Monterey Pizza & Asian Zap — Restaurant in San Francisco

As you first enter this small Sunnyside pizza joint, the open kitchen, with its hustle and loud camaraderie steals the show. Pizzas are-a-slinging left and right. Pizza boxes are whipped out of the ceiling high, Jenga-like wall of boxes that lines one of the entire sides of the kitchen. The phone rings off the hook. Stern orders are shouted to the back of the house. I personally avoid calling my order in ahead of time because of what comes next: an opportunity to chill. To connect. To be part of something.

On any given night employees from the local bar or grocery store will be greeted warmly and order their honored "usual". Neighborhood kids rocking Supreme snapbacks will roll in on skateboards just to pay their respects to the kitchen. Stories will be exchanged. Jokes will be made. Laughs will be had. And if you're really lucky the captain of this wild ship, with her spunky smile and confident air, will offer you a Shrimp Chip. Yes, I said it. A Shrimp Chip.

For me, Sunnyside is one of the only spots in all of San Francisco that has been able to successfully dig in and maintain its true character. Not only does the neighborhood dodge the fog (hence the name Sunnyside, but it's been able to successfully avoid the looming great eye in the sky that is the Salesforce Tower and all the culture killing tech that the new skyline represents. A the core of this brave stand, on the corner of Monterey and Forester, with all its soul and true blue grit, is a beacon called Monterey Pizza.

Oh. And I forgot to mention. It's the best all around no-gimmick pizza...

Monterey Pizza is one of the last few dependable pizza spots I've been able to rely on for those "I don't know what to eat...too lazy to cook or go out..." situations that always seem to occur for some reason or other. You can get all the classic pizzas without all the unnecessary frill, exorbitant prices or high-horse attitude. No, I don't need 5 different cheeses imported from Italy and no I don't need truffle oil on everything--sometimes I just need a good old fashioned pizza I can order on a whim. This place delivers just that. (Don't get me wrong, I love my fancy sit-in pizza restaurants, but there's something to be said about just ordering a simple pizza straight to your doorstep.)

The owner is incredibly nice and extremely hard working. The space is small, but offers stools for the casual dine-in eaters. The really cool thing about this place is that they offer more than just your average pizzas and extras--they offer home cooked Asian dishes and even Asian inspired pizzas. I would recommend this place for big parties and casual gatherings, but more specifically for yourself when you've hit that shitty week, that crappy day, that mid-week "I don't know what to eat for...

I dont know whats wrong with them lately. Last couple of times we ordered they failed to do the order right. Something as simple as combo pizza and add spinach please, got cero spinach on the pizza and got charged for it. Now tonight again combo with extra tomatoe and an order of cheesy bread. What do we get? A fetta cheese, spinach and tomatoe pizza AND a loaf of bread, yes tasteless bread. We called and the excuse was oh we dont have cheesy bread, well thanks for letting us know.... this is the last thing i want when i get back from work, my food to be totally different of...