Diners' Choice: Italian restaurants in San Francisco Bay Area

OpenTable

Updated January 05, 2025

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

Cook St. Helena

4.9

4.9 (1453)

$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

cameronVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Perfection- one of the best meals I’ve had in years

888 Ristorante Italiano

4.9

4.9 (619)

$30 and under

Italian

San Carlos

About the restaurant

If you’ve ever enjoyed the 888 dining experience, you know it’s not like your average Bay Area Italian restaurant. Conveniently located in the heart of downtown San Carlos, 888 Ristorante Italiano brings authentic flavors of Italy to Laurel Street. 888 was created from a passion for Italian cuisine that’s deep-rooted in the Maddalena family. Owner Vince Maddalena and Chef Raul learned their craft through growing up in the restaurant industry. Specifically, Maddalena’s, owned by Vince’s dad for over 30 years in Palo Alto. When Vince’s dad closed shop, Vince knew he wanted to continue sharing his passion for food with the public. And so 888 was born! When it comes to cooking, we never take shortcuts. Almost all of our menu is made in-house and we keep things fresh by changing our dishes as seasons come and go. Enjoy our intimate dining experience with a significant other, family and friends or just let us know if you have a large group and we would be happy to accommodate. Your host, Vincenzo Maddalena, would like to welcome you to his restaurant for a unique dining experience of authentic Italian cuisine. Buon Appetito!

Top review

RubenVIP

Dined 7 days ago

Outstanding service. Amazing food. Nice selection of wines!

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Popular dish

Calamari Fritti

Caffe Fiore - San Francisco

4.8

4.8 (393)

$30 and under

Italian

Mission District

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

HenryVIP

Dined on Dec 25, 2024

Caffe Fiore is just a nice small restaurant that has always served us a nice dinner. It has a good variety of food options without going overboard on the selections. It seems they have developed the right balance of enough options for the guests while at the same time assuring that what they do cook is done well.

Baci Cafe & Wine Bar - Healdsburg

4.9

4.9 (3726)

$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

glenVIP

Dined on Jan 3, 2025

My wife and I went to Baci for our anniversary dinner. Needless to say the service, food etc, were all outstanding. What a treasure we have in Healdsburg!! Glen and Shelly

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Popular dish

Spaghetti alla Bolognese

Popular dish

Gnocchi alla Bolognese

Popular dish

Carpaccio

Sapore Italiano

4.7

4.7 (970)

$30 and under

Italian

Burlingame

About the restaurant

Sapore Italiano is a relaxed Italian eatery known for its tasty bread and hearty cuisine. The restaurant serves everything, from pizzas and salads, to veal scaloppine Marsala and tiger prawns with a basil and white wine sauce. Try Sapore Italiano's homemade meat lasagna or signature insalata Sapore with greens, chicken breast, raisins and sliced apples in a balsamic vinaigrette for lunch. Sapore Italiano's dinner menu includes irresistible antipasti like carpaccio Veneto with raw beef, shaved Parmesan, arugula, Dijon mustard, olive oil and lemon. The restaurant's rigatoni with ground sausage and vegetarian pizza are both standout dishes. A large wine list includes a nice variety of Italian and Californian wines. Sapore Italiano also serves gluten-free and whole wheat pastas.

Top review

Noel

Dined on Dec 25, 2024

The food was great, our server delightful and the host very kind- the place was packed but very merry We had a great time

Cafe Pro Bono

4.9

4.9 (1438)

$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

Samira

Dined 4 days ago

Andy was great. Amazing service and attitude. Great food

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Popular dish

Rigatoni

Frascati

4.9

4.9 (2569)

$31 to $50

Italian

Russian Hill

About the restaurant

Frascati is a Mediterranean style bistro, located in one of San Francisco’s most desirable neighborhoods – Russian Hill. When a guest walks through the door of Frascati, he or she is initially treated to a friendly and comfortable dining room. Frascati encompasses a truly European aura, but is also a cozy, San Francisco neighborhood bistro. This tri-level restaurant features warm colors, high ceilings, antique light fixtures and street views of cable cars clanging up and down Hyde Street. The natural light and energetic atmosphere all convey a lively spirit.

Our cuisine is inspired from the Mediterranean coast and has strong Californian influences. The menu shifts frequently to utilize the best and freshest ingredients any season has to offer. Also, we pride ourselves on all of our house made desserts and ice creams.

Of equal importance, Frascati has become known for having an eclectic wine list which nicely complements the food.

Top review

Russ

Dined 3 days ago

We’ve never had a bad meal at Frascati. The staff are all excellent and knowledgeable. The menu is adaptable and everything always tastes amazing and fresh.

Serafina SF

4.9

4.9 (446)

$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

LafayetteMom

Dined on Jan 5, 2025

Excellent, friendly service. The eggplant parmigiana and the lemon cake!

Passione Emporio

4.8

4.8 (193)

$31 to $50

Italian

Berkeley

About the restaurant

What does Emporio mean? It’s market where you can get a variety of things you need. Today in small villages in Italy, the Emporio is the center of life. Villagers visit the Emporio daily to socialize, share local happenings, and get their local fresh goods, cheese, pasta, sandwiches, and bread.

Passione is bringing a little piece of Italian small village life to you, here in Berkley. Our mission at Passione Emporio is to create a neighborhood restaurant that has the same feel of community and quality as old village Emporios. We source only the best local ingredients and craft them with traditional Italian recipes to make delicious food, with vegan options, along with an authentic array of Italian and locally sourced food and wine.

Our rotating wine bar offers a selection of Italian, Californian and European wines and beers with Prosecco at the center of the list to accompany Italian salami and cheese plates during happy hour.

Top review

GARYVIP

Dined 6 days ago

I am so glad to have found this place. It has great food served in a warm friendly atmosphere. The pastas and pizzas are delicious and they offer yummy desserts.

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