Rose Pistola facts for kids

Rose Pistola was a popular Italian restaurant located in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. It was known for its special dishes from the Liguria region of Italy. The restaurant opened its doors in 1996 and quickly became a favorite spot.

What Was Rose Pistola?

Rose Pistola focused on food from Liguria, a beautiful coastal region in northwest Italy. This type of Italian cooking often uses fresh seafood, herbs like basil, and olive oil. The restaurant was a big part of the San Francisco food scene for many years.

A Special Award

Just one year after opening, in 1997, Rose Pistola received a very important honor. It won the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best New Restaurant." The James Beard Awards are like the "Oscars" for the food world in the United States. Winning this award showed that Rose Pistola was truly special and highly respected.

How It Got Its Name

The restaurant was named after a real person, Rose "Pistola" Evangelisti. She was a well-known local figure who owned a popular bar in the same area from the 1950s to the 1970s. Chef Reed Hearon and co-owner Laurie Thomas bought the rights to use her name for their new restaurant. As part of the agreement, Rose Evangelisti could visit and eat at the restaurant whenever she wanted.

Why Rose Pistola Closed

After many successful years, Rose Pistola closed in February 2017. The owners explained that the costs of running the restaurant had become too high. Also, they noticed that fewer people were visiting the restaurant. These reasons led to the decision to close this beloved San Francisco eatery.