Don't pass up this restaurant if you are craving Italian food OR wine! After asking our waiter which gnocchi was the best, and getting his reply "Well, we are not known for gnocchi", i ordered the Gnocchi Enzo and it was DELICIOUS: Soft little pillows in a wonderfully flavorfully gorgonzola cream sauce. Heaven!Their chianti was smoothe and rich making for a fab dinner. 1 note: IF you love love love Limoncello....their own Limoncello isn't great and lacks the strong kick of good Limoncello!

Nasty owners/managers.
Giovanni, who i was told is the owner, completely bad mouthed us in Italian thinking we didn't understand what he was saying.
I also heard him call one of the hostesses a Bi### and misstreating another employee.
I think miserable people who treat others like this don't deserve my business or yours no matter how good the food might be.
what an a##!

This is our favorite restaurant in North Beach. The food is always excellent and we enjoy the Italian waiters. We have been there for lunch and dinner and have always been pleased. We have recommended this restaurant to all our friends.

My Italian-American boyfriend & I went here on a whim one afternoon for a late lunch because Cafe Sport wasn't open yet. We were drawn in by the atmosphere, a glance at the menu & available sidewalk seating. I don't usually just walk in to a place like this, but we were pleasantly surprised. Started with the calamari. The marinara sauce was delectably spiced, the calamar lightly breaded, not greasy. We ordered the gnocci with gorgonzola cream sauce (me) & the sausage-stuffed raviolis with mushroom sauce (my bf). Both pastas came with a salad starter. Once we realized that the salad mixta was not dressed (a bit odd), added our own balsamic vinegar & olive oil, & lots of salt & pepper, it was quite nice. We also had bread to dip in the BV and EVOO.

The gnocci were really nice. They were light & virtually melted in my mouth. My BF, when he tried them, said they were "almost as good as his nonas" - high praise indeed. His raviolis were actually the better of the two. I don't usually eat meat, but I might make an exception for this. The aroma wafting off his plate told me immediately that they would be good. The mushroom sauce combined with the perfectly seasoned sausage stuffing were to die for. The pasta itself was, I believe, a tomato pasta, which my BF usually does not go for, but he enjoyed this one just fine and he is a very picky eater, Overall a lovely meal, on a lovely day in the city.

As far as drinks go, I asked the very attentive (but not overly so) waiter for a recommendation and he proffered a lovely Sauvignon Blanc, which complimented the gnocci perfectly. A glass of Pinot to finish & he bill came to $97, including tip.

My main criticism is that the bread was dry and tasteless and, for me, good bread is a MUST (hence the 4 stars instead of 5). I didn't even go inside the restaurant, so I have nothing to say about the interior atmosphere. Bottom line, this place is worth trying & I will return.

I am italian from Siena and i write for an important italian news paper called "Il Messaggero"di Roma,i use to go in the restaurants or wine bars to see how those people in the foreing countries use to lie about the italian kitchen and the mediterranean diet,well i have never seen in my life a restaurant worst then this trattoria pinocchio,from when we have came in on the 15 of august for lunch at 12,30 and the owner was sleepping on the chair outside the patio for the pasta prepared before and then just boiled again few minutes after our order and the little ants walking under our table,closer the door ,and don't forget the wines italian unkown labels at too hight or too low temperature,don't ask me about the bread,and to finish when the owner has realized that we were from italy he has said that we can also pay by cash and lower price,is this waht you can give to your citizen for italian restaurant?