Iluna Basque

Agur (goodbye) Iluna Basque =(
I will miss you and your tasty Shrimp and Potato Croquettes, Paella and Mussels. Most of all, I will miss seeing Matin, my favorite Basque chef.
Eskerrik asko (thank you) for being with us Iluna Basque. May you rest in peace.

Iluna Basque CLOSES tonight, Sunday dinner. The restaurant was sold to the owners of Frascati. The place will reopen sometime next year as Campanula Kitchen & Bar.
I had a chance to dine here a few times, the last time was for a previous mother’s day. I wasn’t impressed by the food in any of those visits. At the time some in my group liked the place, so I didn’t bother to post a review to avoid offending them. The oddest meal I had was a Thanksgiving turkey dinner served tapas style. Basically overcooked turkey meat and little plates (overpriced too). It was obvious to me that this chef had never experienced a really good Thanksgiving feast. Also I get the impression that his experience as a Top Chef contestant has demoralized this chef.

It makes me sad to say it but I think things have gone downhill for Illuna Basque. I came here for dinner on a Sunday night and the whole meal was just «okay» — no star dishes, no amazing service, mediocre sangria at best. We ordered the seared tuna, crisp shaved potatoes (best thing we got), the croquettes, and the shrimp Prawns Cazuela.
I think the prawns were the one thing I would never order again. They were super fishy tasting and they tasted frozen or like they had been left in water too long. They also did away with the Mache salad, which was an old favorite of mine :(
Maybe it was an off night for the chef, combined with not enough waiters for the crowded dining room. I am going to take some time off from Illuna Basque and hope my next visit down the road is back to the great food they used to have! When we are paying $ 75 for two people I expect more.

I was very open minded when I recently ate here. I heard nothing about this restaurant and came hungry.
For most of the meal I thought I had been on a hidden camera show and Justin Bieber was about to Punk me. Terrible service, very poor tasting food, and worst of all, although we only had 5 people, we got hit with the 18% gratuity for parties of 6 or more.
I think we all know that people come to eat here for some «celebrity» chef and it’s location. When I walk past this restaurant now, I feel really bad for everyone sitting inside and I want to knock on the window with a poster that says, «Just go to Golden Boy Pizza after.»

Nice place to dine and chat.
Ordered 5 of their tapas dishes and 2 entrees. (by tapas i mean their small appetizer like dishes)
And I definitely recommend just sticking to just the tapas. Their tapas were full of flavor and well balanced with ingredients. however, their entrees were very disappointing compared to the tapa dishes. specifically, we got the paella which was nothing to speak about and i did not know that you could put so much butter on a steak until i dined here…
didn’t try their wine selection which seemed to be very popular here.
and i know SF can be cold, this place should really still invest in an AC system. the place filled up on a friday night and i did not enjoy dining in what felt like a sauna room.
not a bad place for their tapa selection.

We took some out of town guests — who’ve never had tapas before — here. I have to say it wasn’t the best introduction. It’s definitely not worth the money for small and I mean literally, small plates. I’m a fan of tapas but these were tiny servings and to top it off, they didn’t even taste that great. We ordered:
— shrimp and potato croquettes
— seared tuna
— selection of cheeses plate
— plate of ham
— scallops over ratatouille
— plums wrapped in bacon
— eggplant with tomato and goat cheese
— paella
— two pitchers of white sangria
The croquettes and tuna were the first thing out. Those were both pretty good so it was misleading to think that everything else to come was going to be just as tasty. It was pretty disappointing. The paella, which I read about in other reviews, was a let down. There were shrimp, clams, mussels, and pieces of fish atop saffron rice. Seafood is pretty flavorful on its own. But the rice had no flavor to it at all despite it soaking up any of the seafood broth and some bits of sausage mixed in. It was a $ 17 entrée which could have easily been an appetizer based on it’s size.
The white sangria was actually pretty tasty — hence the second round order.
Bottom line — definitely not a place I would come back to or recommend and certainly nothing I would crave here.

It’s hard to decide which restaurants deserve a five star, sometimes it’s simply not fair to pit one Michelin rated restaurant against say, a KFC. Each is judged by it’s own merits. Rant aside — this place was great!
The group of people I went with were all thrilled, and we definitely felt the night was a success because of this trip.
It went something like:
— 5 – 7 cocktails at the bar (all whisk-​fully executed by their prime cocktail master)
— 3 pitchers of Sangrias
— Pretty much every small tapas thing on the menu
My favorites were the paella, the bacon wrapped plums, and the scallops. Go with a group of people, grab a bunch of drinks, and taste away! As a bonus, got a little photo with Mattin, whom I was always rooting for — so that was a fun end to the night. [p.s. don’t park in the garage next door]

Iluna Basque is an interesting place. The food was generally quite good, and it has an interesting menu and location. If you can, try to get a seat the window so you can watch North Beach walk past!
The interior is nice but a little cramped. The main path through the tables was so tight that we couldn’t exit the place without knocking into people’s chairs.
The Seared Tuna with Bleu Des Basque Sauce was very good – the sauce was tasty. The Selection of Cheeses was also very tasty, although the serving size was a bit meager for the almost-​$ 10 cost. The Poached Pears cooked in Red Wine & Warm Brie was a bit disappointing – it was a mess and seemed to have little to no Brie. The Red Bean Hummus was good but not great – I thought it was a little bland.
We’d try it again, but I think I’d go with entrees rather than small plates.

I suggest that you come in for dinner as soon as they open for the best service. We got in at 5:30PM with reservations and were seated right away. We chose where we sat and were the only people in the restaurant. The staff were gracious and solicitous the entire time we were there and the food came out right away in the perfect order.
Three appetizers: 1.) We liked the three steaming hot shrimp croquettes (a bit gooey inside) but nice and crunchy on the outside. They go well with the accompanying aioli. 2.) The lamb slider was super juicy and flavorful. There were generous amounts of caramelized onions inside the mini burger and arugula accompanied it. It’s actually not that small (I had to use both hands to hold it). 3.) Our scallops on ratatouille were undercooked and the flavors were bland and uninspiring.: (
The entrees were perfect. We both had paella. It came out steaming hot straight from the oven in clay pots and piled high with lots of fresh seafood. There were three very fresh large prawns, clams, mussels, sausage, white fish, and lots of saffron laden broth and rice at the bottom. The paella was satiating and I suggest this dish for a cold day since it stayed very hot the entire time.
Finally, we had the chestnut crème brûlée for dessert. This is not ordinary crème brûlée as it has a large layer of chestnut paste underneath the thin layer of crème and it was very good and creative. My partner didn’t like the temperature (lukewarm) but I thought it was perfect.
Overall, the food was very good and the service was excellent. I don’t like the location as it’s on a very busy and dirty street and parking is difficult. However, if you like tapas and paella in a trendy setting then you will like Iluna. Make sure you try a good number of items as the variety will ensure that you enjoy the experience of having tapas and go early as they can get busy.
P. S. We got sick after dinner so I had to take off one star but I still like Iluna.

I enjoy tapas, but like all tapa places in the city, Iluna Basque is pricey for decent food and service.
Baby Shrimp & Potato Croquettes with Aioli Sauce $ 4.75 — I love, love, love croquettes, and these did not disappoint. There were three to split between the two of us.
Sautéed Scallops over Ratatouille $ 9.75 — Four nice and juicy scallops over ratatouille.
Roasted Mussels with Garlic & Parsley Butter $ 5.75 — Tiny mussels drenched in garlic and parsley butter, yet still not overwhelming in flavor.
Prawns Cazuela Cooked in Pastis Sauce $ 8.75 — Prawns are not supposed to be mushy inside. If they are, they’re not fresh. *thumbs down*
Piquillos Peppers Stuffed with Spinach Risotto & Quinoa $ 8.75 — Two stuffed peppers.
Eggplant & Fresh Tomato, Goat Cheese $ 6.75 — Eggplant is difficult to make look appetizing. They did a great job of disguising it, and it tasted good too.
Fondant au Chocolat Raspberry Coulis $ 6.75
Our bill came out to about $ 80 before tip for two, which included the food + two drinks + tax, which is pretty steep. Thankfully, I used a HomeRun deal, and it wasn’t as painful on the pocket.

Came here a while ago with some friends. AWESOME MEAL! Here were our highlights:
Small Plate Suggestions:
Eggplant & Fresh Tomato, Goat Cheese
Mâche Salad with Walnuts & Feta Cheese
Chicken, Olive & Tomato Empanada
Roasted Mussels with Garlic & Parsley Butter
Plums Wrapped in Bacon
Poached Pears (Cooked in Red Wine & Warm Brie)
Baked Spanish Tortilla with Caramelized Onions & Chorizo
I think that pretty much sums up how tasty this place is — something for everyone!

So I learned a valuable lesson this weekend… don’t go to San Francisco for Basque food. Stick with good Basque cities like Reno, Boise, or Bakersfield. We brought Basque Friend here for her birthday dinner, and we left sorely disappointed. But before I go into all the negatives, let me point out the positives:
+The drinks. By far the best part of our meal. The sangria was superb, and the Kalimotxo was the best I’ve ever tasted – and I’ve had a lot of Kalimotxos! My only complaint was that we paid $ 26.00 for a «pitcher» of sangria, which was actually a carafe, and we didn’t even get three glasses out of it, meaning that we would have been better off paying $ 8 for the individual glasses.
+The croquettes, the chorizo, and the cheeses. All wonderful. The croquettes were smooth, the chorizo had an amazing flavor, and the cheeses were heavenly. Too bad the portions were so unbelievably small for these, the best parts of our meal.
Those positives were good enough to boost my rating up a star; unfortunately, the negatives far outweighed the positives:
–The service. Abysmal. My experience here definitely makes the list of worst service I have ever received. Anywhere. Ever. Despite the fact that we came in ready to spend quite a bit of money, our server did his best to make sure that didn’t happen. He never offered us a second round of drinks, a third of our orders did not make it out to the table without us reminding him, items that we never received were included on our bill, and while we were waiting (a LONG time) to order our desserts he came up and asked us «Are you done?» Wow. Just wow.
–The tortilla, the mussels, the fried white asparagus. The tortilla was ruined with the overwhelming flavor of caramelized onions, the mussels tasted off (and weren’t taken off the bill when we sent them back), and the fried asparagus had the flavor and texture an onion ring. A very expensive onion ring.
–The atmosphere. Crowded, loud, chaotic, and messy. Everything about this place just seems poorly managed.
An overall overrated disappointment.

came here with my girls for a late night dinner because my friend knew the owner so they kept it open for us. Cyril and Mattin took good care of us, serving us drinks and food. we had couscous and shrimp/​clams with parsely and butter sauce? both were absolutely delicious! then cyril made us desserts, crème brûlée and chocolate cake. the crème brûlée was definitley different from a traditonal one, it had chestnut paste and a egg topping which was amazing. and the chocolate cake you can never go wrong with that.
thanks cyril and mattin for taking good care of us! =)

I like tapas. A LOT. I also like Top Chef. So when I found out that Mattin Noblia — one of the contestants at last season’s Top Chef — owns a tapas restaurant in San Francisco, I decided to make reservations for dinner for our 3-​month Wedding Anniversary (shut up).
We ordered:
* BABY SHRIMP & POTATO CROQUETTES WITH AIOLI SAUCE $ 4.75
— [4/​5 — Good. Extra points for the aioli sauce.]
* COUNTRY STYLE PATE WITH CHAMPAGNE & BLACK PEPPER $ 6.75
— [3/​5 — Meh, usually has better texture and has more zing in the flavor.]
* ROASTED MUSSELS WITH GARLIC & PARSLEY BUTTER $ 5.75
— [3/​5 — The garlic & parsley butter was extremely overwhelming. This dish just needs proper balancing to gain an extra star.]
* BAKED SPANISH TORTILLA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS & CHORIZO $ 6.75
— [2.5/5 — Very bland. It’s an omelet, really. How do you screw that up?]
* PAELLA DE LA MARE, SPANISH SAFFRON RICE $ 17.75
— [2/​5 — The texture of the rice was awful — almost mushy/​runny. It was completely underseasoned, and had less seafood than usual. Also, for nearly 3x the price of everything else, we were expecting a slightly bigger portion.]
We added $ 2 to our bill in exchange for a red scarf, so the proceeds can go to the charity Pathways for Kids. I always was very fascinated with Mattin’s branding and that «red scarf» — even more that there’s charity involved.

They have happy hour specials here from 5:30pm until 7pm. We arrived at 6:55pm and were told we had 5 minutes before happy hour was over. Luckily we made it. Unfortunately the drinks were not too memorable. Neither was the food.
They brought out complimentary bread but didnt give us any butter or olive oil. I guess they were expecting us to dip the bread in the sauces of our dishes? But we didnt really have any saucy dishes!
We ordered:
seared tuna: thinly sliced and almost fully cooked – dont expect a large chunk of tuna
sea scallops: four scallops with ratatouille — this dish was pretty good
paella de la mare: only ok
baby shrimp & baby croquettes: aioli was delicious
roasted mussels: only ok
The service was very good and the food arrived very quickly. Parking here is very difficult.

Service: Excellent. From the busboy, to the waiter and to the hostess. They were very attentive and polite.
Food: It was okay. It felt like something was missing. We ordered about 6 – 7 different small plates. They use a lot of basil, so that might have impacted my review on the taste. The potato croquette with aioli sauce was AMAZING.
The place is small and intimate. The tables are very close to each other, so if you want a bit of privacy, this might not be the place for you. Overall, it was a good experience. I would go back mainly because of the service and the croquette! =)

We live right by here so when the cousins decided to visit, what better way than to take relatives to a place that we haven’t tried so we would all have a new experience. So yeah, we came here and sat at the bar until we got seated. They have a full bar and a lot of different wines. It was a pretty dark atmosphere, a lot of people frequent this place for dinner and it has pretty tight quarters. So go in being the loud one unless you want to hear everyone’s conversation, haha.
We ordered so much food that I don’t even remember what we ordered. It was a bunch of tapas though. Let me post a couple photos and then we’ll see what I remember. I think it was the seafood paella and an omelet of some sort. Regardless, it was an overall fun and lively experience. I’d come here again for more wining and dining with friends who come and visit.

I don’t remember the last time I ate at a restaurant and enjoyed EVERY SINGLE thing I put in my mouth. This was the case for me at Iluna Basque. Top Chef, Mattin, is a an amazing chef and when he wasn’t cooking, he was walking around his restaurant, chatting with his customers and was genuinely concerned and eager to please. I spoke with him a few times and he was very amiable. I learned he opened this restaurant 6 years ago, when he was 23!!! He looked up at the flat screen and watched himself on Top Chef and said: «And look where I am now…» (with a smile)
If you haven’t gotten the chance to go yet, GO! Allons-​y! :)
Now onto the food, I don’t remember the exact names of dishes, but these are few you MUST try:
— Paella (fresh, filling, wonderful)
— Roasted mussels (i’ve never wanted to take bread to shellfish more, order it and u’ll know what i’m talking about)
— Lentil soup
— prawns
— scallops over ratatouille
— french fries (these are THE BEST french fries you will ever have)
— the beef entrée
— crème brûlée dessert
— mojito
E V E R Y T H I N G was delicious — c’est delicieux! you must try iluna basque. the atmosphere, people, service, everything is amazing and i will definitely be coming back.
Bön chance Mattin!

the girls were heading to north beach and they wanted to try here. about 45min wait, elderflower sparkling wine drink was tasty. what we tried on the menu:
Seared Tuna with Bleu Des Basque Sauce (ok)
Selection of Cheeses from Les Pyrenees with Membrillo (cheap)
Mini Lamb Burger (awesome, with tzatziki sauce would have been perfect)
Butter Lettuce with Fresh Pears & Grapefruit Segments (crisp)
Sautéed Scallops over Ratatouille (seared ok, great flavor)
Roasted Mussels with Garlic & Parsley Butter (bland.)
Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Mushrooms & Manchego Cheese (cheesy)
Paella De La Mare, Spanish Saffron Rice (small!!! for $ 18 i expected something bigger than a tapas size pan)
all in all, with the girls it was fun, but not planning on heading back.

Four of us dined at Iluna Basque, and we had the following
Piquillos peppers stuffed with Spanish salt cod bacalao, French onion soup, seared tuna with blue des Basque sauce, country style pâté, poached pears cooked in red wine and warm brie, Basque chicken with chorizo sauté, paella, sauté scallops over ratatouille, roasted mussels, and prawns cazuela.
The food came out at a steady pace at the beginning, and hat the half way point the dishes came out two or three at a time.
There was a move to order the tripe (s) in Sauce a la bayonnaise, but two of us were very stuffed.
The service was great, we asked if anything was spicy, because there were two that cannot eat any spicy food, the only item that had any kick to it (even it was still mild) was the ratatouille with the scallops.
Excellent food