Came for a friends birthday, and was pleased with the service, however the food was mediocre from my experience. I have eaten at a handful of Italian restaurants in North Beach, and Ideale was somewhere in the middle of the pack. I ordered the gnocci ragu and it was not the best, the wine was good, and the service was the best part about the experience. When we came on a Friday night there was no wait, which is irregular for North Beach, but was another reason why we came here besides some of the other places in the neighborhood. read more

Ideale - Burrata e Speck - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Really 4.5 stars. We went here on a recommendation from a work friend who speaks full Italian and has lived there for a few years...she knows her Italian food! My stepson, and his new girlfriend were in SF for one day and I was all over an agenda...but how do you do SF in ONE DAY?? - anyway, food is to me - the most important part of any city visit, so the dinner choice was important. I made reservations for 6:30 and when we got there, the place was practically empty, so I was a little worried. (it was full when we left). We were seated and told the specials. For appetizers, we ordered: the zucchini tartufate, and a pizza (it was super THIN) - both were excellent! There was some crostini at the bottom of the zucchini thing we were all fighting over - it seemed to be coated with a pate-like substance but made with mushrooms...AMAZING. The two were perfect for shared apps for 4. My man & I split the lamb parpardelle and the Veal Milanese - this was no ordinary Milanese...it was stuffed with a thin layer of delicious CHEESE, melty and perfect. It was served on the bone with spinach, potatoes and a couple of stalks of asparagus. Some of the best veal I have ever eaten. The fresh parpadelle was a wee bit over-cooked, but the sauce had lots of flavor. I pretty much hogged the veal! read more

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Had a lovely early dinner before a show. Fresh, delicious, good portions, doesn't feel like a tourist trap, reasonable prices, and all of the staff were very sweet. The only problem is I work I the neighborhood and haven't been in yet but that's on me :) read more

I read an article about North Beach losing it's soul due to high rents and changing demographics. That sucks! It made me want to eat there as soon as I arrived in town. Not much has changed....yet. I've walked by this place more times than math can count! I finally had dinner here after strong yelp reviews. The staff is professional and attentive. Thanks! Our ceasar salad was excellent yet a little small. It's about $.40 worth of romaine lettuce so for $10 give me some more. It's ok if you spend $.50 for the $10 return. The brocolinni rabb (?) was seasoned perfectly yet still a small portion size for some green leaves on a plate. The burrata app looked perfect but it was on our neighbors table, not ours, which was painful. My saltimbocca entree was a little goopy for my taste yet I'm not Italian so I won't judge except to say it was too goopy for me. Finally the carbonara had perfectly cooked pasta yet lacked the rich flavor I typically expect from carbonara. I hope these guys are around for 100 more years and North Beach never changes, yet while we enjoyed our experience here, there are too many other choices to get me back here quickly. read more

Fantastic restaurant! Authentic Italian food perfection! The Spaghetti Carbonara is BEYOND delicious. We also had the Tortelloni with Bolognese, the whole Dorade fish, Grilled Calamari to start and ANOTHER order of the Carbonara because all 3 of us wanted it again instead of dessert! Everything was superb! You cannot go wrong here and chef/host/Maurizio is so charming, friendly and helpful. It's literally one of the best restaurants in San Francisco and definitely in North Beach. Highest rating! read more

The food is fabulous. The service is above and beyond. The ambiance is perfect for date night, special occasion or just a fabulous neighbor experience. Food is fresh and perfectly prepared. Their concept of simple is better is spot on. Everything is delicious! Top off your meal with the excellent tiramisu. Everything is outstanding. Thank you Fabio and Mauricio. read more

Don't be fooled by a look! This hidden gem touted wonderful authentic Italian cuisine and even better service. While waiting for your food, you are greeted with fresh baked focaccia tossed in a light olive oil. I ordered the fettuccine with prawns. It was delicious! The pasta is handmade and cooked to order. The prawns were super fresh and the sauce was not over powering. The consensus was that this is a spot worth trying. read more

Ideale - Linguine with Prawns - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Un ristorante buonissimo!! Found Ideale while walking and had the best lunch. The first time I have seen traditional Roman pasta in California. A beautiful restaurant with great service read more

Amazing authentic Italian food and wonderful, kind service. You almost feel like you're in a friend's home. I recommend it to everyone who visits SF! read more

The charcoal grilled calamari is impeccable. The chef highlights the freshness of the pure taste of calamari. The seasoning was mild and well balanced. The choice of arugula and cherry tomato highlights the calamari well. Well executed classic tiramisu , pleasurable light and not too sweet.Will definitely come again. read more

Very excellent service! Super yummy options for vegetarians :) thank you! Will be going back soon

Came here on a Friday evening around 7pm and we were seated right away despite not having reservations. The staff working at this restaurant work so hard to ensure customer satisfaction. I feel like their business is suffering bc there's always a group of immature adults causing chaos while waiting in line outside for other stores around this area. Despite them causing a distraction, we had a wonderful dinner. We got complimentary bread - so good!!! The bread came out warm and was so fluffy. I got the spaghetti carbonara - loved that you can actually taste the pepper, and the cheese flavor was strong. read more

I found the restaurant by looking at Google maps. The pictures of the food and good reviews is what made me want to try it. I love trying new restaurants. We had brushcetta topped with sliced filet mignon and gorgonzola cheese. The filet mignon was flavorful and tender. The pasta special with fish and olives and garlic with an amazing tasty tomato sauce. The sauce was nice balance of spices and just right amount of chili flakes to give it heat. The other pasta dish we had was with home made sausage, mushrooms and black truffle in white cream sauce. The sauce was really tasty as well. We had chocolate truffle ice cream with spumoni ice cream center dusted with cocoa for dessert. The meal was excellent and the waiter provided great service and was very attentive. The setting of the restaurant was relaxing and inviting with nice decor. read more

Good service, not great food unfortunately. Came on a quiet weekday evening and ordered both a margherita pizza and a pasta dish... friendly server but the food was lackluster. read more

Amazing! Very friendly staff and very authentic Italian food. The homemade bread they bring you is absolutely delicious. Thanks Ideale staff for giving us such a great experience! read more

Is like being in Italy, with the only difference the service is better....!!! Thank you very much.

I have been coming here for over 10 years. The service and the food are outstanding ! If you don't come here, you are missing out on one of San Francisco's finest dining experiences. read more

Fantastic, true Italian food with very fresh ingredients. gnocchi was exceptional and very light. lasagna was authentic and noodles very tender and sauced appropriately. service was attentive and prompt. we were a party of 12 and everyone found the food delectable. cannot wait to visit them again on my next SF visit. read more

Delicious, authentic Italian food. Pasta is incredibly fresh and so tasty. The wine selection was great too!

Amazing food. Amazing service. Great ambiance. The chefs are from Italy and they make local Italian recipes. The may the most amazing vodka martinis. I would recommend this place to anyone interested is trying fresh home made Italian foods and pastas. read more

Great food, authentic Italian cuisine, very friendly staff. We'll come back with more friends !

Great restaurant. My family and I are here last night. Chicken parmigiana was awesome not breaded at all very good. Kids had pizza and they were great. My wife had pasta with lamb ragu. Very very good. Casual place very nice staff. Highly recommend!!! read more

I'm Italian and I eat here at least once a week. I know everyone in the staff, they are great and make great food! This is one of the few legit Italian restaurants in North Beach. Don't miss it :) read more

Had a nice dinner here w my friend Patrick the other night. We were meeting in North Beach after we both had busy days so I knew we'd want to tuck in for some good Italian food and some nice red wine -- this is exactly what we got. We split an ap and had this pizza (see below) which is classic Italian style. Wine was good, waiter was good. It's tiny and you'll be close to others...hahaha. We heard a very interesting conversation across the way -- maybe they were getting more than a meal? Recommend. Not gourmet, not expensive, just right. read more

Ideale - classic margarita pizza! - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Blown away by the pasta Had some kind of home made ravioli with pumpkin stuffing and some great spice and crunchy things. Maybe pine nuts. Had a fancy name that I cannot remember. Came in an oily sauce. Started with calamari and a prosciutto. Two dishes Not huge servings but enough Bread was the only down mark but not enough to lose a star Loved it read more

Ideale - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Delizioso!! While in town for a work training we had a group of about 15 of us go for dinner. The reservation was made pretty last minute which was shocking, but so happy we got to try this place out!! The ambiance is very nice and romantic and the food was on point. A few of us split different menu items so we could try multiple and my favorite was the Tortelloni Alla Paesana and wish I had more of it!! Great wine selection also. I definitely recommend this if you're looking for an Italian dinner. read more

Pretty disappointed tonight. We ordered a grilled mixed seafood plate and ended up with an overly fried plate of food. Shrimp heads and shells were still on which were hard to detach because they were so heavily fried. It was inedible. I'm hoping the issue was isolated to the plate. Otherwise, the prosciutto and pear appetizer was very good and so was the wine and service. read more

Great pasta and pizza. Owner and waiters are Italian abd extremely nice. Great affordable neighborhood spot.

Fantastic experience - we booked a last minute table I had guests from Baltimore and we got our reservation literally 1 h before .. we were blown away from the courtesy .. we were treated as we were reserved for days.. and the food! Yum yum no words! Fantastic! The calamari appetizer one of the best I had for years (and I am Greek) and the deserts warm soft and crispy we tried three different pasta dishes two wines a bar drink an appetizer and three deserts all for $150! Just saying fantastic place!! Will come back!! My guests were so impressed still talking about it read more

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The restaurant was recommended to us for dinner. We made a reservation, but we did not need one. We walked in and there was plenty of seating. The service was great! I ordered a glass of moscato and the halibut ravioli. It was amazing! The sauce was great. I would definitely come back here and order this again. read more

Ideale - Ravioli di Halibut - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

The service was fast and friendly. Cam here before a show at club fugazi. The special fish was striped bass and I've never had better. Bread was soft and crusty with a slight char. Amazing calamari tender and succulent. The Cacio e Pepe was authentic Al dente and satisfying. Great food. Even saw a local friar here having dinner. read more

Chose Ideale tonight after a long day of bike riding and walking the city. My daughter wanted a place for pizza and I wanted fish. The menu looked good so we waited to see if we could get a table. With Covid going on, 90% of the tables are outside, and it was very busy. Nonetheless, I could not seem to get any staff's attention. Several walked by and I couldn't figure out how to get their attention, or where to "put our name in". Finally, we decided to walk into the restaurant, which was almost empty, aside from one couple, standing to wait for something (a table or some takeout) and staff running back and forth with food from the kitchen. After what felt like another 10 minutes, I finally caught someone's attention and said "how do I get a table?". He said, "inside?" I told him that would be fine. There was one 2 top right where we were standing and he said, "you want this one?"....I was like...."Ok?", although no one else was dining in this room at all. Then we waited again as waiters walked by but no one acknowledged us. Finally someone came over and said "Are you eating in here?" Uhhhhh. Yes? I think? Are we? Or am I waiting for a job interview? Anyway, I said yes, and he brought over some plates, silverware and menus. Then he brought a plate of plain bread, but no butter, no oil, nothing. Odd. I wanted to ask for some oil but I couldn't get anyones attention, and then my daughter proceeded to eat it all anyway. AFTER she ate all the bread I noticed something a little unnerving. The waitstaff, who were all wearing masks, and touching their masks regularly with their hands, were cutting the bread to bring to tables WITH THEIR HANDS. Grabbing the loaf in bare hand, cutting with the other, then picking it all up in their bare hands, and putting it into a basket to bring to tables. They did not wash their hands. I watched several of the servers do this MULTIPLE TIMES. They would come in from the outside, cut the bread, turn arond and walk back out. I want you to know I am not freaked about Covid as much as some people, but even in normal circumstances this is gross. Come on. I don't really want to eat bread that has been handled with dirty hands. Anyway, this entire time I felt like we were really burdening by being there. No one checked on us, they didn't ask if we wanted drinks, wine, nothing. As a side note, as our dinner went on, several friends of the staff came in to dine and it was all friendly, "so good to see you, how are you, go glad you are here" but still no one was really paying attention to us. We ordered our food, I ordered the fish of the day which was grouper. I asked if I could have something green instead of potatoes and the waiter said "I guess so". After the less than glowing service I was prepared to be hopping mad if the food came out bad. To my pleasant surprise it was pretty spectacular. The fish was some of the best I've ever had. They brought it with sauteed yellow peppers and instead of potatoes they brought a very nice salad. It was all cooked perfectly and also the seasoning was delicious. Also, sometimes in restaurants the fish comes out so tiny but this was a very generous portion. My daughter had a margarita pizza which was a great size and also very tasty. I sure hope that this was just an off night the service was a fluke. My experience, great food, rotten service. Also - don't eat the bread. read more

We ordered take out tonight and what a pleasant surprise it was. Generous portions, delicious food and reasonable pricing. Two of us couldn't nearly finish a meal that cost about $55. The prosciutto wrapped pears were great. Sweet firm very flavorful pears and mascarpone. The focaccia was so tasty, homemade and fresh baked with a perfect crust. The beef, spinach and potatoes were excellent. We didn't even get a chance to sample the lasagna tonight. Paolo the maitre d and Mauricio the owner and chef were very gracious. Can't wait to return when indoor dining is permitted. The space is cozy and has a full bar. We will be back for more take out soon. Ideale is a neighborhood gem. Try take out. You'll be glad you did. read more

This is our go to place in San Francisco: tasty food and the servers are incredible. Perfect ambiance and environment for a wonderful dinner. read more

This is a fantastic Italian restaurant in the heart of North Beach. Have eaten here 5-6 times , pre Covid and during the gradual opening of the City. The grilled calamari starter is excellent. Selection of Italian wines is reasonable and the staff knowledgeable. Plus, an awesome clothing store is directly across the street. read more

Disappointing visit to Ideale last night. I speak Italian fairly well and like to practice at Italian restaurants, but the waiter kept talking to me in English. I had the pappardelle and my friend had the carbonara. Both dishes were smothered in grated cheese. I don't know why they didn't bring us the cheese on the side so that we could add (or not add) how much we wanted. Also, it took a really long time to get our meals and it wasn't that busy. I may go back, but I don't know. read more

Delicious, with excellent service! A great meal for us on our visit to SF from Brooklyn.

5 stars for their out-of-this-world Roma-pizzas but one less for the absolutely forgettable entrees !!! They have just 4 pizzas on the menu but, by God, what amazing pizzas they are !!! I have had pizzas at Delfina's , A16, and Pizzeria Pico (in Larkspur) and let me categorically state that Ideale's pizzas are *better* than any of them --- I loved the Margherita, the prosciutto, and the sausage pizzas. But let me assure you that the pizzas at the "tri-facta" of the Bay-Area pizzerias will not leave you disappointed either ! On a sour note, none of us (there were four of us) enjoyed our entrees -- after the Pizzas raised our expectations sky-high, the entrees brought us down to terra-firma; we ordered the gnocchi, the pork-chop, and the sea-food risotto (I forget the 4th dish) with a coupl'a bottles of wine. All the entrees were forgettable which is why I have nothing to add. read more

North Beach: home to endless restaurants with similar menus and the hordes of tourists who love to pretend they can tell the difference. I kid I kid, there are obviously differences, but sometimes it can be a chore to make a final decision. After strolling about, viewing menus aplenty, Ideale was the choice'o the evening. What sold me was the gracious manner in which they handled my inquires. I do not relish asking my standard vegan questions, but it must be done. So when I asked if they had access to non-egg pasta and something meat/cheese free I was assured it was no problem, they'd be happy to oblige. After getting the "good to go" nod on the wine selection from my friend who is more than versed in the ways of wine (she picked a stellar Zin I might add), it was time to grub. The food was reaaaally good. Describing the dish which was a spaghetti with light tomato sauce and vegetables doesn't sound very exciting does it? But it was executed extremely well, everything cooked just right, and the flavor was simple yet at the same time very very tasty. I would in fact maneuver back through the city to this place just for that same dish. I almost dropped it a star because they mischarged my credit card and not in the good way either, they tacked on another $20ish somehow. It was corrected swiftly though, and the pasta I had was too good to drop it down to three. I had half a bottle of wine plus some port going through my system, it's hard to be to legitimately pissed about anything at that point anyway. read more

3.5 stars because, while the food is delicious, the service can be somewhat hit-or-miss. Sometimes they seem to have too few waiters/waitresses and the waiter assigned to your table gets overwhelmed and/or distracted. In terms of food, I have lots to recommend though: - the zucchini with truffle oil appetizer - somewhat random but oh-so-good - the ahi tuna appetizer special - it's a tiny bit strange that they put capers in this appetizer but overall it's very good - the caesar salad with extra anchovies - the anchovies are extra salty and delicious - the lamb ragu pasta - while I actually don't eat lamb, my mom loved this dish and my dad and bf both tried it and raved about it too - the seafood risotto - a great variety of seafood and yummy spices on the risotto The prices at Ristorante Ideale are quite reasonable and the restaurant is cute inside. If they could just figure out how to solve the issues to create more attentive service, this would easily be a four-plus star venue! read more