Caffe Macaroni

Yummy spaghetti, like Joe’s humor:) he is super funny. Come to visit, it’s around the corner!

Always a treat, had a Killer Porcetta tonight. Always a treat with wonderful recommended wine, and always super service. It’s my home away from home!

I read reviews on how «magical» this place is, and they’re absolutely right. The squid ink pasta came with seafood, I was in love at first smell!
Yes, it’s small. No, you won’t dislike anything. Get out of your comfort zone here, explore the menu and wine! It’s not expensive either, so eat up!

Mediocre food to say the least. Read reviews and was super excited to try it, but the garlic oil that came with the bread smelled almost moldy, and the squid ink pasta was blant. However, the Salad and the service was excellent, so I’d like to give more starts, but after all it’s a restaurant, so can’t justify more starts despite wonderful service.

One reviewer called this place «magical,» they’re correct. Stopped in randomly for lunch while visiting the city. The food was great and the atmosphere was more than memorable.
Seriously, I’ve never felt so welcomed by a restaurant… And I’ve only been once… And it was over a year ago! Writing a review now because I needed a romantic spot for Valentine’s Day and I couldn’t think of another place in the world I’d like to take my lady to. We’re traveling from LA! Crazy, but I’m so excited to make it back to this little restaurant and spend a special evening in a truly special place.

We randomly saw this place on open table and decided to give it a try. While the dining area was small, we came on a weekday at 1100 and had no trouble getting seated. We started with the calamari and lentil soup. The calamari, which was served warm, was very fresh and complimented with beans and tomatoes. Not rubbery at all. The lentil soup was seasoned well and the soup base was clear broth, not very oily, which is a good thing. My husband had the risotto pescatore while I had the pasta amatraciana. Both were excellent. Lots of very fresh seafood in the risotto and my pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. Prices are reasonable as are portion sizes. We will definitely be returning!

Just a masterpiece. Everything I’ve eaten here has always been lip smacking good. I ordered the tricolore salad yesterday with fennel, green apple, high grade olive oil, arugula, and radicchio. This salad satisfied me in a way I didn’t know salad could. Take advantage of the fresh seafood on the menu. The pasta is freshly made in house, and the sauce tastes like it’s been reducing from fresh tomatoes since 6am. You will feel inclined to shake chef Mario’s hand on the way out the door. I also really like that chef Mario eats dinner with his entire staff right before closing. They’re one big well treated family, and that love and respect comes through in the dishes. Happy chefs, happy diners. Save room for tiramisu!

Authentic authentic authentic! The food was incredible and the restaurant itself reminded me of so many small trattorias in southern Italy. The wait staff was pleasant and entertaining. We especially loved conversing with Mario (the owner) and our waiter in Italian, again felt like we were back in Calabria.
I had the chicken with gnocchi in a Gorgonzola cream sauce… amazing! Surprisingly not too rich but full of flavor. My mom and cousin had the special, sole with a caponata sauce… incredible. Light and flavorful would come back over and over for this dish! The pasta al forno, which we ordered for my 6 yr old, was our least favorite. The penne were slightly over cooked and a bit dry.
The portions are just right, food was served piping hot. the atmosphere is casual and a bit chaotic at least upstairs. It is a very tiny place, my daughter said «it’s like we are in a doll house mamma». As long as you don’t mind hearing your neighbors conversation, possibly even rubbing elbows with them and enjoy authentic Italian food this is a must try!
I’ll be sure to visit every time I’m in San Francisco!

Very authentic Trattoria. The restaurant does not look like much from the outside but they serve a great Italian familly style food. Best Tiramisu I had in a long time!

My experience with Caffe Macaroni was average. The main factor that impacted my rating towards this restaurant was the food that I ordered. I may have ordered the wrong food to my liking so that MAY be the case.
Anyway, my co-​workers and I went here for lunch since this was highly rated. When we walked in, I was surprised at how small the restaurant was. The maximum occupancy inside would probably be 10.
I ordered the spaghetti aglio and it came out in about 10 minutes of ordering. Before that, we were given breadsticks with olive oil with a ton of garlic inside. I wasn’t a huge fan of the breadsticks. It was cold and hard… My spaghetti was also bland. Very bland. The blandest spaghetti I’ve ever had. I love Italian food, but this was probably the worst and it was disappointing.
Would I come back here? I mean, I’d like to give it another shot… Just don’t order the spaghetti aglio.

Stopped by Caffe Macaroni last night for dinner. The food was the best since I’ve had since Italy. Everything we tried was superb and homemade. We started with lentil soup which was seasoned to perfection, hot and perfect for the rainy eve. Followed by marinated anchovies, burrata salad — both were yummy. Squid ink pasta with seafood which was amazing. The pasta was so light and the seafood perfectly cooked and presented. We also had ravioli with pesto which just melted in my mouth. For dessert, we tried their Tiramisu — just perfect!
The server was awesome. He was very sweet, from the beautiful city of Roma! When he found out that my daughter could speak a bit Italian, he brought up some Limoncello shots for us. Made for a fun night. If you want authentic Italian food and atmosphere, don’t miss this place. Awesome!
BTW we were having dinner in their upstairs room. That’s an experience all of it’s own.

My colleagues have gotten each other addicted to Caffe Macaroni and now I understand why. I’m totally hooked and plan on bringing my boyfriend on a date here someday! The restaurant does not look like much from the outside. Just some patio seating and a few booths inside by the window. There is a more spacious (though tightly packed like in Italy) seating area upstairs, where your head may or may not touch the ceiling. Very cozy feeling.
Our waiter was hilarious and made us feel at home. His name was Michaeli or something like that. Poor guy was waiting on all the tables that evening but always made sure we had what we needed. We started with some glasses of chianti while snacking on Burrata and Bufala. Would highly recommend the Burrata. Both were tasty starts to the meal though.
Everyone at the table ordered the black linguine with prawns, mussels, clams, calamari, baby octopus, and garlic. Our colleague had talked so highly of this dish that we could not turn down the option. It was INCREDIBLE. Words can’t even begin to describe how fresh this dish tasted. The seafood was huge and served in generous portions, and the black linguini was clearly homemade. Definitely coming back to have this again.
And of course, we ended our meal with dessert. Well more like my friend ordered tiramisu and I stole a bite off her plate. Heavenly. Especially with coffee. Overall the experience, food, and service were all 5 stars. 6 stars, if that were possible. Thank you Caffe Macaroni for a lovely evening that was dedicated to celebrating our recent successes at work!

So seriously this place was ridiculous good. My wife and I left the kids at home, got a hotel and decided to get some dinner before a crazy night of keeping the neighbors awake… but I just want to go back in for more food. Yah its better than sex good. The place is tiny and intimant and the waitress yells things i dont understand in italian which is damn cool, and sexy. So hell yah. I am going back. I dont even know what I oredered. Actually I do, it was black, squid ink linguine with a bunch of seafood.. You already know I liked it. My wife had some pasta that looked great too and she swears it was great so I will take her word for it. And the deserts were great too. Cheers.

«Magical» is a word I rarely use in writing a review, but when I get that fleeting chance, you can bet I’ll use it. And because I’m using that word, I’ll make this review more of a story.
Our story took place this week– in Nov 2015. My global #LinkedInLife cohort and I were in SF for new hire training. We were a group from Hong Kong, London, NY, Chicago, and of course Cali. When we were ready for dinner, the one cuisine on which we could all agree was — Italiano! (side note– is food the path to world peace? Methinks so). Coincidentally, Emi, our British born, yet Japanese colleague had a Sicilian cab driver on her way in. When she asked for restaurant recommendations, Caffe Macaroni was the first out of his mouth. When she told us, we all immediately thought Macaroni Grill. No offense, as MG has saved me many a night in mid America, but CM was/​is on a completely different dimension.
Our impromptu outing began at our conveniently located hotel, Galleria Park, which hosts a lovely happy hour every evening. Primed with a nice Mondavi Napa valley cab, we all quickly agreed on Italian (Emi and I had walked by the previous night, so we had already scoped it out). Knowing the storefront looked to be the size of a shoebox, I called nonetheless. «Excuse me, but do you happen to have a table for 10 available. for NOW?» I tried to ask gently (My inner Hungry Hippo starting to take over). «Of course! C’mon over» was the welcome reply.
After a missed turn from Google Maps (seriously, Google!), we made it to CM. As I said, it looks to be the size of a shoe box, and the front booth was already filled. Nonetheless, the owner graciously welcomed us. CM looks as though it’s pulled straight out of Europe– sidewalk café tables, long booth facing the front window, and the kitchen front and center. Then and there is where the magic began.
Like the first note in a symphony, the smells of the kitchen permeated the air. My cartoon-​self started floating towards it. My practical self, asked, «But where is there room?» We then met our server extraordinare, Michele, who guided us through a small opening, up the stairs to the second floor, that had ceilings so low, I literally scraped them (I“m only 5’11). It is painted all red with various adornments on the wall — it’s the authentic look chain restaurants always go for, but never achieve. «Gratzi!» I replied– which kicked off a hilarious opus of Spanglish-​Italiano among all of us all night. Michele served to be not only our waiter, but our entertainer and muse, kindly laughing at all our silliness and adding to the fire with his own retorts. «prego prego!».
We ordered an assortment of antipasti– pizza, charcuterie– and although I didn’t get any pizza (ahem!!!), it smelled amazing and my colleagues would have said as much if their faces weren’t stuffed. When it came to the main entrée– my Rabbit bolognese with housemade pasta rags– all the promise of those original smells on sidewalk was delivered wholly and completely. I eat a lot of Italian (my hubby is Sicilian!) and this meal was there at the top. The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the sauce was delicious, perfectly clinging to the pasta.
Our story concludes with a promise to dear Michele that I would write this review on Unilocal.The morale being– when you have an experience like this– the food, the energy, the laughs– you must pay it forward.

Pretty delicious here. It’s a hidden gem and I had an enjoyable time. Kicked it off with the squid appetizer — ⁴⁄₅. The salad with the cheese wasn’t bad, but I’m not a big fan of cheese — 3.5÷5. As for the actual entrée, I ordered the pasta with sausage. The portion was a decent size, but if you’re hungry, you’ll want to order more — 4.5÷5. The linguine with the clam/​mussels was surprisingly delicious ⁴⁄₅. The tiramisu wasn’t bad for dessert.
I’d return here again if I were craving italian. The owner/​manager was very social, the staff were friendly, and the food was good. Make sure to book a reservation in advance.

Amazing cozy spot tucked between the financial district and north beach. It’s very small and intimate but you feel welcome and warm here.
The best thing is off menu — the squid ink pasta with seafood. It’s a reasonable size portion with hefty amounts of clams, mussels, squid and prawn.
The arugula salad is also a good size and not price by SF standards.
There was an Italian white wine by the glass that starts with a V that they recommended that was excellent with the seafood.
Great value for the quality and friendly Italian service.

This is my second time to this place and I love the food here
Ambience: It’s cozy but could get crampy for some people who are not used to it. People are seated quite closely with tables quite near each other. Expect a three on a table for two. I however am ok with it because it seems like a home environment with everyone chatting and having fun. Love the low roof setting.
Food and drinks: Perfect spices in the italian good. One of the best I have eaten. Wide variety of wine and yummy tiramisu. Definitely must try
Service: The place is pretty crowded. Service is friendly but it does take time which I don’t think is a big deal considering you can have a nice plate of appetizer of cheese and cold cut meat and wine while the mains arrive
One of my favourite Italian joints in the area

It was not a planned dinner by any means. Was passing by the place and got hooked by the the friendliness of the owner. Before we know it, we were sitting in the patio, browsing through the extensive menu.
I settled for Amalfitano, black squid ink seafood pasta. Although I am not a fan of bread dipping prior to the course, I have to say the olive oil dip in Café Macaroni was great! And the Amalfitano! Perfecto! The pasta was al dente, the seafood was well cooked. Just the right amount of flavor too, not too empowering but certainly not weak either.
I’ll certainly be back.

A hidden gem in Little Italy. Amazing food. On first glance, it looks tiny, but there is a second floor. Cute place, owner is Italian, food is DELICOUS.
Taste: ⁵⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₅
Value for Money: ⁴⁄₅
Would I come again: Yes

My family and I were staying in San Francisco and looking to eat dinner at an Italian restaurant. After doing some research on Unilocal for a few minutes, I come across this little gem. This was definitely the best decision I made all trip. Authentic Italian food complete with Italian-​speaking cooks and servers. This hole in the wall is easy to pass up because it looks a little run down and sketchy, but usually those turn out to be the best eateries.
FOOD: 5 stars.
Definitely the best Italian food I’ve had in awhile. I’m not a fan of extremely fancy food. I prefer the quality and taste of food over presentation. This place hit the spot. I don’t remember the name of the dish I had, but it was basically a Baked Ziti. You could tell the sauce was 100% homemade. The pasta was cooked to perfection. It was delicious. My brother had the Margherita pizza while my mom and sister split the cannelloni. The cannelloni was fantastic. My dad had the Branzino (?) with spaghetti. This, in my opinion, was the most delectable because it had so many layers of flavor. I highly recommend that dish.
SERVICE: 5 stars.
Great service. The owner and bus boy/​server were both very welcoming and made us feel right at home. They made jokes with us the whole time and were fantastic. No complaints at all.
AMBIANCE/​LOCATION: 4.5 stars.
I think it could be better. Really tiny but it’s places like these that I end up appreciating more because they are more friendly and tend to have great food. I just don’t like the location of the restaurant. I think I would have preferred it to be closer to Union Square.
Overall, I have ZERO complaints about this place. If you are looking for AUTHENTIC and QUALITY Italian food, this is your place! I will definitely be back in the future.

3.5 STARS
Caffe Macaroni is a cute little Italian restaurant at the junction between North Beach, FiDi, and Chinatown. I was uncertain of what to expect, because the signage and décor seemed very old school /​divey and reminded me of a mom and pop version of Buca di Beppo. Then, when I arrived I noticed the wait staff varied from stand-​offish to boisterous; this place seemed to attract alot of European tourists and return customers. The service was a bit slow, and forgetful, but friendly in an almost obtrusive way. Our server described each dish like this, «Pappardelle bla bla bla» — literally. I don’t know what to make of it.
Venue: There are a few small outdoor tables for 2 – 4 people (no heating lamp), a few indoor tables (4 – 6 people), and a small upstairs section which could seat a few small parties or one large party of maybe 15. It’s a bit claustraphobic, but cute and oddly decorated with neon green twinkle lights and parchment paper rolls, a low ceiling, and a nice street facing view. The upstairs area got really loud and there were only 6 other people there. Reservations were somewhat easy, and I saw several walk in (Tuesday at 7:30PM) without much of a wait.
Food:
* COMPLIMENTARY BREAD AND GARLIC OLIVE OIL — 3.5 STARS:
Mediocre but fresh bread, soft on the inside but crusty on the outside. Served with their house made garlic olive oil, super flavorful and addictive. I think they use the same bread for the pizza.
* BUFFALO MOZZARELLA E PROSCUITTO — 2 STARS:
Small and mediocre piece of mozzarella (think: Costco, not bad but not great), served with maybe 4 slices of standard proscuitto. Meh, I’ve had better.
* SQUID INK LINGUINI ($ 17) — 4 STARS:
This is not on their menu (note: their online and restaurant menu differ slightly). The seafood was mediocre in quality and freshness, but it was really flavorful and one of the two favorite pastas of the evening.
* PAPPARDELLE BOLOGNESE — Special ($ 17) — 4 STARS:
This house special was very simple, yet so delicious — the other favorite pasta dish of the evening. The pasta and the sauce were perfectly executed — the pasta was nicely al dente, and the sauce and cheese were unexpectedly delicious.
* SAUSAGE PASTA ($ 17) — 3 STARS:
Mix of farfella (bow tie) and rotini pastas served with pasta. It was just not my cup of tea.
* PORK LOIN — 2 STARS:
A bit dry and flavorless, served over cannelloni beans. Skip.

It’s just perfect. The atmosphere, the decoration, the feel, the owner, the cooks and of course… the food!
I picked this place after reading some Unilocal reviews about restaurants around little Italy.
I got there around 2PM, for a late lunch. There was only one couple seating in this super tiny restaurant (4 tables of 2 outside, 5 tables for 2 inside. There might be an upper floor, I didn’t check).
The owner/​waiter is Italian. Being from an French-​Italian family, I ordered a special dish composed of Mozzarella and antipasti only, the sardine spaghetti, anchovies and a bottle of (excellent) Montepulciano. See photos for details.
I won’t describe all the great feelings I had while eating there. Everything was gourmet, well prepared and cooked (al-​dente spaghetti). Sardines were amazingly grilled with herb and garlic and my antipasti was seasoned to perfection!
I had a very nice espresso to conclude this amazing meal. 51 $ for the whole thing. Unbeatable. Complementary bread and super garlicky olive oil.
Its not a sophisticated cuisine, but the food is just plain good.
I do recommend this place if you feel like having Italian food in San Francisco.
Will definitely go back.

The food, the ambiance, the owner (Mario) and his wonderful team are the real deal. Oh yes, this place is so Italiano! The red vinyl long bench, the bright red stilettos hanging on the wall and the dangling garlic garlands in the front windows will grab you the instant you step foot into this gem of a place located in North Beach. Inside this warm and charming caffe, rest assured the kitchen will whip up some of the best culinary delights imported from Italy. Listen to Dino belt out some Italian favorites to set you in the right mood…
«When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That’s amore
When the world seems to shine like you’re had too much wine
That’s amore»
So could Pavarotti and Bocelli!
Mario quickly showed us to our table and served us a complimentary basket of warm crusty bread with a side of chopped garlic and olive oil as a tasty spread while we browsed the menu. A great way to start as an antipasto was CM’s own Pan Pumarol ($ 6.75). This was a bruschetta-​like grilled focaccia bread and came in four oversized slices. The bread was coated with garlic and topped with tomatoes, oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper. Fresh garlic gave the bread a strong, pungent and nutty flavor. The grilling gave the bread the perfect crunch. Delizioso!
Next was another dish which honest to God, I’ve never had before prepared this way. It was labeled in the menu as Fasul E’Calamari ($ 13.00). This was fresh Monterey calamari served in a light tasty broth with cannelloni beans, wild arugula and chopped tomato. Compliments to the chef for not overcooking the calamari, as the calamari was soft and tender and so were the cannelloni beans. There was not quite enough liquid to drink as a soup but plenty that begged to be sopped up with focaccia. Highly recommended!
The best dish tonight was unequivocally the Linguine Neri (Squid Ink) served with an assortment of Shell Fish ($ 21.75) like clams, mussels, calamari tentacles and a large shell-​on shrimp. The full-​bodied sauce as far as I can tell was a concoction of white wine, olive oil and garlic. What was interesting was the squid ink, a weird black colored ingredient that made the linguine look black, rich and briny. Contrary to common belief, while the black squid ink did add a subtle seafaring flavor, it was neither too salty nor briny. Instead, it paired well with the shellfish. I can say that if you love cioppino, you would love the flavors of squid ink linguine with shellfish.
Mario, the owner, was the perfect host. He was loud, he was quirky and above all funny. It was quite a welcome change to hear only Italian spoken among his help with Mario (in a nice way) as their Godfather. He hails from Positano, Italy and makes no bones that he appreciates your patronage. Parking can be a challenge and it may be easier later in the evening when the cars are gone from the nearby FiDi.
Grazie tanto!