While it may be trendy to avoid carbs, let’s face it, the majority of us without gluten issues have a genuine affection for anything made with flour. Italians are undoubtedly the greatest at carbs. Pizza, spaghetti, garlic bread, and cannoli — it’s the stuff foodie dreams are made of. Both New York and San Francisco have long been recognized for their Italian cuisine, but the South Bay has some equally wonderful dining options. Indeed, San Jose and the rest of the South Bay is teeming with eateries steeped in authentic Italian and Italian-American traditions, and operated by some very exceptional families. With this list, we no longer need to travel to enjoy real, homemade pastas and pizzas.
Below, you’ll find an abundance of pizza, pasta, and seafood. Thus, in no particular order, here is a list of the 14 top Italian restaurants in the South Bay. Save them all to your Yelp favorites and add them to your list of DoorDash venues to order from. None will let you down. Buon appetito!
Tony and Alba’s is the type of place where you’ll want to bring a gang. The pizza sauce has a richness of flavor that will transport you to Italy, and the pizza crusts are crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside. The Salciccia family set out to perfect the art of pizza making after taking over a pizzeria in 1982, and Tony and Alba’s was born. Tony and Alba made their own dough and sauces and welcomed everyone with open arms into their restaurant. Every pizza at this family-owned restaurant is made with love, and the pastas are also hearty and comforting. Alba herself still visits the restaurant now and then, and three generations of her family work together to prepare ingredients from scratch. Plus, it’s right next to Santa Row, so you can walk off the calories and window-shop after you’ve eaten.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4082464605
3137 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose
Tony Di Maggio’s is a truly unique establishment. Tony Di Maggio and his family opened it in December of 1977. The stromboli and kindness of the Di Maggio family have won it a slew of loyal customers over the years. If you’ve never tried stromboli before, it’s almost like a pizza rolled into a log. It’s made with fresh dough and stuffed with ham, sausage, melted mozzarella, and a hint of mustard. Don’t skip the mustard; it may seem strange at first, but the tang adds some perfect balance. Make sure to order a large side of their housemade marinara to slather on top of your stromboli. Every day of the week, Mrs. Di Maggio and her sons can be found chatting with customers and preparing some of the best Italian food in the area.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4086297775
3852 Monterey Rd, San Jose
Giorgio’s serves some of the South Bay’s most popular Italian dishes. Giorgio’s was founded in 1956 by a group of Italian friends in a small shopping center on San Jose’s south side. Over the years, countless guests have come in and out, enjoying pizza and sausage bread. A lifesize portrait of this group of friends smiling and holding wine glasses hangs on the restaurant’s back wall. And the must-try item here may be Giorgio’s closely guarded Bolognese sauce recipe. It isn’t overly sweet or overly acidic, but just the stuff of meaty dreams, made with sausage, beef, and tender steak chunks that melt in your mouth. Drink it down with some red wine or a handcrafted Italian soda and a complimentary side of their freshly baked bread. This place is addictive, and once you’ve tried it, you won’t be able to stop.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4082645781
1445 Foxworthy Ave, San Jose
We can’t talk about Italian food in the South Bay without mentioning Little Italy. Despite its small size, San Jose’s Little Italy has some fantastic restaurants, including Paesano Ristorante Italiano. With a menu as extensive as Paesano’s, it’s easy to get lost. It’s full of tempting options, but beginners should start with the pasta and work their way up from there. The pappardelle Alexandra is a house favorite, with thick pasta ribbons, crab chunks, and salty pancetta pieces all drenched in a vodka sauce. But pretty much every dish here is memorable and worth a try.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4082179327
350 W Julian St, San Jose
Look no further if you’re looking for San Jose’s most popular ravioli than Bertucelli’s La Villa Delicatessen, or simply La Villa as San Jose residents refer to it. Since its inception in 1947, La Villa has been a pasta hotspot. The ravioli are referred to as “little pillows of heaven” by many people. They’re light, cheesy, decadent, and drenched in a unique marinara sauce. If you aren’t a meatball fan, order multiple meatballs anyway and you will be converted. Because the ravioli come in various sizes, you can order as little or as much as you want at La Villa’s. But believe me when I say that more is better in this case.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4082957851
1319 Lincoln Ave, San Jose
When the Federico family relocated from Sicily to Silicon Valley in 2008, they discovered a dearth of authentic Italian desserts. They took matters into their own hands and opened Dolce Sicilia to serve us all cannoli and bombolini. This is the type of place where you can eat your dessert first and feel completely guilt-free, including their perfectly crunch connoli They also have a wide selection of Italian cookies that are almost too pretty to eat. Dolce Sicilia makes fresh pasta, as well, and sauces from scratch if you’re also in the mood for something savory. If you have dietary restrictions but still crave carbs, they have a freshly made mozzarella kale ravioli that is gluten-free. Dolce Sicilia, located in the heart of Willow Glen, is open seven days a week for shopping and sightseeing.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4088823953
1165 Lincoln Ave #110, San Jose
Il Fornaio
Best Italian Restaurants in Santa Clara County
Il Fornaio, located on the bottom floor of a posh hotel, is the place to go for sophisticated Italian cuisine. All of the 5-star reviews and accolades are well deserved. The pasta-to-sauce ratio is frequently misjudged in Italian restaurants. Il Fornaio, on the other hand, gets it right every time, reinvigorating faith in the way a perfect bowl of pasta should be served. Also outstanding are the calamari, pizzas, and soups. And this restaurant’s tiramisu is divine.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4082713366
302 S Market St, San Jose
For several years in a row, Aldo’s has been named Metro Magazine’s best Italian restaurant, and for good reason. Aldo Maresca arrived in America in 1993 from Sorrento, Italy. Aldo and his wife, Barbara, had a dream of opening their own Italian restaurant with a welcoming atmosphere, attentive service, and delectable cuisine. They’ve been doing just that since 1996. Aldo’s is well-known in the area for serving some of the best Italian food outside of Italy. If you decide to dine at Aldo’s, you must order the calamari as an appetizer. The batter is crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside, and the tartar sauce is to die for. The portions are enormous, the flavors are spot on, and the staff makes you feel as if you’re dining at a relative’s home. At Aldo’s, satisfying a pasta craving has never been easier.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4083741808
14109 S Winchester Blvd, Los Gatos
Dinner, drinks, and entertainment don’t get much better than this, and Campo Di Bocce exceeds all expectations in every way. The Albanese family opened Campo Di Bocce in Los Gatos in 1997, modeled after Italian bocciodromos — bowling greens for playing bocce. The people who work here genuinely try to make it accessible to anyone who wants to learn to play. Children are welcome, and bocce instructors can teach beginners how to play. As for food and drinks, there’s a full bar, and a bevy of Italian staples — with a solid lasagna, and chicken parmesan.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4083957650
565 University Ave, Los Gatos
Bibo’s NY Pizza is all about the pizza, and the slices are a must-order. The wonderful thing about Bibo’s is that you can order a slice in almost any flavor — this is ideal for those of us who have trouble committing and want to try a little bit of everything. Their dough and sauce are made fresh every day. The mozzarella cheese is made from a combination of buffalo and cow’s milk, giving it a distinct flavor and a competitive advantage over the competition. Bibo’s offers both traditional and unique flavors, such as Margherita. The Goat, for instance, has goat cheese, bacon, and hot honey on top. Bibos also has a fantastic drink menu, with a rotating selection of beers on tap. Pizza and a cold beer? At Bibo’s, you can have the ultimate cheat meal.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4082179084
1431 Bird Ave, San Jose
There’s only one place in town where you can get a prime rib the size of your head served with ravioli. Original Joe’s is a staple of the Bay Area’s Italian food scene (but this restaurant is, FYI, currently unaffiliated with the Original Joe’s in San Francisco and Daly City). The Rocca family helped to open the first Original Joe’s in San Francisco in the 1920s, and this South Bay outpost came along in 1956. The place has been delighting guests with eggplant parmigiana and Joe’s Famous Mostacioli for seven decades now, and it has become a downtown San Jose institution. The portions are enormous. The wait staff is personable. The booths are so comfortable that you’ll want to take your shoes off. Original Joe’s is a welcoming establishment that will make you feel right at home.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4082927030
301 S 1st St, San Jose
Sorelle Italian Bistro is the kind of Italian restaurant where you come back just for the free bread, despite the fact that there are a plethora of other menu items to tempt you. The bread is crusty, pillowy, and warm, and it’s served with a large bowl of olive oil topped with roasted garlic chunks. Don’t fill up on the bread, despite how tempting it is, because Sorelle’s serves up some incredible food, including linguini with grilled jumbo shrimp, and desserts like their take on Floating Islands. Francesca Rudé, an immigrant from Tricarico, Italy, opened Sorelle’s in San Jose. Sorelle means “sisters” in Italian and is named for the generations of strong women in Francesca’s family. She uses her family’s recipes, and you can feel the TLC in each and every dish.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4083741800
915 S San Tomas Aquino Rd, Campbell
A Bellagio
Best Italian Restaurants in Santa Clara County
This is the kind of place where the employees all seem to enjoy their jobs, which makes the customers enjoy their time there as well. The food is to die for, and both CitySearch and Metro Magazine voted A Bellagio as the Best Italian Restaurant in the area. Every dish served here is meticulously prepared, with ingredients either locally sourced or imported from Italy, and a focus on fresh seafood. Don’t miss the spaghetti carbonara here, or the lobster tail fettucine.
Visit WebsiteCall: 4083707705
33 S Central Ave, Campbell
Doppio Zero is a big deal in the neighborhood. It has received numerous awards, including Best Italian Restaurant by Metro Magazine and being named to the 50 Top Pizza list, which searches the globe for the best pizzas. Doppio Zero’s pizza will transport you to Naples in no time. The dough is made with 00 flour imported from Italy and cooked in a wood-burning oven. I’d recommend the traditional Margherita pizza, and then try one of the other dishes. The wine is also something out of a fairy tale. It’s the kind of meal that can help you forget about a bad day and turn it into a positive experience.
