Best Pizza - San Francisco
You might not know this, but San Francisco has quietly become one of the best places in the world for pizza!
The reason? The bread culture in San Francisco is very strong, which spills over into the pizza dough recipes. The locals also have a very curious palate and are open to all sorts of pizza.
The result is a bit of everything (Neapolitan, Detroit, Sicilian, New York, New Haven, Chicago, etc) all with the seasonal California spin on it.
We love pizza, so we’ve happily sampled and tried almost every pizza joint in San Francisco!
According to us, here are the best pizza spots in San Francisco:
Cellarmaker House of Pizza
Originally known for their ever-changing menu of locally brewed beer, Cellarmaker really upped the game by having the best Detroit-style pizza in town!
Detroit-style pizza is characterized by its square shape, thick dough, and crispy-chewy edges.
Cellarmaker’s pizza is more of a cross between Detroit and California since it has a lighter, airy dough and focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients.
One of my favorites and most reliably good pizzas here is the Detroit Red Top. It’s just mozzarella, toma, tomato, and oregano but sometimes the fewer ingredients the better, which is true in this case!
They also make seasonal pizzas, which are usually pretty great! I’ve seen pizzas with corn in the late summer or apple chutney variations during the fall.
Oh, and definitely try one of their locally brewed beers on tap!
Tony's
One of the most famous pizzerias in California, this legendary spot is located in the heart of North Beach and usually has a line forming around the block at all operating hours. I’ve known people who swing by Tony’s when they have a long layover in San Francisco!
Winner of the Pizza World Cup in Naples back in 2007, you can’t really go wrong with any of the pizzas here but if you can’t choose definitely pick the Napoletana Margherita. It won the aforementioned Pizza World Cup.
I’ve tried many of the other types (classic American, classic Italian, Sicilian, New York, etc) and they are all fantastic!
If you just want a slice or don’t want to deal with table service, just head next door where you can get it by the slice or whole pie!
Pizzeria Delfina
One of the original gourmet California-style pizza joints in San Francisco - Pizzeria Delfina has stood the test of time with constantly packed tables and demand for their excellent pizza.
They have two locations, one in the Mission and one in Pac Heights.
As for the pizzas, I’m a huge fan of their Margherita (tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, basil), Salsiccia (housemade fennel sausage, tomato, sweet peppers, onions, mozzarella), and Funghi (hen of the woods mushrooms, panna, fontina, nepitella) pizzas.
Don’t forget to try out their Arancini, which are deep-fried risotto fritters with mozzarella inside.
Golden Boy Pizza
One of the most popular spots in North Beach for a square slice - look for the giant neon hand pointing right at the restaurant!
They place the pizzas right in front behind a glass window, so you can salivate and choose which one you want. They are famous for having square slices that are thick and tasty, with the toppings reaching all the way to the edge.
I absolutely love the clam and garlic pizza but really any of the slices here are excellent. Just like in NYC, they put the slice into a hot oven so it’s hot and fresh when you order.
It’s also one of the rare restaurants that are open late, so the North Beach bar crowd usually gathers here in the wee hours.
Oh and bring cash - they don’t take credit cards!
Square Pie Guys
Latching on to the Detroit style of pizza and doing it well, Square Pie Guys were one of the first to popularize the style in San Francisco.
The dough is light and fluffy with the perfectly crispy and chewy edge that Detroit-style pizza is known for.
While they do have traditional toppings such as Pepperoni and Mushroom, they also have exotic combinations like the JLIN (named after the basketball player Jeremy Lin) that has lemon-garlic ricotta cream and Green Goddess Caesar dressing. Another interesting one is the Beet-An-Esca which has beet cream and anchovy-garlic oil!
Pizzetta 211
This tiny pizzeria tucked away in the Richmond district, is one of the best places in town to get California-style pizza. You’ll be able to spot it by all the people milling about trying to get a table.
About the pizza - everything here is very seasonally focused with three rotating pizzas and three that stay the same. We loved the thin yet chewy crust pizza with high-quality toppings such as rosemary with Fiore Sando cheese and pine nuts. You also can’t go wrong with the one the farm egg cracked on top.
For the best chance of getting a seat, try going during a weekday at lunch.
Fiorella
Located on bustling Clement St, Fiorella makes a fantastic thin crust pizza with several standouts such as the Burrata Pie which has a gigantic ball of creamy burrata in the middle of the pizza. The other pizza that was really great was the Clam Pie!
Don’t sleep on the delicious Herbed Chicken Wings as well - they are tangy and delicious with Fiorella Ranch Sauce.
Oh and the wallpaper here is really eye-catching! It was designed by the Lonely Island comedy troupe and features portraits of local legends like Alice Waters and Joe Montana.
Pizza Hacker
Originally a pop-up and roaming pizza cart, the Pizza Hacker became famous for his ‘franken-Weber’ grill contraptions turned into portable pizza ovens that were able to the insane temps needed to make California-Neapolitan pizzas.
The pizza itself is very delicious with the perfectly charred crust and thin chewy crust that you’d expect. I loved the Yo Vinny! (Marinated Onions, Mama Lil’s Pickled Goat Horn Peppers, House-made, Llano Seco Hot Italian Sausage, Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella) and the Rocket Man (Arugula, garlic, fresh mozzarella, Vital Farms egg, lemon juice, and chili paste) pizzas.
Gioia
A NYC-style pizzeria with a California flair to it, you can stop by here for a slice of pizza or a sit-down dinner with friends, although space is a bit limited.
The pizza is the main star here but the salads and sandwiches are pretty darn good too! The Caesar salad is great as well as the Meatball Parm Sandwich.
As for the pizza, I’m a huge fan of the Formaggio pizza as it closely resembles a classic NYC cheese slice.
Del Popolo
Originally a popular food truck, Del Popolo makes one of San Francisco’s best Neapolitan pizzas with a nice crispy blistered edge and chewy base. The use of a sourdough starter gives the pizza an interesting taste versus other pizzas.
I found the slices to be a bit floppy though and the toppings tended to slide off if you picked them up by hand. I ended up using a fork and knife to eat it, just like the Italians do it!
Starters here are excellent as well such as the tempura butternut squash with pomegranate seeds, fried sage relish, and ricotta cheese.
Emilia's Pizzeria
With some proper planning, you can snag a pizza from Emilia’s Pizzeria - which some regard as the best in the Bay Area.
It’s a one-man operation, so they don’t really answer the phones and rely on the online ordering system.
What I can say is that the pizza crust is light and nicely blistered! The toppings are top notch - you can really taste the quality.
They are quite in demand, so you have to order it a bit earlier in the day if you want one of the coveted dinner time slots for pickup.
Gialina
A Glen Park classic, Gialina has been quietly slinging out inventive pizzas for more than 12 years. What sets apart their pizzas are the big puffy edges that are cracker crisp on the outside but delicately chewy still.
Their most popular pizza is the Atomica (tomato sauce, red onion, portobello mushrooms, Calabrian chiles & mozzarella) while I really loved the Cauliflower (Roasted Cauliflower- caramelized onions, long-cooked chard, smoked bacon, thyme & Italian fontina).
They have excellent starters such as seasonal salads and roasted Brussel sprouts - but watch for the special roast of the menu which could be melt in your mouth pork belly or delicious roasted chicken.
Long Bridge Pizza
A long-standing local favorite in the Dogpatch neighborhood, Long Bridge serves up thin crust sourdough-based pizza with many variations that you’re sure to love.
Some of our favorites are the Pesto (Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Garlic, Red Onion, House Pesto, Parmesan) and the White Pie (Mozzarella, Ricotta, Spinach, Garlic, Olive Oil, Parmesan).
It’s a great place to go before a Warriors game at the Chase Center!