Pizza, not the precious Californian kind
The planning continues for my family's mass descent upon SF.
My husband and I are planning to introduce our suburban and foreign visitors to a lot of the more interesting cuisines SF has to offer, but we've decided they'll need at least one night's respite.
We'll be winding down one day in the North Beach area, so I wondered where we should go for pizza? We'll be a large group (10) so waiting at Tomasso's doesn't sound particularly appealing. The criteria of this particular meal are really just for it to be a family place with big tables and good cheap pizza that tastes better than takeout while not being a challenge for anyone's palates. Should I just be heading to North Beach Pizza?
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Has anyone eaten Pizza in Glen Park, Noe Valley (Haystack) or in the outer Mission (Zante, Little Joe's)??? I'd like to know what you think of the places in these neighborhoods.
Thanks
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re: KeepinItReal
Glen Park has Gialina now which is rated as one of the best in the city, and usually has long lines. They're known for inventive California style toppings.
Haystack has been around forever, and they turn out perfectly fine neighborhood pizza. It can be greasy, but it's the kind of place where once you find a combo you like, it's sort of reliable for what it is. Once upon a time there were lines here but I think the die hards moved away from the area. The quality has decline a bit too. It's not the kind of thing I would go out of my way to eat.
Zante is Indian pizza. The place isn't the cleanest, but it's tasty as a novelty experience that you'll either get hooked on or be freaked out by. The indian pizza itself can feel like you're eating leftovers spread across a pizza. It's a little unsettling but works in a strange way. I don't know what their regular pizzas are like, but I would suspect it's going to be a little greasy, and nothing particularly standout.
Little Joe's - I haven't been recently, so I'd be curious. It used to be an old style cheapie pizza, only it's not cheap. I would expect something close to Villa Romano, if that reference means anything.
Reviews of pizza are hard to trust since it's such a personalized taste. I think you can get a lot from a picture though...so my suggestion is to check out their websites, and yelp and decide if it fits your idea of what a good pizza looks like.
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Lori SF
Jul 17, 2009 12:05 PM
What about Pauline's they can accommodate a large party and very good pizza. Not in North Beach though.
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Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103›4 Replies-
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re: BernalKC
Lori SF
Jul 17, 2009 04:29 PM
Pauline's has the same offerings as Tommaso's- garlic, pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, Anchovies, etc. They have similar style pizza on the menu or you can build your own. I would not consider Delfina to be "precious Californian kind" but more Italian if anything.
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re: sugartoof
Robert Lauriston
Jul 18, 2009 08:58 AM
Leaving aside the question of whether they can seat a party of ten at the California St. location, Delfina's pizzas are only big enough for one or two people, so the bill would be high compared with Italian-American places where you can order a few big pies.
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spinn1
Jul 17, 2009 09:59 AM
Pazzia
Gaspare's
Giorgio's
Pizzeria Delfina
Pasquale's
...would all be better choices.›3 Replies-
re: spinn1
Robert Lauriston
Jul 17, 2009 10:07 AM
Maybe, if they were in North Beach.
Pazzia's pretty Italian with smallish pizzas. In North Beach, for that style, you could go to Ideale (the chef opened Pazzia and sold it). But the bill would be high compared with Italian-American places where you can order a few big pies.
Pizzeria Delfina would probably be a long wait for a party of 10, if they could handle that many at all.
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re: BernalKC
Shane Greenwood
Jul 20, 2009 06:05 AM
Busy place, no reservations. Might be hard to get 10 sitting together but worth a try between the lunch and dinner rush because the pizza is so good.
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a_and_w
Jul 16, 2009 09:04 AM
I would consider Amici's in Cow Hollow. It's a chain, but surprisingly decent. It's also not far from the North Beach with plenty of seating for large groups.
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re: a_and_w
I would definitely endorse Tony's Pizza Napoletana at stockton/union. was there last week at 2:30pm. i sat at the bar but there was only a minimal wait for a table. The margherita was as good as any pie i've had..I no longer do rankings but would put this pie up there at the top..there are many options so i wont comment on any other pies..but ya cant go wrong with this award-winner.
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re: rworange
Shane Greenwood
Jul 20, 2009 06:03 AM
Doesn't look like it. And they don't take reservations. They have two rooms, one long and narrow front room with a bar. The back room has more space with bench/chair tables along the wall and a few floating tables, they might be able to slide some together back there. However, it would be difficult to all sit together especially given how busy this place is getting.
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Robert Lauriston
Jul 15, 2009 06:20 PM
If you lucked out and didn't have to wait, Tommaso's would be ideal.
If it's a Monday, Joey & Eddie's would be an option:
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Personally, I really like North Beach Pizza, for what it is, which is basic, good pizza. It's not, as you so aptly put it, the precious California kind, but it's tasty.
That said, the new location is much less dive-y than the previous one, but the pizza isn't quite as good. (Personally, I think the old one had yeast in the air from decades of pizza, and the new location just hasn't built up the same stuff.) But it's more comfortable, and if you're really just looking for a relaxing, chill evening, it's not a bad choice.
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I wouldn't write off Tomasso's. If you're winding down the day in North Beach you could show up right when they open at 5PM (4 on Sundays, closed Mondays) or soon thereafter. No wait, and they have a long table that runs down the middle of the room that's great for a large group. Fun place to end of a day in NB.
But I have not tried Tony's Pizza yet...looking forward to it.
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