i am a fan of the old school North Beach Italian hood that has felt like it is dying off...i have been concerned sinced visiting there in 2020 and seeing so much of the area closed. Visiting the area now in Dec 2024, i had something specific i was looking for - a puttenesca dish- and i found it here! it was amazing. i had the restaurant to myself which i was initially concerned about. ThIs corner has the best view of Coit Tower as well as the beautiful church rumoured to be the wedding place of Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio. i am not sure why this particular Wed eve it was not more busy but folks are missing out if they are not strolling down towards this location. The tiramisu was amazing as well!!!! i hope locals will appreciate all this place has to offer. Amazing food, good prices and the best view in North Beach. Thank u to Santos the owner and waiter extraoridinare for the evening. xox
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
Sandra Melissa Vazquez Chavez
While the food was fine, I would strongly advise against bringing children to this establishment. I did my research beforehand, and there was no mention of any restrictions regarding kids. My child is perfectly capable of using silverware and drinking from a glass, yet she was denied these basic amenities. It was an upsetting experience, and I believe the restaurant should be more transparent about such policies if they exist.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Truffle Gnocchi
Francis Draeger, Jr.
I took a date here last night, expecting a nice, traditional Italian experience, and proceeded to get the worst service I have ever experienced. We sat down and ordered a glass of wine, and started looking at the menu. Server came and asked if we wanted to order something. We said we were still thinking about it. He came back a second time, and we ordered the bruschetta. We continued the evening, enjoying our conversation. The server came back and asked if we wanted to order something. My date ordered a second glass of wine, and we said we would look at the menu because we were enjoying the conversation. Server came back and brought the bill. "What about her glass of wine?" - I asked. "It's clear you guys don't want to order anything, so you're done." We explained that we had ordered another glass of wine and hadn't even decided on what to order yet. He claimed we were finished. My date explained that I wasn't even done with my wine, we hadn't even ordered yet, and asked how could he tell us we're finished? "It's my restaurant, and I decide what to do." A full on argument broke out, with the server refusing to serve us anything else and actually verbally retaliated to my date. There were 5 tables available in the restaurant, and there was no one anywhere to be seen waiting or coming in. I'm a reasonable person and I get everyone has a bad day, but I've never seen someone so rude, and supposedly from the owner of the restaurant. I will never go here again.
Krishin Asnani
Love the design of their signage! More details later
Nikhil Tibrewal
Excellent experience from the get go! We got the rigatoni piccante and gnocchi sorentino, and both were the best pastas we’ve had in our lives! Even the wine was out of this world. The host was very welcoming. Loved every bit and highly recommend this place for their food, wine and ambience
This was also the only place we found that was open late and had options for gnocchi! Huge plus
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Gnocchi Sorrentina
Julia B
Incredible Italian food! The gnocchi is amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex K
Extremely rude personal ! We came to have a late dinner and were forced to sit in smaller corner table in spite of the fact that all other tables were empty. The grey haired man just refused to serve us given no explanation. I won’t recommend this place to anyone and never will be back!
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Madlyn Thone
As someone that lives in North Beach, I always recommend Il Cilentano when people ask for neighborhood suggestions. The food never disappoints. Every pasta dish is amazing. Service wonderful. Couldn’t recommend more. :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cannoli for Two, Mushroom Ravioli, Homemade Tortellini, Tiramisu, Pasta Al Carbonara, Caprese, Gnocchi Sorrentina, Lobster Ravioli, Bruschetta, Rigatoni Alla Norcina, Mushroom Truffle Gnocchi
Jakub Karas
There was a weird smell in the restaurant. Beyond that the food was excellent
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pasta Al Carbonara
saranya vemuri
Cute little place with plenty of vegetarian options and open till late ! We just walked in after Exploratorium Dark and were pleasantly surprised.
Food was quite good but the service was really bad. A 15% tip was then automatically charged... Poor service should not be rewarded.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Aleeha Danyal
I wish I could give it minus stars. Had an absolutely appalling racist experience.
Walked into this restaurant at 10pm (they close at midnight) the restaurant only had 3 small tables occupied (one table only had one person seated and was getting ready to order). I was asked by the owner how many we were and I said we were two adults and a 7 month old baby so if we could be seated at a table for 3. Was shown to a table for 3 but wasn’t handed a menu. I turned around after waiting for a minute and signaled for a menu.
An Asian looking lady handed me the menu without as much as a smile. I knew what I wanted within 30 seconds of scanning the menu, so said I was ready to order and asked for a gnocchi, she just nodded and left. She came back after a minute and said since we were two people I would have to order for minimum two people, I was quite taken aback because the restaurant was less than half full and it was already 10pm, I tried to explain to her that my husband had already had dinner and I had a sleeping baby and would be done soon (they had not entered the restaurant because my husband was looking for parking). She had yeah no that’s the minimum, so I asked if I should just leave then in disbelief and she shockingly said yes!and took the menu from me and left. I called my husband to tell him their policy and he said order four pastas if required (because he knew I wanted to eat here) even though I really wanted to get up and leave but because of my baby I didn’t want to go through the hassle of looking for a restaurant and parking again so I thought I’d order two pastas anyways
Embarrassed, I asked for the menu again, a surly looking man tossed me a menu and left, I turned around to ask someone to take my order but the Asian lady was back and said “oh you’re still here?” and I said yeah I’ll just order two pastas for myself then.. I wasn’t sweet but I was not rude at all even after her sarcastic tone, she took the menu from me and said yeah no we won’t be serving you, I said “no, I said I’m ordering two mains” thinking she hadn’t heard me properly she said “yeah no we won’t serve you, you can leave”. I was in absolute disbelief. I asked her why she wouldn’t serve me and she said because it’s our choice and you have to leave
I saw the owner standing in the back seeing all this but thought maybe he has no clue what has transpired so I went up to him and said “I just want to know why you won’t serve me” he said “it’s up to the server sorry, maybe she didn’t like your attitude” I couldn’t believe what he was saying so I stupidly told him everything that had happened and he said yeah I don’t come between servers and customers, please leave if she said you have to leave” I told him he was the first owner who absolutely had no concern about how his customers were treated and that he obviously had severely racist staff and left and he did not try to rectify the situation just shouted “no we don’t!” while I walked out visibly upset.
There were only three tables occupied, all echoing with American accents.
I’ve been to multiple countries around the world and have never had an encounter like this. Ruined my whole night. My first racist encounter after visiting 20 countries and by someone who looked Asian. Oh the irony
Georgia Bishop
AMAZING pasta and gnocchi. Had to go back twice in one week to have some more! Great service and exceptional food. Will be a frequent spot for us. Had both takeout and dine in meals and both were fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Ravioli, Homemade Tortellini, Gnocchi Al Tartufo
Matt Easton
Il cilentano has one glistening trait that helps it stand out against just about anywhere else in SF: it’s one of the few spots open late while still offering table service. Paired with some solid Italian pasta, and it makes for the perfect late-night eat.
The interior is clean, albeit not particularly inviting; we sat next to the window to people watch the people walking by, which was romantic except for the harsh overhead lighting.
Notwithstanding, the food was all solid. We enjoyed the fettuccine bolognese but the stand-out was definitely the spicy rigatoni paestum. The menu had some comically aggressive warnings on the backside, which I couldn’t help but imagined were provoked by an owner or manager having enough of customer bullshit.
Indeed, it turned out our waiter was the owner, and he had a surprisingly charming no-nonsense vibe underneath his Italian accent. When asking for wine recommendations, he almost incredulously responded, “Everything on the wine list is worth getting, I’m the one that chose the menu.” It made us laugh, and the unfiltered confidence came off endearing. It turns out he was right — we DID enjoy the wines we ordered.
I’ve bookmarked this as a place to return to next time I’m hungry, it’s late, and I feel like something more wholesome than bar food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fettuccine Bolognese
Breana Wallace
We food here was absolutely delicious! We picked it up for takeout, but the restaurant was extremely relaxing and perfect for a glass of wine, a pasta dish, and a dessert.
i am a fan of the old school North Beach Italian hood that has felt like it is dying off...i have been concerned sinced visiting there in 2020 and seeing so much of the area closed. Visiting the area now in Dec 2024, i had something specific i was looking for - a puttenesca dish- and i found it here! it was amazing. i had the restaurant to myself which i was initially concerned about. ThIs corner has the best view of Coit Tower as well as the beautiful church rumoured to be the wedding place of Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio. i am not sure why this particular Wed eve it was not more busy but folks are missing out if they are not strolling down towards this location. The tiramisu was amazing as well!!!! i hope locals will appreciate all this place has to offer. Amazing food, good prices and the best view in North Beach. Thank u to Santos the owner and waiter extraoridinare for the evening. xox
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
While the food was fine, I would strongly advise against bringing children to this establishment. I did my research beforehand, and there was no mention of any restrictions regarding kids. My child is perfectly capable of using silverware and drinking from a glass, yet she was denied these basic amenities. It was an upsetting experience, and I believe the restaurant should be more transparent about such policies if they exist.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Truffle Gnocchi
I took a date here last night, expecting a nice, traditional Italian experience, and proceeded to get the worst service I have ever experienced. We sat down and ordered a glass of wine, and started looking at the menu. Server came and asked if we wanted to order something. We said we were still thinking about it. He came back a second time, and we ordered the bruschetta. We continued the evening, enjoying our conversation. The server came back and asked if we wanted to order something. My date ordered a second glass of wine, and we said we would look at the menu because we were enjoying the conversation. Server came back and brought the bill. "What about her glass of wine?" - I asked. "It's clear you guys don't want to order anything, so you're done." We explained that we had ordered another glass of wine and hadn't even decided on what to order yet. He claimed we were finished. My date explained that I wasn't even done with my wine, we hadn't even ordered yet, and asked how could he tell us we're finished? "It's my restaurant, and I decide what to do." A full on argument broke out, with the server refusing to serve us anything else and actually verbally retaliated to my date. There were 5 tables available in the restaurant, and there was no one anywhere to be seen waiting or coming in. I'm a reasonable person and I get everyone has a bad day, but I've never seen someone so rude, and supposedly from the owner of the restaurant. I will never go here again.
Love the design of their signage! More details later
Excellent experience from the get go! We got the rigatoni piccante and gnocchi sorentino, and both were the best pastas we’ve had in our lives! Even the wine was out of this world. The host was very welcoming. Loved every bit and highly recommend this place for their food, wine and ambience
This was also the only place we found that was open late and had options for gnocchi! Huge plus
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Gnocchi Sorrentina
Incredible Italian food! The gnocchi is amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Extremely rude personal !
We came to have a late dinner and were forced to sit in smaller corner table in spite of the fact that all other tables were empty. The grey haired man just refused to serve us given no explanation.
I won’t recommend this place to anyone and never will be back!
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
As someone that lives in North Beach, I always recommend Il Cilentano when people ask for neighborhood suggestions. The food never disappoints. Every pasta dish is amazing. Service wonderful. Couldn’t recommend more. :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cannoli for Two, Mushroom Ravioli, Homemade Tortellini, Tiramisu, Pasta Al Carbonara, Caprese, Gnocchi Sorrentina, Lobster Ravioli, Bruschetta, Rigatoni Alla Norcina, Mushroom Truffle Gnocchi
There was a weird smell in the restaurant. Beyond that the food was excellent
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pasta Al Carbonara
Cute little place with plenty of vegetarian options and open till late ! We just walked in after Exploratorium Dark and were pleasantly surprised.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was quite good but the service was really bad. A 15% tip was then automatically charged... Poor service should not be rewarded.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
I wish I could give it minus stars. Had an absolutely appalling racist experience.
Walked into this restaurant at 10pm (they close at midnight) the restaurant only had 3 small tables occupied (one table only had one person seated and was getting ready to order).
I was asked by the owner how many we were and I said we were two adults and a 7 month old baby so if we could be seated at a table for 3. Was shown to a table for 3 but wasn’t handed a menu. I turned around after waiting for a minute and signaled for a menu.
An Asian looking lady handed me the menu without as much as a smile. I knew what I wanted within 30 seconds of scanning the menu, so said I was ready to order and asked for a gnocchi, she just nodded and left. She came back after a minute and said since we were two people I would have to order for minimum two people, I was quite taken aback because the restaurant was less than half full and it was already 10pm, I tried to explain to her that my husband had already had dinner and I had a sleeping baby and would be done soon (they had not entered the restaurant because my husband was looking for parking). She had yeah no that’s the minimum, so I asked if I should just leave then in disbelief and she shockingly said yes!and took the menu from me and left. I called my husband to tell him their policy and he said order four pastas if required (because he knew I wanted to eat here) even though I really wanted to get up and leave but because of my baby I didn’t want to go through the hassle of looking for a restaurant and parking again so I thought I’d order two pastas anyways
Embarrassed, I asked for the menu again, a surly looking man tossed me a menu and left, I turned around to ask someone to take my order but the Asian lady was back and said “oh you’re still here?” and I said yeah I’ll just order two pastas for myself then.. I wasn’t sweet but I was not rude at all even after her sarcastic tone, she took the menu from me and said yeah no we won’t be serving you, I said “no, I said I’m ordering two mains” thinking she hadn’t heard me properly she said “yeah no we won’t serve you, you can leave”. I was in absolute disbelief. I asked her why she wouldn’t serve me and she said because it’s our choice and you have to leave
I saw the owner standing in the back seeing all this but thought maybe he has no clue what has transpired so I went up to him and said “I just want to know why you won’t serve me” he said “it’s up to the server sorry, maybe she didn’t like your attitude” I couldn’t believe what he was saying so I stupidly told him everything that had happened and he said yeah I don’t come between servers and customers, please leave if she said you have to leave” I told him he was the first owner who absolutely had no concern about how his customers were treated and that he obviously had severely racist staff and left and he did not try to rectify the situation just shouted “no we don’t!” while I walked out visibly upset.
There were only three tables occupied, all echoing with American accents.
I’ve been to multiple countries around the world and have never had an encounter like this. Ruined my whole night. My first racist encounter after visiting 20 countries and by someone who looked Asian. Oh the irony
AMAZING pasta and gnocchi. Had to go back twice in one week to have some more! Great service and exceptional food. Will be a frequent spot for us. Had both takeout and dine in meals and both were fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Ravioli, Homemade Tortellini, Gnocchi Al Tartufo
Il cilentano has one glistening trait that helps it stand out against just about anywhere else in SF: it’s one of the few spots open late while still offering table service. Paired with some solid Italian pasta, and it makes for the perfect late-night eat.
The interior is clean, albeit not particularly inviting; we sat next to the window to people watch the people walking by, which was romantic except for the harsh overhead lighting.
Notwithstanding, the food was all solid. We enjoyed the fettuccine bolognese but the stand-out was definitely the spicy rigatoni paestum. The menu had some comically aggressive warnings on the backside, which I couldn’t help but imagined were provoked by an owner or manager having enough of customer bullshit.
Indeed, it turned out our waiter was the owner, and he had a surprisingly charming no-nonsense vibe underneath his Italian accent. When asking for wine recommendations, he almost incredulously responded, “Everything on the wine list is worth getting, I’m the one that chose the menu.” It made us laugh, and the unfiltered confidence came off endearing. It turns out he was right — we DID enjoy the wines we ordered.
I’ve bookmarked this as a place to return to next time I’m hungry, it’s late, and I feel like something more wholesome than bar food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fettuccine Bolognese
We food here was absolutely delicious! We picked it up for takeout, but the restaurant was extremely relaxing and perfect for a glass of wine, a pasta dish, and a dessert.
Food: 5
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