Fior d’Italia

I had dinner here with my family while on vacation.
Pros:
— felt welcomed at the restaurant on arrival
— the second lemonade was good (the first was a little watery, but the second was stronger). Note, the lemonade is made with sparkling water
— the ravioli bolognese was good
Cons:
— the calamari was waaaaaay overcooked (it was like chewing hard rubber). To the restaurant’s credit, they took it back without any fuss
— the prosciutto was okay, but a little too thickly sliced (so it was a little more chewy than usual)

Nice classy feel and good location if you near Fisherman’s Wharf. I am not prone to offer a negative critique — I often just don’t write anything unless it was bad bad bad. This was not bad, just not great. The Burrata had a unique twinge to the tomato flavor — maybe a strong olive oil? The pesce Del giorno (halibut) had a caper sauce that made it taste almost slimy. The vegetables and potatoes were great but the fish lacked any real flavor and the slimy texture didn’t help. The double chocolate mousse was better but had maybe a hint of a liquor or something? Everything was just slightly off… No big failures at all. Just not excellent.

this is one of the best places in San Francisco! the food is amazing
the staff (especially Eduardo/​Lalo) is a 10.
make us feel at home everytime we have dinner.
love it

So we had a party of 3. One of us had the veal which was very good. The pesto pasta was less than good very bland not much flavor to speak of.
I had the ravioli, which was suppose to have beef and veal in it. Not really sure what kind of meat was in it was. The meat tasted freezer burned, and the sauce had no flavor.
The dish consisted of 8 ravioli. I ate the first one and was disappointed. I always give it a second try just to make sure I don’t like it. That left 6 ravioli.
I give one to my wife to try to make sure I’m not crazy and she didn’t like it either. That left 5.
I ate another ½ of one and I couldn’t do it. The ravioli just wasn’t palatable. There were 4 ½ ravioli left out of 8.
I call the waiter over and told him that I tried to eat it but it wasn’t edible.
The waiter «Alberto» started giving attitude and said that I had eaten it. And really didn’t seem to care that it wasn’t any good.
I was taken back by the attitude and the rude behavior. I told him to forget it and to just take the meal off the bill.
I had heard the food was pretty good here but was very disappointed with the service and the food. Alberto’s attitude just set the tone for the rest of the meal and for everyone else.
The veal was good though.

From the minute we turned down the little alleyway I liked this place. The waiter’s recommendations were great, the wine was excellent, and the outdoor seating has enough patio warmers to keep everyone warm.

Absolutely delectable. Awesome, friendly service. I ordered linguine con Palette. I could barely finish it with two huge flavorful meatballs and delicious perfectly cooked pasta ! Will always remember to return here for some good pasta!

Wonderful service! Delicious food! Great old fashioned Italian ambiance! Will definitely return next time I am in San Francisco! The oldest Italian restaurant in the country! It brought back memories of my youth when we would go to Dino’s in Pasadena, only better, actually! We went after seeing Beach Blanket Babylon, so it was a late dinner. The bar is a lovely old wooden one with fast and cheerful service. Our booth was perfect! We were even given the choice of a booth or table! Wow! Talk about servicing the needs of the customers!
Since it was late, we couldn’t eat as much as we would have liked, lol! I have a delicious Caesar and then the Scallopine Fior. As soon as the first bite hit my mouth, the flavor absolutely burst with lusciousness!!! Marsala, mushrooms, prosciutto… garlic…nothing overpowering just delicious. My daughter had the bucatini and my son the ravioli di zucca AND the osso buco con polenta. Needless to say, we were too stuffed to have dessert, which was sad considering the options!
Thank you Fior d’Italia for a scrumptious meal and memorable experience!

I loved this place!
The staff was really friendly and it had an authentic feel of a family owned Italian restaurant. The food was delicious, you can just tell when pasta is freshly made. It had a great atmosphere and can’t wait to go back again.

If you’re staying in the wharf area, walk a bit south away from that mess. I was stuck in this area for work and could not find a decent meal by the water. Fior d’Italia was amazing. I ended up here 2 nights in a row, one night with the risotto, the next night I ordered the flattened chicken. Great service and delicious meals both nights. Great live jazz band one of the nights.

I celebrated my 70^th birthday in one of their banquet rooms. Everyone had a wonderful time enjoying the food and service. Lucio was a great, helping me through all the planning and Romero was a wonderful server the night of my party. Thanks!

Came here for dinner last night. We’re Bay Area natives, but had never been to this hidden gem. Loved the cozy ambiance and décor of this family style restaurant. The pasta dish I tried was very good and my boyfriend loved his lamb chops. The homemade bread was a great touch! We would definitely come back here.

We visited with a group for our wedding rehearsal dinner. We found the positive Unilocal reviews to be a good sign, and the staff were quick to reply to our inquiry for a group reservation. The process of selecting menus beforehand was fairly straightforward, too, and it was conveniently located a few minutes’ drive from our family’s hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf. We’d also inquired about another place, but they didn’t allow group bookings on weekends.
The entrees and service were great! Someone (maybe a manager, or owner) came by to visit with us and congratulate us, and the ordering process was quite simple. We chose the smallest menu (caesar salad, basic entrée, dessert/​coffee) and figured we would order wine and other drinks to get to their food and beverage minimum. The other banquet menu options have more courses and more entrée options– I would’ve preferred more entrée options within the fewer courses.
My biggest issue was that the private room is bisected by the path to the kitchen, so every dish going out into the main room passed through ours. All that traffic on a busy Saturday night made us feel in the way trying to talk with family and friends at the other tables in the room. The staff did the best they could to be courteous about it, but it detracted from the ambiance of a ‘private’ room a bit. There may be other private rooms in the place, but from the banquet menu I got the impression they are for larger groups than ours.
Other minor issues:
–very few (I think just one, a pesto rigatoni?) vegetarian options for banquet menus.
–caesar salad was SWIMMING in dressing. The lettuce was soggy, dressing too salty. Not inspiring.
–chicken cacciatore was the only non-​pasta entrée that had no vegetable side (it also had black olives in it, which seemed an odd choice with the mushrooms).
All that said, everyone enjoyed themselves, the portions were very filling, and our food came out promptly. I couldn’t finish my entrée or dessert!
I’m excited to come again for a regular dinner (after all, we got to see all the other dishes go by, and they looked quite nice), but I’ll probably try another place for a group depending what I’m looking for and my budget.

It has been awhile since I gave out 5 stars to anyone. This night was special.
I have always wanted to go to the oldest Italian restaurant in the U.S. which opened in 1886. Finally made it.
They have had several locations and are currently on the main floor of the San Remo Hotel.
I was extremely surprised by the food. Not that I didn’t expect good food, but this was very good.
We had a group of 10 and they put us in our own little room which was great because we were kind of loud.
We started off with the Prosciutto con Frutta di Stagione for appetizers which was very fresh, very good.
I had the New York steak and the sauce it was covered in was amazing. My wife had the Salmon which was equally good.
I didn’t look at the wine list as someone else ordered the wine but what we had was very good.
The service was perfect. This has to be a go to next time we are in San Francisco.

Apparently the oldest Italian food restaurant in the city? Atmosphere here is ro-​man-​tic! Love the ambience, the dress of the waiters, the lighting, all of it. Perfect for a Friday date night out.
Italian is always a hit or miss game — you can only get a huge plate of pasta so interesting. That being said, I am a HUGE red sauce snob and this place does red sauce well! Definitely not the best I’ve tried, but surely cures that bolognase craving any day.

First time eating here at the oldest Italian restaurant in the country. Is that truely possible? Calamari was okay certainly not the best, but the rest of my meal was delicious. Elegant dining but still comfortably relaxed. Waiter did seem a little unorganized considering we were the only ones there. Long delays in bringing drinks, condiments, etc. But still all very pleasant. Great looking bar

Great Italian Restaurant! The portions are huge. I split my pasta with my husband and still looked like i had a full plate! The calamari was bomb. I would pass on the escargot here. It doesn’t even come in a shell. Seafood linguine was really good. I had a bite of a friend’s lasagna and that was great too! This is considered one of the oldest restaurants in America (changed ownership 4 times)! Come check it out!

Over the years I’ve eaten at FDI many times, however since I don’t travel for my business any longer, I’ve not been since 2003. Btw, FDI, is the oldest operating Italian restaurant I’m SF, & I believe in the entire US?
So there I am, having a problem recognizing the restaurant, location, anything, so I ask our host why is everything so different? Well come to find out the old location on Union by the park, burnt down & it’s also under new ownership! Who said, things never seem to change!
Ok back to the review. There menu, mostly northern Italian fair & very good. The service top notch. The restaurant is roomy and has a nice bar as well. Saturday early evening they have a blue’s/jazz combo playing till a think 7?
A 4 out of 5 stars.

This cute little place was our last stop for a meal before leaving San Francisco. The restaurant is quaint and it has a great vibe.
We ended up sitting at the bar so we could watch some of the games that were on and were met with great company of the bartenders. The bar crowd was also fun and were apparently regulars to the restaurant.
For dinner we ordered 4 small plates that were all delicious.
1. Tortellini alla Panna — Not sure what this means in Italian but it was a delicious tortellini pasta filled with chicken and covered with a creamy alfredo sauce.
2. Bruschetta — Fresh tomatoes atop a crustini. Very fresh. Very good.
3. Meat balls — This was one of my definite favorites. They’re delicious. Tiny little bites of meat smothered in a red sauce. Can’t go wrong.
4. Cubes of sauteed filet in cream and pepper sauce — YUM! The steak is cut into small cubes and sauteed in more of a gravy sauce. It almost feels like comfort food. So good.
At the end of the meal, I had a tiramisu martini made fresh with espresso… One of the best martini’s I think I’ve ever had. I also don’t drink many of those.
Overall, I’d go here again if we were to take a trip to San Francisco. It was a great place to see a game, people were friendly and the food was delicious.
Give it a shot!

Fior d’Italia is near and dear to my heart as I’ve celebrated Christmas and now Thanksgiving here with my family. Pasta made in-​house, drinks served stiff, attentive service… it’s old school Italian done right!

Nice setting, valet parking, and a good verity of tradition Italian food. The service is also very good, waiters are on point.
I have been coming here for years and the last time I went I felt like the food wasn’t as good as I remembered. Having said that I would still recommend for a date spot or family outing.

Good recommendation by our hotel staff. I had veal piccata and my husband had veal scaloppine. It was tender and flavorful. The wine recommendation was good. Nice staff. Would recommend.

This place a little walk from or hotel. Very cute place. Awesome food! I had the rosemary chicken and my wife hade the salmon. Both cooked perfect. The potatoes and sauce where delicious.
The only thing wrong was our waiter. No personality. Kind of rude I would say. My wife said he rolled his eyes at me a couple of times. He had a skinny little mustache. There is some people that can’t rock the stash and he is one of them. Lol. I’m being rude now, all in all great food!

Oldest Italian restaurant in SF (1886)
The entrees $ 12 to $ 26, jacket and tie did not seem to be required but would not have been out of place. Waiters speak Italian and wear Black Dinner Jackets. Fior d’ Italia serves authentic Northern Italian cuisine. Oysters on the half shell, Bistecca alla Fiorentina or oso bucco or rabbit with mushrooms yum. Finish with a tiramisu and cappucino.
Menu is exceptionally diverse, half orders are accommodated, three and five course sample menus are $ 30, $ 50 per person. Food is very good, service is very good, décor is good, bread exceptional. Wine list is studied with affordable good wines both Italian and American, but also has exception wines, some of which are offered by the Glass. A fine Borolo $ 20/​glass.
All in all, this could easily become a favorite except I now live in North Carolina

AMAZING! I come from am Italian family and we make our own pays and ravioli. I’m typically very picky and love to eat at Italian restaurants and critique them. I got the ravioli bolognese, my husband got linguine tutomarre and we skated a cannoli for dessert. The food was FANTASTIC. I highly recommend their authentic food and great service. It was like eating from my family kitchen! AMAZING.

We were recommended this restaurant by our hotel and as the oldest Italian restaurant in the US I expected more quality than what we got. The place is nice on the inside but right away after we ordered our drinks it seemed like everything started going south. I generally drink water and my companion had iced tea which he switched for a Coke since he said it was terrible and then there was a bug in my water.yuck. The bread was actually very good but the Pasta fajole was disappointing and not to my liking.
We waited about 25 mins for our main course and I noticed that the waiter Gil was not as friendly to us and not focusing at all on our table like he was other parties. He was always busy attending to the other tables and it seemed like we were almost not there. I don’t know if it was because we were the only party of 2 (not as big of a bill) and all the other tables had at least 4 or more people so he didn’t want to spend time on us (bigger tip). Because of this we were constantly waiting for drinks and even got our food after others who we ordered before. When we finally got our food the waiter asked if we wanted fresh Parmesan, we said yes and he took about 10 mins to bring it because he decided to take a large tables drink order and bring them their drinks before bringing us the cheese for our pasta that was getting cold.SMH.
I ordered the spinach pasta with peas and it was actually very light and fresh tasting. I enjoyed the plate but don’t plan on returning. The service is just as important as the food and when the service is this poor it really ruins the experience.

My husband and I had just finished walking up and down the Lombard road and wanted a bite to eat. Of course we Unilocaled Italian restaurants near little Italy and this place seemed legit. So we walked there.
APPEARANCE & LOCATION: The place was in an easy to find spot and within good walking distance from where we were. This restaurant is at corner (I can’t remember the street names but you can find the cross streets under the address). Anyway, location appearance. In fact it was very nice. Well put together. There were only 3 other tables being served at the time and we got their at about lunch time. It was a nice, clean, peaceful environment. And very elegant yet it had a casual feel.
PRICE: was a bit up their. But it was worth it for the high quality food
FOOD: They serve you sliced bread while you wait to order. And that bread was delish! Both mine and my husbands meals were terrific! (see posted pic of our meals and prices) Keep in mind that I’m not experienced in Italian cuisine and the closest to authentic Italian food that i have tasted is from bucca or macaroni grill, so go ahead, take my review with a grain of salt but, to me, this place was by far the best Italian food i have ever had! I was going to get a sandwich but the waiter suggested a pasta being that pasta is their specialty. glad i took his advice.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Our waiter was a young guy but don’t let his age fool you. He was actually professional, kind, attentive, helpful with suggested menu items and kept a good balance of decent convo that didn’t get obnoxious or desperately obvious if he was trying to up his tip. He also was the only server for all 4 tables and came to our table often. We never had to ask for refilled drinks, he brought our food when it was nice and hot and frequently checked on us and the other tables. He even gave us good tips on places to see while on our vacation her in SF!

If you’re looking for great ambiance, this is your place. For food, maybe not so much.
From outside on the sidewalk this place looks very romantic, with all the plants and twinkling lights, then you walk inside and the tables are set up with lit candles and a single rose at each one. It’s a great place to sit and enjoy each other’s company. Adding to the atmosphere is the live jazz music (perhaps not available every night? was there when I went) and the amazing service. The waiters treated us like family and tended to us quickly and efficiently.
Unfortunately, for a restaurant that seemed so nice, their food was subpar. My thirteen year old sister described it best, «It’s yummy. Not terrible, not delicious, just yummy». I think what she meant to say was «edible». The food was plated nicely, but after taking a bite I couldn’t help but think it was missing something. We all agreed it lacked flavor, perhaps a seasoning of some sort, salt even. Definitely overpriced for the simple, tasteless food we received.
I’d like to give this restaurant the benefit of the doubt and hope that perhaps we ordered the wrong items (the four of us at dinner ordered pastas: ravioli di zucca [x2], fettuccine ai tre latti, & lasagne al forno) and maybe the other meals on their menu are a lot better prepared, because we really did have a nice time.
⁸⁄₁₀ for overall experience.

There was no way my wife would let us go to the North Beach/​Telegraph Hill area again for Italian food. The last time we were there, we parked far, far away in a different zip code because there was no parking available. Then when we arrived to the restaurant, my daughter was frightened to see a waitress that looked just like her dreaded 4^th grade math teacher. So, when Fior d’Italia was recommended to me as a good Italian restaurant, I knew that I would have to bring my family.
Parking was a cinch! We found a parking spot across the street from the restaurant. I had made reservations at 7:30 PM. The restaurant was located in a small hotel. We walked in and were seated immediately. It was a nice comfortable place. We ordered a Calamari in Cesta for the daughter. My wife ordered a Linguine con Vongole, and I ordered the Linguine con Polpette.
The Calamari in Cesta came out first. The calamari was served inside a coffee filter, and came with a lemon, cocktail and tartar sauce. The Calamari was very good. My wife and I had to rescue the daughter from ingesting too much cholesterol inducing squid. The Linguine Con Vongole was another winner. It was made with fresh clams. The sauce was perfect. My wife enjoyed it and almost did not want to share it with me. The Linguine con Popette was also good. It came with tomato sauce and two meatballs. The meatballs were different. They looked more like flying saucers; like someone had sat on my meatballs. But, I liked it.
Service was good throughout our meal. They refilled our glasses with water and frequently checked up on us. Even the host (manager?) came to check up on us.
Fior d’Italia is a nice place! I like it. It is nice that I don’t have to go to that other place with no parking! I hope to be back one day.

You have to, have to, have to have Italian food when in North Beach. But you must choose very carefully.
I had a few places on my list to try and this one was in walking distance from Cobb’s Comedy Club.
Its a cute quintessential, cozy Italian restaurant. There was a lot of people enjoying themselves at tables but they had two seats just for me and my husband. I want to add that most of the other patrons were quite the cast of characters.
They have outstanding cocktails. On the other side of the dining room is a great bar too. We didn’t get to stay in it long because the restaurant closed as we paid the bill but walked through and it seemed like a fun bar to hang out at.
The cocktails of note were the Trixie Cocktail and the Capri Cocktail. The Capri had Lemon Cello and Vodka. Scrumptious!
I cant pass up a chance to have lamb and boy was I happy that I had it here. It was the Rack of Lamb with the smoothest mashed potatoes ever. The sauce was made from the gods of sauces. It was perfect.
My husband had the Oso Buco. I couldn’t help but steal bites from his plate and he did mine. We essentially had two entrees. The food was unbelievable.
While the food was fantastic, the service was wonderful. The best wait service for a first time visit we have had in a long time. You can tell they really enjoy being here and sharing in the love of food and cocktail with their clientele. The whole experience was divine.
For dessert we had a Tiramisu Cocktail. Could it get any better?! NO!
Go to a show, walk over here and thoroughly enjoy yourself.