Mara's Italian Pastries — Restaurant in San Francisco

This was THE WORST cannoli I’ve had in my entire life. Visually, they look attractive…but don’t be deceived.

I don’t write many bad reviews (~3 in 10 years), but this place deserves it. My experience was so bad, I’m still fuming as I write this. Short story - it’s the lowest quality cannoli on planet earth. Longer story - $9.95 price tag and a rude, apathetic staff. Long story - read below:

The crust/shell was old, stale, and tasted like freezer burn…exactly like the cardboard on a box of baking soda that’s been sitting in there for years. I was actually shocked as I ate it and had to scrape out the filling halfway through the crust was so bad (it was also soggy on the inside from Mara’s leaving the filling in the cannoli while it sits in the case).

The filling did NOT taste like ricotta cheese at all, I question if they even used any real ricotta cheese…it tasted like cheap Safeway frosting in the frozen Entenmann’s section at the end of the aisle. Definitely poor quality ingredients going into Mara’s pastries.

The filling was inside the cannoli already (bad bad thing to do) instead of being put inside when you order it…causing the already stale/terrible shell to be a bit soggy on the Inside and the flavor to stale (cannoli eaters know that a true pastry shop puts the filling in when it’s ordered). To top it off, Mara was stingy with the amount of filling…it was not flowing out of the ends of the cannoli like a legit one.

And…the part almost as bad as the pastry’s taste itself…the Cannoli was $9.95! …$9.95. Total price gouging. I feel violated from the price and I also feel scammed because it was the worst piece of trash I’ve ever ingested short of some moldy cheese I ate in Paraguay once. Even the best cannoli on planet earth isn’t $9.95, and I’ve had them in NYC, many many times - I’m talking the pastry shop that Al Pacino still goes to (Gino’s) and they are ‘only’ $4.75…and they are incredible cannolis. Mara’s is over double that price and not even digestible. Well Mara, you certainly take the cake (and the cannoli) for the best food scam operation in San Francisco.

Did I mention the staff was rude with very disengaged personalities? They did not have warm customer service, didn’t look any of the customers in the eye when speaking to them, and acted frustrated when they couldn’t hear us place our order under a mask. I asked “did you say $5.95 per cannoli?” (a reasonable question, no?) and one of the ladies behind the counter responded with “No! 9.95! $9.95!” curtly and aggressively. As someone who has worked many years in hospitality and also as a chef at one point of my earlier life, I can attest to the fact that a place with staff that doesn’t take what they do seriously will never put out good food. And when the front of house staff are rude and more interested in talking to each other than a customer, it’s another sign of a poor establishment. Good food service is Labor of love. Very simple.

What a terrible waste of money. I can’t tell if I’m sick from the cannoli itself or sick from the experience. Stay away from this place if you’re looking for a cannoli that doesn’t make you leave with regret, self shame, and a bad taste...

If you blink, you might miss it – but don’t make that mistake. Mara’s is the cutest little pastry shop in North Beach, and stepping inside feels like finding a true slice of old-school Italian San Francisco.

The pastry cases are overflowing with every Italian classic you could dream of: crunchy cannoli, biscotti, tiramisu, rum-soaked cakes, even trays of fresh pizza and gelato. Everything is made with that authentic touch that only a family-run shop can deliver. The cannoli are filled fresh and perfectly crisp, the biscotti are addictive, and the pastries taste just as good as they look (and trust me, they look amazing).

What makes Mara’s even better is the warm, no-rush vibe. The service is friendly and genuine, the kind where you feel like you’re part of the neighborhood even if it’s your first visit.

North Beach is full of history and charm, and Mara’s fits right in. It’s the kind of spot that makes you slow down, grab a cappuccino, and savor something sweet. An absolute must-visit if you want the real Italian pastry experience in...

Hubby and I used to come by here every time we go to San Francisco. And that was before the pandemic. I guess the pandemic change people. I came by here by myself and bought two cannolis and a cinnamon roll and total up to $26. That's pretty outrageous even for a hoity-toity pastry shop. And not to mention the staff here and I think it's the owner is not the friendliest in the whole city. All I said was "I'm so glad you guys reopened". The staff explain that they were closed so I must've taken the wrong street but when I was telling them that I'm glad that they are still there they had no appreciation or any type of positive attitude. I guess they make enough money to have one less customer. I will definitely look elsewhere for pastries from now on. I only have certain amount of money to spend when I go to the city and I don't want all of it to go to one visit to the pastry shop.

Quality:A++ Service:...