Giovanni Italian Specialties

A Taste of TraditionIf 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! :-)

From the moment you walk in, you feel like you've stepped into a charming little shop in Italy. The coffee is excellent, and the soft serve is a comforting treat--perfect for a sweet break. They have a few seating options across the sidewalk, and there's also a park just across the street, offering a lovely spot to enjoy your treats. It's the perfect place for a relaxing stop.

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.

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

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.

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