Magic Flute Garden Ristorante

Presidio Heights, San Francisco –

Tucked near the less-traversed borders of The Richmond and Presidio Heights, and half-hidden behind a pair of sprawling trees wrapped in string lights, Magic Flute Garden Ristorante has been hosting refined brunch parties and classy date nights since the early 80s.

Vintage wooden chairs and tables covered in crisp white linen fill the Mediterranean-style dining room, where patrons sample homemade pizza and lots of pasta beneath wrought iron chandeliers and colorful paintings of the countryside.

Boisterous Bolognese-fueled conversation often fills the front room, so couples seeking a more intimate vibe head past the floor-to-ceiling wine rack – a warehouse of aged Barbera and Sangiovese – and into the smaller dining area in back.

Weekend brunches, meanwhile, find the garden patio packed to capacity as groups of cardigan-sporting women and stylish men congregate below a trellis teeming with lush greenery and climbing vines.

Rustic wooden floors, Michelangelo-esque statues, and a vintage streetlamp transport groups to the Old Country as they enjoy frutti di mare linguini, and diet plans are easily broken when the signature cannoli or pistachio gelato is brought out for dessert.

With the warmth and hospitality of a Florentine trattoria, Magic Flute Garden Ristorante offers guests a virtual trip to Italy, with no passport or plane ticket required.