Imagine your Italian grandmother set up shop on Columbus Avenue, but with an eye for 21st-century aesthetics. That’s the Italian Homemade Company, a bright-but-cozy storefront specializing in gourmet Italian goods, plus prepared food to take away or eat at a table by the window with some wine. Choices include consistently excellent fresh pasta — pick your type (pappardelle, gnocchi, ravioli, etc.) and your sauce (butter and sage, bolognese, and more) — giant slabs of lasagna, and piadina, a pliant, yeast-free flatbread filled with salty cold cuts and cheese.

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.

You’ll find lines down the block daily at Mama’s, a legendary brunch spot with an epic wait time to match. The corner restaurant has been keeping the neighborhood fed since the late ’60s, and the giant omelets, loaded Benedicts, and over-the-top French toast speak to years of practice. Stop by on a weekday if you can — breakfast is served all day and you’ll likely sneak in without too long of a wait. Regardless, be sure to visit the Bake Shop, where freshly baked loaf cakes, homemade jam, and other sweets are available to go.

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.

A pocket-sized shop on the quieter end of Grant Avenue, Little Vine has everything you want and nothing you don’t. A thoughtful selection of cheese, charcuterie, bread, jams, and sweets have the makings of a perfect picnic, with a stellar array of wines and beers to pair with them. The shop also offers a daily changing sandwich during lunch hours, with combinations like Zoe’s pastrami and McVicker’s pickles and La Querica prosciutto, fresh burrata, and quince jam. They host regular wine tastings, too, on Thursday nights should you need more reasons to stop by.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If you want a more classic burger experience in the area, head to Sam’s Burgers, that itty bitty joint beloved by true San Franciscans and the late great Anthony Bourdain. But if you’re looking for a dining option to please even the pickiest of eaters, this second outpost of Hi-Way Burger & Fry delivers. The 100% grass-fed beef burgers demand respect and the menu also spans chicken, sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, sides, and shakes. It’s affordable by Bay Area standards, too, with pretty much everything coming in under $10.

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.

One of the newer entries in the North Beach pizza scene, Il Casaro has become a favorite thanks to the airy-crusted, leopard-spotted Neapolitan-style pizzas, bright space, and focus on creamy fresh mozzarella (il casaro means “the cheesemaker”). The pizzas are a must-order, of course — the eponymous Il Casaro with grana padano, mozzarella, mushrooms, and prosciutto is excellent, as is the classic margherita — but it’s worth saving room for antipasti like roasted cauliflower with garlic, capers, and Calabrian chile, and fried “Cibo de Strata” or street food, like fried fior di latte mozzarella and potato croquettes stuffed with ’nduja.

As alleyway bars go, 15 Romolo sets a nearly unbeatable gold standard. The former Basque Hotel still churns out some of the greatest cocktails in the city, with knockout food offerings to match. It’s wise to keep it straightforward with Pimms Cup and a burger, or dig deeper into the bar’s excellent sherry offerings and menu featuring plates like Bacalao croquettas and a pickled brined chicken sandwich. The cozy, low-lit space is easily one of the sexier date night spots out there. A real-deal jukebox and a photobooth don’t hurt things, either.

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.

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.