Collina
San Francisco
At a glance
Collina, nestled in the scenic Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, offers a taste of rustic Italian cuisine in an inviting setting. As an offshoot of the beloved local restaurant Seven Hills, Collina brings a cozy and relaxed dining experience to the area. The name, meaning 'little hill' in Italian, perfectly encapsulates its charm and locale, overlooking the iconic cable cars that grace Hyde Street.
The restaurant's menu, crafted with a focus on handmade pasta and other Italian favorites, showcases vibrant seasonal dishes. Culinary creativity is at the forefront, with Executive Chef Anthony Florian and Chef de Cuisine Dennis Díaz sourcing ingredients from local farmers' markets to highlight the best of each season. As a result, guests can expect a fresh and dynamic dining experience that remains approachable for both casual dinners and special occasions.
The interior of Collina reflects its welcoming ethos, providing an atmosphere that is both warm and intimate. Suitable for couples, families, or small groups, the seating arrangement encourages leisurely meals where diners can savor each course while enjoying the view of the charming street outside.
An inviting wine list, featuring lesser-known Italian varietals, complements the food offerings. This thoughtful selection enhances the Italian culinary journey without overwhelming diners with too many choices. Patrons looking for a touch of Italy in the heart of San Francisco find Collina to be a familiar and delightful spot.
Reviews
Collina is the “little sister” of Seven Hills, and you can definitely see the same polished Italian influence in a more casual, cozy neighborhood setting. The star for me was the 50-layer lasagna — incredibly thin layers, crispy edges, rich meat sauce, and a beautiful green sauce underneath. The rosemary focaccia was also excellent: fluffy inside, golden and crisp on top, and perfect with olive oil. We finished with tiramisu, which was light, creamy, and not overly sweet. Cozy, approachable, and a great spot for handmade Italian comfort food. I’d come back for that lasagna alone! Service was great!
I was pretty excited to try this place out since I live in the neighborhood and heard good things about the place; unfortunately quite disappointed by both the service and food. We ordered a salad, cacio e pepe, and the lasagna. The salad came out pretty quickly; nothing surprising or special about the salad, just what you would expect. Afterwards, we waited for over 45 mins to finally get our cacio e pepe that 1) came out in a cracked dish as shown in the pic (which I think is not to be expected from a restaurant at this pricing and reputation), 2) it was super salty; I’ve tried cacio e pepe in other Italian places in SF. This one was way too salty. Not sure if it was a mistake or from sprinkling too much salt on it before giving it to us. After the cacio e pepe was served, the lasagna came out after 20 mins. We ordered a simple salad and 2 pasta dishes and the total time to get all of our dishes out was over an hr which I think is pretty ridiculous. Next the service was not great. Our server ( I’m a bit blurry on his name) checked in on us not a single time during the entire service when I noticed he was checking in on other tables much more often. I’m not sure if it was some racism going on here because we were the only Asian ppl there, but didn’t feel welcomed and served right. One last thing; our table was situated in a weird position where we can see and hear the guy sitting on the bar eating his dish. Sometimes crumbs will fall from the bar to our table which is a bit of a ick… So overall, disappointed and will not go again.
Second to NONE! My fiancé and I found this place on Resy (now on open table) when we were looking for restaurants in sf (we are visitors). Liam, our server, and Ashton, the manager, made sure our experience was enjoyable, personal, and intentional. Our favorites from the night were the blue shell crab for him and the scallops for me (see pictures attached). These were some of the best scallops I have ever had. I wish this restaurant was in our hometown so we could eat here regularly! I would definitely recommend making a reservation for this spot as it is a smaller restaurant and it fills up quick. This is a place you don’t want to miss! LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!!!!
Excellent experience. We started with some focaccia and olive oil; it was good. We took the waiter's recommendation and had a tomino cheese special as appetizer with some pieces of toast; it was quite succulent. For main courses, we once again chose the special, a truffle pasta. The price was hefty ($55!), but it was absolutely delicious. We also had the ricotta gnocchi, which was saucy and rich. We finished the evening with some tiramisu, which was alright. The service was mostly fine, except for some minor hiccups. The ambience is fine too. We spent $160 for two after tax before tip.
We ordered the seasonal truffle pasta and it was absolutely delicious, the truffle flavor was gentle and well balanced, not overwhelming, with fresh truffles that really elevated the dish. We also tried the chicken, which was good, though slightly on the salty side but topping was so good. The desserts were also tasty and a great way to finish the meal. The atmosphere is calm and quiet, perfect for a date night. Tables are a bit close to each other, but it never felt too loud. Overall, I would definitely recommend it as a romantic spot with very delicious food.
