When I was a kid growing up in San Francisco, it was a treat on the rare occasion that my family trekked to Daly City to dine at Westlake Joe’s.

The prices were affordable for a working-class family. The big, cushy booths added an air of specialness. And the food was both different enough from our regular fare yet familiar enough so that my Chinese American parents felt comfortable around the menu.

Those memories flashed back to me last week when I was invited in as a guest at the new Little Original Joe’s in San Francisco’s Marina district.

Located on a prominent corner spot on Chestnut Street, the restaurant is housed inside a1920s Art Deco building with soaring ceilings and tall windows that let in loads of light. The expansiveness does mean that the 100-seat dining room with 12 bar seats gets pretty noisy, which might make it difficult to hear your dining companions but definitely adds to the lively bustle of the place.

This is Italian-American fare that may not be cutting edge, but it satisfies with pure comfort and nostalgia.

It certainly has appeal, as witnessed by the throngs dining on a Wednesday evening. Not only was the dining room packed, but so was the bar with patrons content to stand while sipping their cocktails. More parties waited outside, too, hoping to get in. It’s been this crazy busy since it opened six weeks ago, a server told me.

Brother and sister, John and Elena Duggan are the third-generation of their family to run not only this restaurant, but the Original Joe’s in San Francisco’s North Beach and the Westlake one, as well as the Little Original Joe’s in San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood that’s more of a market and takeout operation. Look for Original Joe’s to open its largest location yet in Walnut Creek in 2025. (Original Joe’s in downtown San Jose is not affiliated, and is owned by the Rocca family.)

It’s only appropriate that the new restaurant opened in the Marina, as John and Elena’s grandfather Tony Rudin, who founded Original Joe’s, lived in the neighborhood for more than half a century. You can’t miss the large framed photo of him hanging in the dining room.

While there are many Original Joe’s staples on the menu at Little Original Joe’s, there are also new dishes, as well as pizzas.

Don’t forget about cocktails, either. Four types of Negronis are available, including an alcohol-free one. The Classic Barrel Aged ($16) is smooth, roundly citrusy, and possessed of that perfect bitter edge.

The Italian Black Cherry Spritz ($15) comes in a goblet complete with a striped paper straw. It’s fun, fizzy, and refreshing with Meyer lemon vodka, limoncello, rimonato, a touch of black cherry to give a pale pink color, and a splash of Prosecco.

Here’s predicting that the zucchini fries ($16) become the restaurant’s new signature item. It’s a looker of a dish, with skinny zucchini strips lightly battered and fried to a golden crispiness, then piled precariously high atop a pedestal dish. Grated Parmigiano Reggiano gets showered on, and a crock of lemon basil aioli comes alongside for dipping.

Use your best Jenga skills to eat it, gently picking off zucchini fry after zucchini fry so as not to topple this edible Mount Midoriyama. You keep telling yourself to stop, but then keep reaching for another and another. You con yourself into thinking these are better for you than regular fries since they are zucchini. Softer than french fries, they have a subtle natural sweetness plus just the faintest bitterness from their skins. These are addictive.

The Little Gem Caesar salad ($16) arrives with the lettuce leaves arranged almost in a rosette. Chilled and crunchy, with just enough creamy piquant dressing, it’s a well done version of the classic.

Joe’s house-made meat ravioli ($28) arrives in a generous portion. The pasta sheets are thicker than what you’ll probably find at more contemporary Italian restaurants these days. These meaty ravioli with tangy tomato sauce satisfy a more old-school craving.

Parmigianas have long been a specialty, and you’ll find five versions offered, including one with portobello ($26) in which the caps are stuffed with a mix of spinach and ricotta, before being smothered in marinara sauce, mozzarella, and bread crumbs.

Another version takes the usual breaded chicken cutlet, drapes it with prosciutto, and adds in a spicy vodka sauce ($36) instead. The tender chicken tastes almost like pizza with a gentle hit of heat and a sweet-salty porky note.

Speaking of pizza, we ordered “The Italian Job” ($32) strewn with loads of nicely seasoned, crumbled Italian sausage, tomato sauce, puddles of melty mozzarella, milky ricotta, broccoli rabe and a touch of chili oil. The crust is crisp and chewy, without any dramatic air holes, and a bread-y quality.

Save room for a slice of Zanze’s amaretti cheesecake ($14) — or regret it deeply. Zanze’s is a beloved family-owned institution in San Francisco. Owner Sam Zanze’s father started the business 46 years ago. Last year, when Sam Zanze decided to retire, he found the perfect new owner to take over the bakery — the Duggan family. It couldn’t have been more appropriate, given that Sam’s father once worked as a waiter at Original Joe’s.

This crustless cheesecake is a marvel. It’s lighter and fluffier than a New York cheesecake, and creamier than a Japanese souffle cheesecake. It doesn’t eat heavy and overly rich like most cheesecakes. It’s as if you took a no-bake cheesecake and somehow inflated it with a tire pump.

Adorned with amaretti cookie crumbles and toasted almonds, it has a deep almond extract taste. You’re sure to polish off every forkful.

If you’re craving a comforting taste of yesteryear, Little Original Joe’s has it in spades.