Luisa's

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Luisa's

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Address:
1851 Union St.
San Francisco, CA 94123

Neighborhood:
Marina / Presidio

Getting there ›
Cuisine:
Italian

Price: $30 and under

More Details ›

Luisa's Details

Dining Style: Casual Elegant
Phone: (415) 563-4043
Hours of Operation: Dinner: Monday: 4:30pm - 11:00pm Tuesday - Sunday: 5:00pm - 11:00pm.
Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
Cuisine: Italian
Executive Chef: Luisa
Dress Code: Business Casual
Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Smoking Area (patio only), Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine, Wine Bar
Catering: New private room now available for banquets and special events. Lunch is available for 10 people or more by reservation.
Private Party Facilities: Step foot through the beautiful garden courtyard into Luisa's new private dining area that can accommodate up to 70 guests. Your party can have access to their own private bar and the restaurant courtyard.
Private Party Contact: Luisa or Bayron (415) 563-4043
Special Events & Promotions: By request you can ask Luisa about her special made-to-order entrees. Please contact Luisa in advance at 415-563-4043 and leave a voicemail.

Getting there

Parking: Street Parking

A word from Luisa's

"...Luisa Hansen, beautiful and vivacious owner, whose authentic old-family recipes will guarantee that only the finest central and Northern Italian food will be served..." The Guardian

Luisa has created a warm, romantic, cozy, Florentine atmosphere that makes one feel as though they are… really in Italy. She has been cooking authentic Italian cuisine since 1959 with passion and makes all the Italian specialties in house; Luisa only selects the finest seafood and Niman Ranch organic meats. All pasta and bread is made fresh on the premises.

Come enjoy a beautiful summer evening with dinner out in our outdoor courtyard.

Our bar "Notte" now has happy hour from 4:00pm until 8:00pm everynight!
We also have a cocktail lounge that is open until 2:00am.

Every Sunday thru Thursday, exluding Holidays, come enjoy 20% off all food items from 4:00pm - 6:00pmContinued

Luisa's

4.2

42 $30 and under restaurant

Featured Reviews

More Reviews ›

Reviews from OpenTable Diners Learn More

44 Current Reviews

Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews

Overall

(Outstanding) 4.1 / 5

Food

(Outstanding) 4 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 3.8 / 5

Ambiance

(Outstanding) 4.1 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

44 Current Reviews

Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews

Overall

(Outstanding) 4.1 / 5

Food

(Outstanding) 4 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 3.8 / 5

Ambiance

(Outstanding) 4.1 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

Filter Reviews By:

Diners classify this restaurant as:

neighborhood gem(35)
romantic(24)
fit for foodies(16)

special occasion(16)
good for groups(8)
notable wine list(5)

Current OpenTable.com Diner Reviews (44)

Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Fabulous place - yummy food!

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/31/2012

2009

Dined on 03/31/2012

2009

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"Fabulous place - yummy food! It is wonderful to be greeting by Luisa herself - she is amazing!"

Dined on 03/31/2012

2009

Special Features: neighborhood gem, notable wine list

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Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

BEST BRUSCHETTA EVER

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/02/2012

2011

Dined on 03/02/2012

2011

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"Great little Italian gem. Take note the sauces make the dinner. Be sure to check out the photo of Luisa hanging near the front door. Then when she come by your table give her a hug and thank her for the great meal."

Dined on 03/02/2012

2011

Special Features: kid-friendly, late-night find, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, scenic view, hot spot

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Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

Living Social instant coupon

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 02/14/2012

2010

Dined on 02/14/2012

2010

Food

(Good) 3 / 5

Service

(Good) 3 / 5

Ambiance

(Fair) 2 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"Living Social instant coupon was offered for Valentines day, but was not honored. I presented the coupon when I first arrived and was never told it would not be honored until the bill was presented. The owner, Luisa, did not even want to talk to me. Her staff was very good but could not do anything since the owner said no. It was not a pleasant experience, and I will not frequent this restaurant again."

Dined on 02/14/2012

2010

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Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Luisa is an outstanding business

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 02/12/2012

2009

Dined on 02/12/2012

2009

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Ambiance

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"Luisa is an outstanding business owner. She took the time to speak to every patron and when it was our chance to be delighted by her charms, she was honest about the menu and wanted to know what we intended to order. I originally was interested in a pasta dish with lamb but she told me she was not satisfied with the quality of meat that had come from her suppliers last shipment and asked about my next choice. I was impressed with her frankness because as someone who used to work in the back of the house, I know it's the worst to try and sell something that's subpar and expect the customer to return. My lasagna bolognese was delicious! I love the personalized chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling. Romantic!"

Dined on 02/12/2012

2009

Special Features: late-night find, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion

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Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Luisa's sauces are the best

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 02/10/2012

2006

Dined on 02/10/2012

2006

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"Luisa's sauces are the best I have had! A true neighborhood gem. Close to Palace of Fine Arts. Can't wait to go back to try her other dishes!"

Dined on 02/10/2012

2006

Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion

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Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Always a great dining experience

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 02/11/2012

2006

Dined on 02/11/2012

2006

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"This is truly a neighborhood gem, the food is always great and the service attentive, a good variety of dishes. I rate this as one of the best little romantic spots to go to in the city."

Dined on 02/11/2012

2006

Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion

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Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Great Find - will be back!

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 02/04/2012

2010

Dined on 02/04/2012

2010

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"Enjoyed a wonderful dinner here with my husband and teenage daughters. The ambiance is great; the spacing is good, so we could hear each other talk. The food was very good! The mussel appetiz is a thumbs up! I had the osso buco - fall off the bone tender, and very tasty with creamy polenta. One of my daughters had a wonderful pasta dish, sorry, can't remember the name - but it was small homemade pasta with peas and pancetta and a cream sauce - the taste was fabulous! My other daughter had the gnocchi - which was melt in your mouth, perfect - except try a different sauce, her marina sauce was a little boring. My husband had the veal saltimboca - tasty, but the veal was a little tough - not our favorite. Pricing is fair. You will enjoy!"

Dined on 02/04/2012

2010

Special Features: neighborhood gem

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Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Past and present converge

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 02/03/2012

2007

Dined on 02/03/2012

2007

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"Luisa's is a wonderful little escape to an intimate corner of Italy. The empty chianti bottles festooned from the ceiling and on the shelves around the dining room evoke images of many happy gatherings that have been held there through the years. The food was tasty and plentiful, and the sauces were especially well made and blended beautifully with the ravioli and pastas. The staff were charming and efficient. We will go there again when we are in the neighborhood...which in itself is one of San Francisco's most interesting places to be."

Dined on 02/03/2012

2007

Special Features: fit for foodies, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion

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Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Excellent Food!

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 01/27/2012

2011

Dined on 01/27/2012

2011

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Fair) 2 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"Food was OUTSTANDING. Smoked chicken Linguini and Raviolis...best ever. Service...um, when you get there make eye contact with every server, and stop them when you need: Water, bread, pepper, drinks, coffee, dessert. Friendly people, just completely unaware of what table is who's and who needs what."

Dined on 01/27/2012

2011

Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion

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Overall rating

(Poor) 1 / 5

a terrible experience. Poor

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 01/15/2012

2005

Dined on 01/15/2012

2005

Food

(Fair) 2 / 5

Service

(Poor) 1 / 5

Ambiance

(Poor) 1 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"a terrible experience. Poor service, over one hour wait for the entree.Slow service applied to most diners; one couple got up and left. the restaurant interior is tired looking and dated. Person who looked like the owner "chewed out" wait staff in area where customers could see and hear. Not what you want to see or hear. Plenty of better choices on union street."