Successful restaurateur Reed Hearon could have put his new Rose Pistola Cafe virtually anywhere in San Francisco. After all, his Lulu is one of this city’s favorite restaurants, winning such raves from the ZagatSurvey as “superpopular,” “heavenly” and “hot.”
But Hearon ignored San Francisco’s trendy neighborhoods like South of Market Street or the Marina. Instead, this past March, he opened the Rose Pistola Cafe in North Beach, a long-established community packed with Italian restaurants, but hardly famed for culinary excitement.
It is now. Two months ago, the San Francisco Chronicle proclaimed that “Rose Pistola in North Beach is the best Italian restaurant in San Francisco.”
The Rose Pistola Cafe, named for a much-loved 88-year-old neighborhood resident and chef, is just one herald of new energy in North Beach. New restaurants, new shops and new hotels, plus new immigrants from Italy, are changing–and enlivening–this historic neighborhood. “North Beach,” writes Daniel Bacon in “Walking San Francisco on the Barbary Coast Trail,” “crams more interesting things to do, hear, smell, drink, eat, read and experience in its one square mile than any other single neighborhood anywhere.”
North Beach has always been remarkably popular as a place to live and visit. Nestled in a sunny, wind-protected valley between Russian and Telegraph Hills, North Beach is a classic San Francisco cityscape of three- and four-story post-1906 earthquake frame buildings, with ground-floor shops and restaurants and apartments above. Church towers reach toward the heavens. Pedestrians throng the sidewalks all day long and late into the night.
Unlike nearby Fisherman’s Wharf, North Beach is not a touristy San Francisco stage-set. It is a thriving and stable community, a European village in the heart of the cosmopolitan Bay Area. Some families have lived in the neighborhood for several generations. And no wonder. They can find almost anything they need within a few blocks of their front door: groceries, bakeries, butchers, beauty parlors, even hardware stores, plus schools, churches and parks.
What you won’t find in North Beach is fast-food outlets or chain stores. No McDonald’s. No Gap or Banana Republic. North Beach’s focal point is not a store, but verdant, relaxing Washington Square where residents sit on shaded benches reading newspapers, children play on the lawn and elderly Chinese practice tai-chi.
Although North Beach is often synonymous with Little Italy, it has a remarkably polyglot population, just like the rest of San Francisco. Walk down the streets on a sunny mid-afternoon, and you’ll see old Italian ladies in black dresses walking out of church or buying bread at the bakery, Chinese mothers escorting their young children home from school, a few self-consciously hip twentysomethings with the requisite piercings and tattoos, even an occasional aging “Beat” who wandered into North Beach in the late 1950s and never left the neighborhood.
In many ways, North Beach is one of San Francisco’s linchpins, connecting a half-dozen business and residential districts.
“I think North Beach is the greatest neighborhood in San Francisco,” says Hearon. “I’ve lived here the last few years, and I love it. It’s great walking around here. I can’t think of anywhere else in the world where I can walk out my door and in less than five minutes be downtown, or in Chinatown, or in an Italian neighborhood, or at Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s just amazing.”
Settled in the 1850s, North Beach’s first residents were native-born middle-class families who liked the neighborhood’s sunny weather and proximity to downtown San Francisco. Along the nearby waterfront, a colony of Chilean prostitutes plied their trade, and sailors and dockworkers lived in ramshackle boarding houses.
By the late 19th Century, more than two-thirds of North Beach’s residents were foreign-born immigrants. According to 1880 records, the residents of one block had come from 17 countries, though primarily Ireland, Germany and France.
But soon, waves of Italian immigrants made North Beach their own. “The stores remind one of a street in Naples,”one 1889 newspaper reported. Baedeker’s 1909 United States guidebook referred to North Beach as “the Latin Quarter.”
By 1939, more than 60,000 Italians lived in this crowded square-mile. The twin-towered St. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, which still stands on the north side of Washington Square, was North Beach’s leading religious monument. Italian restaurants, shops and social clubs lined most of the streets, particularly busy Columbus Avenue. More and more tourists came to North Beach to enjoy good, reasonably priced Italian meals and the neighborhood’s pleasing spirit of “buon gusto!” or “the good life.”
In the decades following World War II, North Beach (like so many other San Francisco neighborhoods) experienced wave after wave of change. In the 1950s, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and other beatniks flocked to North Beach and filled the neighborhood with all the hallmarks of the Beat Generation: jazz clubs, coffee houses, esoteric bookstores and bongo drums. Lenny Bruce, Johnny Mathis, and Barbra Streisand performed in the nightclubs along Broadway, which now forms North Beach’s southern boundary.
In the mid-1960s, many of the Broadway nightclubs became strip-joints. The best-known establishment was the Condor Club, where a larger-than-life, anatomically correct neon-sign of topless dancer Carol Doda was a San Francisco landmark that blinked the night away.
In the 1970s and ’80s, residents from overcrowded Chinatown started moving north of Broadway into North Beach. Chinese signs started to replace Italian in some shop windows. The neighborhood was even beginning to lose its “buon gusto!” spirit. Too many Italian restaurants, stuck in a thick red sauce and wicker-wrapped Chianti bottle era, were serving mediocre meals primarily to tourists. Some North Beach residents openly despaired that their beloved neighborhood was slipping away.
But this didn’t happen. The Chinese influx slowed down, and new Italian immigrants came to live or open businesses in North Beach, bringing fresh vitality to the area. At the same time, architects, advertising agencies, restaurateurs like Reed Hearon, even filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, Chris Columbus and Philip Kaufman have come to the neighborhood, bringing new jobs and new energy.
Newly opened restaurants and shops are popular with San Franciscans and visitors alike. Several years ago, well-known restaurateur Ed Moose (of Washington Square Bar & Grill fame) opened Moose’s at 1652 Stockton St., facing Washington Square. An instant hit, Moose’s serves flavorful Mediterranean-inspired California-style meals, and it offers great people-watching. Out-of-towners may not pick out the San Francisco movers-and-shakers among the crowd, but they will recognize national media stars like Tom Brokaw, Ben Bradlee and Walter Cronkite, who eat at Moose’s when they come to San Francisco.
The North Beach stretch of Grant Avenue fell into decline in the 1970s and ’80s, but it is now enjoying a renaissance. One of North Beach’s best new restaurants is The House at 1230 Grant Ave. Opened in 1994 by chef Larry Tse and wife Angela, this cozy restaurant serves fresh, delectable East-West lunches and dinners. Just up the street, Ristorante Ideale at 1309 Grant Ave. serves home-style Italian meals.
If shopping is essential to your life, check out Grand at 1435 Grant Ave. Opened in June 1995, this unique clothing store carries only cutting-edge San Francisco area designers. Rista Rose, which opened in October 1995 at 1453 Grant Ave., sells its own label of high-end men’s and women’s special occasion and casual evening wear. For women who like stylish, imported (particularly French) shoes, try Insolent, which just opened this year at 1418 Grant Ave.
Grant Avenue isn’t the only North Beach street enjoying a revival. Long-disreputable Broadway seems to be cleaning up its act. Many of the strip- joints have closed. Even the famed Carol Doda sign was taken down in 1991. The Condor Club has become the respectable Condor Bistro, serving lunch and dinner. Other new restaurants and clubs have also opened on Broadway.
Amid all the changes, San Franciscans and visitors can still find favorite North Beach restaurants and shops that have served customers since the turn of the century, such as the Italian-French Bakery at 1510 Grant Ave., Mattecucci Jewelry at 450 Columbus Ave., Molinari’s Italian deli at 373 Columbus Ave., and Tosca Cafe at 242 Columbus Ave., to name just a few. Founded in 1881, the Fior d’Italia restaurant at 601 Union St., directly across from Washington Square, claims to be San Francisco’s oldest Italian restaurant.
Another favorite North Beach shop is Biordi Art Imports at 412 Columbus Ave. Having celebrated its 50th anniversary this March, Biordi sells gourmet cookware and hand-painted tableware and ceramics from Italy. The store serves so many out-of-town customers that it has its own mail-order catalog.
Even once-avant garde Beat hangouts have become familiar neighborhood landmarks, including poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Books at 261 Columbus Ave. and the nearby Vesuvio Cafe at 255 Columbus Ave.
One of North Beach’s most popular institutions is the zany “Beach Blanket Babylon” review at Club Fugazi at 678 Green St. Running since 1975, this cabaret-style show constantly updates its repertoire to highlight current events, from hit movies to troubles in Washington, D.C. Its songs and skits hold nothing sacred. The elaborate costumes, particularly the towering and ludicrous hats, have become a theater icon.
In coming years, North Beach will continue to grow and evolve, remaining as popular as ever, because its residents cherish–and zealously protect–their neighborhood and everything that makes it great: its polyglot character, its wide variety of restaurants and shops, its architectural legacy and its colorful history. This distinctive neighborhood knows what is important and generously shares it with the rest of us.
NORTH BEACH EATS
People have always come to North Beach to eat. Don’t be the exception. Plan on savoring a meal or snack at one of the neighborhood’s many restaurants and cafes that range from quite reasonable to fairly (though not excessively) pricey, and that differ in character from modest neighborhood eateries to stylish establishments that attract a citywide clientele. Of course, most (but not all) North Beach restaurants specialize in Italian cooking or an eclectic California cuisine.
The following restaurants (besides the ones described in the accompanying article) are just a few of the best choices in North Beach according to several food-loving neighborhood residents.
– Il Pollaio is one of the best restaurant values in North Beach. Italian-born chef/proprietor Giuseppe Castellucci and his Argentine-born wife Marta serve flavorful grilled meats, great French fries, cold salads, desserts, beer and wine at their attractively decorated 27-seat restaurant overlooking Washington Square. A grilled half-chicken with a choice of salad is just $6.25 for lunch or dinner. 555 Columbus Ave.; 415-362-7727.
– Alfred’s is an old-fashioned steak house with old-fashioned waiters and an excellent well-priced wine list. 886 Broadway; 415-781-7058.
– Tommaso’s reputedly had the first wood-burning pizza oven west of the Rockies. Go there for the pizzas, calzone, lasagna and marinated vegetables. 1042 Kearny St.; 415-398-9696.
– Little City Antipasti Bar serves Mediterranean-inspired California-style meals. Always busy, the restaurant can get noisy. Request a table in the smaller, quieter second room. 673 Union St.; 415-434-2900.
– Bocce Cafe serves large portions of so-so Italian food at reasonable prices. Its best attraction is a charming garden where you can eat lunch or dinner in warm weather. 478 Green St.; 415-981-2044.
– L’Osteria del Forno is a small, charming restaurant where the three Italian-born proprietresses serve much-liked home-style meals. 519 Columbus Ave.; 415-982-1124.
– Helmand serves good Afghani food at reasonable prices. 430 Broadway; 415-362-0641.
– Caffe Roma is a great coffee house, serving wonderful java and desserts. Take a bag of coffee home with you. 526 Columbus Ave.; 415-296-7662.
Please note: At North Beach’s better restaurants, reservations are highly recommended for dinner, particularly for Friday and Saturday nights. On-street parking is nearly impossible most evenings. So, walk, take a taxi or catch a bus from your hotel to North Beach. If you plan to drive, make sure that the restaurant has valet parking. Many restaurants offer this service at an additional charge.
NOT MUCH ROOM AT THE INNS, BUT THEY ARE EVER SO CHARMING
Unlike other much-visited San Francisco neighborhoods, North Beach is without large hotels and has only a handful of relatively small inns and B&Bs. Of course, that’s part of the neighborhood’s charm: North Beach is still an authentic, functioning San Francisco community, not a glorified urban theme park where tourists outnumber residents.
– North Beach’s most charming hotel is the full-service Washington Square Inn, 1660 Stockton St., between Filbert and Union Streets, overlooking verdant Washington Square and the twin-towered Church of Sts. Peter and Paul; 415-981-4220 or 800-388-0220 (fax 415-397-7242). Doubles start at $95. Each of the 15 rooms is furnished with European antiques. Four of the rooms share two baths. The inn serves complimentary continental breakfast, tea and cookies in the afternoon, and wine and cheese in the evening, and describes itself as “a special hotel for those who care about quiet and comfort with liberal dashes of elegance.”
– Another popular North Beach hotel is the full-service Hotel Boheme, 444 Columbus Ave., between Green and Vallejo Streets; 415-433-9111 (fax 415-362-6292). Doubles start at $105, and each room has a private bathroom. This conveniently located hotel has been heralded as “the best new place to crash in North Beach.” Formerly the Millifiori Inn, the Hotel Boheme is now a colorful incarnation of North Beach’s late 1950s and early ’60s Beat Generation with its retro lobby decor, room decorations and imaginative artwork. Note: If you are a light sleeper, request a room at the back of the hotel, away from exciting but noisy Columbus Avenue.
– Just outside North Beach proper, a popular budget-priced favorite is the San Remo Hotel, 2237 Mason St., at Chestnut Street; 415-776-8688 or 800-352-7366 (fax 415-776-2811). Doubles start at $55. This handsomely restored Victorian building was constructed just after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Each of the small, handsomely furnished rooms share attractive old-fashioned bathrooms, complete with Victorian tile floors and claw-foot tubs. Although the rooms lack televisions and telephones, many have fine views of Coit Tower, Nob Hill and Russian Hill.
WHAT TO READ BEFORE YOU GO
– “Access San Francisco” (Access/HarperCollins; $18) is an informative, easy-to-read guidebook to San Francisco and some of the more popular Bay Area destinations. The North Beach chapter lists (and succinctly describes) dozens of restaurants, shops, hotels, parks and other places of interest.
– “San Francisco: The Ultimate Guide” by Randolph Delehanty (Chronicle Books; $15.95) is a well-chosen selection of the best places to visit, eat and stay in San Francisco. The North Beach chapter is particularly strong in its coverage of architecture, history and the various ethnic groups living in the neighborhood.
– “Walking San Francisco on the Barbary Coast Trail” by Daniel Bacon (Quick Silver Press; $12.95). This engaging, informative guidebook takes you on a 3.8-mile walk through San Francisco’s most historic neighborhoods, from the Old Mint south of Market Street, through Chinatown, into North Beach and finally to the northern waterfront at Fisherman’s Wharf. The North Beach chapter offers plenty of history, restaurants and cafes, plus anecdotes about some of the neighborhood’s most interesting personalities over the years.
– “ZagatSurvey: San Francisco Restaurants 1996” (ZagatSurvey; $10.95) is the restaurant bible for many San Francisco foodies.
Note: Though these paperbacks are available in Chicago and elsewhere at most bookstores with a good travel department, they also can be purchased at City Lights Booksellers & Publishers (a cherished North Beach destination in itself) at 261 Columbus Ave., between Broadway and Pacific Avenue; 415-362-8193.
