• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 575 0

Now it’s better known for its surly staff and eclectic ambience than for its cream- and butter-heavy food. Still, the fare is served up with hearty portions of tongue-in-cheek attitude along with huge garlic-laden pasta dishes. Lunch is tame in comparison to dinner, when the Sport is mobbed and lively, and strangers might be packed together family style. Disregard the menu and just accept the waiter’s “suggestions.” Whatever arrives—whether calamari, mussels, or shrimp in tomato-garlic sauce, or pasta in pesto sauce—it’s bound to be bene. Bring a huge appetite and plenty of cash (they don’t take credit cards), but above all, don’t be late if you have a reservation.

574 Green St. (btw. Grant and Columbus aves.). 415/981-1251. www.caffe-sport.com. Reservations recommended. Main courses $15–$30. No credit cards. Tues–Sat noon–2pm and 5–10:30pm. Bus: 15, 30, 41, or 45.

Capp’s Corner ★ ITALIAN Capp’s is a place of givens: It’s a given that high-spirited regulars are hunched over the bar and that you’ll be served huge portions of straightforward Italian fare at decent prices in a raucous atmosphere that prevails until closing. The waitresses are usually brusque and bossy, but always with a wink. Long tables are set up for family-style dining: bread, soup, salad, and a choice of around 20 classic main dishes (herb-roasted leg of lamb, spaghetti with meatballs, osso buco with polenta, fettuccine with prawns and white-wine sauce)—all for $18 or $20 or so per person, around $13 for kids. You might have to wait awhile for a table, but if you want fun and authentic old-school dining without pomp or huge prices, you’ll find the wait worthwhile.

1600 Powell St. (at Green St.). 415/989-2589. www.cappscorner.com. Reservations accepted. Complete dinners $15–$17. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 11:30am–2:30pm; Mon–Fri 4:30–10:30pm; Sat–Sun 4–11pm. Bus: 15, 30, or 41.

Golden Boy Pizza ★ ITALIAN/PIZZA Pass by Golden Boy when the bars are hopping in North Beach and you’ll find a crowd of inebriated sots savoring steamy slices of wondrously gooey pizza. But you don’t have to be on a red-wine buzz to enjoy the big, doughy squares of Italian-style pizzas, each enticingly placed in the front windows (the aroma alone is deadly). Locals have flocked here for years to fill up on one of the cheapest and cheesiest meals in town. Expect to take your feast to go on busy nights, as there are only a few bar seats inside.

542 Green St. (btw. Stockton St. and Grant Ave.). 415/982-9738. www.goldenboypizza.com. Pizza slice $2.75–$3.75. No credit cards. Sun–Thurs 11:30am–11:30pm; Fri–Sat 11:30am–2am. Bus: 15, 30, 45, 39, or 41.

Il Pollaio ★ ITALIAN/ARGENTINE Simple, affordable, and consistently good is the winning combination at Il Pollaio. When I used to live in the neighborhood I ate here at least once a week and I still can’t make chicken this good. Seat yourself in the tiny, unfussy room, order, and wait expectantly for the fresh-from-the-grill lemon-infused chicken, which is so moist it practically falls off the bone. Each meal comes with a choice of salad or fries. If you’re not in the mood for chicken, you can opt for rabbit, lamb, pork chop, or Italian sausage. On a sunny day, get your goods to go and picnic across the street at Washington Square.

555 Columbus Ave. (btw. Green and Union sts.). 415/362-7727. Reservations not accepted. Main courses $8–$15. DISC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 11:30am–9pm. Bus: 15, 30, 39, 41, or 45. Cable car: Powell–Mason line.

L’Osteria del Forno ★★ ITALIAN L’Osteria del Forno might be only slightly larger than a walk-in closet, but it’s one of the top three authentic Italian restaurants in North Beach. Peer in the window facing Columbus Avenue, and you’ll probably see two Italian women with their hair up, sweating from the heat of the oven, which cranks out the best focaccia (and focaccia sandwiches) in the city. There’s no pomp or circumstance here: Locals come strictly to eat. The menu features a variety of superb pizzas, salads, soups, and fresh pastas, plus a few daily specials and a roast of the day (pray for the roast pork braised