An Amazing experience. Food was delicious wines were awesome and service was top notch. We had the grilled Calamari and it was very tasty - Highly recommended. Gnocchi with pork was a winner as well. If in the area, give this place a try- you won't regret it! read more

since moving to SF 9 years ago this has become one of my two go to places. Value and consistency. Two hallmarks of a superb dining experience. Carbonara good as it gets. On my way there now. read more

Overall maybe 3.5/5. Great ambience - the indoor decor made the space cozy and homey. However, we got seated at a corner where I could smell something funny (like the smell of old carpet), so the first impression was a bit off. We got: - insalata Ideale: fresh, but the flavor was a bit lacking. - pachheri all'amatriciana: a bit spicy and the flavor was great - spaghetti con vongole e bottarga: the clams are small The pasta was cooked a bit too al dente than my liking, but overall, I think the food was authentic. Would still recommend for those looking to try out an Italian place in SF. read more

Very good food and service. Pizza, pastas, antipasti - all was good. Canoli were not the best I ever tasted. read more

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Found this place on Yelp when looking for a last minute dinner spot for a close friends birthday. Ideale is now my favorite Italian restaurant in North Beach. We were seated instantly, and the restaurant was not too crowded for a Saturday night. The ambiance is great and its noisy enough to where you can hear and hold a conversation. Our waiter was very sweet and helpful in deciding what to order, as it was our first time there. We ordered grilled calamari, a margarita pizza and a pasta dish. All of them were absolutely delicious! We finished off the night with a yummy tiramisu cake. If you're in North Beach, make sure to stop by Ideale! read more

Ideale - Pizza Margherita - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I never thought I could be stunned speechless by a pasta but here I am writing a Yelp review that truly wont be able to capture the divinity of the pasta at Ideale. We almost walked past this place but the crowded interior through the glass windows made us pause rightfully to discover that indeed we had reached our destination. This place is a very cozy and intimate restaurant with warm lighting and Christmas lights appropriately decorating the windows. If you're looking for a place to have a fulfilling meal and cozy chat with your friends, your date, or even yourself, this is the place for you. Attire ranges from slight casual (don't come in pajamas) to semi formal. Once you're seated, they start you with table bread - which in honesty, is pretty subpar. If you're hungry, it's good enough to fill you but not good enough to ask for seconds. We ordered gnocchi, tortellini, and mezalune (?) with differing sauces (spicy vodka, pesto, and sage butter). The wait was admittedly long- be prepared to be patient (although it was crowded when we had ordered). But man oh man did the food not disappoint. The gnocchi just melted like butter in my mouth - refreshingly light, filing, and moist (none of that chewy nonsense). And I asked for a special sauce (spicy vodka) and the sauce was just as heavenly - the appropriate sauce and flavor to make my tastebuds sing. I couldn't stop eating and the portions are generous too. And better yet, we had the bread to scoop up that sauce after we were done with the pasta. A pasta I am still thinking of and will likely dream of for the next week. We all remarked how full we felt without that nasty bloated heavy stomach ache after eating a carb heavy dish. All in all, an incredible meal despite the long wait. Plus, it's in the heart of SF so you get a lovely view of the city as you leave! Highly highly recommend if you want to feel God in an Italian restaurant. read more

Ideale - Spicy vodka gnocchi - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

We love this cozy, classic Italian bistro! Excellent food & extensive wine list. Lively yet easy to talk. In the heart of North Beach! Ciao! read more

Hard to find. Parking is tough. But ideale is well worth it. Service was fantastic. Chianti and bread to start. We ordered lasagna, pizza ah fungi and calamari. Calamari was braised not fried in a tomato sauce with peas. Total for four with wine came to $139. Perfectly located in beautiful North Beach. A wonderful meal before catching a comedy show at Cobb's!! read more

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Very nice people with very good food. Enjoyed the music as well. Will come again, great date spot for Italian food. read more

Ideale - Fettuccine alla Norcina - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came to Ideale on a blustery, cold San Francisco evening and was met immediately with a warm, cozy atmosphere. Despite being one of the first parties inside, my friends and I were immediately welcomed by the staff. It's definitely a more intimate experience - compared to the loud, rambunctious Italian restaurants on Columbus. Our meal started off with complementary bread. Nothing to write home about, as they were delivered cold and without any dip or spread.... For our entrees, I decided to have the Lamb Pappardelle while my friends decided on the Gnocchi alla Ricotta, and the famed Tortelloni alla Paesana. Plates were delivered flawlessly and smelled absolutely divine upon delivery. I sampled a bite from each friend. The gnocchi was pillowy-soft and very delicate, but smaller than most gnocchi I've experienced. As for the accompanying beef ragu - it was very rich in flavor, but I thought the tomato base was a bit too acidic. I think I'm more accustomed to gnocchi in a lighter sauce, but this was still a pretty good experience. Next, I tried the tortelloni. Mmm. So good. The veal stuffing was perfectly tender in mine, but my friend did note that it was a bit inconsistent throughout. That said, she still thought it was very good. I personally really enjoyed the prosciutto. It added that nice salty bite to help cut the cream sauce which hugged each tortelloni generously. For my own dish, I immediately noticed the pappardelle was fresh made and thinner than most pappardelle. But it was generously tossed in the MOST DELICIOUS lamb ragu sauce. It definitely hit all the right notes! If there was a negative note, it would probably be that the pasta could have used a rinse to get more starch off. Towards the bottom of the plate, I had huge hunks of pappardelle pasta stuck together instead of nice long, broad noodles. We opted out of dessert this time, but the tiramisu on the next table looked pretty delicious. Overall, compared to other more intimate Italian restaurants in North Beach, Ideale is good, but not the best I've experienced in the area. Solidly 3.5 stars. But the service was friendly and warm despite us not ordering drinks. Additionally, Ideale is one of the only restaurants in the area (many do one or the other) to make both pasta and sauce in house, so that freshness in ingredients really comes through. read more

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Ideale is a great Italian restaurant in North Beach. The service was a little slow to start, but we eventually did get some wine ordered. We ordered the 2014 Roccia Forte Sangiovese, Which was pretty good. We ended up getting 2 appetizers for 4 people and that was plenty of food to start. We had the prosciutto e pera- prosciutto from parma wrapped around bosc pear with fresh mascarpone, the octopus and the scallopine di maiale ai capperi e limone for dinner. That was their pork scaloppini piccata sautéed with capers, lemon & white wine, with roasted potatoes & fresh verdure del giorno. See pics. Everything was absolutely delicious. read more

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Delicious, homemade pasta,, great service, and bread that we could not stop eating. Maurizio took great care of us and made solid recommendations. read more

Best orecchiette with broccoli rabe I've ever had. Warm service. Cozy interior. Highly recommend. read more

Very authentic Italian. The food and the service! A neighborhood favorite for us. Highly recommend.

The best dinner we've ever had in SF. Fantastic food and service. Make this a stop when you're in town.

Went to Ideale for a cousins birthday and we really enjoyed our meal! We shared two pastas and chicken breast. The gnocchi was chewy and the beef ragu sauce was flavorful. Our favorite dish was the fettuccine with the black truffle infused sauce. So much depth, so flavorful. You know the food is good when everyone is quiet and nodding. Service was great as well. For dessert we went with the millefoglie which was nice and light, with a good crunch. Great times in North Beach! read more

Ideale - Millefoglie - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great Italian food, Rome style. This restaurant was recommended to me by an Italian restaurant manager. I got he veal tortellini the first time and ravioli halibut, cioppino, egg plant appetizer and some other pasta 2nd time. Tortellini and ravioli are the best here in my opinion. I didn't get the desserts here but they looked really good. Will come back another time. read more

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I really want to give 5 stars for my incredible meal. Gluten free pasta is hard to do, but mine was perfection. I ordered it with the porcini mushroom preparation and it was so delicious. Burrata starter was delicious but for the tough tomatoes. Husband and daughter loved their margarita pizza, but husbands pasta was too al dente. Even after he sent it back the first time. Would def go back to try again. read more

This was the west Italian food I have had in years in SF. Food was outstanding and so was the atmosphere. Looked like many patrons were regulars. When we came in the asked if we had a reservation. To which I replied no but it looks like you are empty. The waiter politely smiled and sat us down. Within 30 minutes the place started to fill up. By the time we finished the place was packed to the gills. The waiter was kind enough to not say anything like - clearly you have never been here and don't know how packed we get. read more

Decided to try out Ideale after passing by, and seeing the menu in the window. We were greeted when we walked in like we were known patrons. We were given a choice of tables, sat down and had a glass of water while looking over the menu. After ordering, wine came, then a plate of bread drizzled with delicious olive oil. Not much on the oil, but the small drizzle allowed us to know they used quality ingredients. My husband had the spaghetti with clams- an abundance of clams. I had the spaghetti with dried tomatoes and arugula. Both beyond delightful! We had asked for Parmesan and were treated by a server with a generous amount. The meal was absolutely delicious. More bread came ( someone was paying attention!) but again, they could have been more generous with the olive oil, or offered butter/garlic. Pasta was homemade and stellar! We declined desert, however, again, one of the servers was REALLY paying attention ( this man needs a raise and pat on the back!) and must have seen we spent time waiting ( worth it!) and brought us a plate of tiramisu to share. My husband can not stand the taste of coffee/espresso, but tried it, and absolutely raved about it! This restaurant is a gem. We will return when back in SanFrancisco!!! read more

Came on a double date for dinner on a Tuesday. It was easy to get reservations earlier that day, and the restaurant was not full while we were there. We started with 4 glasses of tuscan reds (two montepulciano, two barbera). They had a great, affordable wine selection. For an appetizer, we ordered the proscuitto & pera. This came with 4 slices of pear wrapped in proscuitto, so it was perfect to split. They also brought out a bread basket at that time. For entrees, my bf and I split the mezzaluna di zucca e semi di pappavero and the saltimboca alla romana. We loved the pasta. The veal dish was just OK to me, and I would probably stick with pasta next time. Service was friendly. A little slower paced (Italian style), so be sure to flag down a waiter if you need to order something. I would definitely recommend for an authentic Italian dinner. read more

I'm always quite wary to dine at an Italian restaurant in North Beach because other than becoming a hopeless cliché in a tourist-saturated wallet zone, the odds of finding a good one with decent food are more anorexic than slim. Give it a name as pompous as "Ideale", and you could see my eyeballs rolling toward a 7-10 split of pure incredulity. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be quite a solid establishment serving hearty Roman dishes with flair albeit with a few consistency issues in quality and a rather inflated ka-ching factor. No surprise there since alas, it is North Beach after all. It ain't the Olive Garden. Jamie W. and I came here on a brisk evening as we made our way up from Washington Square Park. Except for a big party in the front room, the place was rather quiet when we arrived, and we were seated without reservation next to the front window in the adjacent dining room. The menu is a fairly standard Italianate mix of antipasti, pasta, pizza and meatier entrees. I was immediately drawn to the $13.50 Zucchine Tartufate, a fresh starter of julienned zucchini mixed liberally with truffle oil and shaved parmigiano cheese and served with a crostini topped with wild black truffle pâté (see photo). It was deliciously light for an antipasti, perfect if you are planning to tackle plates of real pasta afterward like we did. The pasta dishes were a hit and a near-miss. The hit was on Jamie's plate, the $15.50 Papardelle all' Agnello with the velvety flat noodles inundated with a hearty, flavorful lamb ragout sauce that spelled pure comfort (see photo). Jamie usurped my order, so I nervously ordered the $15.50 Tortelloni alla Paesana. While the tortelloni was tasty with a hearty mix of veal and prosciutto stuffed in them, all of them covered in sliced mushrooms, the "light cream reduction" was far richer than I feared it would be (see photo). The combination felt like it was clogging up my arteries in real time so I made a concerted effort to scrape the sauce off to avoid an inevitable cholesterol coma. Still I have to admit the quality of the execution overall exceeded my expectations for the area. FOOD - 4 stars...solid Roman dishes if a bit too liberal with their cream sauces AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...heavy on the modern mosaic art SERVICE - 3.5 stars...pretty attentive although they yell at each other in Italian a lot here TOTAL - 4 stars...good to know you can find worthwhile pasta in North Beach...seriously read more

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Had our Holiday office dinner at Ideale tonight and was pleasantly surprised at this lovely, small, intimate yet cozy and elegant Italian restaurant in the heart of North Beach.This is a lovely, quite intimate restaurant and you receive a very warm and friendly greeting on arrival. I found out that Ideale has been bringing a slice of Rome to North Beach for over 20 years with it's highly acclaimed chef, Maurizio Bruschi. All the waiters are Italian. We took half of the restaurant and the service was great, from our appetizers until service of our dessert. The restaurant is bigger than it appears, because its second dining room, in the adjoining storefront, is fully separated from the main one and the entryway. And its walls are hung with splendid paintings, which we supposed to be oil on stretched canvas. Only complaint is acoustics are bad, gets a little too noisy when the restaurant gets full. The menu selection was fabulous!!!! Appetizers: ~prosciutto from parma wrapped around bosc pear with fresh mascarpone ~fennel salad-thinly sliced fennel with orange, walnuts, capers & gorgonzola in a champagne vinaigrette ~burrata-yum love this fresh artisan burrata mozzarella with arugula and tomatoes PIZZA- crusts were delicious, great texture and fresh hot of the oven-enjoyed trying each one ~pizza ai funghi e salsicciapizza topped with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, italian sausage, mushrooms and garlic ~margherita pizza with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella & basil ~pizza al prosciutto with mozzarella & arugula Pastas worth gaining a few calories for: ~mezzaluna di yucca stuffed with fresh pumpkin, amaretti & parmigiano in a butter-sage sauce ~homemade papardelle in a lamb ragu ~spaghetti alla carbonara-one of my all time favorites - spaghetti with homemade pancetta, eggs, pecorino & parmigiano, love this dish and this restaurant makes it right Main Course just as delicious: ~rack of lamb ~veal scallopini with prosciutto di parma & sage ~boneless pork-chop with pine nuts in creamy vodka sauce ~sea bass was the fish of the day, it was the fresh and soft Save the best for last to clear my palate were there tempting desserts: ~tartufo al cioccolato rich truffle ice-cream rolled in praline nuts and powdered cocoa-OMG ~panna cotta-w strawberry & chocolate sauce ~tiramisu-my all time favorite Definitely coming back with friends. Really quaint and really authentic amazing food. Staff was authentic, food was spot on, and prompt. The staff of course all spoke Italian that made the atmosphere superb for the ambiance. A great place for business or a romantic dinner spot. Can't go wrong with this for your next stop in San Francisco for tourists and for locals! read more

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Don't order the pizza. It was just sad (bland, overly wet, no seasoning) and shouldn't be on the menu. They also need to fix their flickering lights. Other customers seemed happy with their non pizza offerings- just don't waste your money on the pizza. read more

We had dinner at Ideale on a Sunday night of a Labor Day weekend without reservations, after a few attempts at other restaurants of the North Beach. We ended up eating at the bar with no wait which was great! The service was great we had a glass of Pinot Grigio and an appetizer (The calamari our favorite part of the meal!) I ordered the pasta and shrimps (I doubted the absolute freshness of the shrimps which I usually love but no worries I did not get sick) the pasta and the sauce were good but not mind blowing. Overall my main course was not great! My boyfriend however ordered the gnocchis with a vodka sauce and he and I absolutely loved them! NB: the vodka sauce was not an item of the menu on that night but we saw a Yelp photo with this sauce from Ideale And it seemed so good that we asked the waiter if the cook could make it for us, he said sure !! So we appreciated very much this particular attention ! At the end of the meal we felt so full that we couldn't order a dessert ! It was a good restaurant and the reason why I put a 4 star rating is because my meal wasn't great otherwise it would've been a 5! read more

Ideale - Calamari ! - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We haven't been here in year, and boy am I glad it's as good! The service is always exceptional and the food beyond words. It truly feels like you are Italy with the good food, wine and service. The pasta is always consistent and the sauces are too die for. The fennel salad is my absolute favorite. I always say I want to make it, but I know it will be the same! I highly recommend Ideale when you are make a trip to the city. read more

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We booked this place for 5 people and it didn't disappoint. I knew this would be a typical authentic Italian place since the moment an Italian answered the phone. We arrived the two of us and was waiting for few minutes for our friends and even when they arrived we took some time to decide on the menu and the staff didn't push us which was nice. The place is cozy and lovely and waiters are Italian so it gives the place a nice warm, family feel. The menu was lovely - few antipasti (we had the burrata and loved it, it was soft and creamy), few pizza items, very few selections of meats (chicken, veal, fish) and pastas!!! I liked that the menu wasn't too big but it wasn't 1 page either - I think it was just about right if you are an Italian food lover and you don't mind trying new dishes. they brought us 2 bread baskets (how generous of them) and we asked for some olive oil and balsamic to deep our breads into and o My God - the olive oil was soooo good, just like the one we had in Rome. They had the typical Roman favorites such as carbonara and amatriciana but we didn't try them since we cook plenty italian at home and wanted something different. Between the 5 of us we had the tortelloni stuffed with veal, pancheta, mushrooms in a creamy sauce (which I must say this was the winner, the taste of this combination was just out of this world), lasagna serafina (named after the grandmother) which was really good, pappardelle with meat ragu sauce which was lovely and my dish which was gnocchi with meat ragu sauce - gnocchi was soft and delicious. The waiter suggested the wine within our budget ($50) and it was truly lovely - smooth and light with no headaches the next morning. Although we were stuffed after dinner we had to order the chocolate ice cream truffle which was superb. Amazing experience and dinner. We had a few jokes with the waiters and it made the evening even more pleasant. All in all, I don't think any of the dishes on the menu will disappoint so don't hesitate to try any of their freshly made pastas! With 1 appetiser, $50 wine bottle, 5 main courses of pasta and 1 dessert the bill came to 180$ split between the 5 of us before tip so a bit on the higher side but good enough considering we had the bottle of wine. Will definitely be back and highly recommend this to everyone. read more

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Authentic Italian, conveniently located in North Beach. The atmosphere is cute, the feel is very Italian, and the food tasty. My friend and I shared the fennel salad (insalata d'aranci e finocchi) and it was amazing! Wow! Definitely two thumbs up! For dinner, we had the tortelloni alla paesana (homemade tortelloni, stuffed w/veal, prosciutto & mushrooms, in a light cream reduction) and the mezzaluna di zucca (homemade mezzalune stuffed with fresh pumpkin, amaretti & parmigiano in a butter-sage sauce). Both dishes were equally fabulous. Alas we didn't save room for dessert. It's a cute spot with good food and on the night we were there, we could hear plenty of loud Italians conversing. Very merry. Definitely worth a stop. read more

Ideale - mezzaluna di zucca - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Drinks were good! Service was just okay. We felt we were burdening the staff by asking for another drink or Parmesan- Maybe they were just really busy. My boyfriend got the pasta special and it seemed underdone. My gluten free pasta was great but I didn't love the sauce. Overall fine! read more

Outstanding Italian food in a city with a lot of good competition, and friendly attentive staff too. Really warm and welcoming atmosphere and just absolutely delicious pasta. The wine list is a great selection at really reasonable prices, we had a wonderful barolo that outdid much pricier bottles I've had at other SF restaurants. I was here with a friend from out of town and Ideale really showed him what makes San Francisco incredible. Come for a meal here and remind yourself why it's incredible to live here. read more

I was late. He was waiting. As usual. He texetd me and said that it's not nice to have ladies waiting in a restaurant alone so he often tries to arrive on time, or slightly early. I texted back and said "I know, you are more experienced in this. "He deferred to him being older and thus more experienced. I'm not buying that. I think he just dates all the time. Unlike me, who just likes to eat all the time. Men go to restaurant with women attempting to get laid, women go to restaurant attempting to eat a good meal, or at least I do. Different objectives. Ristorante Ideale, as it turns out, possess the quality that could potentially satisfy both sexes. At least I imagined it could. Food was great. He ordered for us. He had ordered a bottle of white. It was an exceptionally warm evening, about 70 degrees. We shared a caesar salad, lamp chops and then house made ravioli with fish as filling. Yum. The restaurant was beginning to fill up as we were winding down our dining. I had probably walked by here many times but never noticed this place. It's so tucked away and felt a bit more European than the U.S., and the service was superb that evening. We had a window booth, we were the first patrons for the evening, but as we were finishing up, many had shown up, including an Asian woman, an Eurasian child, and the grandparents. He said, "It's sad. The child does not have a father." He had assumed she had the child out of wedlock, and the father ceased to exist in the young child's life. He made severe assumptions, perhaps the father was working? I would not know. I wondered why I got along with this strange man I called a friend. Perhaps we ate well together, through the city, different neighborhoods, different atmosphere, year after year. I felt that I was on holiday in Rome. He told me that his company was named after a city in Italy. When Woody Allen started his film tour paying homage to his favorite foreign and domestic cities, I was strangely attracted to To Rome With Love, that was until I saw Blue Jasmine. I always found it puzzling when my European friends told me that San Francisco reminds me them a city in Europe, that evening I understood why. Tucked away on Grant, a Roman bar, dishes that served with old world charm, servers spoke with strong Italian accent, this was indeed a quintessential north beach restaurant. he and I, two strangers got pulled into shore for the evening, sharing a bottle of chilled white wine. At that moment, I pretended that we finally took the holiday that we said that we'd take but never could and would. read more

Ideale - House made pasta with fish filling - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Incredibile food quality and service - Ideale is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in San Francisco. Authentic, fresh , delicious!! What sets them aside from many other places is the true PASSION they all put in their work . read more

A gem. Food is authentic & delicious. Having dined at Ideale since they opened (1994), I've tried just about everything on the menu, several times over. The carbonara, the gnocchi, the bucatini, the ravioli, the pappardelle. All of them shine. The bucatini is a personal favorite. Pizza. The margherita & the prosciutto are fantastic. Crust & sauce done to perfection. The lamb & the saltimboca...both excellent. The ambiance is la familia, like many other NB establishments, which only adds to Ideale's overall appeal. Charming, cozy, festive, warm, & comfortable. Good food w good people. What life's about, right? Mangia. 5 stars. read more

Amazing service and food! Best pizza I had since I have been in Rome! A must see in San Francisco! read more

Ideale - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

It's good to see this restaurant operating well outdoors and lively during COVID. To me, North Beach businesses had been struggling quite a bit pre-COVID, but their ample outdoor space has made the neighborhood quite lively now! Contrary to many other reviews, I found the service to be pretty reasonable. Wine was liberally poured, which was nice! Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the food. We came here during restaurant week, and tried their prix fixe menu. The appetizers were ok, though the Insalata Ideale (beet and goat cheese) was a bit small for 2. The entrees were not as good. The gnocchi was quite over cooked and mushy, and the steak was very, very chewy, with an off taste -- perhaps reheated? In a touristy area, expectations must be adjusted, and I assure you I did not come expecting a real culinary treat, just a tasty Roman meal. read more

The pasta here is the bomb. Noodles are made in-house. Sausage is made in-house. The dish with the mushrooms, sausage and fettuccine was excellent. It was as good as some of the pasta we recently had in Italy. My cocktail was perfect too. They went to great lengths to make candied slices of orange and ginger for the drink -- yum! The prices were reasonable. The waiters were exceedingly friendly. All in all, a terrific dinner. This was our first visit but will be glad to go back. read more

Train wreck. We had 6:30 reservation. Stood there until 6:50. 2 servers for the whole place. All the guests were trying to get the servers attention. Nobody had food on their table. Left and went to Sodini. read more

Friendly service and delicious food. Been coming to Ideale for years, and will with pasta as yummy as this.

This was a good dinner spot with cute outdoor seating. The wine our server recommended was fantastic and we enjoyed our meals. read more

Ideale - Spaghetti Alla Carbonara - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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