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17 Excellent North Beach Restaurants and Bars

San Francisco’s famously Italian neighborhood has a lot more than just pizza and pasts

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Everyone in San Francisco knows North Beach. Maybe you’ve browsed in City Lights before a memorable dinner at the Stinking Rose with family visiting from out of town. Maybe you melt into the crowds in the raucous bars on Grant Avenue on Saturday nights.

But there’s another side to North Beach, one dripping with history and full of locals who have been in the neighborhood since putting down roots decades back. One that still feels like one of the most magical parts of the city — tourist hordes aside. If you know where to look, it’s easy to see how so many have fallen in love with this charming neighborhood and its many dining gems. So pull up a chair at a sideway bistro table and get ready to explore the best North Beach has to offer.

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Liguria Bakery

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Arrive early to get the goods at Liguria, a 106-year-old San Francisco institution. The family-run bakery specializes in focaccia, and the massive sheets of bread, studded with everything from raisins to olives are a wonder of airy, pillowy bread and olive oil richness (the green onion version is what makes the sandwiches at Mario’s so excellent). Grab a piece or 10 to take across the street from the park, or buy it frozen to finish at home.

Bodega North Beach

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While North Beach is best known for its many old-school restaurants and bars, Bodega is a new-school wine lover’s dream with a robust list of options by the glass and a respectable list of plates to pair including tacos, a burger, and grilled cheese. There are plenty of funky natural wines for fans to explore and the enticing descriptions make it easy to choose even if you don’t know a pet-nat from a petit verdot. Pull up a stool to a community table or the bar and make a game of observing the many dates undoubtedly taking place around the intimate interior. 

Victoria Pastry

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Sugar rushes are inevitable at Victoria Pastry, a pusher of the sweet stuff since 1914. Sample classics like tiramisu and cannoli, or go big with slices of rich layer cakes. This classic bakery is known for Easter egg-hued princess cake layered with raspberry, whipped cream, custard, and triple sec. But don’t skip the fedora — the dense chocolate cake is loaded with chocolate cream and rum. There are a couple of tables outside, but these sweets are best enjoyed with a coffee in the park.

Cafe Jacqueline

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You’ll feel like you took a step back in time when you cross the threshold into this petit Michelin-recommended French restaurant. This gem is about as antiquated as a restaurant can be: no website, reservations by phone only, and a service that’s more assertive than warm. Persevere through it all and you’ll be rewarded, however. Impossibly airy soufflés in sweet and savory varieties make up the whole menu and mean your meal will undoubtedly take a cool couple of hours from start to finish.

Tony's Pizza Napoletana

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Tony Gemignani’s pizza empire stretches far beyond North Beach, but its heart and soul remains in the neighborhood. Tony’s Pizza Napoletana packs in the crowds, and with good reason — the extensive menu reads like a crash course in regional pizza styles and history. The limited Napoletana-style margherita is worth the wait, as is the butter-edged Detroit-style square pie. Next door, the Slice House slings wedges of coal-fired New York and Connecticut-style pies plus Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches. Down the street, Capo’s is all about the gut-busting, Chicago-style fare. In brief: When it comes to pizza and its accompaniments, it’s hard to go wrong with any of Gemignani’s restaurants.

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana

Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe

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There are no cigars to be found at this corner cafe, but hot, melty sandwiches on pillowy focaccia abound. A bonafide local joint in the midst of Columbus Avenue’s touristy glut, Mario’s is the kind of place that makes you feel like a regular and inspires you to become one. Skip straight to the focaccia sandwich section of the menu, though the hot, baked dishes like lasagna and cannelloni aren’t half bad. They’re made using olive oil-rich focaccia from Liguria Bakery, just across the park. The meatball is legendary, but the eggplant sandwiches (both breaded and grilled) are worth a taste.

Hilda and Jesse

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The legendary brunch spot of the North Beach neighborhood is Mama’s, perched just off the park. But if you don’t want to bare the long line know that on the other side of Columbus, retro-fabulous restaurant Hilda and Jesse serves a playful three-course brunch on weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There’s an option to add on items like a plate of shrimp toast or an order of Latvian pancakes, plus a thoughtful list of wines. Dinner is also served Monday, Thursday, and Friday nights.  

Il Pollaio

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Blink and you’ll miss this no-frills, neighborhood staple on Columbus. Il Pollaio, as the name suggests, specializes in chicken — specifically, juicy, crispy-skinned grilled chicken, available by the half or whole bird. It’s easy to make a meal of chicken alone, but grilled vegetable sides are worth an order, and the French fries are great for soaking up savory chicken drippings. Give the lamb chops or the half rabbit a try if you’re feeling particularly carnivorous.

Red Window

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It’s always sunny at Red Window, the pie-shaped tapas restaurant and bar overlooking the busy intersection of Columbus and Stockton streets. Travel to Spain via food and drink with plates of pintxos like bacalao croquetas and crostini with tuna conserva and a low-proof cocktail or sangria. The brightly colored dining room is cozy day and night and the parklet makes an ideal setting for brunch, served Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

Sotto Mare

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Gigi Fiorucci may no longer hold court at Sotto Mare, but this Green Street seafood restaurant is still one of the finest places in the land for fresh oysters, Louie salads, and sloppy bowls of cioppino, bib absolutely required. Make a reservation or prepare to wait at this boisterous neighborhood staple — current owners Rich and Laura Azzolino have kept the space exactly the same, including walls laden with celebrity photos and nautical-themed kitsch. The menu is similarly unchanged and centers around daily fresh catches and San Francisco seafood classics. The aforementioned oysters and cioppino are musts, and the buttery scallops and petrale sole are excellent, too, when available. Be sure to save some of your sourdough bread for sopping up the accompanying sauces and cioppino broth.

Cioppino at Sotto Mare Sotto Mare

Golden Boy Pizza

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This North Beach institution has been serving Sicilian-style pizza since 1978. Bring cash, wait out the line, and order a hefty square of pizza to enjoy at the bar. A couple of plain cheese slices make for an inexpensive and fairly unimpeachable lunch. The version topped with a ton of chopped garlic and clams? It might very well make your entire week.

Cassava

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After 10 years in the Outer Richmond, this well-loved prix fixe restaurant relocated to a prime location just off Columbus Avenue in late 2022. Owners Yuka Ioroi and Kris Toliao are about as well-known for their commitment to equal wages and fair working conditions for staff as they are for the restaurant’s affordable California cuisine. Choose from either three or five courses and look for entrees such as housemade rigatoni, slow-braised lamb belly, and albacore with squid ink-onion soubise.

Albert Law

Caffe Trieste

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As North Beach staples go, Trieste is almost unbeatable — the storied corner cafe claims to have been the very first Italian-style espresso house on the West Coast when it opened in 1956. Its timing was fortuitous; Trieste became a gathering place for poets, artists, musicians, and the Beat scene at large. Grab a cappuccino and get working on your next novel. You’ll be in good company — Francis Ford Coppola reputedly wrote the script for The Godfather here, and still sometimes frequents the cafe. Stop by on Saturday afternoons for live music.

Patrons enjoy espresso drinks at Caffe Trieste below a mural and a wall of framed photos of famous previous guests of the North Beach institution in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Photo by Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Molinari Delicatessen

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Satiate your cravings for loaded Italian sandwiches at Molinari, a temple of cured meats, cheeses, and olive oil–soaked condiments. The old-school deli is a prime spot to load up for a Washington Square Park picnic. Grab a number, pick your bread, and watch the sandwich magic happen. It’s hard to go wrong with the Renzo Special, a loaded combo of prosciutto, coppa (hot or not), milky fresh mozzarella, and sweet sun-dried tomatoes, though some swear by the chicken parmesan and the grilled focaccia sandwiches. They’ve got fresh pasta on offer, too, along with pre-made lasagna and eggplant parmesan to cook up at home.

Juan Carnejo (left) and Vince Balistreri serve customers during the busy lunch hour at Molinari Delicatessen in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. Photo by Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

El Farolito

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When it comes to late-night dining options in North Beach you really can’t do better than El Farolito, the Mission District taqueria institution with a growing number of outposts across the city and broader Bay Area. Order a fat Mission burrito filled with cheese, rice, beans, sour cream, salsa, avocado, and either carne asada or al pastor. It’s a no-frills dining room, but you can grab a seat and stuff yourself under the glow of those fluorescent lights or take your food to go.

The exterior of El Farolito in North Beach. Santiago Lopez

Tosca Cafe

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101-year-old Tosca Cafe, the historic Italian-American restaurant and bar in North Beach, reopened in November 2020 with a dinner menu starring Tuscan fried chicken, kale pesto parpardelle, and of course, its famous “house cappuccino.” Known for its century-old bar and classic back room, Tosca now boasts a heated parklet outside, perfect for oysters and spritzes.

Vesuvio Cafe

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Channel your inner Beatnik and throw back a few at Vesuvio, a two-level bar that’s been slinging drinks since 1948. Kerouac himself was known to spend considerable time at Vesuvio (and missed meeting with Henry Miller because of it, so they say), and the bar maintains its no-frills charm when it’s not slammed with tourists. Vesuvio is best on weeknights — grab a table in the upstairs window and let your poetic inclinations take over. If you’re looking for a second spot to knock one back, pop across Columbus and down the alley to another classic North Beach bar: 15 Romolo.

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Liguria Bakery

Arrive early to get the goods at Liguria, a 106-year-old San Francisco institution. The family-run bakery specializes in focaccia, and the massive sheets of bread, studded with everything from raisins to olives are a wonder of airy, pillowy bread and olive oil richness (the green onion version is what makes the sandwiches at Mario’s so excellent). Grab a piece or 10 to take across the street from the park, or buy it frozen to finish at home.

Bodega North Beach

While North Beach is best known for its many old-school restaurants and bars, Bodega is a new-school wine lover’s dream with a robust list of options by the glass and a respectable list of plates to pair including tacos, a burger, and grilled cheese. There are plenty of funky natural wines for fans to explore and the enticing descriptions make it easy to choose even if you don’t know a pet-nat from a petit verdot. Pull up a stool to a community table or the bar and make a game of observing the many dates undoubtedly taking place around the intimate interior. 

Victoria Pastry

Sugar rushes are inevitable at Victoria Pastry, a pusher of the sweet stuff since 1914. Sample classics like tiramisu and cannoli, or go big with slices of rich layer cakes. This classic bakery is known for Easter egg-hued princess cake layered with raspberry, whipped cream, custard, and triple sec. But don’t skip the fedora — the dense chocolate cake is loaded with chocolate cream and rum. There are a couple of tables outside, but these sweets are best enjoyed with a coffee in the park.

Cafe Jacqueline

You’ll feel like you took a step back in time when you cross the threshold into this petit Michelin-recommended French restaurant. This gem is about as antiquated as a restaurant can be: no website, reservations by phone only, and a service that’s more assertive than warm. Persevere through it all and you’ll be rewarded, however. Impossibly airy soufflés in sweet and savory varieties make up the whole menu and mean your meal will undoubtedly take a cool couple of hours from start to finish.

Tony's Pizza Napoletana

Tony Gemignani’s pizza empire stretches far beyond North Beach, but its heart and soul remains in the neighborhood. Tony’s Pizza Napoletana packs in the crowds, and with good reason — the extensive menu reads like a crash course in regional pizza styles and history. The limited Napoletana-style margherita is worth the wait, as is the butter-edged Detroit-style square pie. Next door, the Slice House slings wedges of coal-fired New York and Connecticut-style pies plus Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches. Down the street, Capo’s is all about the gut-busting, Chicago-style fare. In brief: When it comes to pizza and its accompaniments, it’s hard to go wrong with any of Gemignani’s restaurants.

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana

Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe

There are no cigars to be found at this corner cafe, but hot, melty sandwiches on pillowy focaccia abound. A bonafide local joint in the midst of Columbus Avenue’s touristy glut, Mario’s is the kind of place that makes you feel like a regular and inspires you to become one. Skip straight to the focaccia sandwich section of the menu, though the hot, baked dishes like lasagna and cannelloni aren’t half bad. They’re made using olive oil-rich focaccia from Liguria Bakery, just across the park. The meatball is legendary, but the eggplant sandwiches (both breaded and grilled) are worth a taste.

Hilda and Jesse

The legendary brunch spot of the North Beach neighborhood is Mama’s, perched just off the park. But if you don’t want to bare the long line know that on the other side of Columbus, retro-fabulous restaurant Hilda and Jesse serves a playful three-course brunch on weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There’s an option to add on items like a plate of shrimp toast or an order of Latvian pancakes, plus a thoughtful list of wines. Dinner is also served Monday, Thursday, and Friday nights.  

Il Pollaio

Blink and you’ll miss this no-frills, neighborhood staple on Columbus. Il Pollaio, as the name suggests, specializes in chicken — specifically, juicy, crispy-skinned grilled chicken, available by the half or whole bird. It’s easy to make a meal of chicken alone, but grilled vegetable sides are worth an order, and the French fries are great for soaking up savory chicken drippings. Give the lamb chops or the half rabbit a try if you’re feeling particularly carnivorous.

Red Window

It’s always sunny at Red Window, the pie-shaped tapas restaurant and bar overlooking the busy intersection of Columbus and Stockton streets. Travel to Spain via food and drink with plates of pintxos like bacalao croquetas and crostini with tuna conserva and a low-proof cocktail or sangria. The brightly colored dining room is cozy day and night and the parklet makes an ideal setting for brunch, served Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

Sotto Mare

Gigi Fiorucci may no longer hold court at Sotto Mare, but this Green Street seafood restaurant is still one of the finest places in the land for fresh oysters, Louie salads, and sloppy bowls of cioppino, bib absolutely required. Make a reservation or prepare to wait at this boisterous neighborhood staple — current owners Rich and Laura Azzolino have kept the space exactly the same, including walls laden with celebrity photos and nautical-themed kitsch. The menu is similarly unchanged and centers around daily fresh catches and San Francisco seafood classics. The aforementioned oysters and cioppino are musts, and the buttery scallops and petrale sole are excellent, too, when available. Be sure to save some of your sourdough bread for sopping up the accompanying sauces and cioppino broth.

Cioppino at Sotto Mare Sotto Mare

Golden Boy Pizza

This North Beach institution has been serving Sicilian-style pizza since 1978. Bring cash, wait out the line, and order a hefty square of pizza to enjoy at the bar. A couple of plain cheese slices make for an inexpensive and fairly unimpeachable lunch. The version topped with a ton of chopped garlic and clams? It might very well make your entire week.

Cassava

After 10 years in the Outer Richmond, this well-loved prix fixe restaurant relocated to a prime location just off Columbus Avenue in late 2022. Owners Yuka Ioroi and Kris Toliao are about as well-known for their commitment to equal wages and fair working conditions for staff as they are for the restaurant’s affordable California cuisine. Choose from either three or five courses and look for entrees such as housemade rigatoni, slow-braised lamb belly, and albacore with squid ink-onion soubise.

Albert Law

Caffe Trieste

As North Beach staples go, Trieste is almost unbeatable — the storied corner cafe claims to have been the very first Italian-style espresso house on the West Coast when it opened in 1956. Its timing was fortuitous; Trieste became a gathering place for poets, artists, musicians, and the Beat scene at large. Grab a cappuccino and get working on your next novel. You’ll be in good company — Francis Ford Coppola reputedly wrote the script for The Godfather here, and still sometimes frequents the cafe. Stop by on Saturday afternoons for live music.

Patrons enjoy espresso drinks at Caffe Trieste below a mural and a wall of framed photos of famous previous guests of the North Beach institution in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Photo by Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Molinari Delicatessen

Satiate your cravings for loaded Italian sandwiches at Molinari, a temple of cured meats, cheeses, and olive oil–soaked condiments. The old-school deli is a prime spot to load up for a Washington Square Park picnic. Grab a number, pick your bread, and watch the sandwich magic happen. It’s hard to go wrong with the Renzo Special, a loaded combo of prosciutto, coppa (hot or not), milky fresh mozzarella, and sweet sun-dried tomatoes, though some swear by the chicken parmesan and the grilled focaccia sandwiches. They’ve got fresh pasta on offer, too, along with pre-made lasagna and eggplant parmesan to cook up at home.

Juan Carnejo (left) and Vince Balistreri serve customers during the busy lunch hour at Molinari Delicatessen in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. Photo by Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

El Farolito

When it comes to late-night dining options in North Beach you really can’t do better than El Farolito, the Mission District taqueria institution with a growing number of outposts across the city and broader Bay Area. Order a fat Mission burrito filled with cheese, rice, beans, sour cream, salsa, avocado, and either carne asada or al pastor. It’s a no-frills dining room, but you can grab a seat and stuff yourself under the glow of those fluorescent lights or take your food to go.

The exterior of El Farolito in North Beach. Santiago Lopez

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Tosca Cafe

101-year-old Tosca Cafe, the historic Italian-American restaurant and bar in North Beach, reopened in November 2020 with a dinner menu starring Tuscan fried chicken, kale pesto parpardelle, and of course, its famous “house cappuccino.” Known for its century-old bar and classic back room, Tosca now boasts a heated parklet outside, perfect for oysters and spritzes.

Vesuvio Cafe

Channel your inner Beatnik and throw back a few at Vesuvio, a two-level bar that’s been slinging drinks since 1948. Kerouac himself was known to spend considerable time at Vesuvio (and missed meeting with Henry Miller because of it, so they say), and the bar maintains its no-frills charm when it’s not slammed with tourists. Vesuvio is best on weeknights — grab a table in the upstairs window and let your poetic inclinations take over. If you’re looking for a second spot to knock one back, pop across Columbus and down the alley to another classic North Beach bar: 15 Romolo.

Eater Archives

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