Friday, July 25, 2014

little italy food tour

we love living so close to north beach, AKA
san francisco's "little italy." one, it's the cutest
neighborhood ever and two, we kind of love 
italian food more than any other food.
the only problem is that similar to little italy in
new york, sometimes the "italian" restaurants don't
end up being so italian. a little bit more touristy, a little
 less authentic. no one wants that! so we're constantly
on the search for the good stuff. i discovered chef joseph's
culinary food safari of north beach and instantly knew i
had to go on one of his tours! he knows all the good places
and hidden gems. he also knows so much history and helped
me see this area of the city in a whole new way! here are
some favorites from the 3 hour walking tour. this is a fun
thing to book whether you live here or visit san francisco!
^ we met and began the tour at washington square 
park, the heart of north beach. i can never 
resist a picture of this pretty church. 
^ and off we go with chef joseph!
^ a list of all the places we hit
during the tour...pretty extensive!
^ i am in love with the color and energy
of this part of the city. i mean, just look at this.
^ our first stop was the famed liguria bakery,
baking up foccacia bread since 1911.
i have loved this place since discovering it when
we first moved here -- their amazing fresh 
foccacia bread wrapped in butcher paper and
tied with twine is close to heavenly. they sell
out fast each day, so it was our first stop and i
immediately knew this was a legit food tour
because liguria is the gem of north beach!
^ of course we passed by the well-known 
breakfast joint mama's. we didn't eat there
during this food tour, but we did get some 
tips for how to work your way around that 
famous line! :) hints: get take-out, or go 
later around 2:30 PM. it's WORTH it!!!
some of the best french toast i've ever had.
this area has a lot of great italian pastry shops,
but victoria's is one of the best...along with
mara's, which you'll see a little ways down.
^ i had never seen this place even though
it's just right off washington square! chef
joseph told us that they are famous for their
fondue, and the open faced tuna melt.
^ little italy's famous truffle shop, xox truffles.
chocolate lovers (AKA me,) this is your place!
capp's italian diner was also mentioned
as a classic stop for lots of true italian
families in the city, and even governor
brown stops in here when he's in town!
^ these markets! speechless.
mara's italian pastry won the best
pastry shop in my book. their cannoli's
are FAMOUS, they have all different kinds
of biscotti, and they have......chocolate-dipped
apple fritters. you read that right! yum city.
^ how can you look at this and be sad?
^ cartons of olive oil like you see in italy..
i might need to stock up on these, so cute!
^ molinari deli...no words. HOW have i not been
in here before? it's straight out of europe and 
a feast for the eyes and senses. i think i'll be
stopping in here a lot more often in the future!
^ you can never have too many sweets shops.
stella pastry was another winner!
^ really fun tastings in here with the
craziest flavors of balsamic vinegar!
my mouth is still tingling from the tastes.
^ and one last fun candy shop...if you have kids
this would be a perfect stop in north beach!
or if you're a kid/ candy lover at heart :)
^ last but NOT least, chef joseph's vote for
best pizza in little italy. we have been to tony's
and love it, so we agree! it's been almost 2 years
since we've been here though, so i'm excited to
try it again knowing it is truly the best!
i could walk around this area all day every day.
good thing it borders our neighborhood so i can
run down anytime! this was such a fun tour and
i loved getting to know the area better...and making
my taste buds happy :) thanks chef joseph!
buon appetito! 
la vita è bella.
xo

12 comments:

  1. Looks amazing. I must say that you live quite the life! I am considering booking a weekend trip this coming October for the hubs and I's 6th Anniversary. October 10-12th. Would you guys want to meet and show us some sights? Just a thought. Let me know. I would love to meet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. how fun!! we'd of course love that if we're around, so let me know! congrats in advance on SIX YEARS - wow!

      Delete
  2. This looks so good!! I love San Fran and everything that it has to offer!! i think you mentioned you'd be headed to Boston in Sept - if that's still the case check out the North End very similar to little italy in san fran!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. good memory-- yes! i have been there but can't wait to show chase! send me any more tips you have, can't wait to be in your neck of the woods! Xo

      Delete
  3. Ohh Italian food tour... Love it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks delicious, how do you guys eat out so much financially and health wise?

    oursweetthingcalledlife.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love North Beach and have always wanted to go on one of these tours! Definitely planning on making the trek up there soon now! I've stood in that line for Mama's for over 2 hours once. Not fun. Fully taking advantage of your tips next time!

    ReplyDelete
  6. How did I not do this before we moved? Mmmmmm XOX truffles. 2nd only to Recchiuti for me. Now that you have made me hungry......

    ReplyDelete
  7. looks like so much fun!! Ahhh truffles :)

    http://abeautifulheart07.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. that sounds like the best tour to go on! when we went to s.f. i was in love with little italy, i mean all of s.f. is so pretty but little italy was extremely adorable in my opinion. so cool you live close by :)
    -k
    www.kerryjune.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I LOVE molinaries! I would get a sandwich there and chad would go a across the street to busters for some "guy" food. Tonys was also our fave. I loved passing through Washington square everyday. I miss it so much. Soak it up!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love seeing such beautiful photos of my neighborhood! And I would definitely recommend Melt for a date night. They often have live jazz and it's such an intimate setting.

    ReplyDelete

leave us some love! ♥♥