The Sausage Factory

Come on, a restaurant in the Castro district of San Francisco with the name “The Sausage Factory” has got to get a few giggles from the chronically immature like me. I was passing through town on my way to Portland and decided to meet up with an ex boyfriend after 25+ years. We knew we wanted Castro district so our first choice was The Anchor Oyster Bar, but it was closed due to Covid 19 so then we went to Hamburger Mary’s which was also closed. I didn’t have Italian on my mind, but I’m glad we ended up at The Sausage Factory. The food was excellent and it has an antique charm that makes it truly unique. After telling some of my friends in the city about it they all sort of responded with”Oh that place. It hasn’t changed much in 40 years.” Well, guess what? If something’s good, why change it? We started with mussels in a garlic sauce that were out of this world. Not exactly sure what was in the sauce to make it green, but I loved it so much I took a spoon to it after all the mussels and toasted garlic bread were gone. I was going to get the puttanesca, but I always get puttanesca at authentic Italian restaurants so I went with the chicken piccata. I was not disappointed. The lemon-caper sauce had just the right amount of tang and the chicken was so tender, there was no need to use a knife. My ex had the pasta primavera served with an alfredo sauce which looked awesome, but I didn’t try it. He said it was good, but couldn’t finish it because he was full. I, of course, never stop until it’s all gone if I think it’s good; full or not. Maybe that’s just another difference between him and me. Sigh. Everything about it was delightful. The server and food runner were very upbeat, fun, and efficient, and the food was great. If you’re in the Castro and want good, authentic Italian cuisine, go to The Sausage Factory.

OK, I started going there way back in the 80s, and continued doing so until about 2002, when I moved out of California ( Thank God ). Well, I had to go back to SF last week for a funeral. I decided for old time's sake to go back to my favorite restaurant.... It was great to know that this place STILL serves great food. I have to admit though that eating there kind of made me sad, as it brought back memories of friends who are no longer around... Oh well. And as much as the Castro continues to change, and restaurants come and go, it's great to know that this gem of a restaurant is still going strong.