Albona Ristorante Istriano

Cute little place away from the busier sections of North Beach. Very intimate feeling (I think there were maybe two servers). The dishes had some italian classics but you could really taste the germanic and balkan influences in the dishes. Everything we had was sublime — it includes a dinner Strudel with mozzarella, pear salad with gorgonzola, and an amazing pork loin with pears, apples, plums, and sauerkraut.

Ok food not sure why this place gets such great reviews and 4 plus stars
Nothing special service is ok

Dinner was a triple threat; lamb, pork loin, rabbit. Great flavored, presentation and just enough service. Pinot by the glass was exceptional. Don’t hesitate. Go there tonight!

Great find. Such a quaint place, off the beaten path, with excellent food. Must try! Brought clients and they were thrilled. Can’t recommend it enough.

What a great experience at Albona. We ate here a few years ago and remembered liking it but haven’t been back since. Since we had last minute guests visiting SF and they really wanted Italian food in North Beach, we thought we would take them to Albona.
Lucky for us, We were able to make reservations for 6 people at 6:30 on a Saturday last minute. The venue is fairly small but cozy and had ambiance.
For appetizers we ordered «grandmothers specialty» pan fried gnocchi in brown sirloin sauc laced with cumin. The flavors were so distinct and almost a Mediterranean flavor. The gnocchi was tender and melted in your mouth.
For my entrée, I ordered the risotto with mushrooms and it was delightful. Chunks of crimini and porcini mushrooms, perfectly cooked risotto and not too saucy. My husband had the ravioli with three cheeses, pine nuts, and golden raisins in a fried sage and butter sauce. The filling for the ravioli was so meaty I thought there was meat in it. It tasted so good!
For dessert, I finished my meal with a 10 year Graham’s tawny port.

I came here again for NYE dinner. It was my first time visiting this restaurant in 2 years and it is just as good now as it was then. The staff was very friendly and the ambiance is still the same. I ordered the Mushroom Risotto (my favorite) once again while my boyfriend ordered the strudel con pasta fatta which is a Unilocal favorite. Both dishes were awesome and surprisingly both vegetarian! (We are devoted meat eaters) It is refreshing that there is a restaurant in SF that hasn’t changed its standards in food and service. I will be a repeat patron for years to come!

The service was lovely!
The dishes were incredibly delicious!
The prices are a little bit too high but it’s worth it.

I ate here with a group of 12. We tried many dishes off the menu and everything was either very good or excellent. In addition to Italian food, there are Croatian and Austrian dishes. Some of the items were mouth watering delicious such as the risotto with mushrooms and a strudel dish that is actually similar to lasagna but far better than any lasagna I’ve ever had. The dining room is intimate and quiet. Street parking is easy. The wait staff was efficient and accommodating of our large group. Our group will be returning again and again. This is a gem of a restaurant. Definitely worth trying!

If you want to try Istrian food, this is the place to try!!! Great food and friendly efficient staff.

Oh my God… This place is amazing! My teenage girls wanted fettuccine, which was not on the menu. But they made an amazing variation! It was delicious!
I had he lamb chops… Probably the best I have ever had. The sauce was so good I had to request more bread to wipe my plate clean!
We finished off with Tiramisu which was so good! Ordered a cappuccino which I usually add cream to, but it was so good I drank it black!

One of the best mushroom risottos ever… Literally tastes soooo creamy and cheesy and trufffffle-​ish!!! Yum… I definitely will be back just for that! Other dishes were all great too, namely the lamp and pork loins. This restaurant is definitely German influenced though, serving sauerkraut with their pork (which works!).

The BEST panna cotta I have ever had! Served with a port wine and wild berry coulis.

Visited this place on a slower Thursday night for dinner. Overall, this is the idea date night and upscale yet relaxed experience with the best pasta I’ve had since being in Italy years ago.
Food — 5 stars I ordered the Arugula salad with prosciutto to start and it was delicious. The dressing was just right and the flavors were wonderful. For my main I had the Strudel con pasta fatta in casa. This is the best Italian pasta dish I’ve had since being in Italy. I could eat a bowl of the tomato cheese, etc sauce by itself. My friends kept taking my sauce. The pasta was cooked perfect. Delicious.
Drinks — they only serve wine and its a fairly good variety.
Service — Its a little slow but the waiters are very helpful in making recommendations.

The food is really really good, the service is good, and the restaurant is quite. I spend my two year anniversary with my BF here. I had a good time here. It’s a nice place to come.

The. Best. Dining. Experience. EVER. Unique. Memorable. Unforgettable. Exceptional. Simply remarkable and sensational on every level you could imagine.

Located off the beaten path, Albona was recommended by a friend of a friend. I knew I HAD to dine here before leaving San Francisco. I called first to make reservations and was told they were ‘full’. Nothing available. I explained to the courteous man on the phone that I was from Chicago, heard great things about their restaurant, and that I was only in town for 1 more day. I left my phone # and asked to be called in the event a table was available.
I received a call later from the Manager the same day stating he had a table for 2 available as he was informed I was from Chicago and that he was more than happy to accommodate me. The conversation alone left a fond impression on me. I was ecstatic to say the least and had no expectations going in… I was told this was a restaurant to check out, but never imagined the treasure I was about to discover. I thought this was Italian, when in fact this cuisine is a combination of Italy, Croatia & Slovania known as Istrian.
We cabbed it to Albona and upon entering the unassuming building off a quiet side street, I was taken by the very intimate and charming room. It was rather small, but very comfortable. My friend & I were seated immediately. The waiter was outstanding. As I stared at the menu consisting of everything ‘tempting’, I wanted to know what their specialty was. What is on or off the menu that I should try? (I always ask for suggestions whenever I’m ‘new’ to a cuisine).
He offered wonderful recommendations, including various wines. This waiter was charming, engaging… and my girlfriend & I were thoroughly enjoying the banter… and flirting.
Appetizer: Grandmother’s homemade fried potato gnocchi in a brown meat sauce w/​cumin. Calamari al forno (stuffed w/​bread crumbs) in marinara. Before receiving our app’s, the manager came over to greet us, and poured our wine. He was so friendly, we couldn’t stop talking as he came to check on us often… we loved his attention.(he was really, really cute too… I could literally just talk about *him*, but…) onto the food. The gnocchi was nothing like a traditional pasta gnocchi. These were more like round morsels of fried dough. Very much like pieces of panzerotti dough made with potatoes (that’s exactly what this reminded me of). In fact, I even mentioned this to Mike (Manager). He smiled when I said that, but wasn’t going to ‘give away any secrets’. They were divine as was the complimenting sauce. The squid was delicious as well. Tenderly filled sitting in a tasty tomato sauce.
For entrée’s I went with the signature, Strudel con pasta fatta in casa (homemade). Friend had the risotto con funghi. Both were Mike’s recommendation. The strudel was much like a ‘rotolo’. Baked with layers of lappi cheese, béchamel, prosciutto, & tomato cream sauce. Amazingly good. The risotto was cooked perfectly. Every dish was outstanding.
After indulging in deliciousness and a bottle of wine later, Mike came by to bring us complimentary dessert… he asked what we’d like to have. I was stuffed at this point and couldn’t eat another bite, but he insisted. He came back with 3 different desserts!!! Tiramisu, Bonet & Gelato. All heavenly (not to mention Mike.;) It was probably around 10 or 11pm as he sat with us, bringing out more wine, apéritif’s, etc… etc…and the restaurant was now empty. He was closing up, but yet we stayed — he insisted. We weren’t complaining. And the night went on, and on, and on. till around 1am… we exchanged emails (yes, that’s all we exchanged… sadly.).
I will never forget Albona’s or Mike. It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip (if only he didn’t already have a girlfriend ((who happened to stop in & sit with us also))…double *sigh*…).
I love you San Francisco…

We were looking for a restaurant within walking distance of our hotel and stumbled upon this great find on Unilocal.We called to see about a reservation and they agreed to seat us within the hour. We didn’t realize how lucky we were until later in the evening when a very large party arrived for dinner.
This restaurant is tiny and extremely romantic. The candlelight gives everything a beautiful, soft glow.
The service was outstanding. Very solicitous but never intrusive. The pacing of the meal was perfect.
I had the mushroom risotto. It was delicious. The server helped us select a wonderful red to go with our meal. The food was an interesting combination of sweet and savory. The cooking style was so unique, I am not sure I have ever had anything like it in the past.
To be honest, it was one of those perfect nights, when you fall into something unexpectedly amazing and pass the evening in a haze of gratitude that this is your life.

First — dont waste your time on their credit card required reservation system. This place was ½ empty when we went. I understand restaurants not wanting cancellations, but that only makes sense if you are booked out and this would have prevented revenue. This place probably loses more money than it makes with this cancellation policy.
This is a nice old school SF Italian restaurant. If you want to do a quiet nice date night, this place fits the bill. The staff was nice. The food was ok. Nothing that I would be racing back to have again, but nothing that turned me off.

Very nice initial Saturday evening experience at this North Beach ristorante Istriano, including a greeting and check-​in by the owner/​chef.
Dinner for two with three pasta dishes, followed up by a fine rack of lamb. A glass of prosecco, followed by a fine bottle of Montepulciano di Abruzzo. Espresso and three dessert items.
Service left us well-​tended and happy.
I recommend Albona for your couple or friends. The atmosphere is intimate, and I would not go beyond a table for four to preserve it.
Enjoy!

Honestly the food was okay. My Friend and I found them on Unilocal and have been wanting ton try it! The place is pretty and the staff was very nice and helpful! But for Italian I honestly had better. My pasta tasted like chef boyardi. And my fiancés dish had lemon chicken with cares and was too salty. Their lamb had great presentation and was good but honestly they pasta I got was really just okay! The ambiance though was nice I really like the feel of a romantic small restaurant. But for taste. I’m not big fan.

I finally tried this hidden North Beach neighborhood gem with a guest from out of town. I was nervous about getting seated around 7pm on a Thursday night without a reservation, but the friendly host found a table for us.
Note: they STRONGLY recommend having a reservation. The dining room is very small, so this recommendation makes sense.
The menu is short, but throughout showcasing Istrian cuisine. What exactly is that? Yeah, I had to look it up too. Istria is near Croatia and shares cultural aspects from Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.
Not only were we greeted by the friendly host and later our server, an actual chef came out to visit with us! He was very welcoming and gladly answered any questions we had about the menu. He actually talked me out of of getting a pasta dish and encouraged me to go for something more «adventurous». I really enjoyed the personal perks of our dining experience.
We started our meals with the Insalata mista and picia salads. Both were excellent. Although it may be too pungent for some, I specifically enjoyed the truffle vinaigrette in the picia salad.
For my main entrée I ordered the Polo impana con salsa de capori, a pan-​seared breaded chicken dish. It was excellent, but since it was fried, it was a tad bit oily. The chicken was finished off with a light, tasty caper sauce. Mashed potatoes accompanied the chicken and were creamy perfection. A small side of perfectly steamed broccoli florets accented the chicken and mashed potatoes.
My dining partner ordered the Strudel con pasta fatta in casa. This rich lasagna-​like dish was excellent.
We finished the meal with Bonet, a dark chocolate and amaretto flan. It was outstanding!
The portion sizes were quite generous and we both had doggy bags to take home.
This is a very special place to share a intimate and unique meal tucked away in a quiet neighborhood street away from the hustle and bustle of North Beach. I strongly recommend it!