Firenze By Night

the food was superb. Everything was bursting with flavour and the service was excellent. The only downfall was that even though we made reservations earlier in the day, we still had to wait 30 mins to get seated. Would definitely recommend this place to any outsiders looking for authentic italian.

Posted 03/25/08

The last reviewer must have been at a different restaurant, this place is great. No its not a fake accent, my husband has known most of these people for many years. This is one of the best Italian restaurants in the City and we love all the waiters and Chris the bartender is a peach. Go and enjoy, you wont be sorry.

Pros: Grtet Food

Cons: Parking

Posted 10/31/07

If you are looking for a place to enjoy a relaxing meal with family and friends, Firenze By Night is NOT it. We reserved the private back room for our extended family of about 25 people. Many of us had come from long distances to be together. Our reservations were for 6 P.M. Courses arrived and were removed so quickly there was hardly time to finish them. By 8:00 the waitstaff were literally taking glasses from our hands and half filled plates from in front of us in order to rush us out. Tables were being stripped of tableclothes and the second group was entering the room as we were quickly trying to say our good-byes. We had not been told that there was a second seating following ours. In addition, the tables were arranged in a large U-shape, making conversation with anyone not seated directly to one's right or left, impossible. The gnocchi were delicious as per their reputation, but the rest of the meal was mediocre; completely devoid of the quality and care of an "award winning" italian restaurant.

Posted 08/25/07

Very good gnochi and pastas. All staff was extremely friendly and courteous. Food service was prompt though other table service (beverage refills etc) could use some improvement. Space is limited just like other places in San Francisco. Definitely one of the gems in North Beach and would recommend it for a homey authentic Italian dinner.

Posted 06/23/07

My husband and I had a wonderful meal Friday night at Firenze. Our waiter, Sergio, was terrific and the food was outstanding. I had gnocchi and my husband had cannilonni. We shared the antipasto plate and enjoyed a fine chianti. The ambiance is relaxing, warm and friendly. The food authentic and delicious. Prices very reasonable. My family originates from Northern Italy so I grew up eating many of these dishes made by my grandmother and Firenze is right on the mark. Grandma would approve! We plan to go back in a few weeks and do it again. Ciao.

Pros: food, ambiance and cost

Cons: none for us

Posted 05/12/07

I was pleased but not specifically "wowed" by this Italian restaurant. I order the "award winning" gnocchi, which was tasty and came in a very good portion size. The restaurant itself is cozy and bustling with people talking a laughing: its seemed like it would be equally suitable to bring a date or a group of friends. The only thing I can really complain about is that although the service was quick, our waiter was sort of rude and didn't easily comply with requests (such as splitting the check).

Pros: food, atmosphere, location

Cons: service

Posted 01/26/07

I love this place and go 2-3 times a month with friends. The food is great and Sergio makes you feel like family! The regulars get to know you as well and before you know it, everyone knows your name! The Cheers of North Beach!

Pros: Friendly good service

Posted 01/02/07

We love Firenze by Night! We stumbled onto it during a trip to SF a couple years ago & make a point to eat there every time we're back in SF. The food is absolutely amazing--simply prepared, quality ingredients, & authentic preparations. The service is always fantastic. The waiters make you feel at home & special and hover just enough to be attentive without being annoying. The ambiance is great too--just a real Italian bistro with great food & atmosphere. When the owner's in, he always stops by to chat with every table, making it a really fun experience. If you're looking for no nonsense, great Italian food, this place does it every time.

Pros: Delicious food, Attentive Service, Fun Location (in heart of little Italy SF)

Cons: Parking

Posted 09/04/06

We live in North Beach and it's taken us 5 years to stumble upon this gem. It is the absolute best Italian in the neighborhood. Very authentic. The specials are always the best, but we have never had anything off of the menu that we didn't absolutely love. The service is great on Weekday evenings but you'll have to wait a while for a table on weekends after 8ish. However, we have had parties there of over 30 people on a Saturday night and been extremely pleased with the service and the food. So just don't forget to make reservations.

Pros: Petrale Sole Special, Gnocchi, Escargot

Posted 05/03/06

My friends have taken me there on 2 separate occasions. The food has always been good and we've always enjoyed the atmosphere. I don't usually like to go to SF but I will make an exception for this place.

Posted 03/21/06

Great food, great service(5 of us sitting down early-6:00PM-for dinner), good value and terrific ambience. We don't often go all the way to SF for just food and no view...but we will surely return to this fine place...just leave extra time to find parking(North Beach can be crowded and confusing for out-of-town drivers especially on a weekend night).

Pros: Food, Service, Ambience

Cons: Parking, Parking, Parking

Posted 02/19/06

We went for my dad's 60th birthday and wanted a place to accomodate 9 people. Although the place was on the small side, a large group can be accomodated. The entrees were very good, spinach salad was very small and ok, the mushroom appetizer was delicious. Overall, the service was ok, the staff was not very attentive, but was very knowledgeable about the food. I say check it out if you feel like Italian food, worth a try.

Pros: tasty, cozy, very italian

Cons: service ok

Posted 11/26/05

Great ristorante! Reminded me of the food I had when living in Firenze! Excellent service and atmosphere...wish I lived in San Francisco so I could go more often!

Posted 08/23/05

The food, service and hospitality is great. I definitely recommend this restaurant. I went there twice on my vacation to San Fran. Sergio and Fabio were great!

Pros: Excellent food, service, hospitality

Posted 03/22/04

Been going here for years. First of all, understand that this is not a real foo-foo type of restaurant. Rather, it is good honest food, great value, great people, and consistent. Pastas are all excellent with the papparadelle with rabbit sauce as my favorite. Great place when seeking a solid meal without a bunch of hassle of some more "scene" type of restaurants.

Pros: food, pasta, value

Cons: north beach parking

Posted 01/20/04

This is real Italian food made by real Italians. I lived in Italy for a year and half and this is the best place to get good food and enjoy yourself in SF. I would and have recommended this place too everyone I know. The staff is excellent and makes you feel like you have stepped out of CA and into Italy.

Cons: Hard to find parking

Posted 04/07/03

Cozy, friendly place with delicious food and great service!! Our waiter seemed to be right off the boat with a sweet accent, very friendly and helpful. The food was great, and very affordable. Felt like we were back in Italy!

Posted 01/05/03

I've been dining here for years and love the food and service. No I do not work for the restaurant or own the restaurant. In fact, I don't even know the owners.

Posted 08/20/02

I've been eating at Firenze for 8 years and am always treated like a member of the family. The waiters all know I don't want to hear about any specials with seafood in them, and they know which wines I like. The bartender even keeps a bottle of my favorite port on hand although it's a little harder to get now. The service and food have always been fantastic and I'll keep eating there as long as I live in the Bay Area.

Pros: Friendly staff, Good Italian music, Rarely a wait

Cons: Can get loud

Posted 07/25/02

I think that all the reviews of this restaurant so far have been planted by the owners. My friend and I had dinner here tonight and the food was absolutely terrible. The gnocchi was in a terrible cream sauce, the veal was served pesto style (instead of with the basil leaves we were imagining) and everything about the meal was completely generic if not utterly substandard. I actually lost my appetite while eating this meal. And I'm pretty sure the waiter had a fake italian accent to please all of the tourists in this restaurant. Not a single thing about this meal was appetizing, not even the pathetic, far too dense bread that was served.

Pros: easy to get a table

Cons: terrible food, horribly fake

Posted 06/01/02