Vegan
Pizza
Italian
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
A Matthew Kenney restaurant that specializes in plant-based versions of Italian classics such as lasagna, pasta, and pizza. Brunch on weekends. Est. 2020. Reported that not all drinks are vegan - please verify and let HappyCow know. Reported closed March 2024.
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300 Grove St, San Francisco, California, USA, 94102
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Last update on 17 Apr 2024 by Chrissyanne
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Added by mazinha on 04 Aug 2020
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120 Reviews
First Review by mazinha
rachael_jasper
Points +145
Best Restaurant Ever - Edit
I read all the reviews and looked all over the internet to find a delicious and higher end place for my anniversary dinner, and after reading reviews I was nervous but I can’t believe some people give this place anything less than 4 stars. It was amazing. We ordered the “phony Negroni” a n/a beverage, and then I got the disco-tech and then one other cocktail, I can’t remember the name. For food we got the Meatballs (not pictured), Brussels Sprouts, a Ceaser Salad, and the Truffle Gnocchi. For dessert we shared the Olive Oil Cake and 2 espresso shots. Everything was absolutely amazing. The Brussels have mint on them which is unique and so delicious. The meatballs taste homemade, they melt in your mouth, and for those who like truffle you’ll love the Gnocchi. (It’s SUPER truffle flavored, not for someone who isn’t obsessed with that.) Next time I’d try the Lasagna! The Ceaser salad is the best vegan Ceaser I’ve ever had, it has crunchy breadcrumbs on top, so flavorful. Then the olive oil cake was baked to perfection, it was perfect, especially with an after dinner espresso shot. Truly the perfect night cap.
Read moreEverything came out timed so we had time between the drinks, app’s, main meal, and dessert. We had our table bused multiple times and utensils replaced for each round of plates that came out. Service was very attentive, professional, and kind, all the way to the host at the front door.
Total we tipped almost 30% and we spent $200. Absolutely worth it, and I can’t wait to go again sometime!
Pros: Amazing service , High quality, Atmosphere
Guest
alexdauenhauer
Points +33
Huge disappointment - Edit
This is a 1 star review, but happy cow gives an extra star to fully vegan restaurants. I ordered a margherita pizza and a Caesar salad from door dash on a business trip. The price before dasher tip was $55. That alone was quite outrageous, but made me assume that the food would be quite good if priced so outrageously high. When the pizza got here and I opened the box it was already cold but maybe that is more of door dash fault than Baia. The pizza itself was at most 10 inches in diameter and I think that is being generous. The toppings covered at most 2/3 of that diameter. So some quick math shows that the total area of the pizza was 78.5 sq. in. (π*5^2) and the area of the toppings was 34.8 sq. in (π*3.33^2) which means that this pizza was 56% crust and 44% toppings. And I honestly think I am being generous with the 2/3 estimate here. A margherita pizza is supposed to be cheese, sauce, fresh basil, olive oil and sea salt. I expected a plant based Italian restaurant to provide house made cheese and it is possible this was (they don't say on the menu) but it did not taste, feel or appear any different from daiya or violife to me. Nothing against those brands, but for the fortune I paid for this pizza I expected house mozzarella at the barest minimum. The sauce was mediocre at best. The only redeeming quality was the crust (thank goodness since this was the majority of the pizza) but even that was only average to maybe slightly above. The salad was a complete joke of a Caesar. I am glad that they left the dressing on the side, but this salad had none of the qualities of a Caesar salad. The little gem lettuce was thin and not crispy like a traditional romaine would be, the bread crumbs were soft and not crunchy like a traditional crouton would be, and the "parmesan" (if that is what it was supposed to be) more closely resembled the kraft parmesan from the shaker than a real parmesan. For $14 ($14.99 with door dash mark up) this was a joke. The Caesar dressing was decent.
Read moreI am not from SF, but I can go to my local pizza truck which isn't even a plant based truck and get a vegan margherita that is 12 in, with house made vegan mozzarella, toppings out to 11in at a minimum, which is infinitely superior in every single way to this joke of a pizza I got from baia, AND a much larger and vastly superior vegan Caesar (appropriately made with croutons and romaine and house dressing) for $24 total before tip. What an unbelievable disappointment this was.
Pros: Nothing
Cons: Literally everything , Pizza was 56% crust and 44% toppings (see math abo, Cheese appeared to be store bought not house made
Guest
HarteHost
Points +56
Highly Delectable - Edit
We enjoyed a delicious brunch menu and libations. The staff was great, and the atmosphere clean, comfortable and lovely! We loved our full plant-based brunch & experience!
Read morePros: Full plant-based menu , Roomy seating, Friendly staff
Guest
PritamBanerjee
Points +1993
Delicious food - Edit
They have very unique menu. The food was delicious. Servers were very friendly. They have outdoor sitting and we took our dogs with us.
Read moreGuest
Chrissyanne
Points +962
Delicious Vegan Fine Dining - Edit
It was wonderful to find a place near the San Francisco symphony and other performing arts venues, when you're dressed up a bit and want a vegan fine dining experience.
Read moreThis is a nice restaurant where you can actually have a conversation with your companion. The noise level is just right.
BAIA is easy to get to by public transit, but driving and finding parking will present some challenges
The menu is creative, with lots of choices that frequently change. I first dined here in August, 2023 and enjoyed my experience so much that I returned a couple of weeks later. My favorite was the stone fruit salad with cubes of vegan blue cheese.
December, 2023 update
I've been back a couple of times in the fall of 2023 and have been disappointed on the last two occasions. The chef left and was replaced with a new one. Creativity and execution have suffered. Food is no longer a reason to dine here. I'm not sure if the beauty of the restaurant itself and the location close to the performing arts venue can keep it afloat.
Updated from previous review on 2023-12-27
Pros: Location and atmosphere , Service , Creative menu
Cons: Very pricey, Not nearly as good as it used to be
Chrissyanne
This restaurant has closed permanently, effective at the end of March, 2024
Read moreGuest
k_robsss
Points +1157
Thought it was fully vegan - Edit
I still think about my dinner there over a year later, it was some of the best vegan Italian food I have ever had!
Read moreHowever I am disappointed after reading some of the reviews on here saying that the drinks and wines are not all vegan. i had a bottle of wine while there, and was under the assumption that it was vegan as this is described as an all-vegan restaurant. There are too many natural vegan wines now from CA and Italy to not be able to offer a fully vegan wine menu. Also so many alternatives to certain liquors which may use gelatin etc.
Guest
BaileySchneider
Points +2220
Vegan fine dining at its best - Edit
This place is incredible. From the moment you walk in you are welcomed by friendly staff and a beautiful chandelier over the bar area.
Read moreWe were seated upstairs looking down into the bar and it was such a nice seating arrangement. They had a congratulation marker on our table since we were celebrating being pregnant.
We ordered the mozz sticks and meatballs for appetizers and both were amazing. The meatballs may have been my favorite dish! Seasoned perfectly.
For the entrees we ordered the spaghetti which had the most amazing spicy red marinara I’ve ever had and the radiatore which was equally delicious.
For dessert we ordered the chocolate mouse and olive oil cake. The olive oil cake was so unique and a must order.
Everything we ate was so delicious and you could really taste the quality.
The staff was over the top amazing and the manager even dropped by to congratulate us. Our waitress even ended up gifting us one of our deserts on the house.
This place is well worth the price as their efforts to create a lovely environment and delicious food really shows. I can’t wait to come back!
Guest
HCMex
Points +342
SF’s Finest Italian - Edit
Have dined here multiple times under the former and newer chef and still holds up. The meatballs with polenta is a great starter and love how their salads rotate based on seasonal availability produce. All of their pastas are handmade daily hence the gluten free pasta which gives it such as a refreshing taste.
Read moreGuest
theil
Points +161
Best Italian I’ve had in a long time - Edit
Lovely spot of a date night/celebration.
Read moreThe food is phenomenal. Like eyes rolling back in your head good.
Interior feels like you’ve been transported to NYC.
We will come back every time we visit.
Guest
atsacle
Points +16
A poor Vegan dining experience - Edit
I normally do not write reviews but felt compelled to warn my fellow vegans about the shortcomings of Baia. I ordered the pasta entree and my wife ordered the tofu scramble - both from the brunch menu. Having spent 6 years working as a cook in a San Francisco restaurant I can say with confidence that both dishes were very heavy on the oil and were appetizer size with entree prices. In addition, my wife added a slice of sour dough toast to her scramble and was charged an extra $5. The food is way overpriced and underwhelming.. It is difficult to find 99.9% vegan restaurants and I would love to support Baia but it’s not possible considering my recent dining experience there.
Read moreChrissyanne
BAIA has undergone some changes of late. Sometime around the beginning of September 2023, BAIA's excellent vegan chef, Joshua Yap, left and a new chef arrived. This was confirmed with the waitstaff when I dined at BAIA on September 17, 2023. I noticed the scaled-down menu that left out most of the creative offerings I enjoyed and asked what was going on. I was told that they did not want to overwhelm the new chef and that I should be able to expect more variety in the future.
Read moreGuest
campari87
Points +117
Absolutely delicious - Edit
This is the best meal I’ve had in San Francisco in a long time. Great atmosphere, delicious food, excellent cocktails, and the service was wonderful. Will definitely be back next time I’m in the city.
Read moreGuest
KindredChoices
Points +1129
Perfect for a formal business dinner - Edit
A terrific spot for more upscale social dinner. The servers are attentive and kind, the front of house helped with multiple schedule and guest attendee changes and the food was fabulous to share across the full table.
Read moreIt was so good I forgot to take photos of the main dishes 😅
Strong recommendation for the mushrooms.
Pros: Fully vegan food menu, Incredibly courteous staff, Shareable and delicious
Guest
villain
Points +8401
Drinks aren't vegan - Edit
It turns out some drinks aren't vegan but they had been saying they're a fully vegan restaurant and being dishonest with customers. So disappointing.
Read moreThe food is great, but I wouldn't be willing to risk it again. It's hard to justify going back to somewhere that calls themselves a fully vegan restaurant while serving animal products to unsuspecting customers. Especially since customer service here is already massively lacking compared to the majority of other upscale restaurants, I can't give another chance.
My most recent time in was actually to get dinner and drinks for my birthday, and our server ignored us the whole night, let us order one thing, then when we tried to order dessert she said the kitchen was closed. We had a dinner reservation, and she didn't even tell us that the kitchen would be closing by the time of our reservation, and that we wouldn't get to eat much.
Updated from previous review on 2023-08-04
nicolemonster
It’s really odd to leave an accusation with no example. What wasn’t vegan about the drink?! There is also no mention of bringing this to the attention of the staff/manager of the restaurant. If you have a problem, have the decency to at least bring the issue to the attention of the restaurant so they can remedy if they so choose. It is far more beneficial for a vegan establishment to do that than just writing a bad review.
Read morevillain
It was brought to the attention of the manager by multiple people, including myself. The manager confirmed that some of their drinks aren't vegan. I don't know why you assumed that no staff confirmed. Talking about animal product usage on a vegan food app isn't "accusatory". I even gave 3* since the food is good, so I dont see what the problem is..
Read moremanateequeen
Can you please share which ingredients are not vegan?
Read morevillain
They said their wines aren't suitable for vegans since they're filtered with fish bladder, egg, milk protein, and gelatin. One staff member says cocktails are all vegan, but another staff member says they have the same problem as wines with many of the cocktails depending on which brand they use for ingredients. You might have to double check when you're there
Read moreoskeewowwow
This is really damaging for the overall goal of this app. BAIA is vegan and now it is listed as vegetarian. I think this review is not in the spirit of an app that helps vegans find vegan restaurants because now it’s harder to find BAIA on it.
Read morevillain
On this app, restaurants that serve any animal products aren't in the vegan category. And BAIA said their wines aren't suitable for vegans. You can probably make a suggestion to Eric, though if you really think the categories should be different
Read moreGuest
Narcisis
Points +24
Ambiance - Edit
The ravioli was really good. I also enjoyed their single malt scotch selection.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-08-14
Guest
Zurv
Points +1120
Always tasty - Edit
I have been to Baia 4 times now and every time it’s delicious. The garlic notts are amazing and every pasta is great. The prices are high but the location is great.
Read morePros: Pasta, Garlic notts
Cons: Expensive
Guest
trapezevegan
Points +60
Absolutely fantastic - Edit
Mushroom starter: the platonic ideal of mushrooms.
Read moreMeatball starter with polenta and spicy tomato sauce : nourishing, a spicy kick, very good.
Chocolate ganache dessert with berries and cookie crumble and whipped cream: perfection.
Basically, this place is incredible and you all must go. I was given a vegan afogatto afterwards. It, too, was delicious.
Guest
JLeen
Points +315
Great meal - Edit
We loved everything about our dining experience. The food was fantastic (stone fruit salad, Margherita pizza, and pesto risotto). We dined outside in the parklet, so we could bring our dog too. The service was attentive without being obtrusive.
Read moreGuest
madimafi000
Points +244
Amazing food but drinks not vegan - Edit
Amazing food, atmosphere, and service. Honestly my favorite vegan food in SF by far. But imo it’s very deceitful to call this a vegan restaurant, and explicitly say “all our menu items are plant based” when their alcoholic drinks are not all vegan. When asked if the wine is all vegan, they said “we try but it’s very challenging.” Umm - what?? The server also explained they added aperol to their cocktail menu drinks, despite aperol NOT being vegan, because people asked for it. But they continue to say all their menu items are vegan. I think that’s false messaging and people who don’t know any better would order a drink assuming it’s vegan when it’s really not. Please make your menu fully vegan or don’t claim to be a vegan restaurant!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-07-09
Pros: Great food , Good service, Rotating fresh menu
Cons: NOT vegan
KevinSemenov
It's very sad to have people trust it's fully vegan when it's not. Now I have to double check everything from them just to make sure it's vegan. I hope they remove them from being fully vegan.
Read moreGuest
KevinSemenov
Points +113
Not fully vegan - Edit
Let me start off by saying this is probably my favorite place for food so it hurts to give a bad review. How can a self proclaimed vegan restaurant have non vegan things on the menu?
Read moreI asked why they would have ingredients like aperol in my cocktail and the answer was because we have had complaints the drink wasn't original. Very disgraceful in my opinion. Where's the line then - should a vegan restaurant just serve chicken as well because "people complained"?
for the people that do care, please check and maybe bring it up since apparently complaints matter more than ethics here
Pros: Food, Service , Feel of the place
Cons: It's not all vegan on the menu
Guest
jacquelinerace
Points +32
Delicious food, pretty restaurant - Edit
Higher end eating can be a rarity for vegan-specific establishments so BAIA is hitting the demand for delicious food in a beautiful restaurant. It feels like a good spot for date night, bday dinners, etc. I went for girls night out and enjoyed the drink menu. It would be easy to bring anyone-vegan or not-here and they may leave not knowing the food is exclusively vegan. I loved every dish I tried.
Read morePros: Restaurant interior, Food taste and quality, Drink menu
Guest
Marmot
Points +65
Bring ear plugs - Edit
The food was pretty good. The portions are tiny and expensive, but flavorful. It was not very crowded, but so loud that we had to rush and get out of there.
Read moreGuest
OfirCarmel
Points +34
Overpriced - Edit
You can get much more value elsewhere. Yes, it's high quality, but there are even better options all over the area, which are just less pretentious. For 100$ (before tip) we got 2 drinks, ravioli and pizza (all small portions), coupled with an unstable table and a waiter that doesn't smile.
Read morePros: All plant based, Really good mushroom ravioli , Music was good
Cons: Overpriced, Service was uninviting (not rude though), Not a lot of personal space
Guest
Gopala108
Points +3323
solid vegan pizza and Italian in a high end setting - Edit
Baia is a high end vegan Italian Restaurant in San Francisco. I recently went here with my friend for a meal. He got the Beet salad with beets, tomatoes, truffle ricotta, and arugula. It was healthy and tasty with portions on the smaller side. I tried a little bit of it. My friend gave the salad 3.5 stars.
Read moreI had the Caesar salad which was romaine lettuce and focaccia croutons and parmesan with a tasty dressing. The salad was tasty enough as loved the tasty dressing yet would have liked more veggies besides just romaine lettuce leaves and croutons.
We both shared the Margherita which was mozzarella, ricotta, and pomodoro sauce with fresh basil. My friend gave the pizza 3.5 stars as he is from NY and is't vegan. He is vegetarian yet is a pizza snob.
I think the pizza was solid especially for a vegan pizza yet wasn't the best vegan pizza I ever had nor was it the worst. It was solid.
All in all I give the experience and food four stars. Me and my friend would definitely come here again yet we are also a big fan of Golden Era that dishes up some amazing vegan cuisine influenced by Thai and Vietnamese cuisines so we might be more likely to go there first before coming back here to explore more of the menu.
Updated from previous review on 2021-10-26
Pros: solid service, solid vegan pizza
Cons: expensive, Caesar salad needs more veggies
Guest
Peterapeterpeter
Points +140
Posh pasta - Edit
Lovely place, smart with all the opera goers. The staff are extremely pleasant. The food is super tasty. We have the mozzarella sticks, rigatoni, and ravioli. Tasty.
Read moreWe don’t drink so had water and sparkling water. But it cost $50 each with tip.
It’s nice but hard to enjoy for that price.
Pros: Tasty, Lovely service, Great menu
Cons: Too pricey, Noisy
Guest
agentfword
Points +190
Exquisite - Edit
I was brought here by one of my most carnivorous friends, who loves this place. Thoughtful, perfectly executed, deeply satisfying food. I had the chicory salad (divine), the arrabiata (legit spicy), the panna cotta (super into the vegan honey crisp), and a tequila cocktail which emboldened me to accost some people on the sidewalk outside and strongly recommend that they come in for dinner. You should too!
Read morePros: Gorgeous food, Great spot for a fancy night out
Cons: Loud, Expensive (although worth it)
Guest
microwavenby
Points +174
Vegan dining at its finest - Edit
BAIA is operating at an extraordinary level rarely seen in vegan restaurants. The experience of fine Italian dining is lovely, and the overall food quality is stellar. The mozzarella sticks are perfectly crisp and creamy, the meatballs and polenta are solid, with an incredibly spicy pomodoro. The amount of courage it takes to serve a bowl of brothy broad beans with no garnish is enormous, but they were creamy, spicy, and with a nice dose of balancing acid. The pappardelle was silky, umami, punctuated by barely blanched spears of broccolini. The weakest point of the entire meal was the panna cotta; the texture was of thickened whipped cream (not custard), and the dish was overwhelmed by the otherwise delightfully floral bee free honey.
Read moreI have to recommend BAIA highly. Thank you for this tremendous meal
Pros: astounding pasta, excellent small plates, great nebbiolo
Cons: expensive, noisy
Guest
gnu
Points +46
Good food and service when no Opera - Edit
It gets super crowded when the nearby opera or symphony are playing. So pick an evening when they aren't; then it's easy to just walk in and get a table.
Read moreWe loved the food on a recent visit -- my first and my friend's second.
Guest
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