Wow. So, we didn't plan it but drove by and wanted a local, authentic Italian restaurant. Stopped by Serafina, and we were not disappointed. We were lucky to get a table, around 6:30pm on a Saturday, and it filled up fast. A line went outside from 7-9pm. Our party had a few glasses of wine, some primo pastas (I had the lasagna, our party also partook of the fettuccine, eggplant parmigiana, and fish of the day), plus the grilled calamari appetizer. I was busy relaxing and forgot to photo everything even! Now that's a good time. Appreciated the servers and authentic atmosphere. Cozy and warm, with a small peek view of the bridge and bay. Only one single person bathroom, so be prepared. But that's not what you come for. Gotta love the lucky roulette wheel of chance in finding a random place to dine. But this one was a winner! read more

Serafina - Calamari alla Griglia - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

A very Italian neighbourhood eatery in North Beach. A friend and I stopped here for a quick early dinner before an event at the Cathedral. Having read some of the reviews beforehand, I took an Uber just to be on the safe side. The food was OK, the service was friendly but slow (the staff were chatting outside rather than helping us), and the ambience was OK. 'OK' is the word that comes to mind when I think about this restaurant. Nothing stood out, and nothing was horrible. Would I eat here again? Meh, probably not. There are so many other good and fun restaurants around. read more

Sitting atop Russian Hill, Serafina represents the best of Italian cuisine in SF. With multiple members of the staff and kitchen from Italy, the dishes taste rustic and authentic. For appetizers, the Insalata di Umberto is unique. Featuring beets, arugula, and walnuts, the added honey balances all the flavors and creates a smooth flavor that isn't too acidic or bitter. For the mains, the Lasagna Nonna Serafina is the must-try. Featuring multiple layers of handmade noodles and coated with a hearty ragu, the first bite feels like being transported to a home in the middle of Italy. The dish tastes simple, yet elegant - bursting with the acidic tomato flavor, it takes me back to when I first had and fell in love with Italian food as a child. To finish your meal, go with the classic tiramisu. While in North Beach and Russian Hill tiramisu are a dime a dozen, Serafina's stands out by soaking the cake in more espresso and not adding too much sugar. This results in a delicate, moist dessert to finish the meal that doesn't assault your taste buds. If you're looking for some of the best Italian food in the city, Serafina is a must try. Compared to other restaurants at higher price ranges for lower quality, Serafina absolutely stands above the competition. read more

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My pilates instructor is Italian and says Serafina is some of the best Italian in SF. I agree! I live in the neighborhood but didn't remember seeing Serafina before! There's good views and parks within block (and hills.) Boy made a reservation for a rainy night and it was packed! Cozy and intimate, good service, get some wine. We've also gone for SF Restaurant Week and can confirm that it is always packed. Seems like a good place for date night or for a girls' night out. He enjoyed the Trofie con porcini e pomodorini and I really liked my Reginette al Pesto di Spinaci con Pinoli Tostati. Rich, creamy, and flavorful, but not too much. Everything was fresh. We've also enjoyed the tortelloni and risotto. We were surprised that the calamari appetizer was not fried but it was also good. Would also recommend the bruschetta. Service is wonderful. Love the owners! Great neighborhood gem. It's small and intimate, but very cozy and warm. Great views of the Bay Bridge. Will be back! read more

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Such a neighborhood gem! The food was delicious authentic everything we tried was chefs kiss! I can't remember the entree names but the calamari, beet salad, salmon carpaccio, and octopus were all amazing! Cute ambience too! read more

Wow!! This is such an amazing hidden gem neighborhood Italian place! The service was great and the food was absolutely amazing! We came by on a Friday night with a late reservation and the place was absolutely packed. The interior is so cozy and the servers are very nice. It really feels like the restaurant is packed with locals keeping this gem a secret. We ordered the beet salad as an appetizer. It comes out as a split salad, which was a nice surprise! For entrees, we got the bombolotti pesto and fettuccine with shrimp. The pasta is SO fresh and tastes absolutely homemade. The pesto was light, flavorful, and so unique. The shrimp pasta was incredible as well. The seafood was perfectly cooked and juicy. Incredible pasta overall! We also got the tiramisu, which was a little too sweet but a huge portion. Absolutely amazing dinner and I would definitely recommend and come back!! read more

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Truly authentic Italian food. A quaint restaurant where Italian accents are the norm. The food is served fresh. Great service. Reservations recommended. Bottom line - Delicious authentic Italian food. Highly recommend. Bon appétit, y'all. Or I guess this time, Buon appetito, y'all. read more

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Serafina is our go to neighborhood cafe. Small with a great kitchen and reasonably priced wine list. Last evening we took out of town guests. I wasn't that hungry bro I had a bowl of mussels. They were huge, tender and sweet. The spicy tomato broth has just the right amount of heat. We usually have a pinsera, which are wonderful. I'd recommend them to anyone as a first course to share. The read more

Serafina - Mussels yum. - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Been here a few times with reservations and it has always been pretty crowded. Service, unfortunately, is typically slow and the older gentleman is always standoffish making the experience every time lackluster. Dishes here are a hit or miss. Tortellini in cream truffle sauce (5/5)- my favorite dish here! The tortellinis are stuffed with veal and prosciutto and the sauce is rich and creamy. Lasagna Serafina (2.5/5)- the lasagna was lacking of spices but I did enjoy the cheesiness. Fettuccine Pomodori (2/5)- the pasta itself was overcooked and the dish itself lacked depth in flavor. Bistecca ribeye (2.5/5)- the veggies and potatoes on the side were great but steak itself fell short in flavor. Serafina has a lot of potential. read more

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Visited Serafina on a Thursday evening. Friendly staff. Neighborhood restaurant / cozy ambiance. But only okay food. I'm honestly surprised they won a prestigious Gambero Rosso award. I've had much better Italian food in other places in the city. If you do go here, the salmon carpaccio and pesto pasta were the best. Unsure if I'll be returning. read more

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Slipped in on a cold winter night. Nabbed a last minute 5 p.m. reservation. We were a little early and welcomed in by Mauricio. We got the corner table inside looking out at the street, definitely the best seat in the house. Food was excellent. Everything I tried tasted authentic and flavored impeccably. Beet salad - excellent. A little honey cuts through the bitterness of the arugula and this is a refreshing, delightful starter. Squid ink pasta - excellent and everything a squid ink pasta should be; a little briny but not salty and not too fishy. Sphagettini - very good homestyle, tradition spaghetti. I'd guess it's boiled in tomato water and while not the best I've had much more authentic and delicious. Halibut - came with a small side of sautéed spinach and a couple roasted potatoe medallions. The fish was sautéed with meaty mushrooms in a wonderful truffle sauce. This was a superb dish. Tiramisu - I thought it was pretty good, and yes, authentic. Any tiramisu lover should be pleased. All in all this is a cute neighborhood spot perched right on top of Russian Hill that feels almost more Manhattan than SF. It's a great neighborhood spot with fantastic food so we'll be back for sure. Mauricio took great care of us and we loved getting to know him a little bit. read more

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Serafina is a wonderful restaurant. The food is always fresh and delicious. The atmosphere is cozy and lively. The service is stellar - I love these guys - they are amazing. Try the Pinsa - fantastic. And the gnocchi? Amazing. Lasagna? Delicious. Eggplant Parmesan? To die for. Every dish I've tried is done just right. It's like being in Rome. read more

Quaint restaurant in the beautiful North Beach neighborhood. Very nice inside. Felt like we were in Italy as the waiters are Italians from Rome with the accents. Felt authentic. Friendly but the service was a bit slow. They always made sure we had water and if the waiter was at your table, order quickly and know what you want before he gets preoccupied with another table. Food was good. Great flavors and good pasta. The table bread was amazing! I love that they had bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar at the table. We ordered: - Pinsa Margherita - Gnocchi di Patate con Spuntature di Maiale - Tonnarelli al Nero di Seppia con Polpo - Fettuccine Gamberi, Rughetta, e Pomodori Freschi - Spaghetti con Melanzane e Provola Affunicata - Bombolotii al Pesto di Spinaci con Pinoli Tostati All the pastas have fantastic flavors! The pasta was not al dente but not overcooked. They were all delicious though. Desserts: - Profiterole al Cioccolato - Tiramisu - Tartufo al Cioccolato They were all delightful. I think my favorite are the profiteroles. They were gooey and chocolatey! read more

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Decided to try this neighborhood spot after seeing it many times. I loved how cozy it was, and felt very family like. They had a very low corkage fee as well so it's worth bringing your own wines! Some of their dishes were hit or miss but we enjoyed most of the pastas and pizzas generally. A solid neighborhood restaurant with good vibes read more

Serafina - Lasagna Nonna Serafina, squid ink pasta - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Like dining in Rome! Cozy restaurant with fabulous food, outstanding service and a neighborhood vibe. We enjoyed prosciutto with pear, veal, halibut with potatoes, pesto with pasta and three bottles of wine. Thank goodness our daughter drove us home. Pro tip: take uber as parking spots are hard to come by. read more

Delicious steak, potatoes and spinach. Excellent wine and attentive staff. Must have reservations

Booked a table for two at this neighborhood spot for dinner on National Pasta Day. We ordered the Lasagna Nonna Serafina and Bombolotti al Pesto di Spinaci con Pinoli Tostati. Both dishes were delicious. The restaurant was small/cozy, and the tables are set close together. The servers were very friendly. It felt like we were in Italy! read more

Serafina - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

We set up table reservation via the Open Table app. We were so excited to eat here because my spouse regularly ate at a restaurant with the same name in Los Angeles. We circled the neighborhood for 45 minutes unable to find a single parking spot. It's located up on a hill in the middle of residential. It's literally impossible to find any parking and they do not have any parking themselves. We had to change the reservation in the app twice trying to find parking. We finally gave up and tried to cancel our reservation completely. The app said "restaurant did not respond". This caused my open table account to be suspended for an entire year. Unable to set any other reservations because there was nowhere to park and they wouldn't respond to our cancellation. You either have to live in the neighborhood or uber to this location to even eat. . Good luck to anyone trying to eat at this establishment read more

This cozy little restaurant was a great place to have our last meal of 2024! It's tiny and cozy and it makes you feel like you're in Italy. My sister and I shared petrale sole (delish!), and everybody else ordered the tortoloni (so good!) I had a bite of the pasta and it made me very happy. Dessert was also delicious. We shared Tartufo al Cioccolato and a cheesecake. It was the tartufo for me! I would definitely go back. read more

Serafina - A delicious hazelnut ice cream with berries - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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A wonderful experience. The host of the restaurant was extremely friendly and talkative, introducing himself and sharing about his back story. The restaurant itself is small, and will get pretty packed around 7pm, so be sure to get a reservation! We ordered the calamari and a pinsa. both were delicious! I was more impressed with the appetizers than the main pasta dish, although it was still good. The spaghetti alla vongole was good but very seafood-y. He originally asked me if I wanted to take out the fish roe, because it makes the dish very seafood-y but I asked him to keep it in. I don't have any regrets because I wanted to try it, but he definitely did not lie when he gave me that notice. There's actually plenty of street parking as most neighboring streets park perpendicular to the road. Definitely come give Serafina a try! read more

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Really loved this place. It's not fancy but authentic. Small and located in Nob Hill it's off the beaten path but well worth trying. The Beet salad, eggplant parmesan and the pinsa (flatbread) were outstanding!!! The tortelloni had very good flavor but the pasta was on the thick side so that was a miss. The biggest disappointment was the panna cotta. Way too dense for my taste. Too much gelatin in my opinion. Will definitely be back the next time I'm in the Bay Area. read more

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Serafina is a quaint neighborhood Italian restaurant serving comforting home-style dishes. Staff are extremely welcoming and treat all customers like family. Our first appetizer was the smoked mozzarella stuffed with speck. Looking at the simplicity of the dish in front of us, we did not know what to expect. To our surprise, the cheese and prosciutto had an intense smokiness and richness. Our second appetizer was the grilled calamari. Simple dish with lemon and parsley, but so fresh. All pasta and sauces are homemade. Everyone at the table enjoyed their pasta dish. I had the special which was a pear and gorgonzola stuffed ravioli in vodka sauce. I liked how the cheese balanced out the sweetness of the pears and the tanginess of the tomatoes. Everyone also enjoyed the halibut, as it was not only very tender, but topped with truffle mushrooms and served with a side of delicious rosemary-roasted potatoes. The homemade tiramisu and nonna's lemon cake were the perfect way to end the night. Everyone should come support this neighborhood family business! read more

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Been here a few times. The food is overall good and I would recommend Nona's dessert. It's a popular small neighborhood place so be aware it will be crowded and drowning in chatter. The owner seems pleasant but is constantly busy as there is just enough staff to cover the tables. read more

The idea of this little neighborhood bistro is so cute, it's tucked away in the depths of Nob Hill and should be perfect for a casual dinner, but it falls a little short. To start, the bread was quite dense and stale. It was complimentary, but it threw off the trajectory of the meal a little. I had the squid ink spaghetti and it was utterly lacking flavor. I had to ask for additional pepper and honestly, I wish I had asked for oil, salt, lemon, and more! It needed way more to be up to standard, especially for how much it was. The space is charming and so are the waiters, so I still enjoyed my experience, but I was a little disappointed with the quality/flavor for the price. read more

Serafina - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Where to start.. If I could give this place 6 stars, I would. It's a very small restaurant but it feels so homey and the waiters are so attentive. Every item we got was incredible but the standouts for me, the Smoked Mozarella appetizer stuffed with Speck and sautéed mushrooms and the Tortellini con carne with the truffle sauce... both outstanding!! Will definitely be coming back! read more

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I loveee their pasta!!! I got the pesto and the sauce was so good as well as the texture of the pasta. Staff was friendly and funny too! Smaller interior so maybe not the best for super big parties, but it has a cozy neighborhood vibe. Will definitely be going back as this was some of my favorite Italian food in the city. read more

Great food, cool bistro vibe and run by guys that appear to own the place. Sat night, place was full and no one was complaining about any delays. Lasagne was amazing - fall apart and very creamy taste. Absolutely would return. Need to keep these places open!! read more

Great service, ambiance, and food. Not too noisy and a quaint atmosphere. Look forward to another visit. read more

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Another great meal! Really can't say enough good things about the restaurant. The personalized service was outstanding. We tried the prosciutto wrapped pears, margherita pizza, lasagna, Nonna's lemon cake, chocolate gelato stuffed with zabaione and a beautiful Brunello. Looking forward to future visits! read more

Serafina - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

True Italian meals! Quality ingredients and clean eating. Fantastic! We had arugula pecorino salad, two dinners and shared a tiramisu. Too many delicious choices! read more

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The restaurant is small and I highly recommend you make a reservation. I went with a group of friends and we had a great time. The restaurant is run by two brothers who are hilarious and provide the best service. Fausto was the one taking care of us and he is just a bundle of joy. The caprese salad was fresh and delicious. We ordered several pastas and I really enjoyed the gnocchi. Tiramisu was perfect! read more

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Authentic Italian restaurant! I tried Pinsa Prosciutto e Funghi (very tasty and thin dough, authentic Italian style), also tried the Tonnarelli al Nero di Seppia con Polpo (very light sea pasta). For desert we followed the recommendation of Fausto, our server, Millefoglie con Pistacchio a La Mode (homemade desert, really impressive flavor) also tried the homemade Tiramisú, very tasty. Thank you Fausto for your service and recommendations! The environment was very cozy! Definitely I'll be back and recommend a try for all! read more

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We had the best time at Serafina on New Year's Eve! Everything about this place is amazing. It's family-owned, and you can really feel the love--everyone was so friendly and welcoming, which made the night even better. The food? Incredible. We started with the burrata and caprese, both super fresh and delicious. The gnocchi was soft and perfect, the pesto pasta was so flavorful, and the focaccia pizza was hands down one of the best pizzas we've ever had. And chocolate covered cream puffs was the perfect way to end an already amazing meal. Serafina is just one of those spots where everything feels right: the food, the people, the vibe. We'll definitely be back and can't recommend it enough. If you're looking for great Italian food, this is the place to go! read more

Serafina - Burrata con Prosciutto e Arugula and Caprese - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The food was absolutely spectacular. Fresh pasta had the best texture of any homemade pasta I've had. Service is spot on. Super nice. Friendly. Fun. Helpful. Quaint tiny indoor area yet relatively private. Not noisy. Nice Italian wine list very reasonably priced. read more

Serafina - Italian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Extraordinary excellent Italian cuisine. Perfect portion size, exquisite taste, in a traditional Italian appointed restaurant. Service was beyond expectation. Opening at 5PM (our reservation time), our Uber arrived 20 minutes early. Chairs outside were wiped, shortly before we invited inside and seated in the only 2 top in a window alcove well before 5PM. We were welcomed inside with water, bread and menus well before 5PM. Then the wine order was delivered efficiently. Food started with Caprese. Flavorful tomatoes, light Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, Basil. My Eggplant Parm, although sliced thin (my preference is thick) the eggplant flavor accompanied by the red sauce was terrific. Wife's lasagna with meat sauce, finely ground beef, was even more tasty and plentiful. Restaurant was mutedly decorated for the holidays. Delicious and light Tiramisu and coffee topped off the evening and conversation with an owner during our wait for Uber was like we known him forever. All the staff were friendly while being efficient. read more

Spent my last night in San Francisco at this charming neighborhood restaurant with excellent food, amazing views and great staff. Enjoyed the tomatoes and mozzarella, homemade tortellini and finished with dessert. I'll remember the evening at Serafina fondly for years to come. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. read more

We were referred to this cozy spot with the great family home vibes. The service was personable and accommodating. You really felt like you were at family dinner. The food was incredible. We ordered the caprese salad and prosciutto arugula appetizers, both were amazing. For our entrees we had the chicken piccata, lasagne, and my son had a pizza. The lasagne was a showstopper...but really all the dishes were delicious. Great place! Thank you for the experience! read more

Great place, very authentic and fresh food. Great bread. Really liked the prosciutto and pear salad and fresh pasta. Was busy! but the service managed to keep up no problem. Pleasant, neighborhood place. read more

A good Italian spot in Nob Hill. Made a reservation for a special occasion and was seated promptly. The waiters were fun, lighthearted, and lively. We had a good time with them. We were served bread and olive oil/vinaigrette which were just ok. For the appetizers, we got the Salmon carpaccio and the calamari. The former was very flavorful and the latter was tender. The pastas were cooked well and seasoned nicely. Also tried the veal and I enjoyed it! Tiramisu was good and nice to end with. We came out very satisfied. read more

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Homey, authentic Italian spot with delicious food. Came here for dinner on a Sunday evening and made a reservation online beforehand. We ended up adding more people to our group, and they kindly accommodated us by putting our tables together. Our waiters were very friendly and warm. We split various dishes so we got to try a bunch of things. The calamari was grilled and tasted super fresh. The Ceasar salad was simple and also similarly intense in its freshness. The lasagna was my favorite pasta - very warm and comforting. The pappardelle with crab tasted light and the crab was a tad on the saltier side, but it offset the sweetness of the tomatoes. The gnocchi was the table's favorite. The prosciutto and mushroom pinsa is a good thing to split and is one of the most popular dishes. We found street parking off on the side. Single occupant restroom available. Indoor and outdoor seating. Credit cards accepted. It's good for an intimate dinner or for a big group of friends (provided you make a reservation in advance). They sell art and you can view the paintings on the wall as well. read more

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