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Trattoria Pinocchio
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
401 Columbus Ave(between Vallejo St & Stockton St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Neighbourhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
(415) 392-1472
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
325 reviews for Trattoria Pinocchio
Review Highlights
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"The Gnocchi literally melts in your mouth." In 50 reviews -
"By far-- best pasta in North Beach." In 67 reviews -
"I liked it and the food was great." In 12 reviews
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325 reviews in English
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Review from Angel T.
San Francisco, CA
5/13/2012
BEST tiramisu I've had since I came back from Italy. It's homemade and simply heavenly.
My friend and I shared the magherita pizza, which was pretty decent- the crust was more like American pizzas, but aside from that, it fared pretty well with the original magherita pizza.
Also had the minestrone soup, which was pretty delicious.
The restaurant itself is adorable- had a very authentic and cozy feel to it! The waiters were extremely friendly and the owner runs around the restaurant singing (in Italian, and he's pretty good!) to both the guests and his employees.
Definitely one of the better restaurants in North Beach! -
Review from Chanelle N.
Pittsburg, CA
3/7/2012 3 Check-ins Here
This is an Italian restaurant in the heart of North Beach, I'm in love by this statement alone! Add the bar, I'm in Heaven. Add the singing Mafioso waiter and it equals a wonderful time.
The service could be better but I wouldn't say they're rude. I would not tolerate that.
The food is very good here along with the drinks. I had a dessert that consisted of pears sauteed in come sort of alcohol with chocolate drizzled over the top. It was so yummy. I really wanted to try the gnocchi but they don't make it in appetizer size so I passed. I'll have to come back to try it - this will be the true test of how good it is.
I've came here for date night and with the kids. It's fit for both.
Sitting on the heated patio is my favorite. I feel like I've stepped out of reality and into a vacation in Europe. The only thing missing is someone playing Italian music on the accordion to go with the singing waiter - Cheers. -
Review from Aileen P.
3/5/2012
The service was good and friendly.
This was the first place in San Francisco that we decided to stop and eat because I was craving a good pizza. The pizzas here were a good size for two and looked like they average out to be $15 each. I chose the pepperoni basil and Tony got convinced with the seafood risotto instead of sharing with me. More for me!
The food was presented sooooo beautifully, so I was excited when I took my first bite. It was really good - the mozzarella was melted perfectly and was nice and stringy when I pulled the slice apart from the rest of the pie. I finished my first piece without trouble. I got to my second piece and it was already soggy and the mozzarella had gotten super cold, unmelted and unstringy. Lost my appetite.
Tony's risotto looked great -- but I saw that he was moving things around on the plate with his fork. He ate all the shrimp, but told me that the risotto didn't taste right and the texture was weird. The salmon and mussels tasted "old." He took about two or three more bites and asked for the check. We left our food there and paid the $60 check.
We will most likely not be coming back.Listed in: Frisco Adventures
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Review from Dick L.
San Francisco, CA
5/11/2012
Food was good to fair. The theatrical older waiter was a joke...a bad joke. If this were my restaurant, I'd fire the guy ASAP. His manner and comments ran the gamut from archly seductive to coldly dismissive. It was small comfort to see that he treated the busboys equally badly. We won't be back.
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Review from David M.
Hidden Valley Lake, CA
4/15/2012
Awesome food;old school Italian food great for a special occaision.Good solid traditional Italian food;all the classic dishes.Good wines,good desserts.
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Review from TRACY R.
4/6/2012
We were forced to find a restaurant with outside seating since we had our dog with us and stumbled into this delicous italian haven. It wasn't busy during lunch time on a weekday so wait staff were extra attentive. They even brought my dog water! So sweet! I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana and the BF ordered the Chicken Saltimboca. Both dishes were full of flavor and exceeded my expectations. I love accidentally stumbling into delicious restaurants. Definitely a place I'd come and eat again!
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Review from Ashley P.
San Francisco, CA
2/19/2012
I've been here twice- tonight was the second time. The first time, we were not impressed with the service, but the food was good so we wanted to give it a second chance.
The head waiter, or whoever he is, is horrific. After we were seated both times, we had our order taken only to have him disappear.
The portions are small for the high price. Like I said, the food IS good, but not good enough to put up with the cruddy service.
We waited and when our appetizers came, there was only soup for one of us. We told the busboy or whoever it was and the waiter came over and kind of said sorry, kind of didn't. The soup arrived long after I'd finished mine.
Bottom line, the service here is truly horrific. No feeling of attention or value for your money. Stay away. -
Review from Hayne P.
I have always walked or drove past here, and I always wondered what it was like to eat here. I think it was mostly because I was attracted to the word "Pinnochio". Come on... this place brings up nostalgic feelings because of Disney...
Anyways.
We were seated by a charming hostess and served by what seems to be the head waiter. Almost all the wait staff in here had some sort of European accent (French or Italian), so the ones without stuck out in a very interesting manner. Actually, I'm lying, because there were waiters who seemed to have a Southern twang...
Ordered a pino griogio, the special (Sicilian pesto), and he ordered the veal ravioli and a Blue Moon. The wine came out, and I don't know if I got a small glass or something... not a huge deal for me, since I don't drink much anyways. The food came out pretty fast! Both were really delicious, although honestly, the ravioli and the pesto actually tastes better mixed together than separate. I don't know if I should be surprised or not, because our food choices tend to be very harmonious, or maybe most high quality restaurants have menus that will always taste good with each other.
Boyfriend says that the pesto tastes "really healthy". I thought it was extremely delicious. I was too busy picking out the tomatoes to really answer the owner if it was good.
The veal ravioli tasted a lot like Chef Boyardee ravioli, but better. I wish I didn't have to make that comparison... but it has that soft, tomatoey, meaty flavor that's so similar! Obviously, the ravioli shell was incomparable, but really. When you taste it, you'll get a very nostalgic feeling. Although if you are anything like me, it will probably remind you of early college, when you were too poor/lazy to get anything better and ate it straight out of the can.
Perfect portions. They look small, but when you finish you should be full. If you're not, then you probably eat more than us or are a lot bigger than us. -
Review from Dana S.
San Francisco, CA
1/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
My group of 5 scarfed down the calamari and bruschetta
Gnocchi was delicious!
Relatively empty on a Sunday afternoon.
Overall, great! -
Review from M F.
Redwood City, CA
2/20/2012
What ever I had here was good. Very good. I love Italian food and eat lots of it in many different places.
This is a nice casual place. Lunch&dinner too.
Has outdoor seating, so your dog can come. Or you can enjoy the San Francisco sun under the must-be-on heater! :)
Kids - why not, it's large enough. But I'd say it's more for mom&dad to go on a date!
Parking: 2 parking garages half a block up the hill. Street too if you're lucky. -
Review from ELINOR H.
San Francisco, CA
1/1/2012
UNO D I S A S T R O......I T A L I A N O...... FOOD QUALITY......... A W F U L
I live in North Beach and made HUGE MISTAKE and went to NEW YEAR'S EVE
DINNER here on a recomendation. It was festive with loads of ITALIANO colored
balloons and nicely dressed diners.
For a flash the "Headwaiter: was all charm and then someone else got all the
Bouna Seraas. The lovely Parisian hostess was delightful and our waiter was really very good.
WHAT WASN'T GOOD.
THE BELLINI was NOT MADE with PEACH PUREE
PAID TWO EXTRA DOLLARS for SHOT OF WELL GIN, DIDN'T GET EVEN A TASTE OF GIN _ I DRANK BELLINI'S IN VENEZI and some here too that were great
CRAB RAVIOLI ~ TOUGH & UNDERCOOKED, 3 SCALLOPS, The Scallops couldn't have cost more than TWO DOLLARS, DITTO for THE CRAB ~ $29.00 ~ WOW OOOOOOW,
The veggies were delicious
POACHED PEAR ~ UNDER RIPE, TOO MUCH WINE and WHIPPED TOPPING FROM A CAN with1950s DESSICATED MARASCHINO CHERRIES,
REALLY AWFUL SWEET BAGUETTE. The Bread in North Beach used to be great S.F. Sour Dough and the used to serve it with REAL BUTTER before mediocre olive oil and cheap balsamic became de riguer.
WHAT WAS GOOD
OUR HONDURAN WAITER
THE TRI COLORE SALAD, very OVER PRICED
I did tell the waiter about the ravioli and he did nothing. !
I hadn't seen my friend since April so I didn't want to ruin the evening by complaining. She must have been starving as she almost licked the plate clean.
I know I should have been more assertive but I wanted to enjoy my friend's
presence rather than complaining.
REALLY, the friend who highly touted this farce should be quartered and hung to age.
I wish thatwe had gone to Firenze by night but it didn't look festuve.......
MY FAULT -
Review from carmen d.
Fremont, CA
4/29/2012
This was our third time at this restaurant and although the service was not too great the last time we were there, the food was good and my husband and I decided to have lunch there again. I should have known that our experience would not be a good one as soon as I was seated. Shortly after a family was seated next to us and I was surprised that they were offered water and asked for their order before us.
We eventually were asked for our order and I looked over to my husband and suggested sharing an entree. To my surprise the waiter gave me a disapproving look. We decided to order drinks and the Carpaccio as appetizer and told the waiter we needed more time to decide on the entree.
Feeling a bit intimidated in the prospect of ordering a shared entree and thinking maybe it's not appropriate to order an entree to share, we decided we would order two dishes once the appetizer is served. So while we were enjoying our drinks and getting pretty hungry we realized the appetizer was taking longer than we thought and we had no bread on our table. I looked over at the family beside us and they had bread so I thought that the bus boy just forgot. No one was around for me to ask so since I had to go to the ladies room any way I decided to ask on my way there. I tried to gain the attention of the waiter who ignored me twice. I decided to ask to the bus boy who replied that the reason he didn't bring the bread was because we had not ordered our meal. I was shocked and told him we ordered drinks and appetizer and awaiting to order the entree. He turned away to get some when I noticed he was complaining to the waiter about it.
The bus boy brought the bread and I said "as you can see we ordered drinks and appetizer so is there a problem" and he answered "yes". At this point my husband wanted to leave but we had already ordered the appetizer. As it turns out the bread was stale and finally our Carpaccio was served. I then asked the waiter why the bread had not been served earlier and he said "it's served when the bus boy is ready" I was dumbfounded, and had enough so I asked for the check.
We decided we might as well eat the Carpaccio since we were charged for it, but it was awful, tasting more like Mortadella. We spent $35 and left no tip. We walked across the street while hearing the family next to us complain about their meal and had a wonderful lunch at Colosseo. I will never patronize Trattoria Pinocchio again will tell all my friends how we were treated. -
Review from Natasha D.
Torrance, CA
1/16/2012
Food = amazing!
My mom and I were roaming through Little Italy and could not decide what place to eat. I was going to skip this place and go for another but somehow we ended up eating here.
I loved the garlic in all the food we ordered - very tasty to say the least. Yummy bruschetta too. My mom usually doesn't like Italian and she even liked this place.
It was a bit pricey, but really enjoyed the food (we went for lunch so it was a very relaxed meal) and everyone was friendly. -
Review from Francesca Z.
Sherman Oaks, CA
1/4/2012
My husband and I visit North Beach/Little Italy for Authentic Italian food as I am Italian and haven't had authentic Italian food since my grandmother passed.
We went into Pinocchio's on New Year's Eve for dinner, we entered the door to a hostess who just stared at us, I said "Hi, table for two please?" and the little snot nosed brat said "Do you have a reservation?" I said, "Oh I didn't know it was reservation only." She says "well as you can see ma'am, we're pretty full." As I stared at her with disgust of her attitude, She then says "I'll see if there's a table for you" (from what my husband and I could see were several tables upon counting ourselves.) I believe "I'll see if I can find a table for you" was the FIRST thing she should have said and saved me the rude comment that meant absolutely nothing if you were going to seat us anyways!!
Then Some ODD french girl comes and takes us to our table across from the kitchen, that would have been fine if the cooks didn't stare all night."
I ordered the a Mint Mojito from their menu and the personality-less waiter tells me they don't have it, and suggests some Brazilian drink for $10, Not to mention, it was terrible! (The Bus Boys were MUCH friendlier)
We then placed our order, My husband ordered Linguini de pollo, $19.00 and a Coke, I ordered Frutti De Mare $25.00 our food arrived and it was the size of our fist... for $19????? My husband asked for a refill on his soda, they said "We don't do refills!" After our waiter took our order, we never heard from him again, never checked in on us, and what makes things worse, the table behind us had a large group as to where the MANAGER was catering to them... and ONLY THEM because they were spending more money than everyone else, SINGING TO THEM, it was very rude and very lousy customer service to the rest of us.
We had skipped Appetizers to get their dessert, but after the treatment and service we got, we ate and never ordered anything more.
The clam shells I had were all broken and mixed in the pasta and I nearly broke my teeth a few times, the mussels and clams were EMPTY, there was nothing in them and they had gritty sand still. I like Fresh food, but I like it cleaned also!
If you like expensive restaurants and small portions topped with BAD customer Service, then Go to Pinocchio's, if you want a nice meal, FRIENDLY STAFF and reasonable prices try Pulcinella in North Beach, we only ordered a pizza there for lunch, but they treated us like royalty!
THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!!!!!
Dear Pinocchio's: If you're going to offer AVERAGE FOOD for a Sh*t load of Money, then you sure as Sh*t better make up for it with a phenomenal staff!!!
Pinocchio... FAILED ON EVERYTHING!! -
Review from Shira H.
10/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is one of the those places where it's what you make of it.
North Beach is a touristy area, so you're gonna get good food and bad service. Maybe you'll strike gold and get good food and good service, but I wouldn't count on it. I've been eating at the Italian restaurants in this neighborhood since I was a little girl and the service has always been mediocre--the food however, has usually been really good.
Enter Pinocchio's.
Get the fettuccine, lasagna, ravioli or gnocchi, these are made fresh, in house every day. The vegetarian lasagna is really good. It is $16, which isn't bad compared to some of the pasta dishes at $20 and onwards. It is crisp, tender and cheesy all at the same time, with the right balance of cheese to vegetables and a delicious marinara sauce that has just the right amount of sweetness.
Welcome to Italia! -
Review from Daniel Y.
San Francisco, CA
9/27/2011
$ food for $$$ price
What really sucks is that the waiters obviously don't get along with the bus boys and other employees. They made it seem very clear. Our waiter was horrible and took and order and gave us a check. I've seen better service at McDonalds. The bus boy was nice who brought us our food and offered us water, but the food wasn't great and the service our waiter gave was pathetic.
I don't know what's so special about the ravioli here. It tasted generic and there were 4 pieces for like 23$ what a ripoff.
Never returning again.
Colosseo across the street has better food and a way better friendly staff -
Review from Elo C.
Sherman Oaks, CA
3/14/2012
Very good food and nice place :)
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Review from Christy B.
San Francisco, CA
1/29/2012
If I could post zero stars I would.
I was showing a large group of friends and family the sights of the city (there were 8 of us total). We were in North Beach when we decided to stop for a glass (or two, or maybe three) of wine. Pinnochios looked ideal--outside seating and nearly empty. We asked the hostess if we could sit outside and order some wine and possibly a dessert or appetizer. She said yes and we sat. As we were organizing ourselves, the manager came over kicked us out, telling one of my guests "this is not a bar, go somewhere else to drink."
I should mention that our group ranged in age from 40 to 70, plus a 5 year old. We were not kids "bar hopping" or partying, just a group of low-key adults wanting to sit and enjoy a few glasses of decent wine in the freakishly nice weather. I should also mention this was about 3pm, which is a "dead' time for most restaurants and Pinnochios looked to be no exception.
I worked for years in the restaurant industry and there is no excuse for this kind of rude behavior. Not to mention the total lack of business sense--we would have ordered two or three bottles of wine at least--our bill would have easily been in the triple digits and at a huge margin.They turned away very easy income (are you reading this, owner of Pinnochios?) from a nearly- empty restaurant.
We went next door to cafe grecco instead. Not the same wine selection but they were happy to serve us, which was far more important at that point.
The "poetic justice" footnote: after we left cafe grecco, we walked past "our" table at Pinnochios again. Empty, and there have not been enough time for someone to eat and leave since we left. I hope the empty table left a nice tip. We would have. -
Review from Jeff G.
9/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I guess I should've known never to eat at a restaurant named after a Disney character. The night started off well. Our waiter cracked some pretty funny jokes at the beginning and took our order for appetizers and drinks. He delivered the first round quickly and appetizers soon followed. But then he forgot about us. He never took our dinner order and never came back to ask if we wanted a refill on our drinks. So we sat there...and sat there...and sat there with just our water being refilled. We finally asked for our check and about 20 minutes later we got it. Ten minutes later, the bus boy ran our bill. Then the waiter came back and tried to humor us, but it was too late, we never ordered a main course. He wasn't funny anymore and I wondered how a restaurant on prime real-estate could have such crappy service.
The food itself was mixed. The calamari was served luke warm and more gummy than it should've been. The balsamic portabello was excellent. And the mussels and clam appetizer was meh.
Bottom line? Go somewhere else for dinner... -
Review from Gloria A.
Canoga Park, CA
1/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was home, visiting for the holidays and my bf flew up a couple weeks after. Nonna always talked about taking my bf to North Beach to show him where they lived and to just be tourists for the day. We parked and walked up and down Colombus as my Nonna was trying to hit up any of the spots from back in the day but a lot of businesses have shut down or have been taken over by their children and or grand children. We decided just to try this place out since it was the first one we saw. There is a hostess, with curly orange/red hair and blue eyes. I didnt know she was the hostess at first, she kind of just walked up to us and stood there and didnt say much. She had a big black coat on with a lot of hair on it so we kind of aknowledged her but didnt engage. Then we found out later that she was the hostess. The two waiters that were there spoke italian, so that was nice. They had, idk, house music playing so Nonnas asked them "la musica italiana?" so they changed the music to italian lol. We ordered:
Melon and Proscuitto: YUM. I love this combo. sweet and salty and its best!
Olives: Very very small bowl, had a lot of garlic. but very good.
Cesar Salad: Good but small
Calamari: I really liked this, very light, crispy and it came with two sauces.
Orders:
Nonna: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca with Capellini instead
Mom:Linguine del Pescatore-I split this with my mom there was a lot of seafood, pasta was cooked all the way through and the sauce was great. I thought it was enough for the both of us.
BF:Fettucine con Pollo-really creamy but not heavy, he had a lot of pasta too both white and I think spinich..lots of carrots and broccoli. I dont like chicken in my pasta so I dont know how that tasted lol
Sister:Linguine con Vongole e Cozze-which was clams and mussels.
I thought it was pretty tasty but mom thought the portions were way too small for the prices.
The waiter often broke out in old school italian songs..
They make their own pasta ... you know, it was decent..above decent even. it def is better than pomodoro. -
Review from Pete J.
Walnut Creek, CA
12/29/2011
First time visit to this restaurant. Everything was OK but nothing was great.
Service was the best part - relatively timely and friendly and the food was just OK. Not bad by any means, and I would not hesitate to go here again, it is just not the kind of WOW experience you'd like to have. -
Review from Alin O.
San Francisco, CA
10/5/2011
Absolutely horrifying service.
I came here with two of my friends just about a week ago and have encountered the waiter from the twilight zone. I thought his antics could only be seen in the movies. Where to begin...
We waited for 20 minutes for His Majesty to finally arrive at our table. He wrote down our orders and disappeared never to be heard from again. I suspect the dessert I have ordered did not meet his standards of how much one should eat while being served by His Majesty. 49 minutes later, the bus boy had decided to have mercy on us so he brought us our food. Something cold and old, but by then it didn't really matter. We asked for our check right away just to be "clever". Later that afternoon we finally received our check. The bus boy happen to come across it. It looked overpriced but we just wanted to leave and we paid without leaving the tip. I never left without giving a tip before.
My dessert never arrived. -
Review from Kimberly M.
San Francisco, CA
2/19/2012
We went here on a whim, out in NB and hungry and seemed ok. The service was good, wine selection was good but the food was disappointing. I ordered the chicken parmigiana, it looked good when the plate arrived but the chicken was tough and rubbery, I hardly ate any of it. It is probably the worst chicken parmigiana I've ever had. The prices were ok, not too expensive so I guess you get what you pay for. Thankfully we had a bottle of wine and a salad so I wasn't starving. But considering how many awesome Italian restaurants there are in SF, you should def skip this. My husband had the ravioli's and said they weren't that great. Oh well.
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Review from JJAMZ C.
Pacifica, CA
10/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Went here with the family and hubby a while back and it was great! 2nd time went with the sibs for the Italian heritage parade and it was ok. The gnocchi with bolognese sauce was delicious! soft and fluffly - not doughy. However, it didn't seem worth the price (but I guess that is understandable since every place was sold out and it had curbside seating right next to the parade).
The only drawback was that there was a set menu due to the parade and we didn't get to order from the full menu. -
Review from Rhonda W.
San Jose, CA
8/21/2011
Sat outside for dinner, which was nice and the heated lamps made it very pleasant. We had to wait a bit for the bread to arrive, and the food came out pretty quickly after ordering.
I can see why. I ordered the Steak and Portabella, which was cooked perfectly and tasted great, but about half of it was wasted because it was so fatty I could not eat it. The potatoes were home-style and the only thing italian about them was the overkill on the italian seasoning dumped on. The vegetables were so overcooked, the brocolli was grey (not kidding). The bok choy was grainy, which means it wasnt washed enough.
When the waiter came to take my plate, I mentioned this to him, in which his response was "if you had told me earlier, I could have sent it back". Uh, helllloo, if you had not been so busy flirting with the girls at the table next to mine and checked in on our table, I may have had a chance!
Fortunatley, the birthday boy had a fabulous dinner, he had the risotto w/lobster. Though the lobster was a little dry, the choice was a good one. -
Review from Michelle J.
San Francisco, CA
1/3/2012
We weren't quite sure who our waiter was out of the three helping us, and the service was on the slow side, but the food and the personality displayed by the staff will definitely take us there again in the future.
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Review from mary ann n.
San Jose, CA
1/5/2012
My friend and I were in North Beach and had a late lunch at Pinocchio's and yes it was great food and funny, great waiter, HOWEVER when we got our bill we had an added 4% health Care tax added on it...WE ARE SICK OF BEING TAXED TO DEATH!! If we go back there the 4% will come out of the waiter's tip - I know that isnt right, and not his fault but you know what? we are tired of paying for everyone simply cause we are working tax payers.
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Review from Robert A.
8/12/2011
We stopped in here for dinner with a large party and we were sat as soon as we walked in on a Friday night. The place was dimly lit and very intimate, though I was there with about 12 people it was the perfect setting. I had the Chicken Parmigiana and some red wine. The staff was great in dealing with our party and we did not have to wait long for service.
I do not usually like italian food, but this placet changed my mind, absolutely fantastic!
If you are in the bay area, this is a must for dinner! -
Review from Elizabeth S.
Worcester, MA
Best Italian in North Beach. Hand made pasta and sauces are fantastic, service is outstanding and the atmosphere of this corner restaurant makes it worth the stop. The house wine that was served with my pasta dish complimented it nicely. Highly recommend this restaurant.
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Review from christine c.
San Francisco, CA
8/3/2011
Came here on a week night. Service was slow and sporadic. The bread was good, the water glasses were full (the bus boy was great) and my meal was better than mediocre but not over-the-top.
Portions were good sized and the prices were right. I had the chicken al limone with pasta instead of potato. The chicken itself was wonderful, in a velvety, lemony sauce. I was afraid it was going to be a thin sauce (something I could make at home with EVOO and lemons and garlic) but it much better. Not too creamy, but not very oil-based either. The pasta was good, too. Spaghetti with red sauce. But, my only qualm was that it was served on the same plate! My red sauce was getting all mixed in with my lemon sauce and it was just weird. I would have preferred to have it in a small bowl on the side. Thought that my chicken was going to come with some veggies, too, but I guess that's not an option when you swap out the potato.
Everyone else in my party liked their raviolis and other pastas, but no one was raving. Much better than some of the other touristy places and pretty cute, but nothing to write home about.
Would go back, though. Lasagna looks delicious... -
Review from Scott P.
Riverview, FL
1/28/2012
Dinner was wonderful. In a party of 4, we all thought our dishes were terrific. I even liked the lamb and I do not like lamb. The only thing I did not like was the carpaccio. I though the truffle oil was overpowering. Overall, one of the best meals I had in a week of SF eating.
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Review from Christi C.
Fairfield, CA
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good food, but they get so crowded that its hard to be comfortable...food took a while, but it was good. Staff is very nice.
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Review from Tak-seng L.
Lisle, IL
7/9/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Just came in for some wine. Ordered a bottle of Murphy Goode Alexander Valley Cab and was brought the same brand and type but it wasn't from the same vineyard. Sine the bartender already popped the cork we worked with him and bought the bottle but asked for slight drop in price. Instead of 38 they went to 32...which was okay. I think they could have done a bit better...sadly, we didn't eat there so we can't comment on the food but I did see some of the dishes being eaten and prepared...they looked tasty.
The decor is pretty nice and the layout seems fairly comfortable. Definitely a bit more upscale but not super fine dining. You could get away with jeans in this place easy but you may want to fancy yourself up a touch...well, I always think doing that is kinda fun. Anyway, hopefully we have time to stop here to grab food during this stay. If not, we'll be sure to check it out next time. -
Review from Lynn H.
4/27/2011
My friend and I were searching for yummy Italian food and we figured what better place than Little Italy. It was hard trying to figure out which restaurant we wanted to try, so I'm glad we picked this one.
We sat outside and the waiter came around promptly and asked us for our drink orders. As tempting as the drink/wine list looked, I was hungover earlier in the morning and really couldn't take another drop of alcohol (a story for another time).
We order the octopus appetizer. It was tasty but on the fishy and salty side. I guess that should have been what I expected from a seafood dish. He ordered the chicken al limone and I got the lamb chops. My chops came out still breathing... I asked the waiter to put it in for a little longer and it came out perfect the second time. His chicken was really good... Creamy, lemony, and velvety good sauce. My side of spinach and mushrooms was also very good.
The waiter and the maitre d' were both Italian and very friendly. The maitre d' even danced a little for us! Nice place. Would definitely go back if I was in the area again. -
Review from ilya m.
San Jose, CA
10/4/2011
The food was pretty average or bellow average considering the price. What killed it was the waiter chasing us across the street to get more tip. Now, I was not taking care of the bill so I do not know how much was left for him, what I do know is that his service was just like the food, nothing to write home about, and the bill was close to 2 bills for four people. He ran out and stopped us in the middle of the intersection, as we were crossing the street, with **** load of attitude, telling us how he was insulted with how much money was left for him. The people I was with were not local and he went off with his BS about how it is the law in California to tip 15%... GTFO! We threw another $10 to this Italian-wannabe monkey and then steamed about it for the rest of the day.
I guess that is what you get for eating out in neighborhood that caters to tourists. -
Review from Robert P.
San Diego, CA
4/19/2011
I set out for ciopino and this place had it.
Why does that warrant four stars? It doesn't. It was the wine, reasonable prices and great service that earned them. The ciopino was pretty good but the fish was a little salty and stood out a bit too much in the mix.
Work on that and you get another star, Pinocchio. It is just one little flaw away from epic. -
Review from Stacy D.
San Francisco, CA
4/17/2011
This place is great. You have to try the Chicken al Limone - it's absolutely delicious. Not a huge fan of the raviolis, but the fresh bread totally makes up for it. Be sure to meet Michele; he's such a charming Italian man. He can guarantee you a great time and will provide you with top-notch service.
When you do come here, don't forget to make a visit to the bar. The bartender, Nick, is as talented as he is charming as he is smokin' hot. Try his lemon drop martini -- you'll love it! -
Review from Jennifer C.
Newark, CA
3/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. The place is cutely decorated with Pinocchios hanging from the lights over the bar area. The outdoor seating option was good, but we opted to sit inside since it was raining that day.
Pasta dishes are pricey - $15 and over per plate, so i got a sandwich instead. I wanted to get the shrimp sandwich with lemon vinaigarette, but they were out that day. Boo.
I got the grilled chicken sandwich with pesto mayo instead. It was good, but not great. It came with chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, and pesto mayo. The chicken was a thin piece and the pesto mayo was spread on sloppily - i didn't even get to taste the pesto mayo in every bite. :( I wish they made this sandwich a panini - it would have been better if the sandwich was warm. Also if they added cheese to it, it would have been less dry.
The free bread is hella good here. Fresh out of the oven!! Eat it with butter or EVOO and BV (balsamic vinegar). I should change my nickname from "butter queen" to "bread monster." I think i'll do just that. Oooh butter queen bread monster! Haha, that's too much... -
Review from F. I.
Durango, CO
4/18/2011
Our server was great! He was very funny, but I forgot his name. Oh well. On to rating the food.
Dinner for two cost us about $80. We each had a drink (non alcoholic), and for appetizer we started w/ Guazzetto di Mare (steam mussels & clams in garlic sauce). I had their Tortellini alla Boscaiola (meat tortellini w/ peas, mushroom, & prosciutto in a cream sauce). The hubby had their freshly made Fettuccine Con Pollo in an alfredo sauce. We ended the meal w/ their Vanilla Creme Brûlée.
Pro: All the dishes we ordered were very good.
Con: The cream sauce & the alfredo sauce was kinda on the heavy side. But since we were indulging, it really is not a con. If you're watching your waistline, skip the cream sauce & go for a tomato or even an extra virgin olive oil sauce. -
Review from Jean L.
Allen, TX
3/26/2011
Visited Pinocchio's today on our walk through North Beach.
My husband ordered the Giovanni brunch special. It was decent, but I think he was jealous because I ordered the Fettucine Pollo. According to the menu, the fettucine, gnocchi and lasagne are made fresh onsite daily, so of course I wanted to eat freshly made pasta.
I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I even went so far as to wipe each drop of sauce from the bowl with my fingers (I'd previously eaten all of the awesome fresh bread they brought us).
Our server, Michele, was a funny guy. Hands down the best waiter we've ever had. He was humourous and charming. We won't be forgetting him anytime soon.
We plan to go back. There are so many dishes we'd like to try. I don't think you can go wrong with one of their freshly made pasta dishes. I mean, I stupidly paid $28 for non-fresh and boring pasta dish at a restaurant in Snoqualmie earlier this year. Pinocchio's doesn't charge nearly that much and it would be worth it, in my opinion.
I look forward to our next visit, which hopefully will be Tuesday this week. :)
