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North Beach baby!
I'm always so sentimental when it comes to all things North Beach. I'm not quite sure why, but there's just something about the energy and vibe and history of this place that just really moves me.
This list is a work in progress...
SF's North Beach district is known as "Little Italy" and is bordered by Telegraph Hill, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf & the Financial District.
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10 Places
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Olma’s 4-star review: Had breakfast here on this perfect, sunny Saturday morning. It was a late breakfast and we were actually on our way to Golden Boy's Pizza, yet again. But I've been so good with restricting my caffeine intake, I decided to treat myself to the biggest double shot drink I could find in North Beach. Iced large double hazelnut mocha - YUMMY. It was PERFECT. Just the right amount of hazelnut (otw it would have a "medicine-y" after taste) and the chocolate was thoroughly mixed in... mmmm. Chilled to perfection but not watered down. Ordinarily, when I'm Golden Boy-bound, I'd be in and out of here in a flash, drink in hand, pacing madly in the direction of the warm, fresh smell of pizza. But today... there was a bright beam of light coming from the pastry display - like a burning bush that spoke to me. "Take me with you. Get me out of this place. You are my savior," the slice of Tiramisu said. It was a religious experience and I humbly obeyed. The cashier liberated the pastry prisoner & generously sprinkled even more chocolate powder on the slice. I savored every bite and promised not to rush through the experience. I was done in about 90 seconds. Golden Boy's Pizza, here I come. Free WiFi here, large flat panel t.v. and a place where cashiers/baristas know their regular customers by name. -
Olma’s 3-star review: Great bookstore with so much history. Honestly, I can't really say much in terms of their inventory or speakers or collections - I was rarely here sober enough to actually sit and read anything. However, I do remember going downstairs on many occasions and perusing through their great collection of Crime Scene photo books and True Crime stories. It was the best atmosphere with the coldness of the concrete basement. Morbid, maybe; But, it was fascinating nonetheless. Sometimes, I'd love to just touch all the books and occasionally pick one up published by City Lights. Great bookstore with great energy and always someone friendly at the register. -
Olma’s 4-star review: This review is not really fair. I mean, North Beach + Golden Boy Pizza + Gelato + Tiramisu & Hazelnut = happy happy me. Hypothetically, you could add some rude customer service or a random parking ticket and I would still be happy with that equation. After so many days of walking by this place on my way to/from Golden Boy Pizza, I finally experienced it tonight! First off, I just have to acknowledge their wonderful store hours. OK, so they're only open 'til midnight on Fri. & Sat., but being open until 11p, and conveniently located within proximity to GB pizza - come on - what more could I ask for?! It's a good thing I was pretty focused tonight - great variety of unique colorful flavors but the minute I saw it, I knew I wanted/needed it: A half cup of Tiramisu and a half cup of Nocciola (hazelnut baby!). I know I know - I could've been adventurous and tried something more exotic, but "when in Rome..." Very clean simple open layout. Our cashier tonight was very cool & friendly and I daresay I could barely finish my small cup of Tiramisu/Nocciola. It was freezing out tonight but those flavors made me feel all warm and happy inside! -
Olma’s 5-star review: 03122007: Dearest Golden Boy: I'm feeling crowded. I think we should spend some time apart. You ran out of my favorite drink tonight and it was only 9 o'clock. You try so hard to please too many people. I think I need to see other pizzas. You drive me to the point of dessert madness. And my family & friends say you are no good for me. ============== 03102007: No more updates. Celeste L. says this is my Golden Boy journal: Dearest Golden Boy: It was great to see you again today. You were so hot and fresh. Your aroma makes me weak in the knees. I can't have enough of you. I want to take you home to meet the family. ============== 03062007 update: minus one star cuz they ran out of draft root beer & it was only 10p. plus one star cuz I noticed the James Dean poster/shrine tonight. ============== 03052007 update: Objectively, 2 slices of cheese pizza were just as heavenly tonight after a perfect evening of smooth-sailing assembly of a full-sized bed frame for a full-sized mattress. Ahhh. I love when my initial euphoric assessment of a place is just as valid & true with every additional experience. I'm such a sucker for this place, and North Beach, in general. Don't be surprised if you see me bust out with a Golden Boy Pizza tshirt in the near future. ============= Disclaimer: this review is extremely subjective. I had the best frickin cheese pizza from the best frickin pizza bar after a frickin grueling full moon hike on Saturday which kicked my a**, AND a day of Ikea shopping, loading, unloading, and moving between all over the frickin peninsula to North Beach, up a frickin stairway to hell, only to have spent three frickin hours building a Queen-sized bed frame - all by my frickin self - when we purchased a Full-sized mattress, mattress foam, wooden slats and sheet sets!!! Aaaaahhhh. And to top it off - Golden Boy's vegetarian has a pesto sauce - I don't do pesto. So, in summary. If you've been to hell and need to come back fast, go to Golden Boy's, grab a slice or two or six and get some root beer on tap. Because of GB, my weekend ended just as wonderfully as it began (glorious full moon hike on Mission Peak in Fremont - unbelievable experience). Seriously - this is my new go-to pizza joint when in North Beach. -
Olma’s 3-star review: Great local pub showcasing great local talents. It took us a few weeks before we were regularly admitted to all shows without having to pay a cover charge - sometimes, we'd feel special, but most of the time I couldn't help but think that the bouncer was too drunk to remember whether or not people had to pay to get in! I'd like to think I was special. I was there often enough and after a while, I didn't even need a drink to head over to Grant & Green - Just give me my Blues, a little dancing space, and I'm good to go! Seriously, pretty much a dive with your regular locals on the same barstool every night but other great people nonetheless, locals and tourists alike, every night of the week just wanting some soulful Blues. It's fun just walkin back and forth between here and the Saloon... -
Olma’s 3-star review: I have to keep this review at 3 stars, for average, until I try more things here. And believe it - I'll be back very soon! Passed by here, craving for dessert after yet another Golden Boy Pizza late dinner. To be honest, I wanted to hit up Caffe Roma, then Cafe Divine first, but they were both closed. From the storefront, and interior, it appears to be a "hole-in-the-wall," authentic Italian pastry shop. I can understand how some people might be 'weirded out' by the window display of pastries and foccaccia. But, I have to say, it sure as heck stole (and kept) my attention! Tonight, I actually felt a tinge of guilt having had GB Pizza for dinner *again* http://www.yelp.com/biz/PTFxtXS47ZVRCdZIrEWvGw (plus there was no way I could decide b/w one pastry or another!), so I opted for a single latte. mmmm, it was a perfect latte for a perfect night. I think there might have been some crack in it 'cuz I am seriously uncontrollably wired right now. Nothing spectacular about the layout, but EVERYTHING looked wonderful to me - they have elegantly wrapped chocolates/candies displayed on the wall behind the counter. They had Florentine cookies, profiteroles, tiramisu and the largest Palmier cookies I have ever seen (Also, the biscotti and chocolate cake were very tempting on this warm, late, vibrant night in North Beach). Gelato served here, too. Other yelpers say they're pretty generous with their servings! Love Love Love the late night hours. On Columbus, at Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard (right across the street from Naia). Cash only. Plus: if you sit outside, there's guaranteed quality people-watching opportunities. You can also entertain your voyeuristic self and look up into the apt. buildings across the street and watch: 1) creepy bald guy working on his computer; 2) young curly-haired guy dancing his butt off (or was he playing soccer by himself!?) and 3) anonymous pair of black-booted & black-jeaned, crossed legs jutting out of a window. Apparently, authentic, Italian-speaking Italians work and congregate here. photos posted. -
Olma’s 5-star review: Though I've had many lucky nights of street parking in the surrounding North Beach area, I've always been able to rely on this 24-hour parking garage as a safety net. Conveniently located across a police station, I've always been able to find parking here, any night of the week. Each parking slot is perfectly spaced for compact vehicles and some SUV/Minivan types. Very narrow ramps, but nothing compared to the torture of driving around for street parking on a rainy Friday night, when you have a strict time line. Why 5 stars, you ask? Clean, well lit, parking spaces with FORTUNES!!! Yes, FORTUNES for each slot. I read as many as I could before actually parking. Just what I was looking for, considering we weren't given any fortune cookies after our delicious meal at nearby Gold Mountain. *see business photos. -
Olma’s 5-star review: Wow - just thinking about this place puts a smile on my face. I've spent many nights at this beloved blues bar. Back in the day, I'd see Johnny Nitro and the Doorslammers here as many nights as they played - it seems like they were either here or up at Grant & Green every night of the week except Tuesday - And I was there every night! (Or were they at "Blues" on Lombard on Mondays!?). Johnny Nitro at the Saloon, however, was the best experience ever. No performance was ever the same - they never played the exact same set, but knew just when to bust out with a regular crowd favorite. For a small, cozy "hole-in-the-wall" type of vibe, the restroom was relatively spacious and decent. The neighboring alley takes you straight through to an awesome street view. The acoustics were surprisingly really high quality.The Saloon was always packed and always lively. I've met the most eclectic group of individuals here - locals and tourists. In the span of one night, I recall meeting three separate tourists who were told that "The Saloon" was the best Blues bar to visit in SF - I told them they were right and they heartily agreed. Another tourist had just come from a variety of U.S. East & West Coast city bars, and two other countries, on his vacation, and said The Saloon, in SF, was his absolute favorite of them all. The Saloon will always have a special place in my heart... sigh... -
Olma’s 2-star review: Such a North Beach institution. Hot spot for tourists and hardcore Italian World Cup headquarter! The place itself has a lot of character and could be a great place to people-watch - we'd often hang out here, before a Johnny Nitro blues jam at the nearby Saloon. The entire North Beach area was always LIT on any given Friday or Saturday or Sunday night, for that matter! Steps of Rome is conveniently located for people-watching galore. The servers tend to be too 'frisky' for my taste but I can play the game, too. When I'm not in the mood for it, it's pretty obvious so I just politely don't feed their egos and behavior and they pretty much leave you alone. Nothing too spectacular about this place and I don't hate it; BUT... the Tiramisu is to-die-for *I still haven't found another Tiramisu to top this one. Absolutely rich, like it should be (but not too rich), perfect moisture and most definitely the dessert of choice for hedonistic tendencies. -
Olma’s 4-star review: Aside from the Saloon nearby, this is my 2nd favorite bar in all of the city. Such history and ambiance here. I'll never forget the first time my roommate and I visited the bar. We were both in our Jack Kerouac "On the Road" mode, and just decided to soak in all the residual "Beat" energy in North Beach. No sooner do we step in, after being carded and having to wait for a few people to step out of the bar, do we head to the bar and see Lawrence Ferlinghetti himself, sitting alone at the corner of the bar! Incredible experience. He was absolutely red-faced and didn't look like he was up for much socializing, so we placed our order, hung out downstairs for a bit, trying to look like we weren't staring; As soon as our fanaticism faded (it was a good hour or so), we headed upstairs and finally found a seat - we still had drinks in hand, but I guess one of the obligations of the privileged few who find a great seat overlooking the surrounding streets is that you can't not order anything from an eager server dying to get you another drink for a fabulous tip! We just kept those drinks coming and the whole experience was more lucid. Soon, there was a packed crowd, everywhere, with barely any walking room at all and a live band set up downstairs. Ferlinghetti had disappeared so we did the only logical thing there was to do in that situation - we promptly headed over to neighboring City Lights bookstore to see if he was there! He wasn't - so we headed back to Vesuvio's... Seeing him there was enough to make it a positively wonderful memorable experience. We've visited Vesuvio's many times since.
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