Diners' Choice: Italian restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area

OpenTable

Updated 05 December 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Italian cuisine in San Francisco Bay Area? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyses more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favourites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Luna Ristorante - Concord

4.9

4.9 (482)

$30 and under

Italian

Concord

About the restaurant

“I’m the owner and the chef, so I’m always here,” he says in his lyrical Mediterranean accent. “It’s nice to do business with locals.”

Jacifi describes his menu as a blend of new and old: “You get old-school tastes with a modern presentation.” The restaurant specializes in northern and southern Italian standards like saltimbocca, chicken cacciatore, and risotto. But the eighteen-year-old Luna takes these familiar dishes very seriously. Redoune, partner and co-chef Hafid Tadri, and co-chef Habib Jacifi don’t so much replicate the old standards as define them.

Take the fettuccini with Bolognese sauce. Many restaurants make a Bolognese; few do it well. Like the sly smile on the lips of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous lady, this brick red sauce reveals a depth of character beyond its simple appearance. Carrots, celery, and onions add a layer of sweetness, while bacon contributes a sultry, meaty backbone.

Top review

Kimberly

Dined on 26 Nov 2024

Luna was a delightful evening! Excellent food, nice ambience, friendly and professional attentive service. We even got to meet the owner and chat a bit. I will definitely be back!

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4.9

4.9 (1250)

$31 to $50

Italian

Russian Hill

About the restaurant

Welcome to Amarena, our beloved classic neighborhood Italian restaurant.
Proudly serving the Russian Hill Neighborhood for over 20 years, dishing out delicious Italian classics while providing loving service. We hope to see you soon!

Top review

Miguelvip

Dined 3 days ago

We enjoyed our evening at Amarena. The friendly manner of the waiter and later on the owner, added to the overall positive impression with which we were left. I plana to return.

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Experience

Happy Hours at Amarena everyday

Baci Cafe & Wine Bar - Healdsburg

4.9

4.9 (3697)

$31 to $50

Italian

Healdsburg

About the restaurant

Baci Cafe & Wine Bar invites you to enjoy its fine regional Italian and Mediterranean food, paired with wines from Sonoma, Napa and Italy, in a casual dining atmosphere.
Baci's wine list is thoughtful and well-priced, and features many small artisan wineries. Baci's menu is creative and offers a large selection of dishes. It's focus and commitment to local fresh seasonal ingredients has made it one of our Sonoma County favorites.

Top review

Mikevip

Dined 3 days ago

We went to support dining for life, a fundraiser for Food for Thought. The restaurant did a great job, offering its full menu and donating 50% of the bill. The braised short ribs were the star, but everything was delicious from the burrata toast to the Baci salad, and fresh pasta. On top of that, we received excellent service. Baci in Healdsburg is definitely a go to in a town packed with great restaurants.

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Popular dish

Spaghetti alla Bolognese

Popular dish

Gnocchi alla Bolognese

Popular dish

Carpaccio

Serafina SF

4.9

4.9 (431)

$31 to $50

Italian

Downtown / Union Square

About the restaurant

Serafina is a little gem of a restaurant, perched on top of Nob Hill, with views overlooking the city and Bay Bridge. Serafina was owner Maurizio Bruschi’s grandmother, and the name of her eponymous restaurant in the heart of Trastevere (Rome), where Maurizio first began making pizza at the age of 14. The executive chef is Umberto Cannarsa, a successful chef from Rome, who left his own restaurant in Rome to work with Maurizio again. The menu offers everything, including vegetarian options, but specializes in innovative Italian fish dishes, including fresh calamari, stuffed with olives, escarole, anchovies, drizzled with a potato leek sauce, as well as homemade pastas and dolci. The space is warm and elegant, where neighbors and friends can come together.

Top review

paul

Dined 3 days ago

Food was very good Table of 4 We had grilled calamari, beet salad,tortelloni Gnocchi, veal chop, rack of lamb , veal scallopini, Tartufo and profiteroles for dolci All very good And attentive service!!

Caffe Fiore - San Francisco

4.9

4.9 (389)

$30 and under

Italian

Mission

About the restaurant

*For online orders, please visit www.caffefioresf.com*

An OpenTable favorite, Caffe Fiore is where European café culture meets fine Italian cuisine on the Mission/Noe Valley corridor in San Francisco. Serving classic Neapolitan and contemporary Italian favorites for dinner, our kitchen offers a fine selection of homemade dishes Tuesday through Saturday. Whether just for a glass of wine or a big dinner party, we look forward to seeing you at our home away from home, just a block away from the bustle of Valencia Street!

Top review

maryannvip

Dined on 24 Nov 2024

Great service excellent food! We even found right in front of restaurant!

Cook St. Helena

4.9

4.9 (1435)

$30 and under

Italian

St. Helena

About the restaurant

Specializing in elegant but straight-forward Northern Italian cuisine, created from local and seasonal ingredients.

A family-owned business, Cook St. Helena, is a neighborhood establishment through and through that continues to bring people together around fresh, handmade, delicious food in a warm, casual atmosphere. We opened Cook in 2004 to show the locals and tourists alike that food does not need to be complicated to taste great!

Top review

OpenTable Dinervip

Dined 2 days ago

Always such a great experience. The standard menu never disappoints and the specials make it even more difficult to decide what to order. The staff is welcoming and attentive.

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Popular dish

risotto

A photo of flourless chocolate cake caramel whipped cream grey salt of a restaurant

Cafe Pro Bono

4.8

4.8 (1420)

$30 and under

Italian

Palo Alto

About the restaurant

Cafe Pro Bono stands as Palo Alto's premier destination for exquisite Italian cuisine. With a legacy spanning over 30 years, we take pride in offering a diverse array of authentic and reasonably priced Italian and European dishes, each crafted with a dedication to freshness that is evident in every bite.

Whether you seek a romantic evening or a casual dinner, our menu features a wide selection of traditional dishes at accesible prices. From beautifully presented appetizers to homemade pastas, daily fresh seafood, quality meats, and indulgent desserts, complemented by expertly crafted cocktails we strive to ensure every visit is a memorable culinary experience.

Consider our Private Event Room for your next rehearsal dinner, birthday celebration, baby shower, family gathering or business meeting. Our full bar offers a variety of cocktails, including alongside domestic and international wines.

We look forward to welcoming you soon to Cafe Pro Bono.

Buon Appetito!!!

Top review

Joseph

Dined 3 days ago

Wonderful food and service, but nolise level a bit too loud inside. Outside tables are close to the road and there is traffic. Food is so good it is worth tolerating the noise inside.

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Popular dish

Rigatoni

Valenti & Co. Ristorante

4.9

4.9 (842)

$31 to $50

Italian

San Anselmo

About the restaurant

Welcome to Valenti & Co, Northern Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar in San Anselmo. Farm-fresh Italian Cuisine, thoughtfully sourced local ingredients and wines.

Top review

John

Dined on 23 Nov 2024

The food is off the charts! Always something unique and fresh on the menu. But the standard entrees are excellent as well. Everything is homemade - love the focaccia bread! Service is prompt and friendly. Also a great wine selection. Always a great night out at Valenti.

Mamma Tanino's Ristorante

4.8

4.8 (1190)

$31 to $50

Italian

Sonoma

About the restaurant

Four blocks west of "The Square' tucked in the Sonoma Valley Center, Italian born chef, Gaetano Patrinostro uses a combination of the freshest local products and Italian imports to prepare authentic Italian cuisine. His pasta sauces are based on the region of origin, seafood and steaks are cooked to perfection and the desserts are not to be missed. Mamma Tanino's is an off The Square locals favorite and the at home feeling makes out of towners love this place.

Top review

Sandra

Dined 1 day ago

I always enjoy going to Mama's because the food is outstanding. Gaitano cooks everything to order. Because of that the service is slow and one usually has to wait, but last night, we went at 5:30 because we were going to a play that started at 7:30, so the service was fast. The pork chop was moist and tender, and the Veal Katrina was divine.

Chianti Cucina - Novato

4.8

4.8 (906)

$30 and under

Italian

Novato

About the restaurant

Chianti Cucina, an Italian restaurant in Novato, welcomes you to our family, where great food, service and atmosphere await you Italian style.
We invite you to our table, offering a casual & memorable experience. At Chianti Cucina, you'll feel like a neighborhood regular, even if you're just visiting us for the first time. Our restaurant is a family friendly venue where you can feel equally at home as a solo diner, as a family, or as a small or large group of friends.

Top review

Bruce

Dined 2 days ago

Great food and exceptional service! We had a wonderful meal with friends.

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