Fina Estampa

The last branch of this old Peruvian restaurant recently CLOSED. The original first location was on Mission street (near 20^th st.) which closed a long time ago. Food quality had declined over the years too, it was better in the past — before they added Mexican food to the menu. The location has great potential for a dinner before/​after a movie at the AMC. But somehow they couldn’t attract the crowds like other nearby places: Mel’s or Tommy’s Joynt.
I think it had the best name for a Peruvian restaurant in the city (besides being also the name of a new tequila brand, and a popular choice for restaurants in other cities too).
The restaurant was named for a famous old Peruvian song, that means «fine pedigree». Here’s a brief segment of that beautiful song (Pasion Vega, Spanish singer):
FE, Rincon Peruano, Alejandro’s (closed), and a few years later Mi Lindo Peru, were the first Peruvian restaurants in SF. Alejandro’s was a favorite of my father because he was a friend of the owner, so we often had dinner there when I was a kid. Long before popular places like Fresca, Limon, Mochica, or newcomer La Mar existed.

The worst dinning experience I’ve ever had in San Francisco, and the food was incredibly underwhelming. Waited for around an hour to get our ceviche appetizer, which was really, really bland. Also, they used white onions instead of red in the ceviche, which I found odd.
The waitress/​bartender was so inattentive. I’m a good tipper, and I had a hard time bringing myself to give her 10% of the bill. She even told us that we got the last fish in the restaurant. To me this means: «You got the bottom of the barrel.»
This place is a total joke. Overpriced, under-​seasoned food. Depressingly dated, drab interior. And some of the worst service I’ve had in SF. If you want some good Peruvian, hit-​up Mochica, Piqueo’s or even Fresca.
Stay away!

We decided to give this restaurant a chance despite the fact that it served Mexican, Peruvian, and Spanish food together. I found that odd considering each culture has such a huge array of dishes, but glad we gave the restaurant a chance ’cause the food was absolutely DELICIOUS. Big servings, very gracious portions of meat (for the meat dishes), and very good service. It’s too bad the restaurant doesn’t get more traffic because it should.
I would eat here again in a heartbeat. Don’t let the inside or outside humble décor fool you — the food is incredible. Very tasty. I had the Tallarin Saltado de Pollo and I can’t say enough how delicious the food was. The bf had Saltado de Vegetales… and it was just as good.

Surprised to see all the positive buzz for the place, as our evening there was fully disenchanting. We were looking for someplace that served Peruvian on a random inclination and recalled seeing this one so made our way to Geary and Van Ness. The place was mildly crowded, but sadly we were seated right next to the bar which granted us the breathtaking view of the back of a TV set that sat facing the other side. The next warning sign hit right after when we got our chips that were cold and hard to display their store bought nature.
In terms of the main course, it was lackluster to say the least. We ordered two entries, one Peruvian and the other Mexican. The Peruvian dish was unmemorable, although not awful, but the Mexican one was certainly iffy. The worst part was the tamale, which had egg and Greek olives. It was certainly unique, although not in a good way. On the plus side, the place did look nice (although very dark!), even if our particular spot was awful. Suffice to say, we do not intend to visit again though.

Came here for a friend’s birthday party yesterday. I’ve been here once before 3 years ago for another birthday.
This place is a great place for groups. A lot of seating, very spacious. They use the second floor as a club most of the time after the restaurant is closed.
They gave us bread with a garlic spread, chili sauce, butter, and garbanzo beans with corn to use. I almost got full off the bread. Really liked the garlic spread. Wasn’t too sure how to incorporate the garbanzo beans with corn, but i did by just putting it on top. It’s also good when you start by putting butter on the bread, then the garlic. My friend taught us that.
I got the LOMO SALTADO ($ 14.95). Sauteed beef strips with french fries, onions, tomatoes and rice. the first time i had it 3 years ago, it was way too salty. I was not a fan. I got it again yesterday and it was good. just enough flavoring, beef was juicy. Good combination with the fries, tomatoes, and onions.
My friend loves it, but to me it’s not stand out amazing.
The wait staff was very nice. Refilled our bread, let us wait a long time for a friend who had not come. It wasn’t busy, but I’m sure they wouldn’t have rushed us out of there if it was busy.
They have a pretty stocked bar for the people who want to drink. The first time I came, there were a lot of people and the atmosphere is pretty lively, so don’t mind having some fun with your friends.
I would come here again, but it would not the first place to come to mind. More so if someone else really wanted to go there.

A Great place for a birthday party! The portions are very generous and the owner is really nice.
Too bad they don’t serve Hard Alcohol, only wine and beer.
overrall, had a fun experience and would recommend it for large groups for celebrations.
Easy parking after 6PM.
Good Luck!

I’ve driven pass this restaurant a few times and never noticed it until I found it on Unilocal.It’s sort of hidden and the high double door entrance blends in with the rest of the building. The food is great! I’ve been here several times and highly recommend the lomo saltado and paella valenciana.
I brought some friends here on several different occasions and they’ve all enjoyed it. The appetizer bread is killer good. In fact, I wouldn’t mind just coming here for the bread and dips.
The restaurant is huge inside with high ceilings, dated chandeliers and a big spiral staircase that leads to… I’m really not sure where. It’s always been quite empty when I’m there but that just means less noise and more attentive service. This may not be your first pick for a romantic date place but the food will make you very happy.

Pro: you get a lot of food
Cons: have had WAY better Peruvian, WAY better Spanish and the prices have gone WAY UP. Almost $ 20 for a bowl of soup??? Nah. And now Mexican food too?
Bottom line: WAY overpriced and just okay.

I am happy to say that this place is still one of my favorites. One of my BFFs is in town from New York this week and I promised to feed her what CA does way better than NY, Mexican food. However, she was staying at Clift Hotel in TenderNob area and by the time I picked her up, she was chewing on her own arm starving. I was really worried that she wasn’t going to survive a BART ride to the Mission. Near her hotel was the best plan. So… I recommended that we go here because she could get something to feed her fix.
She did, in fact, have Mexican food and she loved it. I once again got my big platter of pealla that will feed me for three more days. We both shared a pitcher of their sangria that is probably more sacred than Holy Water and Lourde’s healing fountain. And, best of all, because we went on a quiet Sunday afternoon, they had no problem letting us sit wherever we wanted for over three hours so that we could catch up.
There’s a reason that this place has been around for decades and I love it more every time I go.

I went here for my birthday and I was greatly disappointed. The service was terrible: very slow and very unhelpful. They didn’t bring one of our guest’s food out and when they did (after we asked!!!) she wasn’t sure it was what she ordered.
The food was mediocre. Very salty. I had the Bistec a lo pobre. It prepared decently, but was very bland.
The worst is the end of our meal was disrupted by noticing that there were MICE scurrying around the restaurant in search of their own meal. We skipped dessert (on my birthday) because everyone at the table was upset about the furry guests at the restaurant.
I wouldn’t go back and I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. In fact, I may call the health department.

I was pleasantly surprised. The reviews here seem a bit all over the place, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The atmosphere wasn’t as bad as I was worried it would be — there were a decent number of people there on a Saturday night (although it wasn’t crowded), and I enjoyed the music. I wasn’t as crazy about the toppings for bread as everyone else seems to be, but maybe I just had my expectations set too high. Anyway, the serving are indeed enormous for most dishes — lots of leftovers in our future. I tried the paella valenciana, bistec a lo pobre, and arroz con pollo. I liked them all, although the steak may have been the best. The fresh salsa with the arroz con pollo was great and provided a welcome, zesty contrast to the more staid, but tasty, rice. There was a lot of chicken in there as well. The paella was a bit more glutinous than I’m used to and may not hold up to the strictest standards, but I liked it. We had a pitcher of pisco sours, which was the economical option for 3 people. I liked that limes were given out abundantly with the drinks and food.
Our waitress was amazingly friendly and polite. The only oddity of the whole meal was that we tried to order alfajores and were eventually told they were out. Then, about ten minutes later, we were told they did have some. They were $ 3/​cookie, which is expensive in my book, and we got 2 to split among 3 people. They were delicious and quite rich (so ²⁄₃ of a cookie was a good amount for each person), but anyway, by the time they came, we had already paid the bill. I thought, «wow, this waitress is so nice that we’re going to get the cookies for free,» but no, a second bill came, for $ 6. I don’t blame her, but it was just kind of weird. I should mention that the prices are also higher by a few dollars than the menu on the website. Overall though, I did like it a fair amount, and get the bistec a lo probre for myself next time.

I LOVE this place! I work up the street from Fina Estampa and this is my favorite place to go when we celebrate birthdays during lunch. Kitty corner to Tommy’s Joynt, it’s very easy to miss if you aren’t really looking for it, but it is definitely not a hole-​in-​the-​wall once you are inside.
I could pig-​out on just their bread and spreads that they give you as soon as you sit down. Their chips and salsa are also very tasty. I almost always order the Calamari =) It is by far the BEST battered squid! Calamari is my appetizer of choice at any restaurant that has it on the menu, but at Fina Estampa, the portion is SO HUGE that I get it for my entrée. It’s always fresh and I usually end up taking some of it home because it’s so much food and I love having a second taste of it with my dinner at home.
The owner Gustavo and his entire family, staff included, are always so nice and friendly. I highly recommend this awesome restaurant!

My fiancé and I have been coming here for the last 3 years and I can’t remember one time when the food wasn’t fantastic!
First and foremost, the bread and dipping sauces that they bring out to every table is worth coming here alone. If I could buy the sauces separately to enjoy at home I would. Secondly, the dinner portions are very generous. I always order the paella and can usually just finish half of my dish (depending on how much bread and dip I’ve gobbled up beforehand). Thirdly, the sangria is delicious!
The food is authentic and very comforting, and the service is always nice. Would definitely recommend this restaurant!

You know how sometimes when you can’t figure out a new restaurant to try, so you go where you know. This is one of those places. My husband introduced me to this place back when we were dating, and we often bring friends here who has not tried any Peruvian food. We’ve been coming here for 6 years when we can afford to eat out once in a while.
The same waiters have been working there for as long as I’ve been coming here and give great service. They can recommend you something on their menu if you cannot decide, like me sometimes. There are usually 99.99% accurate on suggesting something I like.
They serve 4 different side toppings with your bread to start. When they see you finished your first batch of bread, they will refill your basket. I usually order one of my favorite dishes– Ceviche. My husband often gets the Lamb or Beef with fried Banana & egg on top. Fina Estampa serves large dishes. So if you can’t eat too much, try sharing a plate, or you can take home leftovers.
For drinks, I always get their Sangria, which comes with minced fruits. But just this Valentines day, we chatted with the bartender there and asked what was this other purple drink he was mixing. He told us it was «Chicha” — a Corn Drink is considered for most the national Peruvian soft drink.
Apparently, this is one of the rare places that carry this drink in the Bay Area we know. It’s was delicious! If you want to try this drink, I suggest coming here. I doubt you will find it anywhere else in the Bay Area, if you do let me know.

People, please listen to me and eat here. Really.
Though I aways end up ordering one of the two same things, which I love dearly (i.e., lomo saltado/​saltado de pollo), I’d like to add a few things on the list of «You MUST try this or else you are SO missing out.»
— Pisco sour: I LOVE the pisco sour here. It tastes better than most margaritas. It has a hint of honey-​like sweetness and cognac like aroma. A must-​try.
— Arroz con pollo: this dish comes w/​½ chicken in it; this serves me as one big full meal; my female friend w/​average-​size appetite said this dish usually serves her as two to three meals.
— Paella: comes with very generous amount of various shellfish. The portion is also generous. I stole a few pieces of shellfish and a few bites of the rice off of my friend’s plate. Though this may not impress people as «authentic Spanish paella,» it has good flavor and consistency. A fantastic deal for less than $ 17.
— Whatever steak the guy at the table next to us was eating: I don’t know what it was; I didn’t get to steal a bite off of his plate since he was a complete stranger, but DAING it smelled and looked so GOOD!

The atmosphere is stuffy and I feel like I’m in a colonial museum. That said the food is OK but I feel so uncomfortable there that the dining experience is ruined.

Staring off against the well-​known Mel’s and Tommy’s Joynt is this easily overlooked Peruvian place that I seriously doubt has attracted many random passersby over the years.
As Ed U deftly points out, those massive front doors are quite imposing, but the 2-​story interior is far from a Mexican palace – merely overly large, awkwardly laid out, and a bit drafty. And what’s with those chairs? They look like they belong in a hospital waiting area. So not exactly the architectural gem hidden on Van Ness I was hoping for – just another oddity ala the unused stairway in the lobby of the AMC.
But anyway, eccentricities can always be forgiven in the light of good food and low prices, right? Well, they certainly got the food part down; a pitcher of pisco sours is a prerequisite here, and after hearing so much about lomo saltado, I was finally able to try the beef-​free alternative, pescado saltado. It’s worth it just to see how french fries can be used *in* a dish (the answer: make a «stir-​dry», where you toss meat, veggies and carbs in lots of spice but minimal sauce – makes for first-​rate comfort food). As for prices, however… while I know that even family-​run Peruvian joints are never cheap, I still felt that the $ 15 average entrée here just wasn’t justified given the backwater setting.

I made my way over to Fina Estampa last night, in a bid to try something new and to nurse the ever-​worsening sunburn I’d scored in Dolores Park earlier in the day.
Like other reviewers have said, the space is enormous. I thought the cavernous dining room would be off-​putting, but it didn’t end up being an issue. The three other parties dining there all cleared out while I was eating, leaving me, the two servers and about 4,000 square feet of space. Luckily, dining alone seems to be my thing lately and this was quintessential in that regard.
I ordered the Bistec a lo Pobre because I wanted beef and because it sounded like the most prototypically Peruvian dish on the menu. Bistec a lo Pobre is a broiled steak, served over crispy bread, with sauteed onions, tomatoes, a fried banana and a fried egg. My plate also came with rice and a lightly fried chunk of root vegetable, which I believe was yuca.
Everything was delicious. The steak was tender and perfectly medium-​rare, just like I ordered, and the onions, tomatoes, banana and egg, made it a completely new combination of flavors for me. I loved it!
The service was attentive, friendly and super speedy. The guys were particularly happy at how much I enjoyed the meal. I guess they didn’t expect a sunburned white boy to be so down with Peruvian food.
As long as you go in with the proper expectations about how empty it can feel in there, you’ll have an excellent experience. Highly recommended.

I really love the Peruvian small plates they serve there. Never ventured off to the Mexican dishes.
Anticuchos (beef heart) is very juicy and tasty.
Tortilla a la Espanola — it’s hard to mess this one up
Their fried calamari (calamares fritos) appetizer is the size of an entrée size. Paella was cooked well without being too tough or mushy. Ceviche wasn’t too memorable. Very acidic and not much seafood taste to it.
Sangria was alright. Definitely not come here for any romantic ambiance. It’s just one big restaurant/​bar and most people come here right after work or before the movies. I’ve seen quite a few Hispanic quincineras/​birthday parties here. I like the condiments that come with the bread, especially the orange/​brown spicy one.

I don’t know how accurate my impression of the place is, since I came with a huge group of people and it took the staff quite a while to accommodate all of us. While the waiters were very nice and welcomed my informal Mexican-​slang filled Spanish, a woman employee was less than courteous with her arrogant demeanor. She unapologetically snapped at us for being in her way when we were quietly standing around waiting for the tables to be set up, and conveniently confiscated people’s menus before the waiter came by to take our orders. I ended up ordering the Lomo Saltado, but due to the size of our party, our entrees arrived at separate times. By the time my food came, it was only lukewarm and the beef was very tough. However, I do understand the difficulty of seamlessly serving a group as large as ours so my experience may be somewhat of an outlier.
Important note: the upstairs bathroom was flooded with water and the one downstairs is unisex, so it would be a good idea to relieve yourself before coming here.