16 California Italian Spots, Run By Families, That Taste Like Sunday
California is filled with Italian restaurants, but the ones that stay with you are the family places, where recipes pass from hand to hand, dining rooms glow like living rooms, and a plate of pasta feels as if it came straight from a grandmother’s stove.
In San Francisco’s North Beach, wood-fired ovens set the rhythm; on the Central Coast, trattorias linger over sauces; in the south, pizza parlors hum with tradition.
Sixteen kitchens across the state capture that same comfort: bread on the table, sauce simmering slow, and the sound of family carried through every bite.
1. Tommaso’s Ristorante — San Francisco (North Beach)
The scent of smoke from a brick oven drifts into the narrow dining room, where booths fill quickly with locals and tourists alike.
Tommaso’s, founded in 1935, is famous for introducing the first wood-fired pizza oven to San Francisco. Still family-operated, it remains a cornerstone of North Beach dining.
The pizzas arrive blistered and bubbling, each slice marked by fire. Eating here feels like eating history, rustic, direct, and deeply satisfying.
2. Original Joe’s — San Francisco (North Beach)
Red leather booths and mirrored walls transport you back to a mid-century supper club, where the hum of conversation sets the mood.
Opened in 1937, Original Joe’s has been passed through family hands, surviving fires and relocations while keeping its Italian-American roots intact.
Order their famous Joe’s Special, a hash of beef, eggs, spinach, and onions, and you’ll understand why generations have kept it on the table.
3. Miceli’s — Los Angeles (Hollywood)
The first thing you notice is the ceiling, strung with empty wine bottles scrawled with signatures, glowing in dim light.
Miceli’s has been serving Italian classics since 1949, family-owned and operated from the start, making it the oldest Italian restaurant in Hollywood.
Lasagna portions arrive bubbling, cheese stretching with every forkful. Between the piano music and the lineage of recipes, you’ll feel wrapped in nostalgia.
4. Casa Bianca Pizza Pie — Los Angeles (Eagle Rock)
Checkered tables, low ceilings, and the smell of sausage baking in tomato sauce, this is a neighborhood pizzeria in its purest form.
Founded in 1955 by Sam Martorana, Casa Bianca has stayed in the family, handing recipes down through generations.
The thin-crust pies, especially those topped with fennel sausage, embody home cooking at scale. Even the long wait feels like part of the ritual.
5. Cortina’s Italian Market & Pizzeria — Anaheim
Shelves stacked with imported pasta and olive oil lead straight into a counter serving hot slices and sandwiches.
Since opening in 1963, Cortina’s has blended market and pizzeria, with the family keeping both sides of the operation humming.
Grab a slice or a sausage sub, then pick up a bottle of Chianti for later, the market-restaurant rhythm makes it irresistible.
6. Filippi’s Pizza Grotto — San Diego
You walk through the deli first: salamis hanging overhead, cheese wheels stacked high, bread scent heavy in the air.
Filippi’s began as a family grocery in 1950, eventually expanding into a beloved chain of family-run restaurants around Southern California.
Their pizzas are saucy, cheesy, and unapologetically hearty. Eating in Little Italy feels like stepping back to the beginning.
7. Mona Lisa Italian Foods — San Diego (Little Italy)
The front market bustles with shoppers eyeing sandwiches and antipasti, while the back room hums with diners.
Opened in 1956, Mona Lisa has stayed in the D’Ambrosio family, serving both groceries and meals under one roof.
A meatball sub here is more than lunch, it’s a taste of continuity, each bite steeped in neighborhood tradition.
8. Della Santina’s Trattoria — Sonoma
Set just off the Sonoma Plaza, its courtyard lined with greenery and rustic brick, the place feels like an escape to Tuscany.
Opened in 1990 by Quirico Della Santina, the trattoria remains family-operated, bringing regional Italian cooking to wine country.
Pasta dishes here lean seasonal and thoughtful, making a bowl of pappardelle feel like it belongs beside the vineyards.
9. Petrillo’s Pizza — San Gabriel / Glendora
Bright neon outside, vinyl booths inside, Petrillo’s is both retro and deeply familiar.
The Petrillo family has been running this pizza house since the 1950s, building a reputation for generous toppings and old-school pies.
A single large pizza feeds a table with leftovers. This is community dining, baked into crust and sauce.
10. Ca’ Dario — Santa Barbara area
White tablecloths, warm lighting, and coastal air filtering in, elegance without stiffness.
Chef Dario Furlati founded Ca’ Dario in 1997, growing it into a family-style group of restaurants around Santa Barbara.
Here, veal scaloppine or handmade ravioli capture refinement without losing their rustic soul.
11. Trattoria Grappolo — Santa Ynez
The patio fills with laughter, wine glasses catching the valley light, rosemary drifting from nearby gardens.
Founded by Chef Leonardo Curti in 1997, Grappolo became a family-driven anchor of Santa Ynez’s food scene.
Homemade gnocchi or seafood pasta pairs seamlessly with local wine, making meals feel celebratory yet familiar.
12. Lo Coco’s — Berkeley
Small, intimate, with a wood-paneled warmth and Sicilian flags decorating the walls.
Lo Coco’s has been family-run for decades, specializing in Sicilian-style pizza and pasta. Locals call it a neighborhood staple.
The pesto linguine is a cult favorite, simple, fragrant, and made with conviction.
13. Gino’s — Salinas
White-clothed tables and chandeliers balance against the hearty plates of pasta and veal.
Founded by the Bozzo family in 1975, Gino’s continues to serve Central Coast families with steady Italian classics.
The menu runs broad, but the red-sauce pastas anchor it. A forkful of spaghetti here feels like a Sunday tradition.
14. Giuseppe’s Cucina — San Luis Obispo / Pismo Beach
The hum of beachgoers mixes with the scent of garlic bread drifting from the ovens.
Chef Giuseppe DiFronzo opened his trattoria in 1988, still running it today with a focus on Central Coast produce.
The cioppino is a standout, local seafood in a broth that feels both coastal and Italian at once.
15. Original Joe’s — San Jose
Dark wood booths, bustling servers in white jackets, plates of pasta big enough to share, atmosphere born from tradition.
Opened in 1956, Original Joe’s San Jose has carried its Italian-American identity through decades of family ownership.
The veal parmigiana is the classic here, its sheer size a reminder that this place feeds people like family.
16. DiCicco’s Italian Restaurants — Fresno Area
Neon signs glowing at night, multi-room interiors filled with groups celebrating milestones.
The DiCicco family opened their first Fresno restaurant in 1956, and more than a dozen family-run locations continue today.
Spaghetti, pizzas, and chicken parm are standards, each one built with the same hearty Central Valley sensibility.