North Beach, The Italian Quarter
By Nina Wu with contributions by Karen Solomon
Much more than just a popular tourist destination, this intimate Heart of the City still beats with the resonance of its Italian residents, though few Italians live in the neighborhood today. Also, contrary to the name there is no beach in North Beach, but there is plenty of warm weather to be enjoyed in Washington Square Park, and the vacation feel of the area permeates every grappa and espresso at every outdoor cafe. As far as the restaurants are concerned, many cater to tourists along the area’s tiny cosmopolitan thoroughfares. But for the intrepid, there are still plenty of family-owned gems that conjure charm and personal warmth. Locals and visitors alike will enjoy one perfect day in North Beach.
Debra
and Michael Sanchez, Mama’s offers a selection of locally named
omelettes or "momelettes," such
as the Washington Square (Italian sausage, red bell pepper, tomato, hot
pepper jack), the North Beacher, and Mama’s Children’s favorites.
Eggs benedict, salads, sandwiches, coffee, and house wine are also on
the menu. Mama’s
is a comfortable place with floral tablecloths, an open-air feeling and
plenty of local and visiting patrons who hang out in the morning with
their newspapers and coffee. The waitresses will take good care of you,
greeting anyone who walks in warmly and serving up the dishes with a
hearty “Mangia!” 
lunch
might be a simple, home-cooked dish, and these are found in pleasant
abundance at the Original U.S. Restaurant (515 Columbus).
U.S. stands for Unione Sportiva, and it’s also the Italian name
for the San Francisco Italian Athletic club next to the post office.
Alberto and Ann Cipollina were owners of the restaurant that has been
in their family for 50 years. They reopened the Original U.S. Restaurant
after losing their old spot at the intersection of Columbus, Green, and
Stockton, where it had been located for four generations.
Cipollina, who is originally from Sicily, has this philosophy about food: “If
a person goes to a restaurant to eat, give them enough food so that they’re
not going to go hungry.” One serving of their ample stewed rabbit,
roast beef, ossa bucco, minestrone, and pasta and you’ll see that
his mission is accomplished. As of September 1, 2004, the restaurant
was purchased by Trinacria Corp., consisting of new owners Meagan Cunningham
and Giovanni Favognano, and chef Benjamin Ruiz. Down the street, The Gold Spike (527
Columbus) has been a North Beach haunt since 1920, and it has always
been owned by the Mechetti family. It began as a candy store that sold
homemade wine in the backroom during Prohibition. 
Accidentally, it became
a restaurant as well: The aromas of Natalina Mechetti's homemade meat
and pasta dishes first lured the tenants of the building and then later,
people in off of the street, who paid twenty-five cents a day to join
the family for meals. Today, the pot roast, the meat sauce, and the minestrone
soup are still Natalina’s recipes, and remain the star offerings
of this popular restaurant and bar. "We never even had a menu until
15 years ago," recalls Paul Mechetti, third-generation owner. The
dÈcor of the Spike is unique, timeless, and worn—the entire
ceiling and most of the walls are plastered with business cards and old
dollar bills. Mechetti loves to tell the story of how this legendary
dÈcor began: In the early 1960’s, fitness star Jack Lalaine
was ribbing a customer for his drinking and smoking, and during their
well-spirited debate, he licked a cigarette and flicked it to the ceiling,
where it stuck. The drinking man wanted his business card next to the
cigarette, and paid then owner Atillio a dollar for the privilege. Other
patrons liked the idea of a card on the ceiling, and also paid a dollar.
Paul says his grandfather made $15 that first night alone. The bar’s
unique decor was born.
Legend or not, what remains true today is that The Gold Spike still lingers with the aromas of old Italy and the feel and tenor of the real North Beach. Regulars come in for the remarkable six-course dinner of pasta, meat, salad, antipasti, soup, and spumoni, or just stop in for a beer. On occasion, a regular patron will order a Campari cocktail or spin a 45 from the Brat Pack classics on the jukebox.
way, the WSB&G, also called “the Washbag” was sold to
Peter Lomack in 1990 and then Peter Osborne in 1995. Today it’s
owned by chef/proprietor Guy Ferri, who has brought back a classic Italian
menu suited to the location. The lunchtime and afternoon crowd is made
up of regulars from the neighborhood (and talkative old-timers in tweed
jackets) along with a few out-of-town visitors who wander in. Bartender
Michael McCourt sings as he pours you a drink, but don’t ask the
native of Limerick to recite a limerick, because he doesn’t actually
like them. He’s a good source for tales and is happy to answer
questions about the area; he'll even scribble names and places on bar
napkins for you. The "Washbag" has jazz music every night.
good
for conversation. The bar is afloat with photos of all the folks who
have visited Capp’s over the decades. Bartender Ray Boatright
says Capp’s is one of the few old-school, family-style places
left in North Beach. The menu features amply-prepared classics like
spaghetti with meatballs, linguini with steamed mussels and clams,
calamari steaks, osso bucco with polenta and grilled steaks. The food
is pretty good, but it’s the vibe and the ambience—and
the value for the money —that keeps customers coming in. “We
get two to three generations of people coming here,” he said.
The walls are also covered with black and white photos, the prerequisite
for any real San Francisco place. Boxers, baseball players, and celebrities
from the famous Beach Blanket Babylon show next door. Every other Thursday,
there are jam sessions with cast members from Babylon and other local
entertainers. “You never know who might show up,” Poatright
said. 
or Figaro
Ristorante Italiano (414 Columbus), both of which feature Roman
Italian food. Figaro’s founding Chef Luigi Dominici is from Rome,
and the menu offers crispy, thin-crust Roman-style pizzas, fresh pasta,
risottos, meat, and seafood. Figaro, which takes its name from Rossini's
opera, “The Barber of Seville,” has a nice garden patio in
the back for San Francisco’s rare sunny days. Take note of the
ceramic-tiled floor and beautiful 87-year-old fresco of angels on a blue
background painted on the ceiling. If you happen to walk by during the
afternoon, you’ll probably find Alessandro Pedani standing outside
to usher in new customers. If you ask, “How long have you been
here?” he jokes, “I have been here 75 years.” He recommends
Figaro’s potato soup and their housemade gnocchi. 
be
happy to tell you all about it, “From the hills of Montalcino
to the heart of Sonoma.” A few bottles of Petroni’s wine,
including the Poggio Alla Pietra, are visible at the restaurant entrance.
According to Lorenzo, it’s the first Brunello ever produced in
northern California, though technically he can’t call it a Brunello.
More information on the housemade wines can be found at www.PetroniVineyards.com.
Lorenzo also makes his own Petroni Extra Virgin olive oil. Guests at
North Beach Restaurant can vouch for the good manners that greet them
at the door, and the fine, classic cooking of chef and co-owner Bruno
Orsi. Maitre d’Hotel Joel Pierre Schweitzer knows how to treat
customers, which is probably what makes the place one of ex-Mayor and
socialite Willie Brown’s favorite haunts. And the menu speaks
for itself: delicioso. 
muses.
Owned by the two Salvatores—Salvatore Cortara and Salvatore
Sarinelli—Michelango specializes in seafood and pasta. Cortara,
who hails from Calabria, the end of the toe in southern Italy’s
boot shape, says the cioppino (seafood soup) is their signature dish. “That’s
my own recipe,” he said. “But no, it’s not secret.” He
calls the place “continental Italian.” Art and food lovers
had better bring cash, as no credit cards are accepted.
Couples looking for a romantic night out might also fall for Ristorante
Mona Lisa, which has replicas of the famous painting of the lady with
the winsome smile on its walls (and a topless one as well!) along with
a velvet, red decor. Open since 1979, Mona Lisa offers all the
usual pasta dishes, along with a wide selection of wines. Owner Maurizio
Florese took over the business from his father (there’s a portrait
of his father near the doorway, and father and son look so alike it’s
uncanny). From time to time, a shiny black 1951 Fiat 600 parks in front
of the restaurant. It belongs to Maurizio, who had Mona Lisa’s
logo stamped on the hood. Mona Lisa offers 65 selections of pasta, Maurizio
brags, along with 70 types of risotto and 25 kinds of fish. Dessert’s
not bad, either. At the end of the meal, entangle forks with a friend
over a dish of Tiramisu. 
favorite for
newspaper people and politicos. Ed Moose, himself a former newspaperman,
greets customers by name at the door. He’s known to be a good listener
who lending his ear to many a personal tale. Kind as he is, though, he
can still draw a hard line: placards on each table forbid customers from
talking on their cell phones or succumbing to their beepers. Moose explains: “The
idea is to go to lunch, have a drink, relax, get away from the cares
of the day and yourself.” Besides, he says, it’s rude, and
chefs hate watching someone yakking away at the table instead of enjoying
the meal they so carefully put together. Herb Caen was a regular (see
the tributes to him on the walls), as are Walter Cronkite and Danielle
Steele. Ed and his wife, Mary Etta, have created a community around Moose’s.
In addition to jazz every night, Moose's puts out a newsletter, hosts
special events like the hotel doormen and bellmen gatherings, and breathes
life into the aging North Beach community. 
some will tell you that their wedding took place
there 20, 30, or more years ago. Chef Gianni Audieri says there will
be no travesties like blueberry risotto at Fior d’Italia. He’s
been there more than 20 years, and the menu has stayed virtually the
same. Sports figures adorn the walls of the Fior d’Italia. There
are signed photos ranging from baseball player Orlando Cepeda to cancer-survivor
and Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong and 49’ers quarterback
Jeff Garcia. As a matter of fact, three of Fior d’Italia’s
waiters are serious bikers—they race the Grand Prix every year.
Walking further into the back, the restaurant offers a large dining space
with curved booths. The Tony Bennett room, dedicated to the original
crooner of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” displays photos
of the star from his earliest days as a boy to the height of his stardom.
There’s even a copy of a letter from Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, dated
Nov. 28, 1977, thanking Tony Bennett for his performance at the White
House. And a page from a short story by William Saroyan hangs on the
wall that establishes the character’s identify by simply stating, "I
am a waiter at Fior d'Italia." This is truly a part of North Beach
history that cannot be overlooked.
back
about 30 years. Owner Roman Marcucci will tell you through a thick accent
that his place is popular among the locals. “Everything is good,” he
says, but especially the veal and the pasta. And chef Liliano Salvetti
puts extra care into the food. Marcucci worked nine years as a janitor
before opening up the restaurant with his brother-in-law. This is the
kind of neighborhood place where regulars are recognized and greeted
like friends. Many neighborhood changes have transpired since Marcucci
first opened, and he sighs when he acknowledges that North Beach is changing
shape. Though it’s become more multicultural over the decades,
the restaurateur takes pride in the core Italian community he’s
a part of, and enjoys the annual Columbus Day parade. 
Award-winning
bartender Dave Nepove (left), bar manager and a passionate mixologist,
would be happy to take his custom-made muddling stick and gnash you one
of the freshest, most unusual cocktails you’ve ever tasted (listed
on the cocktail menu as "Stick Drinks"). His energy and enthusiasm
spill over as he takes fresh kumquats, sugar, ice, and vodka and magically
creates his seasonal specialty, the Kumquat Caipirushka—a cocktail
he colorfully describes as a "screwdriver on acid". Summer
brings on other specialties mixed with watermelon, kiwi, or housemade
blueberry and lavender liquor. Nepove advises his best customers to, "Look
at the bar to see what fruits are out. That will tell you what’s
going on behind the bar." Nepove, the self-proclaimed "Mr.
Mohito", offers
other fiery and original cocktails to accompany the restaurant’s
menu. But, as he points out, "The restaurant and bar are their own
entities, but they work well together." Just imagine the taste of
tequila, Liquor 43 (flavors of vanilla and honey), muddled jalapenos,
fresh lime juice, and sugar. It's called Sweat Heat. Or wrap your lips
around the succulent fruit of the Cactus Pear Margarita. In the airy
ballroom of Enrico’s
dining space, in the warmth of a spring afternoon on their expansive
front patio, or clamoring for an inch of bar space on a crowded weekend
night, those expertly created flavors truly make Enrico’s a potent
elixir. 
family, the restaurant was founded by the Cantalupo
family from Naples. They sold the place to their longtime chef, Tommy
Chin, but only on the condition that he would change the name, and Chin
christened it Tommaso’s. When current proprietor Agostino Crotti
bought the place in 1973, he saw no reason to change the name again.
Now Crotti, his two sisters Carmen and Lidia (who is the chef), and his
son, wife, and three nephews run the place. He brags that Tommaso’s
is home to the oldest wood-burning oven on the West Coast and that it
is the one that first inspired Alice Waters at Chez Panisse and later,
Wolfgang Puck of Spago’s. The fare here is “old-fashioned,
rustic Italian” and the flavors are simply magnificent. Wood-fired
pizzas with hand-twirled dough, lasagna, manicotti, baked sea bass, clams,
oysters and eggplants are also popular here. A selection of 42 wines
from both Italy and California makes the perfect accompaniment to your
meal, and make this the perfect finale for a wonderful day exploring
SF’s Italian roots.