Delarosa

If Chestnut Street is the younger, hipper and livelier of the three main avenues in the Marina District, then Delarosa is one of the reasons. Sleek lines, contemporary colors and amazing artisan cocktails veer Delarosa away from any likeness to the traditional and old world. Come early to snag your dinner table, because this place fills up like a nightclub. Seating here is mostly communal, so be prepared to rub elbows with your neighbors.

One thing that will have you reminiscing on the rustic flavors of Italy is the Roman pizza, arriving on your plate freshly baked from Delarosa’s wood-stone oven. Choose between 12 styles, from a Margherita to a Spicy Marinara, or mix and match your own ingredients. Antipastis include bruschetta, meatballs and beer-steamed mussels, which you’ll want to hold on to long after the mussels are gone to soak in all the yummy broth. Good news is the server will anticipate this, bringing you all the extra bread you desire.

Dungeness crab aranici with calabrese aioli will make it to the top of your Fritti list, and if you like beets, there are a couple of must-have salads on the menu that blend them in beautifully. Of course, no meal is complete without dessert, and gelatos dominate this course here. But servers at Delarosa enjoy giving their feedback in generous doses, and chances are you’ll be steered toward the Bomboloni Caldi instead, a medley of three sweet dipping sauces for warm, housemade donuts. These are a definite treat.

Delarosa opened in November of 2009, a new, more budget-friendly creation by the same team of famed restaurant, Beratta, also in SF. Unlike Beratta, the beer list at Delarosa is longer, giving you plenty of bottled or draft options to wash down that pizza.

However, the cocktails here can’t be ignored. If you’re sitting at the bar, you can watch the way the bitters are shaped into elegant leaves, floating delicately above the egg white of your Bumble Bee. A contrast to the honey rum taste of the Bumble Bee is the Salty Dog, a vodka, elderflower, grapefruit, and salt combination. After a couple of these, you’ll be toasting this neighborhood destination at the end of the night for sure.

HelloSanFrancisco Tip: The kitchen stays open late, serving up hot plates until closing hour (1 a.m.). 

- by Renee M. Rutledge, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Renee M. Rutledge

Renee M. Rutledge currently writes articles on local travel and culture for Red Tricycle, Parents' Press, Oakland Magazine, and Alameda Magazine.