San Francisco pizza runs from Neapolitan pies to Sicilian focaccia slices to Chicago deep dish. These are several spots worth knowing, grouped by what they make.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana (North Beach)
Tony Gemignani’s restaurant at 1570 Stockton Street makes several regional styles, including Neapolitan, New York, Sicilian, and Detroit. The Margherita is cooked in a wood-fired oven and the kitchen makes a limited number each day. Gemignani has won the World Pizza Cup in Naples. Expect a wait on weekends.
Golden Boy Pizza (North Beach)
Golden Boy at 542 Green Street has sold square Sicilian-style focaccia slices since 1978. The clam and garlic and the pesto slices are the ones regulars order. It is counter service, and slices sell until they run out.
Tommaso’s (North Beach)
Tommaso’s Ristorante Italiano at 1042 Kearny Street opened in 1935. The Cantalupo family installed what is recognized as the first wood-fired brick pizza oven on the West Coast. It serves Neapolitan-style pizzas alongside a full Italian menu.
Capo’s (North Beach)
Capo’s at 641 Vallejo Street, also from Tony Gemignani, focuses on Chicago styles: cracker-thin, deep-dish cast iron, stuffed, and Detroit. The pies take time to bake, so order early.
Pizzeria Delfina (Mission and Pacific Heights)
Pizzeria Delfina, with its original at 3611 18th Street in the Mission, makes thin-crust pies in a casual room next to the Delfina restaurant. There is a second location at 2406 California Street in Pacific Heights.
Square Pie Guys (SoMa)
Square Pie Guys at 1077 Mission Street makes Detroit-style pizza with a crisp, cheese-edged square crust. There is a second location at Ghirardelli Square.
Getting Around
The North Beach spots sit within a few blocks of Columbus Avenue and are reachable on Muni lines serving the neighborhood. The Mission location is near the 16th Street and 24th Street BART stations. Square Pie Guys in SoMa is a short walk from Civic Center and Powell stations.