Since 2009, Flour + Water has been a hub for pristine hand-crafted pasta and Italian-inspired cuisine showcasing Northern California ingredients. Founded by then chef Thomas McNaughton and partner David Steele, the Mission District restaurant immediately found an audience, attracting nightly lines as guests queued for a coveted walk-in seat, a ritual that became embedded into the experience.
Today, the menu from culinary director Ryan Pollnow and chef de cuisine Aaron Shapiro continues to draw crowds. The team's fastidious approach blends time-honored techniques with influences from the restaurant's Bay Area backyard, expressed across ever-evolving, seasonally-driven à la carte and pasta tasting menus. Over the years, the team has created nearly 100 unique pasta shapes, establishing its voice as an icon within San Francisco's dining scene.
Flour + Water Hospitality Group beverage director Samuel Bogue’s tight wine program leans heavily into labels from micro-producers across Italy and California, along with champagnes to pop for celebratory moments big and small. Guests will discover rare and coveted bottles within that showcase the depth of Bogue's expertise in Italian viticulture, as well as by the glass and by the bottle offerings from the Group's house wine program.
Flour + Water's commitment to transparent and ethical sourcing drives the experience. As a founding member of Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit mobilizing the food world around agricultural climate solutions, Flour + Water is a vocal champion for the regenerative agriculture movement, launching a Flour + Water Foods dried pasta line in 2022 to deepen their impact for the organization.
In late 2021, Flour + Water partnered with San Francisco-based design firm, Lundberg Design, to refresh the space. Principal Gavin Knowles (now of Knowles Architect) drew inspiration from the artisanal aspects of Flour + Water’s approach to reveal a shared respect for craftsmanship. Culinary textures are subtly integrated as design features, a split-face marble garde manger station recalls the topography of a freshly split parmesan wheel while hand-plastered walls are raked to evoke the shape and edges of the pastas served at the restaurant. Traditional materials such as Italian marble and zinc paneling which slowly patina with time gesture to the restaurant's history.
