beyza simsekoglu

I went there based on a recommendation from my Italian friend, and my expectations were very high. To be honest, it didn’t quite meet them. It was definitely above average, but not among the top three pizzas I’ve ever had in sf

Sacha O

We Arrived without a reservation and were graciously seated outside, under a heat lamp. The food was good. I loved the beets we ordered to start. They were delicious. The margarita pizza was good, but there wasn’t much sauce or toppings. The crust was the star of the pizza- soft and delicious. For dinner we tried the gnocchi which was good, but not very flavorful. I love a rich red sauce but this one just didn’t pop. (To be fair, the waiter recommended the ravioli over the gnocchi, but I was trying to avoid cream sauce.) We also had the Ox Tail pasta- my husband loved it. The staff was gracious and very nice, but since we were the only ones outside, after waiting quite some time, I had to go in and ask to order. Once our order was in, things progressed well. No time for dessert, but we will be back for more beets, pizza, the ravioli, and to try some happy hour treats.

Ali Khan

Apologies for the long review: Been recommended this place by friends. We were walking and happened across it so we decided to go in. We sat outside along Gough and noticed that we were one of 3 parties on that side when we sat, none others by the time we left. We were sat right next to a HUGE window with an unobstructed view of the entire inside. The waitress saw us immediately and after a couple minutes only asked "tap or sparkling" so fast I barely got it. At first, we enjoyed the non-chalantness of the server. However, we soon realised that was not the case. Our plates/glasses were brought by a busser, server brought and poured water, a different server brought the wine, a bug flew into my partner's glass and we requested a new one + more water from the server- the host brought the glass (we never got water again until we left, we even saw her drop water off to every other table on the outside along Hayes), food dropped off by food runner, bread by server, then NOTHING for 15 mins. Eventually I flagged a different server down for a box, water and the cheque. He boxed our food and brought water. But still no cheque even though I asked again. We waited 5 mins and eventually I walked inside and paid with a random server. We were left there alone for so long that if it were anyone else they would have just left.

Kurt Nelson

Perfectly serviceable, the exact example of 3 stars. I live nearby but had never been in as Gioia right down the street is fantastic. For October, they are running their Margherita Pizza at the happy hour price all day on Mondays. I ordered the Margherita and the shrimp/calimari combo, along with sparkling water to drink (in honor of how they do it in Napoli!). It was perfectly fine, especially at the happy hour price point. However I found the pizza dough very bland and almost too much charring for the strength of the sauce and toppings. The basil was super minimal, and the cheese level low. I ended up giving my leftover crust to a homeless guy who walked by and asked if he could have it. The breading on the calimari had no flavor and the pairing of their pizza sauce as the dipper didn't quite work. I was one of maybe 3 parties in there tops as it was right at open and service was incredibly lack luster. The bottle of sparkling water: $8, which is kinda funny when the food items were $10. Also note if sitting outside, their tables for parties of 1 and 2 are on the busy street compared to the much quieter Hayes side. I'd totally do it again for takeout of a pizza during happy hour, but otherwise I see no real reason to return. I am probably slightly having high standards considering I was in Italy a month ago eating all the pizza, but meh.

Nicholas Pun

Decent pizza. They've got a wide variety of flavours and toppings. The dough was a bit chewier than I would have liked. Service was quick and friendly. The atmosphere here was ok. The spot is quite cramped and the tables are on the small end (we really had to squeeze the pizzas on the table). Didn't have a bad time, but it also wasn't spectacular. The food is still pretty good though!

+3

This was my first time at any location of this chain. We had reservations for 6PM to finish before a show. We arrived a few minutes early and they cleaned a table and we were seated at 6. The hostess was definitely the star of the show and is the only reason this is not a lower starred review. Someone (a food runner it turns out) brought us water. A little while later, we were approached by what we soon discovered was the bartender, not a server, who took our order. We ordered cocktails, an appetizer, and our meal at the same time. There were more active food runners than servers. I think I only saw two dedicated servers. After waiting for a while our not-server came back to our table and said something to the effect of “the kitchen is a mess” and asked for our main dish orders again. Not long after that, we received our salad and appetizer, still no cocktails. The potato croquettes were the best thing we ate, hands down. They are part of the happy hour small bites, so my only critique is that they were maybe not the freshest version, but they were delicious. We were done with the salad and appetizer by the time our cocktails finally arrived. Our dirty plates sat there and since we didn’t have a server, we couldn’t even ask for them to be taken away. My partner ordered cacio & pepe and I ordered the lasagna. When the food runner arrived with our mains, they took away our plates. The C&P was light on the P but the sauce was thick and silky. My lasagna was a little burned on the edges and the noodles were a bit on the mushy side. Sauce was tasty though. For the next 20 minutes, we never saw another soul. No bartender, server, runner, no one. We sat with our leftovers trying to catch the eye of anyone who might serve us. I finally gave up and went to talk to the hostess who was dealing with a huge line of people at the door. She told me that they had a callout and were short staffed etc. That’s fine, but as a restaurant, you shouldn’t seat people you can’t serve properly. Lack of communication added to the woes of the evening. My takeaways are that you should probably stick to pizza as that seems to be their mainstay. I will probably try to visit another time to see how things run on a good night, but this was a huge disappointment.

Tamir Bermann

We were three people sitting outside before a concert. The location is without question very compelling if you plan to go to the Symphony, Ballet, or Opera afterwards, everything is just across the street, which is extremely convenient. Unfortunately, apart from the location, the experience was very disappointing. The food quality was poor. I ordered the dish of the day, gnocchi with oxtail ragout, and received chewy, low-quality, industrial-style gnocchi in tomato sauce. After complaining that this was not what I had ordered, the dish was exchanged — but I then received tagliatelle with ragout instead, again not what I originally ordered. Even the Diet Pepsi tasted off, like chlorinated swimming-pool water, and was not drinkable. My two friends were also very disappointed. The spaghetti arrived completely congealed, with the cream sauce solidified into a single lump of pasta. The salmon was almost undercooked from the inside. It should be glassy and juicy, but not raw. The only positive aspect was the service: our complaints were accepted immediately, dishes were exchanged without discussion, and the waiter was very friendly. This is why I rated the service higher. However, the food itself is simply a disaster. For close to $100 per person, this level of food quality is unacceptable, even with such a good location. Please seriously reconsider the kitchen or the menu. Definitely not recommended.

Spencer Garnowski

I usually don't leave reviews, but unfortunately this was not a good experience. Food was good but service wasn't. We initially got sat outside and waited 15-20 mins before getting waited on. By the time we did, it was actually someone from the kitchen that overheard us (we were sitting near the rear by the kitchen) who ended up taking our order - not the waiter (we saw the waiter waiting other tables nearby). We then ordered an appetizer and two main courses. When the food arrived the appetizer came out at the same time as our meal - which isn't a huge deal, but not ideal. After eating, we waited close to another 30 mins to get our plates picked up. After our plates got picked up, another 20-30 mins went by and no one came to check on us, so I unfortunately had to go up the front to ask the host for someone to come help us. When I came back from host desk, my gf noticed they turned the heaters off outside while we were still out there! Mind you, it was in the low 50s this day. Eventually, a waiter came out to help us and gave us the check. We actually wanted dessert but didn't want anymore trouble. I usually tip pretty well, but given we never had a waiter or point of contact, I only have a few dollars on our bill. I wish we could've tipped more since the food was good and it was a date night for us. Hope anyone that goes doesn't experience the service we received.

William Zhao

I would give negative stars if I could. Pizza was PITCH BLACK, literally all you could taste is a bitter taste. The waiter didn't even cut my pizza for me, I had to cut it myself and then it's bitter and not edible. I can't believe I paid 32$ at this restaurant for this horrible quality. This place should go bankrupt as soon as possible to stop scamming people

M Kaur

Ordered margarita and that’s what I got for not tipping on To go order. Check the order before pick up . Pizza was all burnt. I was very hungry and after eating I got health issues, I am getting hard time to breath it got stuck in between chest and throat. Avoid eating, and take legal action to such harassment which I am going.

Diana Briceno

You could’ve killed my 18-month old son who’s allergic to nuts and eggs due to your negligence. What was supposed to be a peaceful and fun night after a 6-hour drive to SF ended up becoming a tense night with my husband and I wondering if we would need to take him to the ER. When a restaurant patron discloses there is an allergy you need to make sure of things such as: 1. The meal’s ingredients don’t contain the allergen(s) 2. There is no cross contamination as the meal is prepared I did my due diligence and asked about these things when ordering the gnocchi and was reassured he could eat the food. My son devoured every single gnocchi. Fortunately, although he experienced a horrible case of hives as a side effect, my son’s throat did not close up. This leads me to think perhaps there was a little cross contamination that was still enough to trigger the a bad case of hives. This was dinner so there was nothing else any of us ate after this meal that could’ve caused the reaction other than the restaurant. I hate to write this because the meal was delicious and our server was so kind. But as a mom who has already the anxiety-inducing experience of having to take her baby to the ER due to a bad reaction I need to flag this so you can be aware and do better. Be thorough. Know what’s in your food and if there is any cross contamination. Fix the menu to note where there are any allergens or create a separate one linked with a QR code so we can see which meals contain which allergens so we can make an informed decision. It’s a simple fix but it’s one that, if not done, could have terminal consequences for both a future patron and the reputation of your establishment.

Elias Melo

Extremely chaotic. Coming on a Monday night with a reservation and the hostess didn’t know how to handle the reservation system. A giant line to walk in and reservation, all mixed. There were people with a reservation made for 30 minutes after mine sitting before. A system like open table is so easy to handle. Then we ordered food and the pizza came with a strong burnt flavor. Total waste of time. Even living in the neighborhood I don’t believe I need to go to north beach when I want quality Italian food

Wilaria

Writing this review is not easy for me. This has been my favorite pizzeria in town, and for almost three years since I moved to this city, I’ve recommended it to everyone who asked me where to find good pizza and kind service (and since I’m originally from Italy, people often ask me for Italian food recommendations). Unfortunately, our last three visits left my husband and me really unsatisfied, and during the fourth visit, we left without even being served. Our pizzas on those last three occasions were not hot—just slightly warm—so much that the cheese had already started to solidify instead of being melted. The menu also changed, and the Marinara and other classic pizzas were gone. For someone like me who truly loves pizza without cheese, this was very disappointing. They advertise Neapolitan-style pizza, yet they don’t have a Marinara on the menu, which doesn’t make sense to me. I understand that most people prefer pizzas with cheese and meat, but it would be nice to keep at least one authentic option for those of us who love the simplicity of a good Marinara. The dough also seemed different, not soft, chewy, and slightly crisp with that distinct, airy texture and deep flavor that comes from slow fermentation. It felt like they switched to a faster process. Also, on three separate visits, our pizzas arrived overcooked. When we asked the waitress about it, she explained that the pizzaiolo was still in training, which was surprising, considering that apparently, for about three months, they’ve only had people in training. We decided to give them another chance and went on a weekday evening around 9 p.m. They’re allegedly open until 10 p.m., but it was immediately clear they didn’t want us there, as they seemed to be preparing to close early. For about 11 minutes, we waited at the door while staff avoided eye contact. Eventually, my husband managed to get the attention of a waiter who was busy chatting with friends and coworkers. We asked politely to sit outside because we had our small puppy and didn’t want to disturb other guests. We requested a table on the back patio, which was completely empty, but he refused and gave us a table right by the door instead. That spot made our puppy anxious since people kept coming and going, but we accepted and tried to settle him under the table. The waiter then literally tossed the menus onto the table with an upset expression and walked away without asking if we wanted water (they usually offer still or sparkling). We waited 25 minutes, but nobody ever came back, so we left. The pizza prices have also become some of the highest in the city—$29 for a specialty pizza—and I don’t mind paying more if the food and service are excellent and authentic. But in San Francisco, there are so many wonderful restaurants that provide not just a meal but an experience. Sadly, this place no longer feels that way. Our list of favorite pizzerias has changed, and next time, we’ll be recommending other small local businesses instead of this chain.