What pizza should I try next in SF?

[JAZ]

RE: La Ciccia in Noe Valley, their pizza-maker is purportedly also a Naples-certified pizzaiolo,  bringing the grand total to 2 in the City (the other is at A16).

I'm eager to try it, but the wait has been horrible whenever we pop by.

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Just call ahead and make a reservation. They do fill up - and it's a small place. But Lorella and Mossimo (owners) are great, and some of the wines are fantastic!

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I tried one of their pizzas a few weeks ago. The flavor was great, with good crust, but the sauce was either too thin or too abundant, as it leaked into the center of the pizza and made it soggy. I think that was a fluke, though, since I saw a pizza delivered to another table and it looked much crisper. I will go back, definitely, although the rest of the menu looked so good that I'm not sure I'll order the pizza again. The service was great, prices reasonable, and the food was good.

[eje]

Gialina Pizzeria just opened in Glenn Park.

My wife and I visited last week.

Chef/Owner is Sharon Ardiana, who has cooked at a long list of SF restaurants including Lime and The Slow Club.

Emphasis is on fresh and seasonal food.

Pizza is Neapolitan style. She serves about 5 seasonal pies. Currently, there are squash, sausage and dandelion greens, spicy tomato and mozzarella, and white clam.

We tried the sausage and dandelion greens and it was quite tasty.

She also serves a featured entree, several appetizers and salads, and desserts.

Wine list is a short list of 10 featured Italian wines by the glass, carafe, or bottle.

Prices are quite reasonable. Pizzas are around $12 and salads and appetizers are mostly less than $10.

They've only been open about a week and are pretty busy. Still finding their feet, I'd say.

Promising food, though. We'll definitely be back.

[JAZ]

I assume that it opened in the space that used to house Sunset Pizza? (It figures that a good pizza place would open after I left.) Still, it'll be good for the neighborhood.

[eje]

I assume that it opened in the space that used to house Sunset Pizza? (It figures that a good pizza place would open after I left.) Still, it'll be good for the neighborhood.

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Yes, it is the space that used to house Sunset Pizza. Pretty small, maybe seats 40 or so.

Across the street from the new shopping/housing complex with its upscale Canyon Market.

They both seem a bit out of place in Glenn Park.

[eje]

I finally got around to trying some of the pizza at Beretta last night.

I had a Broccolini and pancetta pizza with tomato and mozzarella.

It was lightly dressed (as it should be) and the Broccolini was nicely bitter, the pancetta great, tomato sauce perfectly fresh tasting, and the mozzarella very good.

Best of all, though, was the crust. Easily among the best traditional Italian pizza crusts I've had in San Francisco. Clean tasting, thin, and crisp. I was really impressed.

I also had two appetizers. I can never resist Sardines, so I had the Monterey sardines en saör, which were excellent. I also had the Pepperoni, which is a roasted bell pepper stuffed with breadcrumbs, raisins, and pine nuts.

I'm biased, but the cocktails are excellent (the bar was opened by Thad Vogler and the staff includes a number of San Francisco's best bartenders). They also have a nice wine list, pretty much, if not entirely, from Italy. Not much beer. There are some non-alcholic options for beverages. Fresh squeezed juices, ginger beer, and a hibiscus cooler.

Anyway, I can't wait to get back and try some of the other menu items, including the nightly entrée specials. They were serving a grilled bone in ribeye as the special last night.

Edited June 9, 2008 by eje (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Gialina Pizzeria just opened in Glenn Park.

We just got around to visiting Gialina and found sensational appetizers, fabulous pizza, even tempting desserts plus darling service. Aps and pies were so revelatory that four of us literally fought for tastes of each. Menu changes daily to reflect what's fresh and good in the market. I only wish I didn't have to drive across town to enjoy this sweet place, else I'd eat here once a week.

[BryanZ]

Just thought I'd note that Delfina Pizzeria is quite good. Had a carbonara special pie and a margherita. Both fully enjoyable. Light sauce, cutesy condiments on the table, grissini that were actually crispy and had flavor. The dough is more worked than true Neapolitan style so you've got a bit more chew and some crisp rather than soft, pillowyness. Made for a perfect pre-lunch.

No traditional pizzaiola would shape the dough like they do, though. They pinch the the crust to form bubbles. Kind of strange, but it makes the product unique. Fairly priced, cute waitress, and not even a wood-fired brick oven!

[Carolyn Tillie]

Which Delfina did you go to? The one in the Mission has been consistently better than the newer one on Fillmore...

[BryanZ]

The Mission one. My friend lives in the Castro so we walked down there. Between Tartine and Bi-Rite and Delfina I'm hard-pressed to complain about that little strip.

[Carolyn Tillie]

The Mission one.  My friend lives in the Castro so we walked down there.  Between Tartine and Bi-Rite and Delfina I'm hard-pressed to complain about that little strip.

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Makes perfect sense. That little strip not only provides the joy of Tartine's Morning Buns, but also BiRite Ice Cream's Salted Caramel and the BiRite grocery store's house-made paté (my favorite in the city). I don't go out of my way for Delfina pizza, but have been there often enough to enjoy...

[Raoul Duke]

Gaspares is worth a try, for old style Italian. The one on Geary.