50 Best Italian Restaurants in San Francisco

“everything about the restaurant, from the heated outdoor dining, people who work there, the food so deliciously great especially the one that prepares and cook it, THE CHEFS, amazingly incredible they are and not so pricey above all.“

“Food was very tasty and well prepared, staff attentive and responsive, ambience is perfect“

“Excellent meal! The Zuni Café feels like a 'local joint' where folks come back again and again. My salad of heirloom tomatoes, roasted nectarines, gooseberries with goat cheese and dill was outstanding, as was my pasta with cherry tomatoes. My husband' had the always terrific and his salmon was perfectly cooked and delicious. The dessert of berry passion fruit sorbet with ginger cookies was amazing - so good!“

“Awesome yummy food with a friendly atmosphere and Great Service“

“Great atmosphere, impeccable service, friendly & welcoming staff. Most of all, great food. This is our second time and it didn’t disappoint. We’re visiting from SoCal in Orange County. Thank you!“

“Great leisurely lunch with girlfriends. Staff was friendly attentive. The butternut squash ravioli was to die for! Nice ambiance (we sat outside). Enjoyed!“

“Wonderful restaurant with terrific food and service. We share the seasonal salad and the stuffed calamari to start. Both were excellent. My wife had a wonderful pasta stuffed with pea puree and in a pea sauce. I had a stuffed pasta with cheese. Both were exceptional. The olive oil cake finished the night. Fine wine list with many affordable offerings. We had a bottle of Arnie's and it was just right. The service is very attentive from the reception to the goodby.“

“It has been many years since we were at La Ciccia.  it has always been one of our favorite restaurants. My wife and I chose to go here on our anniversary. We were very happy that the restaurant was bustling, the service was excellent, and the food was delicious and unique.“

“We celebrated my son's 21st birthday here with seven in our family and North Beach Restaurant went above and beyond!! We lucked out as Thursday is Frank Sinatra night with a reincarnated singer of identical voice sound. Seriously, this guy was truly amazing, if you love Frank, which our 21 year old does, you'll be amazed. The staff was superb, the food also amazing and the night was beyond what we hoped for! It really was straight out of a movie with every aspect of perfection for such an occasion. The property is elegant and inviting, we had a table right at the window, the bar is high standard style, every person treated us as if they knew us personally. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. We are from Santa Monica, CA, or we'd be at North Beach Restaurant frequently. As it is, our son is a student at UC Berkeley so we will be here every time we come up to visit from now on. We ordered multiple drinks from the bar, but their wine list looked very adequate and desserts were all spectacular. Thank you all at North Beach Restaurant for everything you did, it went down as an incredible and greatly memorable evening, and our lucky night with Frank's amazing voice as the evening's background music. WOW!! Our son said the evening was above and beyond with his family!!“

“Lovely friendly Italian wine bar and delicious restaurant. Fresh innovative salads, pastas and main courses. Highly recommended.“

“Food is incredible and the service is second to none. Best place in the marina.“

“Every time we go to Che Fico, our experience seems to get even better. Food and service is fantastic (even brand new employees!). Highly recommend the heirloom tomato appetizer, focaccia, and any of the pasta dishes (freshly made daily). We also love the ambience with the live plants and decor. Thank you, Che Fico, for always providing for a great time!“

“Food was amazing! Great atmosphere and friendly attentive staff!“

“Excellent espresso coffee, friendly service and a lovely brunch menu. I look forward to returning sometime for dinner. The chef’s were prepping a range of fresh looking ingredients and the smells emanating from the kitchen were beautiful!“

“Finally went here! Was a solid 4/5. We were walk ins, which is great that we could get seated - but the communal table felt really tight. Not very romantic. Vibe was a little sterile, and we felt rushed at the end (got our check as soon as we ordered coffee and half way through dessert). The pizza was decent but a very chewy crust. Pasta was delicious - a corn flavor. Could come again but not a must!“

“One of the best tasting pizza I’ve tasted I highly recommend this place.“

“Amazing service and food!!!!“

“Amazing service and food!!!!“

“Excellent service and great food!“

“Another brilliant visit to Sorrel and Alex Hong continues to reign as my current favorite Chef! 🤘🏼If you haven’t been to Sorrel, go. Total genius.“

“Truly authentic Calabrese style Italian cuisine takes us back to Nonna’s kitchen“

“Really nice fair..lovely Americana incredible surprise in the Sunset.exactly what soccer player needs for good fuel.from salads to wings to DIE FOR!!!this place is 55.or even 5.2/5..craft well and sauces..REALLY...great street vibe or in back quiet.“

“Ofena is exactly the kind of neighborhood spot you want — warm, welcoming, and delicious. We were treated so well (thank you!) and loved the focaccia, especially the mortadella. The gnocchi with duck prosciutto was rich and perfect, and the pork chop was cooked just right. The creamy polenta is a must — silky and comforting. Peas salad kept things bright, and the arancini were crispy and cheesy. Loved the martini with a focaccia garnish — such a fun touch. Service was thoughtful but relaxed, which made the night even better. Can’t wait to come back for more food and cocktails.“

“Excellent food and service. My friends from NYC enjoyed their dinners as well. Will definitely be back!“

“From start to finish, the service was stellar. Everyone had warm smiles and welcomed us in. Food was incredible. We sat at the bar and witnessed all the food being prepared. We got the papperadelle and red snapper special. DELICIOUS! The team is hard working. Great local place to support.“

“Had a luncheon @ Perbacco with my 9 coworkers and Manager to say “goodbye & farewell” to a retiring coworker and “welcome” to a new coworker. Started with a round of hors d'oeuvre’s. The thin sliced veal with a sauce and capers was delicious! The fried shrimp, veggies and olives/anchovies…also with a sauce was awesome as well. For my main, I had CRESTE DI GALLO - semolina pasta - wild mushroom ragu - spinach - ricotta salata. Our waiter was the best! I saved one of the sugar cookies from my deserts…Burnt Carmel Gelato. Mentioned it to our waiter and as we were leaving, I heard “Sir! Sir!” He brought me one of their meringue cookies to also share with my partner! I thought that was just awesome! Top notch food and customer service. We’ll be back!“

“The food is absolutely stunning. Everything is fresh and the flavors mix amazingly“

“My favorite thing here is the linguine with mussels. I never order anything else, so I can't really comment on the rest of the menu. My husband had the burger, which he thought was fine, and the couple behind us had the skirt steak which he wished he'd ordered. Wine and beer list is great.“

“My husband and I enjoyed our dinner very much! He had the Paparadele and I had the beet salad and pizza. They were both delicious! We definitely will be going back!🍷“

“(Make a reservation)
We arrived at Capo’s around 7:20 pm on a Saturday and were told we would have to wait 40 minutes for a table.
As hungry travelers, we said thank you and as we were about to leave, the hostess finds a nook and sat us down outside. I appreciate the fact that she did us that favor.
There were no patio heaters, so if sitting outside or walking in during busy hours, expect to dine outside in the cold with no heat (during winter).

(The Staff)
It was a very busy night, but the staff did a spectacular job in checking in on us.

(The Food)
The appetizers come in a reasonably sized portion, we ordered the garlic bread with mozzarella and was given a complimentary dish of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
My partner ordered the meat lasagne and I ordered the rigatoni alla vodka with smoked pancetta. The food was really good, it’s unlike anything I have ever had.
Take in mind that the dishes do serve up to 2 people, on busy nights it make take a bit to get your food, and regular pizzas take up to 20 minutes to bake, deep dish pizzas take up to 45 minutes to bake (but they look like they are worth the time!)

(Conclusion)
I would have loved to sit inside, the vibe is really nice. If you are looking for authentic Italian food with a nice atmosphere and friendly staff, book a reservation at Capo’s.“

“Awesome food and outstanding service“

“Delicious food, great drinks and amazing service.“

“Great fun!!! Hosts and servers were super nice!!! Cocktails: YUM!!!“

“The food was amazing, home cooking at its best! My whole family, including my picky eaters, loved the food!😋“

“Great vibe and service! Outdoor seating is cozy and clean, lovely place to stop by for the midday bites, drinks and some casual chitchat. Loved the burrata crostini, calamari and salami pizza. Would love to go again and try out their dinner and lunch menu some time.“

“Very nice portions and very friendly! Enjoyed the people and the food!“

“Delicious food and excellent service! Highly recommend!“

“Absolutely fantastic place, really friendly staff an absolutely excellent food had a really good experience“

“We saw there was a long line and figured it must be really good? We got a slice of pizza and it did not disappoint! The pizza melted in your mouth and had so much flavor! We really enjoyed trying it!“

“The food was very good. Excellent gluten-free bread. It seemed expensive for the size of the sandwich. I was expecting something 1.5-2 times larger given the price. We ate outside in one of the sidewalk booths. It was a bit cold and breezy, not sure if you can eat inside in the wine bar or not, so might want to watch the weather.“

“Delicious. And great service!“

“The food is absolutely stunning. Everything is fresh and the flavors mix amazingly“

“excelencia en alimentos muy buena preparación. y gran servicio“

“The hubby and I were killing time and found this place for dinner. We got seated and immediately. We ordered our pepperoni pizza. Since we sat at the bar, we saw them making our pizza and placing it in the wood burning stove. It took about 2 minutes to be baked and quickly served. Loved it! Everything was great. It can get a bit dark in there but it’s all part of the ambiance. We’re definitely going back!“

“We love the crispy pizza crust the cheesy polenta & ricotta cheesecake! We appreciate that the staff is really fun and friendly as well. we love it here!!“

“I had a thicker crust pizza with pepperoni and sausage, and it was very good. I ended up paying around $8. The 1 slice alone was very filling, and they offered me a cup of ice to go with my Dr. Pepper. It was very clean and the employees were very kind and greeted me when i came in. Overall, it was good and definitely worth a visit if you're near by.“

“Nice appetizers , pizzas and drinks! Friendly bartender and staff! Nice place for a bite before a movie!“

“From the moment we walked in everyone was so kind and attentive. We had the beet salad: light but delicious and fresh,
Pappernelle Pasta with Oxtail was simply pneominail (melted.in my mouth), sausage pizza (very flavorful)
Worth the visit and loved chit chatting with Chantel!!“

“Non-American pizza and pasta with very reasonable pricing;

Since we just waked over from the farmers market at the ferry building we ordered margarita and calamari as a light lunch for 3. The pizza dough was perfectly light and puffy with a thin crispy crust + hint of firewood and paired perfectly with the freshness of the tomato basil and mozzarella. The calamari was slightly tough in texture but the dish in general was still excellent. Really loved the vegetables since they carried so much flavor and umami from the olive oil and calamari!

We were seated outdoors and the server very kindly rearranged the tables so we’d be in the shade (tysmm!) the people indoors were watching football and it was so cheerful to see them cheering (and singing) after Real Madrid scored a goal;

Loved the atmosphere loved the food and it’s a place we’d definitely come back to visit again!“