iL cilentano

Food was freshly made, our waiter was also the bartender and host - he was possibly a part owner (?) - and was personable and had fabulous recommendations and made superb drinks! It was a delicious and satisfying choice for dinner and highly recommend! (One photo, the food was almost gone as soon as it was placed - delicious!)

We love the owner! This is my third time coming and I have always loved the vibes and the aura of the place! I was celebrating my 28th birthday and it was definitely a lovely place to come celebrate with! The owner wore the dinosaur party hats with us and it was just such a wholesome moment! All the food is always so good & the drinks are so delicious!!! I’ve always a ravioli or tortellini and they’ve always been so good! The tiramisu is to die for - if you’re a tiramisu person, this place is the bomb 🥹♥️

One of the good Italian restaurants here in San Francisco. Heard pasta is home made. The sauce and pasta are cooked in perfection. Dessert are also good. Tiramisu is not sweet but has the full flavour. Adffogato is tasty too.

Delicious food in the heart of North Beach. The owner/chef/waiter was friendly and helpful, and helped us pick our meals. We were offered extra bread, which was delicious. While the food was a little bit pricey, I had the best carbonara I’ve ever had, and everyone else in my party loved their meals. The portions were smaller than your average restaurant, it was enough to fill me up, especially combined with the bread, and leave me feeling light enough to walk. Desserts were also delicious, dad loved his gelato, tiramisu was excellent, and the cannoli was great. Overall a great experience, and the lack of full tables baffles me, although it was a Tuesday.

If you are looking for a delicious Italian meal stop here. My fiancé and I went and it was the best Gnocchi and Tiramisu I have had in awhile. We also loved the wine that was recommended for us! Definitely will be back.

Alison M C

Incredible pasta dishes--fresh and light and lovely. I had the truffle gnocchi, the homemade sausage rigatoni and the mushroom agnolotti. Next time I'd skip salad and desserts and just order double the amount of pasta. It's that good. Owner is a friendly, funny guy. Bill came out exactly right. Can't emphasize enough how delicious the pasta is. I spent a ton including a bottle of wine last night and I'm seriously considering going back tonight to try more of the menu.

J H

We came to Il Cilentano Pasta Bar four years ago and had such a great experience that we had to come back — and it’s still just as amazing! My daughter loves their gnocchi, it’s perfectly soft and full of flavor. The pizza, fresh bread, and appetizers were all delicious too. The restaurant has such a cozy, authentic Italian feel, and the staff are friendly and welcoming. Definitely one of our favorite spots in San Francisco for fresh, homemade pasta! 🇮🇹🍝

Alex Marzouca

Just a lovely place to get dinner. It’s all home made and santo is a lovely person. This is my go to spot for pasta in San Francisco. Could not recommend it enough. Fair prices and amazing dessert.

YeeJ

Seriously the best Italian food I had in the US so far! The sauce of the ravioli is so good I almost ordered a second serving. My friend ordered the carbonara and she said it was also amazing. Tiramisu was delicious and definitely worth trying. As someone who often feel American desserts are too sweet, the taste is quite delicate and really similar to the ones I had in Italy. I would definitely return if I travel to San Francisco again. Totally worth the high ratings!

Krishin Asnani

I observe this place from the bus stop. Love the sophisticated design of their signage, which looks like a stamp. Perhaps these should be on US postage—they are more fun and colorful. I do judge the book by its cover because I like to objectify everyone and everything. Btw, the bus stop has some of the best electronic billboard advertisements. And so I like this object called bus stop.

Metinee Ding

Adorable little spot in North Beach that transports you right to Italy :’) The chef and owner is so charismatic and charming, and made us feel so welcome. Their pasta dishes are so down-to-earth, and a great option for when you’re just feeling like some traditional, homey italian food. I loved their carbonara, the beef ragu was so tender and flavorful, and the gnocchi perfectly pillowy. It’s also one of the few remaining spots in the city that gives you complimentary bread, which scores them a ton of points in my book. Will definitely be returning soon!

Luke Finn

I’ve lived in North Beach for three years, and I chose for this to be my last meal in the neighborhood. The food is over the top! The lobster ravioli and mushroom gnocchi are next level. They are delicious, and definitely worth the price! The first 5 times I came here, I got the carbonara, and it was the best carbonara I’ve ever had (no exaggeration, but I then started trying other dishes), but this last meal it did not hit nearly as good. I hope it was an off night because it was legitimately heavenly. The service is fine, I’ve come here many times, and I’ve tried to grow a report with the team, but it’s not worth it. I asked my waiter what he suggests as my last dosh in NB (after explaining I’ve been coming for years and basically tried everything), but he kept saying he couldn’t suggest one because he likes them all. I was definitely bummed he didn’t feed into the moment for me, but the food was still elite so I can’t complain. The atmosphere is nice, but always a bit dark, I ask to sit by the entrance to get more light.

Christopher Barnes

The service here is the best we've had while visiting SF! Walked by in the afternoon and just happened to run into the chef/owner. He chatted a little with us and we told him we were in town for an anniversary. We decided to come back hours later and he remembered and welcomed us back warmly. All the food was insanely clean and fresh, felt like every ingredient thoughtfully placed to create a fresh and not so heavy Italian food experience unlike some places we've had in the past. We had the Bruschetta, Carbonara, and Agnolotti ai funghi, everything came out fast and hot, and at the end of the night the owner wished us a happy anniversary and gave a complimentary limoncello. Such a warm experience, Highly Recommend!

Mehak Bathla

This was the best Italian food i’ve had. We ordered the mushroom gnocchi with truffle and agnolotti with mushrooms and cream!!! it was excellent homemade pasta, and the gnocchi was light and fluffy. The portions weren’t huge but very filling and tasty. The bread was also fresh and warm, very tasty. Our server was so nice, even though the restaurant was packed. We also ordered the caprese salad, tiramisu and panna cotta. Don’t skip dessert here! It wasn’t too sweet and you could taste the quality of the ingredients!

Andrew G

Santo is a very nice guy! The food is very good and the restaurant is beautiful!

Marnie Stigerts

Food was freshly made, our waiter was also the bartender and host - he was possibly a part owner (?) - and was personable and had fabulous recommendations and made superb drinks! It was a delicious and satisfying choice for dinner and highly recommend! (One photo, the food was almost gone as soon as it was placed - delicious!)

Sara

Tried this place out on a whim for a girl's night, and I can definitely say my stomach hasn't been this happy in so long. We tried three dishes, the lobster ravioli, rigatoni norcina, and the truffle cream gnocchi. All were wonderful, but extra special love to the amazing gnocchi. I have never eaten such pillow-soft gnocchi, yum!! Also, the owner and wait staff were incredibly friendly, and there's a really nice culture of the ~italian slow meal~ at this spot, which gave us time to just talk and enjoy each other's company :]

Silvia Boutros

We love the owner! This is my third time coming and I have always loved the vibes and the aura of the place! I was celebrating my 28th birthday and it was definitely a lovely place to come celebrate with! The owner wore the dinosaur party hats with us and it was just such a wholesome moment! All the food is always so good & the drinks are so delicious!!! I’ve always a ravioli or tortellini and they’ve always been so good! The tiramisu is to die for - if you’re a tiramisu person, this place is the bomb 🥹♥️

Blessed Irene

One of the good Italian restaurants here in San Francisco. Heard pasta is home made. The sauce and pasta are cooked in perfection. Dessert are also good. Tiramisu is not sweet but has the full flavour. Adffogato is tasty too.

George Harris

Delicious food in the heart of North Beach. The owner/chef/waiter was friendly and helpful, and helped us pick our meals. We were offered extra bread, which was delicious. While the food was a little bit pricey, I had the best carbonara I’ve ever had, and everyone else in my party loved their meals. The portions were smaller than your average restaurant, it was enough to fill me up, especially combined with the bread, and leave me feeling light enough to walk. Desserts were also delicious, dad loved his gelato, tiramisu was excellent, and the cannoli was great. Overall a great experience, and the lack of full tables baffles me, although it was a Tuesday.

Great late night food spot in North beach! Quick service and the pastas are delicious. We had the pesto gnocchi and it was so soft and flavorful.

Il cilentano has one glistening trait that helps it stand out against just about anywhere else in SF: it’s one of the few spots open late while still offering table service. Paired with some solid Italian pasta, and it makes for the perfect late-night eat. The interior is clean, albeit not particularly inviting; we sat next to the window to people watch the people walking by, which was romantic except for the harsh overhead lighting. Notwithstanding, the food was all solid. We enjoyed the fettuccine bolognese but the stand-out was definitely the spicy rigatoni paestum. The menu had some comically aggressive warnings on the backside, which I couldn’t help but imagined were provoked by an owner or manager having enough of customer bullshit. Indeed, it turned out our waiter was the owner, and he had a surprisingly charming no-nonsense vibe underneath his Italian accent. When asking for wine recommendations, he almost incredulously responded, “Everything on the wine list is worth getting, I’m the one that chose the menu.” It made us laugh, and the unfiltered confidence came off endearing. It turns out he was right — we DID enjoy the wines we ordered. I’ve bookmarked this as a place to return to next time I’m hungry, it’s late, and I feel like something more wholesome than bar food.

Matty Easton

Il cilentano has one glistening trait that helps it stand out against just about anywhere else in SF: it’s one of the few spots open late while still offering table service. Paired with some solid Italian pasta, and it makes for the perfect late-night eat. The interior is clean, albeit not particularly inviting; we sat next to the window to people watch the people walking by, which was romantic except for the harsh overhead lighting. Notwithstanding, the food was all solid. We enjoyed the fettuccine bolognese but the stand-out was definitely the spicy rigatoni paestum. The menu had some comically aggressive warnings on the backside, which I couldn’t help but imagined were provoked by an owner or manager having enough of customer bullshit. Indeed, it turned out our waiter was the owner, and he had a surprisingly charming no-nonsense vibe underneath his Italian accent. When asking for wine recommendations, he almost incredulously responded, “Everything on the wine list is worth getting, I’m the one that chose the menu.” It made us laugh, and the unfiltered confidence came off endearing. It turns out he was right — we DID enjoy the wines we ordered. I’ve bookmarked this as a place to return to next time I’m hungry, it’s late, and I feel like something more wholesome than bar food.

Uddhav Gupta

Pesto gnocchi was good. Spaghetti underwhelming. I had a Trader Joe’s bag of pasta afterward and that was better

$30–50 The food was average and the portions small. Parmesan Cheese for pasta and salt, pepper, water only available upon request. We asked for extra plates to share but we were asked to re-use our salad plates. We could not take our coats off for dinner because it was so cold in the restaurant. We felt rushed The owner charged gratuity on the bill’s tax even after we asked for gratuity to be charged before taxes.. I think the restaurateur is very frugal or having a hard time making the bills so the atmosphere/service is suffering because of it.

Maria Caleb

$30–50 The food was average and the portions small. Parmesan Cheese for pasta and salt, pepper, water only available upon request. We asked for extra plates to share but we were asked to re-use our salad plates. We could not take our coats off for dinner because it was so cold in the restaurant. We felt rushed The owner charged gratuity on the bill’s tax even after we asked for gratuity to be charged before taxes.. I think the restaurateur is very frugal or having a hard time making the bills so the atmosphere/service is suffering because of it.

We both got the spaghetti carbonara. It was very weird and neither of us liked the sauce. It was not egg flavored at all it was just too much pepper. Bacon did taste really fresh but would never come back here so not worth it.

I specifically took a taxi to this restaurant for a meal, but they served me tap water. I very patiently asked if I could have bottled water instead, and whether it was available for purchase. I asked twice. When the food was served, the man (referring to the staff) suddenly took my plate away from the table and loudly told me to get out of the restaurant. After I left, the man in the picture started giving me the middle finger, which I saw. I went back and asked why he did that. When I started recording, he became hesitant and his attitude improved significantly—probably because he was afraid I would post it online. I truly experienced severe disrespect and humiliation. As an Asian visiting the United States for the first time, I felt this was a clear case of racial discrimination.

Sally

We both got the spaghetti carbonara. It was very weird and neither of us liked the sauce. It was not egg flavored at all it was just too much pepper. Bacon did taste really fresh but would never come back here so not worth it.

Amber

I specifically took a taxi to this restaurant for a meal, but they served me tap water. I very patiently asked if I could have bottled water instead, and whether it was available for purchase. I asked twice. When the food was served, the man (referring to the staff) suddenly took my plate away from the table and loudly told me to get out of the restaurant. After I left, the man in the picture started giving me the middle finger, which I saw. I went back and asked why he did that. When I started recording, he became hesitant and his attitude improved significantly—probably because he was afraid I would post it online. I truly experienced severe disrespect and humiliation. As an Asian visiting the United States for the first time, I felt this was a clear case of racial discrimination.