With its "stellar" Istrian dishes (a blend of Italian, Croatian and Slovenian cuisines), this "unpretentious gem" in North Beach offers a "distinctive" dining experience in an "off-the-beaten-track" locale that's "easy to miss but hard to forget" ; you may "bump elbows" in the "small space" , but it's overseen by "gracious" servers who "make you feel like family."