremely too long for a restaurant that was maybe half capacity. Also over priced for the portion size.

A friend recommended this place to us for a date night. Even though this place was bustling with diners, we got right in on a Saturday night with no reservation. Big plus! They treated us like VIPs.
The atmosphere is great for a date night or a dinner with friends. The place is small inside, but feels intimate and transporting vs. cramped.
Our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable and the owner checked on us a couple of times throughout the meal. The food was delicious. I had the Fusilli Con Pollo, which was really top notch. The sauce was to die for!
We will definitely be back here!

(To read about their lasagna, skip to paragraph 4)
I love food. I love it! So I’ll start by saying that I don’t mind waiting a reasonable amount of time for some quality fine dining, I even expect to have to wait.
Waiting for over an hour for our appetizers however, seems excessive. Having to wait an ADDITIONAL hour for my entrée is ridiculous. As I’ve stated, I can accept waiting for fine food. I however was not prepared to wait for milk to curdle into the ricotta for my lasagna. Now, this alone would make me upset, but I used to wait tables and I understand that some nights things just don’t go right. I understand that it’s not necessarily my server’s fault. I can be forgiving when it’s deserving. But when our waiter is unapologetic and downright rude, this dining «experience» has just become unacceptable.
The hallmark of good service is this: do my beverage glasses ever go empty? If so, for how long? Last night, every glass on the table went empty, even the water glasses, until we repeated asked for refills. At Parma it would seem that refilling drinks is not in the wait staff’s job description, and they are too good for that kind of demeaning work. Now this was especially upsetting to me since my water and ice tea were my only means of sustenance for what seemed an eternity.
Now, mind you, I wasn’t being an ass. Parma is one of my in-​laws’ favorite Bay Area establishments. My mother in-​law worked closely with one of the owner’s daughters and they are considered friends of the family at Parma. I wouldn’t embarrass my family by making a scene or by being rude, I just think that he standard of service from the Parma staff is going down the toilet. This suspicion is only confirmed by the other bad reviews of Parma starring the owner’s other daughter.
All this aside, how was the food you ask? Good, but not worth the wait or the rude «service». I ordered the lasagna which is one of their signature dishes, and while it tasted authentic and fresh, it was just good, not mind blowing. It had a little too much acidity, and the ingredients were not well balanced in my opinion. The lasagna noodles were al dente which was different, not necessarily bad… just different. My wife had the lamb chops, they looked delicious, but I was fuming at that point and had no desire to taste them. My in-​laws were seated behind me so I didn’t see what they ordered, nor did I really care at that point.
My recommendation:
Don’t waste your time with Parma. Go to Il Fornio. Go to the Italian restaurant around the corner. Go anywhere else. If you have no choice but to dine at Parma, don’t go there hungry. Don’t go there expecting to be wowed by great service. In fact, don’t go to Parma expecting much of anything and maybe, just maybe, you won’t be let down.

In short, this place has GREAT food, fitting décor, and friendly staff. Also moderately priced.
Everything from the bread with the garlicky olive oil, to the salami/​prosciutto/​cheese plate, to the main courses were very tasty.
Loving authentic Italian, I assumed this place served «americanized» pasta dishes. But I was pleasantly surprised. I asked if they could make their spaghetti alla carbonara with egg instead of cream sauce, and they said «that’s how we do it.» It did have a little cream or butter added but tasted fantastic.
The three others I was with ordered pasta dishes as well and those were all really good too.
Would definitely recommend this place for anyone craving Italian who happens to be in the neighborhood.

We have been going to Parma’s for over 20 years even though we live 95 mills away.
It is time to share why that is and why we take our friends there. I have yet to get a bad meal or had a bad experience on our visits. The pricing is fair, the food is fresh & hot, the service is great and not pestering. I have asked for food not on the menu like Veal Scaloppine Marcella, no problem, was to die for!
Like any great neighborhood restaurant, the conversation is full of life’s experience’s and sometimes load but it’s a small price to pay for a charming dinner in a locals hang out.

Looking for your typical friendly neighborhood Italian spot where waiters woo you with charming Italian accents and the manager is straight out of the Godfather? Parma’s got you covered.
Small, cozy, and adorned with murals of Roman ruins (I mean, what else would you expect?), Parma is the place you bring your parents to and/​or have a standing Saturday night dinner at when you’re 65. But don’t get me wrong, it’s gooooood.
Manager is very friendly and charming in the brusque Italian sorta way– but perhaps not always the most honest when it comes to wait times. So take it with a grain of salt ;) Once you do get seated though, service plays to your mood. Attentive and quick if that’s what you’re looking for, or more slow and dragged out if you’re trying to have a vino-​pasta-​tiramisu sorta night.
Meatballs and caprese are great to start with and definitely make sure you leave room for their spectacularly garlic oil and vinegar dipping sauce. Although you may leave smelling like garlic for days, it’s 100% worth it.
All their pastas are delicious and homemade but the real winner of their mains is their veal piccata. Mamma mia! I’m not even a big fan of veal, but the tender meat paired with a deliciously lemony sauce and topped with capers makes for a winning meal. Highly highly recommend.
All in all, a great neighborhood spot, good food, and fun for a quick date or a more celebratory meal. Or your standing Saturday night dinner when you get to that age.

Favorite Italian restaurant in San Francisco!!! Caesar salad to start was fantastic. Had Chicken Parmesan here and another time the homemade fusilli con pollo. Everything is delicious. I’ve taken friends and out of towners here, who ordered a variety of dishes, and everyone was satisfied.
No reservations but I haven’t had to wait too long for a table.
Cute neighborhood to walk around in after dinner too :)

We came in late, starving, looking for a bite to eat. This was the last restaurant open. Nervously but happily we accepted the invite to come in. The décor is a little over the top, could have been faulted for expecting a «cheesy» experience. But then first the wine (alas, I no longer remember what it was but I remember of course, it California) and then the plates. I remember feeling so happy that it was pasta and this tasted like it was lovingly hand made. I remember feeling so very happy and finally relaxed. We were here. The food is great. All is well.
I should give it 5 stars, I should. But will default to a little bit of conservatism for that I was in a delirious state. Truly, I should come back and try again. I should give it a 5.