Three New Pizza Spots Say Cheese
Patxi’s Chicago Pizza
The Marina meets the Windy City… and to think that this was almost lost in the fog of Fleet Week.
Patxi’s just opened their second SF location serving an authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza where the heirloom tomato sauce tops off the slice. They also bake traditional thin and extra thin crust pizzas for those who believe “it’s what’s on the inside that counts.” I’d suggest that you try a blind taste test against the old haunts like Amici’s, Orgasmica, Extreme… but then you’d be wasting your money… and you’d have less room in your stomach for a second slice of Patxi’s.
Since you should come here simply for the pizza, I’m reluctant to share anything else. They do have a projector for gamedays and movie nights. And of course they have a bar… which is great because they don’t accept reservations and you can expect a wait. The coup de mâitre? $2 Tecate’s and $1 PBR’s ALL THE TIME!
After this weekend, Pabst Blue Ribbons > Navy Blue Angels.
Patxi’s Chicago Pizza
3318 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA
415.345.3995
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
Tony Gemignani, a nine-time world pizza champion winner (although 8 of them were for acrobatics), serves up his classic pies to San Francisco at his recently opened spot in North Beach. The menu is loaded with highlights, but the most popular is the Margherita… i’ll let Tony share the rest: “dough mixed by hand using San Felice flour then proofed in Neapolitan wood boxes, San Marzano tomatoes DOP, sea salt, mozzarella Fior di Latte, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil from Campania” baked to perfection in the 900 degree wood fire oven. They limit to 73 orders per day a perfect excuse to go out early and stay up late.
Bring friends, because Tony presents three additional enticing options: Classic Italian (domed gas brick oven), Classic American (NY flat top gas brick oven), and Sicilian Style (Italian brick oven). Tony does not currently have any plans to open up a Bikram Yoga studio in the kitchen. For couples, avoid the hour-long wait by grabbing a pair of barstools and order up a Negroni, the perfect apéritif to jumpstart the meal.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
1570 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA
415.835.9888
222 Hyde
Here, deuces are wild. 222 Hyde serves two needs: early evening date spot and late night club so you can either draw from or refill the proverbial well.
If you remember the name (222 Hyde), you know the address… otherwise the lack of signage will have you stumbling around the ‘Loin like a local crackhead. The seedy environs mixed with the high-touch minimalism (exposed brick, concrete floor) works for both clandestine pizza joint and subterranean nightclub. Dining options include small plates (salumi, almond), antipasti (candied walnuts + goat cheese salads, Dungeness crab dip), or a seared-then-simmered daily braising special. The recommendation is the thin-crust, shredded mozzarella pizzas. After all this place is reminiscent of a hip, underground NYC dive.
Hit up the 222 on a Thursday night for a happy hour with a 10” pizza and pint of beer for $8. Then spend some time leaning into the bar while the basement transforms into a late night scene bumping the IDM house beats.
222 Hyde
222 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA
415.345.8222
The Nugget of the Day:
Football, dog fighting and brain damage
Malcolm Gladwell
The New Yorker, October 19, 2009
