BY FRAN ENDICOTT MILLER

Lest the reports of San Francisco’s demise dissuade from jaunts across the bay, one need only have ventured into Corzetti on a recent weeknight to find these tales exaggerated. Located at the new Hotel G on Geary, just around the corner from Union Square and a convenient few blocks from the Powell BART station, this Italian-inspired hot spot teemed with locals, tourists, and conventioneers who filled the lively bar and high-ceilinged dining room with their revelry. 

No doubt the merriment was in large part due to the crafted cocktails served in abundance. Highballs, spritzes, martinis, and negronis proliferated around us as my dining partner and I too indulged. A traditional bourbon old-fashioned for me, served with one of the best clear, cut ice cubes I’ve encountered, and a “Pizza Spritz” (Lambrusco, La Sirene bitter artigianale, oregano, lemon, salt, soda, gilda italiano) for her. The cocktail program here is conceived by Nora Furst in tandem with her West Coast Beverage team; each tipple is distinctly Italian, rooted in classic cocktail and culinary tradition, yet with a few twists here and there. An olive leaf martini? Yes, please.

Corzetti's Olive Leaf Martini

Corzetti is the newest restaurant from Adriano Paganini. Here, he highlights the seafood-centric cuisine of the Ligurian region of Northern Italy, serving traditional dishes inspired by his fond memories of summers by the Ligurian Sea, where small seaside restaurants pepper the coastline. Think traditional Genovese pesto, and Focaccia di Recco (a thin and crispy focaccia filled with cheese), Pansoti con Salsa di Noci (a stuffed pasta filled with foraged greens and herbs in a creamy walnut sauce), Fazzoletti Al Pesto (handkerchief-shaped pasta native to Liguria in a traditional Genovese pesto), and Seafood & Shellfish Ciuppin (the original cioppino, a hearty seafood stew served in a seafood tomato broth with crostini).

Foccacia di Recco

From left: Ravioli di Pesce, Corzetti, Pansoti con Salsa di Noci 

The kitchen team is led by Executive Chef Tali Missirlian (formerly the Chef de Cuisine at popular San Francisco restaurant The Tailor’s Son), who worked directly with Paganini on the menu to ensure that the flavors and dishes are truly representative of the region and evoke the strong sensory memories from his past. 

Designed by ROY Hospitality, Corzetti’s look and feel is bold, yet relaxed and coastal, encapsulating different modern Italian iterations. Taking inspiration from the classic wooden boats that float on the Ligurian Coast, ROY designed the restaurant’s banquette seating with a custom two-tone cream and rich brown leather upholstery that mimics the seat of a boat; a nautical porthole motif runs along dividing walls of the banquette seating space, offering diners a glimpse of the tiled bar and its curved mirrors from the dining area and vice versa. An intimate back corner features pops of Ferrari red and lemon-themed wallpaper.   

“Union Square is an iconic destination in downtown San Francisco, but it’s long overdue for a fun and relaxed restaurant that attracts both locals and visitors,” said Paganini. “We’re not buying into the ‘San Francisco is dead’ narrative. In fact, we’re choosing to invest in the city that we love so much and have the courage to open something new when many others are backing out. We are confident that visitors and locals will love the concept and that it will become an iconic space to visit in Union Square.”

Judging by the recent Tuesday night crowd, Paganini’s confidence is validated. 

Corzetti also offers a unique wine list curated by beverage director Caterina Mirabelli that runs the gamut from crisp and refreshing bubbles to fun and playful natural wines, including skin-contact and orange, to fuller bodied reds. Highlighted are small-production wines from Italy, the United States, and a few can't miss bottles from around the world. 

Photos courtesy of Corzetti