.
Updated 3/2/24
Seven Hills Restaurant is Known as One of San Francisco's Top Italian Restaurants, so we were looking forward to our visit. Chef Anthony Florian previously worked at Quince (3 Michelin stars), Santi in Geyserville (now closed), and Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, in addition to restaurants in Italy.
.
Seven Hills Location, Hours, and Reservations
Seven Hills is located at 1896 Hyde Street by Green Street in the Russian Hill neighborhood. Open nightly for dinner from 5-9pm, the restaurant takes reservations for indoor dining by phone at 415-775-1550 or online via OpenTable.
On our second visit, given the forecasted rainy weather, we moved our reservation indoors.
.
The outdoor parklet features 4-5 tables; normally these aren't available for advance reservations and are on a first come, first served basis, although the restaurant was kind enough to change our existing indoor OpenTable reservation to an early outdoor reservation when we inquired a few days before. There are electric heat lamps, but we still recommend dressing warmly on cool evenings if sitting outdoors. Also, be aware that the Powell/Hyde Cable Car rumbles by outside the restaurant; we didn't mind this, but it is quite loud.
.
Seven Hills Menu and Food
The provided menu isn't too large, which we didn't mind, especially as there were several delectable specials on offer in addition to the menu.
.
The below menu was from our 2022 visit:
.
White wines by the glass were refreshingly reasonably priced; we enjoyed a very nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for just $10. You're also welcome to bring your own bottle of wine for a corkage fee of $30 (there are higher fees for second and third bottles).
.
Note that bread isn't provided gratis; you'll need to order focaccia if you'd like some. We ordered the toasted garlic parmesan focaccia ($8) which was very tasty, although for the price I did think they could have been more generous and offered several more pieces (they might also want to correct the spelling on the menu).
.
On this, our second visit, we started off with an excellent beet salad, perfectly complemented with champagne vinegar, chervil, and a creamy horseradish sauce.
.
We also really liked the beef and pork meatballs with tomato sauce:
.
The highlights, however, were the pasta specials: an earthy black truffle tortellini pasta, with fresh black truffle shaved over the dish tableside, and a delectable squid ink pasta with plenty of fresh Dungeness crab:
.
The below were dishes we ordered in 2022:
One of the specials was a Dungeness Crab appetizer, with citrus, seaweed, and salmon caviar. This was exquisite both in presentation and taste: highly recommended if it's available.
.
One of regulars' favorites is the Maccheroncelli (homemade tubular pasta) with crushed tomatoes, chili, basil, and housemade ricotta, which my brother ordered. It was cooked perfectly al dente and very good, although a little bland for my taste.
.
The pasta special we ordered, the gnocchi with a Maitake mushroom cream sauce, was fantastic: the gnocchi were some of the best I've tasted and made me wish we'd ordered two portions.
.
My husband and I chose the Grilled Heritage Pork Chop as a main dish to share. If you're hungry, you'll want to count on ordering a main dish to share (or just for yourself if very hungry) in addition to a pasta or appetizer to precede it. This was a satisfying dish, with perfectly cooked pork (which so often is overcooked) complemented by the nuttiness of the accompanying leek and nettle farotto (farro, an ancient grain, cooked in the style of risotto).
.
The Verdict
There were many things we liked about Seven Hills. We appreciated their willingness to accommodate us outside in one of their parklets, since at the moment we're keen to avoid dining indoors. Our server, David, is one of the best we've ever had: knowledgeable, helpful in negotiating the menu for the two members in our party with life-threatening allergies, efficient and very clear in providing all the specials of the day with pricing, and attentive in checking periodically on how we were doing. My personal favorites were the Dungeness crab appetizer special and the gnocchi with Maitake mushroom sauce, while the pork main course was by far the heartiest and recommended for hungrier diners or to share, as we did. Just keep in mind that portion sizes are European, with rather modest pasta portions since in Italy, a pasta course isn't a main dish, it precedes the main course.
Recommended Posts
Gary Danko Restaurant Review, San Francisco
Four Seasons San Francisco Review, Photos, Video
San Francisco SFO First US Airport to Require Vaccination for All Staff
Firefly Restaurant Review, San Francisco
If you enjoyed this, join 200,000+ readers: follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Subscribe to TravelSort on YouTube for travel inspiration.
Become a TravelSort Client and Book 5-Star Hotels with Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred Partner Benefits