Argentinian Restaurant in the Marina With Pasta: Morella

Search for an argentinian restaurant near me from the Marina and the closest answer is Morella, at 2001 Chestnut Street on the corner of Fillmore. It opened on November 9, 2024, in the space that used to be Dorian, with a menu built around a simple piece of history: millions of Italians emigrated to Argentina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Buenos Aires still eats pasta and milanesa as readily as steak. Morella puts both kitchens on one menu.

Morella comes from the Proof Positive hospitality group, and at opening Hoodline reported that chef Jesus Dominguez, who spent more than a decade at the Michelin-starred Campton Place, was running the kitchen. The restaurant's own story page frames the menu around that wave of Italian migration to Argentina, the reason a Buenos Aires family lunch can move from empanadas to ñoquis without anyone blinking.

The press response leaned on the same point. The San Francisco Chronicle, Eater SF and the SF Standard all covered the opening between November 2024 and January 2025, mostly because the Marina had never had an Argentine-Italian room before. A year and a half on, the concept still splits cleanly down the middle of the menu, so you can order entirely from either side or mix them the way the restaurant intends.

For the asado half, the anchor is the 8-ounce picanha at $29, a grilled top sirloin served with duck-fat fingerling potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and chimichurri. Brochettes de Res, skewers of hanger steak, are $17 and make an easy starter for the table. Argentine-style sausages are $10 each and come in unusual flavours, such as duck with apple brandy, wild boar with garlic and Marsala, and duck à l'orange.

The empanadas are baked rather than fried, two to an order for $15. The beef filling follows the traditional mix of ground beef, peppers, onions, garlic and raisins, and the vegetarian version is built from lentils, plantains and squash. Roasted bone marrow with tomato sofrito and horseradish cream, at $19, is the richest of the starters and pairs well with a red from the bar.

Argentine-style grilled lamb chops served over creamed spinach round out the grill section. The seasonal card, served from 4:30 pm, adds a Ceviche de Atún with yellowfin tuna, hearts of palm and taro chips for $29, and a seafood mac and cheese with shrimp, scallops and crab for $31, a nod to how coastal Argentine cooking mixes seafood with Italian pasta.

The pasta list is short and classic. Carbonara made with bucatini, guanciale, egg yolks and Pecorino Romano is $24, Cacio e Pepe is $22, and the house-made potato gnocchi with alfredo sauce, burrata and grilled endive is $27. Reviewers on the restaurant's site single out the lamb bolognese, which at lunch comes with radiatori pasta for $20. Arancini with béchamel and a pesto chimichurri, $15, is the dish where both traditions meet on one plate.

Finish with the Alfajores con Dulce de Leche at $14, the shortbread sandwich cookies filled with caramel that every Argentine kiosk sells. A plate of those with an espresso is the most Buenos Aires way to end a meal here, even if you ordered pasta.

Morella was designed to be a destination, and the room is not subtle. Expect maximalist interiors, a cluster of crystal chandeliers, lush greenery and a ceiling painted pink. The centrepiece is a large bar with backlit shelves of bottles, which gets busy at sunset, when the Chestnut Street crowd drops in for an aperitivo before dinner.

The cocktail list leans toward spritzes and bright, fruit-forward drinks, and reviewers mention a spritz tree served during the weekend happy hour. On Friday and Saturday nights the restaurant runs La Dolce Vita, a late-night party that starts at 9 pm with a live DJ and $10 house cocktails, except on Outside Lands weekend. If you want a quiet dinner, book before 8 pm or pick a weeknight.

Morella is closed on Mondays. It serves lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11 am, brunch on Saturday and Sunday, and dinner every night it is open. The contact page lists hours of 11 am to 10 pm Tuesday through Thursday, 11 am to 1 am on Friday and Saturday with dinner until 10 pm and 11 pm respectively, and 11 am to 9 pm on Sunday.

Reservations are taken through the restaurant's website, and weekend dinner slots fill first. Weekday lunch is the easiest walk-in, when the menu shifts toward sandwiches such as a steak sandwich with chimichurri and criolla salsa for $18. Brunch adds a breakfast burrito with chorizo and the same empanadas. Private and semi-private spaces are available for groups with set food and drink packages.

Chestnut Street is the Marina's main shopping strip, lined with boutiques, cafés and fitness studios, and a stroll along it is the natural warm-up. Walk a few blocks north toward the bay to reach the Marina Green, a long lawn facing the water, with the Golden Gate Bridge to the west and Alcatraz across the bay.

From there, the Palace of Fine Arts is about fifteen minutes west on foot, its rotunda and colonnades reflected in a lagoon built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Heading east instead brings you to Fort Mason, where the old army piers and warehouses now house theatres, galleries and arts groups.

Morella, 2001 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, CA 94123, at Fillmore Street in the Marina District. Email: hello@morellasf.com. Opened: November 9, 2024, by the Proof Positive group. Closed Mondays; lunch Tuesday to Friday, brunch Saturday and Sunday, dinner Tuesday to Sunday. Getting there: Muni's 30 Stockton runs along Chestnut Street, and street parking in the Marina is tight on weekend evenings. Signature orders: picanha ($29), beef empanadas ($15 for two), carbonara ($24) and alfajores ($14). Late night: La Dolce Vita on Friday and Saturday from 9 pm, with $10 house cocktails.