08/17/08

Good food, great service, friendly people, nice atmosphere

by goodfellaNW

The people here are fantastic. They were friendly over the phone and in person, and were authentic about it. Noe Valley is lucky to have such a great place in the neighborhood.

As an Italian foodie and chef, I can be pretty demanding of nice Italian restaurants. This one definitely makes the cut, though more times than not the food had a little too much salt.. but to each their own and it was not salty to the point of unedible or salty to make up for lack of flavor. In fact, the food was very flavorful (even if you were to omit the salt).

Menu changes often, it seems. Wine list is great (maybe too great, if that is possible). Prices for wine seem to be a little high (expect a few bottles in the 30's and 40's, most in the 50-80 range)

All in all, the food was very tasty. The staff was extemely nice and fun to be around. The atmosphere was underdone which made me feel as though as I was in Italy once again. For that, thank you La Ciccia. 4 out of 5 for too much salt on my visit and for slightly pricey wine list.

• Pros: Food, Service, People
• Cons: Salt, Wine (Cost)

10/11/07

Wonderful Sardinian restaurant

by seadine

We are so lucky to have this gem of a restaurant in our little neighborhood of Noe Valley. The food is fabulous, distinctive, while still not straying too far from its roots. The owners are delightful and make their guests feel very at home. The atmosphere is simple and lively (primarily because the place is always packed!!) Have been there several times and have not been disappointed.

• Pros: delicious food, very nice atmosphere
• Cons: not great for parking

08/27/07

La Ciccia - Noe/Mission Gem!

by mlewsimpson51

Not your parents' Italian eatery, unless they travel a LOT! This is the most interesting small, neighborhoody Italian restaurant we've discovered in many years. Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Philiadelphia, New York Italian have nothing on this: unusual seafood choices, interesting combinations of meats, nicely selected vegetable dishes, it's terrific. Tomato sauces? Fuggedaboudit! LaCiccia is not really about red tomato sauces (though I suppose they have some). It's everything else! Simple, elegant, small. Not the biggest place, not the biggest wine list, not the biggest selection of dishes. But each is authentic and wholesome. Waitstaff? We've found them outstanding in each of our visits.

• Pros: Unique, regional, rural, simple italian: not like all those other italian restaurants!
• Cons: Small, a little close.

A Sardinian take on Italian cuisine and a handpicked wine list are the specialties at this cozy Noe Valley trattoria.

by Lorraine Sanders

In Short
The husband and wife duo behind this 40-seat destination bypass the usual suspects from the mainland in favor of Sardinia's culinary traditions and fruits of the vine. Starters and first courses like the poached pork, cannellini bean salad and fregula with pancetta and wild mushrooms give way to mains with Mediterranean flair, including lamb stew with saffron and Vermentino-braised tuna with tomatoes and mint. The wine list offers an extensive selection of the region's varietals.

05/05/07

Wonderful, different food and great service

by ljby

The food is quite unique and delicious. Not at all your typical Italian food. Sometimes the dishes need a bit more salt, like the pasta with mushrooms, but overall the flavors are fresh and tasty. Nice simple green salad and delicious, light saffron cheesecake for dessert. Great service. The one detraction is the interior wall color. It has bothered me every time I've gone there. The most recent time, I polled the members of my group about it with an open-ended question, and no one liked it. It just doesn't feel warm and inviting. Overall, a place definitely worth going to.

02/24/07

very excellent and authentic

by nwkandler

One of the best restaurant experiences i have had in SF. The dishes were authentic, this is not Tuscan cuisine so keep an open mind and learn a little bit about a really underrated culinary region. the pizza was good, and the homemade prosciutto was amazing. the entrees were equally excellent. The dishes have very unique flavors, juniper with the wild boar stew, what a great idea. very well thought out wine list with great depth and breadth. very highly recommended. well priced for the quality as well.

• Pros: wine, authentic cuisine, friendly owners
• Cons: crowded

12/22/06

Great food, great staff, great find

by pgnetquest

FANTASTIC. I haven't had better Italian food in San Francisco. I haven't had better Italian food in some parts of Italy. The food, the wine, the staff, and the owners were all exceptional and very authentic. I had a fresh pasta in olive oil and porcini, with fresh black truffle (a lot of it!) shaved over the top. The salad, the dessers, I only regret not coming with a bigger appetite. After reading the a couple of the less-positive reviews, I have to wonder if they found their groove over the last few months. I'm looking forward to my next visit.

• Pros: Food, authenticity, staff, wine, simple decor
• Cons: crowed

11/08/06

Superb! Authentic!

by isistella

Great dishes, extremely authentic, it's like being in Italy again. DELICIOUS!!!! A romantic restaurant, good for dates.

They let you stay for as long as you want, which is fun but can make it hard to get a table.

So if you're going for a first date, pick a day when you can get a reservation so there's no awkard waiting while you're hungry time. Also don't go when you're starving and can't deal with waiting.

Don't think it's bad service when they don't bring you the check until you ask - in Italy that is considered good service.

• Pros: Ambience, Authentic Italian food
• Cons: Potential wait

10/12/06

estremamente placevole!

by lucreze

(extremely enjoyable!) Reading these reviews on a restaurant can be frustrating - But after reading the lukewarm reviews of the others, I decided I had to try it myself. SOOOO glad I did.

Yes. the bread is served without butter or oil (like in most places I've eaten in Italy). the wine was ITALIAN wine, and the owner knew it very well - caught exactly what I meant when I told her what my palate was. the food was exactly what we hoped for - REAL food of the region - the best ingredients, simply prepared without "california-izing" - fresh pasta made in house - and the service was warm and welcoming. No, it's not fast food and it's not "CHEAP" - go to Olive garden for that. This is wonderfully slow food (and for SF very well priced), for conversation, for wine, for enjoying the taste of the food with the person you are with. Brought back all of our time in Italy. WE LOVED IT. will definitely be back.

• Pros: food and wine
• Cons: parking (as always!)

09/26/06

I don't understand all the fuss...

by noodlecat

Although the lady that works there is really sweet and the ambiance is pretty cool, I really didn't think the food was that great, especially for the price. There's always a ton of people there and it just boggles my mind, as there was be dozens of better Italian places in the city. The waiter seemed annoyed that I did not order wine like my boyfriend did or that I didn't order something more expensive. The pizza was dry and the tuna with mint just tasted weird and was also dry. The green salad was good though. I might try this place again except I'm turned off by the prices.

• Pros: location, ambiance
• Cons: food, prices