Delfina Friendsgiving Dinner in the Mission: $160 Bistecca

Delfina, at 3621 18th Street between Guerrero and Dolores in the Mission, is a Friendsgiving dinner for groups that would rather share one great steak than carve a turkey. The dinner menu dated October 20, 2026 lists Bistecca alla Fiorentina at $160, a 2-pound, 30-day dry-aged prime cut that feeds four to six with sides. Parties larger than six book through an event inquiry or a call to the restaurant, which also opens a private dining room for bigger groups.

Craig and Annie Stoll opened Delfina in 1998, and the restaurant's own history notes that Food and Wine named Craig Stoll a Best New Chef in 2001 and that he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific in 2008. In October 2022 the restaurant reopened after a renovation by Fucinaro Architects and Roy Hospitality. That remodel folded in the narrow Pizzeria Delfina next door and added a private dining room, according to Tablehopper's coverage at the time.

The result is a room that still feels like a neighborhood trattoria, but with more space for a long table than it had before. The menu is all house-made pasta, and it changes daily, which is part of why regulars come back every few weeks. Expect a crowd of Mission locals, couples on a date night and groups who walked over from a sunny afternoon in Dolores Park.

Start the group with Brown Butter Polenta at $12, a small dish that everyone tastes, and a Margherita DOP at $24 cut into thin slices for the middle of the table. Spaghetti Pomodoro is $27 and is the plate that converts skeptics about simple pasta. Tagliatelle al Ragù Nostrano is $33, and Casoncelli di Zucca, filled with red kuri squash and finished with sage brown butter and Parmigiano, is $31 and tastes like a seasonal Thanksgiving side.

The menu header puts it plainly, tutta pasta fatta in casa, all pasta made in house, and the antipasti section usually includes salume served with gnocco fritto, the puffy fried dough from Emilia-Romagna. Order a plate of it as soon as the group sits down. It is the kind of dish that keeps people talking while the kitchen fires the pasta, and it costs far less than a round of cocktails.

For the main event, the Bistecca alla Fiorentina at $160 is the centerpiece, and it is meant to be shared. Add Liberty Duck Breast at $45 or the Rabbit Saddle in Porchetta at $44 if the group wants more than one protein. An honest call: skip ordering a separate pasta for every person when the bistecca is on the table, since three pastas split across eight friends is plenty and leaves room for dessert.

A Spritz da Delfina is $17 and makes an easy round to toast with. Because the menu is printed fresh each day, the exact dishes on a given November night may differ from this list, so build the order around categories rather than a single plate: one or two antipasti, three pastas, the steak and a second main. Every check carries a 7% surcharge to help comply with San Francisco employer mandates.

For parties larger than six, Delfina asks guests to submit an inquiry through its site or call (415) 552-4055, and the events team follows up on private dining, buyouts and large parties. Regular tables for two to six are booked on OpenTable. The private room from the 2022 remodel is the right choice for a Friendsgiving of a dozen or more, because it keeps a long, loud table from taking over the main dining room.

Plan B: if the date you want is full, look at an earlier seating or a Sunday. Delfina serves dinner Monday to Saturday from 5:15 pm to 10 pm and Sunday from 5 pm to 9 pm, so a Sunday Friendsgiving at 5 pm wraps up comfortably for anyone who works Monday. For a smaller, last-minute gathering, a table of four booked on OpenTable can still order the bistecca for the table.

The 16th Street Mission BART station is a short walk north and east, and the J Church Muni Metro stops at 18th Street and Church, a few blocks west. Street parking on 18th Street is limited on weekend nights, especially when the weather is warm and Dolores Park is full. A group coming from downtown does best on BART or a shared ride, meeting at the corner of 18th and Guerrero.

The block around Delfina is one of the busiest food streets in the city, and that is part of the plan. Arrive 20 minutes early and the group can wait together on the sidewalk without feeling rushed. If anyone runs late, the restaurant's neighbors on 18th Street make easy places to grab a quick drink while the table is set.

Before dinner, walk one block west to Mission Dolores Park on Dolores Street, where the upper slope near the 20th Street side has a view over the downtown skyline. Late November sunsets come around 4:50 pm, so a 4:15 pm meetup gives the group a photo in the last light. Then walk north to Mission Dolores on 16th Street, the adobe mission that is the oldest intact building in San Francisco.

After dinner, the walk back along 18th Street passes the park again, which is quiet and lit at night. It is about a ten-minute stroll to BART, a good way to finish a long meal. For the friend who wants one more stop, Valencia Street is one block east and stays busy late with bars and bookshops.

Delfina, 3621 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, between Guerrero and Dolores in the Mission. Phone (415) 552-4055. Dinner Monday to Saturday 5:15 pm to 10 pm, Sunday 5 pm to 9 pm. Groups over six book by inquiry or phone, and a private dining room is available. Bistecca alla Fiorentina $160 for the table. A 7% surcharge is added to every check.