Pizza
Why did we dine here? – Flour & Water Pizza is the pizza only specialty restaurant from the folks at famous Flour and Water. This location opened in 2023, the previous one is run by a former employee and is now called Yellow Moto Pizza. Tony’s Pizza is right around the corner!
Why did we dine here? – Top Italian on the Peninsula! Vesta is a California Italian restaurant in downtown Redwood City. They tried to support local and organic suppliers. It has an extremely high 4.5 stars on Yelp and was mentioned in San Francisco magazine as having great pizza. These two facts were enough to pique our interest. We finally got a chance to try them at the end of 2013, been back several times with latest visit in summer 2023.
We bought an Ooni Koda 12 Gas Powered Pizza Oven and took months to be able to reliably shape, stretch and cook a pizza.
Here are 3 videos to help your turbocharge your pizza making!
Greasy, Cheesy and satisfying! Square Pie Guys serves great Detroit Style Pizza. “A crispy, crackly caramelized cheese crust that comes from baking in rectangular blue steel pans originally used to ferry auto parts around Detroit automotive factories.” We’ve seen a lot written about them, so we finally gave it a try. Definitely have been back too. Great stuff. No dine in or outdoor dining, all take out.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana is a popular San Francisco North Beach restaurant from Tony Gemignani, 9 time Champion Pizza Tosser, certified pizziaolo. It first opened in 2009. He also runs a the International School of Pizza next door. He is well qualified to make a great authentic pizza! Also part of his empire, the “to go” oriented Tony’s Coal Fired Pizza and Slice House next door, Slice house at Oracle Park, and Italian Restaurant Capo.
Foster City is a suburb of San Francisco and not known for its food. Here are a couple worthy spots.
Napoletana Pizzeria is a new Naples style pizzeria in Mountain View. This unlikely strip mall location (Next to Cost Plus World Market), houses a low key, authentic thin crust Neapolitan pizza place. We first learned about this place from a thread on Chowhound. As the waitress put it, these authentic pizzas cook for about 90 seconds in their 900° wood burning oven. Our last visit was Summer 2019.
Little Star Pizza is a popular pizza place with 2 locations in San Francisco and 1 in Albany. We visited the Divisadero location and ordered deep dish pizza. It took about 30 minutes to get our pizza. They have gone on to open several locations in the Bay Area.
Blue Line Pizza is their name for sister locations from Burlingame southwards. We have tried their Burlingame location in the Summer of 2020. The menu is very similar.
We love pizza and finally made the trek to Chicago to find what ‘real’ deep dish pizza tastes like. We find San Francisco’s best cannot compare..
Why did we dine here? – Montesacro is a hidden Italian gem, located in an alley right off a hardcore scary block of 6th Street in downtown San Francisco. The name comes from a neighborhood in Roma. We were tipped off about this place from a friend. Gianluca Legrottaglie, who runs nearby 54 Mint, opened this stylish restaurant, that transports you back to Rome, in 2015.
Delicious Italian around the Bay. Pizzeria Delfina is the lower cost more casual eatery next to top rated Delfina. They do not take reservations and focus on ‘Neapolitan inspired’, thin crust pizzas and Antipasti. Delfina does not serve pizza. They use local, seasonal ingredients and have a lots of wines by the glass. There are 2 location in San Francisco – Mission and Pacific Heights. In 2018 we dined several times at the Burlingame location.
They are moving back to NYC and closing 12/30/2017! They will be missed. Long lines before they even opened.
Zachary’s Chicago Pizza is a popular pizza restaurant in the San Francisco East Bay that serves Chicago style pizza. They have been packing them in for over thirty years. They serve select individual slices (Sausage, Pepperoni, Vegetarian) and whole pizzas, both thin and stuffed (thick) crust. The thick crust has filling between the layers. They also have half-baked pies and gluten free pies for sale. Our last visit was in Fall 2018.
Why did we dine here? – Don Antonio by Starita is a popular pizza restaurant in New York City’s Midtown area. It brings together 2 pizza superstars: Roberto Caporuscio of Kesté Pizza & Vino in New York City, and his maestro, Antonio Starita of Pizzeria Starita a Materdei in Naples. Starita in Naples remains our top Pizza experience, so we had to try this place out.
Howie’s Artisan Pizza was opened by Howard Bulka in late 2009 into Town & Country Village shopping Center of Palo Alto. He had worked at various restaurants including Marche. Inspired by the New Haven school of East Coast pizza-making and the renaissance of artisanal products including organic, natural, and local ingredients. Our last visit was in the beginning of 2015 when we noticed that pizza prices went up again.
California Pizza Kitchen started back in 1985 in Beverly Hills by two attorneys. It is now International and publicly traded. Their BBQ Chicken pizza is their signature dish. We were passing by the San Mateo location and decided to refresh our memories. Fate has lead us to eat here, more than we would like to admit..
Pizzetta 211 is a small but cozy 4 table, 4 seat counter restaurant in San Francisco’s Richmond district. We first dined there in 2008 and finally returned in April 2013.
Windy City Pizza has been serving pizza, BBQ, and Sandwiches since 1984. They specialize in Chicago style deep dish pizza and Texas smokehouse BBQ. Rib sticking classic American food that many people love. Our last meal was in 2014.
Why did we dine here? – Campo Pizzeria is a new restaurant in downtown Palo Alto featuring Chef Sean O’Brien (Myth, Zinnia).
We recently finished up our culinary tour of Rome in the Summer of 2012. It was interesting to see how authentic Italian food and restaurants in Rome compare to the ones we have in the San Francisco Bay Area. Below are several Roman restaurants we dined at.
We recently finished up our culinary tour of Sorrento in the Summer of 2012. This is a very touristy area, one of those classic challenges for foodies. Avoiding a tourist trap is very difficult. Below are several restaurants in and around Sorrento that we dined at.
RE Foods
Opened in 2004, A16 has since been present on many top Italian restaurant lists. It is a very popular restaurant in the Marina district, with prime time reservations needing to be booked a week or two in advance. This restaurant is serious about wine and pairing. Our last visit was in the summer of 2012.
Gioia is a top rated Pizza place in North Berkeley. It has been there since 2004. As they put it: “Gioia Pizzeria takes the best of pizza traditions from the old world and the new. Classic flavors and ingredients such as artisanally made sausage, fresh mozzarella cheese and arugula come together in inspired traditional ways, seasoned with the influence of Bay Area kitchens such as Zuni Café, Chez Panisse and Oliveto” Gioia is a small hole in the wall with minimal counter seating. The place specializes in thin crust pizza and is known for local, organic ingredients. It was rated as a top pizza place by Michael Bauer. Our last visit was in late 2011 and we noticed prices had gone up. Their San Francisco location opened in 2012, we dined here in May 2012. It is located right next door to burger heaven, Polkers.
Gialina Pizzeria is a small pizzeria named after the chef-owner’s grandmother. It is opened in January 2007 and is located in San Francisco’s Glen Park neighborhood right near BART. Chef Sharon Ardiana has help positions at well respected places including Lime, Dine, Garibaldis, Slow Club, and Boulevard. Her next restaurant, Ragazza in the Metro Kathmandu space on Divisadero, is their sister restaurant.
Tony’s Coal-Fired Pizza and Slice House is a new San Francisco North Beach takeout place from Tony Gemignani, 9 time Champion Pizza Tosser, certified pizziaolo. He also runs Tony’s Pizza Napoletana next door. This location serves a wide range of food; New York-style pizza, Roman-style pizza, Chicago-style Italian Beef Sandwiches, and New York deli sandwiches. Our last visit was in September 2012.
Cheeseboard Pizza Collective is a worker owned collective of 12 people who served a different pizza each day. It is located in North Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto. They also serve a single type of salad. Cash or check only. There can be a line around the block at peak times. It is located next door to the Cheese Board Collective, which sells excellent cheese, bread, cookies, muffins, etc. Our last visit was at the end of 2010.
Since 1932 Toto’s has been serving ‘authentic’ Neapolitan pizza. They have restaurant locations in San Bruno and Belmont. The Belmont location is an order and sit type restaurant with no table service. They have a to-go only facility in San Mateo that we also dined at. Toto’s uses Baker’s Pride pizza ovens.
Ragazza (Italian for girl) is the second restaurant by chef/owner Sharon Ardiana and opened in September 2010. Ragazza’s sister restaurant, top rated and our favorite pizza restaurant Gialina, located in the Glen Park neighborhood, opened in January 2007. Ragazza is an informal neighborhood restaurant featuring Neapolitan-style thin crust pizzas, seasonal salads, antipasti served in a casual atmosphere.
Emilia’s Pizzeria is a new small pizza place in Berkeley, located about a block from Berkeley Bowl supermarket. Keith Freilich, the owner, has worked at Pizza Hut, Grimaldi’s Hoboken, Pizzaiolo, and Flour + Water in San Francisco and serves up ‘New York style’ pizza. Emilia’s sells pizza by the slice and pie. Regular and sausage and onion were the pizzas available today. They often sell out, so go early and check their Twitter feed. The place was recently on serious eats.
Decor, Vibe – Tiny pizzeria with two small tables run by one person. Most people got pizza to go. Pizza foodies and locals were the main ones eating.
Pizzaiolo opened in 2005 and has been packing them in for pizza since. The Chef-Owner used to work at Chez Panisse.
Golden Boy Pizza is a hole in the wall restaurant in North Beach. This place takes only cash and serves pizza slices from big trays that are warmed up. There are lots of beers and two rows of counter seating.
A stylish high end pizza place with 4 Northern California locations. We reviewed the location in upscale San Jose’s Santana Row shopping center. Pizza is the draw, so we focused on it. The pizza is thin crust artisanal Roman style. They also serve pasta and meats.
Classic Chicago-style deep dish pizza is the reason to visit. Pronounced “paw-CHEESE”, this place is run by a former cook and manager of Zachary’s Pizza in Oakland. With that heritage, it was time to compare it again the reference.
Tommasos, Open in 1935, this place is a North Beach institution that seems to have a line every day
from 530pm onwards. It is an old school Italian eatery that hasn’t changed much. Big communal table down the middle. A small basement eatery with old fashion decor and yellow lighting, this is a classic and full of tourists. Tommasos is well know for their wood-fired brick oven pizza.
