Lupa Trattoria

Neighborhood gem. We’ve only ever ordered take out, but the pastas are delicious — and the staff is lovely with their authentic Italian approach.

Another great Italian choice in the city — intimate & cozy, authentic /​delicious options and doesn’t break the bank!
Food:
+ Fettuccine with porcini, shitake and oyster mushrooms in a black truffle sauce — while this dish lived up to it’s mushroom overdose, it was definitely too strong for both me and my friend (and we loovveee mushrooms). The sauce was a little heavy for us to eat too much of this dish without dipping some bread in it. However, great quantity, lots of mushrooms and perfectly cooked pasta
+ Bucattini (straw shaped pasta with caramelized onion, pancetta (we got mushrooms instead) and romano cheese in a tomato sauce) — this was the show stealer. The tomato sauce was some of the best I had AND it was used sparingly, so the pasta wasn’t doused in sauce. You could actually taste the pasta (al dente) and the flavors of the onions /​mushrooms. Would HIGHLY recommend this dish
Ambiance: Cozy, candle-​lit, date night perfection with a little bit of hustle and bustle (so don’t expect quiet /​slow)
Service: Average at best for such a nice restaurant. Had to flag down waiter 2−3x for him to refill our small glasses of water
Verdict: will be back!

3.75 Stars
Lupa trattoria is your classic local little neighborhood Italian restaurant. All dishes we had gnocchi al cinghiale, Fettucine tartufate, Cesar salad, and our main courses (veal, lamb, and pork chop) were well executed. Was it amazing… not really just a great little place.
The best dishes were the pastas dishes that really shined. The braised wild boar was great as was the Fettucine with truffle oil and three kinds of mushrooms.
Atmosphere was okay (perhaps the awkward split level put me off as did the loud party on the top level). Service was proficient but lacked any character.
Desserts were wonderful: well executed tiramisu and profiteroles.
Perhaps if parking were easier and location was closer I would have fallen more in love. Mi dispiace amore mio.

We recently returned from a 2 week trip to Italy and can say this tops some of our meals in Rome and Venice. Our server was a young italian man who was very charming and attentative. He gave us an excellent wine recommendation, and checked in during each course to see what we thought. The food is amazing. Fresh. light and perfectly seasoned. I had the gnocci which was a special of the night and they were perfect. The white chocolate and lemon tart was out of this world. I think we have found our new neighbourhood fave.
The Lasagne seemed like a very popular dish on other tables and the diner next to us commented it is his favorate.

Quite possibly one of the top 3 Italian food places I’ve ever been. Although the ambience is great, the food. Oh my, it’s just really good

This is one of the best Italian restaurants in San Francisco. As an Italian American I can say the food is authentic. Stefano, the owner is from Rome. My husbands favorite dish is veal saltimbocca. Many restaurants ruin this traditional Roman dish, but Lupa’s is perfect. We were in Italy this past summer and did a tasting comparison: Lupa won hands down! This is just one of their great selections. The price is very reasonable for quality food and the staff is warm and friendly.

I really want to give this place a 3.5. Some of the food is incredibly authentic. Even the olive oil they served with the bread tasted much better than it does at other restaurants. I ordered the fettuccine tartufatte and it was out of this world! The pasta was incredibly fresh and flavorful and there was a generous amount of mushrooms all cooked to perfection. My husband ordered the penne all arrabiata which was supposed to be spicy, but wasnt spicy at all. Instead it had more of a smoky flavor. That was disappointing, especially since we requested they add vegetables to the dish and the waiter said that would compromise the flavor of the dish…
It’s a cute and cozy space, however you’re packed in so tightly you can’t have a conversation because of the noise. You feel like you’re having dinner with multiple people and over hearing way too many conversations because it’s such a tight fit. Lastly our waiter was a little rude. He was really pushing the specials and when I asked him about other dishes he seemed annoyed and impatient, not the best customer service.
The owner is nice and greeted us at the door. But for the prices, this place could be better.

Lupa is a Noe Valley Old fashioned Italian staple. I’ve been here a handful of times over the years.
I usually get the Lasagna, because their housemade thin noodles hit the spot. Just the right amount of ricotta, and bolognese sauce. It’s a generous portion for the price, and one of the better deals on the menu.
I usually start with a spinach salad, which is good but wish it had a bit of a citrus note. I’ve gotten the mushroom linguine, which is simple, delicious, and overpriced. The BF likes the veal scaloppine funghi. It is nice and light, the sauce is divine. The mash are nicely whipped but the green beans seem misplaced/​missing flavor.
The fresh bread is tasty, served with nice olive oil to dip it in. Although I wish there was fresh herbs served with the olive oil!
I like Lupa, but with the hit or miss menu items at exorbitant prices, I’m still looking for my fav authentic Italian neighborhood hole in the wall…

This restaurant has delicious lasagne & homemade pasta – really great food. A little pricey for what it is, but it’s a cool place. Authentic Italian, but in Italy the prices would be half what they charge. Then again, a plane ticket to Italy is expensive, so if you’re jones-​ing for Italy, come here for an hour.
Excellent service, too. My gf wanted a half-​salad, & they accommodated her even though it was busy. I’d say 4 ½ stars (minus ½ point for price.)
Definitely need reservations.

I hate writing reviews for places that I consider to be «hidden gems» since I’d like them to stay that way but… that wouldn’t be fair. The pasta is delicious, the portions are huge, and the waiters are really accommodating and friendly.
Our order:
Free Bread — Who doesn’t love that!!!
2 Glasses of Pinot Noir — delightful!
Prosciutto and Pear Salad — so tasty and easy to share as an appetizer
Papperdelle Pasta with Lamb — this was on the recommendation of our server and he happily split it for us and brought it out on two plates. Delicious!
We will certainly be going back for any date night or when people are in town — it has such a good atmosphere.

Second time here, first Italian meal since Italy, outstanding experience, service and food. Really amazing bolognese sauce. Lasagna is to die for. We all got different entrees and were blown away. I had the saltimboca. It was pleasant, not trendy, just phenomenal! I would have been impressed if this place were in Bologna. I’ll be back soon!

Girls Night Out.
In my 20s, that meant going to the hottest new restaurant in town followed by hitting up the hottest club only to spend an hour later with my head in Mr. Kohler hurling our $ 100 pp dinner because of one too many AMFs. Classy.
Thankfully, I’ve grown out of the embarrassing «THAT Girl» stage. Well, more like my wallet has. *sigh* These days, Girls Night Out consists more of a low key restaurant, followed by hitting the sheets by 10 pm. Hey, don’t judge. The best feeling in the world is being able to sling that bra off – am I right, ladies? FREEE the boobies!
My gfs and I had planned a dinner months in advance only to find out that we never choose a restaurant days prior to the date. I was easily able to make last minute reservations (2 days prior) at Lupa. Even though there was hella times available on OpenTable, it was fully packed on a Friday night. DO make reservations as Lupa seems to be a favorite standby for those who live in Noe Valley.
Lupa’s Roman-​influenced is very affordably priced for SF and the portions are generous (we all had leftovers). For a party of four, we ordered 3 apps, 4 pastas, 3 desserts, and a glass of wine each and it was just $ 55 pp (including tax & tip). Lupa is pretty solid… for a «neighborhood» restaurant but not Flour + Water, Tosca Café, Seven Hills, Cotogna, and Delfina (a bit overrated) caliber.
A P P S
*Beef carpaccio, arugula, capers, shaved parmiggiano ($ 13):
*Imported Burrata, Tyrolian speck, arugula ($ 13.25):
*Prince Edward Island mussels, Manila clams, spicy tomato broth (app — $ 13):
My fav app was the carpaccio which was silky soft. I love burrata and Lupa’s was decent. It wasn’t as soft and creamy as I would like it. I would skip the mussels and clams in spicy tomato broth as the mussels were minuscule and there wasn’t much broth for bread dipping.
P A S T A S
*Housemade ricotta gnocchi, sausage, tomato sauce (special — $ 16.50):
*Fettuccine Tartufate: Housemade fettuccine, porcini, shitake, oyster mushrooms, black truffle sauce ($ 17):
We ordered the Gnocchi main to share and it was ok. I like airy and fluffy gnocchi and this was a little dense and the tomato sauce was one note. For my main, I ordered the much raved about Fettuccine Tartufate. Just like many, I’m a sucker for truffle everythang even though truffle oil is gimmicky and most aren’t made from real truffles to begin with. Don’t get me wrong, this dish was earthy, hearty, and satisfying but not spectacular. The housemade fettuccine was perfectly al-​dente with a wonderful toothsome chew but the black truffle sauce was merely truffle oil.
D E S S E R T S
*Panna Cotta w/​berry sauce ($ 7.50):
*Crème Brûlée ($ 7):
*Tiramisu ($ 7):
My fav of the three was the panna cotta which was custardy and deliciously creamy. The crème brulee was good as well but nothing special. The tiramisu was disappointing, it was way too wet and the ladyfingers had no texture.
Service was efficient but a bit brusque. Even though it was a packed house, our apps came flying out of the kitchen. Ours main arrived shortly after our empty apps plates were taken away. The kitchen is definitely an well-​oiled machine so if you’re on a time crunch for dinner, Lupa is a good option.
Dining at Lupa is like dining at someone’s living room. It’s casual, warm, and inviting – there’s a fireplace in the front dining room and an open kitchen in the back. One major negative is there’s no ac. It was unbearably H-​O-​T (it was cold outside). We had to fan ourselves during dinner and every time someone would open the front door, it was like having a phuckin’ body orgasm. Acoustics aren’t the best either so not recommended for a quiet, intimate dinner.
Easy street parking on the weekdays before 6 pm. Allow an extra 5 – 10 minutes for finding parking on the weekends. No nearby lots.

We came here for my mother’s birthday today. We had the lasagne, cornish hen with kale and potatoes and gnocchi with boar sauce. Everything was good. Even the complimentary bread. I especially enjoy their pillowy gnocchi with tasty boar sauce. My husband said his lasagne was distinctively good. The service was fast yet polite. The ambiance was upscale and cozy. Highly recommended!

On my free time, I like to stuff my face. No really, I’m serious – if I could, I would gorge myself on different types of food ²⁴⁄₇. That being said, I generally don’t like going out to eat Italian too much. It’s not that I don’t like Italian food, I absolutely LOVE it, it’s just so hard to find Italian restaurants that serve quality-​Italian food that satisfies. Anyway, Lupa Trattoria was a great little gem (thanks Tina)!
The food was amazing, and our waiter told us that their mozzarella is actually imported from Italy. I’m swooning, and I need more of that mozzarella in my life! It’s literally melt-​in-​your-​mouth goodness!!! All of the entrees were amazing as well, though the truffle sauce for my mushroom Fettucine (Fettucine Tartufate) did seem to be a bit too overwhelming towards the end of the meal – I have no complaints about the any of the dishes. My friends and I each sampled everything amongst us, and the general consensus was that everything was incredibly good! The house special was tortelloni (stuffed with duck, and some other ingredients, but it was SOOOO GOOD).
Unfortunately, we had no room left for dessert. But, hopefully next time I can manage to order the panna cotta – it looks heavenly in the other reviewers’ pictures!
The only reason why this isn’t a 5-​star review is because we weren’t offered any bread, at all – even after being seated for 45 minutes. Everyone around us were given bread and it wasn’t until we asked for it (twice) that we finally got it. I think the busboy/​bread person (not our waiter) was a bit overwhelmed that night. But our great waiter definitely made up for it.
Definitely do try this place out – even if you’ve been carb-​free since 2003, this place is worthy of a visit!

This is some good Italian.
This is probably my 4x here. Speaks for itself, at least for me.
Always nice to have a reservation as they aren’t a big joint, and can be full on a busy night. OpenTable makes it easy. It’s got a nice Italian, candle-​lit atmosphere. You can be dressed-​up if you like or you don’t have to be. You’ll never feel out of place.
Started off the with mussels/​clams.
Mussels — definitely cooked right with all of them opening. Not the most amount for $ 13, but it does the job. The spicy tomato broth (not spicy) is all right. I like white wine cooking for my seafood. I feel like this tomato broth was not too special, but you can imagine using the bread to dip in is always a nice touch.
Next up pastas!
I usually get the Fettucine Tartufate. Absolute truffle magic! Aroma is trufflicious. I feel like one of the those truffle sniffing pigs. So many mushrooms too! If you at all like truffle, you gotta try this. If you’ve never had truffles, you gotta try this. If you hate truffles or are allergic, probably not a good choice for you.
Also had the Risotto special (what kind. Truffle of course) — this one wasn’t as great. I don’t think the truffle sauce and rice go that well together…
Of course desserts:
Crème brûlée — Pretty standard fair. Had the nice caramelization on type with the soft, custard below. I liked it.
Panna cotta — Amazing! It had raspberry drizzle on top. All I can say is that Lupa, you could probably ditch that. The Panna Cotta itself has the right taste and texture. Rolls down the pharynx elegantly. I loved it.
Come here if you like Italian. I’ll be back for a fifth.

My boyfriend took me here on one of our early dates. He works in the area so he eats here frequently. One of the things I like coming here is the ease of parking. There’s plenty around! We came by on a weeknight so we didn’t wait very long even though we didn’t have a reservation. We ordered a bottle of wine. Their reds are delicious! You can never go wrong with any of them. We got a pinot. We started with a caprese. The tomatoes and mozzarella are both so fresh — they all melt in your mouth after 1 bite. My BF had the grilled steak with herbs, cannellini beans, arugula salad — he enjoyed this very much. This is his signature dinner here every time he comes. I had the
Pan roasted duck breast in a marsala sauce, farro and grilled asparagus — OH. MY. GOD. The Marsala sauce over the duck breast — great combo! It was sweet and savory while the meat was soft and delicious. I was happy with every bite! For dessert, of course we had the panna cotta. Super yummy! The right balance of sweet and tangy. I can have another plate if I could. (But my hips can’t take it. lol) Overall, our dining experience is so relaxed and yet so good. The staff are all attentive with filling up the water and wine. We went back here again last night and again, another great dinner experience. I won’t get tired of coming here! Really great stuff!

I came here because it was conveniently located near an errand I had to run. My friend and I were quickly seated in the crowded main dining area, though we could have chosen to be isolated (intimate) by the front window. The service was spectacular. Our food always arrived quickly, and the waiters were all very attentive.
The food, on the other hand, was average. We started with the Burrata and Speck ($ 13) and the Caesar Salad ($ 10) and I must say… that was probably one of the worst salads I’ve ever had at a restaurant. I was also looking forward to having the Fettuccine Tartufate ($ 17) after reading about it online. Homemade fettuccine with porcini, shitake and oyster mushrooms in a black truffle sauce. DELICIOUS-​SOUNDING! Not really. In fact, it tasted better when I took the leftovers home and microwaved them the next day. My friend ordered the risotto that was on the special menu, but perhaps I’m just a fan of creamier risotto and not dry risotto made with huge grains of rice that look like orzo pasta.
I’m very glad that the service made up for the food, but I would probably not come back here again. If you decide you want to give Lupa Trattoria a spin, you probably do not need a reservation since we came here on a weekend and there was plenty of seating.

It’s a comfortable and nice place to dine and take your family to a fancy meal. No RSVP needed but if you come busy hours its recommended .
We order the their special, taste excellent. Services are supreme. Can’t go wrong.

I’m giving them 3 but it could’ve easily been a 4 if not for some minor things. There was no early dinner crowd as we were able to get a table right away a little after 6pm. When they gave us bread to start, it was cold and I thought this might be trouble. My biggest pet peeve is cold bread. Can’t restaurants at least throw some heat on and warm it up a tad? I mean really, it takes like 15 seconds to give customers the illusion that it’s freshly baked. They also gave us a platter of virgin olive oil without balsamic vinegar to dip but my request for some was quickly accommodated.
The rest of the meal was actually quite delicious. After I got over myself, I ordered the table three entrees to share; the pork chop, the spaghetti with seafood, and the ravioli with ricotta cheese and spinach. All three were decent but the pork chop stood out for me. It was succulent and not overly cooked. The white wine sauce added tremendous flavor and the bitterness from the brussels sprouts cut through all the richness. My only minor complaint is about the seafood in the spaghetti dish. It looks like they gave me the children’s seafood edition because all the clams and shrimp were miniature. I would’ve like a little more fish and less shells, if you catch my drift.
Service was decent as our waiter did check up on us throughout the meal to make sure it was to our liking. We ended the night with the tiramisu to share and when is tiramisu a bad thing? Never. So we inhaled it, paid our check and left to explore the rest of Noe Valley.

3.5 rounded up. Stumbled upon Lupa Trattoria by happenstance while trolling for some Italian food on a recent trip up to SF. We were just glad to bolt into a warm space on a particularly frigid night, but Lupa serves up an unassumingly good dinner.
The entrance area is lit with a wood-​burning fire and the space opens up into a larger-​than-​expected dining area. The restaurant is cozy, quaint, and is a good place to come with friends, family, or a date.
We started off with the Crostini Sampler (a special that night) and it was a hit. The crostini was good and crusty and the high-​quality mozzarella was warm, milky, and just chewy enough. There were 3 varieties: sweet red bell pepper, sautéed mushrooms, and prosciutto. Of the three, the mushrooms had the most flavor, but I liked prosciutto the best.
The table got 3 pasta dishes to share family-​style. The special of the night was a Spaghetti di Mare– mussels, clams, and shrimp in a light tomato-​based sauce. The Pappardelle Sugo d’Agnello featured homemade pappardelle in a lamb bolognese and the Fettuccine Tartufate served homemade fettuccine with porcini, shitake, and oyster mushrooms in a black truffle sauce.
All the homemade noodles were outstanding in texture and doneness– ribbon thin and just the right amount of chew. The pappardelle in lamb bolognese, in particular, was really great. The fettuccine dish was bursting with a lot of mushroom and truffle flavor, but the dish became a bit too heavy and one-​note after a while. The seafood spaghetti was perhaps my least favorite– the sauce was under-​seasoned and the shellfish was overcooked. Would pass.
Service was spotty throughout, but overall, I enjoyed my wonderfully carb-​y meal. I don’t know if I’d make a return visit and found comfort in this homey restaurant.