San Francisco has a large Italian population who brought pizza with them when they came. The area has access to some of the best produce anywhere, and all the moisture in that ubiquitous fog is great for the dough.

As a result, San Francisco has some of the best pizza restaurants on the West Coast. Pizzas here come in all shapes and sizes, from crispy, thin-crust Neapolitan pizza to chewy Sicilian pies. And you’ll find everything from traditional Italian pizza toppings to novelties like clams and octopus.

Whatever kind you prefer, do yourself a favor, and try as many as you can. They’re that good.

It’s a little off the beaten path in Glen Park, but Gialina is worth the drive for the authentic Pizza Napoletana. Chef Sharon Ardiana cooked at several noted Bay Area restaurants before settling here. Although her pizzas aren’t baked in the requisite wood-burning oven, they’re delicious and the perfect consistency. Try the pie with Niman Ranch pork belly. And finish your meal with a delicious Nutella pizza.

Artisanal Pizza

Berkeley students pack the counter at Gioia Pizzeria, a little hole in the wall on Hopkins Street. There are some benches outside where you can eat your to-go pie. Will Gioia opened the place in 2004 when he couldn’t satisfy his New York pizza cravings anyplace else. There are usually five specials, and they include nontraditional pizza toppings like asparagus, radicchio, and butternut squash.

There are two branches of Little Star Pizza, one in the Mission District and another on Divisadero. Both thin and deep-dish pizzas are available and the cornmeal-dusted crust is perfect either way. The Chicago-style pie with spinach, mushrooms, ricotta, and feta is a feast. And pizza’s not the only item on the menu. The chicken wings are terrific too.

Next door to the restaurant of the same name, Pizzeria Delfina serves two specials and six traditional Neapolitan pizzas every night. The gas oven, which is heated to 770 degrees, produced an excellent crust. And the unusual pizza with cherrystone clams and hot peppers is a nice departure. The house-made fennel sausage is outstanding. And the broccoli rabe pizza is unforgettable. There’s usually a nightly special that’s not pizza. The wine list has some good, affordable choices from Italy. And the desserts – either cannoli or zeppole – are worth saving room for.

Charlie Hallowell of Chez Panisse fame has created a pizzeria — Pizzaioli — in the Temescal district of Oakland that’s worth seeking out. There’s usually a wait, but if you can find a seat at the wine bar, you’ll be served quickly. In addition to pizza, there are pastas, salads, and trattoria classics — the meatballs are legendary. But it’s the Neapolitan pizza that keeps them coming back. Cooked quickly in a wood-fired oven, the pies here have a blistered crust with a slight amount of charring – just like in Naples. Try unconventional pizza toppings like squid or potatoes. The old brick building with exposed walls makes an attractive dining spot. If you’re in the area in the morning, stop by for doughnuts.

Wood-fired oven

Mario Batali once proclaimed Pizzeria Picco the best in the country, and if it’s good enough for Mario… You’ll need to be a believer to justify the trip to Larkspur. The thin-crust pizzas here are made with locally grown ingredients, and they make their own mozzarella in house. Pizza toppings include exotic ingredients like nettles and prawns. But don’t miss the home-made Italian sausage. Combine food groups by ordering spicy arugula salad on top of your pie. The wine list is better than average.

Located in Richmond, Pizzetta 211’s individually sized, thin-crust pizzas are worth the inevitable wait. There are only four tables inside, but if you’re lucky, you can grab one of the blankets and nab a seat outside. The Pizza Margherita here is hard to beat. But the prosciutto, asparagus, with two eggs over easy is irresistible.

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana owner Tony Gemignani is so serious about his pizzas that he has four different pizza ovens – a domed brick oven for Italian-style pizzas, a square brick oven for American-style pies, one for Sicilian-style pizzas, and a wood-burning for Neapolitan pizzas. His Pizza Margherita won the World Pizza Cup in Naples in 2007. He’s the only American ever to win. Tony makes 73 pizzas a day, and when he’s done, he’s done. Specials like deep-fried meatballs are tempting alternatives.

Read our list of the best Italian restaurants in San Franciso here.

1) Gialina
2) Gioia Pizzeria
3) Little Star Pizza
4) Little Star Pizza 2
5) Delfina’s Pizza
6) Pizzaioli
7) Pizzeria Picco
8) Pizzette 211
9) Tony’s Pizza Napoletana

View Pizza Restaurants in San Francisco. in a larger map

Artisanal Pizza image Flickr: Sebastian Mary
Wood-fired oven image Flickr: effe8

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Pizza may be Italy’s greatest invention and its most popular export.

The roots of pizza actually date back to Egypt and ancient Greece where flatbreads seasoned with herbs and baked on hot stones were a staple.   Italian pizza as we know it was first created in the 16th century, when tomatoes brought from the New World were crushed and spread on top of foccacia.

Water buffalos were brought from India around the same time, and before long, cheese was added.

Naples embraced the new dish and, over time, perfected it.  Today, it’s the spiritual home of Italian pizza, and the city that ardent pizza aficionados feel compelled to visit.

So serious is Naples — and Italy — about its pizza, that in 1998, the Italian government formally protected Neapolitan pizza by giving it Denominazione di Origine Controllata or DOC status.  This established Neapolitan pizza as a national treasure, on a par with Chianti wine, Parma ham, or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

The DOC designation spelled out the ground rules for how the pizza is made.  Only three kinds of pizza are recognized — Pizza Marinara, made with tomato, garlic, oregano, and olive oil; Pizza Margherita, which adds mozzarella and basil; and Pizza Margherita Extra which uses mozzarella di Bufala, made from buffalo milk.

All three are cooked for no more than 90 seconds at 900 degrees Fahrenheit in a wood-burning oven.  The crust should be extremely thin — less than 1/8″ thick, but after cooking, it should fold without breaking.  The diameter of the pizza should be less than 14 inches.  And the tomatoes should be San Marzanos.

One of the benefits of the DOC guidelines is that you no longer have to go to Naples to have true Italian pizza.  Organizations like Verace Pizza Napoletana Americas (VPN) train American pizza makers how to produce authentic Neapolitan pizza.  No stone is left unturned.  Everything from the type of flour to the kneading of the dough is defined.  And pizzerias that comply received VPN certification.

If you want to eat an authentic Neapolitan pizza in America, Seattle is your best bet.  There are more VPN-certified pizzerias there than in any other American city.  Choose from Picolino’s Ristorante, Pizzeria Pulcinella, or several locations of Tutta Bella Neapolitan or Via Tribunale.

Those lucky enough to travel to the source will find pizza on just about every corner in Naples.   Pizzeria La Sorrentino, Trianon, and Pizzeria Caffaso all have legions of fans.  But L’Antica Pizzeria de Michele has held the “best pizza in Naples” title for years.  It serves only Pizza Marinara, Pizza Margherita, and Pizza Ripiena, which is a baked calzone.  Since it was featured in the book “Eat, Pray, Love,” the lines to get in are even longer than usual and you may not find it worth the wait.

Antica Pizzeria di Matteo is another great choice with a bigger menu.  In addition to the traditional pizzas, di Matteo also specializes in fried balls of dough, rice, and potatoes.  Buy some to snack on while you wait for your pizza.

Read about other Italian food specialties here.

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