La Ciccia

"If we could be on a first name basis with any restaurant in this guide, it would be La Ciccia. It’s a small neighborhood spot in Noe Valley with Sardinian food that surpasses almost anything that some of the bigger, fancier places around the city charge way more for. We’d cross six neighborhoods just for the fusilli with uni or the spicy baby octopus stew. But what sets La Ciccia apart from other places is that the staff always make you feel like you’re family coming home from a long vacation every time you come here. " - julia chen 1, lani conway

"This Sardinian restaurant in Noe Valley treats seafood dishes with the love and care we show our prized monstera. The spicy, tomato-y broth in the baby octopus stew is straight-up soul-curing. They dress fusilli up with grated tuna heart, and whole prawns are sitting in fragrant basil oil. When you add Sardinian wines and servers who make us feel like a regular to the equation, La Ciccia is a place we want to have a standing date with. " - lani conway, julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez

"There was much hand-wringing among La Ciccia’s hordes of fans when longtime owners Massimiliano Conti and Lorella Degan decided to sell their beloved Noe Valley gem. Thankfully, the new owner, a regular and a neighborhood resident, knew to keep all the best parts of the restaurant in place, continuing to serve La Ciccia’s legendary bottarga-topped spaghetti and other seafood-centric Sardinian specialties. The wine list now skews a little more towards natural options, but otherwise, it’s still just as charming — and excellent — as ever." - Lauren Saria, Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff

"One of the city’s best region-specific Italian restaurants can be found in Noe Valley, showcasing Sardinia, (also known as paradise on earth). The wines produced on this little island off Italy’s main peninsula deserve more attention than they get, as does its cuisine. Sardinia has it all and so does La Ciccia, from big bold age-worthy reds to pair with meaty mains and spaghetti tinged with tomato, caramel-colored, sherry-like wines that are excellent companions to the bottarga that is liberally applied to many dishes, and several bright and fruity Vermentino to complement their seafood offerings." - Coral Sisk

"For seafood-focused Sardinian food, Noe Valley’s La Ciccia is the answer. It’s cute, cozy, filled with excellent pasta, and owned by a charming Italian couple who will welcome you with open arms. Pasta veers away from the more standard noodles found throughout town, with malloreddus (a semolina gnocchetti specific to Sardinia) with pork sugo, and Sardinian maccaroni with sea urchin, tomato, and grated tuna heart." - Ellen Fort