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Tommaso Ristorante Italiano
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Pizza Italian, Pizza [Edit]
1042 Kearny St(between Nottingham Pl & Pacific Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Neighbourhoods: North Beach/Telegraph Hill, Financial District
(415) 398-9696
- Hours:
Tue-Sat 5 pm - 10:30 pm
Sun 4 pm - 9:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
928 reviews for Tommaso Ristorante Italiano
Review Highlights
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"East coast thin crust style with an excellent flavor." In 79 reviews -
"Such an awesome old school NB institution." In 52 reviews -
"...always a wait though and they don't take reservations." In 33 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
928 reviews in English
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Review from Maggie H.
San Francisco, CA
5/11/2012
My best firend, Herman Y. and I came here on a Friday night looking for some good Italian eats. And let me tell you, Tommaso's did not disappoint. The wait for two people seemed to fly by quickly, especially since I was keeping myself updated with the Giants game that night since my best friend made me leave in the middle of it. I didn't even have time to go back to my car to listen to the rest of the game when our names were called to be seated.
Atmosphere: Although this place is surrounded by nudey bars and nightclubs, once you get inside your transported to a little Italian cafe with intimate seating and loud conversations all around. The table next to us was less than an arm's length away and I kept bumping my elbow into the partition next to me, but that's okay. Once you walk in, a long table runs down the middle of the restaurant, probably to accommodate the big groups that stumble across this gem of a restaurant amongst the boobs and the skimpy club-goers.
Food: I have to rave about the LASAGNA. This is probably the best of the best I've ever had. When you eat pasta, you can tell what's store bought and what's freshly made, and this place made their own pasta sheets. I don't think I've ever had a melt in your mouth pasta, but this did not disappoint. The red sauce was perfectly seasoned and perfect for my bread to sop up. I asked for extra bread to wipe my plate clean. The extra bread was also used to sop up the wonderful vinegary broth that our Baked Fresh Coo-Coo Clams produced. The clams were briney and provided just enough oceany flavor as not to make you feel like you're drinking a mouthful of the Pacific Ocean. The spices in the broth just added to the deliciousness, besty used the empty clam shells to spoon the broth over our breads and into our mouths! Our (out of place) Asian bus boy was afraid to remove this empty plate when we were done with our clams cause we were still drinking the broth. We also ordered the Fresh Spinach and Parmesan pizza, this was the http://bomb.com! The fresh spinach along with the saltiness of the parmesan cheese atop a thin crust pizza drizzled with olive oil was the best thing ever. I mean, who knew you could make boring ingredients such as spinach and parmesan interesting? And finally, you know I can't leave a place without some dessert and since this was an Italian restaurant, can you guess what I ordered? The Tiramisu, of course. The Tiramisu was a bit of a disappointment because 1) the lady fingers were VERY oversoaked and soggy, and 2) oversoaked lady fingers = more booze, right? NOPE. I couldn't taste ANY rum in this. Hey, I'm not a drinker, but if there's supposed to be alcohol in my food and it's not cooked off, I wanna taste it. Come on, I just wanna get into the right mindset before I walk out into the glaring nightclub lights.
Overall: My besty and I gave each other a few WTF looks because of the two random Asians that worked here. Yeah. How did THAT happen? The experience was great. The food was amazing. My besty and I will definitely be back.
Oh, did I mention that the lasagna was the AMAZING? Yeah, I hope my point is made. -
Review from Jeff R.
Greenbrae, CA
5/5/2012
I was told this place is an institution. Elvis was an institution too, and I think this place is like Elvis in his jump suit and cape days.
I had people visiting from Switzerland; long-lost relatives that I'd never met before. I wanted to make a good impression on them on behalf of San Francisco, so we met at Tosca (name a better bar in North Beach . . . yeah, I didn't think you could). After a few rounds we were walking to Cafe Macaroni when I looked up the street, saw Tommaso, and remembered a coworker telling me, "it's an institution."
Surly waiter; even the cheerful Swiss wondered why he never smiled. Food wasn't any better than Buca di Beppo; everything was swimming in red sauce and cheese. And the crowd was all Bridge and Tunnel.
God I wish we'd just gone to Cafe Macaroni. -
Review from Nikki B.
Pleasanton, CA
4/30/2012
Always a wait, but worth it! I love the guy that greets and seats, he has always been so friendly when I come here.
My favorite is their chilled broccoli salad (a must try for anyone who doesn't know how yummy it is yet!!!). Their pizzas are absolutely deee-lish!! I would suggest the Parma Prosciutto or the spinach & parmasan. -
Review from Amanda G.
4/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
My husband had wanted to try this place for a very long time, but knowing about the wait kept us away on weekend evenings.
I had gotten the BBE coupon, so that gave us a reason to finally make it here for a weekday dinner. We still had to wait, but a very reasonable 20 minutes or so.
Several reviewers mentioned the wait staff being unpleasant, but i found them to be incredibly nice, and very helpful.
We asked for some recommendations, and ended up ordering: a small pizza, a calzone, and the antipasti plate. We paced ourselves since the food was brought out one dish at a time, and we knew there was more coming. The server was really great about wrapping up the leftovers from each dish. I think we actually came home with more food than we ate. Not a huge deal, but my husband ate leftover pizza and calzone for a week!
The BBE deal was an amazing value, although we didn't find their prices to be high for the amount of food served.
I liked everything, but don't feel a need to come back.
I'm super picky about pizza, and there are a few places i prefer. -
Review from Jannifer H.
San Francisco, CA
4/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
Yelp failed me this time... Or maybe we just didn't order the right things... But we did ask the waiter what to order. I expected the food to taste better.
Venue: Medium sized restaurants in between strip clubs. While walking to the restaurant I felt awkward cause all I see were strip clubs and the restaurant didn't have any big sign indicating it was there. Be prepare for long wait during peak hours. They don't take reservations. I waited almost an hour for a table for 3 on a Tuesday night.
Service: Very good! Most of the staff are family related Italian people. Very friendly and talkative!
Food:
Fresh Spinach and Shaved Parmesan pizza - $19 for a small. This was my favorite dish out of all of the dishes we ordered. I did not expect plain spinach and Parmesan would be this good! Perfectly salted and the spinach didn't give the dry after taste.
Parma Prosciutto pizza - $21 for a small. We ordered this cause we saw the table next to us order it and it looked good. This was a disappointment. Definitely didn't taste as good as it looked. Arugula toped with Prosciutto and slices of parmesan. I don't know what it was but either the flavor doesn't go well together or there wasn't enough flavor...
Half Spaghetti and Half Ravioli w/ Meat Balls - $16.50 the ravioli wasn't memorable. The spaghetti with meat ball tasted fresh and the pasta was perfectly cooked, but I think I could have made something more flavorful at home. The waiter recommended this one to us but I wasn't impressed.
Baked Chicken (With garlic and rosemary) - $16.50 The waiter recommended this to us too and I was extremely disappointed. This came with regatoni marinara.. Pasta perfectly cooked but not much flavor in the sauce. The chicken was extremely dry... Even the dark meat was dry....
Price: Spent around $40 bucks including tax and tips per person including a bottle of wine... A little steep for food that isn't that great...
Overall: Very friendly staff but most of the food sucks... Definitely not worth the wait.. -
Review from Gev M.
4/3/2012 3 Check-ins Here
Fact 1: You will have to wait for an hour or more on any given night; they do not accept reservations.
Fact 2: Staff is not the friendliest bunch of people. Not mean or rude by any account, but don't expect the "good evening, how are you doing tonight?" attitude.
Fact 3: Once your food arrives, you will forget about both (1) and (2) above. Burrata pizza with cherry tomatoes and basil was simple yet divine. Spinach parmesan was equally amazing. Veggie appetizers (caprese salad, zucchini / string beans marinated in vinaigrette and garlic) were standard, but tasty. And the showstopper - the tiramisu! I would have licked the bowl clean if people weren't watching.
Fact 4: You will leave happy. -
Review from Jeremy K.
San Francisco, CA
4/26/2012
My favorite italian restaurant in SF. Authentic, home-made Italian fare with fresh ingredients. If I were Italian, this would be the time when I'd say 'it's like my grandmother used to make." All of the pizza's are top notch and so are the pasta dishes. I usually get the lasagna. Good lord the lasagna.
It is family style seating, so you may not be sitting next to someone you know, but thats cool. be friendly. its a friendly place.
They dont accept reservations so plan accordingly, or just put your name down and walk across the street to either 15 Romolo or Comstock Saloon for a drink. -
Review from Wes A.
San Jose, CA
4/3/2012
This is one of the best Italian restaurants around. Whether you are in San Francisco or Venice, it serves some of the best food. Everything is well prepared and delicious. The decor has you feeling like you're stepping into a social place with history and flavor. The wait staff is attentive and service is great. I would have given it a 5 star, but the popularity of the place proved to work against it.
The restaurant is small, so be prepared to arrive early or you'll have a 30 min. or longer wait.
There is a very small waiting area by the entrance, so customers end up standing on the steps by the front door. When you have up to 15 people waiting to be seated, all tightly bunched up and staring at the customers, it places pressure on the customers and staff to serve and get in and out to accommodate everyone. Just as you finish your meal, they pick up your plates immediately and provide the check. I don't fault the place for that, it's just leaves you with that feeling of being rushed. It's not the place to wine and dine comfortably, it is a place to eat delicious food and go to another place to relax.
Perhaps a reservation policy would help? I'm sure they must have thought about it.
Enjoy the appetizers, pizza and pasta dishes. Then be prepared to go elsewhere to discuss the day. -
Review from Raina B.
3/19/2012
Heard so many good things about this place, but sadly it didn't live up to the hype for me. A friend and I waited about 20 minutes on a weeknight with a fairly subject to the hostess, disfunctional waiting system.
The waiter was not very friendly or accomodating but who knows, maybe he was having an off night. We ordered two glasses of wine and one of their wood-fired pizzas that they are known for. The pizza was really nothing special in my book. It was soggy with a far too watery sauce.
Maybe their other Italian offerings are better? Given the lack of service and sub-par pizza, I don't know if I'll be making the trip back to give them a try. -
Review from Alice W.
Altadena, CA
4/13/2012
Small, or perhaps feeling like a claustrophobic college town type pizza/pasta joint
Our group of 8 sat at a long table next to a larger and louder table of at least 22 wearing tiaras and shiny things. I think it was some sort of bridal party that likes pizza and shiny clothes.
Friendly waitress, who knew some of us for being regulars. I wasn't a regular but I enjoyed the place. House wine or a somewhat limited wine list, but fine for the place. I had a chianti I enjoyed. I don't recall what. Did I mention the place is loud? AND I has shiny people next door?
Food:
Baked Fresh Coo Coo Clams - Dip your bread in the yummy sauce. The clams themselves are tasty and finger linking good, in a broth of clam juice, herbs and garlic.
Know your neighbors cuz you will smell them.
Fried Calamari - Calamari rings are served with a side of marinara sauce. Love the marinara btw.
Pizzas - Available in small ie 12 inches or large ie 15 inches. Thin crust, tasty toppings. The marinara here is slightly sweet.
Street parking: Yes, but with the adult stores in the area, perhaps grab a taxi and share. -
Review from Nicole S.
One of North Beach's best kept secrets of large portion, home style Italian cooking...well for me at least.
Five friends and I decided to give Tommaso a try after I received a Blackboard Eats promotion (if you don't know about BBEats, you need to look into it!). For $38 per person, each person had a choice of appetizer, entrée, dessert, and a glass of house red or white wine. Usually pre-fixe meals are scaled down in size, little did we know we were in for a large portioned meal where we all went home with leftovers.
WHAT TO KNOW:
*Reservations are NOT accepted, expect a wait - we waited about 20-25 minutes on a Thursday
*Large portion sizes - an appetizer and entrée is good enough to share between two people
*$15 corkage fee
MY RECOMMENDED DISHES:
*Baked Fresh Coo Coo Clams - It's definitely a specialty as indicated on the menu! The clams were baked in their broth, had a touch of vinegar, and sprinkled with herbs and garlic. Our party couldn't get enough of the broth and had to ask for more bread.
*Pizzas - The pizzas are available in small (12") or large (15") sizes. I opted to try out the mushroom and sliced Italian sausage pizza in a large size (yes, I dared to). I definitely failed at trying to finish my pizza. After the many appetizers, I was only able to eat a single slice. The pizza was delicious though with a crunchy thin crust that wasn't on the heavy side. The marinara sauce had a slight sweetness to it. The pizza was topped off with a generous amount of mushrooms and sausages.
OTHER FOOD:
*Fried Calamari - A great start to dinner! Calamari rings are deep fried without being overcooked and served with a side of marinara sauce.
*Clam with Red or White Sauce - Both great appetizers (yes, we ordered both). Even though I usually favor white sauce, I thought the red sauce was a bit more flavorful. Chopped clams were added to a handful of clams still in their shell, mixed in the designated sauce, and placed on top of slice of toasted French bread.
*Carpaccio - Unfortunately this was my least favorite dish of the night. Thin slices of beef were topped off with capers, onions, and parmesan cheese slices. The beef didn't seem to have much flavor.
*Crème Brulee - Delicious and a perfect ending to the meal. The dessert had a crisp top layer without being burnt and a nice custard filling. Do note, the dessert is big enough for two to share.
SERVICE:
Good. Our waiter was nice but seemed a bit overwhelmed. He did check up on us when he had the time. They even packed our togo boxes.
PARKING:
There's metered street parking or a paid lots on Broadway. If you're looking for parking, expect to circle around.Listed in: My Top Places To Eat, Italian food....Buon appetito!
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Review from Pamela I.
San Francisco, CA
5/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
The pizza for sure! The Chicken Parmesan not so much. This place is very popular so expect a wait and the service to be reasonably slower
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Review from Jason T.
Berkeley, CA
3/20/2012
First off, great pizza and salads. I go here for take out usually 1-2 times a week, every week for work.
It is probably one of the best thin trust pizzas I have eaten. Spinach parm is my favorite and is a must. I usually order it with extra sauce.
Most of the servers are nice, but the people in the front handling the bills and checks tend to be rude and impatient. Yes you have a busy restaurant, but that is what you get when you have good food. Deal with it, business is good you should be happy.
Not why the 2 stars? They have gotten really greedy. I am a usual and loyal customer. I drop 30-60 dollars on them every week. Starting in 2012, they started charging more for the pizza (which is understandable because of inflation) but they also started charging more for the sauce. Never in the past year was I ever charged extra for a little bit more sauce. You already added more than 10% on top of 2011 prices and now you are trying to take more money from me... Was it worth it to lose some customers that work in the fidi area, I think not!
P.S. It is a shame that they are closed on Mondays. Always crave for it on Mondays. -
Review from Jean Y.
3/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Tommaso's did not distinguish itself from other Italian restaurants in North Beach for me. Nothing was bad, but nothing really stood out.
A friend and I shared the following:
* Coo-coo clams - $14.50
Listed as a "specialty" on the menu but tasted just like your average baked or steamed clams dish. The herby clam juice was good for bread dipping. The dish could have used more butter.
* Lasagna - $16
I had heard so much about the lasagna here that I was pretty excited to try it. There was not much filling between the lasagna sheets. Instead, the sheets came up a large pile of meat sauce on top. Average tastiness.
* 15" pizza with cherry tomatoes, basil, burrata - $27
I added artichokes as well. The pizza was the best of the three we ordered. I did not particularly like the crust, which was neither thick nor thin and rather chewy. I took the last few slices to go. They were wrapped individually in foil, which was nice, and reheated well enough the next day. I also thought the pizza was overpriced by a few dollars.
Other Notes
* Seating: Long communal table in the middle. Booths on both sides for groups of 4 and under.
* Decor: Standard North Beach Italian. Not exactly trendy, classy, or modern.
* Street parking: Not bad in the evening if you look on the Jackson Square/FiDi side and avoid North Beach. -
Review from Thomas P.
Lathrop, CA
4/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
My wife loved the taste! The pizza was awesome it had the right amount of cheese and sauce. The pepperoni is the way to go! They are very fast so don't be afraid to wait for a table
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Review from Angie L.
San Francisco, CA
3/31/2012
The pizza here is simply amazing, it is cooked in a wood-burning, brick oven after all, and the salads, clams and calamari are my favorite appetizers in the city!
The place is family owned and run, it provides a comfortable atmosphere and delicious home cooked Italian meal to anyone in the city seeking just that.
The staff is friendly, and though the wait can be long, they don't take reservations, it is ALWAYS worth the wait! -
Review from Dan M.
Chicago, IL
2/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Been here twice now. Both times I was out with my company so we had an opportunity to try lots of the different things on the menu. Everything I tried was really good, but if you are only getting one appetizer and one pizza get the following:
1) Carpaccio - Not something that I have a strong base to compare against, but it is good here.
2) Combo of the Fresh Spinach and Shaved Parmasan (#8) and the Parma Prosciutto (#10). It is an off the menu selection that our waiter suggested and it was amazing.
I was originally only going to give this a 4 because I am a huge pizza snob, but I have caught myself wishing that Tommasos was here in Chicago, so that must be a sign. -
Review from Kathleen K.
Eureka, CA
4/26/2012 2 photos
Small, delicious, gem!
Stopped here after trying to find a place to eat in Chinatown. I am SO glad we chose Tommaso's!
It was a Tuesday evening, (they are open until 10:30.) We waited about 5 min for a nice private booth. Wine selection was fair. The menu is surprisingly small but what we ordered was AMAZING.
We started with an anti pasta meat plate (cop pa, prosciutto, rosemary ham, and marinated artichokes.) Deliciously authentic. The bread that was delivered to our table was fresh and went well with our appetizer. I read that the restaurant was famous for its wood fire pizza so we had a sausage and mushroom small pizza. The dough was cooked to perfection. Cheese was gooey and plentiful. Real mozzarella. No cheese blend BS there! Beautiful wild mushrooms. For an entree, we shared veal rollitini. It was 3 tender pieces of veal stuffed with prosciutto and cheese and then baked. It came with a small side of rigatoni with marinara sauce. The dish melted in my mouth. savory, simple, flavorful and amazing! We then had an authentic cannoli for dessert. The owner was our server and was pretty busy at first but mid meal came over and made sure everything was to our liking.
The food was a bit rushed but everything was so flavorful, it didn't bother us.
The restaurant is a bit small and reservations are not accepted Service is prompt and efficient. This is for sure a place that will be visited again. A+ -
Review from Nick B.
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2012
The boys and I planned on a night of debauchery and dinner was the first thing on the list. Generally we go for steak on a guys' night but for whatever reason we said pasta was king for the evening.
When planning on getting blitzed, pasta is a great choice. Something nice and carb loaded to really soak up the booze.
I liked this place. It has a nice location for the spots we would be at later, had a decent old school vibe, and had some good food. My boy Tom loved his pizza while my linguine and meat balls was just fine. Also the garlic bread was really good. Matt went a little crazy with a sausage dish that he said was nice (but regretted at a later point in the evening).
Overall we had decent service and it was a solid experience but a little pricey compared to quality in my opinion. Since this is Yelp mine is the only one that counts for this review! -
Review from Grace C.
San Diego, CA
4/5/2012
My family and I came here for vacation and was looking for a good Italian joint to dine in at. Searched for it on yelp and out pops Tommaso Ristorante Italiano. Four stars? Down. It was a bit difficult to find especially when the restaurant is surrounded by drug stores, strip clubs and bars. A tip is to look for a green door! Tommaso is a hole in the wall type of restaurant and I'm a huge fan of that. The first thing I notice once I walk in is how packed it is (must be good!), the decor is dimly lit and very old fashion like, yet on the elegant side. My family of five and I get seated within 20-25 minutes (they don't take any reservations). They start us off with water and some bread that is hard as hell but I guess that's how Italian breads like?
OK lets skip to the main reason why I rated this place a 3/5 stars. Don't get me wrong, the food was bomb as hell but the servers were a piece of crap. My family loves spicy food and all we wanted was a little spice in our food, and when my sister innocently asked one of the waiters if they had any hot sauce, he glared at her and said "this is an Italian restaurant, we don't have hot sauce" as if she asked for some golden fairy dust. He's not that he answer with what he did, but the way he said it. Like she was some kind of idiot. Right after he said that, he walked over to another waitress and thinking I wouldn't see him, pointed right at us and mocked us and she sort of smirked. I'm not sure if it was because she saw me or she didn't really care what he said but she was doing her best not to offend him or me. Don't get me wrong, I'm a waitress myself and when a scenario like this goes down, I don't respond to them like the way he did. I'm pretty sure he wasn't having a bad day because he wasn't treating the other customers the we he did with my sister. UGGGGHH. I seriously wanted to get up and slap my pizza across his face but didn't want to ruin the little nice dinners other people were having. ksdf;lajsdfjasd.
-2 for that one particular son of a crap server and +3 for the spinach & garlic pizza. -
Review from Yvonne S.
San Antonio, TX
4/22/2012
Wonderful pizza! The place is very small, but has that authentic feel of a cozy hole in the wall. We found the waitress and host to be very friendly. We arrived around 5pm and only waited 20 minutes. The spinach pizza was outstanding.
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Review from Katie S.
Schaumburg, IL
4/9/2012
Very cute little place. We were seated and served really fast ( we went at 5pm when it opened). I had lasanga and it was pretty good, a little too cheesy. Good service, I like that the waiters wore nice shirts with jeans. Served soda in a can for $2.50, so that wasnt great but the food was pretty good.
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Review from Rebekah T.
San Francisco, CA
When someone refers you to this place, you should go. Like right away. After hearing about this place from Phil H awhile ago, I bookmarked it and saved it for another day. Oh why did I wait so long?!
We wanted to grab a nice dinner on the town. He said he was craving carpaccio, then I started craving it too. I did my best to find the perfect spot. I recommended Tommaso and he heard good things as well, so we decided to go. Not knowing exactly what was the best thing to order, we took a stab at the menu.
We ordered the:
*Carpaccio Appetizer: Absolutely amazing, incredibly fresh, beautiful and above all - sooo damn good. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
*Clams in a White Wine sauce over French Bread: So freaking good, words cannot express how fresh, tasty and savory this appetizer was. This is so good, the picture makes my mouth water. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
*Pizza with sliced Italian Sausage; Amazing, not your average pizza. Ordered the small and it was too big so of course I took it with. Leftover pizza is yummy. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
To drink we ordered one each of the Birra Moretti (Beer), La Rossa (Red) and the traditional golden beer. Both were great although I think I preferred the flavor of the red beer.
I am now a big fan of Tommaso's and can't wait to come back to try the other appetizers, salads and pizzas. You just can't go wrong.Listed in: My Crush on Pizza
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Review from AMY L.
Austin, TX
1/25/2012
We waited over an hour for a table. As frustrating as it was, it paid off. The line was a good sign!
Everyone who worked at that restaurant had an Italian accent. They were genuine Italians serving authentic Italian food.
Carpaccio was the best I've had in the States but the second best ever (1st place winner: small restaurant in Roma, Italia).
Our table of 5 enjoyed every single dish we ordered, no lie. Listen to the other Yelpers for specific dish recommendations, but if you're a free-spirit, order whatever and you'll leave happy definitely. -
Review from Tony G.
Pico Rivera, CA
4/9/2012
I would give this place 5 stars but it's location is a bit sketchy. The pizza is amazing the lasagna is tasty and the decor is nice. Staff is helpful and the waiters are very attentive. Would def come back when in SF
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Review from Vincent S.
Santa Barbara, CA
12/21/2011
Food is prepared simply and awesomely delicious! The location was a little surprising - I definitely was not expecting to stroll past a bunch of clubs and adult entertainment on my way to dinner.
Got the baked coo-coo clams and a Italian sausage and mushroom pizza - dinner was a real treat.
The clams were fresh and came in a delicious broth - lightly seasoned and briny, but not overwhelming. The portion was generous and got me excited about the pizza yet to come.
The pizza was awesome - the sausage was flavorful and plentiful, the cheese perfectly melted and bubbly, and the crust perfectly crisp.
Afterwards, walked by a couple looking for an Italian restaurant and immediately pointed them to Tomasso's. Wish I could have joined them! -
Review from nick g.
San Francisco, CA
3/24/2012
Great crust. Great oven. Cool old-school setting. I'm a fan. Traditional high quality pizza
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Review from Evan R.
Oakland, CA
2/15/2012
Best lasagna in the city in my opinion. My girlfriend always orders the raviolis which are excellent as well. We also tend to split the caesar salad which easily serves two, and makes for a nice starter.
The ambience leaves something to be desired, and the neighborhood is pretty interesting as its surrounded by the Lusty Lady and the Hustler Club. But seriously, if you just want a great, hearty, italian meal, this is definitely the place to go.
I went with a friend of mine who is a chef, and he did not enjoy the veal, so that would be my only warning. But once he complained, they promptly made a new dish, took the old one off the bill, and comped us free dessert.
This place doesn't take reservations, so it can get pretty busy at times. But I've found as long as you go a little early its not too hard to get a table. -
Review from Kirby G.
San Rafael, CA
4/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
My favorite restaurant in North Beach! The second you open the door you are hit with a wall of aroma and you feel like you've walked into the home of a large Italian family. We've never had anything that wasn't fantastic!
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Review from Jess C.
Updated - 11/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
GET THE SPINACH GARLIC PIZZA.
The meat combo pizza was a little too salty for my taste.
Tomasso's FTW.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/2/2010
I LOVED Tomasso's. It had the Italian feel (complete with huge Italian owner and wife) minus the… Read more »
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Review from Joanna R.
5! Honestly, I originally gave 4.5 stars but I don't think I've ever had pizza like that spinach one. So... good.
--edit--
Nicest people you will ever meet. Well maybe not, but super nice. We headed out to Tommaso around 5pm, only waited about 5 minutes before they sat us down in one of the booths. The interior is very cozy and makes me feel like I was (possibly?) in Italy. Twas a nice feeling.
They welcomed the four, very cold, shivering children(my friends and I) that went, with nice warm bread and butter. Yum. While looking through the menu, we decided we wanted to try their pizzas so we ordered two small ones (12 inches each). One pizza with fresh spinach and shaved parmesan & pizza with italian pepperoni. DELICIOUS (:
Man, I will come back again just to eat that spinach pizza. So good. I was just talking with my roommate about how we liked the fact that it was fresh and not all hot and wilted. mMMmm good.
The best part was their service, I have to say. We were there to surprise our dear friend on her birthday coming up and I asked one of the waiters if he could use my card to pay and that I had a cake that I wanted to surprise her with. He simply said " I'll take care of it, just go get the cake (; " So niceeee. Seriously. When I brought the cake in, another waiter slipped it swiftly from my hands to the back table where they lit the candles as we finished our meal. They brought it out on the pizza stands with plates, forks, and a knife! Wow. That's some amazing service.
I will be back SOON. Who cares about the weird adult stores around the area.. it's the authentic food we want. Thank you~ -
Review from Vivian H.
San Francisco, CA
10/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
My favorite pizza place in SF so far. Expect a long wait, unless you are the first person in line when they open. Otherwise, the wait can be about 40 minutes or so.
The spinach and garlic pizza is delicious and very garlic-y, just the way I like it. The pepperoni pizza is also really good. I love thin crust, and their dough and ingredients all were very fresh.
Overall, great place. I love the casual environment, and the staff was also super friendly.Listed in: SF Favorites
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Review from Deb M.
Norwalk, CA
10/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Don't let the XXX places up and down the street scare you off!
My friend from work (Michael in MRI) kindly recommended this place to me before my trip to San Francisco. He made sure I knew about the XXX places up and down Kearny and assured me that I had nothing to fear...once i got inside the restaurant. He was right!
The place itself is tiny like most of the other restaurants in SF, there's just not a lot of space here. We didn't have reservations but were still seated within 30 minutes of our arrival. Not bad for 7 pm on a Thursday night. The delicious aroma of good, solid Italian cooking will envelope you as soon as you enter this place. It's not all hype, either. Being a dedicated eater of Italian fare, I can say that they've got it right. I chose the Insalata Capresi (tomato with mozzarella and fresh basil) for our starter. It was delicious...the tomatoes were vine ripened and sliced generously...8 slices....and the mozzarella was fresh and delicate. The sweet basil leaves were plentiful and fragrant.
For main courses I decided on the eggplant parmesian (came with a small plate of rigatoni with tomato sauce) and my dining partner got the garlic and rosemary baked chicken which also came with pasta on the side. Mine was fantastic and cooked just right. His was good, but I have to say it was a bit dry and maybe overcooked...or cooked and left under a heat lamp? The flavors were wonderful but with chicken, especially the white meat, if you let it dry out it's a wash. The pasta was delicious and well cooked, just shy of al dente, and the marinara sauce was just right.
Service was EXCELLENT, very attentive but without hovering (which I hate!) Tables were packed pretty close but you could still have a private conversation if you want to....I highly recommend checking this place out for good, old fashioned Italian cooking. -
Review from Brian C.
Daly City, CA
11/30/2011
Wow, Tommaso, old school Italian restaurant that you can tell is definitely old school because its a family establishment smack dab between all the strip clubs of San Francisco. If it hadn't been there for YEARS, why would anyone open a place up there right?
Parking is a pain in the ass especially on Friday and Saturdays because there are so many places where you will be towed away. And the wait, if you aren't there when they first open, be prepared to wait at least 30-60 min for this food but boy, is it worth the wait. A little tiny restaurant with probably 40 seats total, this family run place is totally a small business feel. They don't even have a list! You gotta track down the head waiter who will take your name but he is very nice. You can have a beer or wine while you wait and stare at everyone else who take their sweet time enjoying their meal. DO NOT go there with a giant group, there is no way they can accommodate, anything bigger than a group of 6 is pretty much impossible and 6 is even pushing it.
If you want authentic Italian food, this is pretty much as good as it gets in San Francisco. Pizza, pasta and everything in between. I love the clams in white sauce over garlic bread. The garlicky goodness of the bread, with the plentiful clams, and by plentiful, I mean its like they gave me the ocean on my plate. It is an ultimate dish unparalleled in San Francisco for seafood lovers. I've had the pizza and pasta, the pesto is very good, creamy and thick, something that I haven't had before with the ravioli, very good and the pizza is a nice thin crust that is loaded with whatever topping that you decide to put on it.
I can't say enough of this place. For authentic Italian food, this place is awesome but be prepared to wait! If the place was a little bigger and the wait wasn't as long, 5 stars. -
Review from Laura M.
Berkeley, CA
2/24/2012
I wasn't as blown away by Tommaso as I thought I would be. My SO and I were celebrating a belated anniversary since money is tight it was kind of a big deal to go out to eat and I put a lot of time into picking a place.
We walked in and were ignored for a good 10 minutes, waiters bussling around but not one made eye contact. Finally a woman came up asked my name and then took off without saying how long it would be till we could be seated.
They really cram people in here, we were seated between two tables that were very close to each other. I wouldn't describe this place as romantic, more like a place to go with friends or co-workers.
We wanted to order the vegetarian anti pasta but $17.00 for marinated vegetables was a just too much so we shared the Caprise which was good and fresh tasting.
Our waiter came off as curt and didn't smile, it seemed as if he didn't want to be there. Ordering was weird and confusing due to the noise level.
My spaghetti was just good and they are not cheap with the shrimp. My SO liked his eggplant parm.
Overall nothing stood out about Tomasso's , it's pricey and I'm not sure that the food measures up to the price. From the reviews I thought I'd be blown away by the food, but it is really a pretty basic menu and nothing you can't get at the hundreds of other Italian restaurants in the area and the weird unfriendly service didn't help. -
Review from Learnee L.
Emeryville, CA
12/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
found this place thru Yelp.
it was my friends bday and we decided to go to sf and get italian food.
I was craving for good pasta dish so I know I have to go to the North beach area.
This place was kinda hidden. I have to go through their big doors to find out that this is a cool restaurant. they don't accept reservations but we only had to wait 10 mins for the 5 of us to get seated even though the place is packed.
We had calamari for apps, I ordered seafood pasta and wine.
Calamari was okay but their marinara sauce with it was good.
Pasta was awesome!! Right, large portion and tasty as expected.
We didn't try any desserts so will have to come back to try it.
service--good.
yum! -
Review from Mark F.
San Francisco, CA
10/17/2011
I think the quality of the food is very good. While the menu is not extremely original, they do have good pasta dishes, pizza and other entrees. I went with a party of six people and I tasted several dishes, all were very good.
I do think the wait staff was very curt and abrupt. I think that is because the clientele looked like they were mostly tourists. While the food was good, I think the place was too noisy and the staff was so rude, that I wouldn't go back. -
Review from Richard H.
North Hills, CA
2/19/2012
Good food but they lie to you about the wait time so badly it ruins the food experience. We waited 2 hours after being told it would be 30 minutes and watched as regulars were seated in front of us. A lesson to other restaurants...don't lie to your customers.
There are lots of great places to get Italian food in North Beach... don't come here. -
Review from Ed L.
11/23/2011
Old-school Italian restaurant that is purely family-operated. They serve a full-menu and offer great traditional dishes. I went for the Chicken Parmesan and the tomato sauce was fantastic. It really highlighted and smothered the chicken. ALso got the seafood pizza which came out piping hot. Crust was ultra chewy and good thickness. Plenty of seafood in every bite. Very solid performance.
Come on off-peak hours since they don't take reservations and the wait here is a pain in the ass. -
Review from Stacey B.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
4/19/2012
Went to Tommaso because it was late and they are open until 10:30. We were seated immediately, but the host looked at us like we were crashing a party we weren't invited to. It took more than 5 minutes for a waitress to acknowledge our presence even though she walked by to drop off and pick up the tab of the people next to us. Luckily when she came over we were ready to order. I was afraid if we didn't it would be a long time before we saw her again. Ordered half spaghetti and ravioli and bf ordered chicken parm. The food was good. Ask for garlic bread. It is better than just the plain bread and butter they give you automatically. Got a cannoli for dessert. It was good as well. During the entire meal we had four different people wait on us. None of them were friendly. Most people we've run into in SF have been extremely friendly. The employees here seem miserable. If they could get their service act together this place could be really great.
