Il Pollaio, a revered fixture in North Beach (circa 1984), is an anomaly of grilled meats in a neighborhood awash in pasta, and just opened a second location in the Mission, right in the middle of the pandemic. Ballsy! I never got to try the one in NB so I was excited that they’d opened here. They’re famous for their flame-grilled chicken, obvs, but we also got a rib eye that came with potatoes and a very large salad of romaine, radishes and cherry tomatoes, and my half chicken (you can order a whole one too) came with a huge order of steak fries.
I also ordered a side of hot Italian sausages, just to get that parillada effect. Bread & butter comes with. They threw in their steamed potatoes with parsley and olive oil with the steak. So I may have over-ordered, but we had leftovers for another whole meal. We drizzled our own chimichurri sauce (I think they make some too, but I forgot to ask), although they provide salsa with the chicken. The steak wasn’t a super-thick cut, but huge, delicious, and perfectly cooked – a deal for $25. The chicken had wonderfully crispy skin. Steakhouse fries were excellent and meaty. The sausages weren’t particularly spicy but quite tasty.
Il Pollaio also offers flame-grilled pork and lamb chops, half a rabbit, tomato and onion salads, a daily soup, mozzarella Caprese, marinated eggplant, a burger, coleslaw, beans, and an almond torte for dessert.
Order in person, online with UberEats, or simply place a call. They’re offering limited outdoor seating now, too.
So glad to welcome them into the neighborhood during these fraught times. Definitely a place that will be a go-to for us.
Il Pollaio
2859 Mission St.
(415) 814-3664
That looks amazingly good. I hope the neighbourhood supports these guys as much as possible…. what a time to be open!
Looks very good and fun! Yay!