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15 Primo Italian Restaurants in San Francisco

Try these spots for fresh pasta, blistered pizzas, and more

by Dianne de Guzman, Lauren Saria, and Becky Duffett Updated Feb 14, 2023, 12:35pm PST

4 comments / new

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by Dianne de Guzman, Lauren Saria, and Becky Duffett Updated Feb 14, 2023, 12:35pm PST

4 comments / new

Stephanie Amberg

There’s a long and wonderful tradition of Italian food in San Francisco. Immigrants flooded the Bay during the Gold Rush, and while many southerners stayed in New York, simmering hearty red sauces, many northerners landed in San Francisco, bringing a taste for fresh fish, green olives, and bright citrus. North Beach is the historic neighborhood, and it’s predictably filled with tourist traps, as well as old standbys, many ladling out cioppino, San Francisco’s iconic fisherman’s stew.

But these days, Italian restaurants are all over the city, serving Roman classics like cacio e pepe and spicy Amatriciana, bold and modern updates on fresh and filled pastas, Neapolitan-style pizzas pulled out of blistering hot ovens, and garlicky fish and steak kissed by wood-fire grills. Here are 15 of the most seasoned Italian restaurants in San Francisco.

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Original Joe's

Where else can you get steak with a side of ravioli and creamed spinach? This Italian-American institution is filled with red booths, white tablecloths, and bustling waiters. The restaurant is 80 years old, and while the original location burned in 2007, it now has a prime spot on Washington Square Park in the heart of North Beach. The Westlake location also has its own following among locals.

601 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Visit Website

Original Joe’s, Friday 6pm

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A16

Cozy at the end of Chestnut Street since 2004, A16 has earned a reputation for Southern Italian antipasti, salumi, pizza, and meat, intersecting with a deep wine list helmed by award-winning wine expert Shelley Lindgren. The space winds back past the open kitchen and gaping oven to a pretty green patio.

2355 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Visit Website

Pasta at A16

Also featured in:

Seven Hills

Seven Hills has been a jewel box in Russian Hill for nearly a decade, and the restaurant jumped a few blocks over into a bigger space in fall 2019, bringing all the fresh pasta along with it. The neighborhood would have revolted if the chef took the freshly extruded maccheroncelli and house ricotta off the menu.

1896 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Visit Website

Pasta at Seven Hills

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Cotogna

Just where North Beach starts to dip down into charming Jackson Square, Cotogna has a warm and welcoming open hearth and rustic wooden tables. It’s owned by Michael Tusk, who’s also behind Quince, the fine dining star, but Cotogna is relatively more relaxed. The raviolo is an experience, a single large filled pasta, which when cut with a fork, breaks into fresh ricotta and golden egg yolk. But you can’t go wrong with any of the fresh pastas, fish from the grill, or meat from the spit.

490 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Visit Website

Also featured in:

The Italian Homemade Company

Italian Homemade serves big slabs of lasagna, as well as hearty ravioli and gnocchi, either to go or for delivery. Locations are now around town, with the original in North Beach, as well as outposts in Cow Hollow and Hayes, covering carb needs all across town.

Open in Google Maps

1919 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Visit Website

Lasagna from Italian Homemade

Also featured in:

Sorella

It’s name might mean “sister,” but don’t get it twisted: Sorella, the second spot from the team behind Michelin-praised Acquerello, is a star in its own right. Taking over a lively corner space on Polk, Sorella serves an approachable Italian menu of antipasti, pasta, meaty secondi — think lamb osso bucco and pork chop with big butter beans — but for the ultimate chill night out grab a stool at the bar for cocktails and cicchetti, or Venetian small snacks like crisp potato chips dusted with “cacio e pepe” seasoning and a single showstopping sausage stuffed chicken wing.

Open in Google Maps

1760 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Visit Website

“Fancy lasagna” at Sorella

Also featured in:

12 Restaurants Perfect for Eating Alone in San Francisco

Acquerello

More than 30 years in, Acquerello is a fine dining institution still shining bright with two Michelin stars. Suzette Gresham and chef de cuisine Seth Turiansky serve luxurious tasting menus, ranging from a seasonal nine-course tasting menu for $275 (a nine-course tasting of vegetables is also available for $195) or a four-course prix-fixe for $165. Expect white table cloths, purse stools, and other hallmarks of star-quality service.

1722 Sacramento Street NEAR VAN NESS &, Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Visit Website

Octopus from Acquerello

Also featured in:

The Tailor's Son

If you think you’ve had Italian food from restaurant Back of the House, the Tailor’s Son will nudge you out of your expectations of what that means. The restaurant skews more toward Northern Italy, bringing dishes that harken back to Adriano Paganini’s childhood, in ways that feel comforting. Tuck into a squid-laden risotto made with seppia ink, or radiatori tossed in pork ragu, washed down with a spritz or negroni.

Open in Google Maps

2049 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Visit Website

Also featured in:

SPQR

SPQR took its name from the Roman empire, but the pasta is far from classic. It was originally an offshoot of A16, but wine director Shelley Lindgren officially stepped out in 2019, leaving chef-owner Matt Accarino to run the show. Now, the strength of the $96 prix-fixe menu lies just as much in the excellent secondi like king salmon and wagyu with foie gras sauce as in the expertly prepared pasta, including veal-filled pyramidi and buckwheat rapini with bacon and rapini.

1911 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Pearl 6101

Years into its run, Pearl remains a solid haunt for the Central Richmond neighborhood — though it’s a fair destination for anyone in search of well-done California-Mediterranean cuisine. The menu offers both fresh pasta — for example, silky sheets of handkerchief noodles swaddled in white bolognese sauce — and heartier plates including a grilled steak with smoked harrissa. Strong cocktails and online reservations make it a good choice for a night out in the area.

Open in Google Maps

6101 California St, San Francisco, CA 94121

Visit Website

Also featured in:

BAIA

It’s not so much that Italian food is laden with meat, but there is a strong association of Italian food with cheese, which can make things difficult for a vegan to do an Italian dinner out. Enter Baia, which promises pasta, pizzas, and appetizers — all made vegan. Add onto the fact that the pasta and pizza crust can be made gluten-free on request, and you’ve got an inclusive Italian dinner for all.

Open in Google Maps

300 Grove St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Vegan Italian food from Baia

Che Fico

There’s a lot going for this Divisidero Street restaurant: a stunning space that formerly housed an auto body shop but now exudes warmth and energy with drying herbs dangling from the rafters, made-in-house salumi, fresh pasta, and a solid list of wine. So even though it may not be the most affordable Italian option in the city — the restaurant charges a somewhat-controversial fee on top of tips — it’s a great spot for a night out in NoPa. For a more casual and less expensive option, try the downstairs sister restaurant Che Fico Alimentari.

Open in Google Maps

838 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Flour + Water

After a months-long renovation, San Francisco classic Flour + Water is back in action with a lightly refreshed menu bringing on more antipasti. The ever-favorite tasting menu is still around for $125 per person, perfect for exploring the house-made pasta mastery of the restaurant. It’s also the only way to get a taste of the restaurant's impeccable tortellini en brodo, should you need some motivation to commit.

2401 Harrison St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

A table of plates with crudo, pasta, and wine at Flour + Water.

Also featured in:

Itria

Itria backed into its original plan and first launched with pizza delivery in May 2021, but finally opened for indoor dining in August 2021, debuting a totally fresh menu of pasta and crudo. Lots of restaurants throw one crudo on the menu, but chef Daniel Evers digs into the category with nearly half a dozen different varieties, as well as handmade pasta, in an array of extruded and filled shapes.

Open in Google Maps

3266 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Pizza slices from Itria

The Gold Mirror Italian Restaurant

Tucked away in Inner Parkside, Gold Mirror is a neighborhood gem. Chef Giuseppe di Grande is originally from Sicily, and he started rolling the cannelloni in 1969. Fifty years later, his sons are in the kitchen, still sending out classics like veal parm to a dining room filled with faux castle walls and medieval decor.

Open in Google Maps

800 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116

Visit Website

Dining room at the Gold Mirror

Also featured in:

18 Classic Restaurants Every San Franciscan Must Try

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Original Joe's

601 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Where else can you get steak with a side of ravioli and creamed spinach? This Italian-American institution is filled with red booths, white tablecloths, and bustling waiters. The restaurant is 80 years old, and while the original location burned in 2007, it now has a prime spot on Washington Square Park in the heart of North Beach. The Westlake location also has its own following among locals.

601 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Visit Website

Original Joe’s, Friday 6pm

A16

2355 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Cozy at the end of Chestnut Street since 2004, A16 has earned a reputation for Southern Italian antipasti, salumi, pizza, and meat, intersecting with a deep wine list helmed by award-winning wine expert Shelley Lindgren. The space winds back past the open kitchen and gaping oven to a pretty green patio.

2355 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Visit Website

Pasta at A16

Seven Hills

1896 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Seven Hills has been a jewel box in Russian Hill for nearly a decade, and the restaurant jumped a few blocks over into a bigger space in fall 2019, bringing all the fresh pasta along with it. The neighborhood would have revolted if the chef took the freshly extruded maccheroncelli and house ricotta off the menu.

1896 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Visit Website

Pasta at Seven Hills

Cotogna

490 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Just where North Beach starts to dip down into charming Jackson Square, Cotogna has a warm and welcoming open hearth and rustic wooden tables. It’s owned by Michael Tusk, who’s also behind Quince, the fine dining star, but Cotogna is relatively more relaxed. The raviolo is an experience, a single large filled pasta, which when cut with a fork, breaks into fresh ricotta and golden egg yolk. But you can’t go wrong with any of the fresh pastas, fish from the grill, or meat from the spit.

490 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Visit Website

The Italian Homemade Company

1919 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Italian Homemade serves big slabs of lasagna, as well as hearty ravioli and gnocchi, either to go or for delivery. Locations are now around town, with the original in North Beach, as well as outposts in Cow Hollow and Hayes, covering carb needs all across town.

Open in Google Maps

1919 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Visit Website

Lasagna from Italian Homemade

Sorella

1760 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

It’s name might mean “sister,” but don’t get it twisted: Sorella, the second spot from the team behind Michelin-praised Acquerello, is a star in its own right. Taking over a lively corner space on Polk, Sorella serves an approachable Italian menu of antipasti, pasta, meaty secondi — think lamb osso bucco and pork chop with big butter beans — but for the ultimate chill night out grab a stool at the bar for cocktails and cicchetti, or Venetian small snacks like crisp potato chips dusted with “cacio e pepe” seasoning and a single showstopping sausage stuffed chicken wing.

Open in Google Maps

1760 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Visit Website

“Fancy lasagna” at Sorella

Acquerello

1722 Sacramento Street NEAR VAN NESS &, Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

More than 30 years in, Acquerello is a fine dining institution still shining bright with two Michelin stars. Suzette Gresham and chef de cuisine Seth Turiansky serve luxurious tasting menus, ranging from a seasonal nine-course tasting menu for $275 (a nine-course tasting of vegetables is also available for $195) or a four-course prix-fixe for $165. Expect white table cloths, purse stools, and other hallmarks of star-quality service.

1722 Sacramento Street NEAR VAN NESS &, Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Visit Website

Octopus from Acquerello

The Tailor's Son

2049 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115

If you think you’ve had Italian food from restaurant Back of the House, the Tailor’s Son will nudge you out of your expectations of what that means. The restaurant skews more toward Northern Italy, bringing dishes that harken back to Adriano Paganini’s childhood, in ways that feel comforting. Tuck into a squid-laden risotto made with seppia ink, or radiatori tossed in pork ragu, washed down with a spritz or negroni.

Open in Google Maps

2049 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Visit Website

SPQR

1911 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115

SPQR took its name from the Roman empire, but the pasta is far from classic. It was originally an offshoot of A16, but wine director Shelley Lindgren officially stepped out in 2019, leaving chef-owner Matt Accarino to run the show. Now, the strength of the $96 prix-fixe menu lies just as much in the excellent secondi like king salmon and wagyu with foie gras sauce as in the expertly prepared pasta, including veal-filled pyramidi and buckwheat rapini with bacon and rapini.

1911 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Visit Website

Pearl 6101

6101 California St, San Francisco, CA 94121

Years into its run, Pearl remains a solid haunt for the Central Richmond neighborhood — though it’s a fair destination for anyone in search of well-done California-Mediterranean cuisine. The menu offers both fresh pasta — for example, silky sheets of handkerchief noodles swaddled in white bolognese sauce — and heartier plates including a grilled steak with smoked harrissa. Strong cocktails and online reservations make it a good choice for a night out in the area.

Open in Google Maps

6101 California St, San Francisco, CA 94121

Visit Website

BAIA

300 Grove St, San Francisco, CA 94102

It’s not so much that Italian food is laden with meat, but there is a strong association of Italian food with cheese, which can make things difficult for a vegan to do an Italian dinner out. Enter Baia, which promises pasta, pizzas, and appetizers — all made vegan. Add onto the fact that the pasta and pizza crust can be made gluten-free on request, and you’ve got an inclusive Italian dinner for all.

Open in Google Maps

300 Grove St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Vegan Italian food from Baia

Che Fico

838 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117

There’s a lot going for this Divisidero Street restaurant: a stunning space that formerly housed an auto body shop but now exudes warmth and energy with drying herbs dangling from the rafters, made-in-house salumi, fresh pasta, and a solid list of wine. So even though it may not be the most affordable Italian option in the city — the restaurant charges a somewhat-controversial fee on top of tips — it’s a great spot for a night out in NoPa. For a more casual and less expensive option, try the downstairs sister restaurant Che Fico Alimentari.

Open in Google Maps

838 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Visit Website

Flour + Water

2401 Harrison St, San Francisco, CA 94110

After a months-long renovation, San Francisco classic Flour + Water is back in action with a lightly refreshed menu bringing on more antipasti. The ever-favorite tasting menu is still around for $125 per person, perfect for exploring the house-made pasta mastery of the restaurant. It’s also the only way to get a taste of the restaurant's impeccable tortellini en brodo, should you need some motivation to commit.

2401 Harrison St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

A table of plates with crudo, pasta, and wine at Flour + Water.

Itria

3266 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Itria backed into its original plan and first launched with pizza delivery in May 2021, but finally opened for indoor dining in August 2021, debuting a totally fresh menu of pasta and crudo. Lots of restaurants throw one crudo on the menu, but chef Daniel Evers digs into the category with nearly half a dozen different varieties, as well as handmade pasta, in an array of extruded and filled shapes.

Open in Google Maps

3266 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Pizza slices from Itria

The Gold Mirror Italian Restaurant

800 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116

Tucked away in Inner Parkside, Gold Mirror is a neighborhood gem. Chef Giuseppe di Grande is originally from Sicily, and he started rolling the cannelloni in 1969. Fifty years later, his sons are in the kitchen, still sending out classics like veal parm to a dining room filled with faux castle walls and medieval decor.

Open in Google Maps

800 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116

Visit Website

Dining room at the Gold Mirror

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