Best Authentic Restaurants in Bernal Heights

A fantastic evening in a beautiful restaurant! We look forward to our next visit.

The only restaurant I'm aware of in the Bay area that serves Sardinian food. Think octopus, squid, sea urchin, squid ink, interesting pastas. We split a spaghetti dish, then had pasta with squid ink and roasted prawns. All the dishes are in Sardu, the Sardinian language, which I found fascinating. Not cheap, but the place was packed, which should tell you something.

The food was DELICIOUS!!!! Every dish that we ordered was outstanding. Went there for a friend’s birthday dinner, it was 5 of us. We ordered the focaccia which was divine, also the suppli which my gosh was out of this world. Then we got 3 different pastas: caramelle which had a tangy citrus oily sauce and the pasta filled with veggies just melted in your mouth. The gnocchi with truffle and Parmesan and I can say it was probably the BEST gnocchi I’ve had in a long time plus they were super generous with the truffle so HIGHLY recommend this dish. And lastly we got the Bigoli Nero which was exquisite and probably my favorite dish, and the Dungeness crab meat tasted super fresh. We also got the chicory pizza which was probably my least favorite dish as it didn’t wow me. It was tasty but nothing special about it. And for dessert we got the Tiramisu which didn’t disappoint. It was fresh, tasty, moist and the flavors well balanced. The service was A+ from the host which accommodated us to a table of 5 even when my resy was for 4 so that was amazing! To the servers who were super friendly and attentive, to the sommelier.

Extraordinary food and exemplary service in a vibrant space. I look forward to returning here often.

Kokkari never disappoints. I eat here regularly for business but this dinner was with my husband. We had the baked Feta with cherry tomatoes and the feta salad to start. All the starters are amazing and it is always difficult to choose among them. My husband had the lamb special - a whole lamb was roasted on site in the large fireplace spit in the dining room, and I had the lamb souvlaki. Both dishes were amazing. But the thing that sets Kokkari apart is the service. The servers have all been there for years and have a deft sense of engagement and timing. if you have questions, they are knowledgeable about every aspect of the menu and wine list. If you need to conduct business or have a romantic meal, they move around you with elegance and grace. We will go back as often as they will have us.