Il Parco

Come for the views, stay for the convenience. Our group was walking through the Tunnels park and got hungry so we stopped in to Il Parco. For a large group the cafeteria style ordering was convenient for expedited service as separate payment. I wished they had the full menu at the end of the line so that I was more prepared to order, but in the final minute I decided on one of the focaccia sandwiches. We grabbed a big table on their patio and took in the stunning views as we enjoyed the food. Over all we felt the pizza and sandwiches were really oily and the pastries were dry. Wasn’t great, but not a bad option for middle of the park experience. Service was sharp so for me it’s the view and staff that really made this meal.

This is one of the more difficult places for me to review. Truth be told, if you put REALLY REALLY HIGH value on the view, the high prices for a mediocre product are justified. But considering the trash on the ground and the filthy glass wind breaks, the place can definitely be characterized as a rip-off unless you a wealthy local, used to inflated SF/Cal prices, and this is your most conveniently located neighborhood coffee shop. Food is mediocre but at least there is variety (pizza, sandwiches, salads) as is also the case with drink selection (coffee drinks, beer, wine, sodas, etc). The main problem is that because of the location, this is a one of those places that doesn't have to try hard or lower prices to stay busy. They are really the only option within a 15-minute walk of the Presidio Tunnel Tops. Next closest is Piccino at the Letterman Digital Arts Center but it is a sit-down restaurant about a 15 minute walk. Best deal at Il Parco in my opinion is the canned beer. Actually now that I think about it, there is another option. If you walk 5 or so minutes Southwest from the Tunnel Tops area where there is an expansive grass lawn area you can find one or more food trucks. The better option would be to get food there and eat on the lawn or on the picnic benches in the Tunnel Tops.

The food is hit and miss, particularly the bake goods. The Roman style pizza is pretty tasty, but the views... the view on a sunny day is stunning from the patio.

We ordered two pastries three slices of pizza and a coffee and the total came out to just almost $70. The pricing is it extremely high for what you’re getting each slice of pizza is $16 and change. The pastries aren’t anything special aside from the Chai Cookie. The coffee cake was okay because it was very dry. Also, it was unfortunate because one of the slices of pizza had little hairs on it. Another issue was the outdoor seating had trash all over the ground and none of the employees addressed it.

I’m not sure why the rating on this place is so low. The coffee is great. It’s got beautiful seating with glass that blocks out the wind and there’s heaters for a cold day. The service was prompt and though I haven’t tried the food yet. It looks delicious.The food is reasonable priced. Muffins are about five bucks. Pizza is between 10 and $15 and sandwiches are $20. It’s not cheap but it’s not crazy expensive either