Molinari Delicatessen

Still great!
Best meats and sandwiches.
Used to work for many years in North beach. Only regret is I didn’t come here more often.
No real place to sit down to eat. So best sandwiches to go. Best for buying great deli meats to take home or on the road to napa… :)

A great San Francisco icon of an Italian delicatessen. Fresh wholesome variety of lunch meats, bread, cheeses, etc. You will witness true «customer service» by all the people behind the counter. Whether its a sandwich, creating an Italian meal, or recommending any type of Italian products, their there for you. Enjoy the experience of a traditional Italian delicatessen that has been around North Beach for decades, you will not be disappointed.

The luciano sandwich is like falling in love… So amazing. And the employees were so sweet and kind. I did an online order and i couldnt get there til after they closed and they waited for me. Such an amazing place all around!

I came here with a group of friends while staying in the city and the food was absolutely amazing! The Ambiance is like a true Italian meat market with salami hanging from strings fresh meat cut up into sandwiches and definitely worth the money for how big your meal is. It was fresh, delicious and we will definitely be going back again

It’s not fast or cheap but a real pleasure to eat here. Top drawer sandwich selections and some very nice Italian grocery items for sale.
On vacation? Get something to go and eat in Washington Square park nearby or up at Coit tower.
Yumm!

I heard about this place from my brother and I must say this deserves a bookmark. This place is busy but it was worth it. As everyone has stated:
1. Grab a ticket from the dispenser when you enter located on the right side.
2. Pick out what bread you want it on. Work your way towards the back on the left side.
3. Since its your first time order the Luciano Special. Comes with its own bread.
4. Wait for them to call out your number and watch as they make you an awesome sandwich.
5. Enjoy.
Wife and I had the Luciano Special and sausage sandwich. Both were good however the Luciano Special stood out more. Good quality very nice staff.

Italian deli in North Beach, always a wait and always worth it. Grab your number first thing and then grab a drink from the fridge in the back and then a roll from the bin if you don’t want their signature focacia. Many of the canned and jarred goods are a great find for Italian home cooking and pic nics by the bay.
My choice of sandwich is the Luciano Special on the focacia, prosciutto, Copa, fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, lettuce & onions all panini grilled to perfection. Really, every bite is something to be savored.

We have been coming to Molinari’s for years. Perfect, delicious sandwiches. Can’t go wrong with anything here! The fresh pasta is a must to take home if you’re visiting!

Man, I was not expecting the enormous amount of meat that they pack the sandwiches with!
For the first timers (like me), you grab your choice of bread from the box, located directly against the wall. I ordered the North Beach Special (11.25 $), this had prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes, provolone cheese, and bell peppers. It was delicious! Fresh bread, quality meat, and large sun dried tomatoes. Only down side is that the tomatoes and bell peppers were drenched in oil, which made my sandwich a bit soggy. Next time, I may ask for it on the side.
Credit card acceptance, without a minimum charge, is always a plus!

oh so good… really, this was pretty amazing.
I got the one named after the store, since it has to be good right?!
I got everything on it then drove it all the way to Monterey and it wasn’t soggy and still delicious.
Even picked up a pasta salad since they also looked amazing and it did not disappoint.
Parking was a bear near here!

Came in about half an hour before closing time. This deli is so cool! There’s so much stuff everywhere to browse. First thing that must be done is grab a ticket right when you walk into the door. You have to choose your own roll from a bin in the back and hold it until they call your number for the sandwich. It can get quite crowded in there and a lot of people don’t know what’s going on so congestion happens.
We got a sammich and you can always add extra slices of stuff or kind of a make your own thing. I’m not sure if they charged extra for adding the extra meat. I didn’t want a sammich so we asked if I could just get the deli meat. I ended up getting slices of proscuitto, salami, headcheese, and 3 meat meat. The total of my lunch was like $ 6…super awesome.
All of the meats were delicious! I also tried some of the bf’s sammich and it was also pretty amazing. They pack a lot of stuff in it so I think it’s worth it.

OK
If you are getting a sandwich
1 = walk in grab a # ticket on the right
2= walk half way to the back before the drink refrigerator
3= look to the left open the little see through bread bin grab the tongs and pick out a bread for your sandwich
(weird thing I had to use tongs but the guy I handed the bread to used only bare hands)
By the looks at some of the sandwiches in the photos I would suggest getting the smallest choice of bread in the bin maybe then it will look like a fuller sandwich compared to the one I posted
Maybe there is a secret menu like the one at IN and OUT burger has, or a password for the thicker looking sandwich
4= wait for your number to be called
tip = if you plan to eat there on Saturday make sure you get there before 5 = we showed up at 5 and they were putting the table and chairs away for the night THIS SUCKED cause we were from out of town and had to take our food back to the tour bus thing which was not in the plan and not close to this place = we were using the hop on ride thing and they pick up at the top of the hour which was a hour away
I guess we could have sat on the ground out front of the building and ate
Also I guess I am used to a different kind of sandwich when I was biting into the the bread it made me think what it would be like trying to tear a piece of a leather belt off using my teeth, i think they buy from the same vendor as swan oyster depot
Place was super cool looking inside
I think Phil M and I went to different places or maybe he has one of prescriptions for that marijawana stuff that makes everything better in life

Ok ladies and gents. Pull up a chair and let’s get serious here.
As you journey through life you occasionally come across culinary places that touch the center of your soul. Yes, it’s getting deep in here so hold your nose and jump. This place is AWESOME !!!
One of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life. The staff is incredibly friendly and make sure your getting the best sandwich possible.
They use only the freshest of breads. Incredible salamis and cheeses. Every time I come to SFO, I come here. Grab a sandwich to go before you go on your sightseeing adventures. Your family will thank you. Your taste buds will thank you.
When you walk in it’s like an old world Italian deli. Products from the old country line the wall. Imported oils and pastas. Hanging from the rafters is long links of salami. The deli case is packed with all sorts of cheeses and meats. Heck, even the floor is wood.
You walk on over and open the bread bin. Pull out a fresh roll. Walk it on over and point to all the goodies you would like on it. I would suggest going with the fresh mozzarella ball which they cut up and put on your sandwich. Why, because it makes the sandwich melt in your mouth. Also, throw in a pepperoni stick so you can have something to munch on later. Trust me, you will thank me later.

#1/​100 in 2016
Yum! I had the Joe’s special, which is mozzarella, pesto basil sauce, sun dried tomatoes, and sweet red pepper. I added smoked ham. It was absolutely delicious! It’s definitely salty, though, so make sure you have water nearby.
Three sandwiches, one small side pasta salad, and one San Pellegrino came to $ 44. Yikes! Definitely on the pricey side. The sandwich was huge though, definitely enough for two lunches.
No restrooms.

This place makes the best sandwiches in the whole wide world! Don’t bother with any of the lesser sandwiches — just get the Lombardi Special. It is the best sandwich there and you will not have to go through the indignity of selecting your bread from «the box».
I have eaten about 25 Lombardi Special sandwiches over the years. (No, not all at once!) Get your sandwich and make a bee-​line for Rogue Ales Public House. Eat your sandwich outside on a street table and enjoy a brew… or go to the back garden and eat at the picnic table. Life does not get a whole lot better than a Lombardi Special and a glass of ale. See if I’m not right.

Team Bourdain here but I’m seriously starting to think his credibility is as good as his nemesis… the guy who looks like he stuck his finger in the wall socket, Guy Fieri.
As a dying breed, I’m all for old skool, mom & pop businesses but a sandwich is only as good as the bread. Just like a pasta dish is only as good as the noodles and phở is only as good as the broth. You get the picture.
Sorry, but as a native San Franciscan, this place is overrated and overhyped… thanks to Bourdain.
One thing that irked me is that if you order a sandwich, you pick out your roll of choice from a bin. Even though there was one tong, I saw another customer who arrived after me use her hands (no restrooms for customers, no hand sanitizer, no parchment paper available). You know damn well, there be some people who shuffle through the bread bin with their hands looking for the «best» looking roll. Let your imagination run wild here as to where those hands have been. I did… hello, snot pickers and snatch/​crotch scratchers! I cringed. I used the tongs to dig out the farthest roll from the top… a sourdough roll.
The owner gentleman was nice (greeted me upon walking in) but the lady who made my sandwich was not. I was obviously a Molinari noob when she instructed me to grab my own bread. I ordered the Renzo Special: proscuitto, coppa (hot or mild), fresh mozzarella, sun-​dried tomatoes sandwich ($ 11.50) and she didn’t ask me if I wanted hot or mild coppa – she made my sandwich with mild as default:
. I wrongly assumed all sandwiches come with the basic trimmings and spreads. They don’t, you have to request it. Of course I didn’t know this until I unwrapped my sandwich. So make sure to request every ingredient you want in your sandwich (it’s otherwise dry)!
As I’ve said, a sandwich is only as good as the bread. The [untoasted] sourdough roll was ridiculously hard, stale, and sharp enough to cut the roof your mouth (this was at 11 am). It was so hard that I couldn’t even bite into it. I ended up having to break bread like Jesus, except my disciples were hangry pigeons so I can actually eat the sandwich. Had the bread been fresh and higher quality like Acme or Josey Baker, the sandwich would have been excellent. The fresh mozzarella was deliciously creamy and nicely offset the saltiness of the cured meats. The sun-​dried tomatoes added a tangy sweetness, though a bit hard.
Quality meat and cheese for sure but that bread doe. Ugh.
Thankfully, I still have all my teeth… for now.

I was reminded of Molinari a little too late when I was leaving North Beach last week after picking up my items for my Italian themed dinner that night. Knowing that I was returning this week, I made it a point to stop by to pick up some deli meats to make my own sandwich with the sheet of plain focaccia from last week that I froze. They do sell focaccia at Molinari if you did not have a chance to get it from Liguria.
Since we came a little earlier before dinner, we did not get a chance to try their sandwiches this time around. There is a system for sandwiches here where you grab a number, then your French roll which you would then hand to them when your number is called. We still had to grab a number for the deli and they will freshly slice for you based on what you want. I got ¼ lb salami, ¼ lb mild/​sweet coppa, and ¼ lb mortadella with pistachios. Other offerings include soppresata, prosciutto (both domestic and di parma), etc. Since they had a promotion for fresh Italian Sausage, I bought a lb of the links as well which I froze and may be making an appearance soon in a Baked Ziti. They also sell their Molinari Salami for $ 8.95 for a small which would be great to go with a hard cheese which they have a huge variety of as well.
Dried and pre-​packaged items from Italy is also available so I picked up a box of Ziti and a bottle of passata (fresh tomato purée). Looks like that ziti dish will be hitting my blog soon!
Update: Here is that ziti I made and coincidentally my 300^th blog post —

This is the quintessential Italian deli in San Francisco and is one of the most iconic on the West Coast. Molinari has been in North Beach for a long time, and even though most of their meats are now prepared in a different facility, the owners still maintain the look and feel of a classic Italian deli. They are located on Columbus near the heart of North Beach.
On a recent food tour, we stopped here for some sandwiches. With all the meat and cheese options, you can quickly get overwhelmed. We had a special sandwich with soppressata, marinated red peppers, fresh mozzarella, and basil spread; it was very delicious and a good place to start. If you do not have a favorite already, browse the reviews for some good suggestions. Otherwise, you can just grab some ingredients and become your own chef at home or the park.
You can find Molinari salumi all over Northern California, but there is always something special about heading to the source for a real treat. This is just like a classic Italian deli still thriving in the middle of San Francisco. Even with all the ramen, Thai, or gourmet burgers clogging the City, there are still great classic options for everyone.

Eating a Molinari sandwich in Washington Square Park still feels like the ultimate San Francisco experience. It’s right up there alongside getting drunk at dive bars in the Mission and eating bacon-​wrapped hot dogs — I mean, except this is much, much classier.
How it works:
1. Grab a number as soon as you walk in, it’s right at the door.
2. Select a piece of bread from the bin, you’ll need to hand it to the person who calls your number when you tell them what sandwich you’d like.
3. Grab a drink from the refrigerator while they make your sandwich.
^that’s it.
I am so in love with the environment inside Molinari. They offer beautifully packaged olive oil, sauces and cheeses. Sinatra was playing. The staff are all very refined looking and friendly gentlemen. The meats are out of this world. They slice the meat per order — so your sandwich feels very special.
Everything about Molinari feels very special.

So I guess you could say cured meats make me happy… and after taking 1 bite of the Molinari Italian combo, my very long Wednesday got exponentially better. WOW. SO GOOD. Layers of ham, salami, and other various meats… it’s an Italian party in your mouth. I wish the bread was a little softer, but hey nothing’s perfect. The sandwich was incredibly dense, and I probably should have stopped eating once I’d had half… but like I said. Cured meats. Happy.
Bada bom, bada bang, this places feels very authentic. So many cheeses and wines… I can’t wait to come back. We called our order ahead just in case (went around 12pm), and the line didn’t seem too long.
For $ 10 you get a massive meal and a nice excuse to walk a little further for lunch!

Echt super, man bestellt ein Sandwich und sieht vor eigenen Augen wie es mit frischen Zutaten zubereitet wird. Sehr lecker alles und zu einem guten Preis.