Granucci’s

It’s really annoying when you walk past a restaurant that has staff standing outside pushing you to come inside and dine. If you’re going to do that, offer cuisine that can back up your hustling behavior and overpriced, old food. I say old because the Ahi Tuna you served me should never be served nearly black in color (red in color is considered fresh). Absolutely disgusting!

Granucci’s posted a closed sign in the window for months now. I think their closure is now more of a permanent thing rather than a passing occurrence.
We’ll miss you!
Update 10/​11/​2013:
I see a For Sale sign is now in the window. Great opportunity for another enterprising person to pick up where Yolanda is leaving off.

One of the best pizza places in Pacifica is here. It’s not a your cheap 5 dollar large Caesar’s pizza, but you can taste the fresh ingredients here starting from the dough to all the toppings that go on top. They use a sour dough which is between a thin and a thick, and I actually liked it more even though I usually prefer thin. It gave it that slight chewiness you get in sour dough breads and it holds the ingredients together well without being too filling like most thick crusts. When they use garlic, they know how to mix it in with all the herbs and meat to make a savory and garlicky — without being overpowering — pizza.
Plain and simple, they use fresh ingredients and it shows.

Another great dinner. Anything else you wanna know? Had to wipe down my plated with the extra fresh bread we asked for. I would have ate my plate if it had any flavor in it.
What happened to this place. It’s LIKE CLOSED. WTF
I liked the food???

I called Granucci’s the best in Pacifica once and now it is still the best.
Seven of us had dinner and it was a very good experience. People were welcoming and patient while we chatted and got settled in. The waitress went over the specials, took our drink orders, and was back in no time to take orders as drinks we served.
The food is always an interesting blend of ingredients and flavors. From the entrees to the pizzas, there is always a unique twist put in to get your interest. The only compliant was the sea bass was over thought. A good piece of sea bass can stand alone. But we have to give points for trying. And that is what sets this place apart from the others, it does try. Water was always filled, plates taken away at the right time, every question answered about any item on the menu, suggestions offered if someone is in doubt. They care about their customers and about the food they offer.

The bf and I were celebrating an anniversary and i didn’t want to travel too far from home so we decided to drive down the hill and try this place since I was craving pasta.
The waiter was un-​attentive and I had to ask for a refill on my hot water 3 times before I finally got one.
The food was decent, but based on the tiny portions and high price I am giving this place 2 stars. I’m not a big eater but I went home hungry, and promptly made myself another meal. (If I wanted to cook at home I would have eaten at home in the first place).
Spagetti cost next to nothing. There is no reason why I should receive a giant bowl with a tiny glob of pasta in it. (Yes I have pictures)
Prehaps their pizza is better I couldn’t tell you as we didn’t order that.

I might be dreaming about Granucci’s house made Papardelle with Duck Ragu for days. I am still savoring the perfectly al dente noodles with a luxurious red sauce of delicately tender, shredded duck. I rarely make it to Pacifica these days, but it is absolutely worth the trip for this dish alone. And to think, a few years ago I didn’t even EAT duck!
We ended up having a pretty lavish dinner here — I got to experience quite a broad range of items on the menu. We started off with fresh oysters with champagne mignonette, and freshly grated horseradish, which was a really fantastic touch. Beef carpaccio, vitello tonnato, and seafood «fritto misto» were all really well done. I especially love the Fritto Misto, with the nice big chunks of fish and fried lemon slices (delicious).
Next up was a parade of main dishes. The Macaroni & Cheese was super rich (and delicious). The Petrale Sole was perfectly cooked with great flavors, although I would suggest they lighten up on the sauce in order to let the fish take center stage and make it a little fresher for the summer. The Brick Pressed chicken was amazing — I can never get my chicken that moist and flavorful, so I have a great appreciation for anyone who can cook chicken correctly. The bed of potatoes that the chicken sat on were a nice touch. The New York steak was delicious, and I could have eaten an entire serving of the accompanying Goat Cheese potato gratin all by itself. We also had the seared ahi tuna with prawn risotto — again, perfectly cooked, with really nice flavor.
To wrap it all up, we shared tiramisu and the flourless chocolate cake. I am a total sweets person, so I liked every single bite of those desserts.
Okay, I just made myself hungry. Go to Granucci’s. Seriously. Go now!

Came here on a whim last Saturday night after a friend highly recommended it to the party I was with. So the 6 of us drove all the way up here from Santa Clara for dinner. We arrived around 7 pm and the little restaurant was busy and we had to wait for probably 20 minutes for a table for 6. The owner’s wife came to greet us and asked if she ccould offer us anything while we were waiting. Her husband is Italian and she is Mexican American so we can be assured that the food is real Italian.
I was trying to take photos of every dish we ordered with my iPhone to post on Unilocal.Yet when our orders finally arrived everyone was starving and could not wait for my slow phone to take photos and upload. You can see in most of my photos that the foods on the plates were already partially taken by someone. So much is that…
Anyway, after I finished taking and upload photos, some dishes were almost gone and I did not even get to taste the halibut. LOL… And I was so starving I just hurried up to gobble down whatever was left on the plates. So this is not a very detailed review of every dish we ordered. All I can remember is that everything was good, from the salads, to seafood, to meatballs, raviolis to dessert. The pasta was fresh and so was the fish (cod and halibut). The service was understandably a little slow given that it was busy dinner time. The (cheese) raviolis were big but there were only 5 of them. So me and my friend next to me had to share one as there were 6 of us at the table.
Overall a pleasant experience with good food and cozy family-​like atmosphere. This would be a good romantic date spot too.

My parents went to this place awhile ago and said it was pretty good, so when my friend and I were looking to try something new, I suggested Granucci’s. When we walked in, I was impressed with how nice it looked and we were seated right away. When I first looked at the menu I felt the prices were a bit high, but I eventually settled on the lobster ravioli beause the waiter made it sound really good. After we ordered, the busboy brought us some bread, and let me tell you, it was REALLY flippin good. I mean, I would come again for the bread alone and I think he refilled the bread basket three or four times beause we couldn’t stop eating it. Also, my water glass was never empty because the busboy refilled often, which is awsome!
When my food came I felt like the portion was a bit on the small side considering the price because there were only five raviolis. I think adding at least one ravioli would have made me feel better, but whatever, the raviolis were good so it wasnt a big deal. What I was most impressed with was how the waiter handled my friend because she is a servers worse nighmere!!! She was asking for a lot and wasn’t that nice which I felt bad about, but he was pretty polite to her.
So, overall I would be back, but don’t worry, I won’t bring that same friend again!

Came here for dinner the other day, and I was glad we stopped in for dinner.
This is a cozy little Italian restaurant that serves up tasty food, with a nice intimate atmosphere. Our waiter was nice and made some good suggestions, and they had some delicious specials on the menu.
All of the food was delicious, my gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella was excellent, its nice to see somewhere serving up some buffalo mozzarella, it doesn’t seem to get used enough and its soooo delicious!
Our waiter recommended we split a salad that was on their specials menu, and it was fantastic. It was a mixed green salad with fennel, orange slices, pomegranate seeds, and a nice piece of fried buffalo mozzarella on top. In one word, delicious!
They also have a nice selection of wine, and again our waiter was helpful in making suggestions in that regard.
The owner was also there floating around from table to table, making sure everything was ok. All in all everyone that worked there seemed extremely friendly.
My only complaint is that there is nowhere to sit for people who are waiting for tables. The only spot was right next to where our table was, where they have a few high back chairs. Unfortunately sitting in those chairs were some young children who were giving me and my girlfriend the stink-​eye and coughing every 5 seconds, which sort of brings down the mood when you are trying to have a romantic dinner and a glass of wine. This isn’t the restaurants fault, its more a fault of bad parenting I guess, but at the same time it was sort of annoying.
But all in all I would definitely come back if I am ever in Pacifica again!

A great little Italian restaurant in Pacifica that offers up a delicious array of Italian food and a Caesar salad to die for. Seriously, I have had Caesar salad before but Granucci’s Caesar salad will blow your mind.
I am glad that we have found a great Italian restaurant that we can see ourselves going back in the near future. One that is not far from where we live and where parking is plentiful.
Service — Excellent!

We love Granuccis. The service is wonderful and the food is delicious.
The owner is very friendly and always there to greet you. She is the type of owner/​front of house that all small restaurants should have. She makes the patrons feel welcome and important.
The homemade gnocchi melts in your mouth and the short ribs are spectacular. The specials are also something to try, as they consist of local, sustainable, fresh ingredients. Chef Alejandro is very good at working with these ingredients to come up with some great flavor combinations.
Granucci’s isn’t your typical Pacifica fare. It is a big step above most of the restaurants here, which mostly seem to be of «take out» quality.
If you are looking for fresh delicious food, try Granucci’s. It may become your favorite place in Pacifca, as it has become mine.

Love this place. We had terrific service here despite there only being one (phenomenal) waitress present in a packed room on Sunday.
We were the last ones to leave and were encouraged to enjoy our time together. We had two delicious short-​rib dinners, the seared sea bass, and the brick-​baked Tuscan chicken.
This is certainly the Italian place in Pacifica that we would not hesitate recommending to our friends and anyone visiting this area.

Granucci’s serves up San Francisco-​quality Italian cuisine right here in Pacifica. I went last night for the first time. (I didn’t even know the restaurant existed until my wife suggest we give it a shot).
Granucci’s is situated in the dreary and foggy Manor district’s dilapidated «Manor Plaza.» The restaurant is the bright light in the area: It’s a narrow space but very clean, bright — with a warm, friendly atmosphere and fantastic aromas.
We started with fresh calamari stuffed with potato, shrimp and served on toast with a marinara sauce (I can’t recall the exact name). It was amazingly fresh — from nearby El Granada/​Half Moon Bay.
Next we had a fantastic bisque: Celery with fresh (again, from down the road) crab meat.
For the main course I went with the rack of lamb, garlic mashed potatoes and fresh spinach. The meat was so tender I could have used a butter knife to cut it. Probably the best rack of lamb I’ve had in California.
My wife selected risotto with scallops — cooked in some of that fresh calamari’s «ink,» giving it a black color.
We ended the meal with crème brûlées.
Everything we ordered was from that night’s specials menu. After the meal the owner visited our table and asked us how we liked the meal and we had a nice chat.
Everyone at Granucci’s was very friendly and attentive. And it was clear that most patrons where regulars and were on a first-​name basis with many of the staff.
I’m very glad to have discovered this hidden gem right here in Pacifica.

Wow… What a gem of a restaurant. Great service (thanks CeCe for making a stormy night enjoyable!). We started with the garlic bread and the prawns on grilled polenta. They were perfect. (The garlic bread is almost a meal in itself). Then, we moved on to the main courses. Pizza and gnocchi/​mozzarella in a a light red sauce. Fabulous. Paired with a nice Nebbiolo, you couldn’t go wrong. The profiteroles of with chocolate and carmel sauce was the perfect finale!
Don’t let this restaurants small size fool you. The flavors, homemade pastas and desserts make this a must try in Pacifica. It is worth the price.
Thanks to the kitchen for coursing everything just right! I would have given them 5 stars but the garlic bread was a bit heavy for my taste (don’t let that dissuade you from trying it). We will certainly go back the next time we are in town.

Granucci’s is like an oasis in Pacifica’s desert of 1950s lounges, family restaurants, and hole-​in-​the-​wall joints whose health code reports I’d rather not read. I’ve passed by this place several times while walking between Bay Coffee Company and the butcher’s and was always surprised that it actually looked. .. nice. Quite different than its neighbor, Surf Lounge, which I am mildly scared of.
The restaurant is clean and simply decorated with a certain casual elegance. Service is warm and efficient. The owner came out to greet us, which was nice.
The food had a number of highs, if a few bumps. The bread was very, very good, as was the chile olive oil provided for dipping. The owner said that the bread comes from Sonoma – her brother has some exclusive arrangement with the baker. The Granucci’s salad – mixed greens, goat cheese, and candied walnuts – was really good. The butter linguine with meatballs was AMAZING. Really, it was addictive from the first bite. So much so that one could forget the calories implied by any dish with «butter» in the name. My salmon was overcooked, but the butter linguine made up for that. I’d love to try dessert.
Before deciding to try out Granuci’s, I mapped where I live and used the «search nearby» feature to find local restaurants. My result list included pages upon pages of restaurants that ranged from Sizzler to McDonald’s to Round Table. .. you get the picture. Please, please Pacificans, patronize Granucci’s so we can have one option for a casual but nice night out nearby.

Calamari with stuffed potato and crab appetizer didn’t do it for me. It’s not that it wasn’t fresh, or craftily made. It’s more that the flavors didn’t wow me, which is surprising since I usually love potatoes, crab and calamari in any form. If we didn’t have this, I probably would have rated Granucci’s with 4 stars. Oh well, maybe after another tasting of their pizza, I’ll change my rating.
The pizza is made on a delectable sourdough crust. We ordered the Joe’s Special which includes heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese. Yum! Their thin, crunchy crust pizza is as good as what I’d been hearing. The sauce is a little sweeter than I prefer, but I’ll probably order one for delivery sometime soon anyway to get a taste of their pizza with meat :)
Grannuci’s prices are also what I heard. .. pricey! Worth it? Maybe for the pizza, but definitely not the appetizer.

Our friends and his parents offer to take us out to dinner. How nice! We rarely eat around Pacifica area so they suggested Granucci’s.
We started our dinner by sharing some really good wines that the server recommended. Then we shared dozen of oysters on the half shell with champagne vinigrette. The oysters were very fresh and served nice and cold. Just the way I like them.
I started my meal with a bowl of Soup du Giono — the Corn Soup with Fresh Crab Meat. Decadent! The soup was silky and creamy, but not heavy and with spoonful of generous crab meats. Drizzled with basil olive oil and it was good to the last drop. It’s definitely one of my favorite soup.
For entrée, I had the Halibut with Spicy Tomato Sauce and Clams. The halibut is cooked to perfection and the spicy tomato sauce really compliment a hearty fish like halibut. The clams were just extra bonus in this dish.
My dining companies they had:
1) A customized Calzone with ham, spinich, cheese and mushrooms. The dough of the calzone is very good, not heavy, crispy and good flavor.
2) White Risotto with Cream Sauce and Salmon — very creamy, very rich. The rice grains were cooked perfectly with just a little al dante. It’s definitely a little goes a long way kind of dish that will stick to your ribs. Good flavors of the cheese.
3) Petro of Sole — I think Petro of Sole is generally blend in taste and is a very light fish. I only had a small bite, but it wasn’t bad. It’s a very light fish and they didn’t over cooked it. It was a very generous portion. But I won’t order that as the other dishes are way better. This dish was more of a plain Jane.
4) Steak with Pepper Sauce — No comments or feedback on this dish since I didn’t get a taste.
5) Braised Short Ribs with Polenta and Asparagus in Honey and Red Wine Sauce — I got a taste of this and the meat was nice and tender and still very juicy. The honey and red wine sauce was rich, robust and a great compliment with the meat.
Overall, the services are good, the wine list was nice. The restaurant is in a quite neighborhood that is children friendly and very family oriented. Good food, moderate prices and a nice pizza oven that can crank out delicious pizza. Worth a try if you are in Pacifica area.

We ate at Granucci’s last night and were very satisfied. We started with the calamari stuffed with potato and crab in lobster sauce. It’s not the ever-​prevalent deep fried crunchy calamari that you may be expecting; rather the squid is chewy and serves as a wrapper for the potato dumplings. The best part is the plentiful lobster sauce that tastes great soaked up bread after you finish the calamari.
On to the main course, I ordered the penne arrabbiata with shrimp, which was also quite tasty. The sauce was mildly spicy and the shrimp were cooked to perfection. The pasta was clearly homemade. My date ordered a chicken entrée with potatoes and chard. The chicken was perfectly crisp and the sides accompanied it well. All of this was too much food; we took a good deal of it home and had no room for dessert.
We ordered a bottle of Firesteed pinot noir which was mediocre. We probably should have stuck to a Chianti at an Italian restaurant.

Wow. :) My first trip in since their opening in 2009 and I am impressed.
I was a bit skeptical too because I’m not a big fan of the Green Enchilada next door. That place, owned by the same folks, feels pricey and bland. Sort of 2 Stars… Small portions, high prices, underseasoned.
But Granucci’s is the real deal. Lovely selection of dishes, super brunch food, pretty surroundings, friendly well trained staff.
Hollondaise sauce… oh lord. It’s really good. Fresh and plentiful without drowning the otherwise PERRRRfect salmon benedict. They do «standard» benedict too.
Pizza was tasty (kid ordered a small cheese). My guests were really happy with their dishes — portobello mushroom sandwich and Italian sausage omelette. Good portions, solid execution.
Friendly chef too! He seems to love his job, and want to make the customers happy. It shows.
For 3 adults, 1 child and non-​alcoholic beverages, our tab was $ 54. For that quality, that’s serious value in my book.
How totally cool to have this place in Pacifica. Granucci’s would do well in any near-​by «foodie» town. Let’s hope this starts a trend of better bistros in our little haven by the sea…