America's Oldest Italian Restaurant Is In This World-Famous California City

It may not land on the list of the oldest restaurants in the world, being something of a spring chicken at "only" 139 years old (as of 2025), but Fior d'Italia of San Francisco has a solid claim as America's oldest Italian restaurant. It's come a long way since 1886, when it operated with a house of ill repute upstairs, and, today, Fior d'Italia is a bonafide NorCal institution.

The restaurant has been housed in no fewer than six different locations — plus a makeshift tent! — and closed three separate times: Due to a fire, the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and for six months during a financial disaster in 2012. It has changed hands over and over, leading some skeptics to doubt its legitimacy as the oldest Italian joint in America ... a culinary ship of Theseus, if you will. 

But tradition is a powerful force, and the many folks who love Fior d'Italia refuse to hear a bad word spoken against their beloved eatery, which is woven deep in the fabric of San Francisco. Legend has it that, after the earthquake displaced residents, the kitchen made huge pots of minestrone to feed the hungry. Generations of SanFran citizens have dined there during their special occasions. In its current location in the historic San Remo Hotel, which was built by the founder of Bank of America, the restaurant has banquet rooms for gatherings as small as six people or as vast as 90.

Back when Fior d'Italia opened, the menu was a bit all over the place, with tenderloin steak, frog legs, calf's liver, and veal scaloppine competing for diners' attention. Today, you may need to brush up on your lexicon of essential words and phrases to know in an Italian restaurant so that you can tackle the modern-day bill of fare, which is heavy on Northern Italian delicacies in honor of current owner Gianni Audieri and his wife, Trudy. Veal scaloppine and minestrone are still there; they just cost a good deal more than in 1886, when the former was only 15 cents! Much of the pasta is prepared fresh daily in-house, and organic and free range ingredients are used whenever available.

Of the mistakes people make when ordering Italian food, sticking to safe and familiar favorites is high on the list. Just off the beaten path of fettuccine Alfredo and pasta e fagioli, there is comforting and hearty fare like pumpkin ravioli, rabbit braised with wine and mushrooms, and tortellini with curry and cheese. The wine and liquor list is impressive, and the restaurant gets rave reviews for its desserts, which include zabaglione, panna cotta with strawberry sauce, and a poached pear with cream and caramel. Reviews of Fior d'Italia also specifically call out the ambience, with a live piano player and comfortable, old-school vibes.