Many people, especially native San Francis-can’s, certainly noticed when the historic North Beach establishment, the U.S. Restaurant, closed for remodeling in April, 2015. Patrons would walk by 515 Columbus Avenue looking for signs of a much anticipated reopening. Months went by, people with worried glances and sad faces would walk by the store-front, shaking their heads in concern, all asking the same question: “When will our beloved U.S. Restaurant return?”
Well, rejoice, the restaurant reopened to the delight of patrons on December 4. It is now located at a new address in the 1924 Columbus Building located at 414 Columbus, still on the main street in North Beach and just a few steps away from the restaurant’s previous locations.
The U.S. Restaurant is of note to Bay Area residents, and especially the Italian community, because its story is one we can relate to and admire. Originally, the current storefront was the location for a succession of Italian bakeries, including that of baker Felix Nebbia who operated the Nebbia (the word for fog in Italian, how appropriate for San Francisco) Pastry Company and who commissioned an Italian artist to paint the charming cherub mural on the ceiling where cherubs are holding slices of cake.
The U. S. Restaurant has been part of the North Beach Italian community in San Francisco since the late 1890’s. Originally named the U.S. Restaurant and Oyster Parlor, the name U.S. is actually an abbreviation for Unione Sportiva which was the collection of Italian athletic clubs existing in San Francisco at the time. The soccer, baseball, boxing, and fencing clubs used the space currently occupied by the Bank of America at the corner of Stockton and Green Streets as their meeting place. The restaurant, which was located across the street, soon became the dining spot for most club functions.
In the 1950’s, Camillo Borzoni and Joe Cassarotto purchased the U.S. Restaurant and operated it on the corner of Columbus Avenue and Stockton Street until they sold it in 1964 to Camillo’s brother Luigi and his wife Maria, both natives of Parma, Italy.
During the years that Luigi and Maria ran the restaurant, it was completely family run and tables were served by daughters Anna and Anita and daughter-in-law Lou. Even Anna’s husband, Alberto Cipollina, pitched in by doing the bookkeeping and cooking in the kitchen. For decades owner Alberto Cipollina’s mother-in-law, Maria Borzoni, shared her recipes from Parma and most of the current daily specials are those of Maria, recipes originating in northern Italy. Anna and Alberto later added more Sicilian recipes, including calamari and other tantalizing flavors of Sicily.
It was in 2000 that Alberto was inspired to have a mural painted on the large wall at the new 515 Columbus location. He wanted patrons to have a view of Little Italy, Coit Tower and North Beach while they dined. Alberto shares that, “I enjoyed asking customers if they would like a table with a bay view. The mural was a way to depict the personaggi (personages) that made the restaurant so special.” In addition, the legendary owner of City Lights Bookstore, North Beach Italian, Lorenzo Ferlinghetti was also painted into the mural which he then autographed. When asked the fate of the mural, Alberto replied, “Sadly, since the landlady locked us out of the business, the future of the mural is unknown. It’s a shame!”
In 2004 Alberto and Anna retired and sold the restaurant to Gaspare Giudice and Benjamin Ruiz. The restaurant was moved to 515 Columbus Ave until it closed down unexpectedly in April of 2015. When asked why the restaurant abruptly closed in April, Alberto replied, “Unfortunately the restaurant had to close to put in handicapped restrooms and after that major sewage problems were found. The landlady locked us out with another eight months on the lease. My friend Michael Alioto and I decided to look for another location to bring the old U.S. back and found a vacancy coming available at the Colosseo location. After the loss of my beloved wife in 2015, I decided to come out of retirement and resurrect the restaurant.”
Today, the long standing family-run tradition continues as Alberto Cipollina, eager to resurrect his family’s involvement in the restaurant, along with Mario Alioto, join forces with Gaspare Giudice and Benjamin Ruiz, to keep the Unione Sportiva tradition alive. The menu still features classic U.S. Restaurant Italian dishes plus authentic family recipes from Sicily. The Trinacria symbol on the menu signifies an authentic Sicilian dish. Trinacria means triangle in Italian and refers to the shape of the island of Sicily. Menu items include Cabucio Sicilian sandwiches, Spaghetti Pesto Trapanese, Gamberoni alla Siciliana, and Alberto’s Caponata antipasti.
The U.S. Restaurant has always been the neighborhood’s kitchen. It may have changed ownership over the years and operated at different locations, but it has always been in North Beach – in the heart of the City’s Italian community. It is a living tribute to our parents, grandparents and other relatives who moved to San Francisco from Italy and settled here in North Beach in search of the American dream.
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