From The Fairmont San Francisco Best Nearby Italian (Restaurants) (10 Overall Closest) Metro: San Francisco, CA Venticello (Restaurants - Italian) 1257 Taylor St, San Francisco  CA  94108 • 415-922-2545 Distance: ~1000 ft         Description: NOB HILL. You'll always meet up with a strong contingent of locals at this rustic, romantic haunt. The cable car line runs outside, and inside, a wood-burning oven and Bay views impart especial charm. The menu's Tuscan cooking features gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce and gorgonzola, rosemary grilled lamb tenderloins, veal scaloppini, and seared ahi tuna over buttered spinach. End on a sweet note with mainstays like panna cotta, tiramisu, or Frangelico cheesecake. Cozy and inviting. Scala's Bistro (Restaurants - Italian) 432 Powell St Sir Francis Drake Hotel, San Francisco  CA  94102 • 415-395-8555 Distance: ~0.26 mi User Rating: 10 / 10         Description: UNION SQUARE. Awash in burnished tones and murals, this warm restaurant creates incredible dishes in an open kitchen and also offers a see-and-be-seen atmosphere. Cozy seating makes chatting easy, and the menu is full of affordable options, like grilled octopus, braised lamb shank, pan-roasted monkfish, and steak frites. You'll also find pastas and a few pizzas. Desserts, created by the pastry chef, include pies, sorbets, and a melange of chocolate temptations. Palio d' Asti (Restaurants - Italian) 640 Sacramento St, San Francisco  CA  94111 • 415-395-9800 • 415-986-3222 Distance: ~0.40 mi         Description: FINANCIAL DISTRICT. Colorful pennants accent a comfortably elegant interior at this restaurant, which also boasts a vibrant, always-tempting cuisine. In fact, diners can watch chefs at work in the glass-enclosed kitchen while enjoying homemade antipasti, cioppino, milk-braised pork loin, and brick-cooked chicken. The food pays homage to Piedmont and Tuscan traditions, and desserts include hand-rolled truffles, panna cotta, and a classic tiramisu. Service is outstanding. Reservations are accepted. Business dressy attire. Allegro (Restaurants - Italian) 1701 Jones St, San Francisco  CA  94109 • 415-928-4002 Distance: ~0.42 mi User Rating: 10 / 10         Description: RUSSIAN HILL. A great place to get together with friends and catch sight of folks in the political arena, intimate Allegro also promises lovely views and terrific Italian food. The elegant ambience is enhanced by subtle lighting, and patrons feel completely at ease as they tuck into wonderful pastas, rack of lamb, much-favored gnocchi, and a variety of hearty meat entrees. Service is friendly and accommodating. Caffe Trieste (Restaurants - Italian) 601 Vallejo St, San Francisco  CA  94133 • 415-392-6739 Distance: ~0.49 mi         Description: NORTH BEACH. In the 1950s, this original North Beach location was the first on the West Coast to offer espresso, fast becoming a "beatnik" hot spot. The beans were roasted and prepared by Italian immigrant Giovanni Giotta, who's still at the helm, along with his wife and kids. Coffee lovers find great cappuccino, along with muffins, sandwiches, salads, and pizzas. In keeping with tradition, there's live music every Saturday. A classy, relaxed café equally suited for idle afternoons. L'Osteria del forno (Restaurants - Italian) 519 Columbus Ave, San Francisco  CA  94133 • 415-982-1124 Distance: ~0.53 mi User Rating: 8.5 / 10         Description: NORTH BEACH. Given the size of the kitchen, it's hard to believe that so much tasty food springs from a lone oven. Its bounty includes thin-crust pizzas, fragrant foccacia, skewered lamb, a daily roast and baked pastas. Another favorite, milk-braised roast pork, also elicits raves from regulars. The restaurant has only a handful of tables, so waits are common, but the owners prefer the immediacy of small groups and the pleasure of genuine attention. A short wine list is available, and prices are extremely reasonable. Rose Pistola (Restaurants - Italian) 532 Columbus Ave, San Francisco  CA  94133 • 415-399-0499 Distance: ~0.53 mi         Description: NORTH BEACH. This chic restaurant specializes in Ligurian fare, native to Italy's northwestern region. Seafood is prominent, and cioppino is especially well-prepared. Other possibilities include roasted rabbit, panzanella, and wood-fired pizzas. Plus, menu items change from time-to-time, regularly offering new options. Hip locals often frequent the establishment, taking advantage of family-style meals and lively atmosphere. You'll also find live jazz on the weekends. Original Joe's (Restaurants - Italian) 144 Taylor St, San Francisco  CA  94102 • 415-775-4877 Distance: ~0.59 mi         Description: THE TENDERLOIN. Closed due to a fire in 2007. Re-opening late 2009.Although this restaurant is located in one of San Francisco's somewhat questionable neighborhoods, it's a great place to eat, thanks to its delicious food, and folks aren't deterred by the setting. The breakfast menu offers a good variety of omelets, along with sausage, eggs, ham, and other traditional breakfast items. The retro ambience includes waiters in tuxedos, and hamburgers come highly recommended. Acquerello (Restaurants - Italian) 1722 Sacramento St, San Francisco  CA  94109 • 415-567-5432 Distance: ~0.59 mi         Description: NOB HILL. Elegant and subdued, this intimate restaurant (whose name means "watercolor") exhibits artistry in both cuisine and appearance. Its serene ambience and its vaulted, beamed ceiling evoke Acquerello's former incarnation as a chapel. Contemporary Italian dishes are the main draw, though, and a frequently-changing menu features dishes like parsley-encrusted pork loin, beef carpaccio with hearts of palm and black truffles, and tuna in fennel-dill crust with saffron sauce. The wine list features fine Italian and California vintages. Frascati (Restaurants - Italian) 1901 Hyde St, San Francisco  CA  94109 • 415-928-1406 Distance: ~0.63 mi         Description: RUSSIAN HILL. Warm, intimate Frascati teems with neighborhood folks who appreciate its comfortable ambience and toothsome cuisine. (For people not so close, the Powell & Hyde cable car runs just beyond the front door.) The menu covers that nebulous territory that unites Italian, Mediterranean, and Californian fare – to wit, lamb carpaccio with minted eggplant caponata, pan-roasted pork tenderloin with Italian sausage and creamy basil farro, and tiger prawn risotto with melted leeks and prosciutto. Cap your choice with artisan cheeses or the restaurant's coveted black and white chocolate bread pudding. Copyright ©2001 10Best Inc. All rights reserved.