After 50 years (and a brief closure in 2023), North Beach Restaurant remains a reliable, crowd-pleasing Italian spot in its eponymous neighborhood. Sure, there are a few standouts on the menu—the four-cheese gnocchi with black truffle and the milanese are both fantastic—but the best part about eating here is the atmosphere. The dimly lit dining room has comfy banquettes and curved booths, plus plenty of space in between tables so that you can openly rehearse your open mic set without giving away any punchlines before heading to Cobb’s. Service is slow and relaxed, almost as if there’s a required glass-of-wine intermission in between each course. So set aside a free evening, bask in the (recordings of) crooning of trumpets and saxes, and make sure you’ve booked dinner with people you won’t mind spending a few hours with.
video credit: Patrick Wong
Food RundownBurrata
A totally fine starter. Your track record with decent burrata won’t be upended by this one.
photo credit: Patrick Wong
Spaghetti Fruitti Di Mare
The sauce is slightly bland, but we can overlook that for the generous amount of well-cooked seafood.
photo credit: Patrick Wong
Penne Vodka Sauce
We’ve been served this dish too cold a few times, and it’s always been overly sour. We’d skip this one.
photo credit: Patrick Wong
Gnocchi 4 Formaggi Con Tartufo
The best thing on the menu. The gnocchi have just the right amount of chew and the sauce is rich and so smooth we’d moisturize with it. We’d happily trade the handful of truffles for just a few more dumplings.
photo credit: Patrick Wong
Milanese
A great choice for a secondi. The chicken is thin, and the breading is crispy without being too thick.
photo credit: Patrick Wong
Petrale Sole Mugnaia
Cooked well, but under-seasoned. We suggest getting another pasta dish instead.
photo credit: Patrick Wong
Cannoli
Perfectly fine, but they don’t stand out against the versions at the many other Italian bakeries in the neighborhood.
photo credit: Patrick Wong
Dining and Cooking