santos is awesome! everyone supper friendly and nice. they stayed open late for us. I have been wanting to go here and it did not disappoint. Had a peroni 0.0 a Caesar salad and tried three different pizzas all amazing. read more

We sat outside on a beautiful day. The faux living wall was pretty with bright red cushions and umbrellas. The food (salad and pizza), beer, and wine were all excellent and our server checked on us several times. We'd definitely go back. Note that the salad has two sizes and the only difference is one comes with pizza bread and one doesn't. read more

Hot Italian - Sausage and ricotta - Pizza Near Me - San Rafael, California

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HORRIBLE SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE!!! I PLACED AN ORDER VIA DOORDASH. THE WOMAN WHO HANDED ME MY FOOD JUST NODDED AT ME WHEN I ASKED IF SHE HAD DOUBLE CHECKED THE ORDER. GUESS WHAT?? SHE DIDN'T. BECAUSE I GOT A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SALAD THAN WHAT I'D ORDERED! If I wanted wilted greens with strawberries and a bunch of store bought sickly sweet dried cranberries, I certainly wouldn't pay $18 for it. DoorDash reimbursed me but how does that make it right? I want my salad. I called the restaurant and they said I could come down and get it. HUH? No one bothered to check my order and now it's my problem? What kind of service is this? What kind of restaurant are you running? No manager on duty on a Sunday afternoon? You know what this tells me? That you don't really care. This is why people say downtown San Rafael is lame... Places like this! Shoddy shoddy attitude and ZERO SERVICE! read more

I had a pleasant experience at Hot Italian in downtown San Rafael. My husband and I came in on a Friday night, and even though it started to get a little busy as the evening went on, we were seated right away, which was a nice. We ordered the Caesar salad and it was absolutely delicious, definitely something I would recommend with fresh cracked pepper YUM. We also tried an arugula based pizza, which was fresh, flavorful, and really well done. We enjoyed the meatballs as an app too. Overall, the food and service were both very good, and the atmosphere was chill without being overwhelming. We look forward to coming back again soon. read more

Great pizza, clean friendly and stylish atmosphere. Takes me back to when my wife and I were traveling around Northern Italy before kids (though this is a very kid friendly place for us). Outdoor back porch is easily one of the best in San Rafael (if not the best). The Happy Hour is daily 4-6 and I love getting the vermouth spritz on a hot day. All the pizzas are great, but our family favorite is the Stella (Mozzarella, cresenza cheese, prosciutto, and mushroom). Theres a lot of great pizza places in San Rafael -- but Hot Italian is a place we find ourselves at often. read more

Despite the meatball appetizer arriving a little cold, everything else was excellent. The pizza and calzone were absolutely amazing--fresh, flavorful, and served perfectly hot. The quality of the food more than made up for the appetizer issue. We'll definitely be back for another delicious meal. Highly recommend! Service was excellent! And love the relaxed atmosphere. read more

We made a random turn into San Rafael and stumbled upon this place. Everyone is genuinely kind as soon as you step into the restaurant and through the entire service. Santos, our server, was wonderfully attentive, gave us just the right amount of time to decide but not too much. The kids absolutely loved him, he made us feel like we were at his house for dinner without over asserting himself as I have experienced a lot of servers do when trying (or trying to hard) to make you feel at home. The food came out promptly and extremely fresh. We had the Calzone Bartolmi, Spaghetti and Lasagna Pesto. All were amazing from texture to flavor. We were there about 5:30 so they had the back and front doors open and it was beyond pleasant with the breeze and soft light coming in the restaurant. We don't come to the city very often, but we will definitely make a point to stop or at the very least order pizza on the way through when we do come this way. Sorry no food pics cuz we ate it too fast put I'll post a pic of the tables read more

Hot Italian - Back seating area leading to patio - Pizza Near Me - San Rafael, California

Date: Monday, August 25th, 2025 Party of: 2 Meal: Dinner Takeaway Time Ordered: around 8pm Time Pickup: around 8:30pm Ordered: thru their website via Toast *12" Classic round JOVANNOTTI ($26) *12" Classic round FIORI ($25) *PEPERONI SLICE SLICE ($7) *CAESAR SALAD ($15.50) - No croutons The hubby and I were headed home to SF and figured we'd take the opportunity to grab some takeout from San Rafael. I like trying new places, so we figured why not pick a spot in a city were never frequent. After looking around, we decided to try Hot Italian. I adore arugula on pizzas, so wanted to try the FIORI - Tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, arugula, prosciutto parma, and truffle oil. I enjoyed it. And the crust had a good chew. The hubs isn't the hugest fan of truffle on pizza, but he didn't mind it here. I was rather light. The JOVANNOTTI - Tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy calabrese salami, prosciutto cotto, smoked mozzarella, and mushrooms was more his style. He's a simple pizza man. The pepperoni slices were huge. And we got two of them. Not sure if that was a mistake, but hey, could always use more pepperoni slices. Tho they were a little too bready for me. The CAESAR SALAD - Crisp romaine lettuce, house-made Caesar dressing, Parmigiano Reggiano, anchovies was good. I love anchovies so enjoyed this. Pickup was fast and easy. Our order was ready when we got here. And parking was fairly easy as well. We found a spot right out front. A nice spot to grab some pizza takeout if you don't want fast food type pizza. REVIEW #3846 read more

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Had a great pizza. The fiori, excellent Crust great and topping done right. Caesar salad was a dud, nothing special, cut up Romain, some anchovies on top lousy croutons(they should make their own) and salad dressing tasted straight out of a jar. Service was excellent, we sat in the back patio on a nice evening. We will go back for the Pizza, but not the Caesar salad, will try the other one. read more

The food was great. Patio out back was nice on this blazing hot day. Suzanna salad was great and Damiano pizza was great. Nice thin crust. Was a little greasy, but tasted great. read more

Hot Italian is HOT, HOT, HOT! From food that is delicious to grab and go that is unique, I am so happy that you settled down near my town. We decided to sit out on the back patio, which is a nice size and consists of a few picnic benches and smaller 2 tops. On your way to this destination, you pass by their spinning gelato machine and on the left you have grab and go options from pasta to pizza to Italian drinks and packaged items. Packaged items such as a seafood salad consisting of marinated mussels, octopus and squid. Now I know this isn't for everyone, but when I saw it I had to get one on my way out.. ps it was delicious! When we were seated at our table our waiter asked if we would like anything to drink and I asked him what he liked and he recommended the classic aperol spritz. Now I have tried this one time in my life and wasn't a huge fan, but I said what the heck let's try it again. I am so happy that I did. The drink was refreshing, well balanced and the hint of orange was delightful. We started with the burrata, tomato, basil and sorbet crouton salad. This dish was fresh, inventive and fun. Who would have thought to add little sorbet pieces to creamy burrito, fresh tomato and basil.. well the Chef at HOT Italian did, I am grateful. The flavors were beautiful and that surprise of the cold semi-sweet sorbet truly highlighted the fresh ingredients. It brings me great joy when a Chef pushes the envelope and it works. For our Main, we ordered the vegetarian pizza with artichoke hearts, olives and sun dried tomatoes and we asked for prosciutto de parma to be added. The pizza was light and you could taste every single ingredient. The sauce to cheese to toppings was perfectly balanced; instead of most where it is too top heavy. With the perfect construction, you truly allow the ingredients to shine and be tasted, Bravo! On our way out we decided to split a gelato. We ordered the salted carmel. It was light and the carmel shined. It's fair to say I shall be back to visit my oh so HOT Italian. read more

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Little smaller portion lasagana didn't take up whole tray I've ordered in past was a little more lasagna

We came for the first time last Thursday and had good food, but the WORST service we have had in Marin for years. They were understaffed, the waitperson took forever to bring the food, get the beverages straight, and had to be constantly reminded to bring a course or get more water. The food was quite good, but with the service as poor as it was we would NOT go back there for dinner. Takeout maybe? When we ordered dessert, a tiramisu, and 2 others, after he kept saying be patient, we waited 25 minutes with no dessert and ONLY THEN were we informed that there was no tiramisu left. We paid the bill and left deciding NOT TO RETURN again. No negatives with the food, just the terrible, unconcerned waitperson. read more

Went once. Can't wait to go back! It was a whole vibe in there last Wed. I mixed up my dates and thought I was showing up for an event, when I realized my mistake I stayed for a Calzone and an Aperol spritz cocktail. The food and drink was delicious that alone would bring me back. This place had a whole amazing vibe though that would also make you want to come back even if the food wasn't The service was great, everyone seemed happy to be there. The owner was there meeting customers but also working alongside his team. Loved it. The other customers there were as happy to have found this place as me. Everyone was happy and raving about how glad they were to have found this new Italian spot. To top it off they had gelato. Many flavors including 2 vegan options! Seriously go check this place out. I drove 45 minutes to go here and plan to do it again soon! read more

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Just found this place. Open late! Excellent food, wine is good. Amazing ice cream/gelato display. Right Next to Sol Food in the old Perry's deli space. I am glad they are here . Another great restaurant in San Rafael. My Calone was impressive. With Barbera red recommended by the proprietor, Santos. read more

Really yummy food! We sat outside in the back patio and it was super vibey and chill. I love the rotating gelato stand in the front. Super friendly staff, santos really took care of us and made the birthday dinner special! read more

I came here for Yelp Elite Event and had an amazing experience, so wanted to bring my partner here for Happy Hour. We went to Italy last year and appreciate that the brother & sister owners are from Italy and feature many Italian products. We got prosecco, bruschetta appetizer, veggie and materazzi (salami and olive) personal flatbread pizzas, and tiramisu & salted caramel gelato. The hot chili oil was delicious on all of the savory dishes. Service from our friendly waiter Santos was quick. We were seated in the back area which was a bit noisy next to a large party, and I might want to sit in the front next time with the music & happy sounds from the kitchen. read more

Hot Italian - Happy hour veggie and materazzi (salami and olives) with prosecco - Pizza Near Me - San Rafael, California

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The food was deliciousness , first time here service was great very nice server no long wait time topped with great food

Hot Italian has big round pizzas now! When we first went here, the big pizza oven hadn't arrived yet, so only the small oval pinsa romanas were available. They're good, but the larger pizzas are a revelation--after years of searching, I may have finally found my perfect pizza in California! And my whole family finally equally loves a local pizza. read more

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Very cool place as soon as you walk in. The gelato was is a cool spinning display case, got one scoop of tiramisu at their happy hour for 5$. Was super creamy and had a great subtle coffee taste. The spritz was also so good and refreshing. A very nice restaurant space with a great happy hour deal. read more

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was in the area and decided to give this place a try. Parking can be a bit tricky to find, but it's definitely worth the effort especially if you visit during happy hour, when the deals are unbeatable. The customer service was excellent; my waiter checked in often to make sure I was enjoying everything. The food tasted fresh and came out quickly. Although the restaurant was a little busy, the staff still gave great attention to each table. Prices can be on the higher side outside of happy hour, but the food is delicious and worth it. read more

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The food, the service and of course the gelato was so good. They have great wine selection. Clean and the food was great. Highly recommend

I stopped by Hot Italian earlier this week for lunch after hearing good things from friends. I ordered the Cannavaro -- note: if you like modifying your pizza with delicious add-ons that would probably be considered disgusting and morally offensive in Italy (like pineapple), you can't do that here. They do it in real Italian style. :) The Cannavaro was good, and I look forward to trying some of the more interesting items on their menu in the future. The restaurant was clean and visually appealing. The customer service and the fact that they have a dog-friendly patio made me bump this review up from four stars to five. I didn't catch the name of the woman working the phone and register when I came in, but she was super friendly and personable and let me know about the patio and happy hour. They offer $10 pizzas during happy hour -- an amazing price point for Marin. Anyone local knows how quickly restaurants come and go in Downtown SR. I hope Hot Italian will be here for good. read more

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Food: my partner enjoyed his pizza more than I enjoyed my panini (the mixed greens salad on the side was fresh and crisp and perfectly dressed) so I will order pizza next time. The pasta at the table next to me looked very good as well. Wine: an excellent selection of wines by the glass. Service: friendly and attentive. Ambiance: clean and casual, well suited for a pre movie bite to eat. Will return to try a pizza and the gelato which I saw others enjoying. Street parking was available and there are garages nearby. read more

Very disappointed. Ordered a lasagna and a spaghetti. Lasagna was awful and the spaghetti had no taste and serving was sparse. The so called bread they served was hard tasteless pizza dough. The only positive was our waitress. read more

I went to the hot Italian really planning to enjoy it. The menu looks great and I love Italian foods and pizza. The execution was not yet there, at least the night we visited. Happy to try it again another time. Service was abysmal. Too few servers for the number of tables. And- there's a long walk from the kitchen to outside where most customers were. The server would drop off food or wine and never return to check for anything else needed. Our appetizer of what they called focaccia bread (which was actually baked pizza crust), the Caesar salad, and the margarita pizza all arrived at the same time. Odd- but perhaps they were just too busy for three separate trips to the table. The pizza was pretty good. I was a bit surprised it didn't have buffalo or fresh mozzarella. The Caesar was average, with the exception of the anchovy's which were a nice touch. The croutons tasted a bit stale as they weren't very crunchy. The focaccia bread was fine- though it was just plain pizza dough cooked. Not what I've had all around Italy called focaccia. Lastly, $14 for a glass of Italian Pinot Grigio when I know the whole bottle probably doesn't cost that was highway robbery. Both the back door and the front doors were open the whole time we were there, which created a huge blowing draft throughout the inside seating area. Not pleasant. Love the concept of the Italian bar or deli as a restaurant. The execution just wasn't yet there. read more

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This a great, cozy spot in San Rafael for pizza, drinks, and gelato. They have a great selection of food and beverage options, including a lot of interesting sodas. Caters really well to the takeout crowd, and a huge plus to have some great gelato on site. Even if you aren't eating a meal, you can pop in for beverages or gelato to go. I'm in town for business, and wanted a quick but tasty pizza dinner. The experience was great, as was my service from Santos. I'll look to stop back in on my next business trip to the area. read more

Fantastic pizza, service and atmosphere! Please come to enjoy this amazing spot. We will be back soon.

Great Italian spot in Marin. The food is delicious, the interior is very inviting, and the staff are to notch. The owner is a very happy and friendly guy too. Go check them out if you're in downtown San Rafael. read more

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1st time ever going to Hot Italian. Found them on Yelp and decided to try. Our server Santos was absolutely amazing. He kept checking in with us and was very knowledgeable about all the food. He offered recommendations that did not disappoint. Restaurant was very modern and clean. For starters we ordered the Focaccia Toscana. It came with some delicious olive oil for dipping. The bread was absolutely amazing and was fresh and crispy. Didn't even last us 5 minutes. For dinner we ordered the Materazzi & Fiori pizza. The pizza was just perfect. Chripy, not overpowering, and all the perfect servings and ingredients. Since we like spicy food Santos recommended their spicy oil. We drizzled the oil on top and it was so delicious. The oil tasted like it was oil infused with jalapeños. Since I was celebrating my birthday, I treated myself to their Mojito Veloce and Aperol Spritz. Both very yummy, bubbly and refreshing. For dessert my kiddos had the chocolate gelato and Gianduja (hazelnut chocolate) gelato. I decided to be bold and had the salted caramel and pineapple jalapeño gelato. Absolutely amazing. Their waffle cones were so fresh and crispy. Lastly we were surprised with a lovely dessert. Wish I would've got the name. It was absolutely amazing. It was cake/cheesecake like but also crunchy. Shared it with the kiddos. I'm not one for chocolate it this was incredible and not too rich. Just perfect. Reminded me of my favorite candy (Ferrero Rocher). The cooking staff & out waiter (Santos) were all so incredibly nice and made us feel so special. They didn't even know it was my birthday but they gave me and my family a beautiful and welcoming experience. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

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Delightful pizza, salad, wine, salami, gelato!!! Service was very helpful and attentive. Loved the indoor/outdoor vibe. Check it out!!! read more

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The food and service was amazing! Santos gave good recommendations on the food. I was told to come here for the pizza and gelato and it was fantastic. I will definitely come back to this place! read more

Hot Italian - Pistachio cake - Pizza Near Me - San Rafael, California

So good! The gnocchi was amazing and the service was incredible! If you need a new Italian place this is it!

So my husband and I read so many (but soooo many) posts about this place and we decided to go try ourselves. OMG! It's amazing! The restaurant is very pleasant, many tables, an outdoor siting for warmer days, you can see the pizza man working pretty much from anywhere you sit..The service is great, they come to the table frequently checking if we need something, making sure the food is good.. and the food.. what a delightful surprise. The pizzas, the calzone (loaded with cheese), the meatball sanduich (another bomb of flavor), the gelatos.. We plan on going there at least once a week until we have tried a bit of everything on the menu, because what we have tasted so far, deserves a 1000/10!! read more

Hot Italian - Calzone - Pizza Near Me - San Rafael, California

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Excited to see Hot Italian in San Rafael! I've been to Passione Emporio in Berkeley for their luscious tiramisu and pizzas - it's been awhile but if it's still the same that's a delicious outing. So when I found this online I rushed over to check out their lunch specials. Similar fun vibe here - music is upbeat and unique. I ordered a Mengoni focaccia panino - porchetta, broccoli rabe and provolone and a Murino pizza - pears, gorgonzola and honey. The lunch special includes a salad and soda for the regular price of the panino for dinner - $18. They have gluten free crust for their 12" pizzas - cornmeal or rice - at no extra cost. Pizza was a wonderful combo. The panino was underwhelming in flavor though the ingredients were quality. Too much bread for very little porchetta. Arugula salad was very lightly dressed with a few radish pieces. I got to try their spicy olive oil which helped and was quite good. Just down the street from Sol Food so they have good competition, exposure and could catch the spillover along with visitors from the Smart train. Espresso drinks, gelato, desserts, Italian sodas, wines and beers. I'll be back to check it out as they mature. Dominic was the staff member up front and very welcoming. read more

We came for happy hour last week and had a great time! The outdoor patio is cute and has plenty of sun and shade options. We got there around 430 and when we left at 6 they were completely packed! Prices were great and food was delicious. Our favorites were the pizza and carpaccio. They have a huge selection of food and alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. We will be back! Fun to have them in our neighborhood read more

Hot Italian - Happy hour pizza - Pizza Near Me - San Rafael, California

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Amazing pizza and lovely ambience. The gelato is delicious! Highly recommend this spot.

LOVE this place!! My husband doesn't like pizza and even he loves it! First of all the dough is delicious. Then they put wonderful ingredients on it - the most delicious cheeses and meats. The ambience is great... I want their playlist!!! We come as a family with my loud kids pretty early, but I think it would be a cute date spot too. They have good drinks. Don't forget the gelato!!! Oh and service always welcoming and kind read more

We had a great experience at Hot Italian! We were a party of six, ordered a bunch of appetizers, pizza, pinsa and Italian wine: everything was delicious. The pinsa was so tasty and unique, I completely recommend. We also had a vegetarian lasagna with funghi (mushrooms) and it was tasty. For dessert, the chef created a platter with a selection of their desserts: cannoli, tiramisu and a pistachio based pie, all delicious. We had a great experience and we can't wait to go back! read more

Hot Italian - Out of the this world dessert platter!! - Pizza Near Me - San Rafael, California

We were visiting family in the area, and decided to eat something before we headed back home. Saw the outside menu on a sign board, and realized it was Happy Hour. We decided to eat there since the Happy Hour Pinsa's were showing $10 on the outside menu board, it's the reason we went in, the price was right. When we sat down, I asked if we could also get a Happy Hour menu, which they gave us as well. After reading it, we read the Happy Hour pinsa's on the menu we were given at the table were marked $13. I asked the server when he came back and showed him the picture I took of the menu board outside and asked him why the menu board outside says $10, and the menu we were given says $13. He looked confused and I pointed to the big menu board outside and showed him the picture. He said no, it's $13 and asked another employee to look at the board outside. The other employee looked at it, nodded to the server and walked back inside. The server asked me, is this $13 ok? I told him, we came in the restaurant since the big menu board outside advertised that it was Happy Hour AND the price showed $10 each. We were ordering 2 different pinsa's. So an additional $6 is almost another pinsa price. I thought at the end he was going to give us the price that was advertised outside of the restaurant but the check came and was still charged $13 each for the pinsa's. At that point I realized that this restaurant does not have any type of customer service, and apparently they don't care that they are doing a bait and switch, as no employee as we were sitting there or as we were leaving, took the sign outside off. I know now, when we visit family in the area, we will not be going back to the restaurant. Just be aware of the signage and prices outside of the restaurant is different than the prices inside the restaurant, and they will not honor their own prices. read more