SPQR

Verdict: One of Fillmore Street's strongest cases for serious Italian cooking in a room that rewards repeat visits

SPQR earns its place on any San Francisco dining shortlist. Chef Matthew Accarrino has built a kitchen that holds a Michelin Plate and consistent recognition from Opinionated About Dining; ranked #288 in North America for casual dining in 2024 and #612 in 2025, with a Highly Recommended citation in 2023. The wine program carries a White Star from Star Wine List and 3-Star Accreditation from World of Fine Wine. At the $$$$ price tier, this is a dinner that asks something of your wallet, but delivers technically accomplished Italian cooking and a wine list serious enough to justify the spend if you know how to use it. If you are visiting San Francisco for the first time and want one Italian dinner that goes beyond pasta and nostalgia, SPQR is the booking to make.

The Room and What to Expect on Your First Visit

SPQR occupies a narrow, high-ceilinged space on Fillmore Street in the Lower Pacific Heights neighbourhood. The room runs long and intimate, with counter seating along one wall and tables filling the main floor. It is not a large restaurant. The spatial experience rewards those who book early: counter seats give you a clear line into the kitchen's rhythm, while a table mid-room offers slightly more conversation space. For a first-timer, the counter is the better seat; you get context for what arrives on the plate and the service dynamic is more engaged. Expect the room to feel purposeful rather than theatrical. There is no dramatic design moment here; the focus is directed at the food and the glass in front of you.

On your first visit, the priority is understanding the format. SPQR runs an à la carte menu, a meaningful distinction from the tasting-menu format at peers like Atelier Crenn or Benu. That gives you control over pace and spend. Use it deliberately: order through the pasta course before deciding whether to extend into a full meat or fish course. The kitchen is technically strong enough that restraint is not required, two or three courses with a well-chosen bottle will leave you satisfied.

A Multi-Visit Strategy

SPQR is the kind of restaurant that opens up across visits. The first time, you are getting your bearings: the menu's structure, Accarrino's technique, the wine list's scope. The second visit is where you get more from the experience. By then you have a read on the room's rhythm, when to arrive, how far to push the menu, whether to lean on the sommelier or work through the list yourself.

If you are planning a second dinner, shift from pasta-forward ordering to the more protein-driven middle of the menu. The restaurant's Italian framework means there is depth in both directions. For a third visit, or for those who treat SPQR as a recurring option during San Francisco trips, Saturday brunch (9 am to 2 pm) operates as a genuinely different experience. The room is less pressured, the price point tends to be lower, the format is more casual. Sunday brunch runs the same hours. Dinner runs Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesday), 5 to 9 pm.

For context on how SPQR's multi-visit value compares in the Italian category: Quince sits at the same price tier but locks you into a tasting menu format, which makes repeat visits a higher commitment. Che Fico and Fiorella serve the neighbourhood Italian role at lower spend, while Belotti Ristorante e Bottega and Beretta cover the more accessible end of the spectrum. SPQR sits clearly above all of them on technical ambition.

Timing: When to Go

Dinner on a Wednesday or Thursday evening is the call for a first visit, the room is less crowded than Friday and Saturday, service has more breathing room, booking is marginally easier mid-week. Friday and Saturday evenings are the hardest to secure and the most energetic, which works if the room's atmosphere is part of what you want. Saturday and Sunday brunch offers the leading accessibility for walk-in or late-notice booking, though counter seats during brunch still move quickly.

SPQR is closed Tuesdays. If you are building a San Francisco itinerary around multiple dinners, account for that gap. For planning the wider trip, see our full San Francisco restaurants guide, our full San Francisco hotels guide, our full San Francisco bars guide, our full San Francisco wineries guide, and our full San Francisco experiences guide.

Booking

Booking difficulty at SPQR is rated Hard. Plan for a minimum of two to three weeks' lead time for a Friday or Saturday dinner reservation. Mid-week evenings open up with one to two weeks' notice in most cases. Brunch seats on Saturday and Sunday are the most accessible option if your schedule is flexible. There is no stated dress code in available data, but the room reads as smart-casual, overdressing would feel out of place, but so would arriving in gym gear.

The Wine List

The White Star from Star Wine List (awarded August 2022) and the 3-Star World of Fine Wine accreditation are meaningful signals. This is not a wine list assembled for optics, it is a working cellar, weighted toward Italy, that rewards engagement. If wine is part of why you are spending at this level, SPQR justifies the price tier more directly than many peers. For comparison, Saison runs an outstanding wine program but at a higher overall price point; SPQR's list delivers serious depth at a more controlled total spend if you order thoughtfully.

For internationally comparable Italian cooking at the $$$$ level, 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and cenci in Kyoto show where the format travels. On the American fine-dining spectrum, The French Laundry in Napa and Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg are the natural next step if you are scaling up. Le Bernardin in New York City, Alinea in Chicago, Providence in Los Angeles, and Emeril's in New Orleans round out the national reference set for this price tier.

Ratings at a Glance

• 4.3 / 5 (753 reviews)
• Michelin Plate: 2024, 2025
• Opinionated About Dining: #288 North America Casual (2024), #612 (2025), Highly Recommended (2023)
• Star Wine List: White Star
• World of Fine Wine: 3-Star Accreditation