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.

Our takeout dinner.

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