8 Best Restaurants in San Francisco, California

Casey Crynes' East Coast–style pies are larger and have slightly thicker and sturdier crusts compared to the typical Neapolitan ones. New York expats love that these slices can actually be folded. The small, charming counter-service restaurant centers around a large brick oven; and toppings tend to be simple, fresh, and nicely balanced on the predesigned pies.

There are several excellent pizzerias and many terrific small breweries in town, but it almost seems unfair that quite possibly the best of both genres is one place located where the Mission blurs into Bernal Heights. Cellarmaker is known for its ultra-hoppy beers and unique Coffee & Cigarettes smoked coffee porter; the pizza side focuses on perfect renditions of thick, crispy-edged Detroit-style square pies. It's a similar concept at the main brewery location in Oakland's Jack London Square. The Berkeley location offers thinner "bar-style" pies, plus aged sour beers from The Rare Barrel, the predecessor in that space which Cellarmaker acquired.

Divisadero Street's always-packed Cal-Italian restaurant, Che Fico, expanded to Thrive City in 2024. But, as the name suggests, this newcomer is indeed focused on sourdough crust pizzas (no pastas here!), along with a few sandwiches, salads, and clever antipasti like Italian sausage–stuffed olives. The Amafi Coast–inspired dining room and a sprawling patio created by star restaurant designer Jon de la Cruz allows for excellent views of the arena just steps away and the Bay Bridge in the distance.

Francesco Covucci brings his concept for a modern, casual Italian pizzeria with quality-driven imported Italian ingredients to storied North Beach. Although hailing from Calabria (an agricultural region of Southern Italy neighboring Campania, Italy's pizza bastion), he has created an authentic Neapolitan-style pizzeria. Also look for appetizers involving imported buffalo milk mozzarella and burrata. There's a second location in the Castro.

This shoebox-size spot puts together thin-crust pies topped with the kinds of ingredients that are worth the constant wait. Almost half the menu changes on a biweekly basis, while dependable favorites include the tomato, basil, and mozzarella pizza; the Sardinian cheese, pine nut, and rosemary pie; and the San Marzano tomato sauce, wild arugula, and mascarpone pizza.

It's never pleasant to think about food waste, but it's an unfortunate reality in our world today—there is an enormous amount of perfectly fine food thrown away. This colorful, quirky, purposefully over the top restaurant embraces the concept of food waste as a key centerpiece of a pizza-centric menu (the crust is made of discarded whey and oat flour). Guests aren't lectured about the issue; instead, they'll learn from the plates about how oft-neglected or discarded ingredients can be absolutely delicious.

Repeatedly crowned the World Champion Pizza Maker at the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Tony Gemignani is a carb-friendly legend in the city for his flavorful dough and myriad versions. The multiple gas, electric, and wood-burning ovens in his casual, modern pizzeria turn out many different styles of pies—the famed Neapolitan-style Margherita, but also Sicilian, Roman, and Detroit styles—with salads, antipasti, homemade pastas, and calzone rounding out the menu. They don't take reservations, and wait times are notoriously long, so add your name to the online wait list (very) early.