San Francisco's Top Five Pizzerias

By Jonathan Kauffman Thu., Jul. 14 2011 at 10:29 AM

Lara Hata

At least once a month, someone -- usually SFoodie -- claims that pizza in San Francisco has jumped the shark. Then a new place opens, and we drop in with friends to check it out, only to find the reservations booked up through the next month.

It's not surprising. Because we're a little OCD in this town, San Francisco is still zoomed in on how good pizza has finally gotten here. Some of the best pizzerias in the city still call their style "classic New York" or "classic Neapolitan" -- but really, when it comes down to it, we wouldn't be getting so excited about S.F. pizza if we hadn't made it our own.

Here are San Francisco's five best:

Albert Law

Gialina's atomica pizza.

1. Gialina: Sharon Ardiana didn't launch the artisanal pizza boom of the Naughts, but she was there by the time the booster rockets fell away. Ever since the Glen Park shop opened in 2007, her pies -- and more specifically, that crust, one long air bubble encased in crackling, nanometer-thin dough -- are still among our favorites. Whether it's a seasonal pie with chanterelles, caramelized onions, and thyme, or a perennial favorite like the Amatriciana (pancetta, tomato, chiles, oregano, and an egg), Ardiana continues to bring it.

Tags:

Arinell, Casey's, Gialina, Little Star, Pauline's, Pizzeria Delfina, Tony's, Una Pizza Napoletana

We Recommend

ruby

Gorgios in the Richmond district is the best NY pizza! And I'm from NY! Those pizza places that were chosen were probably only chosen because their in the trendy Mission district!

pieboy

What about Una Pizza Napoletana in SOMA? Anthony Mangieri is making some classic Naples wood fired pies. http://unapizza.com

perfecto

Arinelli hit the top 5 list, yea right, its great pizza if your drunk, the best pizza in town is tony in north beach, they have two ovens gas oven at 500 degrees and a coal fired oven at 1000 degrees, the coal fired oven has special dough and cheese from italy and the cook is the legendary Erik who is an olyimpic pizza spinner. its the only coal fired pizza in north calif, Grant and Union street.it takes two hours to light the oven with wood and charcoal then coal. go on you tube and type coal fired pizza.