Delfina is still great after 25 years in S.F.

Creating timeless cooking is no easy feat, but Delfina does just that. It's a reminder of why we go to restaurants.

Opened in 1998 by Craig and Annie Stoll, Delfina helped establish the Bay Area's Cal-Italian cuisine and shape the now-bustling dining scene in San Francisco's Mission District. During the pandemic, the restaurant closed its dining room for an ambitious remodel, taking over its next-door pizza shop, Pizzeria Delfina, to increase the table count. The new Delfina opened last fall with a sleek, midcentury modern aesthetic influenced by Italian architecture. It's undeniably pretty, with a warm glow, leather-bound booth seating, a burnished oak wood bar and a copper-plated archway.

The Stolls believe their groundbreaking restaurant is fully realized at last. "Nobody ever said (Delfina) was beautiful," said Craig. But now, "the space is finally deserving," said Annie.

Delfina owner Craig Stoll shows off his tattoo of Spaghetti Pomodoro, a signature dish at the Italian restaurant he shares with wife Annie Stoll on Friday, May 26, 2023, in San Francisco, Calif. Delfina is located at 3621 18th St.

Spaghetti Pomodoro at Delfina, an Italian restaurant located at 3621 18th St., on Friday, May 26, 2023, in San Francisco, Calif.

The shiny new air hasn't been welcomed by all diners, some of whom balk at the higher prices. In 2019, the crowd-favorite spaghetti went for $19. Now a bowl costs $26.

It raises the question: Is Delfina still a neighborhood restaurant?

I think the answer is no, but that's OK. The restaurant has earned a chance to evolve. Most importantly, the food is fantastic — perhaps even better than before.

Since Delfina's menu is driven by seasonality, change is a constant. But two additions feel particularly significant: more fresh pasta and cocktails. When sister restaurant Locanda closed in 2020, the owners moved the extruder and liquor license to Delfina.

Preserving the quality of the aforementioned spaghetti pomodoro ($26) was of the utmost importance to the Stolls and chef de cuisine John Arcudi. Today, it still feels transcendent, like trying spaghetti for the first time. The stringy pasta was the epitome of al dente, coated in tangy, sweet tomato sauce with a touch of heat. I’d put it on the Mount Rushmore of Bay Area food, up there with Zuni Cafe's chicken.

Delfino Anchovies at Delfina, an Italian restaurant located at 3621 18th St., on Friday, May 26, 2023, in San Francisco, Calif.

The Garibaldi Miscelato cocktail contains aperitivo, limoncello, Bordiga Occitan gin, and orange at Delfina, an Italian restaurant located at 3621 18th St., on Friday, May 26, 2023, in San Francisco, Calif.

No meal here should go without pasta. The tagliatelle ($28) in ragu was surprisingly light in its creaminess, and the elegant paccheri all’Amalfitana ($29) impressed with tender white fish pieces interspersed in the ringlet pasta. The most comforting was passatelli in brodo ($16), fuzzy, silk worm-like noodles swimming in a potent broth — with the restorative properties of multiple chicken noodle soups.

Snacks are important at Delfina, and I found that they taste best when you are sitting at the bar, nursing a frosty, stimulating garibaldi ($14) — orange juice blended with Contratto Bitter Aperitivo, limoncello and gin instead of the traditional Campari. The anchovies on toast ($12), salty filets sheathed in butter curls, were cute and delectable, while the salume, like the mortadella ($14) and prosciutto ($21), played second fiddle to the gnocco fritto, air-filled crackers that tasted like savory beignets.

If you’re in need of bread, skip the focaccia with warm ricotta ($9), which lacked flavor, in favor of a crackly-crust pizza, like the spiced ‘nduja clam pie ($27).

A pizza topped with clams, ’nduja, green garlic and pecorino at Delfina in San Francisco.

Fan favorites continue to be compelling. The grilled Monterey calamari ($19) on a bed of soft, warmed beans beckons with starchy smokiness. The lip-smacking trippa alla Fiorentina ($19) still tantalizes with its silky sauce flavored with smoked paprika and pancetta.

Many newer dishes are also winners, such as the rich, fried soft-shell crab ($19), served with a calabrian chile sauce, and the toothsome halibut crudo ($21).

I found meaty jubilation with the short rib stracotto ($78), a braised, Flintstones-esque beef rib kissed on the hearth, creating smoky, crispy wisps. It was all tied together with a precious, seductive red wine sauce. It comes with a side of your choice; I recommend the otherworldly soft butter beans or the gratinata made of cheesy layers of sliced potatoes and cardoon.

There was just one major disappointment: The dry aged rib-eye steak ($160 or market price) was not worth the triple digit price tag. The 2-pounder was overly salted and nowhere near as melty as you’d hope for the cost.

Delfina co-owner Annie Stoll pours sauce on a wood-grilled short rib.

While service was usually tip-top, the restaurant is not impervious to bad nights. One visit, the staff forgot to send out two dishes, though they eventually corrected the mistake. Normally I wouldn't address a service misstep because I feel great empathy for workers, especially amid the pandemic. But it felt disingenuous not to raise the unevenness when the price tag is as high as Delfina's; every check also includes a higher-than-usual health mandate surcharge of 7%.

Delfina is no longer the casual crowded restaurant where you can get an affordable bowl of pasta and a glass of wine. But restaurants don't exist in a vacuum; they’re living, breathing creatures that mature and transform. I’m glad Delfina has survived, so that I, and future generations, can still experience a vital piece of Bay Area dining history — and that spaghetti.

Delfina

3621 18th St., San Francisco. https://www.delfinasf.com/ or 415-552-4055

Hours: 5:30-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m. Sunday.

Accessibility: All on the first floor.

Noise level: Moderate. Quiet outside.

What to order: Spaghetti pomodoro ($26), tagliatelle al ragù nostrano ($28), paccheri all'Amalfitana ($29), agnolotti ($31), ‘nduja clam pie ($27), Delfino Anchovies ($12), mortadella ($14), calamari ($19), soft-shell crab fritti ($19), halibut crudo ($22), short rib stracotto ($78), trippa alla Fiorentina ($19).

Meat-free options: Cardoon-potato gratinata ($18), Insalata di Campo ($16), passatelli in brodo ($16)

Transportation: Street parking. Near 33 bus route and 16th Street Mission BART station.

Drinks: Full bar. Try the Garibaldi ($14).

Best practices: For speediest service, opt for bar seating. Order the spaghetti.

This story was updated to clarify Delfina's use of fresh pasta, how the garibaldi is made and which anchovies appear in the photo.

Reach Cesar Hernandez: [email protected]; Twitter: @cesarischafa