Pasta arrives on huge platters and prices top off at $12.75 for linguine with shrimp and a creamy chipotle sauce that gets hotter with each bite, yet isn't overwhelming. We loved the tortellini with meat sauce ($8.95), with tender pasta bundles in a herb-infused sauce.

Delicate and flaky, the pizza crust is much better than the doughy kind you get at most neighborhood joints, and the prices are relatively low for such fresh-tasting pies, at around $25 for an extra large. The Favorite, with meat, onions, bell peppers and sausage, is a great choice; the crust got a bit soggy in the Nutty Marcella's, which is loaded with pesto, onion chunks, cherry tomatoes and cheese.

The tangy Greek salad ($5.50-$10.50) is a remnant of the previous owners, who were Greek. If you order several pasta dishes, the servers will bring you a generous family-style bowl of the salad rather than individual servings.

Vitals: 3839 Mission St. (at Crescent), San Francisco; (415) 647-6122. Open 2-10 p.m. Sun., Mon., Wed. and Thurs.; until 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Beer and wine. Credit cards accepted.

- Tara Duggan, tduggan@sfchronicle.com

This article appeared on page G - 10 of the San Francisco Chronicle