What is not to love about NOPA??? Let's start with the food, the quality is top notch, the ingredients are locally grown and raised and ALWAYS fresh, hence the everchanging menu. And every meal is prepared with love and attention to detail. The chef uses local farms to source his kitchen, so when people say it is "overpriced" they must not know where the ingredients come from. The vibe and ambiance of NOPA is chill, but upbeat. The design achieves a warm and cozy feel despite the tall ceiling and big open space. They always have great music on and the decor is understated to allow the essence of the old building take the lead. Whenever I walk in, I feel so at home. It is hard to explain why, so you need to experience it for yourself. The service here is always great. From the hosts to the servers to the management, everyone is welcoming, friendly, good humored, and always aiming to please. I was just here on Sunday night (July 7th) and I had a special request for my friend's birthday, and the manager was extremely accommodating and made our dinner extra special. NOPA is unpretentious, even though they have earned every right to be boastful. It is high class dining, but with a casual and fun feel. This is due largely to the culture that is cultivated by the owners and the management. That paired with amazing food always keeps us coming back. The one and only downside of NOPA is beyond their control, which is the parking. Being from out of town, I usually need to drive in and finding parking can be a challenge. However, it is so very worth the wait. NOPA is definitely a TOP 3 on my list of dining establishments in SF.

I want to give a shout out to whoever canceled their 6pm resy at the last minute today. You gave me and my husband the gift of a fantastic dinner in SF :) We had been wanting to stop by Nopa for a while but a cracked tooth delayed our time here. Luckily we were able to get a last minute reservation and enjoyed everything we had! 1) warm goat cheese: this flavorful cheese came with an abundance of crostinis! 2) smoked trout: tasted just as good as freshly cured trout from my friend's fishing trips. The smokiness was deep and delicious. The sauce was great as well. 3) spicy sausage flatbread. The presentation was different than I expected. It was lighter and yummier, not weighed down like a traditional flatbread. 3) tagliatelle bolognese: perfection 4) eggplant salad: sweet and savory to the last drop. Everything was so delicious that we did not have room for dessert. That's okay because we will be back to try more amazing dishes. Thanks for a wonderful Friday night dinner date!

TLDR: Whatever you do, get the pork chop. And if it's on the menu, get their black cod too. These were some of the best dishes I've ever had in SF because of their flavor and complexity, and I can't wait to come back to have these again. Service was lacking, but the food more than made up for it! ------ FOOD: 1. [MUST TRY] Pork Chop (5/5): Tender on the inside, grilled nicely so the edges are crispy on the outside. This is not only a huge portion and cooked so well, but the garnishes they add to this dish are what complete it. The sweet tartness from the fresh fruit jam and the crunch from the sweet corn -- these made each bite of the fatty pork heavenly. There's a reason why this is their most popular item. 2. [MUST TRY] Black Cod (5/5): This is a new item, just added to the menu, and who knows how long it will stay on the menu. This was absolutely divine -- the cod melts in your mouth as black cod should, and the rich, buttery sauce for this dish went perfectly with the fish and the cabbage slaw. The caramelized onion was a fantastic addition to this, and the cherries felt random but they were still tasty. 3. [MUST TRY] Broccolini (5/5): A fantastic side dish. Great char on the broccolini, and the acidity from the lemon was so refreshing. It's not a ton of broccolini but the quality and the taste make this well worth it if you're a fan of broccolini. 4. Brassicas (5/5): Another fantastic side. There's more going on here than with the broccolini (in terms of ingredients) so if that's your style, get this instead or get this with the broccolini like we did! 5. Stracchiatella (4.5/5): This is a creamy, milky cheese paired with pecans and seasonal fruit (in our case, dates), and all topped with honey (which we asked for on the side). The mint they sprinkle on top adds so much freshness to this otherwise rich dish. The key is to get a bite of cheese, honey, pecans, and a little piece of fruit all at once -- it's a flavor explosion. Only reason why this isn't a 5/5 is because it doesn't come with bread, but bread really elevates this dish in my opinion. 6. Warm Olives (3/5): This fell short for me. These olives were way more sour and vinegar-forward than most olives are, and they weren't seasoned with anything so they just weren't special. However, this did come with two pieces of thick sourdough, which I used to eat the Stracchiatella. ------ SERVICE: * Surprisingly the service was a 2/5 for me. Despite dining at 5:30 pm (so not a peak hour), our waiter came back to our table seemingly every 5 minutes trying to clear plates and take things away (that we were still eating) which made us feel rushed even though the restaurant was half empty. * If you can believe it, the food also came out a little too fast for us. Maybe we ordered too many apps (2?) but our pork chop and cod came out as we were still working on our apps. I can see why our waiter wanted to clear plates, but I also wonder if the courses could be better timed? ------ ENVIRONMENT / AMBIANCE: * This felt vibey and bustling, like it was the place to be. * Tables are quite close to one another so be prepared for people to be squeezing by you * There's a great upstairs section of tables that overlooks the entire restaurant that I actually really loved! If you're on the edge, it's also a great view of the kitchen where you see them cooking, like, 20 pork chops at a time!

Dipak was the funniest server, great customer service. Food was exactly what we anticipated, we left so full and in a good mood!

Celebrated a friend's birthday dinner at NOPA for the first time and we ordered the Stracciatella, Local Halibut Crudo, Pork Chop, and Tagliatelle with corn and mushrooms. I've heard great things about their Bolognese so will definitely be back to try that! Their menu is constantly revolving, so you can always expect something new to try. The restaurant is more casual, but you can certainly dress up or down. Service is attentive and offered suggestions, which we appreciated.

I live in SF for years and Nopa was a favorite, so it was on the list for this latest trip. As usual, service is excellent. I've always like the ambience, but it can be quite loud so keep that in mind. Drinks/cocktails are awesome, and food is very tasty. Prices have increased (like everything else) so keep that in mid as you order, as it can get pricey quickly. One of the better run restaurants out there, the staff is pro 100%. Don't skip the STRACCIATELLA app. SO good! (order crostini on the side)

Food: *Country Pork Chop *Pan Roasted Duck Breast *French Fries (with basil parmesan aioli and ketchup) Drinks: *Whiskey Smash *Whiskey Sour (not on the menu but they available upon request) Service: Good, had a reservation at 5:30 -got there early. Doors open at 5:30 sharp so we were waiting in line to enter the restaurant Tip: although Nopa offers a rotating menu, do not skip the duck breast if it is offered that evening. It was delicious! The parmesan aioli was also very good.

I wanted pork chop for my birthday and instantly thought "NOPA!", so Eric booked a reservation as soon as it was possible. 6 years have passed since our last visit and I'm glad to find it as lively and delicious as ever. My birthday fell on a weeknight and the place was packed and buzzing. We were seated upstairs in the corner overlooking the kitchen. A fun spot to check out what's literally cooking below! Service was excellent - friendly, helpful, and attentive. They also let me keep a menu as a souvenir. Everything we ordered, not just the pork chops, was perfect, from the bread service through to dessert. And since we were already splurging, we washed it all down with a lovely bottle of wine. We'll remember this meal for a long time!