Family-style Italian in San Francisco is a great way to go for anyone who wants a delicious meal in a relaxed setting in the Bay Area. These restaurants and cafes serve classic Italian dishes. Each venue puts its own twist on the classics, however, to provide a unique dining experience.
Sports Cafe
Caffe Sport is known for the amazing food, but not so much for the appetizers they serve. The service is also described as unique. Rather than syrupy and sugary friendliness, many family-style restaurants offer serving customers. The service has been compared to Nazi soup on “Seinfeld,” and the waiters’ crispy attitude is a longstanding tradition at Caffe Sport. Locals know and love it, and they love dishes like Salmone Piccata.
Tommaso’s Ristorante Italiano
Take the pizza to Ristorante Italiano de Tommaso. Tomasso’s has been part of the North Beach dining scene since 1935, and it was the first West Coast restaurant with a wood-fired pizza oven. The pies served are created from classic Neapolitan recipes passed down from generation to generation. Ristorante Italiano de Tommaso also serves fresh seafood dishes and is known for having an excellent wine selection.
Sotto Mare
The menu at Sotto Mare in North Beach includes classic Italian pastas and seafood dishes made with fresh, local ingredients. The restaurant’s décor has a soft, casual elegance and is housed in a historic Prohibition-era building. Customers sit in a long marble bar or on one of the tables next to the restaurant. Large pictures adorn the walls and industrial-chic pendant lighting adds to the ambiance. While all the seafood dishes are popular at Sotto Mare, customers rave about the Crab Cioppino.
zero zero
Dark wood and wrought iron decor accents give Zero Zero the appearance of a classic Western restaurant, but the food is all Italian. The unexpected decor gives a relaxed and fun tone to the meal, and the bar offers a wide selection of drinks. This venue is kid-friendly, but there are no high chairs or booster seats, so parents should plan ahead and bring their own if needed. Some of Zero Zero’s popular dishes are pizza, duck confit rigatoni, and pork meatballs.
These San Francisco eateries invite diners to sample delicacies like California-style pizzas, pastas that double as comfort food, and lighter dishes that deliver the delicious factor. Stop by for a satisfying family meal the next time you crave Italian cuisine.
