Polenta
★ 4.8 · 72 reviews San Francisco Opened May 2026
Northern Italian cooking at Fillmore and Fulton
Polenta opened at Fillmore and Fulton in May 2026, on the corner between Alamo Square and the lower Fillmore blocks. The name commits the kitchen to northern Italy, not the tomato-and-pasta default most American Italian restaurants run on.
Alamo Square draws a steady weekend crowd for the painted houses two blocks up the hill. Almost none of them make it down here to eat. Good news if you want a table on a Saturday without booking weeks out.
What guests say
Reviews by Google-
Rei Matoba 3 reviews 22 July 2026
We wanted to order everything on the menu! From the carrots to the polenta, everything was delicious. We also walked in without a reservation and they kindly made space for us after a short wait. We’re so happy they opened up in the neighborhood! We’ll be back soon.
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Shea bobay 38 reviews · Local Guide 3 July 2026
Had my birthday dinner there and it was lovely! Delicious food, lovely service thank you so much!
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Luis Lara 18 reviews · Local Guide 13 June 2026
BEST PASTA OUTSIDE OF ITALY!!! This place should be on everyone’s list. It’s a cute (newish) neighborhood spot in San Francisco that is serving up northern Italian cuisine. Think more polenta, butter and cheese and potatoes and less burrata and olive oil. The owner is so welcoming. They gave us a Chardonnay champagne to try at the beginning of the meal, and it was one of the most interesting wines I’ve ever had. Every single dish was sooooo flavorful. All the vegetable dishes were so hearty. The carrots were sweet and the asparagus with the breadcrumbs and brown butter topped with prosciutto was salty, earthy and sweet from the butter. Flavor bombs. We tried over 8 dishes, including dessert and while we loved all of them, the real standout was the egg noodle with sausage. It was so simple yet so insanely amazing. It’s the best pasta I’ve had outside of Italy. Our second standout was the frico (a cheeee and potatoes pie). I could literally eat that all day, everyday. Run don walk to this new spot. You won’t regret it. They are gonna treat you like family and you’ll have one of best meals of your life.
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Cecilia C 17 reviews · Local Guide 28 May 2026
Finally, a true regional Italian cuisine in San Francisco! This restaurant is a beautiful discovery of Friulian food and culture. Everything feels 100% genuine, from the kitchen to the hospitality, with a Friulian chef, manager, and owner who make the experience feel authentic and warm. We highly recommend asking for suggestions from the staff, but we especially loved the frico, the polenta, and the gnocchi. The wines were excellent, and the strudel for dessert was absolutely delicious. What made the evening even more special was the owner’s warm hospitality: you can really feel the passion and pride behind this place. A wonderful addition to San Francisco’s food scene!
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Daniel Stodtmeister 4 reviews 23 May 2026
Absolutely phenomenal. This place opened up a couple weeks ago and serves very regional Italian food. Everything was amazing and the staff were very passionate about their food. We live a couple blocks away and will be coming back regularly but I would travel across the city for this place.
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