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Authentic and traditional. Flavors you don’t get many places in the Bay Area. Try the shaved bottarga and Sardinian bread. Great wine selection.
The food is amazing. Fantastic restaurant. A real gem. Total worth the trouble to get there.
Small, family style restaurant offering Sardinian food, which certainly should not be thought of as just another variant of Italian. Everything was creative, with lots of variety to choose from. The wine list was extensive, featuring Italian vintners, so do your homework before going. A hearty appetite is also recommended. I am looking forward to a return visit.
Quando la tua bocca vorrebbe andare in vacanza ma il tuo portafoglio no lo consente, vai a La Ciccia.
Overall i was underwhelmed, and I really wanted to like it. The burrata special was good, and the calamari was excellent. However, the pastas were hit and miss. I did not like Spaghittusu cun Allu Ollu e Bottariga one bit - roe is an acquired taste, so go in carefully with this. The underlying pasta was good though. I asked for a change and ended up with the Malloreddus a sa Campidanese which was delicious. Overall though between the wine pricing (long list, impressive, but expensive) and the food, which did not seem expensive on the surface, we ended up with a $300 bill, which for three people in San Francisco, did not feel like good value. I liked the atmosphere and the servers were generally good, but I'd choose other Italian restaurants before this one next time.
La Ciccia is my favorite restaurant for celebrating special occasions with my wife. Like any good, upscale, San Francisco restaurant, it is not a cheap date, but it is well worth it. This is not your typical Italian fare. Sardinian food is unique and La Ciccia captures it perfectly. They have some daring seafood choices, like their Fregola pasta with squid ink or their wonderful Sardinian macaroni with sea urchin and tuna hearts. There are also some safer choices for the less adventurous eater. Some of the dishes seem almost too simple, until you taste them and discover that they are like all great Italian food; simple ingredients executed perfectly. The specials are always outstanding.
The location is tight but cozy and the atmosphere feels special and inviting. The neighborhood seems safe and quiet. The owners are some of the most charming people you will ever meet. They occasionally interact with the guests in either English or Italian, whichever you prefer. They always seem happy to be cooking for their guests. I can't say enough great things about this place. It is a must-see for anyone exploring San Francisco restaurants or adventurous eaters from out of town.
Lovely little spot. I ordered the mullet roe app which was a mistake - definitely an acquired taste. I had the pasta with sea urchin and tuna heart as my main. Nothing in the world tastes better. My partner had calamari app and kindly shared with me -very tasty. He had daily special farfalle with lamb ragout and licked his plate clean. We shared a gorgeous bottle of very well-priced wine and finished off our meal by sharing the evening’s special pana cotta dessert. Service is exceptional at this restaurant. At least equal to the food. You’re made to feel like a special guest at someone’s lovely ristorante in Sardinia. Because you are.
Girls night out :) the food was AMAZING! They had a great selection of wine and our waiter was super helpful with us picking a good wine that was in our budget. The service was great and the ambiance was nice. It’s a cute small space but I’d go back again :).
Great wine list & food. Very European feel. Good for a long, intimate dinner with a good group of friends or one on one
Superb. Service is terrific. It's a rather small space but very comfortable and friendly. And sadinian food always is a bit more exotic than mainland Italian.
The baby octopus in spicy tomato sauce is incredible. Portions are substantial (indeed I just finished what we took home of my wife's order of pork with mushrooms for brunch this morning -- and the leftovers were a full meal).
Excellent wine list as well.
I'm from out of town and ate a LOT of fantastic food over a weekend in San Fran. La Ciccia was recommended to me as a culinary experience and I found it to be underwhelming. The service was excellent and the ambiance was very intimate and cozy. We were seated before our reservation time, which I appreciated. The food was okay, not super impressive for the price point. We tried the pasta specials, which were fine, nothing was wrong with them, but they weren't impressive; I certainly felt that I could have made them at home. Bread was served cold. The burrata appetizer was tasty and pretty in its simplicity; I would eat it again. The wine selection was HUGE if you buy a bottle, and my husband enjoyed something by the glass that he said was okay. The location isn't near anything else for an interesting evening in San Fran, but I was expecting the trip to feel a bit more worth it for the culinary aspects. With all the options in San Fran for fantastic food, I wouldn't eat here again.
What a treat!! Warm environment with innovative dishes and excellent service!!! 😊
Always an incredible experience to dine at La Ciccia. One of the great SF institutions.
We had a great meal and time. The waiter picked some perfect wines. The table next to us was real fun we shared food.
I would eat there again.
Tomie from Detroit
Amazing food! One of the very best Italian food I have had! Friendly staffs, the chef came out to tables to greet customers and make sure the food is good. Everything was cooked just right. Coffee was just ok though, very light and a little watery, it would be such a nice ending of the meal if the coffee was made better. Amazing dessert as well. I will for sure go back for birthday or anniversary celebration! The whole meal lasted about 2.4 hours which is nice, we don't enjoy nice meal in a rush. They don't want you to use your phone or computer to ensure you focus on your food and your family and friends! Wonderful experience!
Lovely neighborhood place. Our party was greeted by one of the owners, the service, food and wine were excellent.
Food and owner are just amazing!!!!
The lamb I had was excellent and so was my husband's pork loin. A very good meal.
Excellent, apparently authentic Sicilian food, very well prepared in an environment that is equal parts neighborhood gem, and serious food destination.
Great food and service
Great atmosphere, we had a great time
La Ciccia is one of our favorite birthday celebration destinations. We always order the spicy baby octopus stew and the spaghetti with bottarga.
For some reason, the spaghetti with bottarga didn’t taste as good as previous times. It didn’t taste like the sea, less briny and less salty. I hope it was just an off night for the kitchen. This dish is one of the main reasons we keep driving across the bridge to dine.
As always, the food and staff are absolutely superb. Which is why we keep coming back at least 3 times a year. Massimo, the head chef is an absolute alchemist in the kitchen. We have never had food which was less than superb. What Massimo does with lamb is sheer wizardry. The wines are excellent in all price ranges (huge Sardinian wine list). The service is excellent - waiters always there, anticipating all needs, always asking if all is ok, but NEVER hanging over one's shoulder. Lorella, the warm hostess, meets, greets, and treats her customers as if they are family, always personally interested in each individual.
We will keep coming back again and again.
Steve
Food is very good. I believe their pasta is made in house. Great selection of wine and the waiters are knowledgeable too! Came here 3 times and it's always been great. The spicy octopus is amazing, I usually ask to save the sauce to take home and throw it on my own pasta later :D
Great night out. Excellent, VERY authentic food, fabulous wine list, charming service. We will definitely be back!
It’s been a while since I’ve had an amazing meal. The octopus stew, spaghetti bottariga, and the lamb are a must!
Sorry, didn’t cut it! The prices don’t justify the food. It was good but not worth the sticker shock. Butterfly shrimp, maybe too Sardinian for SF
Food was fantastic but they sat us right at the entrance of the kitchen. Curtains open and a view of a messy kitchen with a slight smell of garbage. Waiters constantly in and out and there was a very cold draft from a door inside the kitchen.
Waiter seemed uninterested and it felt like he was rushing us to make up our minds. Maybe because our Rez was for 9:30???
However was very knowledgeable about the wine list and helped us select a great bottle.
All in all I would go back and try it again because of the spaghetti with bottarga!
Burrata salad and octopus stew were amazing.
The setting is pleasant, a small, local restaurant. Service was attentive without being overbearing. Unfortunately, the food was lacking. The burrata special was a plate of limp arugula with a blob of burrata. The cheese was fresh and flavorful but nothing else was offered with it that was appealing. The anchovy starter was soaked in oil. The anchovies were good but the rest of the plate lacked flavor, being overwhelmed by the oil. There was a similar issue with the veal. The veal was well prepared but a bit salty. The vegetable accompaniment was overcooked to the point that we could not identify what it was and it was extremely salty. it was inedible. Desert lacked flavor other than the excessive amount of honey. I am all for food in which you let the ingredients shine. Unfortunately they were either over salted, over oiled or not met with complementary flavors. Unless we hit a very off night for the kitchen, I cannot see returning to this restaurant.
Very tasty as always. Lorella is such a gracious and lovely hostess! An overall pleasure!
Everything was good, especially the fusilli with grated tune and the Carignano wine.
Just got beck from Italy and this was just we hadn’t even left :)
Hands down the best Sardinian cuisine you can find outside of Sardinia. Food is amazing, chef Max cooks with his heart and each dish amplifies his passion for delicious food. Wife Lorella is so lovely and their wait staff is always knowledgeable and professional. To top it off one of the best wine lists you can encounter!!!
Ideal location and REAL ITALIAN FOOD FOR ITALIANS MADE BY ITALIANS, my husband go there for date dinner, to celebrate special occasions, and it is our favourite. GRAZIE
Wonderful food. Small. All about the food.
My cousin and I have talked ad infinitum about eating at La Ciccia; well, we finally made our dream come true. I can't say enough about the restaurant; it's a dining experience. For 2 hours I felt like I was in Sardinia. The portions are ample so we shared an appetizer, a pasta course, a main, and a dessert. Our waiter even suggested sharing 2 glasses of wine: white and red - brilliant! When we commented on being stuffed, he suggested one scoop of gelato instead of the three that come w/ the dessert. In most restaurants, you'd be charged for the full dessert. We were charged 1/3 of the price. It's an affordable dining experience that we hope to repeat frequently.
Outstanding food.
The octopus and Spaghittusu cun Allu Ollu e Bottariga we’re amazing! The special that night, Branzino was underwhelming. A little under done and needed to have more of a punch. Gracious service, wonderful atmosphere. Would certainly return for the other dishes.
Amazing all around. We’ve been twice in 1 month an love it. Can’t wait to return.
Very pleasant evening. All the dishes were tasty and very much 'out of the ordinary'. Staff was helpful and friendly.
