Feel Glamorous Lunch @ Armani Cafe

Do you have a group of friends that you like to meet up with for a little retail therapy?  I am part of this great group of girlfriends who like to meet regularly downtown.  Besides hitting the stores, we also use this time together to try out cafes and restaurants.

This time after we combed the sale racks at Banana Republic, Loehmann’s and H&M we decided to hit the Armani Cafe, just inside the Armani store on Grant Avenue in San Francisco.

We may live for sales but we also need to feel glamorous.  What better way to gaze at the gorgeous Giorgio Armani clothes without feeling the guilt of not buying them, then to grab a bite at his cafe.  We could have gone for the European feel and sat outside on the sidewalk but decided to up the style quotient and get a table overlooking the beautiful displays inside.

A few of us at the table were disappointed that it wasn’t 3:00 pm yet because the cafe has a happy hour with drink specials that include a $6 Cosmo or Martini.  I was excited to see my favorite summer food, a caprese salad (heirloom tomato, basil and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese!) on the menu for $9 as well as fried calamari for $10.

The cafe menu is very Italian, including a pasta course that could be your whole meal.  If you like to share with your friends, they have a nice Antipasti from $7-13 that are mostly seafood dishes. There are some fresh salad choices including a classic caesar salad.  If you want the salad as your main course you can add chicken to for $3 or prawns for $5.

My eyes always seem to fall on hot comfort food like what you would find under the Panini category on their menu. Not only do you get a hot grilled sandwich but they also include either mixed green or pasta salad.  The panini sandwiches are between $12 and $14.  They also include a vegetarian version that is grilled zucchini, eggplant, portabello mushrooms and basil pesto.

Whether you are staying at the Palace Hotel or just finished a day of window shopping, you can feel a little bit posh when you grab a drink or bite to eat at the Armani Cafe.

1 Grant Ave
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 677-9010

Mon-Fri. 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Sharon Castellanos