Original US Restaurant
515 Columbus Ave
(between Green St & Stockton St)
San Francisco, CA 94133 (415) 397-5200
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
43 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"Dinner here tonight was almost an erotic experience. We sat on the lovely warm patio. The waiter and bus boys seemed like they actually…" read more »
37 Reviews for Original US Restaurant
I just moved to North Beach, this was one of my first places I checked out after moving to the neighborhood, mainly because all of the other places were pretty packed.
It had the appeal of this WONDERFUL ma and pap italian restaurant, I went to years ago in Buffalo, NY but we're not in Buffalo, NY and this wasn't that restaurant. The meal was still good but with all that San Francisco has to offer, I'll probably go somewhere else before I return here. It's not bad at all, I just know there is better.
We didn't want to spend all that money on The Rose Pistola - even though that is an excellent place - so the three of us dashed across Columbus Street to the Original US Restaurant. (It also touts itself as being a Sicilian Restaurant too, which definitely appealed to me being Sicilian myself).
The guy at the door told us 15 minutes... so more than a half hour later we were seated (not bad for a Sunday night - but it did piss me off a bit).
I ordered the Spaghetti Palermo and it was excellent! My pals seemed to enjoy themselves and their food too. The service was prompt and friendly (the waiter was a cute blue-eyed Italian!) We didn't feel rushed. One other demerit though, the cappuccino was so weak and cold - but there are so many other pastry places to take the party so I wasn't too upset!
Over-all a fine meal! Bueno!
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I went here because all the other restaurants on the street had long waits (and because I read in a food book about it as well). Just like the name says "Original US" seemed like any regular-type Italian restaurant. Everyone in my group of 4 ordered a pasta dish, which were all satisfactory. I'm not hating on this restaurant at all, but with all the other great SF Italian Restaurants ... I will go there before I come back to this one.
I think this is just about the worst fettucine alfredo I've ever had. And, to top that off, talk about poor service. My dad was in town visiting, and since I don't come to Little Italy often, and thats what he wanted, we just walked over and went to the first place we saw. That was a mistake. It reminds me why yelp is so awesome. My dad made a note to the waiter that he was extremely hungry when we came in (hinting that he wanted his food faster than usual), and we watched as our food sat ready for 10 minutes before the waiter decided he wanted to give it to us. I wasn't paying much attention to him but I think he was watching TV.
So you need another reason? Stale bread!!! What kind of Italian restaurant can't get this right.
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** REVIEW FOR DESSERT ONLY **
Came here after eating at Ristorante Ideale. My friend swore that they had the best dessert in North Beach. And she wasn't wrong and that is why she is one of my eating buddies.
So what did we have?
The Spumoni Torte, of course.
I would describe it as being a little bit of salt and a little bit of sweet. Three layers of molded Italian ice cream beginning with a base of chocolate. The middle layer was a creamy amaretto layer, not vanilla, thank god, with the a top layer of green pistachio ice cream. And to round it off, extra pistachios on top to close out this awesome dessert!
So I took a star off since it was so damn hot inside the restaurant. Where was the AC or fans? Who knew, a mini heat wave in SF.
Not all of us are as blessed with the skills of multi-tasking required to be good waiters. This guy had the art of greeting new customers while picking his nose and thinking about something else down to an art. He was polite enough to sneak dishes, glasses, and our check in under my arm, in case I didn't want to make any more eye contact.
In terms of food, I think I have to give the slight nod to my high school cafeteria. The halibut was mushy and over-marinated, just as moisture seemed to have been absent from the gnocci. The relative high point was the bread, which was probably just a day old. In case you happen to like to eat actual Italian bread the way actual Italians do, they do olive oil, you just have to ask for it.
Maybe it was just an off-night. After all, it was Friday.
Cold bread, really cheesy Alfredo pasta with no other flavor in it and damn expensive. I wouldn't go back there again, unless its the only restaurant open and I'm really really starving.
So I'm wandering aimlessly down Stockton doing my best impersonation of a tourista at about 1:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday. I was slated to go out for sushi later that night, so I didn't want to spoil my appetite - still, I hadn't had anything but coffee and fruit that morning - I was jonsin' for something tasty.
I walked into a terribly cheezy italian glass store, and while their wares were so garish I would never be caught dead with so much as a paperweight in my house from this store, I noticed the two Italian speaking employees sharing a vat of some fabulous smelling pasta for lunch. I asked them where they got it and they replied "Two doors up at the U.S. Restaurant" in very broken english.
So off I went, and all I had to do was follow my nose. This is a small, but quaint little trattoria about three doors down the hill from the intersection of Stockn and Green. I'd say it seats about35 people plus another 8 or so at the bar - which was cool with me as I parked myself there and began perusing the menu. Everything looked (and smelled) great, and the prices were very reasonable. They even had a good selection of sandwiches for lunch - but by now, I was thinking "Screw the sushi, I wanna get my carb-groove on!"
I had noticed the two guys who directed me here were eating spaghetti in a light creamy/tomato sauce and it was loaded with shrimp, fresh basil and garlic. I finally asked the very sweet and attentive waitress if it was on the menu. "Not for lunch - we make it special for the gentlemen down the street" but she quickly added they'd be happy to make it for me too. I'm pretty sure it was the "Spaghetti Al Salmone" mentioned below, chock full of chuncks of salmon which looked to be sushi grade it was so fresh - but they also loaded it up with at least a dozen large fresh shrimp too!
All their sauces are made in house and while I watched one chef prepare my lunch, I watched another stir a giant (probably 25 gallons) pot of home made red sauce, then the two of them wrestled it off the burner for use later that night.
Trying to be good, I waived off the delicious looking baquette and butter, and in no time at all my gigantic plate of pasta arrived. It was creamy and buttery, but also bursting with the flavors of fresh ripe tomatos, sauted garlic and bright chunks of fresh basil. When my waitress delivered the plate, she also brought a gargantuan bowl of fresh grated parmisean, and at my direction, gave my entire plate a very generous dousing, only stopping when I finally said "enough."
What came next can only be described as an orgasm for my taste buds. The light and creamy texture combined with the perfectly cooked shrimp and buttery freash sauteed salmon were amazing. I felt guilty (for about 1.7 seconds) about ruining my dinner, but I really could not help myself - I ate almost 1/2 the plate before finally backing away and requesting a to go container.
The service was excellent, and while I cannot attest to the wine selection (this was lunch and I was supposed to be saving room for saki later that night) the rest of the patrons were all also commenting on how delicious their meals were. My total bill with tip came to just under $20.00, and I took home a little more than half of my meal it was so big. Most lunch menu items ranged from $7.50 to $14.00 or so.
Skip ahead 5 hours to the much hyped sushi with my son and his girl....it was a nice meal, but completely unremarkable (I can't even remember the name of the damned restaurant so I can review it, it was THAT vanilla) - and all I could think about were my leftovers back in the hotel fridge.
We parted ways after dinner, and I"m not ashamed to admit I skipped The Inn at the Opera's free breakfast to indulge in the warmed leftovers from the Original U.S. Restaurant. I will DEFINITAELY be back soon!
The name itself is an enigma: "Original US Restaurant"? Couple that with the eagle logo and the Food Lover's dumbfounding description of the place, and I just didn't know what to expect. An impossibly retro cafeteria for the likes of retired military folks? (Hey, if you've seen Twin Peaks Properties on 24th St, you'll know anything is possible in this town).
Disappointingly, though, Original US Restaurant is actually just a Standard Italian Restaurant. Maybe some of the je ne sais quoi was lost when they moved from their old location a few years back--I guess I'll never know. What I do know is that you can get hearty, homestyle Italian dishes here, like the US Fusilli pasta with sausage, mushrooms, and peppers, or the arancine (yummy deep fried ricotta balls); it's like someone's Italian grandmother is back in the kitchen. Of course, you could go to the Outer Sunset and have someone's Asian grandmother cook equally comforting food for half the price. Ah, the Italian prestige tax.
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Thought the place seems big, tables are crammed together so you are having dinner not only with your girlfriend, but also with some elderly ladies talking about healthcare and doctors. Place has not coke machine, so you get ONE can of soda for $3. Food was mediocre. Bread was cold and tasteless. Out of all NB places with was the biggest disappointment by far. Not gonna eat here again.
My favorite dish: Spaghetti Al Salmone - Cream, cheese, and tomato-based sauce goes soooo well with the chunks of salmon.
Would you continue to visit a restaurant because their bread and butter was yummy? I would - and that's another reason I would keep coming to US. Actually, I would come here for the butter...the bread is just to help get the butter into the mouth...(I love soft creamy butter!).
So 3-stars for this place because - the food is yummy, but the price is a bit steep for dishes that lack presentation and unique-ness. The decor is sort of old fashioned and I like that the kitchen is within the dining area. On a busy dinner night, it can get crowded and service a bit slow (our glasses of water did not get filled until we were practically done with our meal).
5/23/08 - I rescind 1 star. Typical busy friday night (8:30PM), but seated within 5 minutes of walking in. That's when things started going downhill. We ordered very basic dishes: Spaghetti Al Salmone (again for me) and Ravioli Bolognese. It took about 35-40 minutes for our food to come and when we asked one of the waiters/busboy why our food was taking so long, he practically ignored us and kept on cleaning the tables....ok?
The food finally came, service still sucked and sitting at the corner table was even worse because there were little bugs flying around the window.... THEN! we were about done with our meal, a giant spider came down from the ceiling on it's silk right behind my friend....luckily he's not afraid of spiders, but I definitely am - I wanted out!! Our server apparently went on break, so we got no check and no love at all.
Long story short - good food, too bad I won't be going back ever again.
My friends picked the restaurant because they could accommodate a group with 3 children and 4 adults, but it meant we had to seat upstairs in a corner that was really HOT. A/C did not work. The penne pasta i ordered was great, but my husband ordered the special of the day which was some fish with risotto, instead the dish came with fish and rigatoni. We asked the waiter to check if it was the wrong order and he had to go to the kitchen to find out that they ran out of risotto. The service could have been better and should have informed us before they subsituted.
What a great place! Me and my husband went there the other night on a date. We were seated right away. The service was great. Our waiter was even Italian. So many different choices on the menu & specials that aren't on the menu. It's a nice place to go for a date, family outing, or with a group of friends. Centrally located in North Beach. Will I eat there again? DEFINATLY! you should too! :O)
3.5 stars - I had high expectations and wish I tried this place at its old location.
It was a late lunch, early dinner (lunner) at about 4:30pm. After walking around debating what to have, we decided to finally give this "SF institution" a try. Upon entering, the smell of "bathroom cleaner" overwhelmed my senses...I had an urge to leave but hubby didn't smell anything so we sat. BTW, the smell eventually went away or perhaps I got used to it (nah!).
We decided to just have pasta and nothing else (this is an absolute first as I love getting appetizers, soup, salad...) since we want to save our stomach to try other stuff and to drink later.
It took a while before the waiter came over to take our order (we were one of the only 2 tables there - the other one was one person and a regular who ordered upon sitting down). It took another 20+ minutes before our order arrived - normally it's not an issue but it was when we are practically starving!
I ordered the ribbon pasta w/ porcini mushroom in a creamy white sauce and hubby ordered the clam & mussel spaghetti. The pasta in both dishes were perfectly made - al dente, however, mine dish was lacking in taste/flavor. I had to sprinkle salt pretty generously but still didn't help much so I was disappointed. Hubby's dish was pretty tasty so we ended up swapping plate - bless him.
Given the many places around the neigborhood, it'll be a long long time before we will consider returning...
Yum! The food here rocks. Two dishes to try are the Pappardelle Boscaiola which is a homemade wide ribbon pasta with bacon, onion, and mushrooms in a tomato cream sauce and the Spaghetti Bolognese (tomato meat sauce). The pasta was cooked a perfect al dente.
Service is friendly, no-nonsense type. Old World decor. Prices are very reasonable.
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Amazing pasta. Great calamari. Fast Service. Nice staff.
I was overwhelmed by the selection of pasta, so I asked the waitress to give me the local favorite. The favorite turned out to be Spaghetti Carbonara for a good reason. It was amazing and decadent. I'm just glad I had run 4 miles that morning!!
I also like that you can choose to watch food being prepared.
Renee is the greatest! I love her. She makes you feel welcome. Its a great lunch place. Good fish and pasta and salad. Yum!
This place lived for years at the corners of Columbus/Stockton/Green for decades and summarily shut down due to a personal crisis in the family as well as landlord greed, from what I heard upon my return to the City by the Bay.
There has never been, nor will be... a place like the original, again. No order tabs for the wait staff; memory only. What you ordered didn't get written down. Whatever you ate was tallied when you got up and presented yourself at the cash register. I've never heard of a mistake being made, either.
Ample and truly authentic Italian family style food and as well... you'd better have been hungry when you walked in. Sausage and eggs, roast beef, beef stew, seafood, fried calamari, endless pasta and sauces and pesto done to perfection. Huge glasses of wine and endless supplies of fresh bread. I can't list it all here.
Marco restarted at the Columbus location and Chris the new chef did just fine, but, the menu was limited and somehow it wasn't the same anymore. Marc's wife said to me when she was in there once and we'd not seen each other for a couple of decades... "What? You're still alive?!?!?" She meant it as a joke but it was really appropriate! (heh, I had some good times in this city.)
Now? I've eaten in there a few times since Marc got tired and sold it for the last time. So far its ok... just that. If my opinion changes I'll update this review but for now I'm not impressed. Its the US Restaurant in name only. 5 stars for the original.
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I had dinner here once with some business clients. Goodness, I'm just glad it wasn't my suggestion to eat here because most of the menu items are overpriced. The eggplant parmigiana was good and the total bill went onto a corporate card, but aside from a business meal I wouldn't dine here.
The place was surprisingly packed, but the little old man who waited on us serviced us like a little old man.
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Based on pure nostalgia, I really wanted this place to be better.
I remember my parents taking me here when I was younger, and it being a fun, family style, solid Italian-food-eating experience.
The restaurant used to be located on the corner of Columbus and Stockton, but has since moved further down Columbus...and its soul as a North Beach Sicilian comfort food joint sadly moved on as well.
I had spaghetti and meatballs, my friend had noodles with Alfredo. Pretty basic, and pretty sad. We ordered a bottle of wine (one out of a handful or so on the menu) that would have taken a top spot in the alcoholic grape juice category. Needlesstosay, it hardly helped me drown away my sorrows or blah flavors on my plate.
I can't bring myself to tell my parents how this place has changed, since it will make them feel old and sad and most depressingly start a vicious round robin discussion of "how things used to be."
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This place is no fuss, and has ahuge menu. There's a very approachable feeling to the restaurant and the staff, and the extremely reasonable prices just make it that much more comforting of a place. The service is attentive and helpful. You can see there massive menu here: http://www.jatbar.com/...
Everything's fresh and down home good.
This place is a paradox. On one hand you can get old-school-red-and-white-table-cloth-Italian-food, yet they also have American style breakfast, and various sandwiches for lunch, including a fantastic cheese burger and fries.
If I could, I would give this place 5 stars for the burger and 3 stars for the rest of the menu. The US was an old favorite of mine, back when they were at their original location, but as other reviewers have found it doesn't have quite the same charm as the old place. At least, the menu is exactly as I remember it.
The Italian fare can be mediocre, but there are some good things on the menu, particularly the weekly specials. The osso bucco with risotto is quite good, and so is the stewed rabbit with polenta (although I've only had that at the old location).
But the highlight in my opinion is the burger. It is fairly plain as far as condiments, but the meat was so juicy and flavorful it just melts in your mouth. It was cooked exactly medium rare as requested. The fries were also exceptional. A minute after we ordered we heard the fry cooker going full bore. Music to my ears. The fries arrived piping hot and perfectly crispy. Actually, it was so good we ordered another burger and split it.
One of the most overlooked but tastiest Italian restaurants in North Beach. Go here, especially when all the hyped places are packed with people. I had an amazing farfalle special of the day, returned on the wrong day, and they remembered me and whipped it up just for me.
The food is fresher than at the places with prime sidewalk seating. However, if you sit in the balcony area you may be overwhelmed by smoke from the kitchen.
I had dinner here last night with a co-worker where we both ordered veal dishes. My entree order was the 'Veal Ala Limone'. Limone as in LEMON but I didn't see any slices, peels, shreds, thread, or taste any. However, I could see and taste much garlic in the sauce. Maybe, they forgot to put the lemon in the dish? With this entree came a small scoop of mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables. The flavor was just okay. The atmosphere was cozy, old-time Italian; cute and quaint.
This restaurant is located in North Beach thus; means no parking. However, we were lucky to have found street parking two blocks away.
An old-time Italian-American family restaurant. I wanted to say classic, but old seems more appropriate. 20 years ago a date insisted we go here, when it was one of the mainstream North Beach restaurants. Times have changed, or the restaurant has changed, or I have changed, I can't quite put my finger on it.
They have a big, open kitchen, and serve all the Italian-American family fare. They have Sicilian banners up everywhere, and I heard a young lady on the sidewalk squeal in delightful recognition. Maybe she had just come back from a vacation in Sicily.
Two dinner salads, veal marsala, spaghetti bolognese, Coke: $50.00.
The spaghetti came to the table moist, with a very nice meat sauce, but somehow it dried out before I was done. I'm not a slow eater.
Bottom line: Will I come again? Maybe in another 20 years, after I forget this meal.
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I got to work on my pronunciation of Italian here, and apparently I did a pretty good job (according to the waiter, who was, I admit, interested in making sure I felt flattered). But the Agnolotti were really good.
The wine was good too.
My friend from Michigan insisted that the calamari we had for an appetizer were "baby octopus." Whatever.
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This place is horrible.
The service...well, I mean, what service?
The quality of food was on par with something that you buy frozen, salad dressing obviously came out of some run-of-the-mill store bought variety.
The food is incredibly bland and was really not doing Italian food any justice.
If you want to eat gross "Italian" food, go to the Olive Garden. This place is not worth a minute of your time.
I don't live in this neighborhood or come to North Beach much, but after getting sidetracked on a casual stroll on Nob Hill one gorgeous Saturday afternoon, we found ourselves in NB, in need of a drink and quick bite.
After quickly sizing up the other cafes on the block (based on prices and sidewalk table availability), we dropped in here and were very pleased.
Didn't seem to be a place for the ultimate Italian dining experience, but for a little mozzarella carrozza (fried cheese), a salad, and some Peronis in that immutable North Beach sidewalk cafe atmosphere, I couldn't find any reason to not return here again.
I used to go to this restaurant in the late '80s, when I was low on money, but wanted decent food. This place fit the bill perfectly. Fast forward to 06! This place came back and I was eager to try it. The spaghetti/ravioli w/meatballs were good. My veal sandwich w/fries was large and tasty. But, the prices were much higher than I expected. Granted it's been almost 20 years, but the prices were comparable to Washington Square Grill for brunch! I like the place and the nostalgia of it all, but it's not the place it used to be!
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Continuing on the road of a Friday night gone wrong, I ended up dining here on said Friday evening. Now, I don't eat pasta very often, so when I do it'd better worth every calorie. This I can promise you, was not. I wasn't impressed with any dish. I was even less impressed we waited for 15 minutes before being approached to order. This made eating the cold, completely unflavorful bread even harder to stomach, despite my hunger. Sure, the portions are big and it's not pricey, but this is clearly a case of you get what you pay for. Plus, if there's no wait, there's probably a reason why. The only positive comment is that the service was indeed friendly, once it finally arrived. But I won't darken this door again.
I just returned from dinner at this place and will not be back.
Not because of the food or prices, but because it took 30 minutes for my appetizer, and about an hour for our entrees (chicken piccata and gnocci bolognese) The portions were small (my chicken came with one small breast) and the gnocci that my fiancee had was just o.k.
We were here for 1hr 45 min total.
Lame.
I'll stick with Sodini's or Firenze.
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When visiting San Francisco, we tried the Original U.S. Restaurant after traveling down both sides of the street, knowing we wanted to try North Beach Italian but not sure what place to try. After ending up in the middle of block, we ended up here after nearby waits were too long. I was skeptical at first, since it had "U.S." in the name, but the stencil on the window seemed to indicate it now stands for "U; Sicilianu". We were seated quickly and the waiter was gracious when we took a while to decide and then wanted to split an entre. The appetizer risotto balls were delicious and Penne Arrabbiata was spicy and ample, even split between two plates. I tipped them as "good for groups" since, while we were there, the staff handily rearranged the tables to accomodate an entire soccer team that had reserved for dinner. Once the group of twenty-plus was seated and being served, the waitstaff was spread thin; understandable though, and we were already finishing and waiting for the bill. Definitely recommended.
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i love this place. killer service great food. dont be a loud oblivious idiot and you'll get good service too. yes it is a bit overpriced but i dont mind because ive been here a bunch and i know what I'm paying for. this place has my second favorite dish in the city--tortalloni buongustaia. yummilicious.
No fluff, just good food. I like this place because the atmosphere isn't romantic or trying to be something it's not. I could eat their Chicken Parm for days. The portions are generous, and the prices are reasonable. When I'm in North Beach I'd probably be more satisfied with a meal here than one of the more pricey, white table cloth restaurants.
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this is authentic Sicilian family food. the service was also authentic Sicilian. if you're in a rush, don't eat here. if you want to taste simple pasta, sauces, and salads done right, eat here.
*** Simple Italian, just like Mom used to make ***
If you don't want to go to overrated, overpriced Rose Pis-hole-a or get leered at by the waiters at Steps of Rome, you should go to US Restaurant. Antipasti platter is quite substantial, big platter with the usual: mozzarella, salami, mortadella, pepperoncinis, bean salad, etc. Plenty for 3 to share along with an entree. My uncle loves the veal parm here, saying that one should only order veal at places that charge under $12 (he believes that means the markup isn't high because they don't get veal from suppliers that use fattening pens... I have no idea if this is true; I personally don't eat veal, PERIOD). What I love here is their spaghetti bolognese... meatballs are good, too, but I find it to be too much meat along with a meat sauce. Service can be up and down... last time I was there was the day the US played Italy in the World Cup and the waitstaff was a bit frazzled, but the food was still good.
Reasonable prices. Think a meal for two is about $30.
Not a fancy place but perfect for solid Italian food.
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Have gone there for years even before move to new location. Last night I went there for the daily special of lamb shoulder. Waiter took the order brought wine and then after about 10 minutes came over to the table to say they had run out of the lamb earlier in the day. After dinner I explained to the waiter that we should have been informed of the absence of the special when we ordered and we could have returned and had a meal that we really wanted. He agreed and even went over to a person whom I later decided was the manager. The manager just shrugged his shoulders.
Sorry to say there are many good places to eat in the City and even though it has been a favorite for many years the U.S. will be on my wonderful memory list but certainly not on my future visit one.
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