Press
PRESS & REVIEWS
When word got out last spring that Massimiliano Conti and Lorella Degan had sold their cherished Noe Valley restaurant, everyone wanted to know one thing. Was the restaurant, La Ciccia, going to change?
It’s a question that comes up whenever businesses sell, but one that seemed especially urgent for La Ciccia, a restaurant that had basically never changed. For 16 years, Degan was a steadfast presence at the door, greeting customers as they entered from 30th Street. Conti’s most beloved Sardinian dishes — the bottarga spaghetti, the spicy octopus stew — had been constants on the menu. To the regulars who loved it, La Ciccia’s sameness never felt stale or rehearsed. It felt soothing.
La Ciccia is a small Sardinian spot in Noe Valley that you’ll want to be on a first name basis with, or exchange holiday cards with for the rest of your life. Not only is the food that good, but you’re treated so well here and feel so at home that you’ll want them to remember you when you come back in.
The 9 Best Pasta Dishes In San Francisco
When you’re dead set on eating some carbohydrates and sauce, let this guide be your roadmap.
While we’re not going to stop you from busting out some Annie’s and eating it straight out of the pot, we will let you know that there are tons of better options when you’re in the mood for pasta—like these nine dishes from restaurants across the city. Whether you’re looking for bolognese with 60-month-aged parmigiano reggiano or a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, head to these spots.
It may be “out of the way”, but this “exceptional Sardinian gem” in Noe Valley is worth the trip for its robust, "seafood-focused” Italian fare, “amazing pastas” and “incredible” selection of “well-priced” regional wines; “owners Lorella and Massimo” and their crew “welcome you like family”, but as it’s very “small”, insiders make sure to “book ahead.”
Sardinian cuisine takes the spotlight at this family-run charmer, which draws a loyal crowd of Noe Valley regulars—particularly parents on a well-earned date night. The intimate, dark green dining room is always full, and is nestled right up against the kitchen, from which the chef regularly pops out to greet guests in a blend
of Italianenglish. Start with the house-made bread and the home-cured salumi of the day...
The octopus in dark tomato sauce is simply magnificent; it must have been cooked for many hours. Fresh spaghetti with grated bottarga is a classic and very likable dish; most people I’ve eaten with prefer it to the powerful and possibly hard-to-take sauce of pecorino and tuna heart, which is decidedly “fishy.” Fregola (something like toasted big couscous) with squid ink and a sauce of many different... READ MORE
Chef Massimiliano Conti quickly won a loyal following after opening this charming neighborhood trattoria with his wife Lorella, the only restaurant in the city exclusively serving Sardinian food. The island's classics are all represented—octopus stew in a spicy tomato sauce; seared lamb tenderloin drizzled with cooked grape must; fresh spaghetti with spicy oil and bottarga (salted mullet roe); and fregola (pebble-shape pasta) with sea urchin, tomato, and... READ MORE
In 2006, Massimiliano Conti left his wine job and followed his first love - cooking the food of his native Sardinia, a cuisine with strong Spanish and Italian influences. The bold, rustic flavors are encapsulated in the baby octopus stew where the thick smoky tomato sauce has a kick from dried chiles.... READ MORE
Where does Top Chef alum Lizzie Binder go when she's craving pasta? Quintessential neighborhood restaurant La Ciccia offers one of Binder's favorite dishes—semolina gnochetti with pork meat sugo. Watch as Binder goes into the kitchen with chef Massimiliano Conti to prepare this incredible Sardinian...
Chef Massimiliano Conti and his darling wife Lorella opened La Ciccia in 2006, and is a regional Italian restaurant (Sardinian) with one goal: to provide authentic Italian food with heart. The couple believes that eating together with people you care about is a tradition never to be forgotten...
La Ciccia really is my go-to place for Italian food in San Francisco. Here’s the rub: it’s not really what we would consider Italian food, either north or south. Sardinia is an island situated about 125 miles from mainland Italy and has a cuisine entirely its own, which shares...