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
alenehaushinka
Points +667
El mejor restaurante vegano en SF - Edit
Si vas a SF tenes q visitar este restaurante. La comida es excepcional. Probé los muzzarella sticks con muzza de caju y como plato principal una pasta rellena de queso de Almendras con salsa de hongos. Exquisito! Es un lugar caro pero lo vale.
Read moreGuest
joerayme
Points +177
Great Italian food - Edit
I managed to convince non-vegan colleagues to come here with me during a work trip and everyone loved it. The pizzas and pastas we had were all so delicious and the starters were interesting too, the mozzarella sticks especially so (not quite the right consistency but great flavour). We'd definitely go back again.
Read moreGuest
danieldafoe
Points +199
Incredibly underwhelming - Edit
Came to BAIA because it appeared on VegNews’ survey of possible best restaurant in America. Came here for Valentine’s Day in Feb 2023.
Read moreThe short: If you’re trying to impress people with “vegan food” can really be, do not bring them here. Please.
The long:
# Food
It was a 5 course menu for Valentine’s Day. The menu courses were incredibly unimaginative and a slap in the face to vegans and vegetarians. Why? First off, the first course was butter lettuce with radish. I would expect this from a steakhouse, not a purportedly vegan place. What a slap in the face to receive something that would be the only option at a meat-serving place, not one with an all-vegan menu.
On to melon and beet carpaccio. It’s melon and beets. Underwhelming. It presented fairly nicely, but, again, nothing imaginative here.
There was a zucchini fritto. So…french fries? They were served in a liquid despite being a fried food, so the coating just fell off and left you with only the zucchini. Sad. Boring. Lifeless.
The lasagna was also disappointing. The top was burnt. Unsure whether it was really lasagna noodles I was eating. Hard and tough. Sauce was not very flavourful. More salty than anything.
The ice cream that came out for dessert had already melted.
# Serving Staff
The drink I chose was described to me by the server as having been described as “like Gogurt”. I’ve never had it, but I can tell you this did not make it sound appealing.
Had to ask for water after our first starter had come out.
Had to ask for new utensils after first starter.
# Overall Experience
- Ambience is nice
- Cocktails were decent
- Despite its description, this was not elevated dining
Pros: Vegan menu, Cocktails are all right
Cons: Unimaginative menu, Not elevated/fine/fancy dining, despite claim
Guest
themuppetlibrarian
Points +2634
Best brunch in the bay - Edit
Love baia for a late night cocktail or dinner. But where it really shines is it’s fancy brunch with several types of mimosas.
Read morePerfect for any special occasion. Love the big windows that bathe the restaurant in light. Get a reservation, always popular.
They are one of only two restaurants to serve a new type of vegan honey. Get the panna cotta and try it. They even serve the panna cotta at brunch.
Guest
vias.vegan.ventures
Points +106
Fine Dining Vegan Italian Restaurant - Edit
As the title suggests this is a vegan fine dining restaurant, mainly specializing in Italian foods. Be prepared to be underdressed! As for being a fine dining restaurant things are going to be drastically different from alot of other vegan restaurants that you probably frequent.
Read moreAnyway, moving on. Their food is delicious. Though I only had the Margarita, it was by far the best vegan margarita that I've had. They really nailed down the flavor on it. Though if you have a nut allergy beware. I believe their cheese is nut based.
They also have a huge wine menu, so if you are wanting to get drinks with out having to worry about any animal byproducts, I definitely recommend checking out this restaurant.
Also, the building is easy to miss. I ended up walking past it a few times. Look for the giant wood doors!
Pros: Delicious Pizza, Huge Drink Menu, Fine Dining
Cons: Could feel underdressed, Dim lighting, Parking could be hard to find
Guest
mrtoad
Points +84
Underwhelming - Edit
I've eaten at this restaurant on three different occasions now and feel pretty confident not recommending it. The dining experience is incredibly subpar due to the awkward seating, loud atmosphere, and poor service. The food is most often overly salty and incredibly inconsistent.
Read moreThe restaurant is pretty dim, which makes for a nice atmosphere, but our first time dining in we were sat right next to the kitchen and were blasted with sterile white light every time someone brought food out. Pretty annoying considering you're paying $25+ for an entree.
Our second time dining in, we were in a group of four and had to shout to hear one another. It felt more like a club than an "upscale" dining experience.
As for the food, I've been able to try something from each category of the menu and as a whole I find it to be salty and nothing was outstanding.
Small Plates:
The Nduja felt like glorified potatoes and chicken nuggets, but the Mozzarella Sticks are surprisingly good.
Salads:
The "Butter" salad was straight up butter lettuce on a plate for $15.
Pizzas:
The Funghi pizza was tasty (if not a little salty). I got the Margherita pizza for delivery and it was ice cold, the slices were mismatched (???), and the sauce was weirdly sweet.
Pastas:
I've had the Rigatoni, Ravioli, Radiatore, and Pappardelle. They're all pretty good but salty.
Desserts:
They're all pretty good except for the Panna Cotta. The texture was pretty repulsive to me--think a rubbery, squidgy marshmallow? Weird.
Pros: Handmade pasta, Location
Cons: Rubbery panna cotta, Random pizza slices, Poor service
Guest
Adevries
Points +24
Terrible service, ok food - Edit
I had such high hopes for this place - I visited the area and got a chance to go…
Read moreTo start, I was seated at the bar, and after I tally talking to me, I was ignored for 45 minutes, I had to get the attention of the staff right in front of me to get a drink and an app. The manager came over to talk to the employees during this time, and I heard him lecture them about how to make a new special drink…
I finally was able to order moz sticks, and they were all a different temp, and mediocre at best.
I ordered ravioli, the same manager brought it out and tried to give it to the person next to me. When they said no, he went behind the bar and again lectured the bartender on how to put in orders. After a good 3 minute back and forth, the bartender brought over my food. It was fine. Not the best I’ve had as vegan… ravioli is a comfort food for me, so I did have high expectations there.
The quickest service I received the whole time was when I took my credit card out to pay.
Again, super disappointing, food wasn’t worth the $90 price tag, service definitely was below par.
If you have any expectations, don’t bother on visiting, there’s some other cool spots in SF.
Pros: Trendy spot, Beautiful decorations
Cons: Price, Service, Food
mrtoad
This pretty closely resembles my experience too.
Read moreGuest
bengregorysd22
Points +24
Top SF Vegan Restaurant - Edit
Book ahead of time! Even with a reservation the restaurant was so busy we had a delay of about 15 minutes. The staff handled it really well with people pouring in. We sat upstairs and the atmosphere was great, shared a pizza and pasta. The pizza dough was so good and the pasta was delicious! Service, atmosphere and food were all 5*. Can be pricey but who doesn’t look online to see this ahead of time. Even if you think it’s expensive, it’s worth it.
Read morePros: All vegan, Food, Service
Cons: You need to reserve to guarantee a table
Guest
tastefultravelers
Points +52
Exquisitely delicious - Edit
Mocktails, butter lettuce salad, appetizer, and 2 pastas made for a happy, comforting meal. Tasty tea and delectable desserts to end a slow-paced wonderful meal with my love.
Read morePros: Above Excellence
Cons: Yeah, it's pricey but incredibly delicious
Guest
CeciliaVargas
Points +254
Died and went to heaven - Edit
Absolutely amazing!! Upscale vegan restaurant, ambiance on point. Had the mozzarella sticks and meatballs on top of polenta for appetizer then pesto pizza as the entree.
Read moreGuest
Angelo23
Points +282
Matthew Kenney in SF - Edit
Top notch spot. I'm a huge Matthew Kenney fan I've been eating his food for many years going back to the Santa Monica mall days. The food here is rich and decadent and the ambiance is superb. Great place for special occasions and date nights.
Read morePros: Amazing Italian dishes full of flavor , Stellar environment especially upstairs
Cons: It's expensive but you get what you pay for
Guest
GoodNewsVeg
Points +382
Once Again, a Great Meal. - Edit
This is one of those restaurants that always delivers. Service, food and ambiance are A+. Cesar salad is best ever, as are pastas and pizzas. I even got the recipe for the Cesar tonight, score! Thanks for being so awesome.
Read moreGuest
Shivegan
Points +146
Good food, exceptional service - Edit
Delicious pastas, but my favorite was the mozzarella sticks, which of course we polished off before I snapped a picture. These mozzarella sticks were so much better than the non vegan ones I’ve had in the past. The ambience is really wonderful and two stories with the bar in the middle is a gorgeous layout. This can be a very romantic spot. The service was excellent, I did not like the drink I ordered ( my personal preference, nothing wrong with it) and asked for a kombucha instead. When I saw both on my bill and explained to the manager, he very graciously went above and beyond and removed both. #Veganuary
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-01-15
Guest
andyjng
Points +5166
Great Atmosphere with Fine Italian - Edit
The restaurant was stunning both inside and out. I loved the bar area in the middle with the very modern feel along the surrounding tables. You really felt like you were in a high-dining setting so atmosphere was A+.
Read moreMy friends and I were seated outside on a lovely weekend day, and split a few of their brunch items. We went with their Sausage Pizza, the Bolognese Pasta, and the Semolina Pancakes - all of which were around $20+. The bolognese was hands down our favorite dish with a creamy sauce and perfectly cooked pasta. The pizza was great for sharing (came in six slices) and crushed red pepper and vegan parmesan was readily available. I also liked our pancakes for the sheer amount of fruit you got served, but felt the pancakes themselves were a bit on the grainier side. I would've liked them to be fluffier. Overall though, food here was very solid.
Food and service aside, I gotta knock down a few stars for some shady looking business at the bar. My friend had noticed that the wait staff took a half bottle of wine and poured it into another bottle, which he noted was the same wine. However, they then proceeded to pour that entire bottle into an empty wine bottle that was definitely not the same brand. Be careful if you're ordering wine or drinks as this was not a good sight to see. We felt a lot of businesses probably do that, but the optics of doing it in plain sight doesn't sit well with me (and in general).
I'm also not a fan of how the website menu's do not list their prices. I get that it's so they can adjust pricing at their leisure without inaccurately displaying amounts, but it would help in deciding whether you are able to budget yourself to come to this spot.
Pros: Great Italian brunch
Cons: Not sure about that wine incident...
Guest
tofudaddy
Points +93
Fancy, delicious, high-end 100% plant based dining. - Edit
Still my go-to spot for special occasions. I’ve had all of the items on their menu as well as drinks and NONE disappoint. 🤌🏼
Read morePros: 100% plant-based, Delicious
Cons: Expensive, Requires reservation most of the time
Vegan_Hiker_Foodie
Never been! I’ll have to check it out one day! Thanks for posting the review! 🙂
Read moretofudaddy
No problem! You won’t be disappointed! 😊
Read moreGuest
fratboyvegan
Points +232
Magical - Edit
One of the best meals I have ever eaten, and one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. They truly must be going for a Michelin star. I ordered the meatballs and polenta, the pappardelle, and had panna cotta for dessert. My partner ordered the radiatore bolognese. All was fabulous.
Read morePros: Best homemade vegan pasta, Ambience, Service
Cons: $
Guest
djsienne
Points +113
One of the best vegan spots in SF - Edit
amazing menu, fresh ingredients, delicious drinks. definitely eat here at least once if you're a vegan in the bay
Read morePros: Completely vegan, Upscale italian, Delicious food
Cons: A little pricey
Guest
SoyCoffeeFTW
Points +645
In love with the pizza - Edit
They have the best vegan pizza I’ve ever tasted. The servers are always busy, so it can take a while to get your meal, but everything is well worth the wait.
Read moreI recommend the spicy sausage & peppers pizza along with the garlic knots for an appetizer.
The cannoli and panna cotta are a must for dessert!
Updated from previous review on 2022-08-03
Pros: All vegan, Delicious, Allergy friendly
Cons: Long wait
Guest
AbagailPlayer
Points +84
Seriously delicious vegan food - Edit
Baia is easily one of my favorite places for vegan pizza. The drinks are delicious and the service is great!
Read moreGuest
clh1313
Points +146
Yummy comfort food - Edit
We ordered the arancini, caesar, parmigiana and the pappardelle. The standouts were the arancini which is a dish we thought we had given up when we went vegan. The pappardelle had fresh pasta, a sauce with carmalized onions and at least three kinds of mushrooms.
Read morePros: Recognizable traditional Italian dishes, Good date night location, Fresh pasta
Cons: Caeser salad was just ok
Guest
bEzz
Points +1702
For this price… - Edit
…I was expecting higher quality. The drinks (butterfly pea lemonade, garden collins, and old forester mule) and dessert (panna cotta and chocolate torte) were the best things we had. Everything else was underwhelming. The mozzarella sticks were just sticks of deep fried mush. Pretty disappointing. The Milanese pasta claimed to have a caper sauce that ultimately had not a hint of caper in it. Just sort of an oily cream(?) sauce. The parmigiana featured a chicken patty that was exactly the kind of patty you would buy at the grocery store in the freezer section. I get that it’s Tindle and all, but it’s still just a reheated chicken patty like any other. And they don’t even bother trying to present it in any sort of way other than to toss it whole on top of the noodles. It is hard to justify charging $25 for what is ultimately noodles in red sauce and a reheated chicken patty.
Read moreAll in all, for the price and the hype, I was expecting so much more!
Guest
sarina_f93
Points +229
Awful - Edit
We absolutely don't understand the good reviews. Our food was disgusting, haven't eaten something like that in ages!
Read moreWe had the mozzarella sticks, which were okay, but didn't taste like mozzarella at all. Then we ordered the milanese and ravioli, which both we barely could eat. It just tastet completely peppery and like fennel.
Wouldn't recommend this overrated place, sorry!
Pros: Nice interior
Cons: Disgusting, Pricey, Not very friendly staff
Guest
burnsria
Points +1139
A little pricey but AMAZING! - Edit
BAIA had a wonderful atmosphere and the servers were so kind. It was a lovely place for an intimate date with my partner. However, it was quite crowded so i recommend making a reservation. My favorite thing on the menu was the arancini, it was so cheesy and perfectly crunchy on the outside. We also split pasta and pizza with each other, the portions were bigger than I assumed they would be. We also got the cannoli for desert which was amazing and i LOVED the amaretto & pistachio combo it had. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially for special occasions.
Read morePros: Tons of wine & spirit choices, Fresh food & daily house made pasta, Beautiful interior
Cons: A bit pricey , Can get very busy
Guest
cr0wnedincurls
Points +44
Best vegan & GF pizza EVER - Edit
Bro, you have to eat here. Hands down, one of my favorite plant-based restaurants around! I’m gluten-intolerant, so I’m always looking to see how different places come up with alternatives and flavors. San Fran has some amazing spots, but this homemade gluten-free and vegan crust was incredible. I’ve never had vegan & gluten-free mozzarella sticks either…y’all I about died. The salads are great, too! Totally worth how expensive it was. 10/10
Read morePros: Homemade, Gluten-free options , Original flavors
Guest
Michellemartha
Points +336
So tasty and boujee - Edit
Absolutely amazing. Food was amazing. Service was great. And the inferior is so boujee! Kind of pricey, but worth it
Read morePros: All vegan, Boujee, Incredible food
Cons: Expensive
Guest
ElisaFumero
Points +237
Amazing menu, fully vegan - Edit
So many options to choose from, fully vegan menu. Massive portions!
Read morePros: All vegan options
Guest
chazzratazz
Points +136
Best Vegan Italian Food - Edit
The best vegan Italian food I’ve had ever. Excellent place for a fancy vegan dinner. Some of the best vegan options in the bay area. The Lasagna was to die for. Also had a great bar & attentive staff.
Read morePros: Everything Vegan, High quality food & service, Upscale
Cons: Expensive, Hard to find parking
Guest
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