Giovanni Italian Specialties

This place is sooo interesting and homey! Love the vibe here< Check out the placement of items and all the old stuff from last century - such as sewing machine, noodle press, and other things. Their espresso is very authentic and Cannoli is very addictive. Plus, you can sit there and watch the park and church from not far. Such an enjoyment!

A Taste of Tradition If you are visiting North Beach, San Francisco, you should make a quick stop at Giovanni Italian Specialties and try one of their cannolis with a cup of coffee. Their cannolis are made with a crispy shell, creamy ricotta filling, and chocolate chips or pistachio toppings. They are a popular choice among customers and often sell out quickly. By the way, they may have more than chocolate or pistachio topping choices, but I get the pistachio every time! It is delicious. While you are waiting for the cannoli and the coffee, walk around the little store and check out the goods. You might even find a few things you want to add to your shopping list! Giovanni Italian Specialties is in the heart of North Beach, San Francisco. If I remember correctly, they opened their doors in late 2017. It is one of our favorite stops during our weekend walks around the neighborhood. The store is named after the owner's son, Giovanni, and reminds visitors of a 1950's general store. The owner, Tony Gemignani, is famous for his pizza and wanted to bring his love for pasta to the neighborhood where his restaurant business began. The store has a rich history connected to the owner's family, who were involved in the provisions business. Giovanni's offers a variety of Italian staples, both domestic and imported. They make homemade focaccia, Piadina sandwiches (I did not know what it was until I tried it here!), panzerotti (fried calzones), pizzelle cookies, and fresh pasta and ravioli. You can also find fine Italian and California wines, liqueurs, and craft beers. You will enjoy a Cappuccino or espresso made with Graffeo-roasted coffee beans, which have been roasted only a few blocks away in North Beach since 1935. Giovanni's has outdoor seating with views of Washington Square Park and Saints Peter & Paul Church. If you want to try making their award-winning recipes at home, the store also sells professional pizza tools, bakeware, and cookbooks by the owner and other local authors. If you get to try the coffee and the cannoli, let me know what you think! :-)

Delicious made to order cannoli, filled with love! Also great looking italian cooking supplies, liquors, pasta, etc...

This a review of the Cannoli. It's on the sweet side. For my taste, Cavelli's, Stellas bakery, Trieste Cafe, in that order are best in the area to me, Victoria bakery has a good balance of ricotta to sweetness as well.

We saw the soft serve billboard from across the park and it drew us in! The icecream was delicious and hit the spot on a warm day! While we were in line, the slices of pizza that were being served looked delicious as well. There were many Italian market items like olive oil, tomato sauces, fresh pastas, and liquors. We will be back!

Amazing soft serve and pizza dough. The oy thing is weird hours. 12-5 pm? Who opens only for 5 hours/day.

I came for the meatballs, and left with those, freshly made spicy sauce, and fresh pasta (bucatini). About everything you need here for making pasta dinner, along with a plethora of oils and calabrese.

This is a small store-cafe in a heart of Little Italy where you can buy authentic Italian food and wine. I would also highly recommend to try their coffee and traditional Italian dessert called cannoly. Be careful, you might get addicted to it ;)

A Taste of Tradition If you are visiting North Beach, San Francisco, you should make a quick stop at Giovanni Italian Specialties and try one of their cannolis with a cup of coffee. Their cannolis are made with a crispy shell, creamy ricotta filling, and chocolate chips or pistachio toppings. They are a popular choice among customers and often sell out quickly. By the way, they may have more than chocolate or pistachio topping choices, but I get the pistachio every time! It is delicious. While you are waiting for the cannoli and the coffee, walk around the little store and check out the goods. You might even find a few things you want to add to your shopping list! Giovanni Italian Specialties is in the heart of North Beach, San Francisco. If I remember correctly, they opened their doors in late 2017. It is one of our favorite stops during our weekend walks around the neighborhood. The store is named after the owner's son, Giovanni, and reminds visitors of a 1950's general store. The owner, Tony Gemignani, is famous for his pizza and wanted to bring his love for pasta to the neighborhood where his restaurant business began. The store has a rich history connected to the owner's family, who were involved in the provisions business. Giovanni's offers a variety of Italian staples, both domestic and imported. They make homemade focaccia, Piadina sandwiches (I did not know what it was until I tried it here!), panzerotti (fried calzones), pizzelle cookies, and fresh pasta and ravioli. You can also find fine Italian and California wines, liqueurs, and craft beers. You will enjoy a Cappuccino or espresso made with Graffeo-roasted coffee beans, which have been roasted only a few blocks away in North Beach since 1935. Giovanni's has outdoor seating with views of Washington Square Park and Saints Peter & Paul Church. If you want to try making their award-winning recipes at home, the store also sells professional pizza tools, bakeware, and cookbooks by the owner and other local authors. If you get to try the coffee and the cannoli, let me know what you think! :-)

Excellent coffees made here. Excellent service because they show care and respect to the customer. Cozy ambiance and exquisite little shop. Thank you for being so welcoming to your local San Franciscans.

A cute little Italian grocery store in the heart of North Beach. Though there are a lot of appealing imported goods, the real draw are the locally made specialties. Many fresh items made in-house or from nearby partner businesses. Focaccina: They were selling green onion focaccia from Liguria as individual slices, so it seemed like they also made a sandwich of the day from it. The sandwich was tuna, like from a can. Maybe because I was there on a Friday during Lent? Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of canned tuna fish and can't remember the last time I had any. However, I really wanted to try one of their focaccia sandwiches so I gave it go. Sure enough, the fluffy bread was the most amazing part. The tuna wasn't bad, not too much mayo nor oil and not too fishy. Some nice fresh veggies, like shallots mixed in. I wouldn't say I'm a fan of canned tuna now, but it was a lot better than I expected. Pepperoni Pizza: Seemed like a Sicilian slice from Tony's around the corner. Lukewarm, but pretty nice if you microwave it for a minute at home. The dough was very fluffy, like the focaccia. Love the umami triple crown of tomato sauce and cheese and pepperoni. Cannoli: Filled fresh to order and dipped in chocolate chips. So much better than the pre-made ones since the shell is entirely crispy, with no parts having time to get soggy from the cheese. Also, the sweet cheese is nice and fluffy, since it didn't have time to settle. Meatballs: Dense and meaty, which means they didn't use too much cheaper filler. Very hearty. Perfect with their sauce. Cheese Ravioli: Felt like a small portion, with just 12 in a box. But they are extremely delicate and tasty for frozen ravioli. Such a nice creamy blend of cheese. And the pasta wrapper is delicate; not like that thick rubbery stuff you find at the grocery store. Bucatini Gigante: Like eating giant floppy pasta straws. Has such a nice mouthfeel and is quite chewy. Arrabbiata Tomato Sauce: Good pasta sauce with a little kick. Was great for accompanying the meatballs, ravioli and bucatini.

Pizza by the slice is amazing. Soft serve is by far the best in sf. Cannolis are made to order...the only fresh cannolis in SF. The market goods are affordable. Coffee is inexpensive. Absolutely nothing negative about this place. It's perfect

Yummy cannoli! Cream tasted a bit more vanilla flavored than traditional ricotta but it was delicious! Grab a cannoli (filled upon ordering) and go hang in the park across the street to enjoy!

My friend and I were waiting for seats at Tony's Pizza and ended up checking Giovanni Italian Specialties. It was such a cute place with a great, retro vibe. They sell things like cheese, meats, post cards, etc. they also had ready to eat food like pizza slices and a menu of coffee drinks. I'll definitely stop when I'm in the area if I'm craving something quick and delicious to eat. What I really enjoyed about this place was how friendly the staff were. We even got to meet Tony Gemignani, who I learned is a 13-time world pizza champion. He was helping to deliver some items and said hello to my friend and I. Pros: -great atmosphere -friendly staff -great quality of food -they make pasta here! -there are two small tables outside Cons: -n/a

Giovanni's is a pizza place with a concept. They have a small store with Italian food items. They have pizza from Tony Gemignani and soft serve ice cream. Ice cream shop and pizza with some things to sell...fresh housemade pasta as well in the window. Keeping North Beach Little Italy fresh and homey!

On a recent family trip to San Francisco, we came across Little Italy. After all the walking and exploring, I was left with a few thoughts: 1) Why are all the streets uphill? 2) My legs are burning. 3) Guess I worked off my lunch, I wonder if I can find a good cannoli. As luck would have it, we stumbled across Giovanni's Italian Specialties. First off, it reminded me of the little family run Italian stores in Chicago - charming and small and carrying a little bit of everything from pasta to wine to chocolate. Plus, my son is named Giovanni so he always loves seeing places with his name on it. We got a few cannolis with pistachios (which is a million times better than chocolate chips IMO), and WOW, I did not even get a pic. They were creamy and dreamy and the shells tasted homemade. These are what has been missing in my life since I left Chicago years ago. Hands down, one of the best cannolis I have ever had. We also got some vanilla ice cream and a few small chocolates. Everything was delicious. I only regret that I couldn't try the fresh pastas since we were out of town without access to a kitchen. If I find myself back in the San Francisco area, I will definitely be back for more.

Yummy and fresh cannolis!!! Great customer service too. Will definitely come back again

Food and stuff are pricey, but very good service hope we will be back to this restaurant

Stopped by here looking for bread, left with 2 slices their ricotta spinach pizza. Outstanding. Not only were they the size of my face, but everything from the cheese and the bread were perfect. Not a ton of sauce (which I love) and these little pillows of ricotta (I think mixed with marscapone?) really made the za taste like they know what they're doing. My advice? Skip the line at Tony's and head here instead. Will definitely be back!

Finally trying their soft-serve since I saw their giant billboard promotion across Washington Square park. Surprised to find out it's another one of Tony Gemignani's establishments. You get a relatively big portion for $3.95 and it tasted like McDonald's soft-serve (which is a compliment because I love that stuff).

We saw the soft serve billboard from across the park and it drew us in! The icecream was delicious and hit the spot on a warm day! While we were in line, the slices of pizza that were being served looked delicious as well. There were many Italian market items like olive oil, tomato sauces, fresh pastas, and liquors. We will be back!

With all the expensive Italian eateries in the area it's refreshing to find a very satisfying alternative with authentic pizza and Italian goods. The manager Mario was great guy, straight from the East Coast who didn't forget his roots. Stop by for a square of pizza and a glass of wine or a beer and enjoy the beautiful view of Washington Square across the street. Very casual and friendly. Maybe just grab an ice cream and relax

The cutest little shop next to Caffe Trieste! I wandered in while waiting for an order. They offer coffee beans, coffee merchandise, Caffe Trieste memorabilia, Italian goods, etc. I left with a Jeremy Fish T-shirt designed for Caffe Trieste. I'll be back for the tote bag at some point.

This cute and quaint little Italian shop is owned by Tony who has the famous pizza restaurant on the next corner block. This shop has everything you need to make a delicious high quality meal at home. Or you can keep your pantry well stocked with Italian goods. They have hand made pastas, authentic Italian sauces, olives, oils, meats, etc... They even have fresh food for you to order if you want a quick bite. I had their Strauss soft serve with an olive oil drizzle and sea salt sprinkle and it was LIFE CHANGING! what a brilliant idea to serve it this way. I highly recommend getting this if you like olive oil. The flavors compliment each other so well. Service was really friendly. I love that it's right in the middle of all these restaurants so you can conveniently stop by.

Well, Tony has done it again. Pizza restaurants covered, he now has a neighborhood Italian provision shop. If there is anything you need to make pasta, pizza, or sauce, you will find it here. Olive oils, pizza crust makings, some meatballs? Fresh focaccia for your meal? Done. Wine? Prosecco? Maybe you're craving a bottle of Lambrusco? Done. How about the Ferrari of pizza cutters? Sure, it's not cheap. But, both myself, & my kitchen, are wishing for one. A little secret? This is perhaps home to the best takeout deal in the neighborhood right now. You choose a fresh pasta from the case (there's 4 or 5 varieties to choose from, you just need to cook it at home), along with a sauce, AND a bottle of red wine (their choice)...all for the very nice price of just $25 bucks! Considering that this is pasta & sauce made by the famous Tony's Pizza family, it's an even better deal. And, quite the romantic dinner for two at that. I have to mention how great the service has always been. Forever helpful, with plenty of recommendations, and with a smile. 5 stars.

Great soft serve ice cream with cookies and pistachio. Spece available for outdoor dining

The worst The attendant was rude, sarcastic, lowest energy He would be sarcastic when customers would ask questions We ordered iced coffee and he said that he only has a cup of ice left for one coffee and so we were ok with it Minutes later he came back saying that whatever ice left dropped on the floor and we said it's ok Can we just have cappuccino then And he gave us literally milk and told us he ran out of cup lids Crazy guy

When looking for pizza supplies, this is hands down the best option in town. I've been working on my pizza dough lately and it's been quite difficult to find certain flours, powders, etc. because they are generally only available commercially. Giovanni has taken those precious ingredients and repacked them into smaller sizes for home use, yay! Are they a bit pricey? Yeah but, what other choice do you have. They also have a great selection on tomatoes, olive oils, and other fare you'd come to expect from Tony. I'd also recommend the fresh pasta they make daily as it's mostly semolina based and delicious. Anyway, tonight is the night I get to see if the dough turned out well as it's been rising and fermenting in the fridge for the past 48 hours. It's go time!

I moved to the area about a month ago and was really excited to try to find the perfect Italian deli for all my cooking needs. Let me tell you, this is it! I've gotten several of there fresh pastas, along with some of their sauces, cheeses, meats, limoncello, and other speciality items. Every time I make a meal using the ingredients here it's simply the best. The adorable store and friendly staff make shopping a complete delight! Bonus: The last time I went they even gave me a coupon for a free piece of pizza at Tony's! Hope they're all doing okay during this tough time!

Cozy old world feel. Like you stepped back into to the 1930's San Francisco. The young lady was very friendly and knowledgeable. Sat Nov 14th fresh baked focaccia, and pastas. Plenty of Italian goodies spirts. The frozen soft serves were amazing! Outdoor seating is a plus. Register writing tools were organized and cleaned after each use. Ready for the next costumer. I'll be see you all soon GIS team! Keep up the great work! Time to make some pasta now!

This spot has the best tomatoes, all kinds of options for flour and Italian specialties - its great. If you own Tony's Pizza Bible, this is a one stop shop!

I have now come to the conclusion that pasta math is a thing, and it totally differs from traditional math. When ordering pasta for multiple lasagnas, you have to do some creative thinking about size, how many, appetite of the eaters, how many people it will take to get it in and out of the oven, etc etc etc. After multiple conversations with the store, my number is 96 lasagna sheets. And while figuring it out, Tony, the wonderful proprietor never got frustrated or laughed at me, though both would have been more than appropriate. The bottom line is this shop follows in the footsteps of everything Tony puts his name on. Amazing food, perfect selection of delicious and interesting products, fantastic, friendly and never pretentious service - though with the quality they would have every right. Giovanni's doesn't skimp on any of it. Thrilled to be a loyal customer.

the italian side of my family would be happy i'm shopping here. but then grama would unpause nagging me blahblahblah you never get an italian girlfriend blahblahblah... me: "what about the chick from brooklyn!" gramz: "???" me: "..." gramz: "new york? that's not REAL italian." omgsmhhhhhhheyerollfacepalm yeah so i'm here shopping for italian foods REAL italian foods. #gzuskrst lydia & all rest of staff super friendly. i got FOCACCIA (thickazz bread w stuff on top) and PIADINA SALUMI (like a pita pocket) for lunch. unheated bc already hotazz day outside. perfect weather for running into real italian chicks right grama? #theweatherishotandgirlsaredressinlessandcheckinoutthefellastotellemwhosbest

We went for a city walk yesterday. Fabulous weather day in SF! We saw the large sign for softserve ice cream when we were in North Beach and decided to treat ourselves. The softserve tastes like a homemade vanilla...delicious! Highly recommend especially if you're a vanilla lover. They also have toppings for those who want that. Added bonus, the server was super pleasant.

Stopped by to pick up a few cannolis. I must say that I was deeply disappointed. First of all, two cannolis cost $13.00, which is unheard of in the northeast - even at Ferrara's in NYC you can buy cannolis for under $4 bucks. I will acknowledge that the shell was crisp and not soggy, but then again, you can't really mess that up. It's all about the filling and the filling was meh. I will also acknowledge that my partner did enjoy the cannoli, which questions my relationship with her?

There are no prices on any of the fresh pasta - I had to keep asking the person at the register how much things were. $18 for a box of fresh ravioli (12 pieces) seemed a bit outrageous to me - we declined. The other fresh pasta items were $10/lb.Half the items in the store had no prices, I thought that was a little weird. I was also hoping for more fresh food products. I grew up in south Florida where we have Doris market, which is great. I saw an employee handle two sandwiches without gloves, choose one sandwich to eat for himself, and place the other sandwich back in the case. Not somewhere I'll find myself back at any time. Service was friendly but we were not greeted upon entry to the store.

I'm visiting friends in San Francisco who happen to live in this neighborhood and I wandered into Giovanni because of its cute storefront. I was craving something sweet and the kind and helpful man working there suggested a cannoli. I'm pretty picky when it comes to cannolis and have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of the classic cannoli with a touch of orange flavor, and Giovanni feels the same way because there's absolutely no hint of it! It's a delicious pastry shell and the filling is light and perfect, rolled at the ends with chocolate chips. It's the best one I've had in years.

So thrilled I finally went to this spot last month! Such a cute spot with everything you need for pasta, pizza, charcuterie board making and any other Italian recipes! Also a handful of awesome premade options (fresh pasta, focaccia pizzas, pesto, etc.). While the store has everything you need at great prices, the staff is hands down the best part. I've spent about 20 min speaking to the staff both times I've gone in about pasta making tips and tricks. They're incredible and very generous with their time. Such a refreshing customer service experience in the heart of a busy city!

Delighted to have this quality ITALIAN business in North Beach and I don't mind paying for quality the a box of 12 ravioli is $18.99. It's delicious but for $1.00 more I could sit at Joe's next door and have it served to me.

I have to agree with the earlier 2 star rating. Here you cannot find even the most basic of standard Italian foods. None of the biscuits made by Barilla, no Lavazza or Illy coffee, and no Italian meats like prosciutto. They have "Columbus" meats which are not really Italian (they are made in the US). The thing this place has going for it is that is open Sunday. If you want a real Italian place go to Lucca Ravioli company in the Mission.

Total tourist place. I had high hopes for an actual Italian place where I could pick up unique imported products. They don't have much and what they do have you can easily find at other markets.

This is spot is a treasure. Adorable interior, amazing staff, Sinatra playing on a loop. Seriously the best fresh mozz you can purchase outside of Italy itself. And, like a previous reviewer noted, the foccacia is dangerously good. Highly addicting stuff. Also I picked up a bottle of aged basalmic here that changed my life; I would put it on my ice cream, seriously. There's a decent balance of reasonably priced items and expensive ones- some items can run a little pricey, like some of their fresh pastas, but you're paying for really evident quality. Also, shoutout to the manager(?)! I think his name was Nick or Nathan or something. Super sweet and friendly and great recommendations! Great addition to the neighborhood. Mangia!

It is frustrating that the store hour was incorrect. I rush over thinking they close at 6. I was there at 5:35. She is closing.

Giovanni's has some of the best fresh pasta you can buy in north beach unfortunately it's were you can also tell someone has been using drugs in the bathroom of the store as well, the manager is extremely rude and the coffee tastes horrible. I'm happy to say I'll never be returning again. :)

Expectations exceeded! This place is a gem - from the customer service to the selection of authentic Italian products, I've never been disappointed when I come in! Their fresh raviolis and bread are a must try!

Lunch at this place on Sunday, yestersday. Wow, very good, everything really fresh. Interesting place to visit. We split a sandwich, which was very reasonable and really good olive oil and fresh herbs; I could/would have eaten the whole thing myself. Interesting decor. Small, but well worth the visit. Give them a try for lunch or snack.