Del Popolo — Restaurant in San Francisco

I went in. Table for 1. There were 5 open seats by the pizza counter. As a table of 1, should have been a no brained to seat me immediately. 15 minute wait. Those seats were empty all 15 minutes I waited. Perhaps the server was trying to offer the seats to couples first, all I know is, they were open after I had to queue up.

I ordered their version of the Caprese to start, and a Bianchi with Sausage.

The Caprese was amazing. Ripe tomatoes, super firm and flavorful mozzarella. A pesto sauce underneath, and a some croutons to add some crunch to the dish.

Now the Bianchi was just disappointing. The wait time was also weird. Between the salad and pizza, waited something like 22 minutes. I was sitting next to the pizza Counter, I could see that they weren’t that busy. In fact they actually told the server that they were not backed up.

This place is known for pizza and it was not living up to the hype. The bread was like an undercooked sour naan. Chewy. Sourdough bread taste (indicative of a flash fry of the yeast in a sourdough starter). The ricotta was dense and pasty. The sausage was full of flavor (spicy and herb filled), but that flavor wasn’t enough to overpower the sourdough base (that I was seriously getting fatigued from chewing on).

Service was pitiful at best. One has to assume they get surly and uppity because they’re used to the foot traffic from all the tourists down hill at Union Square. I had a waitress ignore me for the most part. Neither the waitress or the pizza chef would share their thoughts on what they liked.

The lady that served me the salad from the kitchen was just strange - came out yelling “Who’s the lucky ducky? The hungry little boy that going to have this tasty salad in his tummy?”

It’s a salad, and I’m not an F’ing 5 year old. There’s no need for condescending behavior just because I’m eating alone.

When tipping, beware the “error,” on the check. They factor in the 5% SF health mandate surcharge into the calculation on Sales Tax and suggested tipping. So, ensuring I got taxed on a surcharge/ tax. How? Why? No one else in SF calculates sales tax like that. SF City Hall may be socialist, but their not politically suicidal to double tax you like this. Seems like a scam by the restaurant to help inflate the suggested tipping.

Can’t believe I’m saying this... Tony’s in North Beach is better than this. Service, food...

This is the best pizza in SF. I don't say this lightly. My wife and I have lived here for 10 years. We've tried pretty much every acclaimed pizza place. Del Popolo is the best. Why are they the best? The crust. It has that perfect spongy texture like in Italy. And they get a nice char on it too, unlike many other places in SF that undercook their dough. Del Popolo does it perfectly, and more importantly, they do it perfectly every time we come. The sauce and toppings are great too.

I know there are a lot of confident reviews saying this or that about the best pizza in SF. Del Popolo isn't even on every "best of" list. But those people are wrong. I don't know why they are wrong, or why they turned their backs on happiness and delicious crust. Maybe they just don't like going to Nob Hill. The second best pizza place, if you want to make the comparison at all, is Montesacro Pinseria, which technically is pinsa not pizza. But it's good. It's in an even worse location, but it is worth it.

Our favorite pizza here is the Salami Piccante. The Margerita is solid. The Marinara is fun too for a cheese-free pizza - get it with guanciale. The Potato and Salsiccia are yum. But the best one is Salami Piccante. Get the Charred Green Beans too - delicious. I mean, everything is good, but this stuff is the most good. But exact choices are subjective, so get whatever sounds good to you.

Somehow, their service is always great too. Like, so good that it takes me by surprise. To be clear, I don't ever change my overall rating for bad service. Some of the best restaurants in the city have terrible or at least certainly not good service. But getting excellent food with great service? Wow. Unheard of.

In a city where restaurants are always coming and going, Del Popolo continues to get it right, year after year. If they were in the Mission it would be impossible to get a reservation.

Bonus: they sell their pizzas frozen, and they come out great in a standard oven.

Want a drink before or after? I'll save you some time there too - go to Peacekeeper, which is just...

My husband and I stopped in for a light dinner before heading into our hotel for the night. We shared the ceasar salad, the giardineira, and a trumpet mushroom pizza. The salad was fresh, crunchy, and flavorful, and I almost regretted not ordering just salad--no pizza. That was until the pizza came. I've eaten pizza many places, and my favorite style is neopolitan. But, this pizza was THE BEST I've ever eaten in my life. The crust was decadent--light, airy, chewy with that trademark char that makes neopolitan so delicious. And, most importantly, the crust wasn't overpowered or hidden, as an afterthought, apart from the toppings. But, the toppings were to die for. I eat (and cook) a lot of mushroom dishes, and I love trumpet mushrooms, but I've never had them on a pizza before. They're so meaty, chewy, and earthy, paired with a wonderful garlic oil (which tasted of truffle oil, but I could be mistaken), and we added oil-cured olives which gave it a delightful brininess. The giardineira was similarly delightful, being a blend of cauliflower, carrots, onions, and fennel (which gave it an unusual but surprisingly pleasant sweetness), and everything was so crisp and prettily presented that I suspect they make it in-house. Initial tab for meal + a glass of house wine for my husband ran $75 (without tip)--which is pretty average for the places we've eaten while here, but the pizza was more than enough for my husband and me. I have no idea how people can eat a whole pizza by themselves.

With regards to the venue, we were concerned that it was so busy we'd be cramped, but then we were taken outside to the patio which had tables spaciously arranged around heaters with soft, inviting lighting. It's a perfect place for a romantic evening or for a festive night out with friends (as we saw several ladies celebrating a friend's birthday). Del Popolo was definitely a memorable meal, and I'd recommend...